Links for Tuesday, as we wonder if Dave Bush and Nate Robertson are making their last starts for their respective teams…
- Cubs manager Lou Piniella announced today that he'll retire after the season. Is Ryne Sandberg next in line?
- The Marlins are talking internally about extending second baseman Dan Uggla after the season, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains why a Roy Oswalt trade seems unlikely: his salary, his no-trade clause, and Ed Wade's demands.
- Before Brandon Inge's injury last night, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports was told the Tigers "have been more aggressive in looking for relievers than starters" (Twitter link). Here's a reminder on the trade markets for relievers and starters.
- Two of Morosi's big league sources forecast a 50% chance of the Braves acquiring an outfielder. As Morosi notes, the Braves have a strong inventory of pitching prospects.
- One more from Morosi: he says the Rays are "checking around for possible upgrades" at center field, right field, first base, or catcher (Twitter link). They've been loosely connected to Corey Hart and Jayson Werth this summer.
Would like to see Baldelli get back into playing shape and help the rays out if he can. probably as good as anyone available and the guy is a real gamer. Shame he didn’t want to come back and play for anyone else this year, would have liked for him to come back and help Boston as a fill in.
No way can the Brewers trade Dave Bush and still field a competitive rotation. Not to mention that would leave them with 4 lefties, (Davis, Wolf, Parra/Capuano, and Narveson) and 1 lone righty, (Gallardo). Gallardo and Bush have been the most consistent starters the Brewers have and trading Bush might have a lasting effect.
Why? They dont have a competitive rotation now and he is a FA at the year end. Whats the point of holding onto him? They will have just as good of a chance to sign him in FA as they would now (minus two weeks)
Because everything revolves around money. Do you think fans in Milwaukee will still go to games in August and September when the Brewers are getting shelled 4/5ths of the time? Trading Dave Bush for a mediocre minor leaguer is just not worth it IMHO.
You are making it sound like we are giving up Yo. Stop with the nonsense. Bush is a decent pitcher who has gone through some nice stretches in MKE. I really dont think that trading Dave Bush will matter a whole lot when it comes to attendence. People will show up if they already have tickets or if they just want to go to the ballpark. Clearly people are not showing up at the same rate as last year now, what diffrence does Dave Bush have on it? I would have thought we learned our lesson after not moving Cameron last year, but if you want to keep him thats fine by me.
Bush has been a good team player for the Brewers – bouncing in and out of the rotation and even into the minors for a bit. That said, his most enduring traits are that he’s been a Brewer player for a while, has a good attitude and has been mostly average. No huge blowups and a couple good runs through the years. He returned good value for Lyle Overbay.
Good trade for the Brewers, good guy, good luck with wherever you end up next.
“Cubs manager Lou Piniella announced today that he’ll retire after the season. Is Ryne Sandberg next in line?”My guess is Lou was informed he will not be back and they are letting him exit with dignity. On Sandberg, while a fan’s choice, I don’t know if the Cubs hire him or not. I do believe he will be managing somewhere next year or soon. I would like him to be the Cubs right hand man to the next manager/bench coach before he is given the keys, but I don’t think it plays out that way.
The Brewers could insert Villanueva as a 2nd right handed pitcher in the rotation. But I only see them dealing Bush if they get an enticing offer. They won’t trade him for a low level prospect in A ball.
Given their pitching situation, and Bush’s relative success this year, I think it’s at least 50-50 he re-signs with the Brewers for a relatively modest contract.
I understand I’m in the minority, but I don’t like the idea of Sandberg being the manager.Let’s take one of the teams former greats with no managerial experience in the majors,and give him an older team, loaded with crappy contracts….Sounds like a recipe for miserable failure….I’d like to take Bob Brenly out of the booth, and Let him see what he can get out of this bunch..
It’s like when Tramell managed the Tigers.
What’s with all of this crap of Sandberg not being ready to be a manager?
The guy is a HALL OF FAME baseball player, has one of the best baseball minds in the business, and has now spent 4 or so odd years in the minors in preparation for this.
I would love to know the benchmarks you people are setting for a major league manager.
Being a HOF baseball player means zero when managing. I can’t list any off the top of my head as HOF players that were above average managers. Has Sandberg paid his dues, yes. Has Sandberg had winning teams in the minors, yes. It’s a big gamble to give a rookie manager the Cub job with all the pressures…even a Cub legend like Ryno. I don’t see the harm in making Sandberg the bench coach. The problem is a new manager would want his own bench coach and might not want Sandberg. Or Sandberg might want manager, period. Anyway, I was thinking it’s a promotion, he’s back in the majors and can learn a few things next to a good manager with the pressure off him.
Sure, I want Sandberg to be the Cubs manager. I’m not saying different. If it is next year, I hope he is ready.
Then what do you quantify as being “ready”?
If Sandberg isn’t ready…….who is?
If you say Bob Brenly, I will give you that. I love Bob Brenly. Wouldn’t mind him being the manager at all. But to say Sandberg shouldn’t be made manager because of “pressure” really doesn’t cut it.
If anything, he will boost sales. Baseball is a business. I don’t think he will do a bad job. It’s not like the Cubs are going to have a Pittsburgh Pirates like team next year.
Like Lou, even if he is bad, his players will make up for it.
Reasons Sandberg isn’t ready? It could be that Ryne Sandberg is 13 games under .500 as a minor league manager despite the Cubs system having pretty good minor league talent. He doesn’t have a strong personality though he’s gone overboard trying to prove it by getting himself kicked out of games. He didn’t command respect as much respect as a person as he did as a player (remember the stories about Sandberg’s wife, Mike Bielecki, Damon Berryhill, etc.?). He was considered a “leader by example”, which is code for saying he didn’t lead at all, he just played baseball very well and had a good work ethic. Plus, he’s not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. You can’t just pick a manager because he was a fan favorite and a good ballplayer. I’m not sure “ready” is even the right word. I just don’t think he’ll make a good manager now or in the future.
Ryno would have tremendous pressure. Pressure was on Dusty and Lou from day one. What makes it different for Sandberg? He is a Cub legend and fans would expect instant success. I will give you the fact he knows pressure to win at Wrigley better than any other outside canidate. It’s different for him as a manager.
All I was trying to say that he could learn from an experienced manager by being his bench coach. As I stated before, it is a big gamble handing a managerial job to a rookie in a major market team, like the Cubs…even if his last name is Sandberg.
Pete Rose was a above average manager before the whole gambling thing. He had 4 second place finishes.
This is just being negative.
Dave Bush’s peripherals and luck suggest his ERA should be about a full run higher right now. Maybe good as a 5th starter for a contending team, but he’s not worth anything significant.
Could be wrong but I think in the end Oswalt gets dealt. This just seems more and more like posturing by the Astros to see just how desperate some teams are for pitching.
But the choice they face is pretty basic: either keep Oswalt and pay his salary while trying to rebuild, or, deal him and pay some of his salary (half maybe?) and get back a some good prospects they can build with. I’m sure there are at least a few contending teams willing to make that deal with them for whom he’d waive his no-trade clause.
The Cubs keeping Hendry? Ohhh…I was kinda looking forward to a new GM after this year.
I don’t understand it, either. Btw, both Hendry and Kenney are going to run the managerial search. God speed!