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Odds & Ends: Padilla, Riggleman, Cabrera, Twins

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Some links to wrap up your Thursday night…

Odds & Ends: Rizzo, A’s, Draft, Williams

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Some tidbits from around the league on Thursday evening…

  • ESPN's Peter Gammons outlines the methods Nationals GM Mike Rizzo used to land Stephen Strasburg. He also discusses the long road Rizzo has ahead of him. 
  • MLB.com's Mychael Urban writes that the Athletics are enjoying success despite trading Matt Holliday and Orlando Cabrera.
  • Dave Cameron at Fangraphs argues that the draft should be "abolished" and offers a creative suggestion for how to replace it.
  • MLB.com's Scott Merkin talks to White Sox GM Kenny Williams, who is happy with the team he has constructed. In fact, Williams says that he "would love to bring back this whole darn team." 

Odds And Ends: Padilla, Strasburg, Gomes

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Another round of links…

  • Ted Green of the LA Times says Vicente Padilla will be an "angel" with the Dodgers because he has no other choice.  
  • As Monday night's deadline to sign picks neared, we had no idea whether Stephen Strasburg would sign. Neither did Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, so he wrote this story in case the Nats failed to sign him.
  • We've heard lots of talk about Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang, but John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer wonders if the Reds could deal Jonny Gomes, who has 15 homers, to a contender.
  • Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball shows how much teams spent on draft picks Monday and argues that the recommended slotting system isn't working as intended.

Odds And Ends: Rizzo, Rangers, Hall

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More links for the morning…

  • Adam Dunn tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson that it would have been wrong for the Nats to give the GM job to anybody but Mike Rizzo, who will be formally introduced in about four hours.
  • Via Twitter, ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. reports that the Rangers signed Dominican righty David Perez for $425k.
  • Bill Hall tells Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that he put too much pressure on himself after inking a $24MM deal with the Brewers.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff points out that the Mets can watch Jeff Francoeur play 40 more games before they have to decide whether to offer him a contract for next year.
  • As Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker shows, Yusei Kikuchi is a Japanese high schooler who can throw 96mph and has attracted at least some interest from MLB teams. 

Nationals Tab Rizzo As GM

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8:55pm: We can close the books on this one for now: Bill Ladson at MLB.com reports that Mike Rizzo will be named the permanent general manager of the Nationals at a news conference on Thursday. The decision was apparently made earlier this week, probably in the thick of the Strasburg negotiations.

Rizzo has made some pretty sage moves for the Nationals so far, and it looks like he's taking the beleaguered franchise in a good direction. It's unclear how long he's been signed for or why previous news had suggested the complete opposite.

8:16pm: This story looks more and more dubious as the hours pass. Chico Harlan at the Post reports that Rizzo was seen loose and joking with Nationals president Stan Kasten pre-game today, and he's currently scheduled for a Friday fan Q&A on the Strasburg signing. Harlan also says that Rizzo was the sole negotiator of the Strasburg deal in its final minutes and that, at this point, "[Rizzo's] stock has never been higher." When reached for comment, Rizzo was "mum" on the current situation, Bill Ladson at MLB.com says.

3:04pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that though the Nats have not yet decided on a permanent GM, they will decide on one this week. The team will introduce Stephen Strasburg at a Friday press conference, so an announcement before then would be a surprise.

2:53pm: A source tells Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that the reports saying the Nats have decided to replace Rizzo with DiPoto are false. 

"The decision has already been made," the source said. "And the best I can tell you- what's been written is 100% wrong."

The Nats have not told DiPoto or Red Sox exec Jed Hoyer of their decision, according to Harlan's source.

2:22pm: ESPN.com's Keith Law hears that the Nationals are not about to award Jerry DiPoto the GM job.

WEDNESDAY, 11:02am: Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that D'Backs exec Jerry DiPoto has told friends he will accept the Nats GM job.

TUESDAY, 9:43pm: According to Gordon Edes of Yahoo.com, "multiple sources insisted" today that the Nationals are about to replace interim GM Mike Rizzo with Diamondbacks vice president Jerry DiPoto. 

Rizzo has been busy since replacing Jim Bowden as GM earlier this year. He brought in Nyjer Morgan and fired Manny Acta. Most notably, perhaps, he has been given credit for engineering the signing of pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg.

DiPoto, who has been in charge of the Diamondbacks' pro scouting for four years, denied any knowledge that such a job change was imminent.

Boras On The Strasburg Negotiations

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Scott Boras told 619 Sports that he was never looking to sign Stephen Strasburg to a  $50MM deal, despite reports that he was using Daisuke Matsuzaka's contract as a reference point for the number one overall pick.

"I can assure you our first offer was well less than half of that," Boras said.

Here are some more points Boras makes over the course of the interview:

  • Boras says revenues around baseball have increased in the last decade, so he argues that money should trickle down to players and draft picks.
  • He also suggests that more teams are holding onto their players, which leads to smaller crops of free agents.
  • Boras says American players deserve as much as international ones.
  • Boras says J.D. Drew didn't sign with the Phillies because they told him they didn't believe him.
  • The agent praises Donavan Tate and Strasburg on their intelligence.
  • Boras says every organization makes mistakes with players, but suggests adding players with questionable character hurts teams most of all.
  • Check out the audio for Boras' description of deadline day. It's pretty interesting stuff.

Selig Wants Worldwide Draft, Capped Bonuses

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Commissioner Bud Selig wants MLB to adopt  a worldwide draft and more rigid bonuses for picks when the current collective bargaining agreement expires after 2011, according to Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post. Selig said the Nats and Stephen Strasburg agreed on a "fair" deal, but wants to cap the bonuses draftees receive. 

"There's no question in my mind, in 2011, certainly a slotting system and a worldwide draft are things we will be very aggressive talking about," Selig said.

Sheinin says a number of players are comfortable with the idea of capping bonuses for draftees, so there's potential for change when MLB negotiates the next CBA with the players' union.

Odds And Ends: Tejada, Varitek, Smoltz

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Some afternoon links…

Heyman On Strasburg, Harper, Piniella

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Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Nationals made the "acquisition of the year" when they signed Stephen Strasburg 77 seconds before Monday night's deadline to sign draft picks. Nats president Stan Kasten says he's proud to have signed Strasburg even if he's not proud to have agreed to a record-setting deal. Like many others, Scott Boras believes the agreement was good for both sides. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:

  • Bryce Harper shouldn't come close to Strasburg's $15MM-plus if he signs next year.
  • The Rays offered first rounder LeVon Washington $1.1MM. It wasn't enough and Scott Boras was very disappointed not to reach a deal.
  • Heyman says there's no way the Cubs fire Lou Piniella after picking up his $4MM option for next year.
  • Jerry Manuel shouldn't have picked on Ryan Church, Heyman says.

Odds And Ends: Astros, Halladay, Phillies

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More links for Wednesday morning…

  • Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle says it's insincere for Astros owner Drayton McLane to act like his team's still in contention.
  • As Alex Speier notes, Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said on WEEI in Boston that it's too soon to tell whether Roy Halladay will hit the trade market again this winter. Once the team has a permanent president and a firm payroll, it will be easier to tell.
  • Phil Wood of MASN.com says Mike Rizzo has earned a shot at the permanent Nats GM job.
  • Scott Miller of CBS Sports wouldn't be surprised if Lou Piniella decided not to manage the Cubs next year. His contract, which runs through 2010, will surely be his last, Miller says.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that he doesn't expect to make a waiver trade, though the Phils have claimed players.
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