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Managerial Notes: Marlins, Farrell, Rockies

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John Farrell met with the Boston media today, two days after the official completion of the long-awaited deal between the Red Sox and Blue Jays. Farrell explained that he intends to be more passionate in recommending player moves, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links). Farrell added that Blue Jays president Paul Beeston and general manager Alex Anthopoulos were understanding about his desire to leave Toronto for Boston. Here are some more managerial links from around MLB…

  • Mike Redmond appears to be a strong frontrunner for the Marlins job while Bryan Price is also in the mix, tweets Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.  Redmond currently manages the Blue Jays' Class A-Advanced affiliate in Dunedin, Florida.
  • Former Rockies, Dodgers and Pirates manager Jim Tracy and former Nationals and Indians manager Manny Acta are entrants in the managerial sweepstakes in Toronto, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports. Tracy, Acta, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Don Wakamatsu are among the leading candidates for the Blue Jays position, Elliott writes.
  • Former Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo will become Boston's bench coach, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. Lovullo has experience managing the Triple-A affiliate of the Red Sox.
  • The Rockies will start interviewing outside managerial candidates in the coming days, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (Twitter links). Jason Giambi, one of the candidates in Colorado, was very impressive in his interview, and bench coach Tom Runnells has also interviewed for the position.
  • The Cubs named David Bell their third base coach and named James Rowson their permanent hitting coach.

Quick Hits: Cardinals, Athletics, Farrell, Marlins

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While last winter was an offseason of transition for the Cardinals, the club is now set to retain almost everyone after coming just one win away from reaching the World Series, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.  Kyle Lohse and Lance Berkman are the club's only two free agents, but neither player is expected to return to St. Louis.  Lohse seems bound for a significant payday with another club while Berkman is contemplating retirement.  Here's more out of the Central divisions..

  • Twins General Manager Terry Ryan confirmed that the club "would like to keep" right-hander Scott Baker, tweets Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN.  Baker, who is seven months removed from Tommy John surgery, said earlier this year that he would like to remain in Minnesota.
  • Jane Lee of MLB.com expects to see the Athletics target veteran pitching this winter to support their young rotation.  Billy Beane & Co. could help achieve that goal by re-signing Brandon McCarthy but they are also expected to comb the open market for one-year options.
  • John Farrell and Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos were never a good fit, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.  At today's introductory presser in Boston, Farrell indicated that he and the GM weren't able to communicate effectively during their two years together in Toronto.
  • Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports thinks that the Marlins' dysfunctional ownership could be a deterrent to managerial candidates.

Blue Jays Designate Tyson Brummett For Assignment

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The Blue Jays announced that they designated Tyson Brummett for assignment five days after claiming the right-hander off of waivers from the Phillies. The move creates 40-man roster space for another waiver claim, former Phillies right-hander David Herndon.

Brummett made his MLB debut earlier this month, getting two strikeouts against the Nationals. The 28-year-old spent most of the season in the upper minors, posting a 3.20 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 90 innings. He started eight games and pitched out of the bullpen in 36 others this year, pitching at Double-A and Triple-A.

Blue Jays Claim David Herndon

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The Blue Jays have claimed right-hander David Herndon off of waivers from Philadelphia, the Phillies announced. The 27-year-old underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in June, which means he won't be ready to return until midway through the 2013 season.

Herndon was a key contributor for the Phillies from 2010-11, when he posted a 3.79 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 over the course of 92 games. He appeared in five games for the Phillies this April before being placed on the disabled list.

Watch out for the Blue Jays. They claimed Bobby Wilson yesterday and have also claimed Tyson Brummett, Cory Wade and Scott Cousins in the past week.

Coaching Links: Mariners, Ausmus, Giambi, Alomar

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John Farrell is back in a Red Sox uniform, but that's far from the only managerial and coaching news we'll see this offseason. Here's the latest on some of the open situations throughout the league…

  • The Mariners have announced the hiring of Dave Hansen as their hitting coach, writes MLB.com's Greg Johns. Hansen, who has been serving as the Dodgers' hitting coach, finished his Major League career with the Mariners in 2005. In parts of 15 seasons, he batted .260/.360/.369.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock spoke with Brad Ausmus earlier today and was told that Ausmus is happy where he's at and isn't currently pursuing another position (Twitter link). Ausmus has been a popular name among managerial candidates.
  • Jason Giambi is a real candidate to manage the Rockies next season and would make a good Major League manager, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck runs down several players he's covered throughout the years that thinks could also step into a managerial role with success, including Matt Holliday and Todd Helton. Renck also notes that a decision from the Rox could come prior to the start of the World Series, as MLB frowns on major announcements being made during the Fall Classic.
  • As of this afternoon, Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. had not received a call about interviewing to replace former Blue Jays manager John Farrell, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that if Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo follows Farrell to the Red Sox, it would likely be to serve as Farrell's bench coach.

Rangers Targeting Catchers This Offseason

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Given Mike Napoli's status as an impending free agent, the Rangers will be looking for catching help this offseason, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The Rangers have been ambivalent when asked if Napoli will receive a qualifying offer, according to Sullivan. As we learned last week, that offer would be $13.3MM on a one-year deal.

Sullivan also writes that it's likely the Rangers and Blue Jays will enter into trade discussions this offseason, given Toronto's catching surplus. The Blue Jays have J.P. Arencibia at the Major League level, with Travis d'Arnaud knocking on the door in Triple-A. Both profile as starting catchers, and the Jays also have Jeff Mathis and the recently claimed Bobby Wilson on their 40-man roster. Toronto would likely seek pitching depth in any deal involving a catcher.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels acquired Geovany Soto over the summer as a means to bolster the position for the stretch run. Soto currently profiles as the starter in Texas, but would become a non-tender candidate if the Rangers were to add a significant piece in the offseason. The 2008 NL Rookie of the Year earned $4.3MM in 2012 and would be due for a raise through arbitration despite hitting just .198/.270/.343. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith examined Soto as a non-tender candidate back in August.

All of this, of course, is assuming that the Rangers are unable to retain Napoli's services. Napoli hopes to return to the Rangers, according to Sullivan, but that will be dependent on what kind of offers he receives. Another factor could be how he's used in the lineup. Napoli went on record in July stating that he prefers catching to playing first base, so he could have interest in a team that will use him beind the plate more (though that's just my own speculation).

Check out MLBTR's 2013 free agent list for a full look at the upcoming class of catchers that the Rangers could pursue.

Blue Jays Designate Chad Beck For Assignment

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The Blue Jays announced that they've designated right-hander Chad Beck for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for Bobby Wilson, who has been claimed off of waivers from the Angels.

Beck joined the Blue Jays organization in 2008 when Toronto acquired him from Arizona for David Eckstein. The 27-year-old appeared in 14 games for the Blue Jays this year after spending most of the season at Triple-A. Beck posted a 1.31 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 48 innings at Las Vegas in 2012.

Blue Jays Claim Bobby Wilson

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The Blue Jays have claimed catcher Bobby Wilson off of waivers from the Angels, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). Toronto's 40-man roster is now full.

Wilson, 29, appeared in 75 games for the Angels this past season. He posted a .211/.277/.292 batting line in 201 plate appearances and prevented 29% of stolen base attempts from behind the plate. Though the right-handed hitter struggles against right-handed pitching, he owns a .242/.315/.455 batting line in 156 plate appearances against left-handers. Wilson will be arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason and had projected as a non-tender candidate in Anaheim. 

The Blue Jays are monitoring the waiver wire closely. They claimed Tyson Brummett, Cory Wade and Scott Cousins last week.

AL East Notes: Lovullo, Rodriguez, Lowe

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John Farrell has officially joined the Red Sox after many months of intense speculation. Here are some links, starting in Boston with Farrell’s new team…

  • Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo is a strong candidate to join Farrell with the Red Sox, perhaps as the team's bench coach, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports. We heard lots about the possibilities for Lovullo yesterday.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman acknowledged that Alex Rodriguez is not a superstar, but said he's still an "above-average" player, Peter Botte of the New York Daily News reports. The GM repeated that a deal involving Rodriguez seems "unrealistic." The 37-year-old has five years and $114MM remaining on a contract that includes no-trade protection.
  • Derek Lowe, who pitched out of the bullpen for the Yankees down the stretch, says he would like to start again in 2013, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. Lowe hits free agency this offseason and probably won't interest the Yankees as a starter in the estimation of Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues.
  • Andruw Jones, who also hits free agency this offseason, said he intends to play for four more years, according to King.

Quick Hits: Pagan, Upton, Rodriguez, Yankees

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Many teams now find themselves flush with cash thanks to lucrative national and local TV contracts, making this a promising offseason for free agents, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd).  "There's so much money out there, it's scary," said a highly ranked executive.  Top free agents such as Zack Greinke are obviously in line for major paydays, but other free agents such as Angel Pagan, Ryan Ludwick, and Mike Adams could be in for more money than they ever imagined.  More from around baseball..

  • Even after moving Chris Young, the Diamondbacks could part with Justin Upton and go with an outfield of Gerardo Parra, Adam Eaton, and Jason Kubel with A.J. Pollock in reserve, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Arizona could also move Kubel and keep Upton instead, but financially it would make more sense to move Upton as he is owed $38.5MM over the next three years.
  • Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times imagines that the Rays would have interest in Alex Rodriguez as a DH if the Yankees were willing to eat enough of his contract.  The embattled third baseman is owed $114MM over the next five years and holds a complete no-trade clause.
  • Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News lists some possible destinations for Rodriguez in 2013.
  • Yankees' GM Brian Cashman told ESPN Radio he will listen to offers for Rodriguez (h/t MLB.com's Evan Drellich). "It's not like I'm going to hang phones up on anybody who wants to make any overtures about anything. You're talking about realistic stuff and unrealistic stuff. I don't think it's realistic at all for us to be moving forward with anything but Alex Rodriguez at third base."
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) suggests that the Yankees blow up the team in an effort to get younger and more athletic.  Bowden's proposed plan calls for the club to start by convincing Rodriguez to waive his no-trade clause and filling his spot with the likes of a Chase Headley.
  • The Orioles should have interest in Scott Feldman, if the Rangers decline his $9.25MM option, reasons CSNBaltimore.com's Rich Dubroff. The Orioles need additional rotation depth and a long reliever, roles Feldman has performed before. The right-hander is also liked by manager Buck Showalter, who was the Rangers' skipper when Feldman made his debut in 2005. 
  • The Blue Jays will look to trade Yunel Escobar but it won't be easy because of his reputation, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. 
  • The revival of Mark McGwire's baseball career stems from the opportunity former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa gave the slugger as the team's hitting coach, writes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. For McGwire, he's brought staggering results to the St. Louis lineup as the team has led the National League in batting average over the past three seasons under his tutelage.  

Daniel Seco contributed to this post.

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