 1. Baylor would be good for Jays
2. George Sherrill unsure if he'd go to the minors
3. Will Astros go into full rebuilding mode by trading veterans or play out the string?
4. Trade talk? Hendry and Lilly meet
5. Trades, call-ups only just begun
6. Don't count on Pedro this season
7. Twins eyeing trade market
1. Baylor would be good for Jays
The Toronto Sun is reporting Cito Gaston's career as manager of the Blue Jays has 73 games remaining.
It's about time for the search for the 11th full-time Blue Jays manager to begin.
Having watched general manager Alex Anthopoulos operate, it probably began months ago.
We have a name.
We're not sure if it is THE name. But it's a good name:
Don Baylor.
Baylor, 61, managed nine years in the majors, six with the Colorado Rockies and 21/2 season with the Chicago Cubs, is the current Rockies hitting coach and said in Anaheim during the all-star festivities that he's looking forward to managing again.
"Cito asked me if I was interested when the Jays were in Denver last month," said Baylor, whose teams went 440-469 (.484.) "I said absolutely.
"For one minority manager to ask another minority if he's interested in managing ... that just doesn't happen."
While Gaston's final year has been compared to Atlanta Braves' manager Bobby Cox — both either having or not having lame-duck status, there is a big difference between Gaston and Cox.
When Cox leaves, he's going home to Marietta, Ga. He may want to hire Fredi Gonzalez, fired Florida Marlins manager, as the next Braves skipper, but GM Frank Wren will make the call. No doubt he'll want his own chosen man for the job.
Gaston, on the other hand, may be leaving the manager's office, but he has signed a four-year consulting agreement to begin in 2011.
While it won't be his call, he will have some input into the selection process.
As will Jays president Paul Beeston, and Anthopoulos.
Will Anthopoulos want his own chosen man for the job or will it be a group decision?
"I don't know Paul Beeston, but all I've heard is nothing but good things about him from Paul Molitor, when (Molitor) and I worked on the Players Association board of directors," Baylor said.
"Paul Molitor said he swore by Paul Beeston."
Baylor is looking for an opportunity for a serious interview for the job.
"As long as people are honest with you and it's not just a mandate from the commissioner's office," said Baylor, who first came to Toronto in 1977 with the Baltimore Orioles, Year 8 of his 19-year playing career, which includes a World Series ring with the Twins."
TO read more..
http://www.torontosun.com/sports/baseball/2010/07/15/14729471.html
2. George Sherrill unsure if he'd go to the minors
The Los Angeles Times is reporting Told by a Dodgers official the previous night that he was placed on outright waivers, George Sherrill said on Thursday that he is not sure if he would accept a minor league assignment if no team claims him.
A former All-Star closer, Sherrill has had a rough season, looking nothing like the setup man who posted an earned-run average of 0.65 in 30 appearances in his two months with the Dodgers last season. His ERA after Thursday's game is 7.08.
Because outright waivers are irrevocable, the Dodgers will lose Sherrill if he is claimed by another team. But that seems unlikely to happen, considering that a team that claims him would have to pay the remainder of his $4.5-million salary.
If Sherrill clears waivers, he would have the option of accepting a minor-league assignment, declining it or becoming a free agent.
Sherrill would forfeit the remainder of his salary if he opts for free agency.
The Dodgers would have to release him to get him off their active roster if he declines the assignment. They would remain on the hook for his salary.
Sherrill sounded hesitant about pitching in the minors, expressing fears about his chances of returning to the majors.
"If I go down and I do OK, then I'm just kind of stuck," he said. "If I go down and look like I've figured it out, I could still be stuck. If I go down and the club rattles off like eight in a row, [it could be] 'George who?' you know?"
Sherrill said he was first approached about the possibility of a minor-league assignment on Sunday. At the time, he told the Dodgers he would think about it."
TO read more..
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodgers-fyi-20100716,0,5330108.story
3. Will Astros go into full rebuilding mode by trading veterans or play out the string?
The Houston Chronicle is reporting "The ball may not have dropped to end 2010 and begin the new year, but given the way things have transpired so far this season the Astros might as well start thinking about 2011.
At 36-53, the Astros entered the All-Star break with one of the worst records in baseball. While their pitching has, for the most part, delivered, their offense, particularly the heart of the batting order, has failed the team.
For the Astros to salvage the season, say finish at .500, they would have to win 45 of their remaining 73 games.
That would entail posting a winning percentage slightly lower than that of the New York Yankees, who at 56-32 (.636) boast the best record in the majors.
In other words, the Astros would have to play like the champions they have shown they are not.
"It has been disappointing obviously, extremely disappointing," Astros general manager Ed Wade said of the first half of the season. "We really have never reached the point of consistency that we wanted to achieve.
"Coming out of spring training we thought we had the elements in place to get off to a good start, and it didn't happen."
With loss after loss comes opportunity — the chance to look toward the future without pesky things like meaningful games getting in the way.
The Astros have hinted at some forward-thinking recently with the callups of rookies Jason Castro, the team's top prospect, and Chris Johnson. Both have started — Castro at catcher and Johnson at third base — since their late June arrival.
But the next two weeks stand to be critical for the Astros in defining their path and direction for the remainder of the season and, perhaps, years to come.
If the Astros are to commit to rebuilding — which they have yet to do — one immediate way to expedite the process would be to shed key but aging pieces that likely won't be around the next time the team is a contender — but not without extracting some value for them."
to read more..
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bb/7110800.html
4. Trade talk? Hendry and Lilly meet
The Chicago Tribune is reporting " Ted Lilly met with general manager Jim Hendry to discuss his future before Thursday night's game with the Phillies.
Lilly is on the block and is considered the Cub with the most trade value. Lilly has said he would like to stay in Chicago and has a limited no-trade clause. Hendry would like to keep Lilly, but he doesn't know if the Cubs can meet his free agent demands in November so he has to consider getting something in return.
Hendry said he doesn't discuss trade possibilities, while Lilly declined comment.
"I don't know if I have the right to discuss that," he said. "Write whatever you want."
The Mets and Twins reportedly are interested in Lilly, who has pitched well most of the season before he was pounded his last two outings.
Byrd vs. Votto: Marlon Byrd laughed off the idea of Reds' first baseman Joey Votto telling espn.com he wouldn't congratulate Byrd for his All-Star play."
To read more..
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-0716-bits-cubs-phillies-chicag20100715,0,2478603.story
5. Trades, call-ups only just begun
The Akron Beacon Journal is reporting Many of the players' names have changed since the beginning of the season, and more likely will.
With the Indians coming off a four-day retreat for the MLB All-Star break with a workout Thursday at Progressive Field, the club faces the second half of the season mired in full-blown rebuild mode.
With the Tribe sitting dead last in the American League Central at 34-54, already jettisoned are aging veterans such as infielder Mark Grudzielanek and catcher Mike Redmond, whom the team started the season with in hopes of at least trying to compete in a perennially unpredictable division.
Others — such as closer Kerry Wood, outfielder Austin Kearns and starting pitcher Jake Westbrook — could be gone next via trades before the July 31 deadline as the Indians continue to get younger and more inexperienced on the field throughout the second half.
''I learned early on in my career after being traded three times before I was 22, that being traded is just a part of the game and part of the business of baseball,'' said Westbrook, who has been linked to trade rumors involving the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets after going 5-5 with a 4.75 ERA in the first half of the season — his first prolonged action since undergoing Tommy John elbow-ligament replacement surgery.
''All those talks are going to happen,'' Westbrook said. ''So, I try to worry only about the things I can control. Which for me is continuing to get better and back to where I was before the surgery.''
The losses weren't the only thing that hurt the Tribe through the first half, as injuries to key players such as shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and outfielders Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo, also began to pile up.
Still, Acta's message to his youthful troops Thursday was simple.
''Just play the game,'' Acta told the players. ''In baseball, you never know what might happen . . . There's a lot of baseball left. A month or so ago it looked like the Chicago [White Sox] weren't going anywhere. Now, they're in first place.''"
to read more..
http://www.ohio.com/sports/indians/98573874.html
6. Don't count on Pedro this season
The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting Don't expect the Phillies to sign righthander Pedro Martinez again this season, according to MLB.com.
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. spoke with Martinez's agent, Fernando Cuza, on Tuesday, and Cuza told him that Martinez has not yet thrown off a mound."
To read more..
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20100715_Don_t_count_on_Pedro_this_season.html
7. Twins eyeing trade market
The Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting "With ace lefthander Cliff Lee now pitching for the Rangers, the Twins are expected to continue to look for starting pitching to help put them over the top in the suddenly log-jammed American League Central race.
But there's also a chance that the Twins could get a boost from a team that has the worst record in the Class AAA International League.
The Rochester Red Wings, 33-59, already have sent the Twins Luke Hughes, Wilson Ramos, Danny Valencia and several others this season -- and could play a role down the stretch.
''I think we are going to see more help from Rochester as we go through the season,'' Twins General Manager Bill Smith said. ''We have some players down there, some with major league experience.''
Rochester has had a hand in the Twins' playoff push of recent seasons.
A year ago, lefthander Brian Duensing made 13 starts at Rochester before he was recalled in July, got his first major league victory in August and wound up the starter in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Yankees. The Twins also got three victories out of righthander Anthony Swarzak before returning him to the minors.
In 2008, Denard Span was called up twice from Rochester -- for good on June 30 -- and became a starter on a team that lost Game 163 to the White Sox. Infielder Alexi Casilla opened that season in the minors but was called up in May and enjoyed the best season of his career.
So while Twins fans wait for the splashy trade that brings top talent to the club, a phone call to Rochester could also make an impact.
''No question this has been a difficult year for us at our top two [minor league] clubs with wins and losses,'' said Smith, noting that Class AA New Britain has one of the worst records in professional baseball at 26-65. ''There is a lot of development going on at both places, and we have had five or six players come up and helped this club this year.""
To read more..
http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/98473424.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUqCP:iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
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