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Cubs, Rays Talking Milton Bradley

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FRIDAY: ESPN's Buster Olney says "it's very much a longshot that this deal gets worked out."

THURSDAY: The Cubs are focused on one particular trading partner, as they look to move Milton Bradley. Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times hears that the Cubs are pushing the Rays to make a quick deal.

De Luca suggests the Rays could send Pat Burrell to the Cubs for Bradley. Burrell has $7MM remaining on his contract and Bradley has $21MM remaining on his, so the Rays would likely want the Cubs to cover a considerable amount of Bradley's contract in any deal.

The Blue Jays and Padres are possible destinations for Bradley, but the Blue Jays have a new GM (Alex Anthopoulos) and the Padres haven't yet named a permanent GM. As De Luca points out, it's doubtful that either club would want to acquire Bradley to kick off a new regime given the outfielder's volatility.

Padres Release Cliff Floyd, Shawn Hill

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The San Diego Padres have parted ways with outfielder Cliff Floyd and pitcher Shawn Hill, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. They are the second and third players the Padres waived today, after the team also released righty Cha Seung Baek. Like Baek, Hill had been identified as a non-tender candidate by Tim.

Neither player was a major contributor in San Diego this season. Hill started three games for the club, posting a 1-1 record and a 5.25 ERA. Floyd made 17 plate appearances in 10 games, recording just two singles and a walk.

Odds & Ends: Mauer, Towers, Joba

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Some links to peruse in between innings of the Cards/Dodgers game….

  • Barry M. Bloom at MLB.com writes that Twins catcher Joe Mauer is concerned with "winning, not fame." Mauer's willingness to fly under the radar might be good news for Minnesota fans worried that the batting champ will eventually leave town for a larger market. Of course, I'm sure knocking off the Yankees would help too.
  • No one thinks former Padres' GM Kevin Towers will be out of work for long. Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that Towers should be the first choice for any team seeking a general manager. The New York Post's Bart Hubbuch adds that he expects Towers to join the Mets' front office, since Omar Minaya's tenuous grasp on his job could result in an eventual promotion for Towers.
  • Joel Pineiro tells MLB.com's Tom Singer that developing a sinker was the key to his 2009 success. Singer points out that Pineiro leads all free agent starters in a handful of categories this year, including baserunners allowed. The 31-year-old righty will get a chance to prove his effectiveness on a bigger stage this weekend against the Dodgers.
  • Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe speculates on Joba Chamberlain's 2010 role, wondering if "the pitcher Red Sox fans love to hate may be no better than a set-up man after all."
  • Baseball America's Aaron Fitt views the settlement between the NCAA and Andy Oliver as a "return to status quo" for the draft's "no agent" rule, but doesn't anticipate it lasting long.
  • We've heard some rumblings that Oakland's David Forst might be in the mix for the Padres' vacant GM spot. ESPN.com's Rob Neyer wonders, if it's true, why the Padres wouldn't just hire the ex-A's assistant GM they already have: Paul DePodesta.

Odds & Ends: Blue Jays, Braves, Indians, Jenks

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Some more links for the afternoon…

  • You heard all about one big trade that the Blue Jays didn't make, but Rob Bradford of WEEI.com hears the Jays were talking about another blockbuster. The Blue Jays made a play for Victor Martinez before the trade deadline this year, with an eye to contention in 2010.
  • Rival GMs expect the Braves to pursue a right-handed hitter to play a corner infield or outfield position, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
  • The Indians are considering "eight to 10" possible managers, according to the AP (via ESPN). GM Mark Shapiro says he hasn't asked permission to speak with candidates in other organizations. He says MLB experience is "helpful, but not a necessity."
  • ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says Bobby Jenks will be tough to trade this offseason. In fact, Jenks is as much a non-tender candidate as he is a trade candidate.
  • The Boston Globe reports that the Padres will consider Red Sox execs Jed Hoyer and Ben Cherington "very seriously" for the team's GM vacancy.
  • Bill Shaikin of the LA Times wonders if John Lackey might see offers worth $100MM if he pitches well in October.
  • Lynn Henning of the Detroit News wonders if the Tigers will consider moving Curtis Granderson this offseason.

Padres Release Cha Seung Baek

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MLBTR has learned that the Padres released righty Cha Seung Baek. The Korean hasn't pitched in the majors since 2008, when he split time between the Mariners and Padres. Baek, who turns 30 in May, allowed 118 hits and 30 walks in 111 innings of work last year, striking out 77.

Tim had identified him as a non-tender candidate, so his release isn't a huge surprise. We heard in August that Baek may require a second Tommy John operation (via MLB.com's Corey Brock), but his numbers suggest he can pitch if healthy.

Heyman On Padres, Rockies, Abreu

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman talked to Padres CEO Jeff Moorad, who is looking for a disciplined and strategic general manager rather than an intuitive exec like Kevin Towers.  Heyman says the new GM will be hired within weeks.  Boston's Jed Hoyer is in the mix, and Oakland's David Forst fits the profile.
  • The Rockies will offer new contracts to GM Dan O'Dowd and manager Jim Tracy.
  • The Angels made an offer to Bobby Abreu, who is finishing up a one-year deal that will pay him at least $6MM.  Heyman says "no progress has been reported thus far."  Abreu said in September that he wants to return.

Odds & Ends: Blue Jays, Towers, Pirates, Mets

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Here are some links to kick off Sunday morning:

  • Some Blue Jays players approached CEO and President Paul Beeston with complaints about Cito Gaston, reports Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Sun.  “They raised the issues,” said Beeston. “They were listened to. They have not been addressed at this time. I had my ears open. I kept my mouth shut. I gave them some comments and that’s all I want to say about that.”
  • Jordan Bastian of MLB.com writes that newly appointed Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos was emotional in his introductory presser.  The article notes that the position of president and CEO will be filled soon, relieving the interim hire, Paul Beeston.  Beeston says that while the next president and CEO will have the authority to hire its own staff, he will recommend that Anthopoulos remain as GM.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that Kevin Towers didn't deserve to get fired considering all the obstacles he has had to work around in San Diego.
  • Towers conducted a farewell press conference in San Diego and Craig Elsten of 619sports.net posted some key sound bytes.  Towers insisted that the organization maintained a strong focus on scouting and player development under his watch.  He also said that he has been contacted by seven or eight other teams to work immediately, but wants to take some time off before jumping into another job.  The 47-year-old made it known that he wants the opportunity to be a GM again.  Also available are team owner and CEO Jeff Moorad's post-podium comments.
  • The Pirates have talked to Andy LaRoche about possibly moving from third base to second next year to make room for Pedro Alvarez, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The Pirates would like to call-up Alvarez by the middle of the 2010 season, but first he must improve his strength and conditioning.  The 22-year-old excelled after his mid-season promotion to AA, posting .333/.419/.590 with 13 HR in 60 games.
  • More from Kovacevic as he labels the Pirates' trade of Nate McLouth to the Braves to be the worst personnel move of the year.  Kovacevic says the deal hurt the players' trust in Pittsburgh management and was a poor public relations decision.
  • Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post tweets, "Jerry Manuel was in meetings all morning and said he expects an announcement tomorrow on changes and the team's offseason plans."
  • Jon Heyman reports via Twitter that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria refused to comment on a possible manager change.  Recent reports suggest that Fredi Gonzalez could be on the way out and Bobby Valentine could be on the way in.

Odds & Ends: Padres GM, Valentine

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Here's a few links that just couldn't wait until tomorrow…

  • MLB.com's Corey Brock tweeted plenty of goodies about the Padres' search for a new GM tonight. First of all, CEO Jeff Moorad said that there are no internal candidates for the job, nor are there any candidates from the Diamondbacks organization. That would eliminate Paul DePodesta and Jerry DiPoto. Moorad also mentioned that he has already interviewed three candidates. Any guesses?
  • Secondly, and definitely not more importantly, Moorad said that the team's 2010 payroll will "begin with a 4." I'm guessing they won't be baseball's first $400MM team.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney reports that Bobby Valentine "is in communication with the Florida Marlins about a possible position with that team." Current manager Fredi Gonzalez signed a two-year extension in Spring Training, keeping him in Marlins' pinstripes until 2011, so this one is a bit of a headscratcher.

Odds & Ends: Nationals, Towers, Marlins

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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.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Indians Manager, Johnson, Padres GM, Crawford, Mauer

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Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up this afternoon, so let's see what he's got for us…

  • The Indians plan to conduct 8-10 phone interviews for their managerial vacancy, then bring in 3-5 finalists by the third week of October, presumably for formal interviews. Bobby Valentine will be "on the short list," and will almost certainly get an interview. Buck Showalter will not be a candidate.
  • Cleveland is proceeding with the search as if Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell will not be a candidate, however that could change quickly if Farrell expresses interest in the job. At that point, the three parties involved would need to discuss a way around the clause in the Farrell's contract that prohibits him from seeking a managerial job elsewhere.
  • Signing Josh Johnson long-term is the Marlins' top priority this offseason. In order to get a deal done, Florida will need to "exceed significantly" the four year, $38MM deal the Royals gave Zack Greinke, who was at a similar service time level last offseason.
  • If a deal doesn't get done, Johnson will almost certainly not sign an extension next offseason, when he'd be just one year away from free agency. At that point, the Fish would need to trade him.
  • Who will replace Kevin Towers as Padres GM? Paul DePodesta, a special assistant to Towers and former GM of the Dodgers, is not interested in the job. Pat Gillick doesn't figure to be a candidate either.
  • The leading candidate might be Diamondbacks' exec Jerry DiPoto, but the Padres would need approval from the commissioner's office to get him. CEO Jeff Moorad left the D-Backs just last December, and the league frowns upon executives raiding their former teams for front office talent.
  • However, DiPoto has already interviewed for openings with the Nationals and Mariners, so it would be difficult for the D-Backs to make much of a fuss.
  • Carl Crawford is "well intentioned" when he says he wants to sign a long-term extension with Tampa Bay. The problem is that the team probably won't offer him enough to keep him from becoming a free agent at the end of 2010.
  • The bigger question is Joe Mauer, who can also hit free agency next winter. Mauer told The NY Times earlier this week that he is not interested in becoming the highest paid player in the game, even though he probably deserves to be. He is represented by Ron Shapiro, the same agent that kept Cal Ripken Jr. in Baltimore and Kirby Puckett in Minnesota. Shapiro clearly understands the value of a player staying with one team his entire career.
  • Shapiro, father of Indians GM Mark Shapiro, would be "sticking it to his son" a bit by keeping Mauer in the AL Central. That's my phrase, not Rosenthal's.
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