Gammons’ Latest: Iglesias, Magglio, Valentine
In his latest blog post at ESPN, Peter Gammons writes that the NL West has quietly become very competitive thanks to three California pitcher's parks that make it such a pitching dominated division. Through the help of scouts and team executives, he points out all the great young talent in the division, highlighted by the likes of Ubaldo Jimenez, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Pablo Sandoval, Troy Tulowitzki, and Mark Reynolds.
Here's a roundup of Gammons' rumors…
- Gammons jokes that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti "could be arrested for shoplifting," because in the last two seasons he's acquired Manny Ramirez, Casey Blake, George Sherrill, Jon Garland, Jim Thome, Doug Mientkiewicz, Ronnie Belliard, and Vicente Padilla while paying them approximately $2.7MM combined.
- The Red Sox will get their first look at Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias, who they signed for $8.5MM back in July, in the Arizona Fall League. Gammons spoke to an NL GM who said he would have given Iglesias $12MM if his team could afford it, because "Our scouts say he's the best defensive shortstop they've ever seen."
- If you're interested, you can see the full Arizona Fall League rosters here.
- Jim Leyland was never told anything about benching Magglio Ordonez so his $18MM option in 2010 wouldn't vest. "He's going to make it," Leyland says. "So anyone who said otherwise has egg on his face. Dave Dombrowski has never even mentioned the vesting option." Ordonez needs just 35 more plate appearances this season to lock in the option.
- Bobby Valentine's name was mentioned by Nationals' ownership during every interview they hosted while searching for a permanent GM, so he might be in the mix for their managerial job.
Discussion: Managers On The Hot Seat
Scott Miller of CBSSports.com writes that some managers around the league might be fearing for their jobs as their teams play out the string. Managers who "are thought by some to be" on the hot seat, with relevant quotes from Miller, include:
- Baltimore's Dave Trembley – "in imminent danger"
- Houston's Cecil Cooper – "appears a goner"
- Cleveland's Eric Wedge – his "future is very questionable"
- The Mets' Jerry Manuel – "forget it. He stays."
Miller also discusses the situation in Washington, D.C., where the Nationals must decide whether to retain interim manager Jim Riggleman.
Also of interest is Miller's mention of Bobby Valentine, who is about to leave Chiba Lotte in Japan after seven years. Miller says that Valentine is "the name to watch" on the managerial front.
Who better to sort all of this out than our readers? First of all, who deserves to be out of a job when the 2010 begins? What should the Nats do with Riggleman? Where might Valentine find a job? Who will keep their managing job unjustly? Let's get at it in the comments section.
Offseason Outlook: Washington Nationals
First up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Nationals. Their commitments for 2010:
C – Jesus Flores $412K
C – Wil Nieves – $445K+
1B – Adam Dunn – $12MM
2B – Alberto Gonzalez – $400K
SS – Cristian Guzman – $8MM
3B – Ryan Zimmerman – $6.25MM
IF/OF – Willie Harris – $1.5MM
IF – Pete Orr – $600K+
LF – Josh Willingham – $2.95MM+
CF – Nyjer Morgan – $412K
RF – Elijah Dukes – $412K
OF – Justin Maxwell – $400K
OF –
SP – John Lannan – $424K
SP – Scott Olsen – $2.8MM+
SP – Craig Stammen – $400K
SP – Garrett Mock – $400K
SP – J.D. Martin – $400K
Other rotation candidates: Shairon Martis, Ross Detwiler, Collin Balester
RP – Mike MacDougal – $2.65MM+
RP – Saul Rivera – $475K+
RP – Jason Bergmann – $439K+
RP – Sean Burnett – $409K+
RP – Tyler Clippard – $400K
RP –
RP -
Other commitments: Austin Kearns – $1MM buyout, Stephen Strasburg – $400K plus portion of signing bonus
Non-tender candidates: Olsen
The Nationals entered 2009 with a $60MM payroll. Their 2010 commitments come to about $44MM plus arbitration raises to Willingham, MacDougal, and others. The Nats should have some cash to work with.
Now that Mike Rizzo is officially the team's GM, he can formulate a long-term plan for the organization. The Nats seem to be going for the "rebuilding but respectable" route, given the signing of Dunn, acquisition of Willingham, and other attempted moves. The Royals signed Jose Guillen and Gil Meche in recent years under that type of plan. The Pirates, on the other hand, have avoided spending big free agent bucks.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson learned that the Nats intend to add a veteran presence to their inexperienced pitching staff this winter. Low-cost options abound in the free agent market, and I like the idea. A call to Tom Glavine could make sense.
The Nationals seem to have a long road ahead. They're building around a core of Zimmerman and Strasburg; who else will star on the next good Washington club? Promising righty Jordan Zimmermann went down with Tommy John surgery. Morgan, Dukes, and Lannan might be productive players for a while. But the farm system remains unimpressive, so the Nationals will be bad for the next several years unless they decide to double the payroll.
That leads me to ask: should the Nationals trade Ryan Zimmerman? While he is the face of the franchise, his value is currently very high and he is signed through 2013. Trading him could cause that farm system ranking to improve in a hurry. To a lesser extent, Dunn, Willingham, and Lannan could bring in younger talent.
Nationals Acquire Victor Garate To Complete Belliard Trade
The Nationals acquired Double A lefty reliever Victor Garate to complete the August 30th Ronnie Belliard trade, according to Pete McElroy of MASN. The Nats already received A-ball pitcher Luis Garcia in the deal.
Garate, 25 later this month, came to the Dodgers in '07 from the Astros via the Rule 5 draft. Baseball America wrote in this year's Handbook that he "projects as a poor man's Brian Fuentes." Garate must be thrilled with the trade, as he'll move quickly up the ladder in the Nationals' bullpen.
Odds & Ends: Diamond, Penny, Pelekoudas
Links for Tuesday…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- The Rangers designated pitcher Thomas Diamond for assignment, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Diamond was the 10th overall pick in the 2004 draft. He was considered the #52 prospect in the game by Baseball America in '05, but he had Tommy John surgery in '07 and dealt with shoulder soreness this year.
- ESPN's Buster Olney says the Angels were in on Brad Penny, with a bullpen role in mind.
- Stephen Strasburg has a few things to learn about dealing with media attention, says John Feinstein of the Washington Post.
- Mariners Associate GM Lee Pelekoudas has resigned to pursue other career opportunities, according to a team press release. Pelekoudas was the Ms' interim GM before Jack Zduriencik was hired. He spent 30 years in the organization.
- USA Today's Paul White writes about the stigma of a college degree for ballplayers.
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star suggests newly-extended GM Dayton Moore, and not the Glass family, is accountable for the Royals' future performance.
- Reliever Luis Ayala, recently designated for assignment by the Marlins after pitching badly, was upset by the team's "lack of respect" (Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reporting). Ayala earned $1.3MM for his 5.63 ERA this year in 40 innings.
Heyman On Penny, Atkins, Dye, Nationals
Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Giants appear to have a good chance of signing Brad Penny if he clears waivers today. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:
- The Rockies could non-tender Garrett Atkins after the season. He'd be in line for at least $7MM and the team may decide to spend that money elsewhere.
- The White Sox are expected to want to pick up Jermaine Dye's $12MM mutual option for 2010, but Dye could turn it down and try the free agent market instead. Given the relatively small contracts Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu signed after last season and the competition Dye would face on the market, there's no guarantee Dye would make more than $12MM. Matt Holliday, Jason Bay and Johnny Damon will all hit free agency after the season.
- The Nationals are expected to replace Jim Riggleman with a new field manager next year.
Dodgers Acquire Ronnie Belliard
Chico Harlan of The Washington Post reports that the Nationals traded infielder Ronnie Belliard to the Dodgers following today's game. Washington will receive A-ball pitcher Luis Garcia and a player to be named in the deal.
Belliard, 34, was hitting .247-.297-.376 in 203 plate appearances for the Nats this year, spending time at first, second and third base. He is in the final year of the two year, $3.5M extension he signed during the 2007 season. Garcia, 22, has a 2.92 ERA in 34 appearances (15 starts) in the Low-A Midwest League this season, and was not considered one the Dodgers' top 30 prospects by Baseball America this spring.
Perrotto’s Latest: Twins, Damon, Franklin, Penny, Dye
John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus brings us his latest from around the leagues:
- When they come off the DL, Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins will be used in relief. So, the Twins are hoping to add a starter who can pitch in the playoffs. This means they have until tomorrow at midnight to do so.
- The Yankees would like to re-sign Johnny Damon to a one year deal and give Austin Jackson a second year to develop at Triple-A, while pursuing Matt Holliday and Jason Bay in the offseason.
- The Marlins and Giants are frontrunners to land Brad Penny.
- The Cardinals expect to exercise Ryan Franklin‘s $2.75MM club option and then sign an extension with their closer for 2011.
- The Royals want to extend G.M. Dayton Moore who is signed through 2010.
- Perrotto says the Cubs are likely to deal Milton Bradley this winter, even if it means eating a large portion of the $21MM owed to him through 2011.
- Jermaine Dye will more than likely not see his $12MM option exercised by the White Sox after a dip in production in tandem with the salary demands of Alex Rios and Jake Peavy.
- For the postseason, the Dodgers are seeking “a left-handed bat with power” for their bench.
- The Nats are auditioning Livan Hernandez as a veteran innings eater for 2010.
- The Diamondbacks may non-tender Conor Jackson.
- Brewers manager Ken Macha said G.M. Doug Melvin “scoured the area for pitching” before the deadline but was unable to add a starter because he refused to trade Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar.
- After making seven trades this year, the Pirates are the youngest team in the MLB.
Hernandez Hopes To Stay In Washington
The Nationals just signed Livan Hernandez and now that he's back in Washington, he wants to stay. Hernandez tells Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that he would consider returning to the Nats when he becomes a free agent after the season.
"That's what I want. I'd love to be here next year," Hernandez said. "It's something I've been waiting for, coming to D.C., the last three years."
The Nats are searching for veteran arms to prepare themselves for next year. Hernandez could be a fit, but he has struggled since 2005, when he says he pitched through constant pain to compete. Through 2005, Hernandez had a 4.11 ERA and was striking out 6.1 batters per nine innings. Since then, his strikeout rate has fallen, his homer rate has risen and he has pitched to an ERA of 5.26.
Nats In Search Of Veteran Arm
According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, the Nationals plan to pursue a veteran starter this offseason and hope to sign the hurler to a long-term contract.
Nats general manager Mike Rizzo, manager Jim Riggleman and team president Stan Kasten shared interest in John Smoltz and Vicente Padilla this month before the veterans were scooped up by the Cardinals and Dodgers, respectively. "That's the type of guy we are identifying now," said Riggleman, "people like that over the winter."
The Nats signed 34-year-old right-hander Livan Hernandez on Tuesday night, but may have their sights set higher. Erik Bedard, John Lackey and Rich Harden are among the big-ticket arms that will be available this winter. Of course, those guys will be looking for major contracts, both in money and length, and will have their choice of several interested clubs. A pitcher like Doug Davis or Randy Wolf might present a more realistic fit.