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Cardinals Notes: Beltran, Berkman, Mozeliak

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The Cardinals have taken homefield advantage in the NLCS, as they will host the next three games against the Giants beginning with Wednesday's Game Three.  Kyle Lohse will start for the Cards against Giants ace Matt Cain, a matchup that is also tentatively lined up for a possible seventh game between the two clubs.  Here's the latest from St. Louis…

  • Dan Lozano, Carlos Beltran's agent, says he kept his client "informed step by step" of negotiations with the Giants last winter, reports John Shea and Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. "The facts are, they never made us an offer, and we never talked money or years," Lozano said. "They put us in a holding pattern until they knew if they were going to pull off the [Angel Pagan] trade or not." Giants assistant GM Bobby Evans told Shea yesterday that the team had several conversations with Lozano about Beltran last offseason, discussing contract details but without making a formal offer.
  • Lance Berkman won't make a decision about his playing future until February, reports B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com (Twitter link). Berkman said he'll listen to offers from other teams but is looking to play for a contender and for a decent salary: "If it's Seattle for $500K, then no." The veteran seemed to be hinting at retirement earlier this season and already some post-career plans lined up as a student and assistant baseball coach at Rice University.
  • In recent years, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince that he has put more focus on personal character when acquiring new players. "Back in 2010, we really felt we had to change the makeup of our clubhouse," Mozeliak said. "We brought in guys like [Ryan] Theriot, [Gerald] Laird, Berkman. It just brought a level of professionalism and fun to our clubhouse….When you're young in this job, the first thing you're looking at is talent first. Then you realize it's got to be a tight-knit group for long-term success."
  • Seventeen of the 25 players on the Cards' postseason roster were fully developed within the team's own minor league system, a testament to the Cardinals' minor league development process, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.  "For us it's the way we can have sustained success," Mozeliak said. "Strategically, we understood years ago that we had to produce players internally to be successful. That's not to say that we won't go to the free-agent market and that we can't augment that way, but it does not have to be our oxygen to survive."

Quick Hits: Beltran, Prospects, Cano, Nationals

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Chris Carpenter and Ryan Vogelsong will oppose one another at AT&T Park a few hours from now. Here are some links from around MLB to keep you entertained while waiting for the NLCS to resume…

  • Giants assistant general manager Bobby Evans told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that the team had approximately a dozen offseason conversations with Carlos Beltran's agent, Dan Lozano. That's a stark contrast from Beltran's statements, who said the two sides never talked. Shea speculates that Lozano didn't convey any of the communication to Beltran, who is of course, squaring off against his former teammates in the NLCS.
  • Matt Eddy of Baseball America has a rundown of 10 minor league deals that reaped significant Major League benefits, including Gregor Blanco, Brandon Moss and Quintin Berry.
  • Mets 2011 draftee Bradley Marquez will undergo surgery on his left knee after sustaining an injury playing football at Texas Tech, writes ESPN's Adam Rubin. The Mets allowed Marquez to continue playing football in order to facilitate the signing of their 11th-round selection.
  • Alex Rodriguez may be in the midst of a disappointing October, but at least he has a long-term contract in place. Robinson Cano, an offseason extension candidate, may have diminished his bargaining power by hitting poorly in the postseason, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Plus, Rodriguez's struggles probably won't make the Yankees over-eager to spend a comparable amount on another struggling player.
  • The Nationals are set at every infield position but first base heading into the offseason, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post writes. Ian Desmond could be in line for an extension this offseason, and Kilgore suggests a six-year, $45MM contract could work for both sides. It sounds as though there's a good chance Adam LaRoche will re-sign in Washington, even if he declines his side of the mutual option on his contract.
  • Giants GM Brian Sabean said coaches Ron Wotus and Dave Righetti would be excellent managers given the opportunity, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). Wotus is the Giants' bench coach and and Righetti is the team's pitching coach.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Quiroz, Loux, Christian

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Here are the day's outright assignments, courtesy of the International League and Pacific Coast League transactions pages…

  • The Red Sox have outrighted Guillermo Quiroz to Triple-A and the catcher has elected free agency. Boston designated the 30-year-old for assignment earlier this month. Quiroz made outs in both of his plate appearances as the team's third backstop in September.
  • The Giants have outrighted Shane Loux to Triple-A. Loux, 33, pitched to a 4.97 ERA with as many walks as strikeouts (nine) in 25 1/3 relief innings this season.
  • The Giants have also outrighted Justin Christian to Triple-A. The 32-year-old outfielder posted a .125/.197/.143 batting line in 61 plate appearances for San Francisco this year.

Giants More Open To Re-Signing Melky Cabrera

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Following his 50-game suspension for a performance-enhancing drug and word of an alleged cover-up attempt, the odds of the Giants re-signing Melky Cabrera this offseason seemed unlikely.  However, there is now more openness within the Giants organization to retain the outfielder, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.

Many people within the club's front office view Cabrera as a talented two-way player coming into his prime, despite concerns that his strong 2012 campaign was the product of PEDs.  It also helps that Cabrera should now be a relative bargain on the free agent market, a significant selling point for a team that will be looking to maximize its payroll room this winter.  Baggarly also writes that the Giants were pleased with his decision to take action and have himself removed from contention for the batting title.

The Giants made the formal move of re-instating Cabrera on to the 40-man roster, though he will not be used at any point during the postseason.  The Giants' only other option would have been to release the slugger as he was coming off of the disabled list, but that would have also meant forfeiting their exclusive negotiating period after the World Series.

NL West Notes: Melky, Alonso, Rosario

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The Giants clinched the NL West Division title this past weekend, despite having lost Melky Cabrera for the remainder of the regular season due to a failed drug test. As the 2010 World Champs gear up to make a run at a second title in three years, here are some links surrounding the division…

  • Sergio Romo appeared on "Inside Pitch" with Casey Stern and Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM and said the Giants would welcome Cabrera back with open arms if he returned to the team during the playoffs. "Why wouldn't we want him on our team?" asked Romo, before going onto call Cabrera a "great teammate" whose talent would improve the team's chances of winning it all.
  • Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso was on a trip to Spain with his sister and friends (including Manny Machado) last winter when he learned of his trade, writes MLB.com's Corey Brock. Alonso was there courtesy of his team at the time, the Reds, to watch his favorite soccer team — Real Madrid. Brock's article is a terrific look at how trades can affect players on a personal level, and contains quotes from Alonso, Machado, and GMs Walt Jocketty (Reds) and Josh Byrnes (Padres).
  • Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario is the best rookie that no one is talking about, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman suggests that Rosario is could be outperforming other, more commonly discussed candidates.

NL Notes: Cardinals, Davey Johnson, Giants

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Jimmy Dugan, Tom Hanks' character in A League of Their Own, memorably blurted, "There's no crying in baseball!" Now comes a mysterious member of the St. Louis Cardinals who offered this bit of sage advice, "No kissing teammates on the mouth." Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch chronicled this was the response, written on the team's marker board, to Adam Wainwright's comments that he kissed Carlos Beltran for hitting the game-tying 9th inning home run in the Cardinals' 5-4, 10-inning victory over the Cubs yesterday and that he wanted to kiss him on the mouth. Beltran is not in the lineup today because of an illness. Manager Mike Matheny, for one, is glad Wainwright reserved his kissing for the cheek.

  • Goold, in a separate article, explains the Cardinals' minor league philosophy is to groom contenders. They are succeeding with four affiliates making the playoffs this season including Double-A Springfield's Texas League championship. Goold's piece also features the standout and breakout player at each level.  
  • Davey Johnson, a leading candidate to win the NL Manager of the Year award, is not under contract to be the Nationals' manager next season. His 2013 deal only covers him being a team consultant. Does he want to manage next season? Johnson told reporters, including MLB.com's William Ladson, "I've had conversations with (GM Mike) Rizzo about that, and he had conversations with ownership. I feel good about my situation. I feel good about where we are at. Those things will be addressed after the season. I think Rizzo and ownership are perfectly comfortable when deciding to have me back after this season is over. Again, I'm comfortable with that, too. Let's see what happens."  
  • Giants' manager Bruce Bochy says all five starters will be on the team's post-season roster, writes Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. This would include Barry Zito, who was left off the roster for each round of the playoffs during the Giants' World Series title run in 2010.

Heyman On Hamilton, Upton, Peavy, Victorino

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Earlier today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com checked in with an American League executive to get his predictions on what kind of deals this winter's top free agents might get.  Here are some highlights..

  • The exec sees Josh Hamilton getting a five-year, $150MM deal, giving him a guaranteed average annual value of $30MM and eclipsing the record set by Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $275MM pact.  The Rangers aren't known for giving out excessively-long deals, meaning that he would likely have to take five years to stay in Texas.  One person in the know wondered if the Rangers would even go to five to keep the outfielder.
  • Executives believe that the Rays will make the qualifying offer of around $13MM for B.J. Upton as his nice all-around season should net him at least a four-year deal elsewhere.  The exec sees $60MM over five years for Upton, but Heyman notes that it's a pretty good center field market with Michael Bourn and Shane Victorino also out there.
  • White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy could get a two year deal worth $25-30MM in the opinion of the AL exec.  Heyman adds that it isn't hard to see the Dodgers making a play for Peavy after years of watching him dominate for the Padres.
  • The executive thinks Dodgers outfielder Shane Victorino could fetch a two-year, $25MM deal and Heyman sees the Nationals, Mets, Braves, Phillies, and Giants as possible fits.  However, he'll have to lower his expectations after originally seeking a five-year deal.
  • The AL exec sees Angels pitcher Zack Greinke getting $125MM over six years.  Nats pitcher Edwin Jackson is in line for a four-year, $55MM deal, according to the exec, though Heyman thinks he'll get less. 

Olney’s Latest: Melky, Athletics, Ozzie, Peavy

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says Melky Cabrera's decision to withdraw his name from the batting race set a dangerous precedent even though the player's union supported the move. Here are Olney's rumors…

  • Commissioner Bud Selig is quietly gathering club votes to help the Athletics as they attempt to move to San Jose. Once they have enough support, MLB will be in a better position to push the Giants to make a deal for their territorial rights.
  • Olney would be surprised if the Marlins retain manager Ozzie Guillen. The club feels there is a disconnect between Guillen and his players as well as the community.
  • Mike Rutsey of The Toronto Sun suggests that Jake Peavy could be a match for the Blue Jays this offseason, but Olney thinks the right-hander would prefer to sign with a team that gives him a better chance to win.

Quick Hits: Cabrera, LaRoche, Astros, A’s

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Earlier today, Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera announced that he is removing his name from consideration for the National League batting title in the wake of his suspension.  "I have no wish to win an award that would be tainted. I believe it would be far better for someone more deserving to win…I am grateful that the Players Association and MLB were able to honor my request by suspending the rule for this season. I know that changing the rules mid-season can present problems, and I thank the Players Association and MLB for finding a way to get this done."  More from around baseball as Friday turns into Saturday..

  • Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo told Adam LaRoche and his agent they will talk about his future shortly after the playoffs, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson.  LaRoche has a $10MM option on his contract for next season but the veteran has made it clear that he hopes to remain in Washington.
  • Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets that some people in baseball believe that Dan Radison will be the Astros' next manager.  Former catcher Brad Ausmus was said to be in the running for the job but he removed his name from consideration earlier this evening.
  • Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow confirmed that he has spoken with nine potential candidates for the managerial vacancy and has trimmed down the list somewhat, write Brian McTaggart and Clark Goble of MLB.com.  However, Luhnow wouldn't say how many candidates remain in consideration.
  • Athletics owner Lew Wolff believes his team's fight for a new ballpark will be settled within the next year, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  Wolff went on to say that he isn't interested in battling things out with the Giants in a courtroom.

Latest On Josh Hamilton, Rangers, Giants

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Josh Hamilton is going to hit free agency following a mostly healthy season of elite production. He has 42 home runs and he's hitting .287/.358/.588, so interest should be abundant a couple of months from now when the bidding begins. In the meantime, here’s the latest on Hamilton:

  • Hamilton told Yahoo’s Tim Brown that he doesn’t consider his upcoming contract discussions complicated. "I don't get it. I provide a service. I get paid for it," he said. It’s a little more complicated for the MLB executives who must determine whether Hamilton can maintain his current level of play for five-plus more years. A veteran scout told Brown Hamilton remains "in the top two or three most talented ballplayers” the scout has ever seen.
  • The Rangers and Hamilton’s agent have discussed some very general ideas for what might be next in terms of contracts, but Hamilton hasn’t been present for those talks, Brown reports.
  • One National League official strongly suggested the Giants could end up signing Hamilton this coming offseason, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). If the Giants sign Hamilton it’d have to be a very short-term contract for a high average annual value, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle adds (on Twitter).
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