Jason LaRue Retires
It wasn't the way he wanted to go out, but Jason LaRue tells Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he has played his last game in the majors. LaRue suffered a severe concussion when he was kicked in the head by Johnny Cueto during the Cardinals/Reds brawl last month, and doesn't want to risk further head injuries by continuing his career.
"I'm done. It's a simple decision," LaRue said. "As a catcher you're so vulnerable to getting another (concussion). All it takes a foul ball to the head. Even as a backup that happened 3-5 times last year. It's not a question of if it would happen again, it's when. Nobody can guarantee anything. It'll probably be worse."
According to Strauss, friends of LaRue say the 36-year-old was considering taking legal action against Cueto for the on-field assault, but ultimately decided against it. Still, he's disappointed with the way his career had to end: "I was going to retire on my own terms…. Does it suck that my career is over because Johnny Cueto started kicking me in the head? Yes, it sucks."
Although he played in just 29 games this season, LaRue hit .231/.315/.396 in 3103 career plate appearances, spending time with the Reds, Royals, and Cardinals. According to Baseball-Reference, the backstop earned $19.44MM over the course of his 12-year career.
Cardinals Designate Evan MacLane For Assignment
The Cardinals have designated lefthanded starter Evan MacLane for assignment, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The hurler was DFA'd in order to make room for second baseman Daniel Descalso on the 40-man roster.
MacLane registered a 4.45 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 in 147.2 IP this season for the Cards' Triple-A affiliate. In early June, the 27-year-old made his major league debut and surrendered a ninth-inning walk-off homer to the Rockies' Chris Iannetta.
Ryan Franklin Reconsidering Retirement Plans
Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin announced his plans to retire from baseball following the 2011 season earlier this year, but he is now reconsidering that decision according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. Franklin emphasized that it will still be a decision based around his family and not necessarily performance.
The 37-year-old righthander has a 3.55 ERA and 24 saves in 58.1 innings this year, and his 1.2 BB/9 is an all-time low for him. The Cards signed Franklin to a two-year deal worth $6.5MM last season, and he has maintained throughout this process that he will indeed follow through on that commitment and pitch next season regardless of his future plans.
Mozeliak: Rasmus Will Not Be Traded
Earlier tonight we learned that the Cardinals might increase their payroll in the future, but that's not the only bit of news to come out of the team's social media event. MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports that GM John Mozeliak said that center fielder Colby Rasmus will not be traded, despite the drama between him and manager Tony LaRussa.
"A lot of times players, out of frustration or for whatever reason, may go into a meeting and come out saying some things they may regret," Mozeliak said. "But a lot of times, you have to understand, these things never get out there. In this particular case, it's been festering for a while. But I can assure you, Colby's not going to be traded. I can also assure you that some of the things he's dealing with are typical growing pains that young players go through. When I look at the talent he brings to the table, and when I think about how I could replace that, I realize that would be a very difficult task ahead."
Rasmus reportedly demanded a trade due to frustrations over playing time, but he later denied that report. The 24-year-old has started every game since that news broke, and is hitting .366/.426/.659 with three homers in 47 plate appearances during that time. Overall, he's hitting .274/.356/.511 with 22 homers on the season, and St. Louis still controls him for another four seasons after this one.
For what it's worth, 57.4% of more than 1,500 MLBTR readers recently said they would not trade Rasmus.
Mozeliak: Cardinals’ Payroll Might Increase
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told fans at tonight's social media event that the team's payroll might increase over the next couple of seasons (Twitter link). St. Louis started the season with a payroll just north of $94MM according to Cot's, right in line with where the club has been since 2005.
Obviously the elephant in the room is Albert Pujols' upcoming contract extension. He'll earn the same $16MM next year that he's earned since 2008 once the team picks up his option, but 2011 is the last season the team will enjoy that discount. His salary is then expected to soar over $20MM, perhaps as much as $10MM more annually than he's pulling down right now.
The only significant contract coming off the Cardinals' books this offseason is Brad Penny's one-year, $7.5MM deal, but they'll also save marginal amounts thanks to the expiring contracts of Jason LaRue and Felipe Lopez. Ryan Franklin's $3.5MM salary will disappear after next season, but that money will just be redistributed to Adam Wainwright when his 2012 option ($9MM) is inevitably picked up. It's worth noting that St. Louis did save itself a nice chunk of change both this year and next when it traded Ryan Ludwick to the Padres.
Clearly, if the Cardinals plan to retain Pujols and field a competitive team long-term they're going to have to expand the payroll. Jumping into nine-figure payroll territory seems inevitable for the foreseeable future.
Odds & Ends: Hudson, Mets, Arroyo, Atkins
As major league teams unveil their 2011 schedules, here are some news items….
- As Daniel Hudson improves to 6-1 with a 1.67 ERA as a Diamondback tonight, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets that Hudson "probably" could have been a Brewer had Milwaukee accepted a one-for-one offer from Chicago for Prince Fielder. The problem at the time was that the Brewers projected Hudson as only a third or fourth starter and wanted more for their slugger. Obviously hindsight is 20/20 on any missed trade, but if Hudson continues to pitch well in Arizona, it will put even more pressure on the Brewers to get a big return back if they do end up dealing Fielder.
- An anonymous NL official tells Newsday's Ken Davidoff that Jose Reyes could command "one really good prospect, one solid prospect, and one or two medium-range prospects" in a trade should the Mets put their shortstop on the market this winter. This source seems in favor of a total rebuild for the Mets; he also thinks they should try to deal David Wright and Francisco Rodriguez.
- Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News cites Bronson Arroyo's durability, consistent win totals and veteran presence as reasons why Cincinnati should pick up the right-hander's $11MM option for next season.
- We've heard that the Rockies will look for a right-handed first baseman to platoon with Todd Helton next season, and ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill cites former Rockie Garrett Atkins as a possibility for the role. Atkins was non-tendered by Colorado last winter and after signing a one-year contract with Baltimore, was released by the Orioles last July.
- Interim Arizona GM Jerry Dipoto will interview for the full-time position tomorrow, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (Twitter link).
- Any Boston fans tickled by A.J. Burnett's struggles this season might not want to crow too much, since Fangraphs' Joe Pawlikowski cites Burnett as comparable to the also-struggling John Lackey.
- Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press wonders if the Red Sox might pursue Jim Thome as a cheaper free agent DH option rather than pick up David Ortiz's 2011 option.
- Travis Buck's "organizational status is clearly at an all-time low" in Oakland, writes Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com. Buck is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and could be non-tendered given the number of other promising outfielders in the Athletics' system.
- If Jesus Montero can develop a solid catching glove to go along with his powerful bat, the Mariners may regret passing on New York's Montero-centered offer for Cliff Lee, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
- Blogger El Lefty Malo praises the Giants' acquisition of Cody Ross and some other recent Brian Sabean moves.
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia thinks the Halos just need a "tweaking" rather than an overhaul in the winter, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says upgrading the infield should be a top priority for the Cardinals in the offseason.
Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Mets, Harang,
Here are some links to check out on a very muggy Monday night in New York..
- So far, it appears that the Cardinals are getting more than their money's worth when it comes to Matt Holliday, says Jack Moore of Fangraphs.
- Arizona will begin their GM search in earnest on Tuesday when they interview Dodgers' scouting director Logan White, writes Jack Magruder of FoxSportsArizona.com.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News wants to see the Mets hire Kevin Towers as GM and Lee Mazzilli as manager.
- A reader asked John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter) why the club didn't designate Aaron Harang for assignment instead of Enerio Del Rosario. Fay believes that it has to do with when the Reds want to pay the starter his buyout of $2MM.
- Toronto manager Cito Gaston isn't having second thoughts about retiring at season's end, writes Pete Kerzel for MLB.com.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington told Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com that picking up reliever Chris Leroux was a moderate risk worth taking.
Odds & Ends: Sandberg, Werth, Mets, Drabek, Dunn
Links for Sunday, as Chris Volstad goes for his fifth win vs. the Nationals this season….
- The Mariners "quietly have interest" in Ryne Sandberg, writes Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post.
- Jayson Werth is looking for an agency willing to charge a lower commission than the usual 5%, reports Ken Davidoff of Newsday. Davidoff provides an update on Werth's search for representation and examines the chances of the Yankees pursuing the outfielder this offseason.
- In a separate piece, Davidoff looks at some options for the Mets' next manager and GM.
- There are hints that Tony La Russa is leaning toward managing the Cardinals in 2011, as Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.
- The Blue Jays will call up top prospect Kyle Drabek to make his major league debut Wednesday in Baltimore, according to the team (Twitter link).
- Ronny Cedeno is on his way to locking up the Pirates' 2011 shortstop job, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas points out that Darren Oliver needs to make just one more appearance to guarantee his option for next season.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo tells MASN (Twitter link) that the team is still "in conversations" to keep Adam Dunn in Washington.
Olney On Johnson, La Russa, D’Backs, Mets
Here are the latest notes from ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider-only link)….
- The Diamondbacks "fully intend" to bring back Kelly Johnson next season. The 28-year-old will be entering his final arbitration year, and should earn a significant raise on this year's $2.35MM salary, but the D'Backs don't have plans to move him this winter.
- Some "early speculation" around baseball suggests that if Tony La Russa doesn't return to St. Louis next year, Seattle could be a potential destination for him.
- The D'Backs are considering installing a humidor at their Triple-A park in Reno, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. Olney supports the idea, noting that it should help the development of Arizona's young pitchers, who would be less reluctant to pitch to contact.
- Olney also agrees with Joel Sherman of the New York Post, who argues that the Mets should consider trading some of their young talent if they think it could improve the team.
Odds & Ends: Backe, Ellis, Crisp, Macha, Holliday
Some links to check out as the Rockies try to win their ninth straight…
- Astros Senior Director of Social Media Alyson Footer tweets that Brandon Backe is working out and hopes to throw for scouts this winter with the idea of getting an invite to Spring Training with a team next year. Backe hasn't appeared in a big league game since last June.
- Billy Beane told MLB.com's Jane Lee that the decisions on the 2011 options for Mark Ellis and Coco Crisp likely won't be made until after the season (Twitter link).
- Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel reports that the Brewers and Ken Macha have yet to discuss the manager's club option for next season.
- Matt Holliday volunteered to move to right field after the Cardinals traded Ryan Ludwick according to FoxSportsMidwest.com's B.J. Rains. The idea was to the give the team the flexibility to pursue a player limited to left field if the opportunity presented itself.
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News doesn't agree with the report earlier today that John Ricco is out of contention to take over as the Mets' general manager if Omar Minaya is removed from the role.
- The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham says that Theo Epstein and Brian Cashman might be celebrating the "best deal they never made" — trading for Johan Santana — following the announcement that he requires shoulder surgery.
- Edwin Rodriguez loves managing the Marlins and hopes they factor him into their search for a permanent candidate this offseason, writes Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.
- ESPN's Buster Olney says the Diamondbacks aren't going to spend a ton of money on their next general manager, but they will pay Kevin Towers what is needed if they decide he's their guy (Twitter links). Olney says the team is likely to decide on their next GM within the next couple of weeks.
- The Phillies have traded "over 20 players" from their farm system over their last four years according to assistant GM Chuck Lamar, but Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer says the team's minor league system is still in good shape. Keep in mind that they've traded for Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Roy Oswalt within the last 14 months.
- Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune lists nine traits the Cubs' next manager should have.