The game is getting younger, but we saw plenty of older players make a difference in 2015, as Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes.  The list of impact vets starts off with Red Sox slugger David Ortiz who posted a .273/.360/.553 slash line with 37 homers, earning Cafardo’s “Old Guy of the Year” award.  Twins outfielder Torii Hunter was another older player who made his mark this year, though he may have had a stronger impact on his team off the field rather than on it.  That type of veteran leadership can be valuable for a younger team, Cafardo argues, and he hears from people within the Astros that they’ll be seeking a “older, Raul Ibanez type” in the winter.
Here’s more from today’s column..
- Despite some speculation to the contrary, former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington says that he has not interviewed for the Phillies’ GM role.  Cafardo writes that he seems “content to sit out the year and regroup.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recently noted that Cherington isn’t likely to try to get a GM job this offseason, but the Phillies job could be appealing to him, since he and Phillies owner John Middleton both went to Amherst.  If Cherington does take a GM job, he’ll want it to be with people that he trusts.
- Cafardo hears that the Indians will continue to try and move a starting pitcher for a hitter this offseason.  Cleveland seemed more willing to move Danny Salazar than Carlos Carrasco later in the season, Cafardo says, and The Boston Globe scribe identifies the 25-year-old as a potential trade chip.
- One major league source tells Cafardo that Cardinals pitcher John Lackey could be a fit for the Cubs next season as a free agent.  After all, Theo Epstein signed Lackey as a free agent in Boston and the veteran hurler is close with Jon Lester.  Lackey, who turns 37 in a few weeks, pitched to a 2.77 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 33 regular season starts.
- Cafardo cautions us not to expect Xander Bogaerts and the Red Sox to work out an extension this winter. Â Agent Scott Boras isn’t one to do team-friendly deals and Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski tends to wait later in the arbitration process to discuss new deals.
- D’Backs Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa offered up a strong endorsement of ex-Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, who is looking to repackage himself as a manager. “Ruben is a very smart baseball man,” La Russa said. “There’s no doubt in my mind he could be a very good major league manager. He’s an ex-player who understands the game.”
- Tim Naehring, one of the Yankees’ top pro scouts, is a possibility to replace Billy Eppler as assistant GM in New York. Â Brian Cashman adviser Jim Hendry and former big league outfielder Kevin Reese are other potential candidates for the role.
I guess thats one way to stay in the game. Amaro is a very, very smart baseball man, hes just absolutely terrible at the business side of the game.
He always knew how to make a team better in terms of adding pieces, it was just keeping them too long and giving out crazy extensions/contracts that killed him.
Amaro’s greatest strength was acquiring the best available players at the trade deadline and signing the top free agents in the off-season. That’s nothing special. Even my 9 yr-old nephew could think of that.
We’re talking about a GM in baseball that doesn’t know the difference between an AB and a PA. He even emphatically once said: “I don’t care about walks, I care about production”, as if he still believes that walks are useless.
I wouldn’t regard RAJ as a smart baseball man at all.
Caffardo of all people should know that while Epstein “signed” Lackey, that deal was 100% Lucchino.
Nick Cafardo is nothing more than a parrot, who is also a fan of the Boston Red Sox. He only has two skills: (1) repeat information that was told to him. (2) Put a positive spin on Red Sox related news.
Is a Bogaerts extension even really financially realistic if Boston signs an ace?
Signing an ace isn’t really financially realistic either unless Henry wants to above the luxury tax.
Unless they can package either Panda or Ramirez with some young talent and get them off the books. Not out of the question.
They are at 155MM according to BBRef. What figures are you looking at that make you believe they can’t sign an ace?
Signing an ace will cost 25-30 million in AAV, which would take them above the luxury tax.
Yes. Pretty much everything is financially realistic in Boston. And since you’d be buying out arbitration years you’re looking at 10-15 million for the first two or three years of the deal before it would get into the 20 million + territory. But there’s no real reason to do an extension now.
The job candidate being from the hiring manager’s college may be influential when filling an intern position, but I think implying it as a reason for an owner to hire a GM is grasping at straws. I can’t believe anyone successful enough to be able to own a MLB franchise decides he can “trust” somebody just because they are alumni of the same university. Maybe if they went at the same time, shared a few classes, and actually knew each other thru school, that might then hold some weight. Otherwise, please don’t make up the rumor or spread an unsubstantiated one. That’s just lazy journalism.
It’s not entirely grasping at straws with a college like Amherst, which is small and has a strong alumni network.
Danny Salazar for David peralta or Ender inciarte.?
Can Lackey be offered qualifying offer? Since he make $500k I wonder if he would take it?
Yes. And if he can repeat this season, then the Cardinals should most-definitely extend it to him. Worst case scenario, if the Cardinals are doing poorly at the trade deadline (which I admit is pretty rare), then they could always deal him at that time.