Nationals manager Jim Riggleman is signed through 2011, but a clause in his contract enables the team to dismiss him after this season and pay him only a buyout.
The Nats don't plan to exercise that right, though; Riggleman will remain their manager, according to his agent, Burton Rocks.
“He’s coming back next year,” Rocks football jerseys
aid Monday night. “All indications are that there is not going to be a change.”
Rocks said the Nats’ decision is not yet official; the team’s owners are scheduled to meet on Thursday.
Riggleman signed a two-year contract with the Nats last November. His deal includes a club option for 2012.
- Ken Rosenthal
D-Backs to name GM this week – 7:48 p.m.
Barring an unforeseen development, the Diamondbacks will name either Kevin Towers or Jerry DiPoto as their general manager within the next several days, multiple major league sources have told FOXSports.com.
Ownership's said to be torn between their loyalty to DiPoto, an executive with the team since 2006, and the appeal of Towers, who reached the postseason four times in 14 seasons as GM of the San Diego Padres.
Diamondbacks officials have spoken with Towers within the last 48 hours, one source said.
Towers, who was earning almost $2 million annually when the Padres dismissed him last October, would probably be a more expensive hire than DiPoto, who’d never been a GM before assuming the job in Arizona on an interim basis at the beginning of July.
But while many in the industry have believed Towers' salary demands would be a stumbling block, sources now say the Diamondbacks are simply having a difficult time deciding whether they want Towers or DiPoto to lead the organization.
DiPoto's moves have been well-received in the industry, which may explain why the club hasn’t already hired Towers, who has much more executive experience. The performance of right-hander Daniel Hudson, acquired from the White Sox in a package for Edwin Jackson, has been particularly encouraging for the team; he’s 6-1 with a 1.65 ERA in 10 starts.
In addition to DiPoto and Towers, the Diamondbacks have considered De Jon Watson and Logan White, both assistant GMs with the Dodgers, along with Angels scouting director Eddie Bane. While one major league source said Bane has an “outside chance,” it appears that Towers or DiPoto will be running the team by week’s end.
Werth being shopped as a center fielder – 3:05 p.m.
Ask Scott Boras about his newest client, Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth, and the first words out of the agent’s mouth are, “He can play center field.”
Werth, a free agent at the end of the season, has made 18 starts in center this season – mostly while Shane Victorino was on the disabled list – and 77 in his career.
Because few center fielders hit like Werth, his marketability will only increase if prospective suitors consider him a viable defender at the position.
“He has the closing speed to play center,” Boras says. “It makes your team so different. Normally you get that production out of a corner outfielder.”
Werth, 31, left the Beverly Hills Sports Council to align with Boras. He leads the Phillies and ranks seventh in the National League with a .902 OPS. He also leads the NL with 4.36 pitches seen per plate appearance.
Some rival executives liken Werth’s free-agent potential to that of left fielder Jason Bay, who signed a four-year, $66 million contract with the Mets last offseason.
Boras sees a fellow client of his, left fielder Matt Holiday, as a better comparison. Holliday signed a seven-year, $120 million free-agent deal with the Cardinals last winter.
“Jason Bay suffered in the marketplace because of a predisposition about his medical condition,” Boras says (Bay had issues with his shoulder and knees). “The Red Sox rejected him, creating questions.
“That (predisposition) did not exist with Holliday. It certainly does not exist with Werth. And (with Bay) you were talking about a left fielder who was definitely not in the class of a Gold Glove outfielder.
“Werth is a totally different type of player. He’s an athlete who can play center field, run, steal bases, be a Gold Glove type outfielder.”
And hit.
“A lot of teams out there need center-field production,” Boras says.
Many in the game assume it'll be difficult for the Dallas Cowboys jersey
Phillies to keep Werth, considering the team already has more than $145 million committed to 15 players for 2011.
The Phillies could trade Victorino ($7.5 million) or Raul Ibanez ($12.167 million), particularly if they believed Werth could replace Victorino in center. But they might prefer to make their next long-term investment in shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who’s a free agent after next season.
“We have not in any way ruled out Philadelphia,” Boras says. “No question he plays well there. It’s something you’ve got to look at closely.
“They’re going to win their division four times in a row. Ownership has a lot of business reasons to say this core belongs together a long time.”
Would Crawford seek a return home to Texas? — 11:00 a.m.
In honor of college football season, Rays clubhouse manager Chris Westmoreland puts a special nameplate above each locker, showing the colors and logo of every player’s favorite team.
Among the notable allegiances: Grant Balfour, the Australian reliever, picked the University of Cincinnati; Joaquin Benoit, born in the Dominican Republic, supports the University of Oklahoma.
And Carl Crawford, a Houston native, went with the University of Texas — even though he once committed to play football at rival Nebraska.
Crawford said he likes both schools, but added, “I’m Texas first.”
In a couple months, we may ask whether Crawford will be Texas next – if the Houston Astros or Texas Rangers get involved in the highly anticipated free-agent frenzy.
Crawford still lives in Houston during the offseason. When asked earlier this month if friends there will pressure him to sign with the Astros, Crawford replied, “Nah, man. They know me. They know I’m going to do what I want to do. There’ll be no pressure. They all understand what’s going on. Plus, the Astros are not really winning right now. They want to see me on a team that’s winning.”
The Astros have actually done some winning lately, with a 46-32 record — second-best in the National League — since June 22.
Crawford was reminded that Minute Maid Park has the “Crawford Boxes” — named after Crawford Street — in left field, right behind where Crawford would play.
“They’ve been there for a long time,” he said. “Houston is always a place I’ve loved. I have no complaints about it. We’ll just have to see.”
The Astros would need to move Carlos Lee (and his contract) in order to make room for Chargers jersey
Crawford. The Rangers, under new ownership, aren’t similarly limited by burdensome contracts.
For the time being, Crawford is focused on the Rays’ postseason push. And Texas, by the way, is a possible playoff opponent.
Lowrie blast boosts Sox
BOSTON (AP) -- Jed Lowrie homered to lead off the 11th inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays last night.
Red Sox 5, Jays 4, 11 inns.
The victory came after an embarrassing, season-worst 16-2 loss to the Blue Jays on Friday.
Boston catcher Victor Martinez drove in three runs to go nfl throwback jerseys
along with a solid defensive play on a jarring collision. He held onto a relay throw as Lyle Overbay knocked him over for the final out of the fourth.
Former Blue Jay Marco Scutaro had a double, two singles and scored a pair of runs.
Overbay had a game-tying, two-run homer for Toronto after going 4-for-5 with a career-best seven RBIs in Friday's win.
Jonathan Papelbon (5-5) pitched a perfect inning for the win.
Lowrie, who dropped an easy pop up to extend John Buck's at-bat before he fanned in the top of the inning, homered into the Red Sox bullpen off Casey Janssen (4-2).
Mike Lowell reached second to open the eighth when his short pop down the left-field line Bears jersey
ticked off shortstop Yunel Escobar's glove, bounced onto the track and into the stands for a ground-rule error, but Boston failed to score.
Toronto had tied it 4-4 in the sixth against starter Daisuke Matsuzaka when John Buck had a sacrifice fly and Overbay hit a two-run homer into the right-field bleachers after being pitched around his first two at-bats with an intentional walk and a walk with first open. But, this time, with a runner on second and first open again, Overbay belted the second pitch over the Blue Jays' bullpen.
Martinez's two-run single gave Boston a 2-0 lead against starter Ricky Romero.
The Blue Jays closed to 2-1 in the fourth on John McDonald's RBI double, but Overbay was cut down on the hit when he barreled over Martinez, who caught second baseman Yamaico Navarro's throw from shallow center field. Martinez got up, smiled and playfully retagged Overbay on the chest.
Martinez and Adrian Beltre each had RBI singles in the fifth.
Romero pitched seven innings, giving up four runs, nine hits, striking out Bills jersey
eight and walking one. He entered with a 1-4 record and career-worst 8.51 ERA against the Red Sox.
Matsuzaka gave up six hits and four runs -- three of each coming in the sixth -- in eight innings, walking three and fanning eight.
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