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Odds & Ends: Parker, Okajima, Kikuchi, La Russa

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Links for Thursday…

Odds & Ends: Johjima, Brewers, Pujols

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As the champagne chills in the Philadelphia clubhouse, here are some late-night newsbits….

  • Kirby Arnold of the Everett Herald reports that during a conference call with Japanese press members, Kenji Johjima said that a lack of playing time was the main reason he opted out of his contract with the Mariners.  He and the team cited Johjima's desire to be closer to his family in Japan as the primary reason for his leaving Seattle two days ago.
  • Milwaukee assistant general manger Gord Ash chatted with fans on Wednesday about the Brewers' minor league prospects.  Perhaps the most notable item from the chat was Ash's admission that there will be a "gap" of time before the Brewers can get some pitching help from the farm since most of their best young hurlers are at least a year or two away.
  • Albert Pujols' arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow on Wednesday was "a success" according to a team statement noted by MLB.com's Matthew Leach.  The not-insignificant procedure shouldn't lead to any missed playing time for Pujols, who is expected to be fit and ready for spring training.

Mateo To San Francisco?

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ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure reports (via Twitter) that the Giants may be on the verge of signing 16-year-old Dominican prospect Wagner Mateo.   A deal could be finalized  "within [the] next couple of weeks."

Mateo was originally signed by St. Louis in June to a contract with a $3.1MM signing bonus, but the deal was voided by the club in September after medical tests revealed that the young outfielder was suffering from vision problems.  The entire situation is nicely detailed in this piece by Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, noting that Mateo's signing was an impressive victory for the Cardinals' rebuilt Latin American scouting operations.

In a tweet from last June, Arangure said that San Francisco came closest to signing Mateo away from St. Louis' grasp in the first place, but got "cold feet" offering a bonus of $3.5MM.  The Cards and Giants were two of several teams interested in the highly-regarded young outfielder.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Cardinals, Astros

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Here are some links to take you through the end of your workday, instead of, you know, working.

  • The Yankees aren't satisfied to simply win the 2009 World Series. They are concurrently planning to take 2010 as well, with Jon Heyman reporting that they are atop Matt Holliday's preferred list of teams, and Lohud.com's Chad Jennings writing that the Yankees should be meeting with Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman soon, though GM Brian Cashman wouldn't confirm it.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that Jason LaRue would be a good fit for the Cardinals in 2010, and breaks down the other catching candidates as well.
  • Manny Acta had his second interview for the Astros' managing job, while Bobby Valentine and Bob Melvin are candidates to take Acta's former position as skipper for Washington.
  • Tim Wakefield had successful back surgery for the Red Sox, who have a number of 2010 contract options to consider, include Wakefield's. Alex Speier of WEEI.com runs it down nicely.
  • The Rays hired Derek Shelton as their new hitting coach. Shelton had been the hitting coach for Cleveland.
  • Former Mets' first base coach Tom Nieto is the new manager for Rochester, Minnesota's Triple-A farm team, among other minor-league hires.

Odds & Ends: Johjima, Rockies, Kikuchi

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Links for Tuesday…

Freese Is Cardinals’ First Choice For Third Base

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According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, David Freese should get first crack at the Cardinals' third base job next season.

Freese was impressive in his 225 plate appearances with Triple-A Memphis, posting an .894 OPS, and hit well in a very small major-league sample as well (.837 OPS in 34 plate appearances).

Should Freese excel, it would be a welcome change from 2009 for the Cardinals, when eight different players held down the hot corner.

"I think we would like to give him a shot to play every day," St. Louis GM John Mozeliak said. "If we need to ramp up the offense in another way, we have plenty of time. But given what he accomplished this year, I definitely think (Freese) deserves that chance."

The decision to give Freese first crack at the third base job complicates any efforts to sign free agent Mark DeRosa, who wants an every day job in 2010.

Strauss added that the Cardinals have little interest in any other free agent third basemen.

Odds & Ends: Mattingly, La Russa, Kikuchi

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Let's take a look around the web as we get ready for Dodgers-Phillies:

Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Orioles, Garner

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Apparently Sunday afternoons in October are a slow time for baseball news. Who knew? Here's some links to tide you over for now…

  • Viva El Birdos takes a look at the 2010 rotation options for the Cardinals, both internal and external. Could Kyle McClellan or Blake Hawksworth succeed in the rotation?
  • Roch Kubatko isn't sure that the Orioles are in the market for a left-handed reliever at all, though he does mention that they're expected to re-sign Mark Hendrickson.
  • Brian McTaggart from MLB.com held a Q&A session with Astros managerial candidate Phil Garner. Garner managed the Astros from 2004-2007.
  • Adam Rubin expects the Brewers to hire Rick Peterson as their new pitching coach. General manager Doug Melvin recently flew to New Jersey to meet with Peterson, and as Rubin points out: "How often does a GM fly halfway across the country to interview a pitching coach? Isn’t it usually the other way around?"
  • Bill Madden of the New York Daily News reports that Tony Bernazard is close to signing on with Scott Boras, stating that Boras likely sees Bernazard's rapport with Latin players as a valuable asset in recruiting new clients.
  • J.J. Cooper at Baseball America ranks the Top 10 Independent League prospects, with Reynaldo Rodriguez ranking number one. The Red Sox purchased Rodriguez's contract last week. 

Cardinals Notes: Holliday, Pujols, La Russa

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Some Cardinals-related Sunday morning links….

  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff hears from a source "in the loop" that when Matt Holliday hits free agency, the outfielder's top choices are the Yankees and the Mets.
  • Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune provides a Windy City perspective on Albert Pujols' future in St. Louis. Unsurprisingly, it's bleak, even going so far as to wonder if Pujols could someday be a Cub. I think Rogers might be jumping to conclusions a little too early.
  • Rogers also thinks Tony La Russa ought to just sign a one-year contract with St. Louis, or even take a year off, considering all the big-market managerial openings that next winter could bring.
  • The Cardinals have finally found their answer at second base, in Skip Schumaker, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 29-year-old infielder is arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason.

Discussion: Mike Lowell

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Daniel Barbarisi of the Providence Journal broke down the options for the Red Sox in regards to veteran Mike Lowell headed into the 2010 season.  Lowell posted a .290/.337/.474 line in 484 plate appearances with Boston last season and stayed off of the disabled list following hip surgery last fall.

Lowell has one year left on his Boston deal that will pay him $12MM in 2010, a price tag high enough to scare off any potential trade suitors unless the Sox were willing to cover some of the cost.  There's also the added complication of Lowell's no-trade clause in his contract.  Barbarisi suggests that Lowell might agree to be dealt to a National League team where he could play every day, but given Lowell's health history, it might be hard to find a club willing to take a 36-year-old with a lengthy injury history as an everyday third baseman without the safety net of the DH position.  Lowell himself admitted to Barbarisi that he tired from playing almost every day in the first half of the season, but then also said that he wished he could have played more in August and September when Kevin Youkilis took a big chunk of the playing time at third base.

One intriguing possible trade partner could be St. Louis.  Midseason pickup Mark DeRosa is a free agent and will soon be undergoing wrist surgery, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach.  This leaves the Cardinals with a hole at third base should top prospect David Freese (a .931 OPS in Triple-A, Double-A and Rookie League ball last season and an .837 OPS in 34 plate appearances with St. Louis) not be ready to take over the everyday role next season.  Lowell could keep the seat warm for Freese if Boston pays part of Lowell's contract, a condition that the Cards would likely insist upon given that they will explore re-signing Matt Holliday and signing Albert Pujols to an extension this off-season.

What do you think?  Should the Red Sox think about moving the 2007 World Series MVP, or should they keep Lowell around to provide depth to the Victor Martinez–Casey Kotchman-Youkilis triad that mans the catcher, first base and third base spots?

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