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Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Rangers, Astros

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Time for your afternoon snack!

  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch weighs a reader question: is it time to trade Albert Pujols? As Goold writes, "Ain’t happening, shouldn’t happen (on both sides), but it makes for fine hot-stove jabber." Still, children all of St. Louis (and many adults) rightly shudder at even the hypothetical Pujols trade.
  • The Cardinals are looking to bring John Smoltz back, according to the Associated Press. Smoltz had a 4.26 ERA and 40/9 K/BB ratio in 38 innings with the Cardinals, so their interest is understandable.
  • The Dallas Morning News' Tim Cowlishaw worries that the uncertain ownership situation of the Rangers will keep the club from making big-ticket improvements for 2010.
  • SI's Jon Heyman acknowledges these concerns, but still thinks John Lackey could end up in Texas.
  • Ned Yost is interviewing for Houston's managerial job this afternoon, even though the Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice thinks Phil Garner should be the hire.
  • And the Washington Nationals keep adding front office personnel.

Odds & Ends: Tigers, Clark, Duncan, Beltran

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Wait, what do you mean "there are no baseball games tonight?!?"

  • James Schmehl of MLive.com says that during the Tigers' annual season-ending meeting, GM Dave Dombrowski acknowledged "that payroll limitations this offseason will prevent the Tigers from keeping every free agent." Detroit's double play combo of Placido Polanco and Adam Everett will be free agents, as will their setup man-closer tandem of Brandon Lyon and Fernando Rodney.
  • Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Braves scouting director Roy Clark "told the Braves on Tuesday that he's leaving the organization to become an assistant general manager with the Nationals." Clark will have a similar role with the Nats, overseeing player development and the scouting department. He had been Atlanta's scouting director since 2000, drafting such players as Brian McCann, Yunel Escobar, and Jason Heyward.
  • Cardinals' pitching coach Dave Duncan said he's going to wait and see what manager Tony La Russa does before making a decision about his future, according to FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi.
  • In a mailbag at MLB.com, Marty Noble says the Mets are "boxed in" when it comes to Carlos Beltran because not many clubs can assume the $37MM he's owed the next two years, not to mention concerns about his physical condition.

Odds & Ends: Blue Jays, Rockies, Crede

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Links for Monday…

  • The Astros received permission to interview Red Sox first base coach Tim Bogar for their managerial job, according to WEEI's Rob Bradford.  Brad Mills and Manny Acta will also interview, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (via Twitter).  McTaggart adds Bob Melvin, Dave Clark, and Al Pedrique as other candidates, while Alyson Footer adds Ned Yost, Randy Ready, Phil Garner, and Pete Mackanin.
  • Nationals scouting director Dana Brown has been hired away by new Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • Rockies owner Dick Monfort told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post that the team's postseason appearance won't significantly affect payroll.  The Rockies have impending free agents in Jason Marquis, Yorvit Torrealba, Rafael Betancourt, and Joe Beimel (among others), and must also decide whether to tender Garrett Atkins a contract.  Torrealba and Betancourt have pricey club options.
  • Astros catcher J.R. Towles is a potential buy-low candidate for the Rays, says R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay.  Towles hit .276/.386/.455 in Triple A this year, but Jason Castro is the Astros' catcher of the future.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak hopes to take advantage of the exclusive negotiating period for his free agents, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  In a separate article, Joe Strauss of the P-D notes that Rick Ankiel pulled a fast one on the media.
  • Joe Crede is optimistic he'll have a quick recovery from his third back surgery, says MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  Merkin says the Boras client "spoke more in generalities than about a specific return to Minnesota."
  • Jack Morris almost signed with the Yankees in 1996, writes Jack Curry of the New York Times. 
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports speculates about the Red Sox trading closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Odds & Ends: Reds, Brewers, Astros

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Some afternoon links:

  • Dusty Baker's job may not be safe in Cincinnati, writes Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune.  Owner Bob Castellini "reportedly has his eye on the Cardinals tandem of manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan."  Both men could go elsewhere if they so choose.  La Russa's contract expires at the end of the year and Duncan holds an option on a deal he signed around this time last year.
  • Rogers also says that the Brewers are telling teams they don't plan to trade Prince Fielder.  They are, however, looking for pitching in return for J.J. Hardy and Mat Gamel.  Recent comments by GM Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash indicated that Gamel will be on the trading block this winter.
  • Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle implores the Astros to hire Jim Fregosi as their next manager.  However, Justice says that former Nats skipper Manny Acta has the "inside track."
  • Cubs' broadcaster Bob Brenly had "informal talks" with Nationals GM Mike Rizzo earlier this year about their managerial vacancy, writes Dave Van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune.  The former D-Backs skipper said that it was "way too premature" for Washington to make a decision at that point.  Brenly has been interviewed by several teams in recent years, including the Cubs and Brewers.

Looking Ahead To The Nationals’ Offseason

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Whenever a team loses 103 games and has been outscored by a total of 348 runs over the last two years, it’s going to take more than one offseason for their new GM to bring the franchise back to respectability. The Nationals made a great first step by drafting, and paying, superprospect Stephen Strasburg, who made his professional debut earlier this week.

In his latest column for The Washington Post, Chico Harlan outlines some of the items the Nats must address this offseason, with a little help from GM Mike Rizzo. 

  • Rizzo detailed some of the first steps his team will take this winter, which includes adding an assistant GM and a farm director to his front office. “That’s the first order of business,” Rizzo said.
  • The team must also decide on a permanent manager. Interm mamanger Jim Riggleman is a candidate for the position, but Harlan says he won’t be the only one. Rizzo would prefer a manager with experience, but “acknowledged that getting permission to interview outside candidates whose teams are in the playoffs could slow the process.”
  • Of the 30 pitchers the Nats used in 2009, only John Lannan remained with the team wire-to-wire. Regardless, they have some building blocks on the staff, with a surplus of back-end starters and a few reliable bullpen arms. The most notable of those bullpen arms would be 24-year old Tyler Clippard, who led all big league relievers with 60 strikeouts after the All Star break.
  • Rizzo has said “that the Nationals can become contenders without detonating their roster.” Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, and Lannan represent a decent core, and you can add catcher Jesus Flores to that mix if he returns from shoulder surgery.
  • The contracts of Dmitri Young and Austin Kearns expired after the season, freeing up $13MM from last year’s $60MM or so Opening Day payroll. Kearns is still owed a $1MM buyout.
  • “I think it helps that we’re not locked into bad long-term contracts,” Rizzo said. “Certainly it helps. It gives you the opportunity to kind of look over the landscape and do what’s best in the long-term, big-view picture of what we’re trying to do, not only in 2010 and beyond.”

Odds & Ends: Henry, Kikuchi, Accardo

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Links for Friday…

  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tells us via Twitter that the Astros released pitchers Chad Paronto and Billy Sadler.
  • The Nationals interviewed longtime Braves scouting director Roy Clark, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • The Blue Jays fired J.P. Ricciardi advisor Dick Scott, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.
  • Interesting note from WEEI's Alex Speier.  Back in 2002, upon purchasing the Red Sox and selling the Marlins, John Henry attempted to have Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett transferred to the Sox.
  • NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says NPB is lobbying Japan's High School Baseball Federation to have Yusei Kikuchi appear in person for meetings with NPB teams but not MLB clubs.  Newman still likes the Rangers as Kikuchi's top suitor, based on reports.
  • Newman also tells us that pitcher Koji Mitsui, who was posted twice last winter but received no bids, has been released and will attempt to sign with an MLB team.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has a plan for the Cubs that includes signing Chone Figgins and avoiding long-term free agent deals.
  • Padres exec Paul DePodesta explains the team's recent roster moves.
  • Via Twitter, ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. passes along info from Miguel Angel Sano's agent Rob Plummer. 
  • In an MLB.com chat, Blue Jays reliever Jeremy Accardo says that his first choice is to stay with Toronto for his entire career, but his second choice is to pitch on the West Coast.

Odds & Ends: Henry, Kikuchi, Accardo

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Links for Friday…

  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tells us via Twitter that the Astros released pitchers Chad Paronto and Billy Sadler.
  • The Nationals interviewed longtime Braves scouting director Roy Clark, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • The Blue Jays fired J.P. Ricciardi advisor Dick Scott, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.
  • Interesting note from WEEI's Alex Speier.  Back in 2002, upon purchasing the Red Sox and selling the Marlins, John Henry attempted to have Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett transferred to the Sox.
  • NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says NPB is lobbying Japan's High School Baseball Federation to have Yusei Kikuchi appear in person for meetings with NPB teams but not MLB clubs.  Newman still likes the Rangers as Kikuchi's top suitor, based on reports.
  • Newman also tells us that pitcher Koji Mitsui, who was posted twice last winter but received no bids, has been released and will attempt to sign with an MLB team.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times has a plan for the Cubs that includes signing Chone Figgins and avoiding long-term free agent deals.
  • Padres exec Paul DePodesta explains the team's recent roster moves.
  • Via Twitter, ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. passes along info from Miguel Angel Sano's agent Rob Plummer. 
  • In an MLB.com chat, Blue Jays reliever Jeremy Accardo says that his first choice is to stay with Toronto for his entire career, but his second choice is to pitch on the West Coast.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, V-Mart, Nats, Tigers

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Some more links before another playoff triple-header…

  • If you're rooting for the Red Sox this month, you have more in common with Theo Epstein than you might expect. The Boston GM tells Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe that he spends October "watching the fates unwind." Epstein has assembled a good team, but he sits back and watches this month with an understanding that good teams can't always win it all.
  • As WEEI.com's Rob Bradford reports, the Red Sox were in talks this summer to acquire Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee from the Indians for a prospect-rich package including Clay Buchholz.
  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier points out that it would have been hard for the Red Sox to find a more perfect fit than V-Mart.
  • The Nats dismissed Jose Cardenal according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Cardenal had been a special advisor to the GM since 2005.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski was upset that Miguel Cabrera got drunk between games last weekend, according to the AP (via ESPN).

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, V-Mart, Nats, Tigers

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Some more links before another playoff triple-header…

  • If you're rooting for the Red Sox this month, you have more in common with Theo Epstein than you might expect. The Boston GM tells Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe that he spends October "watching the fates unwind." Epstein has assembled a good team, but he sits back and watches this month with an understanding that good teams can't always win it all.
  • As WEEI.com's Rob Bradford reports, the Red Sox were in talks this summer to acquire Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee from the Indians for a prospect-rich package including Clay Buchholz.
  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier points out that it would have been hard for the Red Sox to find a more perfect fit than V-Mart.
  • The Nats dismissed Jose Cardenal according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Cardenal had been a special advisor to the GM since 2005.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski was upset that Miguel Cabrera got drunk between games last weekend, according to the AP (via ESPN).

Olney On Strasburg, Nats, Twins

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney wonders if Miguel Cabrera was physically prepared to play in Saturday's game. Olney also delivers some rumors; here they are:

  • Nats GM Mike Rizzo says Stephen Strasburg is "just a regular 21-year-old young man." The difference? He's not going to be treated like everyone else.
  • The Nats are looking to hire some front office personnel, including an assistant GM.
  • Olney says Twins GM Bill Smith should feel good about his first two years on the job. Smith faced the daunting task of trading Johan Santana as soon as he got the GM position and he has turned the Twins into a playoff team without Johan.
  • Sound familiar? It's not a foregone conclusion that Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos will have to trade Roy Halladay this winter, but it's certainly possible.
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