Baby Boss could cost Yanks their GM
First to go?
In theory, the Rangers should be patient with manager Ron Washington as they continue to rebuild. In reality, Washington could be the first manager fired.
Owner Tom Hicks met with Washington before the team's current road trip and told him that changes would be made if the team didn't show improvement, according to major-league sources. Washington, some believe, might not make it to May.
The Rangers picked up Washington's option for 2009 last August, but the franchise's dynamic shifted when Nolan Ryan took over as club president in February. The question is not only how quickly Ryan will assert his influence, but also how extensively.
Texas lead the AL with 22 errors, five by second baseman Ian Kinsler, and one scout who saw the club recently said its shabby fundamentals were "sad to see." The team's failure to execute reflects poorly on Washington, but it's not as if he's managing a well-constructed team.
The Rangers' trade of first baseman Mark Teixeira to the Braves last summer, along with a strong draft, helped them jump from 28th to fourth in Baseball America's organizational talent rankings. Their major-league roster, however, is a work in progress.
In recent seasons, Rangers GM Jon Daniels has traded three starting pitchers — Chris Young, John Danks and Edinson Volquez — while getting little other than center fielder Josh Hamilton for Volquez in return.
The team's bullpen is stretched with one free-agent addition, Eddie Guardado, on the disabled list and another, Kaz Fukumori, at Class AAA. Guardado and Fukumori are earning a combined $3.6 million — not much less than the combined salaries of the team's active relievers.
If Washington is dismissed, he might be viewed as a victim of circumstance, caught in a difficult spot with a team in transition. He also might be viewed as someone who is better suited to coaching than managing, a familiar observation about those who follow his career path.
Either way, the Rangers again appear to be in flux.
— Ken Rosenthal
Who needs the aggravation? If Steinbrenner wants to hold Cashman responsible for failing to acquire Johan Santana and other perceived transgressions, so be it. Cashman, the Yanks GM since Feb. 1998, can go find another job.
Steinbrenner, after spouting off to The New York Times about his desire to see Joba Chamberlain join the Yankees' starting rotation ASAP, toned it down Monday, saying, "We're not going to rush him." Cashman said he and Steinbrenner were "on the same page yesterday — the same page today — the same page moving forward."
That is, until Hank burns the book.
Let Steinbrenner hire a puppet GM, order Chamberlain to pitch 300 innings and trade for his new favorite junkballer, Jamie Moyer. Cashman, whose contract expires at the end of the season, would not lack for opportunities.
If Cashman wished to stay east, he could replace Phillies GM Pat Gillick, who is expected to retire. Or, Cashman could return to D.C., where he attended Georgetown Prep and Catholic University, if the Nationals chose to replace Jim Bowden. Why, Cashman could even stay in the AL East if the Blue Jays dismissed J.P. Ricciardi, who has two years left on his contract.
Out west, the Dodgers' Ned Colletti could be in trouble if the team flounders, creating the possibility of Cashman reuniting with former Yankees manager Joe Torre (or, more likely, the promotion of Dodgers assistant GM Logan White). The future of the Mariners' Bill Bavasi, who was on the hot seat last season, also is uncertain. April 22 is too early for an owner to start second-guessing. It is not too early for a GM to start plotting his exit strategy.
More Hank-y panky
If Hank Steinbrenner had stopped to think before speaking to The Times — a behavioral pattern that would defy his genetic makeup — he would understand that the Yankees are lucky to be 10-10.
The Yankees played 20 straight games before their first day off, and they're in the middle of a 19-game stretch that includes only two home dates. What's more, they've been riddled by suspensions, injuries and the temporary loss of Chamberlain due to his father's health.
Then there are the real scapegoats: the hitters.
The Yankees need their lineup to reduce the pressure on their young starters, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, as well as their fading veteran, Mike Mussina. But the offense, averaging 4.3 runs per game, ranks ninth in the American League in scoring and last in the AL East.
Two more things for Hank to consider:
Now Hank is telling The Times, "The starting rotation is not what I would have chosen at the beginning of the year." Maybe he's taking a shot at Cashman. Maybe he's simply referring to Chamberlain. Whatever the message, it's not one he should be sending Hughes.
Longoria deal revisited
Both the Rays and third baseman Evan Longoria left themselves open to criticism when they agreed on a six-year, $17.5 million contract just six games into Longoria's major-league career. While the deal certainly is unusual, the positions of both sides are defensible.
The Rays feared that the market might escalate if they waited to sign Longoria long term, forcing them to commit more guaranteed money and more in his option years. Grady Sizemore's six-year, $23.45 million deal with the Indians was considered above-market when he signed it two years ago. Now, it's considerably below.
Longoria, meanwhile, achieved financial security without ever risking injury or poor performance — not bad for someone who is 22. He stands to earn $44 million over nine years if he becomes a major star, after which he would be a free agent at 31.
Could Longoria have done better by waiting? Sure. But he will make $18 million in his final three years of arbitration, just $4.5 million less than David Wright, whose six-year, $55 million deal with the Mets is considered the gold standard for young players.
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| Did Evan Longoria make the right move? (Joe Ranze / Associated Press) |
Longoria's two free-agent years, if the Rays exercise club options, will be worth $22.5 million or $25 million with escalators. That's more than the Diamondbacks' Chris Young and Indians' Fausto Carmona received for their free-agent years in recent deals, and comparable to the amounts that could be earned by the Tigers' Curtis Granderson and Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki.
Frankly, he might not be done
The Mariners, getting little production from DH Jose Vidro, have said they will consider signing Frank Thomas. The A's, short on right-handed power, plan to at least discuss him.
So here's the question: Is Thomas finished?
"He looked like he was on rollerblades, sliding all over the box," says a scout who saw him recently. "His balance was poor. His bat speed was poor. His approach was poor. He was only hitting changeups — that was the only ball he could get to."
Still, scouts were saying much the same thing about Thomas, who turns 40 on May 27, in the early parts of each of the past two seasons. One GM says he finds it difficult to believe that Thomas no longer could contribute coming off a 26-homer, 95-RBI season.
The Blue Jays owe Thomas $6.7 million after releasing him, but that's $11.3 million less than he would have been due if he had remained with the club and his option had vested for next season. The Jays only can blame themselves for awarding Thomas the vesting option, which created the wedge that led to his release.
Thomas' deal is not the only Jays' contract with a dubious structure. Right-hander A.J. Burnett can opt out at the end of this season — or collect $24 million over the next two years from the Jays if he gets hurt or pitches badly. Center fielder Vernon Wells can opt out after the fourth year of his seven-year deal, again capping the Jays' upside.
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