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Heyman On Dodgers, Valentine

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman, like many writers, believes the Dodgers need a #1 starter.  He says Dodgers people "aren't overly optimistic" about snagging Roy Halladay or John Lackey, however.
  • Heyman believes the Dodgers should consider trading one or all of James Loney, Russell Martin, and Chad Billingsley.  Billingsley was ineffective in July and September, but the 25-year-old is under team control for three more years.  Interest would be very strong.
  • Heyman guesses the Indians might be willing to go to $2.5MM for Bobby Valentine, while GM Mark Shapiro doesn't expect money to be a factor.

Odds & Ends: Torre, Braves, Blue Jays

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In the midst of a tight Dodgers-Phillies game, here are some news tidbits from around the baseball world….

  • Before Game Five, Joe Torre said he wants to (and believes he will) be the Dodgers' manager next season, reports Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that Frank Wren is in a bit of a Catch-22 when it comes to re-signing Tim Hudson and Adam LaRoche, and/or trading Kenshin Kawakami or Derek Lowe for hitting help.
  • MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports that new Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has spent his first few weeks on the job talking to the team's coaches and players.  After talking to pending free agents Marco Scutaro, Rod Barajas and John McDonald, Anthopoulos said he wants to speak to their respective agents in the coming weeks.
  • As reported by Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Mark Cuban told a group of Pitt students that he won't be buying the Pirates.
  • Speaking of Pittsburgh natives looking to be involved in MLB ownership, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan said that Pittsburgh lawyer Check Greenberg's investment team made with members of the Hicks Sports Group on Wednesday to discuss buying the Rangers. 
  • Tommy Rancel of the DRaysBay blog outlines why he thinks the Rays should look into signing Kelvim Escobar this off-season.

Odds & Ends: Mets, Cameron, Valentine

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A few news items to think about while we get ready for Game Five of the NLCS….

  • MLB.com's Marty Noble agrees with a reader e-mail that a defensively-sound first baseman would do wonders for the Mets' infield defense and overall performance.
  • From that same piece, Noble thinks that Mike Cameron would be a good fit with the Mets due to his ability to cover the vast expanses of Citi Field's outfield.  Noble isn't as keen on Chone Figgins since he doesn't fit New York's needs.
  • MLB.com's Noah Coslov tweets that the Indians will interview Bobby Valentine on Thursday.
  • If Manny Acta isn't hired in Cleveland or Houston, The Globe & Mail's Jeff Blair thinks he could land in Toronto.
  • Canadian Business Online looks at the best and worst free agent signings from last year and examines which teams got the most value from their rosters in 2009.

Odds & Ends: Saito, Jaramillo, Marlins

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More Monday linkage…

  • Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies want catcher Yorvit Torrealba back, but not at his $4MM option price.
  • WEEI's Alex Speier explains that outrighting Takashi Saito makes a Boston re-signing more feasible.
  • Rudy Jaramillo will likely reach an agreement soon with the Cubs for their hitting coach position, according to SI's Jon Heyman.  Heyman says Jaramillo will be near the top of the coach pay scale, at $800K a year for multiple years.  The Cubs are hoping Jaramillo can help Alfonso Soriano. Milton Bradley hit well in Texas, though he's a trade candidate.
  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro talked to first baseman Nick Johnson, who is approaching free agency for the first time in his career.  Johnson seems unlikely to stay with the Marlins.  (Check out our discussion post on him here).  Frisaro says the Fish could further shake up the infield corners by trading Jorge Cantu.
  • Newsday's David Lennon reminds us the Mets chose Oliver Perez over Randy Wolf last winter.  Wolf supplied 214.3 innings of 3.23 ball for the Dodgers for $8MM.
  • MLB.com's Jordan Bastian talked to Blue Jays defensive whiz/impending free agent John McDonald about the future and his popularity in Toronto.
  • MLB.com's Bill Chastain feels the Rays will at least talk to free agent reliever Billy Wagner.  Nice fit, though VP Andrew Friedman found it unlikely they'd sign a closer when asked a few weeks ago.  It won't help if Wagner turns down an arbitration offer from the Red Sox, which would attach a draft pick cost.

Blue Jays Hope To Re-Sign Scutaro, Barajas

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The Blue Jays would like to re-sign shortstop Marco Scutaro and catcher Rod Barajas, GM Alex Anthopoulos told Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.  Anthopoulos also said he will not learn his budget until later this month.  Our recent Offseason Outlook suggests the Blue Jays will only have $10MM to spend unless payroll is increased.

Scutaro, 34 later this month, hit .282/.379/.409 in 680 plate appearances this year.  His defense was average this year and above average last year, based on UZR/150.  Coming off a career year, Scutaro figures to ask for at least $6MM annually.  He's a projected Type A free agent, so the Jays will miss out on the chance to add two draft picks if they re-sign him.

Barajas, 34, hit .226/.258/.403 in a career-high 460 PAs this year.  Among those with 400 PAs, Barajas' OBP was the worst in baseball.  He had a pretty strong season defensively, though not quite on par with his arbitration-eligible teammate Raul Chavez.  MLB.com's Jordan Bastian recently explained that the Jays may need to re-sign Barajas because prospects J.P. Arencibia and Brian Jeroloman need more minor league seasoning and Chavez might fit better as a backup.  Barajas profiles as a Type B free agent, though it's not certain the Jays will offer him arbitration.

If Scutaro earns $6MM in 2010 and Barajas repeats his $2.5MM salary, the Blue Jays might not have much left to spend if they re-sign both.  Anthopoulos could backload Scutaro's contract to create more payroll space in 2010, but going beyond two years on the 34-year-old would be dangerous.

Odds & Ends: Ng, Thome, Blue Jays

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Despite the threat of rain pretty much all day, the Yanks and Angels are playing in the Bronx. Here's a few links to check out between pitches…

  • SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that Dodgers' assistant GM Kim Ng interviewed for the Padres GM job today. She's vying to become the first female GM in history.
  • The NLCS is bringing Jim Thome back to Philadelphia for just the second time since the trade that sent him to the White Sox prior to the 2006 season, and as MLB.com's Ken Gurnick explains, the Phillies were "somewhat divided internally" about whether to deal Thome, or the up-and-coming Ryan Howard back when the deal was made.
  • We still don't know if Cito Gaston will be back to manage the Blue Jays next year, but The Toronto Star's Richard Griffin provides some circumstantial evidence that Buck Showalter could end up replacing Gaston if he and the team part ways.
  • MLBTR is on Facebook and Twitter, so make sure you hit us up that way if you haven't already.

Odds & Ends: Barajas, Red Sox, Acta, Orioles

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Some links to read as we watch a couple mid-season signings dominate Game 2 of the NLCS…

  • MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports that the Blue Jays have interest in bringing Rod Barajas back in 2010.
  • As Alex Speier of WEEI.com notes, the Red Sox purchased the contract of 22-year-old indy leaguer Reynaldo Rodriguez from the Yuma Scorpions. Rodriguez has yet to establish himself at any one position, though he has been playing first.
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart says Manny Acta appeared to know the Astros from top to bottom after his interview for the team's managerial opening. It's no surprise that Acta knows so much; as MLB.com's Alyson Footer says, he spent 16 years in the Astros' system as a player and manager.
  • Acta wasn't the only qualified candidate. Footer says Bob Melvin was also "hugely impressive." 
  • MLB.com's Spencer Fordin says the O's need an experienced starter and a corner infielder or two this offseason.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Twins, Mets, Rockies, Delgado, Nady, Butler

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On this date six years ago, Aaron Boone ended the ALCS with an 11th inning home run off of Tim Wakefield. Yesterday we learned that Boone is likely to retire, ending his 12-year career. With this season's LCS underway, 26 teams are already in the Hot Stove season. Let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

Discussion: Jason Bay and Toronto

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Dave Perkins has an interesting idea in the Toronto Star: should the Blue Jays go get Jason Bay this offseason?

Perkins points out that Bay's .921 OPS certainly didn't suffer after coming to the American League- it was best in the junior circuit among outfielders. He's also Canadian-born and would make a solid addition to an outfield that also figures to have Travis Snider and Vernon Wells returning in 2010.

Perkins also adds that Bay will be just 31 on Opening Day 2010, and the Jays will not only benefit from having Bay, they will also benefit by taking Bay from the Boston Red Sox.

The reality is that Bay will probably be too rich for Toronto's taste. After all, despite just $63MM committed to next year's players, they spent the run up to the non-waiver trade deadline this summer trying to deal Roy Halladay, rather than sign him long-term.

But if April is a time for every team to dream of how the season will go, shouldn't October be for how the off-season will go?

Odds & Ends: Indians, Dodgers, Blue Jays

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Because baseball should be in all four seasons, no matter what Forbes Magazine thinks…

  • As Buster Olney first reported on October 3, Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell officially took his name out of the running for next manager of the Cleveland Indians.
  • Joe Torre denied that life with the Dodgers is "a living hell", as Peter Gammons told Michael Kay on his radio show Wednesday. Torre did say, however, that he doesn't expect to manage past his 2010 contract. 
  • Perhaps the phrase will be used instead in the upcoming divorce proceedings between Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his wife, Jamie. As a source described it to Ken Rosenthal: "They've already 'lawyered' up. They're trashing each other terribly. It's going to be World War III."
  • Orlando Hudson is glad the Blue Jays traded him. Considering that he's still playing, and J.P. Ricciardi is out of a job, one can guess Ricciardi feels otherwise.
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