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Odds & Ends: Yankees, Varitek, Sheffield

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A few links to browse while we watch to see if the Phillies can finish off the last of the Division Series….  

  • Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues wonders how Johnny Damon's recent slide and Hideki Matsui's hot streak will affect the New York Yankees' decisions this winter.
  • Josh Beckett wants Jason Varitek back in Boston in 2010, according to Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com.
  • MLB.com's Kelly Thesier writes that Joe Mauer has spoken to agent Ron Shapiro about his contract status, but that there haven't been any "serious discussions" yet.
  • Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports that Gary Sheffield wants to return to Florida. "It would be nice to finish my career with the Marlins," Sheffield said. "This is where I made a name for myself.''
  • The Houston Astros aren't handling the managerial interview process well, according to Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle. Justice's pick for the opening, Jim Fregosi, wasn't one of the ten candidates announced by the Astros.
  • Chris Ruddick of the Sports Network, via the Miami Herald, speculates on the next moves for St. Louis and Boston. He isn't opposed to letting Tony LaRussa and Matt Holliday walk, and suggests that Jonathan Papelbon could be shopped for a "young bat" this winter.
  • The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay writes that former Diamondbacks pitching coach Bryan Pryce is on the Reds' list of candidates for their pitching coach. The Brewers have also expressed interest in Pryce.
  • Within a mailbag on MLB.com, Chris Haft writes that players like Matt Holliday and Jason Bay will be out of the San Francisco Giants' price range, and that the team is more likely to acquire a "hard-hitting utilityman."

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Varitek, Sheffield

By | at

A few links to browse while we watch to see if the Phillies can finish off the last of the Division Series….  

  • Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues wonders how Johnny Damon's recent slide and Hideki Matsui's hot streak will affect the New York Yankees' decisions this winter.
  • Josh Beckett wants Jason Varitek back in Boston in 2010, according to Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com.
  • MLB.com's Kelly Thesier writes that Joe Mauer has spoken to agent Ron Shapiro about his contract status, but that there haven't been any "serious discussions" yet.
  • Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports that Gary Sheffield wants to return to Florida. "It would be nice to finish my career with the Marlins," Sheffield said. "This is where I made a name for myself.''
  • The Houston Astros aren't handling the managerial interview process well, according to Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle. Justice's pick for the opening, Jim Fregosi, wasn't one of the ten candidates announced by the Astros.
  • Chris Ruddick of the Sports Network, via the Miami Herald, speculates on the next moves for St. Louis and Boston. He isn't opposed to letting Tony LaRussa and Matt Holliday walk, and suggests that Jonathan Papelbon could be shopped for a "young bat" this winter.
  • The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay writes that former Diamondbacks pitching coach Bryan Pryce is on the Reds' list of candidates for their pitching coach. The Brewers have also expressed interest in Pryce.
  • Within a mailbag on MLB.com, Chris Haft writes that players like Matt Holliday and Jason Bay will be out of the San Francisco Giants' price range, and that the team is more likely to acquire a "hard-hitting utilityman."

Odds & Ends: Rays, Joba, Pettitte

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A few Sunday links to browse through….

  • R.J. Anderson at DRays Bay examines Tampa Bay's 2009 season and their expectations for 2010. He figures that the Rays' most likely spot for improvement is behind the plate, and suggests they possess the chips to deal for a catcher.
  • The New York Yankees nearly sent Joba Chamberlain to the minors this summer, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman says that the Yankees will expect Chamberlain (and Phil Hughes) to come to spring training in 2010 prepared to start. But if Joba's struggles continue, he may not merely be moved to the bullpen, but rather sent to the minors.
  • Mark Carig of the Star Ledger also looks at the Yankees' 2010 rotation and questions whether Andy Pettitte will be back in the Bronx next season.
  • The New York Post's Bart Hubbuch wonders (via Twitter) how much money Matt Holliday cost himself with his poor NLDS, both offensively and defensively. In a second tweet though, Hubbuch concedes that Holliday's bank account probably won't suffer, since the "Cards seem determined to sign him no matter what."

Rosenthal On Pujols, Holliday, DeRosa

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports takes a look at what lies in store for the St. Louis Cardinals this winter. A few of his thoughts:

  • Despite the Cardinals' desire to sign Albert Pujols to a lengthy extension this winter, a reliable source tells Rosenthal that there is virtually no chance a deal happens so quickly.
  • Rosenthal speculates that the Cardinals' chances of retaining Pujols past 2011 aren't great. The first baseman will likely use Alex Rodriguez's $275MM contract as a benchmark, and might want to sign with a club "that would operate with fewer financial restrictions than the Cardinals."
  • Rosenthal suggests attempting to re-sign Matt Holliday, but not exceeding about $90MM over five years to do it. The thinking is that the Cards likely can't afford to commit over $100MM to Holliday and over $200MM to Pujols.
  • An alternative to signing Holliday would be pursuing Jason Bay or bargain-hunting for this offseason's Bobby Abreu.
  • St. Louis should make re-signing Mark DeRosa a priority.

Want to share your own thoughts on the Cardinals' potential offseason moves? Jump into the MLBTR discussion.

Heyman On Holliday, Giambi, Lackey

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman says the Braves "may consider going after Matt Holliday."  So maybe I shouldn't rule out Holliday and Jason Bay for the Braves' right-handed power bat options.
  • Jason Giambi hopes to play another year as a DH.  There will be fewer than 11 open DH spots this winter.
  • John Lackey wants A.J. Burnett money ($82.5MM over five years) and the Angels aren't confident about re-signing him.

Odds & Ends: Mets, Hardy, Hammel

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Links for Wednesday…

Braves Notes: Jones, Vazquez, Hudson

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The Atlanta Braves went 34-21 in the months of August and September.  Unfortunately for them, their poor play early in the season meant that the playoffs were still out of reach.  While their starting pitching was strong (Derek Lowe's underwhelming year not withstanding), their offense couldn't generate enough support.  Chipper Jones had, arguably, the worst year of his career, posting an OPS of .818 – his lowest in nearly a decade-and-a-half.  Jones' performance was a microcosm of the Braves' season as a whole: certainly not awful, but short of expectations.

Buster Olney, Baseball Prospectus and the Insider Staff broke down the season that was for the Atlanta Braves and what to expect from them this winter.  An ESPN Insider account is required to read the article but here are the highlights for those without:

  • Olney writes that the Braves need a bopper, preferably of the right-handed variety.  The piece suggests Dan Uggla or Miguel Tejada while noting that Matt Holliday and Jason Bay are probably too pricey.  Gary Sheffield is mentioned as a cheaper alternative, but one has to wonder if the Braves are at all interested in reuniting with the outspoken soon-to-be 41-year-old.
  • Atlanta may need a big bat, but they can afford to stand pat when it comes to their rotation.  Javier Vazquez was brilliant this year, posting career bests with an ERA of 2.87 and 9.8 K/9.  With a starting five that also includes Jair Jurrjens, Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson, the Braves are one of the fortunate teams that do not have to sift through this year's pool of free agent starters if they don't want to.  While the Braves may give some thought to moving Lowe, who is owed $15MM in each of the next three seasons, they may not find much of a market for his services.
  • The Braves "face an intriguing decision" when it comes to Hudson's $12MM option.  Hudson missed most of the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery but has looked rather healthy since returning, posting an ERA of 3.61 in seven starts.  A blog post from David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution noted that the Braves could decline the option and be able to sign Hudson for "quite a bit less", as Hudson has just built a home in the area.
  • Shawn Hoffman of Baseball Prospectus concludes the piece by saying, "If the rotation can hold some of its gains, and Chipper Jones can at least maintain his current level, the Braves could be very, very tough."

Braves Notes: Jones, Vazquez, Hudson

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The Atlanta Braves went 34-21 in the months of August and September.  Unfortunately for them, their poor play early in the season meant that the playoffs were still out of reach.  While their starting pitching was strong (Derek Lowe's underwhelming year not withstanding), their offense couldn't generate enough support.  Chipper Jones had, arguably, the worst year of his career, posting an OPS of .818 – his lowest in nearly a decade-and-a-half.  Jones' performance was a microcosm of the Braves' season as a whole: certainly not awful, but short of expectations.

Buster Olney, Baseball Prospectus and the Insider Staff broke down the season that was for the Atlanta Braves and what to expect from them this winter.  An ESPN Insider account is required to read the article but here are the highlights for those without:

  • Olney writes that the Braves need a bopper, preferably of the right-handed variety.  The piece suggests Dan Uggla or Miguel Tejada while noting that Matt Holliday and Jason Bay are probably too pricey.  Gary Sheffield is mentioned as a cheaper alternative, but one has to wonder if the Braves are at all interested in reuniting with the outspoken soon-to-be 41-year-old.
  • Atlanta may need a big bat, but they can afford to stand pat when it comes to their rotation.  Javier Vazquez was brilliant this year, posting career bests with an ERA of 2.87 and 9.8 K/9.  With a starting five that also includes Jair Jurrjens, Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson, the Braves are one of the fortunate teams that do not have to sift through this year's pool of free agent starters if they don't want to.  While the Braves may give some thought to moving Lowe, who is owed $15MM in each of the next three seasons, they may not find much of a market for his services.
  • The Braves "face an intriguing decision" when it comes to Hudson's $12MM option.  Hudson missed most of the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery but has looked rather healthy since returning, posting an ERA of 3.61 in seven starts.  A blog post from David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution noted that the Braves could decline the option and be able to sign Hudson for "quite a bit less", as Hudson has just built a home in the area.
  • Shawn Hoffman of Baseball Prospectus concludes the piece by saying, "If the rotation can hold some of its gains, and Chipper Jones can at least maintain his current level, the Braves could be very, very tough."

Discussion: What’s Next For Baltimore?

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The Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly details the questions facing a Baltimore team with some young offensive talent, some terrific young pitching on the way, and a lot of extra cash.

Connolly writes that while the 64-98 record Baltimore had in 2009 was the third-worst in team history, "there is a sense that the future has promise because of the emergence of young starting pitchers Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman and Brad Bergesen, catcher Matt Wieters and outfielders Nolan Reimold and Felix Pie."

Left unsaid, of course, is the emergence of Adam Jones and Nick Markakis continuing to be a tremendous player.

The good news? The Orioles, according to Connolly, went from roughly $77MM owed in payroll at the start of the 2009 season-including $9MM to Jay Gibbons and Ramon Hernandez– to a $30MM commitment for 2010, not including raises through arbitration.

The bad news is that there aren't many marquee free agents (though there is Jason Marquis), and those that do qualify- Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, John Lackey– aren't great fits, particularly Bay and Holliday in an overcrowded outfield.

Connolly captures the problem of desires vs. realistic options perfectly here:

"The preference is to find a right-handed or switch-hitting first baseman in his prime, like the New York Yankees' Mark Teixeira. But there's no one who fits that profile in this year's class. The best free-agent options might be left-handed-hitting first basemen Russell Branyan and Hank Blalock or right-handed do-it-all Mark DeRosa."

So what's an Oriole to do?

Odds & Ends: Kikuchi, Dye, Varitek

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Links for Monday…

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