Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Rays Release Matt Bush

By Mike Axisa | October 5, 2012 at 6:01pm CDT

The Rays have released Matt Bush, reports Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). The former first overall pick is still incarcerated following a DUI charge in Spring Training. He was on both the 40-man roster and restricted list all season.

Bush, 26, pitched to a 4.83 ERA with 13.8 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 50 1/3 relief innings for Tampa Bay's Double-A affiliate in 2011. The Padres originally drafted him as a shortstop with the top pick in 2004, but a lack of production and off-the-field issues stunted his development.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Chipper, Indians, Haren

By Mike Axisa | October 5, 2012 at 12:04pm CDT

The Braves, Cardinals, Orioles, and Rangers will make baseball history later today, when they participate in the first ever Wild Card play-in games. The winner of the NL match-up moves on to face the Nationals while the AL winner will advance to play the Yankees. Here is the latest from around the baseball blogodome…

M.C. Antil wrote about a first impression made by Chipper Jones.
MLB Reports wrote about the Indians' decision between Terry Francona and Sandy Alomar Jr.
Wahoo's on First explains why the Indians should not fire GM Chris Antonetti.
Phillies Nation isn't sure that Ryne Sandberg is the answer for the Phillies.
85% Sports looks at what Dan Haren is worth on the open market.
Rays Colored Glasses wonders if James Shields has made his last start as a Ray.
Discipline of Uecker looks back at the career of Ben Sheets.
Kings of Kauffman thinks it's the perfect time to covert Joakim Soria into a starter.
MLB Injury News says Mike Adams' injury might have cost him a long-term contract.
Blue Jays Plus believes it's time for GM Alex Anthopoulos to get Toronto into the postseason.
Rising Apple wrote about some players the Mets may trade this offseason.
U.S.S. Mariner says it's time for the Mariners to raise payroll.
Climbing Tal's Hill goes back to review the Mark Melancon trade.
Seedlings to Stars wrote about the good and bad of Julio Teheran.

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Red Sox Notes: John Farrell, Bobby Valentine

By Mike Axisa | October 4, 2012 at 2:14pm CDT

The Red Sox dismissed manager Bobby Valentine earlier today, and GM Ben Cherington will presumably begin the search for his replacement right away. Here's the latest on the AL East cellar-dwellers…

Boston has targeted their former pitching coach and current Blue Jays manager John Farrell as Valentine's replacement, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. It would require compensation to lure him away from Toronto, however.
Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (on Twitter) confirms that the Sox will go after Farrell, but they also won't rule out former captain Jason Varitek for their managerial post.
In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote about Valentine's tenure in Boston and where things went wrong. It started in Spring Training with an incident involving Mike Aviles.
WEEI.com's Rob Bradford listed three key moments that contributed to Valentine's downfall with the Red Sox, including the Aviles incident.

Red Sox Fire Bobby Valentine

By Mike Axisa | October 4, 2012 at 11:51am CDT

Manager Bobby Valentine will not return to the Red Sox next season, the team announced (on Twitter). GM Ben Cherington will lead the search for his replacement.

“This year’s won-loss record reflects a season of agony,” said Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino in a release. “It begs for changes, some of which have already transpired. More will come. We are determined to fix that which is broken and return the Red Sox to the level of success we have experienced over the past decade."

Valentine led the Sox to a 69-93 record and a last place finish in his only season at the helm. His dismissal is not much of a surprise, especially in light of some of Cherington's recent comments. Valentine was under contract for next season at $2.5MM, which the team is still obligated to pay him.

Alderson Talks Free Agents, Wright, Dickey, Trades

By Mike Axisa | October 3, 2012 at 2:30pm CDT

The fourth-place Mets will wrap up their season against the Marlins this afternoon, a season that saw them sit in second place and 4.5 games out of first as late as July 7th. GM Sandy Alderson spoke to the media earlier today, saying he is "not prepared to blow up the team and start over again." Let's recap the full media session with some help from ESPN New York's Adam Rubin…

"I don't want to give the impression that we're going to be out in the free-agent market looking for significant additions," said the GM. "We have lots of payroll tied up in a handful of players. That's a situation that gradually has to resolve itself."
Alderson said he believes the team is headed in the right direction, but they are not yet in a position to spend lavishly or "pay for today with deferrals until tomorrow."
The Mets will make every effort to retain both David Wright and R.A. Dickey. The team holds affordable club options for both players, but they can become free agents after 2013.
Alderson would not rule out a contract extension that takes Wright to the end of his career, and he acknowledged that both sides have already had "informal conversations."
The team's goals are to first build through the farm system, retain core players, and add players from the outside on a "fairly judicious basis."
"I think it's possible, given what we have, that we'll be more active in the trade market," said Alderson. "But that's not a given, necessarily. I really do believe some of our players are on the verge of making bigger contributions." Alderson said they would be cautious with their starting pitching depth, however.
The team's payroll for 2012 ended up being about $100MM, and the $9MM in total buyouts owed to Jason Bay and Johan Santana will be considered part of the 2013 payroll. Both players can become free agents after next season.
Manager Terry Collins is under contract through next year and there have not yet been any talks about signing him to a contract extension.

Quick Hits: Angels, Padres, Francona, Indians, Red Sox

By Mike Axisa | September 29, 2012 at 9:39pm CDT

Right-hander Chris Young made his final start of the season this evening, throwing six innings of two-run ball against the Braves. ESPN New York's Adam Rubin notes (on Twitter) that the start cost the Mets $350K, as Young hit incentives for his 20th start ($200K) and 110th inning pitched ($150K). Here's the latest from around the league as Saturday turns into Sunday…

"Always difficult. Any market. Doesn't matter. Any year, any market … Whether we're going to be part of that, I can't tell you," said Angels GM Jerry Dipoto to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register when asked about acquiring rotation help. The team is considering declining their options for Dan Haren and Ervin Santana in an effort to sign Zack Greinke long-term.
MLB.com's Corey Brock speculates (on Twitter) that the Padres will use their available money this offseason on starting pitching. Fifteen different pitchers starting games for San Diego this year due to injuries.
Terry Pluto of The Cleveland Plain Dealer says the Indians should do whatever they can to bring Terry Francona on board as manager. Francona will interview for the position next week.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com believe that the Indians are in a no lose situation with two great managerial candidates. Interim manager Sandy Alomar Jr. will also get consideration for the job on the full-time basis.
The Red Sox are about to hire Eddie Bane as a special assignment scout, reports ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. Bane was the Angels' scouting director when they drafted Mike Trout and Jered Weaver, among others. Edes says the Sox are expected to make one more hire as well.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Edwin Jackson

By Mike Axisa | September 29, 2012 at 7:42pm CDT

When the Nationals signed Edwin Jackson to a one-year, $11MM contract a few days before the start of Spring Training, it was widely considered to be one of the best free agent deals of the offseason. They had just added a workhorse starter with a 3.96 ERA from 2009-2011 to a staff that already included Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, and Jordan Zimmermann. The pitching rich got richer.

Jackson, 29, is now scheduled to hit the free agent market for the second time in as many years. He dumped Scott Boras in favor of the Legacy Agency in July, perhaps an indication that he was unhappy with only getting a one-year contract. Jackson passed on a lucrative three-year offer from the Pirates to join a club that many believed was poised to break through and become a contender, a belief that proved to be true. But still, he didn't get a long-term deal.

This season has been similar to the last three for Jackson. He's pitched to a 4.13 ERA in 30 starts and 183 innings while keeping his walk rate down (2.8 BB/9), his ground ball rate up (47.2%), and enjoying a boost to his strikeout rate (8.0 K/9) after a full year in the NL. Jackson is limping to the finish though, as his ERA has jumped exactly half-a-run this month. He allowed nine runs (eight earned) in 1 1/3 innings last night, and has allowed at least four runs in four of his five September starts. His fastball velocity, which averaged 94-95 mph from 2007-2011, is suddenly more 92-94 these days.

One bad month usually isn't enough to sabotage a player's free agent stock, and Jackson will have the postseason to prove that September is just a poorly-timed slump. The free agent pitching market will be headlined by Zack Greinke, but Jackson leads a group of second-tier arms that will include Ryan Dempster, Hiroki Kuroda, Kyle Lohse, Shaun Marcum, and Anibal Sanchez. More than 3,500 MLBTR readers say the Nationals should make Jackson a qualifying offer (in the $13MM range) after the season, a move that frankly feels like a no-brainer. It'll entitle them to draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere, and in the worst case they get him back for another year.

Jackson is almost certainly going to seek the multi-year contract he was unable to land last offseason, and he should have no trouble finding suitors. Big market teams like the Red Sox, Tigers, Dodgers, and Yankees could turn to him to supplement their rotations while smaller payroll clubs like the Pirates, Royals, Blue Jays, Indians, and Orioles figure to show interest as well. Pitching is always in high demand, especially when you're talking about a just turned 29-year-old who is right smack in the prime of his career.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Millwood Unsure About Future Plans

By Mike Axisa | September 29, 2012 at 5:45pm CDT

Kevin Millwood just wrapped up his 16th season as a big leaguer, but at this point he is unsure if he wants to continue playing next year. The 37-year-old right-hander told MLB.com's Greg Johns that he'll go home for the winter and decide on his future after spending some time with his family.

"I'm going to go home and just relax and play with my kids and see what happens, see how I feel and see what pops into my head," said Millwood. "I don't have any definite plans right now on next year, but I'm sure at some point in the offseason it'll hit me on what I want to do … I started playing 10 days after I graduated from high school and this is what I've done for nearly 20 years. So all the sudden to not do it anymore would be a pretty big shock to the system."

Millwood admitted that he was more certain about his desire to continue playing at this time last year. He signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in January, then made the club out of Spring Training and pitched to a 4.25 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and a 44.7% ground ball rate in 28 starts and 161 innings. Millwood missed time with a groin strain in June while a sore shoulder ended his season about two weeks ago. Seattle still got a bargain considering his $1MM salary.

If he does decide to return next year, Millwood will likely have to settle for another low base salary minor league contract and again earn a rotation spot in Spring Training. He has played for four teams (Rangers, Orioles, Rockies, Mariners) in the last four years after lengthy stints with the Braves and in Texas earlier in his career.

Indians Will Interview Terry Francona Next Week

By Mike Axisa | September 29, 2012 at 12:03pm CDT

Terry Francona will interview for the Indians' managerial position either Wednesday or Thursday of next week, reports Nick Camino of WTAM 110 (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that Francona is "excited" for the opportunity (Twitter link).

The Indians dismissed manager Manny Acta a few days ago and Sandy Alomar Jr. is serving as his interim replacement. Francona has strong relationships with GM Chris Antonetti and team president Mark Shapiro following his 2001 stint with Cleveland as a special assistant to the GM. Rosenthal hears those relationships are an "overriding factor."

In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says he doesn't believe Francona will end up managing the Tribe. His work with the Red Sox put him in an "elite salary class," perhaps upwards of $3MM annually, which may be too pricey for the Indians. Francona could also seek a job with a team closer to contention, though yesterday MLB.com's Peter Gammons said a comfortable environment could be more important at this stage of his career.

AL East Links: Hardy, Farrell, Blue Jays, Red Sox

By Mike Axisa | September 29, 2012 at 10:26am CDT

The AL East is one of two divisions with a pair of 90-win teams (NL East is the other), but the Rays can make it three 90-win teams if they win four of their final five games. Here's the latest from Tampa Bay's division…

"I always said I signed that deal because I saw that there was potential with this team and organization," said Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy to Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com when asked about the three-year contract extension he signed last summer. "To be honest, I didn't think it was going to happen this quick. I saw a process that was headed in the right direction."
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports explains why the Blue Jays should trade manager John Farrell to the Red Sox for a Major League player this offseason. Boston is known to have managerial interest in their former pitching coach.
Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star lays out a five-step plan to help the Blue Jays improve going into next year. Unsurprisingly, one of the first steps is to secure a better starting rotation.
The Red Sox are on the verge of landing a protected first round draft pick, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. The bottom nine teams will have their first rounder protected from free agent compensation this offseason.

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