FanHouse

Footprints in the Snow: Dodgers

Ed Price — 2009-11-21T07:00:00 00:00

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

The Dodgers went to the National League Championship Series for the second year in a row, and lost again.

So they now realize -- or at least should -- that they need to retool some to take the next step. And as if that already didn't make this a critical offseason, owner Frank McCourt is divorcing his wife Jamie, leaving everyone to wonder who will control the team and whether it will affect their spending, as happened down the road in San Diego.

The Dodgers did some fixing on the fly over the summer, with Vicente Padilla, Jon Garland and Ronnie Belliard. But all three of those players are now free agents, so the holes are back to be patched.

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Scioscia: Baseball Will Consider Condensing Playoff Schedule

Ed Price — 2009-11-18T16:22:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Angels, MLB Playoffs

During the postseason, Angels manager Mike Scioscia spoke out publicly about the nature of the playoff schedule. And on Wednesday, Scioscia said he expressed the same concerns to commissioner Bud Selig.

"I'm very hopeful and confident that they're going to tighten up that schedule a little bit," Scioscia said on a conference call after being named AL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. "I think there's things that the commissioner is going to take to heart and look at."

Selig was initially not available for comment on the matter, but has since said he will try to tighten up the postseason schedule.

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AL Manager of the Year: Los Angeles Angels' Mike Scioscia

Ed Price — 2009-11-18T14:01:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Angels, MLB Awards

As much for keeping the Angels together through the death of pitcher Nick Adenhart and a rash of early-season pitching injuries as for winning the AL West, Mike Scioscia was named American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Wednesday.

Scioscia earned 15 of 28 first-place votes. Runner-up Ron Gardenhire of the Twins got six first-place votes. Joe Girardi of the Yankees, Don Wakamatsu of the Mariners and Ron Washington of the Rangers all got at least one first-place vote, and no manager was named on all 28 ballots (first, second or third place).

This is Scioscia's second Manager of the Year award. He also won in 2002 as the Angels won the World Series.

This year was different. The Angels lost starters John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Ervin Santana in spring training, and then on April 9, Adenhart was killed in a car crash.

More Coverage: Tracy Honored in NL

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AL Cy Young Award: Kansas City Royals' Zack Greinke

Ed Price — 2009-11-17T14:01:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Royals, MLB Awards

With his American League-best 2.16 ERA, Royals right-hander Zack Greinke became the first starter to win the AL Cy Young Award with fewer than 18 wins.

In results announced Tuesday, Greinke received 25 of 28 first-place votes. Mariners ace Felix Hernandez got two first-place votes and finished second in the balloting, and Detroit's Justin Verlander received one first-place vote and finished third, one point ahead of Yankees lefty CC Sabathia.

Greinke was 16-8, and his relatively low win total was due to a poor Kansas City offense. The Royals averaged 3.8 runs scored in his starts, tied for the worst run support in the AL. Greinke had six starts in which he allowed fewer than two runs but did not get a win.

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NL Rookie of the Year: Florida Marlins' Chris Coghlan

Ed Price — 2009-11-16T14:01:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Marlins, MLB Awards

The National League featured a strong class of rookies in 2009, and although Florida left fielder Chris Coghlan didn't get called up until May 8, he impressed enough to win the Rookie of the Year award from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Coghlan wasn't named on seven of the 32 ballots (which included three players each) but had 17 first-place votes to 10 for Philadelphia left-hander J.A. Happ.

Atlanta right-hander Tommy Hanson was third in the voting, with Pittsburgh center fielder Andrew McCutchen fourth.

Upon his promotion to the majors, Coghlan was inserted as the Marlins' left fielder, and three weeks later he became the team's leadoff man -- two roles he had never been asked to do. But it never stopped him from hitting, and Florida went 67-54 in his starts.

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Footprints in the Snow: Rays

Ed Price — 2009-11-16T08:00:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Rays, AL East

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

The Rays could not build upon their surprising 2008 AL East title and run to the World Series last year, falling from 97 wins to 84. The lineup was at least as good as the year before, but both the rotation and bullpen suffered a steep dropoff.

The offensive core is still young and in its prime and should continue to produce. And 2009 might have been the usual fall-back season that teams experience after a large jump forward.

Still, making the playoffs in the AL East means beating out the Yankees or Red Sox (or both). With Tampa Bay's payroll, that leaves little margin for error.

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List of Players Eligible for Arbitration

Ed Price — 2009-11-13T10:03:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: MLB Biz

Following is the list of players eligible for arbitration on their 2010 salary.

Teams must "tender" a contract to such players by Dec. 12. Clubs can opt to "non-tender" a player if they do not think the player will be worth what he could earn in arbitration.

Players eligible for arbitration can file for it Jan. 5-15, and the sides then submit figures on Jan. 19. Hearings are held Feb. 1-21.

The full list after the jump. Service time (Years.Days) is in parentheses.

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Money Worries Could Force Reds to Move All-Star Phillips, Others

Ed Price — 2009-11-10T21:48:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Angels, Blue Jays, Giants, Nationals, Red Sox, Reds, Tigers, Yankees, MLB Inside Scoop

Editor's Note: FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher contributed to this report

CHICAGO -- The Reds' need to slash payroll, according to a major league source, could lead them to explore trading second baseman Brandon Phillips as well as right-handers Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang.

Cincinnati's 2009 payroll was about $71 million. General manager Walt Jocketty said during a break Tuesday at the GM Meetings that he "might" have to move some high-salaried players to meet the 2010 goal.

"We're going to probably have less to spend this year than we have in the past," Jocketty told FanHouse. "It just depends on how [ticket] sales go this offseason."

Boras: Holliday Can Play in Either League

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Herzog, Martin, Mauch, Miller on Hall of Fame Veterans' Ballots

Ed Price — 2009-11-10T15:28:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: MLB Hall of Fame

Whitey Herzog, Davey Johnson, Tom Kelly, Billy Martin, Gene Mauch, Marvin Miller and Gene Autry are among 20 men on the Veterans' Committee Hall of Fame ballot announced Tuesday.

The votes will be taken Dec. 6 with results announced Dec. 7.

Eight managers and two umpires will be considered by the 16-member Veterans Committee for Managers and Umpires. An separate ballot with 10 executives and pioneers will be considered by the 12-member Veterans Committee for Executives and Pioneers.

Candidates need 75 percent of the votes of their respective committee to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Committee members can vote for up to four candidates.

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Yankees Not Close to Making Moves, Including With Matsui

Ed Price — 2009-11-09T16:36:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Yankees, MLB Transactions, MLB Inside Scoop

CHICAGO -- The confetti from their championship parade not fully cleaned up, the Yankees are not yet prepared to address their offseason moves.

"I don't see anything happening here in Chicago," general manager Brian Cashman said Monday after checking in to the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport for baseball's GM Meetings. "I have the feeling we'll be a little bit more cautious than anxious."

And Cashman made it clear that just because Hideki Matsui was MVP of the World Series does not make it more important for the Yankees to keep him. In fact, the Yankees probably prefer not to have a player who can only DH, as seems to be the case with Matsui because of his knee problems.

FanHouse's World Series Coverage

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MLB Free-Agent Compensation 'Elias Rankings' Released

Ed Price — 2009-11-09T15:04:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: MLB Transactions

CHICAGO -- The annual Elias rankings are out, determining which free agents could result in draft-pick compensation for their former teams.

Free agents are classified as Type A, Type B or not at all. The compensation applies to free agents offered arbitration by their former club by the Dec. 1 deadline or to those who sign before then.

If a team signs a Type A free agent, its first-round pick goes to the former team -- unless that pick is in the top 15, in which case a second-round pick goes to the former team. The former team also gets an extra pick between the first and second rounds.

If a team loses a Type B free agent, it gets an extra "sandwich" pick.

The types are calculated based on statistics over the 2008-09 seasons.

After the jump, the lists of Type A and B free agents:

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School's Out for Winter: Here Are Lessons Learned From 2009 Postseason

Ed Price — 2009-11-05T20:19:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: MLB Playoffs

NEW YORK -- The Yankees had just begun celebrating their 27th World Series title, and first in nine years (that's 63 in Yankee-drought years), when general manager Brian Cashman was asked about people saying his team bought a title.

"You can call us anything you want," Cashman said. "You're also going to have to call us world champions."

But if the Yankees' latest championship teaches us anything, it's that a big payroll is just money unless it's combined with smarts.

Here's what we can conclude off the 2009 postseason:

Complete World Series Coverage

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Angels Re-Sign Abreu Through 2011 With 2012 Option

Ed Price — 2009-11-05T15:41:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Angels, MLB Transactions

After a few efforts over the second half of the season, the Angels were able to re-sign outfielder Bobby Abreu on Thursday, locking up the first of many potential free agents on thier roster.

According to a major league source, Abreu will get $9 million in 2010 and 2011. There is a $1 million buyout on a $9 million option for 2012, but Abreu can guarantee the third year with a certain number of plate appearances.

"We are excited to have Bobby and the presence he brings to our organization," said general manager Tony Reagins in a prepared statement. "He was an integral part of what we accomplished in 2009 and we look forward to his contributions both on and off the field."

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Trio With Uncertain Future Makes Yankees' Present Awfully Sweet

Ed Price — 2009-11-05T03:45:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Yankees, MLB Biz, MLB Playoffs, World Series

NEW YORK -- None of them were on the field Wednesday when Robinson Cano threw out Shane Victorino to clinch the Yankees' World Series championship.

And no one should be surprised if neither Hideki Matsui, Andy Pettitte nor Johnny Damon are on the field in Tampa, Fla., next February for Yankees' spring training.

But this championship would not have happened without them.

All three are potential free agents. And all three may wind up leaving the Yankees, for various reasons.

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Yankees Need More Hits, Fewer Excuses From Teixeira, Cano

Ed Price — 2009-11-03T19:30:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Phillies, Yankees, World Series

NEW YORK -- Hideki Matsui couldn't be a big part of the Yankees offense the past three World Series games because there was no DH for the games in Philadelphia.

As for Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira, what's their excuse?

Actually, Teixeira was glad to offer up an excuse.

"Unfortunately, during these playoffs, it's been tough to get into a rhythm," Teixeira (hitting .172 in the postseason) said Tuesday before the Yankees worked out. "When you're in a rhythm during the season, you're going to fail seven out of 10 times. When you're not in a rhythm, you're going to fail a lot more than that. And unfortunately for me, that's kind of been the case right now."

More Coverage: Playoff Pulse | Phillies Take Game 5 | Short Rest Issues?

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Selling Short: Will Pettitte Be Better Than Burnett on Three Days' Rest?

Ed Price — 2009-11-03T01:57:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Yankees, MLB Playoffs, World Series

PHILADELPHIA -- Ready and willing is one thing.

Able is another.

"Oh yeah," Andy Pettitte said with a definitive nod when FanHouse asked if he'd be able to pitch Game 6 of the World Series on short rest. "Whenever they tell me to pitch."

But how will it go?

CC Sabathia was fine on three days' rest in Game 4. A.J. Burnett -- less durable than Sabathia but younger than Pettitte -- was awful in Game 5.

FanHouse World Series Coverage: Mariotti | Fletcher
Game 5: Phillies 8, Yankees 6 | Box Score | Series Home

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'Idiot' Damon Uses Smarts to Put Yankees On Cusp of Title

Ed Price — 2009-11-02T01:56:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Yankees, MLB Playoffs, World Series

PHILADELPHIA -- If Johnny Damon isn't careful, people are going to find out that he's got some smarts.

"That's the only thing that keeps me going now," he jokingly told FanHouse early Monday after almost single-handedly creating the Yankees' winning run in Game 4 of the World Series.

With the score tied in the ninth inning, two out and nobody on, Damon battled Brad Lidge through a nine-pitch at-bat to single. He then stole second and third on the same pitch before scoring on Alex Rodriguez's double.

"He really won the game for us," Jorge Posada said.

FanHouse World Series Coverage: Graziano | Fletcher
Game 4: Yankees 7, Phillies 4 | Box Score | Series Home

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Fix on Fly Helps Pettitte Pad Postseason Record, Bury Phils in Game 3

Ed Price — 2009-11-01T02:06:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Yankees, MLB Playoffs, World Series

PHILADELPHIA -- Of Andy Pettitte's record 17 postseason wins, he may be proudest, in a way, of No. 17.

"I can't remember winning a game where I've struggled like I did tonight," Pettitte said after the Yankees won Game 3 of the World Series. "It's very gratifying to be able to go out there and just battle through it."

For two innings Saturday, Pettitte was awful. He could not hit catcher Jorge Posada's target. Pettitte needed 51 pitches to get through those first two innings, and he gave up three runs to the Phillies in a 31-pitch second, digging a big hole for the Yankees.

But because of the lefty's history, the Yankees were confident he could find his way. And pitching coach Dave Eiland spotted Pettitte's mechanical flaw.

FanHouse World Series Coverage: Fletcher | Mariotti
Game 3: Yankees 8, Phillies 5 | Box Score | Series Home

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Rivera for Final Two Outs Was Right Call

Ed Price — 2009-11-01T01:09:00 00:00

by Ed Price

Filed under: Yankees, MLB Playoffs, World Series

PHILADELPHIA -- Joe Girardi might not know the intricacies of the save rule, but he knew what he had to do.

Girardi's decision to use closer Mariano Rivera for the final two outs of the Yankees' defeat of the Phillies in Game 3 of the World Series created some debate.

Statistically-oriented obervers would cite "win expectancy" -- saying that it was a waste to use Rivera because the chance of winning was so great with one out, an 8-5 lead and no one on in the ninth.

But that ignores the magnitude of the situation.

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Yankees Closer to 3-Man Series Rotation

Ed Price — 2009-10-31T17:26:00 00:00

by Ed PricePHILADELPHIA -- Not only will CC Sabathia come back on short rest for Game 4 of the World Series, but the Yankees seem to be leaning toward using A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte on short rest as well.

That would give the Yankees a three-man rotation for the World Series, which no team has done (in a Series of more than four games) since 1992.

The Yankees confirmed, in no surprise, that Sabathia will start Sunday's Game 4. He also started on short rest in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.

And while manager Joe Girardi would say only he would "possibly" start Burnett in Game 5 and Pettitte in Game 6, he said Chad Gaudin -- the only other option -- would be "available to us in the bullpen" for Game 4.

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