Outrighted To Triple-A: Thompson, Rodriguez
Tonight's outright assignments..
- The Rays have outrighted right-hander Wilking Rodriguez and outfielder Rich Thompson to Triple-A, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Rodriguez stepped up to Class-A Advanced ball this year, posting a 5.56 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in seven starts. Thompson saw time in 23 games for the Rays this season, his only big league action since a six game stint with the Royals in 2004.
AL East Notes: Ausmus, A-Rod, Orioles, Red Sox
Brad Ausmus has a supporter in former teammate Andy Pettitte, who tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that Ausmus would be a "great" choice to manage the Red Sox. Ausmus is one of four candidates (along with Tim Wallach, DeMarlo Hale and Tony Pena) who have interviewed for the job, though the Sox are also negotiating with the Blue Jays about manager John Farrell. Here's the latest from around the AL East…
- Sources familiar with the Dodgers' and Marlins' plans tell Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that neither team has an interest in Alex Rodriguez. The Miami source said that rumors about talks between the Yankees and Marlins about Rodriguez are "BS. [It's] not happening."
- The Angels may not be interested in an A-Rod-for-Vernon Wells deal due to the salary differences and the fact that the Angels see prospect Kaleb Cowart as a potential starting third baseman by 2014, opines MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (Twitter links).
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun grades each member of the Orioles' roster.
- As the Red Sox and Blue Jays continue to negotiate about Farrell, an anonymous AL East GM tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he isn't a fan of manager trades. "I don't think it's a great practice to deal for managers. I'm surprised the league allows it," says the general manager. "If the guy doesn't want to be there you just let him go. What's the big deal? You get someone else who does want to be there and who you feel will do a good job."
- Gerry Hunsicker and Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman talk to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times about Hunsicker's decision to leave the Rays for the Dodgers.
- From earlier today on MLBTR, I compiled some news about the Blue Jays.
Dodgers Hire Gerry Hunsicker
The Dodgers have announced the hiring of Gerry Hunsicker as a senior advisor of baseball operations. “Gerry brings a wealth of senior level experience and knowledge that will assist baseball operations at all levels,” said GM Ned Colletti.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale describes the hire as a "terrific" one for the Dodgers. Hunsicker has been working as the Rays' senior VP of baseball operations since 2005, and given how the Dodgers' media release makes special note of Hunsicker's role in expanding Tampa Bay's international scouting presence, it stands to reason he'll perform similar duties in Los Angeles. The Dodgers have looked to increase their international presence since Guggenheim Media bought the club, as shown as the signings of such notable players as Yasel Puig.
Hunsicker, 62, was general manager of the Astros from 1995 to 2004. The Astros made five playoff appearances in that stretch, getting as far as the seventh game of the 2004 NLCS.
AL East Notes: Beeston, Martinez, Scutaro, Orioles
Blue Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston will continue in his current role after the end of October, when his contract had been set to expire, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. Beeston and the Blue Jays are believed to be working toward a two-year extension. The 67-year-old acknowledged to Davidi that the sides are "in discussion" and that he's "committed to seeing this thing through." Here are more notes from the AL East…
- Rays bench coach Dave Martinez hasn't heard from the Red Sox or Rockies about possible manager interviews, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Martinez was one of the top candidates to manage the Astros before they hired Bo Porter last month.
- The Red Sox shouldn't have any regrets about dealing Marco Scutaro last winter, writes WEEI.com's Alex Speier, despite Scutaro's strong performance down the stretch with the Giants.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun lists the five biggest questions facing the Orioles this winter.
- It doesn’t appear that Red Sox bench coach Tim Bogar will be interviewed for the team’s managerial opening, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
- Jon Lester just completed a disappointing season, but as Rob Bradford points out at WEEI.com it could be a good time for the Red Sox to approach the left-hander about another contract extension. Lester, who's under team control through 2014, has said he's "always open" to extension talks. So far the sides haven't discussed a new deal, Bradford reports.
- Outfielder Nate McLouth would like to re-sign with Baltimore when he hits free agency this offseason, but the Orioles could decide to stick with internal options and try to find another McLouth-like performer next year, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun writes. In case you missed it, Mike Axisa examined McLouth’s free agent stock over the weekend.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
Quick Hits: Trout, Indians, Giambi, Mets
Mike Trout's outstanding rookie season earned him Baseball America's Rookie of the Year award, but that's not all he won. The publication named Trout the 2012 Player of the Year ahead of Buster Posey, Miguel Cabrera and others. Check out Jerry Crasnick's piece for a more complete look at Trout and continue reading for more of today’s links…
- The Angels have promoted Gary DiSarcina, and the former MLB shortstop will now report to GM Jerry Dipoto as a special assistant, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times reports. The Angels added a second special assistant to Dipoto, hiring Rays national cross-checker Tim Huff.
- Sandy Alomar Jr. will have a spot as an Indians coach when Terry Francona's staff is officially announced, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports.
- The Rockies seem to be taking Jason Giambi seriously as a managerial candidate and while some executives chuckle at the possibility, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com asks 'why not?'
- The Mets expect catcher Josh Thole to be eligible for arbitration this coming offseason, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $1.2MM salary for the backstop.
AL East Notes: Ortiz, Peralta, Jackson
Some links from around the AL East for your Monday reading pleasure…
- David Ortiz is still looking for two years and $25-30MM, according to the Boston Herald's John Tomase. Ortiz told Tomase that he expects the Red Sox to reach out to his representatives at SFX next week.
- Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com cautions Orioles fans not to buy into any rumblings that Ortiz could end up in Baltimore if he doesn't re-sign with the Red Sox. Dubroff notes that manager Buck Showalter felt handicapped by Vladimir Guerrero's inability to play in the field the last time the team had a strict DH in 2011.
- In his latest mailbag, MLB.com's Bill Chastain tells one reader that Joel Peralta is so intent on returning to the Rays that he will likely deal with them exclusively before talking to other teams. Chastain does opine that a multi-year deal from an outside team could sway Peralta's thinking.
- Chastain also says he believes that the Rays will open the season with Ben Zobrist as the shortstop, as Hak-Ju Lee may not be ready from an offensive standpoint yet.
- Danny Knobler of CBS Sports tweets that the Blue Jays had nine different scouts in attendance for Edwin Jackson's final three regular season starts. Jackson will be a free agent this offseason, and while he'd like to return to the Nationals, he could end up elsewhere. The Jays are planning to shop aggressively this offseason.
AL East Notes: Rays, Buck Showalter, Alex Rodriguez
It'll be interesting to see how the Rays look to improve this winter given their limited financial flexibility, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays, who were last in the majors in attendance, will save more than $22.5MM with Carlos Peña, B.J. Upton, Luke Scott, and Kyle Farnsworth off the books. However, built-in and projected arbitration increases will cost them around $50MM to keep 17 players. After opening the season with a higher-than-planned $64MM payroll, the club is expected to try and scale back the payroll this year, leaving them with limited room. Here's more out of the AL East..
- Yankees President Randy Levine appeared on ESPN 98.7 FM's Sunday Morning with Ian O'Connor (partial transcript courtesy of ESPNNewYork.com's Matt Ehalt) and did not commit to Alex Rodriguez remaining in pinstripes for the duration of his contract through the 2017 season. "That's like one of those questions: Where's the stock market going to be in 2017, who's going to be president on Nov. 15?" Levine said. "If I had crystal ball to predict all of that stuff, I'd be a lot smarter than I am. I'm not going to go there. That's stuff for people to speculate on your show and elsewhere, but it's irresponsible for me to do so."
- Orioles manager Buck Showalter says that he isn't ready to start thinking about a contract extension despite the fact that he enjoys being in Baltimore. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com wonders aloud if the skipper has his eye on becoming a General Manager somewhere. Showalter was interested in running the O's front office before Dan Duquette was brought in as executive vice president.
- The Yankees should have passed on giving Alex Rodriguez a ten-year, $275MM contract following the 2007 season, opines Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News. Lupica notes that the Cardinals made a shrewd business decision by letting Albert Pujols sign a $200MM+ contract elsewhere last winter and now find themselves in the championship hunt.
- With Curtis Granderson struggling, the trade that sent Austin Jackson to Detroit for him no longer seems like a smart move, writes Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. Last year it seemed like both the Tigers and the Yanks came out as winners in that trade, but Madden believes that the W now goes squarely in the Tigers' column.
- The Orioles will likely be forced to make a decision between Nate McLouth and Nolan Reimold as to which ballplayer will be called upon to man left field next season, writes MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski. While Reimold got off to a strong start to the season before succumbing to injury, McLouth proved to be a valuable asset for Baltimore towards the end of the year and playoffs.
Edward Creech and Daniel Seco contributed to this post.
Cafardo On Shields, Ortiz, Ross, Rodriguez
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe offers up a few ideas to help bolster the Red Sox. Cafardo suggests that the Red Sox need a pure middle-of-the-order hitter and writes that Joe Mauer of the Twins would fit the bill nicely. While the Twins might not be in a rush to deal him, Boston might be willing to put together an attractive offer to get a hitter of his caliber that can split time between first base and catcher. If they can't make Mauer the big get of this winter, Cafardo also suggests names like Nick Swisher, Mike Napoli, and even Josh Hamilton. Of course, the Red Sox may pass on some of the bigger names and price tags out there to avoid locking themselves into more unfavorable contracts. Here's more from Cafardo..
- Rays pitcher James Shields has a $9MM option for this year and will likely be unaffordable for the club after that. It seems likely that Tampa Bay will finally bite the bullet and trade pitching to get the offense that they need. One National League GM suggested that the Rangers would be a good partner as they could offer Elvis Andrus and someone else for Shields. Some baseball officials also haven’t ruled out the Rays moving David Price to fill a couple of positions.
- Word is that David Ortiz might accept a two-year deal from the Red Sox for $26-28MM if they offer it. If Boston won't go to two years, Ortiz may roll the dice and see what the Orioles, Yankees, Blue Jays, or Rangers offer.
- The Red Sox are trying to work out a multiyear deal with Cody Ross, but he'll have a strong market if he chooses to wait. The Braves could potentially be major players for Ross as they offered him a two-year deal last year. Ross wouldn’t mind a Western team either and the Giants may have interest if they move on from Melky Cabrera.
- Cafardo believes that the Dodgers would be willing to take on Alex Rodriguez as the Yankees would gladly eat some of his contract. The Dodgers also appear unlikely to re-sign Shane Victorino and will save some money by doing that.
- Talk is strong that Joe Torre would consider managing again and the 72-year-old has always had an affinity for Boston.
Quick Hits: Kinsler, Marcum, K-Rod, Rays
For the first time since baseball expanded the playoff field to eight teams, all four divisional series have gone to a deciding fifth game. The Nationals and Orioles forced Game Fives that will take place tomorrow, so we've got one more wild day of first-round baseball in store before the LCS round. Here are some news items from around the league…
- How the Rangers decide to use Ian Kinsler next season will impact the rest of their offseason moves, writes Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas. Durrett suggests that Kinsler should be dropped from the leadoff spot in the batting order and moved to the outfield to make room for Jurickson Profar at second base.
- Shaun Marcum doesn't expect to pitch for the Brewers next season, the pending free agent told Todd Rosiak and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week. Marcum said the Brewers "haven't said anything" to him about a contract extension. "I think that ship sailed a long time ago," Marcum said. "It's just one of those things. It's baseball, it's a business and we all understand that. You play to get to free agency, so we'll see what happens."
- Also from Rosiak and Haudricourt, Francisco Rodriguez said he would "love to come back" to Milwaukee. Rodriguez surprisingly accepted arbitration from the Brewers last season, earning himself $8MM in 2012. The club obviously won't repeat the move again this year but Rodriguez could still return on a smaller deal if he can't find a closer's job elsewhere.
- The Rays have asked the city of St. Petersburg for permission to explore potential stadium sites outside of the St. Pete area, reports Stephen Nohlgren of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays' lease at Tropicana Field runs through the 2027 season and St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster "has been adamant" about keeping the team in his city for the duration of the lease, albeit possibly in a new ballpark.
Scott, Rays Consider 2013 Option
Luke Scott’s 2012 season fell short of expectations, but he’d like to return to Tampa Bay for another year. The 34-year-old designated hitter told Bill Chastain of MLB.com that he hopes the Rays exercise the $6MM club option on his contract instead of paying him a $1MM buyout.
“The environment is awesome,” Scott said. “It's just a great place to play. I really enjoyed my time here. I hope they'll have me back."
Scott made two trips to the disabled list this past season as a result of oblique and back injuries. When healthy he hit 14 home runs and posted a .229/.285/.439 batting line in 344 plate appearances. Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Chastain it’s too early to say whether Scott will be back for another year.
“He really scuffled in the first half,” Friedman said. “In the second half he had the type of output that we kind of anticipated if things went well and lined up well."