Twins Rumors: Nathan, Cuddyer, Kubel, Slowey
The latest Twins rumors, courtesy of ESPN 1500's Phil Mackey…
- Joe Nathan's top priority is to pitch for a winning team next year, preferably as the closer. Last week Nathan's agent said his client seeks a closing job. "Money won't be the driving force" for Nathan, writes Mackey. Mackey says Nathan has strong interest in returning to the Twins, who definitely have openings at the back end of their bullpen.
- Mackey hears that Michael Cuddyer will "listen attentively to all interested parties," even if the Twins make the best offer. The Twins maintain interest in Jason Kubel as well. At the least, I expect they'll offer arbitration to both of them later this month.
- Mackey's hunch says to keep an eye on Clint Barmes, Kelly Shoppach, and Ryan Doumit as potential free agent targets. I ranked Barmes 35th among free agents on Monday, predicting the Twins as his new team. Make your picks for Barmes and 49 other free agents by Sunday night for the chance to win cash and baseball-related prizes and bragging rights. Over 3,000 people have entered so far.
- There's a very good chance the Twins will non-tender righty Kevin Slowey, wrote MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger on Monday.
- The Twins' 2012 payroll is expected to decrease slightly, leaving $20-25MM to spend, wrote Bollinger on Saturday.
- View MLBTR's projected salaries for Slowey and the Twins' other four arbitration eligibles here, and read Ben Nicholson-Smith's offseason outlook for the team here.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, Cardinals, Red Sox
MLBTR has the rundown on your team's arbitration eligible players. Be sure to read Tim Dierkes' series for insight into how each team's offseason will develop. Here are the latest links from around MLB…
- Manager Don Mattingly said the Dodgers need offense this offseason in an interview on 710 ESPN's Mason & Ireland Show (link at ESPNLosAngeles.com) and he acknowledged that Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols are on Los Angeles' radar. "Those are nice thoughts, there's a lot of teams talking about those type of guys … but you gotta have a Plan B, a Plan C."
- Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi looks back at the trade that sent Marc Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel to St. Louis. Though critics panned the Cardinals' decision at the time, it has proven to be crucial to the team's late-season surge and postseason success.
- Matthew Leach of MLB.com credits GM John Mozeliak for constructing the Cardinals' roster. MLBTR's Transaction Tracker provides a look back at Mozeliak's moves.
- A number of teams are targeting Michael Cuddyer, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). It's likely that the Red Sox will show interest in the versatile free agent, according to Olney.
Twins Notes: Shortstop, Cuddyer, Young
The Twins will likely pursue starting pitching, relief pitching, a backup catcher and middle infield help this offseason after finishing with the worst record in the American League. Here are some notes on the club's offseason plans…
- La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune hears from people in the Twins’ front office that the club recently examined the free agent market for starting pitchers and shortstops. They’re determined to find a reliable shortstop this offseason and Neal suggests free agents Ramon Santiago and Alex Gonzalez could be targets.
- The Twins will “push hard” to re-sign Michael Cuddyer, according to Neal.
- Earlier today, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian suggested the Indians will likely "kick the tires" on Cuddyer once he reaches the open market.
- Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com explained why the Twins traded Delmon Young to the Tigers in August. He was struggling in Minnesota and the Twins weren't likely to tender him a contract through arbitration.
- I looked ahead to the Twins’ offseason earlier in the month.
Twins Notes: Thome, Nathan, Cuddyer
Twins general manager Bill Smith answered questions from Minnesota’s season ticket holders on a conference call tonight and Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has the details on what we should expect from the club this offseason:
- The Twins are looking for starting pitching, bullpen help and a backup catcher who can contribute offensively.
- It’s unlikely that Smith will try to re-sign Jim Thome, who collected his 600th career home run with the Twins before finishing the season in Cleveland.
- Even if the Twins don’t pick up Joe Nathan’s $12.5MM option for 2012, they’re interested in bringing him back next year. The right-hander has expressed a willingness to stay in the Minnesota organization.
- Though they’ll consider internal shortstop candidates such as Alexi Casilla, Trevor Plouffe and Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the Twins could acquire a shortstop from outside of the organization.
- The Twins have had some talks with prospective free agent Michael Cuddyer and hope to re-sign him. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes examined Cuddyer's free agent stock last month.
Quick Hits: Giants, Red Sox, Smith, Dodgers, Orioles
Here are some items from around baseball to peruse after a great night of October baseball..
- Giants GM Brian Sabean said that the club's paryoll in 2012 will be around $125MM but he may ask for more money based on a specific player they are targeting, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Schulman believes that if Sabean wants to re-sign Carlos Beltran and needs more payroll room to do it, ownership will be willing to listen.
- Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona plans to manage next season if offered the opportunity, a source close to Francona told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.
- Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter) suggests that Torey Lovullo is a name to consider for the Red Sox managerial vacancy. Lovullo managed Boston's Triple-A affiliate in 2010 and currently serves as the first base coach of the Blue Jays.
- There's been a great deal of trade talk surrounding the Rockies' Seth Smith lately but the outfielder says that he's trying not to think about it too much, writes Jim Amstrong of The Denver Post. If Colorado were to sign an everyday left fielder like Michael Cuddyer, Smith could be flipped for pitching.
- The Dodgers have asked the judge in their bankruptcy case to reconsider limits he placed on their arguments, write Bill Shaikin and Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. The team's attorneys want to present Bud Selig's dealings with other teams involving similar transactions.
- Everybody is still waiting for both shoes to drop in the Orioles front office, writes Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun.
AL Central Notes: Cuddyer, Indians, White Sox
The Twins finish the season with 99 losses, their most since 1982, and will officially select second in next year’s draft. Here's a sampling of links from the AL Central on the night that Minnesota avoided loss #100:
- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com that he'd like to have free agents Michael Cuddyer and Joe Nathan back in 2012 (Twitter links). MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes examined Cuddyer's free agent stock earlier in the month.
- The Indians announced that Sandy Alomar Jr. will become the club's bench coach in 2012. Tim Tolman, who was Manny Acta's bench coach this year, will transition into another role because of health reasons.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times that he "absolutely" has a preferred candidate to succeed Ozzie Guillen as manager. Alomar Jr., Rays bench coach Dave Martinez and even Red Sox manager Terry Francona are candidates for the job, according to Van Schouwen.
- The White Sox wanted Logan Morrison from the Marlins for Guillen, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Chicago relented because the Marlins were prepared to offer Bobby Valentine the job if they didn't get Guillen (Twitter link).
Rockies Rumors: Street, Ellis, Wright, Cuddyer
The Rockies conclude their season this afternoon in San Francisco, with Drew Pomeranz opposing Eric Surkamp. The latest on the team from Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post:
- Rafael Betancourt would be fine with closing next year for the Rockies, and the team likes what he's done recently in the role. Renck reiterates that opposing executives expect the Rockies to shop Huston Street this winter. Street has $8MM left on his contract for next year, assuming his club declines a 2013 option. The free agent market offers closers such as Heath Bell, Jonathan Papelbon, and Ryan Madson, but those three will require multiyear deals.
- The Rockies would like to retain second baseman Mark Ellis on a one-year deal in the $3MM range, writes Renck. However, Omar Infante's new two-year, $8MM contract could decrease Colorado's chances of pulling off such a deal.
- David Wright will be a Rockies target this winter if the Mets show an inclination to move him. Wright is owed $15MM in 2012, and can void a '13 club option if dealt. Wright, 28, has a .253/.344/.426 line heading into today's action. He missed two months this year due to a back injury.
- Michael Cuddyer is a potential outfield target for Colorado, writes Renck, and signing him might mean trading Seth Smith.
Pohlad Talks About Twins’ Future
Twins owner Jim Pohlad spoke to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune about the future of the team. A few highlights:
- Smith blames the Twins' disastrous 2011 season on "the perfect storm of injuries" as well as players failing to match their 2010 performances. He also admitted there were fundamental issues with players called up from the minors.
- Manager Ron Gardenhire and GM Bill Smith will be back in 2012, with Pohlad noting that the Twins are not a "knee-jerk reaction organization."
- Told about the potential $40MM+ the Twins have coming off the books, Pohlad said, "Well if what you just said, if that's true, that gives us tons of flexibility." The owner also said, "My guess is we're probably going to have to do more than one impact player."
- Pohlad was noncommittal on bringing back Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel, and gave a non-answer regarding the team renewing their interest in Hisashi Iwakuma. Said Pohlad, "I think probably everybody is on our radar."
- Pohlad says the team's $115MM payroll is "going to come down naturally" but it won't be slashed and will be "right up there."
- Based on our arbitration estimates, a $105MM payroll could give the Twins about $30MM to spend in 2012 salaries.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Michael Cuddyer
The Twins are all Michael Cuddyer has ever known. They drafted him ninth overall as a high school shortstop in 1997, and he reached the Majors in 2001. Cuddyer's Twins career has spanned 11 seasons and 1,130 games (plus 22 in the postseason) to date. He's mostly played right field, but has also logged innings at the infield corners and second base. Cuddyer's career batting line is .271/.343/.451, which is similar to his work this year.
Cuddyer has earned about $29MM in his career, most of which comes from a multiyear contract he signed in January of 2008. That became a four-year deal when the Twins exercised his $10.5MM option for 2011. 33 years old in March, Cuddyer is closer than he's ever been to free agency. The Twins held on to him at both trade deadlines this year, despite interest from the Phillies, Braves, Giants, Red Sox, and Angels. Cuddyer wants to stay, and the Twins reportedly floated a two-year, $16MM deal in August. Joe Christensen said talks didn't get beyond that trial balloon, and the player prefers to resume talks after the season. Cuddyer is represented by Casey Close of Excel Sports Management, as our agency database shows.
In our latest Elias Rankings projections, Cuddyer profiles as a Type A free agent. The Twins clearly want him back, but offering arbitration would result in a salary north of this year's $10.75MM salary. My guess is that the Twins won't consider the draft picks worth the risk and will not offer arbitration if it gets to that point. Cuddyer figures to be a popular free agent target in a market light on offensive depth, and his value will only increase if he doesn't cost a draft pick. I think Cuddyer could find three years and $30MM on the open market, so the Twins might have to improve their offer to something in the three-year, $27MM range to get a deal done. He "might need some convincing" to re-sign, tweeted ESPN 1500's Phil Mackey yesterday. If talks with the Twins fall through, teams like the Red Sox, Athletics, Cubs, Cardinals, Rockies, and Giants are speculative suitors.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
NL West Notes: Rockies, Stewart, Darnell, Giants
Some NL West notes for Sunday evening..
- More on Ian Stewart from Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post as the 26-year-old says that he's willing to take a significant pay cut to stay with Colorado next season. Stewart says that the club has made no indication of the future outside of telling him to be ready for Spring Training.
- The Rockies would "love" to sign Michael Cuddyer this winter, but Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post thinks they need to focus their offseason spending on pitching rather than offense, given the structure of the NL West. Renck says the club won't get C.J. Wilson, but should "relentlessly" pursue Wandy Rodriguez in a trade, and also do the same with Matt Garza and Carl Pavano. Colorado was Pavano's second choice last offseason after re-signing with the Twins, says Renck.
- Renck's colleague Jim Armstrong tweets that Ian Stewart isn't looking for a change of scenery and will report to the Instructional League on September 27.
- Padres 2008 second rounder James Darnell will miss the Arizona Fall League and undergo surgery to clean up his labrum, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times.
- Bill Neukom's departure from the Giants came down to money and management style, according to Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- In a Q&A with Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffery KNBR Radio, Larry Baer tells fans that the Giants mission won't change much. Baer reminds that his role isn't to evaluate player mechanics, but to make sure that the organization has the funding to field the best team they can to win.
- Earlier today, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti talked about the upcoming offseason.