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Cubs Notes: GM Search, Ramirez, Dempster

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The search for a general manager will likely dominate Cubs headlines for the rest of the regular season, but don't count on the hunt continuing past that point. According to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider-only link), the team would like to name Jim Hendry's replacement by October 1st, in preparation for the offseason. Here's the latest from Chicago's north side:

  • Within the same blog post, Olney discusses the candidacy of Rays GM Andrew Friedman for the Cubs' opening, concluding that this could be Friedman's opportunity to play on a "relatively level playing field in the years ahead."
  • Ex-Ray Matt Garza had high praise for Friedman, telling Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that the man who traded him to the Cubs would "do great" in Chicago.
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that the new Cubs GM will be given the opportunity to choose his manager, leaving Mike Quade's job very much in jeopardy.
  • Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune wonders if Tom Ricketts' recent comments suggest a reluctance to hire a current assistant GM.
  • Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times examines the likelihood of Ned Colletti becoming the next Cubs general manager.
  • You can criticize his moves and decisions in Chicago, but Hendry's work ethic and experience will land him another job as soon as he wants one, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
  • The Cubs' problems go higher up than the GM, according to Tracy Ringolsby at FOX Sports.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff takes a look at a few team and player options for 2012, predicting whether or not they will be exercised. Aramis Ramirez and Ryan Dempster are two names Davidoff mentions.

Rosenthal’s Full Count: Cubs, Zimmerman, Minor, Rox, Span

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Ken Rosenthal has his weekly Full Count Video up over at FOXSports.com, so let's take a look:

  • All GMs — past, present, and prospective — would love a crack at the Cubs' recent opening, says Rosenthal. Some GMs who are in their last contractual year, like Brian Cashman of the Yankees, line up better than others. Rosenthal feels the Rays might let Chicago interview Andrew Friedman, but finds it highly unlikely that the Red Sox would allow the Cubs to interview Theo Epstein, who is under contract through 2012.
  • While the Nationals have spent almost $40MM on the Amateur Draft in the past three seasons, Rosenthal says they'd be wise to check in with their first draft pick ever: Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman is controlled through 2013, but Rosenthal likens him to another prominent young star, saying that Zimmerman is to the Nats what Troy Tulowitzki is to the Rockies. He feels the Nats should approach their cornerstone about a similar extension before he gets so close to free agency that he considers testing it.
  • The Mets were far from the only team interested in Mike Minor at the July 31st trade deadline. The Indians offered the Drew Pomeranz to the Braves in exchange for Minor, thinking that with Atlanta trying to acquire Hunter Pence at the time, the Astros may prefer Pomeranz to Minor. Cleveland would get a more Major League-ready arm in return, but the Braves had no intention of dealing Minor.
  • The Rockies will look to add a big bat this winter, preferably at third base or a corner outfield spot. If they can find a third baseman despite a weak market, they may be inclined to pursue a leadoff hitter like the Twins' Denard Span. Rosenthal says the Rox have long coveted Span, and almost drafted him in 2002, but instead took Jeff Francis due to concerns over Span's asking price. Minnesota grabbed Span 11 picks later at No. 20 overall, though they showed a willingness to move him at this year's deadline when negotiating with the Nats.

Quick Hits: Damon, Choate, Braves

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August 18th featured significant trades in 2009 (Ivan Rodriguez to the Rangers) and 2010 (Derrek Lee to the Braves). So far, today we've seen the Rangers acquire Tim Wood from the Pirates. Here are today’s links…

Teams Spend $236MM On Draft

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The totals are in and Major League teams have again broken draft spending records. According to figures compiled by Jim Callis of Baseball America, MLB teams spent a combined $227.94MM on this year's draft bonuses and $235.99MM including additional guaranteed money in MLB deals for Danny Hultzen, Trevor Bauer, Dylan Bundy, Anthony Rendon and Matt Purke. 

A year ago, MLB teams spent about $35MM less: $195.78MM, or $201.83MM including additional guaranteed money in big league deals. The Pirates led the way in 2011, spending over $17MM and breaking the $11.93MM record the Nationals set a year ago. Washington also broke its previous record, spending over $15MM on Rendon, Purke, Alex Meyer, Brian Goodwin and others.

Though only seven teams had ever spent over $10MM on the draft before this year, ten teams did so in 2011, according to Baseball America. Along with the Pirates and Nationals, the Royals ($14.01MM), Cubs ($11.95MM), Diamondbacks ($11.93MM), Rays ($11.48MM), Mariners ($11.33MM), Padres ($11.02MM), Blue Jays ($11.00MM) and Red Sox ($10.98MM) spent eight figures on the draft.

The Tigers ($2.88MM), who didn’t select until the second round, and White Sox ($2.76MM) were the only clubs to spend less than $3MM, according to Baseball America.

Rays Sign Taylor Guerrieri

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The Rays signed Taylor Guerrieri, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter). The sides agreed to a $1.6MM deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The Rays selected the right-hander 24th overall in June. Guerrieri had a scholarship offer at South Carolina, but decided instead to sign with the Rays, who had ten of the top 60 picks in the draft.

You can keep track of which top picks have signed with MLBTR's list.

Rays Sign Mikie Mahtook

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The Rays have signed first round pick Mikie Mahtook, according to the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter). It's a $1.15MM deal, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). Mahtook, 21, is a right-handed hitting outfielder who played his college ball at LSU. The Rays, who had ten of the top 60 picks in the draft, used their second selection (31st overall) on Mahtook.

You can keep track of which top picks have signed with MLBTR's list.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Wandy, Reds, Rays

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Here's the latest Full Count video clip from Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com:

  • The Astros may place lefty Wandy Rodriguez on waivers next week, and it's possible but unlikely that Rodriguez will be claimed by another team. He stands to earn $36MM over the next three seasons, which could be a deterrent for teams considering a claim, but if he clears, the Diamondbacks and other teams may show interest in working out a trade.
  • The Reds have not seen a significant spike in attendance coming off last season's division title and will likely be relatively inactive this offseason.
  • The Rays considered trading center fielder B.J. Upton in July, but they may hold him this offseason and allow him to walk in free agency after 2012. The Rays value Upton highly and think they may not be able to spend his 2012 salary, which Rosenthal estimates will be roughly $7MM, any better on another player or players.
  • Tampa might be more willing to trade righty James Shields, who would probably yield a greater return than Upton.
  • The Yankees will not release catcher Jorge Posada, which is why they're having trouble squeezing prospect Jesus Montero to the big leagues. The Yanks do not want to go to an 11-man pitching staff, which they'd have to do if they called up Montero.

Quick Hits: Rhodes, Yankees, Villalona, Athletics

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The A's announced that they have hired former MLB player and manager Phil Garner as a special advisor. The 62-year-old played for 16 seasons and managed for another 15. Here are the latest links from around MLB… 

  • Arthur Rhodes told B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com that the Red Sox, Yankees, and Phillies all had interest in signing with him before he joined the Cardinals (Twitter link). The Phillies wanted the veteran lefty to pitch in the minors before adding him to the big league roster.
  • "What you see is what you’re gonna get," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman to Dan Barbarisi of The Wall Street Journal (Twitter link). Cashman doesn't expect to make any waiver trades this month.
  • The Associated Press (via ESPN Deportes) reports that former Giants prospect Angel Villalona is suing the team for $5MM, citing unlawful termination of his contract. Villalona, once ranked as the 33rd best prospect in the game by Baseball America, has not played since 2009 after being charged with murder in the Dominican Republic.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that MLB needs a salary floor (a minimum payroll) because certain teams aren't going to spend any more than they have to. However, the players' union has traditionally opposed salary caps and floors. 
  • Ian Kennedy told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he would listen if the D’Backs approached him about a long-term deal.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he didn't know Ron Roenicke before interviewing him for Milwaukee's managerial opening last fall. The new skipper has the Brewers in first place, four games ahead of the Cardinals.
  • Joey Votto told Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer that superstars can be overrated in MLB, since they don't impact the game the way great players do in other sports. I highly recommend Daugherty's piece, in which Votto shows a strong understanding of the business of baseball.
  • Tampa Bay, Arizona, Oakland, Miami and Washington are the five worst markets in MLB for Newsday's Ken Davidoff.

Stark On Astros, Damon, Jimenez, Rockies

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There's now almost no chance that MLB will expand the playoffs by next year, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. It's far from a lock that the postseason will expand under baseball's upcoming collective bargaining agreement, despite heavy rumblings about expanded playoffs. The union views postseason changes as part of a series of related possible changes, which is why we won't necessarily see more playoff teams by 2012, according to Stark. Here are the rest of his rumors…

  • Incoming Astros owner Jim Crane has told commissioner Bud Selig privately that he wants to keep the Astros in the NL Central. However, MLB might look to move Houston to the AL West to even out baseball's divisions.
  • Johnny Damon cleared waivers and can now be dealt to any team, according to Stark. Rival teams say Damon didn't draw heavy trade interest last month.
  • Stark hears that the MRI the Indians took of Ubaldo Jimenez came back "remarkably clean."
  • Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who has often been mentioned as a possible successor to Selig, isn't lobbying to become the next commissioner, according to a longtime associate. "If he did it, he'd do it out of loyalty to the game. But I wouldn't say he has a burning passion to do it."
  • The Rockies are saying they'd like to swap Ian Stewart for another player who could use a change of scenery. However, other clubs recognize that Stewart is a non-tender candidate, so his trade value is not high.
  • The Rockies could take a flyer on J.C. Romero, according to Stark.
  • One NL scout says Dontrelle Willis looks as good as he has in three or four years.

Quick Hits: Astros, Bell, Tigers, Angels, Rays

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On this date last year, the Brewers sent Jim Edmonds to the Reds. Tonight, Milwaukee starter Shaun Marcum will look to extend his club's division lead against Edwin Jackson and the Cardinals. Here's the latest from around MLB…

  • Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle reports that the official transfer of ownership of the Astros from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane is likely to take place on August 22nd if the other 29 owners approve the sale at next week's owners' meetings.
  • Executives believe Wandy Rodriguez will clear waivers, but not Heath Bell, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Neither player had been sent through waivers yet as of this morning.
  • The Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies are in one tier and the rest of MLB is in another, Tom Verducci writes at SI.com.
  • The Tigers’ deep rotation and strong attendance led to extensions for GM Dave Dombrowski, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press writes.
  • Yahoo's Tim Brown suggests Mike Scioscia deserves credit for keeping the light-hitting Angels in the race (they trail the Rangers by 1.5 games).
  • It's unlikely that the Rays will make any moves this month, ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes.
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