Odds & Ends: Griffey, Harden, Guzman
Let's have a look at a few evening links….
- John McGrath of the Tacoma News Tribune notes that the uncertainty regarding Ken Griffey Jr.'s future with the Mariners could make for an uncomfortable PR situation, given Griffey's popularity in Seattle. We've already heard that Griffey would be open to returning and that the Mariners would not reject the idea. McGrath rightly points out though that it would be a mistake to bring the 39-year-old back as the same middle-of-the-order DH he was this year, since he has hit just .214/.323/.395. If the Mariners do retain Griffey, McGrath says it has to be a pinch hitter and part-time player.
- After earlier reports that the Cubs might not be interested in retaining Rich Harden, we get a follow-up from Keith Law at ESPN.com wondering what type of deal Harden might get. Law compares Harden to Brad Penny, suggesting that, like Penny, the Cubs righty may not be able to secure a multi-year deal because of health concerns.
- Bill Ladson of MLB.com blogs that Cristian Guzman is still unsure about playing second base for the Nationals in 2010. GM Mike Rizzo and interim manager Jim Riggleman requested the move, feeling that Guzman "no longer has the range to play shortstop."
- The White Sox should consider keeping Jermaine Dye, according to Matt Meyers of ESPN.com. Although he acknowledges that the outfielder's declining slugging percentage and subpar fielding make for a scary combination, Meyers contends that Dye is a better fit in Chicago than anywhere else, since he could replace the departed Jim Thome as the team's full-time DH. Dye would like to return and Ozzie wants him back too, but the Sox aren't about to pick up the $12MM option just because it's the best fit for Dye.
- Corey Brock at MLB.com talks to San Diego Padres' GM Kevin Towers about the focus on speed for the Padres. Towers believes there is such a thing as a "PETCO Park player," and that athleticism is a crucial characteristic for playing in the spacious ballpark. Given this approach, it'll be interesting to see who the Padres might target from this offseason's free agent pool.
- Baseball America's Ben Badler tweets that the Pittsburgh Pirates' win this afternoon once again clinched the No. 1 pick for the Washington Nationals in next June's draft. The Pirates and Baltimore Orioles are still in the mix for No. 2.
Odds & Ends: Byrd, Livan, Marlins
A couple of links to help you start off your Saturday night…
- Rangers' manager Ron Washington wants to see the team bring back Marlon Byrd next year, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Bryd has said he wants to return to the team next year, but Sullivan says it's uncertain if Texas will be able to re-sign him, presumably because of their uncertain financial situation.
- According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, Livan Hernandez "believes he has six years left in his baseball career and wants those years to be with the Nationals." Livan's been a below league average pitcher for four years now, but if he can stick around for another six years, more power to him.
- Marlins' closer Leo Nunez figures to stick around next year, even though he'll earn a hefty raise in arbitration says Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald. The bigger question might be what to do with ex-closer Matt Lindstrom, who will also be arbitration eligible for the first time. Lindstrom has a 5.79 ERA and has battled injuries this season.
Odds & Ends: Nationals, Ankiel, V-Mart
Another round of links as we head into the evening…
- Nationals team president Stan Kasten told Bill Ladson of MLB.com Saturday that he feels his organization is headed in the right direction. "I'm not happy about the season," said Kasten, "and it signifies a horrible year on the field, but it has not been a horrible year in terms of progress toward our goal." The Nats are hoping to find a veteran arm on the free agent market this winter.
- Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post Dispatch believes super agent Scott Boras will be able to convince a GM to "wildly overpay" Rick Ankiel in a new contract this winter. Boras is apparently trying to spin the outfielder as "a combination of Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio,[and] Duke Snider."
- SI.com's Jon Heyman calls the Red Sox's acquisition of Victor Martinez "the best move any AL team made this summer." V-Mart is batting .335/.403/.505 since arriving in Boston and has 102 RBI on the year.
Mike Rizzo Chats With Fans
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo chatted with fans at MLB.com today. Let's take a look.
- When asked about bringing in an impact player this winter, Rizzo replied, "The Lerner family has given us ample resources to improve the club in any way we see fit." So far we've heard about the Nats' plans to upgrade at shortstop, catcher, the rotation, and the bullpen.
- When asked if he'd try to extend Adam Dunn's contract, Rizzo praised Dunn and called him a cornerstone, but did not answer the question directly. Dunn is signed through 2010.
- Stephen Strasburg will have to earn a rotation spot with the big club.
Odds & Ends: Braves, Astros, Valentine, Baez
Some links for the morning…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports is glad that Bobby Cox's tenure as Braves manager will end with a sense of finality. The Braves announced yesterday that Cox will manage for one last year in 2010.
- MLB.com's Alyson Footer lists some of the managerial candidates the Astros could consider, including Jeff Bagwell, Jim Fregosi, and Bobby Valentine.
- Could Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan be a candidate? Duncan told Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle that he's focused on the Cardinals now, but he didn't completely rule out the job.
- Yesterday Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News reported that Valentine was nearing a deal to join ESPN as an analyst. If the deal goes through, Yahoo's Gordon Edes expects Valentine to have an escape clause that would enable the former MLB skipper to take a managerial job if he so chooses.
- Danys Baez tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he'd like to sign with an East Coast team after the sason. The reliever doesn't rule out the Orioles, but a reunion seems unlikely.
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post asks Nationals fans how many games their club will win next year. More than half of Post readers expect the Nats to win between 71-80 games.
Odds & Ends: Aramis, Marte, Lowe
Links for Wednesday…
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune talked to Aramis Ramirez about his $14.6MM player option for 2011, and the Cubs' third baseman was noncommittal. Other third basemen who may become free agents after the 2010 season include Garrett Atkins, Jorge Cantu, Mike Lowell, Jhonny Peralta, and Scott Rolen.
- Former top prospect Andy Marte spoke with Indians GM Mark Shapiro about the future, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Shapiro told Marte to play first and third base in winter ball and show up early to Spring Training. It was a tough year for Marte, who turns 26 in November. He was designated for assignment to make room for Juan Salas in February, cleared waivers, raked at Triple A, and then struggled in the bigs.
- Braves GM Frank Wren told MLB.com's Mark Bowman that Derek Lowe "pitched really well for us." Aside from his home run rate, Lowe's numbers declined across the board this year.
- The Nationals will improve their minor league catching depth for next year, GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Miguel Angel Sano is on the backburner for the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASN learned from team president Andy MacPhail. MLB's inconclusive age investigation is the problem.
- David Waldstein of the New York Times says Ramon Pena, a special assistant to Mets GM Omar Minaya, will not be back next year. Waldstein says a scouting/player development shakeup is in order. Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News has info on possible changes aside from Pena.
- White Sox closer Bobby Jenks is out for the season with a calf injury. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders about the righty's future, given a possible $7MM arbitration reward for the 2010 season.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News notes the impending raise for Giants closer Brian Wilson, who enters his first arbitration year. Jenks' $5.6MM salary this year will serve as a comparable, so the Giants will add around $5MM to the payroll compared to Wilson's $480K this year.
- Braves manager Bobby Cox was not happy with the way GM Frank Wren handled the John Smoltz situation last winter, according to Yahoo's Gordon Edes.
Cafardo’s Latest: Felix Hernandez, Red Sox
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has his Sunday column up. Let's have a look.
- Cafardo expects the Red Sox to make another push for Felix Hernandez in the offseason. Hernandez's price tag could prove too high for Seattle to retain him; however, they are open to extending him. Before the deadline, the Red Sox reportedly offered a 5-for-1 deal for the ace that Seattle turned down.
- The Indians have yet to see dividends pay for the players they received for Cliff Lee. Cafardo writes, "Righty Carlos Carrasco is 0-2 with a 9.64 ERA (six homers in 14 innings); catcher Lou Marson is hitting .154; shortstop Jason Donald went on the disabled list in Triple A; and righty Jason Knapp underwent surgery to remove fragments from his shoulder."
- Cafardo wonders if the Nats would've dealt Cristian Guzman had they known Ian Desmond would emerge as their shortstop of the future.
- Chiming in on the Jason Bay or Matt Holliday discussion, Cafardo quotes scouts who seem to have him leaning toward Holliday as the better option, particularly for Boston.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Dodgers, DeRosa, Cubs, Managers, General Managers
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up, so let's dive right on in…
- Southpaws Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw are likely to start the first two games of the playoffs for the Dodgers, but Kershaw must recover from his dislocated non-throwing shoulder first. The back-to-back lefties would be a big advantage if LA played the lefthanded hitter heavy Phillies. Rosenthal also mentions that the Cardinals, despite being so righty heavy, have the second lowest team OPS (.675) against lefthanded pitchers in the National League.
- Hiroki Kuroda would likely start game three for the Dodgers, followed by either Vicente Padilla or Jon Garland. Chad Billinglsey will likely be left out of the rotation.
- The Cards have put their contract extension talks with Mark DeRosa on hold until the offseason, making it more likely that he'll become a free agent. The deal St. Louis originally proposed was less than the three-year, $17.5MM contract Casey Blake received as a free agent last offseason. DeRosa is a year younger now than Blake was then, but the offseason wrist surgery he is scheduled to have makes the situation cloudy.
- The Cubs will be open to "anything and everything" this offseason, including trading Milton Bradley and/or Carlos Zambrano. Anything to improve the club, basically. However, perhaps the only way the Cubs could unload Bradley would be to take on another underachieving, overpaid player in return.
- Zambrano has a full no-trade clause and is owed $54MM over the next three years, but he's still only 28-years-old and still incredibly talented. The free agent market for starting pitching is thin, which may work in Chicago's favor. Big Z might be appealing at the right price.
- Ken Macha will likely remain with the Brewers, but at least four other managers are in danger of being fired. The list starts with Cecil Cooper of the Astros, and also includes Jim Riggleman of the Nationals, Dave Trembley of the Orioles, and Eric Wedge of the Indians.
- Among general managers, Ned Colletti of the Dodgers, Brian Sabean of the Giants, and Dan O'Dowd of the Rockies are all without contracts for next year, and two of them are going to the postseason. The only GM that appears to be in jeopardy of losing his job is J.P. Ricciardi of the Blue Jays.
Odds & Ends: Crow, Kearns, Minor Leagues
A few links to start off your Friday night…
- Royals GM Dayton Moore said Aaron Crow will be a given a chance to win a spot with the big league team next spring, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.
- Bill Ladson of MLB.com writes that Austin Kearns' time with the Nationals is all but over. The outfielder is out with a thumb contusion, and GM Mike Rizzo said it's unlikely he'll return this year. There's zero chance the team will exercise his $10MM option for 2010, instead paying him a $1MM buyout.
- According to Baseball America's minor league transactions, the Indians cut ties with reliever Ken Ray. You may remember that Ray made a little noise with the Braves back in 2006.
Olney On Nationals, Hardy, Mets
ESPN.com's Buster Olney compares two of the game's best pitchers, Felix Hernandez and Zack Greinke, before providing us with some rumors:
- Olney hears the Nationals will consider former MLB manager Buck Showalter when they select the team's permanent field manager.
- J.J. Hardy will likely see lots of time at shortstop before the season ends. Olney guesses that the Brewers are trying to raise his trade value going into the offseason.
- One GM tells Olney that the Mets have a few elite players, some unmoveable ones and not much minor league depth. This means the team may have to spend heavily to compete.
- Here's Tim's take on the Mets and here's Jon Heyman's.