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MINNESOTA TWINS
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The Twins finalized their postseason roster just hours before Game 1 of their American League Division Series against the Yankees on Wednesday. Manager Ron Gardenhire, who hoped to carry 14 position players and 11 pitchers, opted instead to take 13 position players and 12 pitchers.
The decision was prompted by Tuesday's 12-inning, eight-pitcher tiebreaker game against the Tigers, which forced Gardenhire to start right-hander Scott Baker on Tuesday rather than Wednesday in New York. Left-hander Brian Duensing, whom Gardenhire wanted to use out of the bullpen, started Wednesday.
Gardenhire and his coaches trimmed infielders Brian Buscher and Justin Huber from the roster along with injured infielders Justin Morneau and Joe Crede. Pitchers who didn't make the roster were right-handers Armando Gabino and Jeff Manship.
"I told Busch, we have to keep the pitching. I just have to," Gardenhire said before Wednesday's game. "This actually should be a three-pitcher series, but with Baker having to pitch (Tuesday) night, I've got to start (Brian Duensing) tonight. I wanted him actually in the bullpen, and that would have helped me. I could have kept an extra position player, but I can't do that. Just the way it is."
The Twins also announced that right-hander Carl Pavano will start Game 3 on Sunday at the Metrodome and, if needed, Baker would start Game 4.
YANKEES 7, TWINS 2: Minnesota went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Duensing gave up five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, including a two-run homer to SS Derek Jeter that tied the game in the third after Minnesota had taken a 2-0 lead.
NOTES, QUOTES
SS Orlando Cabrera won the 2004 World Series with the Red Sox, the year Boston overcame a three games to none deficit against the Yankees in the ALCS and went on to win the World Series. Still, Cabrera said this season with the Twins is his most exciting. "(2004) was really fun. It was a great comeback," Cabrera said. "But to have a team like this where nobody expected us to play so well after we lost (Justin) Morneau and (Joe) Crede, it's just an unbelievable feeling."
DH Brendan Harris said the Twins refuse to blame their long game Tuesday and a late flight (they arrived at their Manhattan hotel at 4 a.m.) for any part of Wednesday's game. Harris did admit the turnaround was a bit of a whirlwind. "Seemed like about 12 to 16 hours ago we were popping champagne," Harris said. "Then you turn around, and you're in the box like, 'Wow, there's CC (Sabathia, the Yankees' starting pitcher), all right."
C Joe Mauer clinched his third AL batting title, going 2-for-4 with a double and two walks to finish with a .365 average. That is the highest average for a catcher in MLB history, besting the .362 of the Yankees' Bill Dickey in 1936.
The Twins have won the AL Central five times in the last eight seasons.
BY THE NUMBERS: 0-5 -- Twins' record at Yankee Stadium this season.
0-8 -- Twins' record against the Yankees in 2009. 3-24 -- Twins' record in the Bronx since 2002.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "The whole lineup is just stacked with what seems like home run hitters. They're going to hit the ball hard no matter where you pitch it. I feel like they're pitchable. Obviously, everyone is pitchable." -- LHP Brian Duensing after his first career start at Yankee Stadium.
ROSTER REPORT:
2B Alexi Casilla was out of the lineup despite manager Ron Gardenhire's best efforts to get Tuesday's hero back in. Casilla's 12th-inning single drove in the winning run that clinched the division for the Twins, but Gardenhire said the only option for Casilla on Wednesday was third base, a position he's never played in the big leagues.
1B Michael Cuddyer had Minnesota's only RBI when his third-inning single scored Cabrera. Cuddyer has hit safely in eight of his last nine postseason games dating to the 2003 ALDS against New York.
LHP Francisco Liriano gave up a two-run home run to DH Hideki Matsui on Wednesday night, a hit that put New York up four runs. Gardenhire said he went to Liriano, in part, because he'd used eight pitchers in Tuesday's one-game playoff, and Liriano was not one of them. "Frankie is here for a reason. We like him to pitch and he needs to pitch," Gardenhire said. "Our bullpen has been through a lot. We all saw that. He was fresh and available."
EX-INDIAN FACTOR: RHP Carl Pavano.
MEDICAL WATCH:
OF Justin Huber (strained oblique) has not played since Sept. 11.
1B Justin Morneau (stress fracture in vertebra) was shut down Sept. 14. He will need three months to heal but not have surgery.
3B Joe Crede (sore lower back) returned to the lineup as the DH on Sept. 13, but on Sept. 14, the team announced that Crede would not play again this season. He had back surgery Sept. 25.
RHP Kevin Slowey (strained right wrist) went on the 15-day DL July 4, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on Aug. 12. He was expected to begin a rehab assignment with Class AAA Rochester on July 25, but he experienced too much pain July 24 to even play catch, and the Twins shut him down. He had season-ending surgery Aug. 4.
RHP Boof Bonser (torn right labrum and rotator cuff surgery in February 2009) went on the 15-day DL April 2 and was transferred to the 60-day DL on Aug. 7.
RHP Pat Neshek (right elbow surgery) went on the 60-day DL Feb. 21. He will remain in Florida all summer, targeting a return by next spring.
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DETROIT TIGERS
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When your offense sputters, executing the little things becomes paramount.
Detroit got a little offense in its divisional championship playoff game Tuesday at Minnesota, but an inability to convert on some of the game's fundamentals combined to send the Tigers home after a 163-game season.
Left fielder Ryan Raburn tried to make a shoe-top catch on a hit by Michael Cuddyer leading off the 10th inning at a time when Detroit held a 5-4 lead. It went for a triple, and he scored the tying run on a single. Raburn did throw out the potential winning run at the plate to end the inning, but the game was prolonged.
Gerald Laird was unable to get a sacrifice bunt down -- he popped up his bunt to first base instead -- after Brandon Inge led off the seventh with a walk, and Curtis Granderson singled with two out in the inning. Laird also ended five of the six innings in which he batted.
Curtis Granderson was doubled off first when Magglio Ordonez hit a line drive to short with runners at first and third and one out in the ninth. Placido Polanco also failed to get the man in from third just before Ordonez batted, striking out for the second time in the game. Granderson was unable to get back to first on Ordonez's liner because he'd taken a step toward second, a no-no in that situation.
Brandon Inge lined to short on a 2-0 pitch with runners at first and third and one out in the second. He was unable to hit the ball to the right side or outfield, which that situation calls for.
Right-hander Rick Porcello made a pickoff throw to first with runners on first and third and two out in the third. The throw went off the runner for an error that allowed Minnesota's first run to score at a time Detroit held a 3-0 lead. No need to make that throw in that situation, even with Joe Mauer at bat. He walked Mauer anyway and struck out Jason Kubel to end the inning.
The Tigers did reverse a distressing trend they displayed too often this season by getting several hits with runners on. Ordonez had an RBI single and a game-tying home run. Miguel Cabrera had a two-run home run. Inge had a two-out RBI double to give the Tigers a 5-4 lead in the 10th.
"I guess it's fitting to say there was a loser in this game because we lost the game, but it's hard for me to believe there as a loser in this game," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "Both teams played their hearts out. You can't ask for anything more than that."
Detroit players will undoubtedly be replaying this season in their minds all winter, knowing all the little things that did not happen that cost them the division title.
It happened in 1967. The Tigers lost the pennant on the last game of the season. It was motivation that propelled them to the 1968 World Series win.
It happened in 1983, when Detroit felt it had the best team but came up just short. It won the World Series the next year.
Detroit had held or shared first place in the AL Central since May 10 but stumbled to the finish line and blew a lead that was up to seven games in early September and was at three games with four to play.
NOTES, QUOTES
1B Miguel Cabrera, who apologized to his teammates before the game for his indiscretions Saturday, tried his best Tuesday to power Detroit into the playoffs. Ordonez ripped a double to the wall in left-center to open the second and smacked a two-run home run, his 34th, in the third. The Twins kept the ball down and in on him, and he grounded out to third his next two times up before walking with one out in the 12th but was thrown out at the plate on a grounder to second. Cabrera went hitless in three weekend games with the Chicago White Sox, two of which Detroit lost, and he was 0 for his last 14 entering Tuesday's game. Before the game Cabrera told reporters he had apologized to his teammates. "I said I was sorry for what I did," Cabrera said. He was involved in a domestic altercation with his wife at 6 a.m. Saturday morning, and police said his blood alcohol level was .26, more than three times above the legal limit. No charges were filed, but the incident was an embarrassment for Cabrera, the Tigers and Detroit's fans.
RF Magglio Ordonez completed a two-month turnaround that left Tigers fans feeling better about the $18 million he will earn next season. Ordonez had a slick RBI single to right in the third to break a scoreless tie in Detroit's playoff game with Minnesota and scored on 1B Miguel Cabrera's home run. Ordonez then hit a game-tying home run to lead off the eighth inning.
BY THE NUMBERS: 269 -- Batters struck out by RHP Justin Verlander this season to lead the major leagues in strikeouts. He was the first Tiger to lead the majors in strikeouts since LHP Mickey Lolich fanned 308 in 1971.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "If we can't win, shame on us. That's the way it is." -- Manager Jim Leyland prior to Saturday's game against Chicago, which Detroit lost to see a lead that had stood at three games on Thursday morning shrivel down to a tie.
ROSTER REPORT:
RHP Fernando Rodney tried to get the most outs he's been asked to get all season and fell two short of what he needed. Rodney pitched three innings, but the groundball he needed and got with two on and one out skipped through the right side to score the winning run in the 12th inning. Rodney had pitched two innings three times this season. He allowed the tying run in the 10th but nearly stranded him at third, again with a grounder -- that time it bounced up the middle with one out in a double-play situation.
LF Ryan Raburn made the kind of costly mistake inexperienced outfielders make when he attempted a diving catch that turned a leadoff single into a triple in the 10th inning. He partially atoned for the miscue by throwing out the potential winning run at the plate after catching a one-out fly with runners on first and third. Raburn hit .300 the last two months of the season and has played his way into contention for a job as the regular left fielder next year.
RHP Rick Porcello allowed two runs, one unearned because of his own error, in 5 2/3 innings in the biggest start of his brief major league career. Porcello made a wild pickoff throw with runners on first and third that let in a run in the third inning and gave up a two-out solo home run in the sixth, getting lifted after walking the next batter. Porcello gave up just four hits and equaled his career best with eight strikeouts.
3B Brandon Inge thought he'd been hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the 12th, but the home-plate umpire disagreed and Inge hit a slow hopper to second that resulted in a forceout at the plate. Inge had given Detroit a 5-4 lead in the 10th by ripping a fastball into the left-field corner, scoring pinch runner Don Kelly from first base with two out. Inge also made several excellent defensive plays. He now needs to decide whether to have minor surgery to fix a tendon in his left knee.
RHP Brandon Lyon gave Detroit 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Lyon got the final out of the seventh, pitched a clean eighth and was relieved by RHP Fernando Rodney after a leadoff walk and sacrifice in the ninth. Lyon can become a free agent at the end of the season. He turned into a reliable setup man and occasional closer after some early season troubles.
RHP Zach Miner was roughed up as his eight-game unscored-upon streak ended. Miner relieved RHP Rick Porcello and put two runners on before finishing the inning but gave up a single and a one-out home run in the eighth to erase a 3-2 Detroit lead.
C Gerald Laird had hitting problems most of the season, and that showed up in Detroit's 163rd game. Laird was the last batter in five innings, stranding eight runners. Laird erased a runner with a double play to end the fourth. He popped out to first trying to sacrifice after 3B Brandon Inge led off the seventh with a walk.
MEDICAL WATCH:
LHP Jarrod Washburn (sore left knee) lasted just one inning in his Sept. 15 start. An MRI revealed no torn cartilage but chronic instability in his knee. He postponed surgery and began a rehab program on the slim chance he could pitch late in the postseason. As it turned out, the Tigers didn't even make the postseason.
LHP Dontrelle Willis (anxiety disorder) went on the 15-day DL retroactive to June 15. He began a rehab assignment with Class AAA Toledo on Aug. 19, but he was shut down for the year when the minor league season ended.
INF Michael Hollimon (shoulder surgery) was recalled from the minors and placed on the 60-day DL Sept. 1.
1B/3B Jeff Larish (right wrist surgery) was recalled from the minors and placed on the 60-day DL Sept. 5.
RHP Joel Zumaya (stress fracture in right shoulder) went on the 15-day DL July 18, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on Aug. 17. He had two cortisone shots to reduce pain and swelling and resumed throwing in late July. He then had a setback, and he had season-ending surgery Aug. 21.
C Matt Treanor (torn labrum in right hip) went on the 15-day DL retroactive to April 24, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 4. He had surgery April 30, and he is likely out for the season.
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CHICAGO WHITE SOX
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It was the word thrown around often the last few weeks, leading up to the end of the 2009 season for the White Sox -- "disappointment."
Leave it to manager Ozzie Guillen to take it a step further, calling it "embarrassing."
"Of course, the same way," Guillen replied, when asked if he felt as embarrassed as he was after a disastrous 2007 season. "This year maybe even worse, because I felt like this year we had a shot more than 2007. Of course when you don't do what you're expected to do, you feel like you owe somebody something. I think we owed the fans a better year than what we had.
"This year we had a chance, had an opportunity to be better than what we did, and we didn't do it. ... I don't blame the fans for being upset."
While the Sox were disappointed with the standings, the feeling within the organization is that it will be a quick cure. The problems with the Sox early on were evident. They counted on Josh Fields stepping in at third base for Joe Crede and they counted on Brian Anderson finally being the answer in the outfield.
When both of them failed, the Sox were retooling the team on the run in May. Their first-half problems were also compounded by an offense that was Jekyll and Hyde all season long. As a matter of fact, the offense handcuffed the Sox throughout the year, and while the bullpen and starting staff had some shaky moments, the inconsistencies in the lineup were the team's downfall in the end.
"It starts with the offense," Guillen said. "The reason it was like that was because our offense was very inconsistent."
The Sox were shut out an AL-high 13 times, ranking 12th in the AL in runs scored and runs per game as well as 13th in average.
It also didn't help that the defense was shaky, but those were considered growing pains with a young infield more than anything else.
Not all was bad, however. The Sox watched youth get served as Gordon Beckham, Chris Getz, Jayson Nix and even pitcher Daniel Hudson made them stand up and notice. The rebirth of Scott Podsednik as a quality leadoff hitter at least has the Sox thinking of re-signing him this offseason, and then there are the moves that were made for the future.
In acquiring Jake Peavy, the Sox feel that they enter next year with an elite staff -- not only one of the best staffs in the Central Division, but the entire AL. They are also hoping that Alex Rios overcomes his slow start with his new team and helps as the Sox transition into a more athletic offense.
The offseason will be interesting for the Sox as always, with Jermaine Dye, Octavio Dotel and Podsednik all free agents, but it might only take a few moves with the offense to get them back on top in 2010.
NOTES, QUOTES
GM Ken Williams will have a tough decision to make concerning his leadoff spot. The Sox have had Angels free agent-to-be Chone Figgins on the radar for a few years, but also have Scott Podsednik in-house, and at a lot cheaper price. Guillen expressed his feelings on the quandary over the weekend. "I don't think Figgins," Guillen said of the Angels speedy leadoff hitter. "To be honest with you, would we like to have players like him? (Bleep), everybody does. But this kid is going to cost you a lot of money. If we figure out this guy is going to solve our problem, then (board chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf) will take a shot because Jerry wants to win. Jerry wants to win. (General manager) Kenny (Williams) wants to win. I want to win. Everybody wants to win. In the meanwhile, Kenny is going to go see the market and we are going to see how. ... I would love to have (Scott) Podsednik back but that's my call. It's between Podsednik's agent and Kenny and the White Sox, but we just need someone. That was our problem this year, our center field problem was pretty deep."
RF Jermaine Dye likely played his final game on the South Side in the season finale, as the free agent-to-be seems prepared to move on considering there were no talks whatsoever with Dye during the season concerning his mutual option for 2010. "It's going to be very tough for me, personally, not as a manager," Guillen said. "Believe, one guy who would be crushed is me. I think J.D., I cannot say anything bad about this kid. This kid was great from the first day he put his uniform on to the last day he will. He's very professional and I feel proud to be his manager. He knows he's going to have a friend no matter where he's playing."
RHP Bobby Jenks, who was shut down just under two weeks ago with a strained right calf muscle, has been the subject of trade talks heading into the winter, but Guillen said not so fast. "Tough call," Guillen said. "We don't want to trade him, we don't want to trade him. But in the meanwhile, Kenny's never going to say no to any trade if he thinks it's going to help this organization. I still think Bobby's going to be our closer next year. If something happens between now and next year, then we'll make a move. Can (Matt) Thornton close a game? A lot of people doubt it; I say yes he can."
LHP Mark Buehrle did pitch sore and hurt a bit this season, but there is nothing structurally wrong with the southpaw. The plan is to let him rest and get him on an arm and shoulder strengthening program. There will be no surgery needed, as the Sox plan to continue to handle Buehrle carefully, considering all the innings he has piled up in his career. That's why they want to make him the No. 4 starter next season, and use off days to rest him as much as possible.
C A.J. Pierzynski was not in the starting lineup for the season finale, for a couple of reasons. First, it was a day game after a night game, but more importantly, Pierzynski finished the season hitting .300 -- the first Sox catcher to finish a season with an average of .300.
BY THE NUMBERS: 13th -- The Sox rank in the American League defensively, as they also allowed 69 unearned runs, which was the third most in the AL.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "After you spend all summer the way we did, and you don't get to the point you want to get, it's frustrating because you want to be in the playoffs, you want to be a part of that. You want to continue the season, but in the meanwhile, you cannot wait to get it over with and prepare for next year." -- Guillen on the season coming to an end.
ROSTER REPORT:
It isn't very often that a team finishes third in the division race but goes into the offseason feeling like is the team to beat the next year. Then again, the White Sox aren't most organizations. The late-season additions of Jake Peavy and Alex Rios have the Sox going forward toward 2010 with a bit of a swagger, especially in a division as weak as the Central proved to be this season. That still didn't take away the fact that 2009 was best described by manager Ozzie Guillen as nothing more than a "tease."
BIGGEST NEEDS: The bullpen might need a tweak, but the attention of general manager Ken Williams will fall directly on the lineup, first making sure he has a leadoff hitter, and then possibly addressing power from the left side. The payroll is already pretty crunched, however, so he will have to be creative on adding.
FREE AGENTS: OF Jermaine Dye, RHP Octavio Dotel, OF Scott Podsednik, C Ramon Castro, RHP Freddy Garcia, INF/OF Mark Kotsay.
The Sox have options on Dye and Garcia and will likely pick up Garcia's for a mere $1 million with incentives, while letting Dye walk. Podsednik is on their wish list unless they can get Chone Figgins, and Guillen has insisted that he wanted Kotsay back. Dotel and Castro will likely walk.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE: RHP Bobby Jenks, OF Dewayne Wise, RHP Tony Pena, LHP John Danks, RHP D.J. Carrasco, OF Carlos Quentin.
The Sox will obviously try to lock up Danks and Quentin to contract extensions, like they did last spring training, while Carrasco and Pena are also keepers. Wise might be expendable, but Jenks is the most interesting decision. There had been talk that Jenks would be on the trading block, but that remains to be seen.
IN LIMBO: RHP Bobby Jenks is the likely candidate to be sent elsewhere. He stands to make $7-8 million in arbitration this season, and there had been growing concerns about his conditioning and the fact that nagging injuries have slowed him down. If Jenks shows a better commitment to an offseason workout program he might stay put, but LHP Matt Thornton has made Jenks somewhat expendable.
MEDICAL WATCH:
OF Carlos Quentin (right wrist surgery in September 2008, possible knee surgery) will have the pins removed from his wrist and could have both knees looked at.
2B Chris Getz (sports hernia surgery in October 2009) is expected to be ready for spring training following a six-week rehab.
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CLEVELAND INDIANS
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The Indians' 2009 season was about as disastrous as an expected contender could have. There was a lot of underachieving early, then some injuries, and the Indians fell so far behind that for the second consecutive season they were reduced to making a series of white flag trades at midseason.
Among those who were dealt were reigning Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee and All-Star catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez. The Indians dismantled the team at midseason, acquiring several young prospects in a series of trades.
Not surprisingly, the second half was no better than the first. The Indians lost 11 games in a row at one point in September, finished the season with 15 consecutive road losses and had 97 losses overall, the seventh most in team history. With six games left in the season, manager Eric Wedge and his entire coaching staff were fired.
The Indians' first priority in the offseason, obviously, is to hire a new manager and help that manager assemble a coaching staff. The new manager faces a daunting challenge. The Indians will be extremely young in 2010, and there is no expectation the club will be a contender.
The biggest concern is the rotation. The Indians have plenty of candidates, most of them young, but no sure things as they try to project a rotation for 2010. Fausto Carmona has the stuff to be a top-of-the-rotation starter, but he has had two consecutive horrible seasons after being a 19-game winner in 2007.
Jake Westbrook, who has missed a year and a half trying to come back from Tommy John surgery, is a question mark, and so are the handful of other starting candidates, most of whom have not spent a full season in the major leagues.
The Indians might try to add an affordable veteran starting pitcher to eat some innings. The hitting, on the other hand, is in better shape. Outfielder Grady Sizemore, who played hurt throughout the 2009 season, had elbow and abdominal surgeries in September, but he should be 100 percent by the start of training camp.
The Indians will need to decide on a starter at catcher and first base, but the other positions are fairly set. The Indians aren't expected to be very active in the free agent market. They will concentrate in 2010 on the continued development of their many young players while trying to piece together a rotation.
NOTES, QUOTES
OF Shin-Soo Choo is the first Asian-born player in MLB history with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season. He is one of 12 players overall to do it this season.
The Indians finished the season with a club record 15 consecutive road losses. The previous club record was 12 straight in 1963 and 1991.
C Wyatt Toregas, OF-C-1B Chris Gimenez, and SS Niuman Romero, the last three batters in the Indians' starting lineup for the season finale, finished the season with batting averages of .176, .144, and .143, respectively.
LHP David Huff, at 11-8, led the Indians in wins. He is the first rookie to lead the Indians in wins since LHP CC Sabathia, who was 17-5 in 2001.
The Indians finished with 97 losses. That's the seventh most in club history and the most since they lost a club-record 105 games in 1991.
BY THE NUMBERS: 7-25 -- The Indians' record in September/October.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We weren't able to get it done, but I hope for all Indians fans that the next guy who sits in this chair can do it." -- Eric Wedge, who was fired after seven years as manager of the Indians.
ROSTER REPORT:
The Indians' roster is very young, and it figures to remain very young next season. They must try to sort out and assemble the framework of a rotation and make a decision on a starting catcher. They finished the season with four catchers on their roster.
BIGGEST NEEDS: Following the midseason trades of veterans Cliff Lee and Carl Pavano, the Indians' rotation was in disarray. They have mostly question marks as candidates and would like to add a veteran. Their track record in this area is to sign a free agent starter coming off an injury, so they might look to do that during the offseason.
FREE AGENTS: INF Jamey Carroll, RHP Tomo Ohka. GM Mark Shapiro said he would like to bring back Carroll, who made $2.5 million in 2009. He likely will not be re-signed because even as a utility infielder he's too expensive for the Indians, who are expected to cut their payroll considerably. Ohka might be re-signed to a one-year deal, because he had some value as a spot starter and long man in the bullpen.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE: C Kelly Shoppach, INF Andy Marte.
The Indians haven't gone to an arbitration hearing with a player in almost 20 years. With the Indians having a handful of cheaper alternatives at catcher, Shoppach is a strong candidate to be non-tendered. Marte is out of minor league options, so whether he is kept on the 40-man major league roster is still very much up in the air.
IN LIMBO: C Kelly Shoppach, INF Andy Marte.
Shoppach will likely be non-tendered, and the Indians must make a decision once and for all on Marte, who is out of minor league options.
MEDICAL WATCH:
RHP Jake Westbrook (Tommy John elbow surgery in June 2008) was expected to return by midseason in 2009, but he had several setbacks and was unable to pitch. He will continue an offseason rehab and hopes to be ready to go by the start of spring training.
OF Grady Sizemore (left elbow surgery in September 2009, abdominal surgery in September 2009) is expected to be 100 percent by the start of spring training.
DH Travis Hafner (right shoulder weakness) is expected to be full strength by the start of spring training.
RHP Joe Smith (left knee surgery in September 2009) missed all of September, then had the operation at the end of the season to clean out loose bodies. He is expected to be 100 percent by the start of spring training.
RHP Anthony Reyes (elbow surgery in July 2009) may be ready in mid-season 2010.
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KANSAS CITY ROYALS
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The Royals entered the year believing they could contend , but had a disappointing season after an encouraging beginning.
The Royals were seven games above .500 and led the division by three games on May 7. Then they proceeded to lose 28 of their next 39 games, and by June 31 the Royals were 10 games below .500 and 8 1/2 games back. The Royals lost 97 games, the seventh time in nine years they had lost at least 93.
Season-ending injuries to center fielder Coco Crisp and shortstop Mike Aviles derailed the Royals, and third baseman Alex Gordon missed half the season after having hip surgery and hit so poorly when he returned he was demoted in August to Class AAA Omaha. Also, right fielder Jose Guillen played in only 81 games because of injuries.
Gil Meche, Brian Bannister and Kyle Davies were pulled from the rotation late in the season with sore shoulders, forcing the Royals to use a dozen starting pitchers. Also, closer Joakim Soria missed nearly a month early in the season because of a sore shoulder. The Royals did not have nearly enough depth to absorb that many injuries to key players, but few clubs would.
The Royals have three blue-chip players: Zack Greinke, who emerged as one of the best starters in the majors; Soria, who has proved to be a premier closer; and first baseman Billy Butler, who developed into a true No. 3 hitter, batting .301 with 51 doubles and 21 home runs at the age of 23.
Left fielder David DeJesus was also solid offensively and defensively, not committing an error. Second baseman Alberto Callaspo is an offensive threat, hitting .300. Callaspo and Butler are sub-standard defensively, however -- both have limited range.
The Royals were last in the AL in fielding percentage, and the rotation after Greinke was subpar, especially after Meche went down with a sore shoulder and Luke Hochevar's effectiveness plummeted the second half.
The Royals need a leadoff hitter, a cleanup hitter and a speedy center fielder. The bullpen needs a reliable bridge to get to Soria. Right-handers Kyle Farnsworth and Juan Cruz were signed as free agents last offseason to prop up the bullpen, but both failed to be reliable setup men.
The rotation could use at least one more trustworthy starter, preferably a left-hander. The Royals ran out veteran left-handers Bruce Chen, Horacio Ramirez and Lenny DiNardo, but all were hit hard.
General manager Dayton Moore has a lot of work to do this offseason, but he has little leeway in the budget because of guaranteed contracts and with 11 players, possibly 12, eligible for arbitration.
NOTES, QUOTES
RHP Luke Hochevar finished with a 7-13 record and a 6.55 ERA after allowing seven runs on just four hits in the season finale, but three were home runs, and three walks in three innings in the loss. Hochevar went 1-10 in 13 starts since a July 25 victory, allowing 99 hits in 72 1/3 innings in that period.
The Royals finished with two .300 hitters. 1B Billy Butler went 0-for-4 in the season finale, but wound up with a .301 average. 2B Alberto Callaspo went 2-for-3 with a double and triple and also walked to raise his average to .300.
SS Yuniesky Betancourt did not play the final two games after fouling a ball off his left foot Oct. 2. INF Luis Hernandez, who had a contusion in his right quadriceps after being hit by a pitch Oct. 2, replaced Betancourt and collected two hits to hike his average from .186 to .205.
LF David DeJesus rejoined the Royals on Oct. 2 in Minnesota but did not play in the final weekend series as he was still weak from the flu after losing seven pounds. DeJesus, who has a 144-game errorless streak, did not play in the final nine games.
LHP Lenny DiNardo was initially charged with an error in the 10-7 loss on Oct. 2, resulting in two unearned runs. DiNardo, however, acknowledged he lost the high Orlando Cabrera chopper in the Metrodome lights. The official scorer changed it to a hit, resulting in DiNardo's earned run average inflating from 9.28 to 10.13.
BY THE NUMBERS: 2.16 -- RHP Zack Greinke's ERA, which led the American League.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I thought that was the biggest game I've pitched in all year besides maybe the first game of the year. There was so much on the line." -- RHP Zack Greinke, on his Oct. 3 no-decision start against the Twins, in which he allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five in six innings.
ROSTER REPORT:
The Royals have many needs to fill this offseason -- starting with center field, catching, the rotation and bullpen -- but few available dollars. The Royals' farm system is barren at the top, so don't expect any rookie to make an immediate impact. Also, they have little of value to bring back anything in return because they do not want to trade RHPs Zack Greinke and Joakim Soria and 1B Billy Butler. If they dealt any of those three, it would just create another big hole.
BIGGEST NEEDS: A speedy leadoff hitter who could play in center is the biggest need. Manager Trey Hillman used six different center fielders. Finding dependable arms in the bullpen is a key as Hillman used RHP Joakim Soria for several saves of more than three outs. The defense, especially in the infield, needs to be shored up. The Royals also need help behind the plate.
FREE AGENTS: RHP Jamey Wright, LHP Bruce Chen.
The Royals have some interest in bringing back Wright, who made $800,000 in 2009 after coming to camp as a non-roster player. Chen finished the season with an oblique injury and was ineffective (1-6 with a 5.78 ERA). But he is left-handed, so the Royals might bring him back on a minor league contract.
ARBITRATION-ELIGIBLE: LHP John Bale, RHP Brian Bannister, RHP Roman Colon, RHP Kyle Davies, LHP Lenny DiNardo, RHP Robinson Tejeda, C John Buck, 3B Alex Gordon, DH-1B Mike Jacobs, IF-OF Mark Teahen and RHP Doug Waechter. Also, 2B Alberto Callaspo could qualify as a Super Two.
Some on this list will likely be non-tendered, such as Buck, who made $2.9 million this year as a backup, and Jacobs, who made $3.575 million but had an unsatisfactory season and became a platoon player, seldom facing left-handers. Bale and DiNardo will probably not be back. A major decision must be made on Teahen, who made $3.575 million in 2009, and that will likely escalate to more than $5 million next year.
IN LIMBO: C Miguel Olivo has a mutual option for next year at $3.25 million. Even if the club picks that up, Olivo might opt to look elsewhere unless he is guaranteed to be the No. 1 catcher if he returns. CF Coco Crisp had surgery on both shoulders, which limited him to 49 games. Expect the Royals to use a $500,000 buyout clause on Crisp instead of picking up his $8 million option. The Royals could try to re-sign Crisp to a lot less expensive deal with incentives on games played that would escalate his salary. RHP Yasuhiko Yabuta would make $4 million in 2010 if the Royals pick up his option. There is no way that will happen, so they will give him a $500,000 buyout. Teahen could be trade bait because of his salary. The Royals would gladly get rid of Guillen and his $12 million salary for 2010, but it is doubtful they would find any takers unless they want to eat most of that contract.
MEDICAL WATCH:
RHP Gil Meche (sore right shoulder) is expected to be 100 percent when spring training begins.
RHP Brian Bannister (sore right shoulder) is expected to be 100 percent when spring training begins.
RHP Kyle Davies (oblique strain) is expected to be 100 percent when spring training begins.
RF Jose Guillen (strained right hamstring) will rest and rehab in the offseason, but no surgery is scheduled.
CF Coco Crisp (right shoulder surgery in June 2009, left shoulder surgery in July 2009) is a question mark for the start of next season.
SS Mike Aviles (Tommy John elbow surgery in July 2009) might be restricted when spring training begins.
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