Gillick, Cashman & Valentine To Land In Seattle?
Via Joel Sherman’s blog Hardball -
Japanese press reports are rife with a growing conflict between Bobby Valentine and Ryuzo Setoyama, the president of his team, the Chiba Lotte Marines. The strife appears a power struggle over decision-making within baseball operations, an area traditionally dictated by the manager within a Japanese organization. Valentine, who is due $4 million next season, the final on his current contract, has tried to engage ownership in a discussion about a contract extension beyond 2009, but indications are that the club prefers to wait until next year.
Going into a lame-duck contract year is not the preferred route for successful, veteran managers in any country, so If Valentine sees his future murkier in Japan, he certainly could intensify his efforts to return to the States. He seemingly would be a candidate for the Mariner job, though there are plentiful questions about who exactly will own the team and be in charge of baseball decisions. Buzz is strong throughout baseball that the Japanese ownership might sell the Mariners and that, among others, a consortium headed by current Phillies GM Pat Gillick might purchase the club. However, one executive who speaks regularly to Gillick told me that if current Mariners chairman/CEO Howard Lincoln does not leave as part of any change then there is no chance Gillick would go back to Seattle. Gillick was the Mariner GM from 2000-2003, and the executive said Gillick and Lincoln did not get along.
However, several front office officials believe that if Gillick does take over in Seattle then Brian Cashman could follow as GM. Cashman has been quite public with his admiration for how Gillick does his job. A few people close to Cashman continue to insist that he is not a lock to return next year despite the Steinbrenners’ desire to keep him. These friends describe Cashman as tortured about whether to stay or go. Most think when he has to make a decision he will opt to stay.
But if he were to go here is what is interesting: Cashman is a big-time fan of Valentine’s.
…A few people close to Cashman continue to insist that he is not a lock to return next year despite the Steinbrenners’ desire to keep him. These friends describe Cashman as tortured about whether to stay or go…
Tortured? Oh, com’on…
If you’re not 100% sure that you want to stay, Cash, then just go. There’s plenty of guys capable of building a fourth place team in your place.
Billy Beane for GM!!!!!!!!!
IIRC, this is the second time Valentine has found himself in this sort of situation.
If this were to pass, it would be interesting to see these work together.
Billy Beane for GM!!!!!!!!!
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He turned down the Boston job back in 2002 so why would he take this one?
Oppenheimer might get the job in the Bronx. I don’t think that Cashman is tortured by leaving BUT he will have less than half the resources and almost no pressure to produce a winner. He might play it safe and go to Philly where they might go to the playoffs again. But once again he has very little money to play around with .
I think Bobby V would be the logical choice for the Ms. It seems like McLaren didn’t have the team ready to compete this year despite having the horses. Bobby V might be the right guy to revivify this franchise.
It seems like McLaren didn’t have the team ready to compete this year despite having the horses.
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He didn’t have the horses. At the beginning of the year, the M’s were old, they didn’t hit, and they had lousy defense. Even if both Bedard and Hernandez had Cy Young caliber seasons, the M’s weren’t going anywhere.
That should read before the season started…
Beane is, IIRC, a part owner of the A’s.
the M’s were old, they didn’t hit, and they had lousy defense.
Sounds kinda like another team I know. Maybe if Cashman sticks around he can throw piles of money at a couple of free agents and trade his best CF prospect for a grumpy fringe ace pitcher.
Before throwing Cashman overboard, realize that his greatest talent has been dealing with the Steinbrenners (first George, and now the baby Steins) and handling the media.
It will be hard to replace him with a quality GM who is willing to work in such a difficult job environment, for so many reasons.
Save this post and bring it back in a couple of years: if Cashman leaves then we are looking at years of bad teams and a highly dysfunctional front office.
Save this post and bring it back in a couple of years: if Cashman leaves then we are looking at years of bad teams and a highly dysfunctional front office.
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I doubt that there’ll be years of bad teams.
Raf,
I fear that we will turn into the Orioles and Dodgers of the 90′s. Teams that spent lots of money foolishly because wealthy ownership thought it knew how to assess baseball talent and spent on high-priced free agents who didn’t fit and underperformed.
And when I say ‘bad teams’ I’m not talking about KC or Pittsburgh. But we could have teams that are somewhat competitive but not playing well, if at all, in October.
I doubt that there’ll be years of bad teams.
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Don’t agree with you there. The team will compound the mistakes of the recent past with a reactionary course of action that will include overbidding on one or all of Sabathia, Sheets, Teixeira, and Burnett. That’ll only prolong the misery of having an expensive, inflexible team of potential injury cases and slightly overrated players.
In short, the path to salvation lies in astute management of the minor league system and this winter will be the total antithesis of that principle. It’s going to suck for us for a while, just like it did in the late 80′s/early 90′s.
being that cashman currently lives in greenwich and valentine’s a stamford guy, these two already have a friendly relationship outside of baseball. regardless of what happens to cashman though seattle could be a great place for valentine to make his US return- ichiro, great ballpark, great fan base (when they’re winning) and nice city.
OR
watch BV finish his contract in Japan next season, collect the $4 million and wait for the yankees job to open. although bobby was on the list last year cashman had already decided on girardi. but if girardi doesn’t do better next season he’s a goner and the steinbrenners are bobby v fans….
[...] to Steve Lombardi of Was Watching for first bringing this to my [...]