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Juan Uribe Lobbying To Stay With Giants

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Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Juan Uribe, who has pieced together a strong year for the Giants, wants to stay on board in 2010.  The 30-year-old's numbers have exploded in the last month as he has been brought into the everyday lineup, hitting his way to an OPS of 1.091.

Uribe proved to be a great value as he inked a $1MM minor league deal with the Giants in late January.  Fangraphs estimates his worth in 2009 to be $12.8MM.  The Dominican Republic native has recorded his best slash line since his rookie year, posting .298/.336/.507 in 116 games.  Brian Sabean believes that Uribe can produce at a similar level with a more regular workload. 

With the Giants holding an $8MM option on 31-year-old second baseman Freddy Sanchez, they could conceivably let Sanchez walk and put Uribe in his place.  In 110 games this year at the position, Sanchez posted a UZR/150 of 5.8 compared to Uribe's 11.1 over 38 games.  Offensively, Sanchez has posted an OPS to top Uribe's 2009 mark just once.

As the Giants, would you extend a multi-year offer to Uribe, or would you let another team allow him to cash in?

Odds & Ends: Astros, Mateo, Aurilia, Rays

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Some more links on this Sunday afternoon…

  • The Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers writes that Tim Bogar and Manny Acta are early front-runners for the Astros managerial job.  Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio could get called in for interviews by general manager Ed Wade.
  • Joe Strauss gives us an overview of the dispute the Cardinals are having with recently signed Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo.
  • Veteran Rich Aurilia doesn't expect to be a part of the Giants' plans in 2010 according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
  • Mike Hargrove, who last managed the Seattle Mariners, could land a job this winter, says Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com.
  • Marc Topkin tells us, via Twitter, that Rays' manager Joe Maddon will talk with his coaching staff immediately after the season, but doesn't anticipate any changes. Tampa's playoff hopes plummeted when they dropped 14 of their first 16 games in September.
  • Even at the age of 42, Omar Vizquel would still like to return for another season, according the AP. Can you think of any teams in need of the veterans services? Omar's only logged 189.2 innings at shortstop, but it's no surprise to see a tremendous 21.6 UZR/150.
  • Dejan Kovacevic checks in with the latest and greatest from Pirates' GM Neal Huntington, who once again stresses that the Buccos will not be spending money just to spend money this offseason.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Pujols, Upton, Astros, Bradley

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

  • Albert Pujols is in no rush to sign a contract extension. A source "with knowledge of his thinking" tells Rosenthal that the chances of Pujols agreeing to an extension this winter are "slim and none."
  • The reason is that Pujols wants to assess the Cardinals' long-term outlook before deciding on his future. Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa, and Tony LaRussa are all unsigned beyond this season.
  • Tampa Bay figures to explore the market for B.J. Upton this offseason. The Rays would be selling low, but they have needs behind the plate and in the bullpen, and it's possible a team could offer a package that would satisfy those needs. If they don't get an offer to their liking, Tampa will simply hold onto him.
  • The Astros managing job might be Jim Fregosi's to lose, but don't be surprised if Red Sox first base coach Tim Bogar "gains momentum." Even though he's relatively inexperienced, Bogar is a former 'Stro who also managed in their minor league system, as well as in Cleveland's. Lance Berkman, Craig Biggio, and Jeff Bagwell all think highly of him.
  • Teams have already called the Cubs about Milton Bradley. The Giants, Padres, Rangers, Rays, and Mets are among the clubs with possible interest. The Cubs are confident they can deal Bradley without paying the overwhelming majority of the $21MM still owed to him over the next two years. They could either trade Bradley's bad contract for another bad contract, or use the old sliding scale of "the more money we pay, the better the players we get in return."

The Giants And Freddy Sanchez

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SATURDAY: Baggarly got the chance to interview Sanchez on Saturday afternoon about his injury, free agency, and many other topics.  He suspects the Giants will attempt to re-sign the second baseman to a two-year contract this winter.

THURSDAY: The Giants expected more from Freddy Sanchez when they dealt highly-regarded pitching prospect Tim Alderson to the Pirates for him in July. Regardless, they will likely try to bring Sanchez back after the season, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. The decision to turn down the second baseman's $8.1MM option will be "almost automatic" for the Giants, but there's still an "excellent" chance that the club will bring Sanchez back on a multi-year deal.

Sanchez started the season well and even represented the Pirates at the All-Star game, but since arriving in San Francisco, knee troubles have limited him to just 25 games and an OPS of .619. It looked like he would pick up the 600 plate appearances it would have taken for his $8.1MM option vest, but a torn meniscus sidelined him. Sanchez will have offseason surgery on his left knee, but the Giants should still have interest in him.

Odds & Ends: Chapman, Iglesias, Dodgers

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They're not quite as good as Saturday morning cartoons, but here's some Saturday morning links…

  • David Lennon of Newsday writes that the Mets are among a handful of teams that are exploring a deal for Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman. We learned that Chapman was officially declared a free agent by MLB yesterday.
  • ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. sat down for a chat with Jose Iglesias, who the Red Sox signed for over $8MM this summer. When asked why he chose the Sox, Iglesias said they "were a team that needed a shortstop," and "they are my father's favorite team."
  • With Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Russell Martin, George Sherrill, and Hong-Chih Kuo all eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times says that the Dodgers could be looking at raises totaling about $20MM.
  • Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune says that Royals "upper management still considers (Milton) Bradley a talented hitter who could thrive in a low-key environment such as the one in Kansas City." He also wonders if a Bradley for Aaron Rowand deal could work.

Lincecum Open To An Extension

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Tim Lincecum is open to the idea of a long-term deal, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 25-year-old righty says he'd consider a multi-year deal if the Giants approach him about one.

"I definitely like San Francisco," Lincecum said. "I've seen nothing but positive things as far as my personal experiences. It's where I see myself being for a while."

If the Giants decide to extend the reigning Cy Young winner, there won't be many precedents off of which to base a deal. After all, few pitchers win Cy Youngs in both of their first full seasons. Lincecum has an ERA of 2.47 and a league-high 247 strikeouts over the course of his 211.1 innings pitched, so he's a leading Cy Young candidate once again.

Lincecum will be a super two player this offseason, so he's about to hit arbitration for the first time. Fellow super two Cole Hamels signed a three-year deal worth $20.5MM last offseason, so Lincecum's agent, Rick Thurman, will be in position to demand at least that much if the sides start negotiating. Lincecum, who is on track to become a free agent after 2013, could conceivably demand Zack Greinke money ($38MM) to cover his four years of arbitration. Greinke's deal bought out two of his free agent years, but Lincecum can demand a precedent-setting deal since he has established himself as one of the game's best.

Odds & Ends: Aramis, Marte, Lowe

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Links for Wednesday…

  • Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune talked to Aramis Ramirez about his $14.6MM player option for 2011, and the Cubs' third baseman was noncommittal.  Other third basemen who may become free agents after the 2010 season include Garrett Atkins, Jorge Cantu, Mike Lowell, Jhonny Peralta, and Scott Rolen.
  • Former top prospect Andy Marte spoke with Indians GM Mark Shapiro about the future, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  Shapiro told Marte to play first and third base in winter ball and show up early to Spring Training.  It was a tough year for Marte, who turns 26 in November.  He was designated for assignment to make room for Juan Salas in February, cleared waivers, raked at Triple A, and then struggled in the bigs.
  • Braves GM Frank Wren told MLB.com's Mark Bowman that Derek Lowe "pitched really well for us."  Aside from his home run rate, Lowe's numbers declined across the board this year.
  • The Nationals will improve their minor league catching depth for next year, GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • Miguel Angel Sano is on the backburner for the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASN learned from team president Andy MacPhail.  MLB's inconclusive age investigation is the problem.
  • David Waldstein of the New York Times says Ramon Pena, a special assistant to Mets GM Omar Minaya, will not be back next year.  Waldstein says a scouting/player development shakeup is in order.  Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News has info on possible changes aside from Pena.
  • White Sox closer Bobby Jenks is out for the season with a calf injury.  Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders about the righty's future, given a possible $7MM arbitration reward for the 2010 season.
  • Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News notes the impending raise for Giants closer Brian Wilson, who enters his first arbitration year.  Jenks' $5.6MM salary this year will serve as a comparable, so the Giants will add around $5MM to the payroll compared to Wilson's $480K this year.
  • Braves manager Bobby Cox was not happy with the way GM Frank Wren handled the John Smoltz situation last winter, according to Yahoo's Gordon Edes.

Odds & Ends: A’s, Villalona, Millwood, Bradley

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A few links to peruse as the Cubs and Cardinals prepare to do battle on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball…

  • A scout told the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser last week that the A's "got smoked" on July's Scott Hairston deal.  As you may remember, Oakland sent pitchers Ryan Webb, Sean Gallagher and Craig Italiano to the Padres this summer for the 29-year-old outfielder.  An AL scout used the same terminology when speaking with Tom Krasovic about the deal earlier this month.
  • According to the Associated Press, Giants first base prospect Angel Villalona is the main suspect in the killing of a 25-year-old man in the Dominican Republic.  As Tim noted on MLBTR's Twitter feed this afternoon, "a 20 year sentence would probably affect" his prospect status.  Villalona, 19, hit .267/.306/.397 in 74 games this season at Single-A San Jose.
  • As Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press points out, Kevin Millwood's $12MM option for 2010 will vest if he reaches 4 1/3 innings in his Monday start against the A's.
  • Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has reaction from several Cubs regarding the suspension of teammate Milton Bradley.  "Sometimes you've just got to look in the mirror," said right-hander Ryan Dempster, "and realize that maybe the biggest part of the problem is yourself and (not) wanting to be here and play every day, and wanting to have some fun."

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Dodgers, DeRosa, Cubs, Managers, General Managers

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Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up, so let's dive right on in…

  • Southpaws Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw are likely to start the first two games of the playoffs for the Dodgers, but Kershaw must recover from his dislocated non-throwing shoulder first. The back-to-back lefties would be a big advantage if LA played the lefthanded hitter heavy Phillies. Rosenthal also mentions that the Cardinals, despite being so righty heavy, have the second lowest team OPS (.675) against lefthanded pitchers in the National League.
  • Hiroki Kuroda would likely start game three for the Dodgers, followed by either Vicente Padilla or Jon Garland. Chad Billinglsey will likely be left out of the rotation.
  • The Cards have put their contract extension talks with Mark DeRosa on hold until the offseason, making it more likely that he'll become a free agent. The deal St. Louis originally proposed was less than the three-year, $17.5MM contract Casey Blake received as a free agent last offseason. DeRosa is a year younger now than Blake was then, but the offseason wrist surgery he is scheduled to have makes the situation cloudy.
  • The Cubs will be open to "anything and everything" this offseason, including trading Milton Bradley and/or Carlos Zambrano. Anything to improve the club, basically. However, perhaps the only way the Cubs could unload Bradley would be to take on another underachieving, overpaid player in return.
  • Zambrano has a full no-trade clause and is owed $54MM over the next three years, but he's still only 28-years-old and still incredibly talented. The free agent market for starting pitching is thin, which may work in Chicago's favor. Big Z might be appealing at the right price.
  • Ken Macha will likely remain with the Brewers, but at least four other managers are in danger of being fired. The list starts with Cecil Cooper of the Astros, and also includes Jim Riggleman of the Nationals, Dave Trembley of the Orioles, and Eric Wedge of the Indians.
  • Among general managers, Ned Colletti of the Dodgers, Brian Sabean of the Giants, and Dan O'Dowd of the Rockies are all without contracts for next year, and two of them are going to the postseason. The only GM that appears to be in jeopardy of losing his job is J.P. Ricciardi of the Blue Jays.

Things Looking Up For Sabean Extension?

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Brian Sabean has been general manager of the Giants since 1996, but he entered 2009 as a lame duck GM because he wasn't under contract beyond this year. The club does hold an option for his services next season, although anyone would prefer to have job security.

According to Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News, managing general partner Bill Neukom indicated to KNBR radio than an extension for Sabean is a good possibility.

“We will continue to collect information, and frankly, how we finish this season, finishing strong, is significant,” Neukom told the station. “It’s not controlling, but it’s a pretty important data point, don’t you think? We want these last 16 games to be part of the data in assessing where we can go.”

Neukom said he’d evaluate Sabean on the basis of “where we think he can take is. It’s going to be a somewhat complicated formula. It will have qualitative and quantitative aspects to it.”

Henry Schulman of The SF Chronicle adds that Neukom is pleased with the team's recent drafts and success of their minor league affiliates, but promised to consider free agent signings and trades as well. Sabean is perhaps most well known for the infamous A.J. Pierzynski for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser deal, however he did turn a 90-loss team in 2008 to a playoff contender this year.

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