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Marlins’ Offer To Pujols Believed To Be For Nine Years

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The contract the Marlins offered to Albert Pujols "is believed to be for nine years," says Yahoo's Tim Brown. The Marlins pulled out all the stops in an attempt to woo Pujols, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick, who hears that part of the team's pitch to Pujols involved bringing in about ten players to assist in recruiting and "make the organization's interest clear." Here are the rest of the latest rumblings on the free agent who ranks atop MLBTR's Top 50….

  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak expects to meet with Dan Lozano, Pujols' agent, this week, according to Crasnick. It will be the first time this offseason that the two have talked in person.
  • Past reports have indicated St. Louis made Pujols an offer of nine years and $210MM before the season, but Crasnick hears that the Cardinals never topped $200MM.
  • While Pujols was "surprised" that the Cardinals named Mike Matheny their new manager, the hiring isn't expected to play a major role one way or the other in Pujols' decision.
  • Mozeliak said Tuesday afternoon that he "wouldn't envision" pursuing Prince Fielder even if Pujols signed elsewhere.

Mozeliak “Wouldn’t Envision” Pursuit Of Fielder

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The Cardinals are going to keep discussions with Albert Pujols between the team, agent Dan Lozano and the three-time MVP himself, GM John Mozeliak said in Milwaukee today. If Pujols signs elsewhere, don't expect the Cardinals to pursue free agent first baseman Prince Fielder. 

"I wouldn't envision that given the composition of our club with [Matt] Holliday, [Lance] Berkman and [Allen] Craig," he said. "Our hope again would be to find a way to keep Albert, but I wouldn't see going out on the market to do something else."

Mozeliak further broke down the Cardinals' roster in a conversation with MLBTR. Here are the details on the 2011 champions:

  • Daniel Descalso, Tyler Greene, Skip Schumaker and Ryan Theriot are middle infield options for the Cardinals and they’d "be okay" entering the 2012 season with that group, Mozeliak said, before explaining that alternatives exist. 
  • "Before we get ahead of ourselves we want to make sure we explore other ways to improve," he said. "It doesn't necessarily mean [internal options] would be the best we can do." MLBTR projects a $3.9MM salary for Theriot and a $3.1MM salary for Schumaker in 2012, if the team offers arbitration. Both are non-tender candidates.
  • The Cardinals like the defense Descalso and Greene offer.
  • The Cardinals want to keep dialogue with Rafael Furcal open and they're also considering other options not currently on the roster.

Reds Will Not Trade Votto This Winter

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Despite rumblings that reigning NL MVP Joey Votto could be available this offseason, Reds GM Walt Jocketty says the team will hold on to the first baseman, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). Jocketty indicated that the Reds will try to lock Votto up to a long-term deal within the next year. Here are a few other items of note from Heyman's Twitter feed:

  • The Reds are among the teams who have contacted the Braves to inquire on Jair Jurrjens.
  • GM John Mozeliak said the Cardinals haven't met face-to-face with Albert Pujols since the season ended, but that they've touched base with Pujols and his agent, and plan to meet.
  • The Mets think Jose Reyes will give them a chance to match his best offer before he signs anywhere, but know that he's not obligated to do so.
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo says if he were to pursue an impact first baseman like Pujols or Prince Fielder, he'd need to make a companion move to open up the position.
  • The White Sox aren't closing the door on Mark Buehrle, but GM Ken Williams feels it'll be tough to fit him into their payroll.

Cardinals Name Mike Matheny Manager

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8:09pm: Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that Matheny received a two-year deal with a club option for 2014.

5:11pm: The Cardinals have named former big league catcher Mike Matheny as their new manager, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The Cardinals will hold a press conference tomorrow morning to officially announce the move.

Matheny, 41, doesn't have managerial experience but is no stranger to the game. His Major League career spanned 13 seasons, including five with the Cardinals from 2000-2004. Several candidates interviewed for the job, with former Red Sox manager Terry Francona presenting Matheny's most notable competition. Others included Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg and Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo.

The move figures to be a popular one for many in the organization, as SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that the Cardinals players and pitching coach Dave Duncan "love Matheny" and that they view him as the "ultimate leader." That likely includes pending free agent Albert Pujols, who has "a ton of respect" for Matheny, according to this tweet from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact, if any, this decision has on Pujols' decision. Earlier in the month, former teammate David Eckstein told Morosi he thought Pujols would stay in St. Louis if Oquendo got the managerial nod.

NL Central Links: Matheny, Little, Fielder

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Earlier tonight, the Cardinals hired Mike Matheny as their new manager, despite the fact that he's never managed at any professional level. Here's some more on that and other news from around the NL Central:

  • Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com calls it a "fascinating hire"and a tough job for Matheny to follow a legend that went out with a title. Knobler also wonders if the Cardinals will hire an experienced bench coach for their rookie manager, something the White Sox didn't do with Robin Ventura (Twitter links).
  • Former Red Sox and Dodgers manager Grady Little is an possible candidate for such a role, tweets Knobler.
  • Matthew Leach of MLB.com tweets that he hasn't covered a player in the last 10 seasons who was "better-regarded by EVERYONE" than Matheny.
  • The Brewers' financial situation has changed drastically since the club offered Prince Fielder a five-year, $100MM extension in the spring of 2010, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Several players have been extended or traded for since then, and a big salary for Fielder no longer makes sense. Haudricourt says some in the organization feel it's time to let Mat Gamel have a shot at first base. The 26-year-old hit .310/.372/.540 with 28 homers in Triple-A last year.

Quick Hits: Twins, Cuddyer, Cardinals, Phillies

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Some links on this Sunday afternoon..

  • In an interview with "Sunday Morning SportsTalk," Twins GM Terry Ryan indicated that Trevor Plouffe will likely play in the outfield and DH in 2012, writes Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com.  Mackey (via Twitter) sees this as a sign that Michael Cuddyer won't be back in Minnesota.
  • Regardless of what Albert Pujols decides to do this winter, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak doesn't envision making major changes to the team's core, writes Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch.
  • The Phillies can’t keep adding and retaining the biggest, most expensive stars, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The club's signing of Jonathan Papelbon to a four-year, $50MM deal could hamper them both in the short-term and long-term.
  • The Dodgers can fetch a record price tag of $1 billion can be expected for the organization, Dodger Stadium and the surrounding real estate, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.  One of the biggest reasons for the team's value is all of the undeveloped real estate surrounding Dodger Stadium, which sits on 275 acres of land that is largely used for parking.

Managerial Notes: Red Sox, Lamont, Cubs, Cardinals

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The Cubs, Cardinals, and Red Sox still have managerial vacancies to fill, and each club seems to have narrowed its search to a few finalists. Here are the latest links:

  • SI.com's Jon Heyman reports (on Twitter) that the Cardinals are very high on Matheny, and the race appears to be down to him and Terry Francona.
  • The Red Sox could conduct follow-up interviews with their managerial candidates at the GM meetings in Milwaukee next week, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
  • The Sox met with Gene Lamont today, concluding their first round of interviews, as Lauber writes. GM Ben Cherington said of his interviewees: "All five of those guys, I can envision hiring to manage the Red Sox. We’ve got to pick one."
  • Tim Britton of the Providence Journal explains how Lamont's past experience is unique among the five Red Sox candidates.
  • Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe examines the finalists for the Red Sox and Cubs managerial openings, and predicts the jobs will go to Dale Sveum and Mike Maddux, respectively. Abraham also writes that Cherington has started to compile a list of pitching coach candidates, but will work with the new manager when deciding who to hire.
  • Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch breaks down the pros and cons of the Cardinals' candidates, concluding that Mike Matheny looks like the favorite.

Cards Don’t Plan To Greatly Increase Offer To Pujols

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Albert Pujols is being wooed by the Miami Marlins, but that hasn't forced his former team's hand just yet. SI.com's Jon Heyman reports (on Twitter) that the Cardinals do not plan to greatly increase the nine-year, $210MM contract offer they made to Pujols before the season.

The Marlins are the only team to extend an offer to Pujols so far this offseason, but we have heard that the Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, and Rangers are unlikely to pursue the slugger. It was reported earlier today that Miami's offer "probably isn’t close to being enough" to lure Pujols away from St. Louis. Only a handful of teams can afford to match the Cardinals' original offer, so there's no reason for them to sweeten the pot just yet.

Managerial Notes: Cardinals, Cubs, Red Sox

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Here's the latest on the search to fill the dugouts in St. Louis, Chicago and Boston….

  • Cards GM John Mozeliak tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he expects the Cardinals' new manager to be one of the team's six finalists for the job: Terry Francona, Chris Maloney, Mike Matheny, Joe McEwing, Jose Oquendo and Ryne Sandberg.
  • Cubs GM Jed Hoyer told reporters, including MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, that the team will "probably" not conduct any more interviews of managerial candidates.  "I wouldn’t rule out an additional candidate but it’s not a certainty," Hoyer said.  The Cubs have thus far spoken to Sandy Alomar Jr., Pete Mackanin, Mike Maddux and Dale Sveum.
  • The Cubs have no timetable for hiring their new manager.  "We want to make the right decision, not the quick decision," Hoyer said. 
  • The Red Sox have no plans to bring in any other interview candidates, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.  The Sox also haven't asked other teams for "formal permission" to interview any currently-employed candidates.  Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo interviewed today and Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont will interview tomorrow, seemingly limiting the field to those two plus Alomar, Sveum and Mackanin.

Cardinals Notes: Pujols, Matheny

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Cardinals fans may be uncomfortable with the news that the Marlins will meet with Albert Pujols within the next few days. However, St. Louis’ managerial search appears to be progressing smoothly. Here are the details…

  • Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears the Cardinals have yet to adjust their offer to Pujols (Twitter links). Jon Heyman of SI.com has reported that the team offered nine years and "a bit more than $200MM" before the season.
  • Mike Matheny has emerged as a leading possibility to manage the Cardinals in 2012 and beyond, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Some in the baseball industry believe Matheny is the frontrunner, but Rosenthal doesn't like the idea of teams hiring managers who don't have much managing and coaching experience.
  • Strauss suggests the Cardinals will complete their managerial search “very soon.”
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