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West Coast Links: Rockies, Giants, Dodgers, Angels

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Earlier today we passed along some Dodgers-related rumors, but now let's round up some other West Coast links…

  • The Rockies have interviewed former Mets and White Sox manager Jerry Manuel and former Phillies bench coach Pete MacKanin for their managerial opening, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post (Twitter links).
  • "I don't see it as an arms race," said Giants president Larry Baer to Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times when asked about his team's rivalry with the Dodgers. "It's a judgment race. It's a brainiac race. What team can come up with the right judgments to put the right combination of players on the field?"
  • Bruce Jenkins of The San Francisco Chronicle says Giants GM Brian Sabean should do everything in his power to keep his team intact moving forward. In my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes a team (in any sport) can make is think it has the "magic formula" and not make any meaningful changes.
  • Scout and minor league manager Tom Kotchman (Casey's father) resigned from his positions with the Angels, reports John Manuel and Conor Glassey of Baseball America. Kotchman had been with the team since 1984 and signed players like Howie Kendrick, Patrick Corbin, and Jeff Mathis as amateurs.
  • The Mariners have hired Tim Kissner as their new international scouting director, reports Baseball America's Ben Badler. Kissner spent the last two years in the Cubs' organization. Bob Engle, Seattle's long-time international scouting director, informed the organization that he would not be returning a few weeks ago.

Royals Rumors: Guthrie, Soria, Paxton

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Earlier today, ESPN's Buster Olney said we shouldn't be surprised if the Royals trade one of their core homegrown bats for starting pitching this offseason. Here's the latest on the club courtesy of The Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton…

  • “I think it’s pretty safe to say he’s going to explore free agency,” said GM Dayton Moore, acknowledging that they're unlikely to agree to a new contract with Jeremy Guthrie during the exclusive negotiating period. “We’ll continue to monitor how that goes. He’s going to explore his options, and it’s important that we do as well.”
  • Talks about a new contract with Joakim Soria are ongoing. The Royals are expected to buy the right-hander out of his $8MM option following his second Tommy John surgery. Moore described the discussions as "moving at (their) own pace."
  • Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times notes that the Royals have been heavily scouting Mariners left-handed pitching prospect James Paxton in the Arizona Fall League. Dutton wonders if the two teams could work out a trade involving one of Kansas City's bats given Seattle's need for offense.

Quick Hits: Marlins, Brewers, Maddux, Iwakuma

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News from around the majors as we head into the very last weekend of the 2012 season…

  • Former Diamondbacks star Luis Gonzalez is believed to be on the Marlins' short list of managerial candidates, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.  Gonzalez is currently a special assistant with the D'Backs and he spent his final season with Miami in 2008.
  • Candidates for the Marlins job are being interviewed separately by front office personnel and by owner Jeffrey Loria, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Loria and his staff will convene after the World Series and then make a decision.
  • Brewers owner Mark Attanasio tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his team will be focused on upgrading the bullpen and adding an experienced starter this winter, though the latter won't be at a large price.  “We’re just not adding any veteran. It has to be the right move for us. I know Doug [Melvin] and his staff would like to add another veteran starter. I don’t know how or where that’s going to come from," said Attanasio.  “We’ve got a lot of good young pitchers coming up from the minor leagues, so we may find our answers there.”
  • Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux hasn't yet been contacted about any managerial openings, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Maddux was interviewed for the Cubs job last winter turned down an interview with the Red Sox.  
  • The Mariners "will make a strong push" to re-sign Hisashi Iwakuma, writes MLB.com's Greg Johns, who also notes that Iwakuma expressed in returning to Seattle earlier this year.  Iwakuma signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the M's last winter and performed well in his first season in North America, posting a 3.16 ERA and a 7.3 K/9 rate in 30 games (16 of them starts).  Those numbers included significant home-road splits, so it's no surprise that Iwakuma would want to continue pitching at Safeco Field. 
  • Tim Bogar turned down an offer to be the Astros' bench coach due to a contract clause that would've prohibited Bogar from interviewing for managerial jobs, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  Bogar has been connected to manager jobs over the last few years, including the Astros job itself that eventually went to Bo Porter.  Bogar served as the Red Sox bench coach last season, though he won't be returning to Boston, as Torey Lovullo will serve as bench coach under new manager John Farrell.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Berken, Albaladejo, Ransom

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We'll keep track of the day's outright assignments right here… 

  • The Padres outrighted right-hander Thad Weber to Triple-A Tucson, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter).  Weber was claimed off of waivers from the Tigers in late August and saw time in two big league games for Detroit in April.
  • The Cubs announced that they have outrighted utility man Adrian Cardenas and right-handers Jason Berken, Miguel Socolovich, and Marcos Mateo to Triple-A.  Socolovich spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A for the Cubs and Orioles, posting a 2.11 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.  Berken was also claimed off of waivers from the O's and posted a 3.50 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 26 Triple-A starts.
  • The Diamondbacks outrighted Jonathan Albaladejo, Tyler Graham, Mike Jacobs, Joe Martinez, and Cody Ransom to Triple-A Reno, according to the official MLB.com transactions page.  Albaladejo spent the 2011 season in Japan and saw just three innings of work for Arizona this year.  Jacobs, 31, hit .279/.362/.486 with 18 homers for Triple-A Reno.  Ransom was claimed off of waivers mid-season from the Brewers and hit .220/.312/.411 in 90 games.
  • The Mariners announced that they outrighted first baseman Luis Jimenez to Triple-A. The 30-year-old appeared in seven games with the Mariners this past September after spending most of the season at Triple-A. Jimenez hit 20 homers with Tacoma, posted a .310/.394/.514 batting line, and was named his team's Offensive Player of the Year. The left-handed hitter can become a minor league free agent five days after the World Series ends. Seattle now has two open spots on its 40-man roster.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Mariners Release Munenori Kawasaki

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The Mariners announced that they released infielder Munenori Kawasaki. Seattle's roster now includes 39 players.

Kawasaki, 31, appeared in 61 games for Seattle in 2012. He appeared in one game at third base, mostly playing the middle infield positions. The left-handed hitter posted a .192/.257/.202 batting line in 115 plate appearances. Kawasaki and the Mariners agreed to a minor league contract worth $625K back in January.

Mariners Decline 2013 Option For Olivo

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The Mariners announced that they have declined their 2013 option for Miguel Olivo. Olivo's contract included a $3MM club option for 2013, but the Mariners preferred the $750K buyout. The catcher will hit free agency once the World Series ends. 

Olivo, 34, appeared in 87 games last year, posting a .222/.239/.381 batting line in 323 plate appearances. He hit 12 home runs in total, doing more damage against left-handers (seven homers, .657 OPS) than right-handers (five homers, .590 OPS) as usual. Olivo prevented 31% of stolen base attempts against him this past season.

Super Two Cutoff To Be 2.139

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Players with at least two years and 139 days of service time will be eligible for the potentially lucrative arbitration process this offseason, according to the Associated Press (via FOXNews.com). The top 22% of players with between two and three years of MLB service qualify for arbitration under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Nationals reliever Drew Storen, Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera, Mets catcher Josh Thole, Rays outfielder Sam Fuld, Rockies outfielder Tyler Colvin and Diamondbacks third baseman Chris Johnson are all eligible. 

Mariners outfielder Michael Saunders missed the cutoff by one day. Others, including Justin Smoak, Danny Valencia, Michael Brantley, Jordan Schafer, Giancarlo Stanton, Stephen Strasburg, Daniel Hudson, Dan Runzler, Andrew Cashner, Alex Burnett, Esmil Rogers and Alexi Ogando, came close to super two status without reaching the threshold.

Jonathan Lucroy, whose contract includes escalators related to super two status, will fall three days short of arbitration eligibility. The difference will cost him $2MM, as I explained last month.

Super two status entitles certain players to four years of arbitration eligibility, rather than the usual three. As a result, players who earn the super two designation generally earn more than their peers. The cutoff would have been two years and 144 days under baseball’s previous collective bargaining agreement, according to the AP. In previous years the top 17% of players with between two and three years of MLB service qualified. The players and owners agreed to a new system last fall.

Coaching Links: Mariners, Ausmus, Giambi, Alomar

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John Farrell is back in a Red Sox uniform, but that's far from the only managerial and coaching news we'll see this offseason. Here's the latest on some of the open situations throughout the league…

  • The Mariners have announced the hiring of Dave Hansen as their hitting coach, writes MLB.com's Greg Johns. Hansen, who has been serving as the Dodgers' hitting coach, finished his Major League career with the Mariners in 2005. In parts of 15 seasons, he batted .260/.360/.369.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock spoke with Brad Ausmus earlier today and was told that Ausmus is happy where he's at and isn't currently pursuing another position (Twitter link). Ausmus has been a popular name among managerial candidates.
  • Jason Giambi is a real candidate to manage the Rockies next season and would make a good Major League manager, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck runs down several players he's covered throughout the years that thinks could also step into a managerial role with success, including Matt Holliday and Todd Helton. Renck also notes that a decision from the Rox could come prior to the start of the World Series, as MLB frowns on major announcements being made during the Fall Classic.
  • As of this afternoon, Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. had not received a call about interviewing to replace former Blue Jays manager John Farrell, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that if Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo follows Farrell to the Red Sox, it would likely be to serve as Farrell's bench coach.

No New Talks For Felix, Mariners

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No new extension talks have occurred between the Mariners and their 26-year-old ace, Felix Hernandez, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The right-hander's current contract covers the 2013 and 2014 seasons after which he'll be eligible for free agency.

GM Jack Zduriencik recently told Greg Johns of MLB.com that he hopes to keep Hernandez in Seattle long-term. The GM declined to publicly discuss whether the sides had had extension talks with the Octagon client.

Hernandez, the 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner, turned in another elite season in 2012. He started 33 games and pitched 232 innings, surpassing the 230-inning mark for the fourth consecutive season. He struck out nearly a batter per inning (8.7 K/9) while inducing ground balls (48.9% ground ball rate) and limiting walks (2.2 BB/9) and home runs (0.5 HR/9). As one of the game's top pitchers, Hernandez could ask for an annual salary approaching $25MM on an extension.

Quick Hits: Sanchez, Leyland, Felix, Blue Jays

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With Terry Francona now off the market, it wouldn't make a sense for the Tigers to let Jim Leyland go at the end of the year, opines Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press.  Yesterday, Leyland confirmed that he wants to continue managing in 2013, but the veteran skipper's contract will expire at the end of the year.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • If the Tigers re-sign Anibal Sanchez, they'll have to move another one of their starting pitchers, opines Jason Beck of MLB.com.  Beyond the simple numbers issue, the Tigers will be facing a payroll crunch if they choose to keep Sanchez with the same rotation in place.  Justin Verlander will earn $20MM next season, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello will head to arbitration for the second time, and Doug Fister is first-time arb eligible.  In theory, Detroit could part with one of the four and plug Drew Smyly in their place.
  • Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach is set to interview with the Red Sox for their managerial vacancy next week, tweets Ken Gurnick of the Los Angeles Times.
  • Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik wouldn't discuss whether he has had contract extension talks with ace Felix Hernandez, but reiterated that both sides are hoping that he will stay put in Seattle for the long-term, writes Greg Johns of MLB.com.  Hernandez has two years and $40.5MM left on the five-year, $78MM deal he inked in 2010.
  • Omar Vizquel opined earlier this year that the Blue Jays were in desperate need of veteran leadership, but Jose Bautista says that he doesn't agree with that assessment, writes Chris Toman of MLB.com.  "I really don't understand why everybody is making — in my eyes — a big deal out of that subject," Bautista said. "It's not something that needs to be addressed in our clubhouse."
  • Despite talk of the Phillies looking to improve with minor moves this winter, Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News wouldn't rule out Ruben Amaro making a major splash by signing the likes of B.J. Upton or Michael Bourn.
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