Quick Hits: Price, Aardsma, Willingham, Angels
Happy Halloween to MLBTR's readers! We've already seen C.C. Sabathia sign an extension and Tony La Russa retire today. Here are some more updates from around MLB…
- Rays left-hander David Price opted out of the contract he signed when Tampa Bay drafted him, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune. He's still under team control through 2015 as an arbitration eligible player, however. Price could earn $7-8MM in 2012 through arbitration according to MLBTR's projections, so declining his $2.433MM option was merely a formality.
- David Aardsma, who became a free agent today, wouldn't rule out returning to the Mariners, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).
- Agent Matt Sosnick told Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group that he expects Josh Willingham to sign a three-year deal and doesn’t expect his client to re-sign with the Athletics (Twitter link).
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Yankees executive Billy Eppler was the runner-up to Jerry Dipoto in the Angels' search for a GM (Twitter link).
- The White Sox announced that they hired Jeff Manto to be their hitting coach, Joe McEwing to be their third base coach and Mark Parent to be their bench coach (Twitter link).
- Dave Cameron introduces FanGraphs' top 50 free agents of the offseason. MLBTR's list of top 50 free agents is on its way as well.
Rays Exercise Farnsworth’s Option, Not Shoppach’s
The Rays exercised Kyle Farnsworth's 2012 option while declining Kelly Shoppach's, according to the Tampa Tribune (on Twitter). Farnsworth obtains a $3.3MM salary instead of a $650K buyout and Shoppach obtains a $300K buyout instead of a $3.2MM salary.
Farnsworth posted a 2.18 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 57 2/3 innings out of the bullpen in 2011. Shoppach, 31, hit just .176/.268/.339 in 253 plate appearances, but he led the league by preventing 41% of stolen base attempts. The Rays will look to get more offense from behind the plate in 2012.
Rays Exercise Option On James Shields
The Rays exercised James Shields' $7.5MM option, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Shields would not have been eligible for free agency if the Rays had declined the option. Instead, Tampa Bay would have gone to arbitration with Shields and he would have obtained a salary in excess of $7.5MM.
Picking up Shields' option was an easy decision, even for the low-payroll Rays. The right-hander posted a 2.82 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 249 1/3 innings in 2011, leading the league with 11 complete games and four shutouts. He would have extremely high trade value, though Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has said he wants to preserve Tampa Bay's pitching depth.
The Rays still face decisions on Kyle Farnsworth and Kelly Shoppach.
Quick Hits: Shields, Giambi, Sizemore, Beltran
After one of the greatest, wildest, sloppiest and most exciting games in baseball history, we're going to see a Game Seven tomorrow night. It will be the first seventh game in the Series since the Angels needed the maximum to beat the Giants in 2002.
As we prepare for the last game of 2011, here are some news items….
- In an interview with 620-WDAE radio (reported on by Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times), James Shields says he thinks the Rays will pick up his $7MM option for 2012 and he will pitch for the team next season. The Rays are a near-lock to pick up Shields' option but they could shop the right-hander for a trade this winter.
- Smith also notes that Shields' option could be worth as much as $8MM depending on an innings-pitched incentive clause and how Shields fares in AL Cy Young voting.
- Jason Giambi is considering declining his side of his $1MM mutual option for 2012, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. We heard last month that the Rockies were going to pick up their side of the option, so the decision appears to be up to Giambi.
- If Grady Sizemore had played his exact career with another team and the Indians had a chance to sign him, the Tribe wouldn't even consider the move, argues Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. That's how Pluto frames the Indians' decision about Sizemore's $9MM option for 2012.
- The Red Sox and Giants will both be contenders for Carlos Beltran this winter, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link).
- The Angels should rehire former scouting director Eddie Bane, opines Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. Bane was fired by then-GM Tony Reagins last year but still has a good relationship with owner Arte Moreno and team president John Carpino.
- The week's minor league transactions are recapped by Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
- After getting burned on the Michael Gonzalez and Kevin Gregg signings, "it’s unlikely that the Orioles will spend big money on a closer" this winter, says Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com.
Manager Notes: Red Sox, Maddon, Martinez, La Russa
Let's round up some manager links as we wait for Game Six of the World Series…
- Torey Lovullo and Joe McEwing aren't on Ben Cherington's initial list of interview candidates for the Red Sox manager's job, reports Joe McDonald of ESPN Boston. "Among those expected to get some consideration" from the Sox include DeMarlo Hale, Sandy Alomar Jr., Ryne Sandberg, Dave Martinez and Pete Mackanin. McDonald also lists Ken Macha and Terry Pendleton as longer-shot possibilities.
- Dale Sveum and Tim Wallach are also mentioned as candidates by Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Lauber also reports that Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux "is interested in becoming a manager."
- "Honestly, I love where I work and who I work with," said Rays manager Joe Maddon when asked by WEEI.com's Rob Bradford about pursuing another manager's job elsewhere. "For me it isn't always about money. I really am humbled by that thought, but at the end of the day I am a Ray and I want to be a Ray."
- Maddon went on to say that Dave Martinez, his bench coach with the Rays, is "ready in the dugout, for sure," but he could have a tough time adjusting to the media responsibilities that come with being the manager of a big market team, like most people would.
- In another WEEI.com piece, Alex Speier passed along a quote from Jack Sands, agent for Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who appeared on the Dennis & Callahan Show last week. “Tony loves Boston,” said Sands. “Many years ago, he was really thinking this might be a place he might like to come to. … When he first came over to St. Louis, he really was an American League guy. He loved the DH. But now, he loves the double switches. We’ve seen what’s happened in the playoffs. He loves working that bullpen. So I seriously doubt that he would come back to the American League at this point.”
Coaching, Front Office News: Eiland, Blue Jays, Feinstein
The latest on the coaching and managerial front:
- The Royals announced the hiring of Dave Eiland as their new pitching coach. Eiland served as the Yankees' pitching coach from 2008-10 and spent this year as a special assistant with the Rays.
- The Blue Jays announced an amendment to their employee permission policy: they will not grant permission for lateral moves. GM Alex Anthopoulos will be holding a press conference today, presumably on this topic. The implication is that the Red Sox will not be allowed to interview John Farrell for their managerial position.
- Rays director of baseball operations Dan Feinstein has joined the Athletics as their director of pro scouting and baseball development, according to the team.
Angels Would Make Friedman Team President
The Angels are prepared to offer Andrew Friedman a position as club president, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. Despite their strong interest, the Angels don’t appear to have much of a chance of obtaining him from the Rays, according to DiGiovanna. The Angels, who met with Friedman last week, would hire a second executive to be the team’s general manager if the 34-year-old joins their baseball operations department.
The Angels have interviewed Jerry Dipoto of the Diamondbacks, Damon Oppenheimer and Billy Eppler of the Yankees, Rick Hahn of the White Sox and former GM Omar Minaya for the position. Kim Ng of MLB will interview this week and the Angels hope to interview Thad Levine of the Rangers after the World Series ends, according to DiGiovanna. Former GM Dan Evans also intrigues owner Arte Moreno and team president John Carpino.
The Angels asked for permission to interview Al Avila of the Tigers and Dan Jennings of the Marlins, but were denied. Los Angeles' new GM will have the authority to hire a new assistant GM, player personnel director and farm director, according to DiGiovanna.
The Angels are in direct competition with the Orioles, who interviewed Dipoto for their GM vacancy. For a complete look at the moves Friedman has made in Tampa Bay, check out MLBTR's Transaction Tracker.
Marlins Considering Shields, Zambrano Unlikely
The Marlins are considering making a serious run at Rays right-hander James Shields, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com. The two sides have some natural match-up on a trade because the Marlins could dangle Logan Morrison as part of a package for the right-hander.
Shields drew interest from a number of clubs at the deadline including the Tigers and Reds but the Rays opted to hang on to him instead. Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says that he would like to maintain the team's pitching depth, but Shields would be a huge trading chip this winter.
Meanwhile, Olney writes that in spite of the speculation about Carlos Zambrano joining up with Ozzie Guillen in Florida, there isn't a lot of momentum behind this within the Marlins organization. The club's opposition to the move has more to do with the way Zambrano's stuff has regressed than his personality history.
AL East Notes: Ortiz, Orioles, Hellickson
Until the Red Sox and Cubs agree to compensation for Theo Epstein’s departure, Boston’s GM situation will dominate headlines out of the American League East. Here’s the latest news from the division, starting with an update on the Red Sox…
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com previews the market for David Ortiz and concludes that he won't have an overwhelming number of suitors this offseason. Speier suggests the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Angels and Mariners are possible fits for the slugger, though some of those teams won't have strong interest. I can see the Orioles getting involved, depending on who their next GM is.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com previews the Orioles' 2012 bullpen and points out that there's a lot of uncertainty at this point. Jim Johnson could move to the rotation, Willie Eyre and Jo-Jo Reyes could be non-tendered and the Orioles are likely to add relievers from outside of the organization.
- Congratulations to Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson, who is Baseball America's 2011 Major League Rookie of the Year. The 24-year-old right-hander posted a 2.95 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 over the course of 189 innings in his first full season.
Heyman On Friedman, Darvish, Yankees
With the general manager carousel moving at full speed and free agency approaching quickly, there are plenty of rumors in Major League Baseball. Jon Heyman weighed in today at SI.com; here are some highlights:
- Heyman’s sources doubt the Angels would waste Andrew Friedman’s time if they weren’t prepared to offer him a job. However, someone close to Friedman doubts he would leave the Rays. Friedman tops the Angels’ long list of GM candidates.
- One general manager expects C.J. Wilson to sign a deal worth $75MM over five years.
- Yu Darvish is undecided about making the jump to MLB, but he’ll be in line for lots of money if he does make the leap. One general manager suggested Darvish would cost about $100MM between his contract and his posting fee and another GM agrees that he’ll cost “big bucks.”
- The Yankees and GM Brian Cashman are making progress in their discussions about a new contract.
- Free agent starter Freddy Garcia is popular with the Yankees’ front office and could return in 2012. The right-hander barely qualifies as a Type B free agent, according to our rankings.