Rumors for October, 2010
Oakland Athletics could go with Ron Romanick as pitching coach?
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The Oakland Athletics are in need of a new pitching coach now that Curt Young has left to pursue another opportunity within Major League Baseball. According to MLB.com’s Jane Lee, the team has four internal candidates that will be strongly considered before the team looks elsewhere.
Lee says the top candidate is 49-year-old bullpen coach Ron Romanick. When GM Billy Beane was asked about his candidacy he didn’t hesitate at all.
“Absolutely,”Beane said. “Not only will he be considered, but he should be. He’s the guy who has been with us for a number of years and has been influential in the development of these young pitchers as much as anybody. He’s a very active bullpen coach and has a lot of history with these guys in the Minor Leagues. There’s no question Ronnie will be a candidate.”
Other candidates within the organization include pitching coordinator Gil Patterson, Triple-A pitching coach Rick Rodriguez and Double-A pitching coach Scott Emerson.
As for Young, who recently turned down a two-year deal to stay with the A’s, he could be the Boston Red Sox’s next pitching coach, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.
Rockies optimistic about signing de la Rosa
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The Rockies left handed pitcher Jorge de la Rosa will become a free-agent this winter, and the Rockies are prepared to bid aggressively for him.
According to Troy E. Renck from The Denver Post, De La Rosa will be a Type-A free-agent, and that might help the Rockies in their pursuit of him, as any team who wishes to sign De La Rosa will have to surrender two draft picks.
De La Rosa is expected to ask for a four or five year contract, similar to the one signed by Ted Lilly with the Dodgers.
“When players get this close to free agency, unless they are completely overwhelmed with an offer, they really want to see what the market will bear. That’s part of the process,” Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd said. “We continue to have a strong desire to bring him back. The conversations have been great.”
If the Rockies fail to sign De La Rosa, they will attempt to land a veteran starter. Jake Westbrook and Javier Vazquez are two candidates that they could go after.
Where will Lance Berkman play in 2011?
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Lance Berkman will not return to the Yankees in 2011 if his current role (part time designated-hitter) doesn’t change. Berkman does have a $15mm team option but that will likely not be picked up as even the big market Yankees have some financial limit. When asked if he would return, Berkman responded, “No, I don’t think so. I don’t like platooning.” Berkman still believes he can play every day and said he’d want to find a suitor who would allow him to return to first base next season.
According to The Denver Post’s Troy E. Renck, Lance Berkman could be a target of the Colorado Rockies this winter. “That’s a place that I would definitely have interest in,” Berkman said about the possibility of playing in Colorado.
The Rockies considered acquiring Berkman from the Houston Astros before the July trade deadline, but he ended up being dealt to the New York Yankees to help solidify their DH spot.
Berkman also said that he hasn’t had any conversations with Astros owner and close friend Drayton McLane about returning to Houston next season. The Houston Chronicle’s Richard Justice thinks that Berkman should end his career in Houston. He says that he wants to see Berkman to have three or four more productive year so he could walk through Cooperstown doors as an Astro.
Boston Red Sox looking for new pitching coach
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Earlier today, the Boston Red Sox pitching coach, John Farrell, was officially named the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. With that said, the team is looking to fill the void in their coaching staff and advanced scout Mike Cather is almost certain to be a candidate, according to CSNNE.com’s Sean McAdam.
Cather served as the Red Sox’s pitching coach for their Double-A Portland team before he became the big league club’s advance scout.
Another candidate is likely to be Ralph Treuel, the team’s Minor League pitching coordinator, who briefly served as the Red Sox’s pitching coach in September 2001.
Should the Sox go for an external candidate, former Oakland A’s pitching coach Curt Young could be a viable candidate. However, he may choose to go with the Arizona Diamondbacks since he resides in the area during the off-season.
Ron Roenicke quiet about managerial opening in Milwaukee
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Los Angeles Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke declined to say whether he was among the four mystery finalists for the Milwaukee Brewers’ vacant managerial position, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Reports have indicated that Roenicke was among Brewers GM Doug Melvin’s first round of interviews, but Roenicke would not say if he spoke to the GM at all.
“I just don’t want to say either way,” Roenicke said.
Former Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners manager Bob Melvin and Chicago White Sox bench coach Joey Cora were among the candidates that were called back by Melvin for a second interview. Washington Nationals coach Pat Listach and Los Angeles Dodgers coach Tim Wallach are out.
Roenicke, 54, was promoted to bench coach in 2006. He has six seasons of managerial experience in the Minor Leagues.
Mets interview Josh Byrnes for the second time
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Josh Byrnes had his second-round interview today with the New York Mets according to ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin. Tomorrow will be Sandy Alderson’s turn, the apparent front runner for the GM position in the Mets organization.
Byrnes, met with principal owner Fred Wilpon, team president Saul Katz and chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon at Citi Field today for his interview.
“As scheduled, Fred, Saul and I, met with Josh Byrnes today,” Jeff Wilpon said. “Out of respect for the candidates and the ongoing process, we will have no further comment on the meeting.”
The Mets could announce their new GM as soon as Friday, although there’s no press conference scheduled for that day.
Alan Trammell will be named Diamondbacks bench coach
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MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert Tweets that Alan Trammell will be named bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro says that the Diamondback’s coaching staff is pretty much set with Don Baylor and Curt Young already aboard and Charles Nagy “likely”.
Trammell, 52, was previously the Detroit Tigers’ manager from 2003-2005. In 3 seasons he was 186-300 and finished no better than 4th place in both 2004 and 2005.
Manny Ramirez is open to joining the Toronto Blue Jays
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38-year-old Manny Ramirez is a free-agent after the World Series, and could be open to playing for the Toronto Blue Jays and newly hired manager John Farrell.
In an interview today with ESPNdeportes.com (as reported by Enrique Rojas), Ramirez praised the Blue Jay’s hiring of Farrell.
Loosely translated, Ramirez said: Toronto has made a tremendous acquisition. Farrel is a manager for which I would play. Toronto is a team that I liked since it had all of the great Dominicans in the eighties.
Ramirez played with Red Sox at the same time Farrell was their pitching coach. The pair won a World Series title in 2007.
The outfielder/designated hitter underwent hernia surgery two weeks ago on a hernia in his left groin. At the time, doctors told him to not participate in baseball-related activity for six weeks.
Mark McGwire will return as Cardinals hitting coach
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According to FOXSports’s Jon Paul Morosi, the St. Louis Cardinals have announced that Mark McGwire will return as hitting coach.
Last week, McGwire was undecided about his coaching future. At the time McGwire was “really torn” because of family concerns. He recently rejoined his wife Stephanie and family in California.
McGwire agreed to be the team’s hitting coach in October 2009, While the team’s batting average remained the same between 2009 and 2010 at .263, their rank among the 16 National League teams increased from 4th best to 2nd best.
Earlier today, the Cardinals agreed with pitching coach Dave Duncan on a two-year contract with a mutual option for 2013.
Dave Duncan agrees to two-year contract with Cardinals
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The St. Louis Cardinals and pitching coach Dave Duncan have agreed to a two-year contract with a mutual option for 2013, according to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss.
Recently the Cardinals and manager Tony La Russa agreed to a one-year deal. Duncan and La Russa have been working together with the Cards since 1996, participating in two World Series, winning one of them in 2006 against the Detroit Tigers in five games.
