Brendan Bianowicz is back with a bunch of updates to the GM Trade History series. The Excel spreadsheets linked below cover each GM's trades, free agent signings, and top draft picks via tabs along the bottom. It's interesting to see each GM's most frequent trade partner – for example, Omar Minaya has matched up with Larry Beinfest and Mark Shapiro most often in his career.
Mike Rizzo
Odds & Ends: Nationals, Towers, Marlins
A few links on the second to last day of the regular season…
- Even though they'll finish with the worst record in baseball, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo indicated that it's not a lock the team will draft Bryce Harper first overall next year, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Says Rizzo: "I haven't seen him yet. He certainly hasn't separated himself like [pitcher] Stephen Strasburg did last year."
- CBSSports.com reports that Kevin Towers said he wasn't given a specific reason for his termination, but KT did say that he's "been around long enough to know why."
- Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel says that Florida's final 2009 payroll was just under $35.6MM. Hanley Ramirez ($5.5MM) and Dan Uggla ($5.35MM) were the only Marlins to make more than $3.5MM this year.
- Matthew Carruth at FanGraphs weighs in with his opinion of the Towers and J.P. Ricciardi firings.
Mike Rizzo Chats With Fans
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo chatted with fans at MLB.com today. Let's take a look.
- When asked about bringing in an impact player this winter, Rizzo replied, "The Lerner family has given us ample resources to improve the club in any way we see fit." So far we've heard about the Nats' plans to upgrade at shortstop, catcher, the rotation, and the bullpen.
- When asked if he'd try to extend Adam Dunn's contract, Rizzo praised Dunn and called him a cornerstone, but did not answer the question directly. Dunn is signed through 2010.
- Stephen Strasburg will have to earn a rotation spot with the big club.
