I don't see any reason to think he could. He has zero experience managing anywhere, and we've seen that those hires have a very high failure rate. Meanwhile, AJ Hinch, who was not good as a first-time manager with Arizona, has been one of the best in the game the second time around. Experience needs to trump the interview, or, in Cal's case, the name value.

Well, since my articles are all Insider, and my chats were not Insider, nothing has changed.

Yep, I was even shocked when I looked at his stats in early September and saw how good his year was; the Orioles' disappointing year dampened coverage of how good he was. He's no longer a future star - he is a star, a top 5 player in the AL. And if he goes back to shortstop full-time ... whoa.

Calling it the "wrong move" might be a little strong; going to a fresh reliever vs letting the starter go through a lineup the fourth time is the higher-probability move. You're playing the odds here. If you're betting on the roll of a regular (fair) die, and I tell you that you can bet on 1-2 or 3-6 with equal payout on both, which bet do you take? If the roll comes up 1 or 2 and you lose, did you make the wrong move?

Go away. You are an abomination.

I actually think what got him fired was the team missing the playoffs. Had they taken 5 of 6 from the Mets in those two key series instead of losing all six, even with all his awful tactical management, they might have made the playoffs and saved his job.

I think he's a good fit. I think Alex Cora (whom I know personally, which isn't true of many of the top candidates) would be a better fit.

I've had the domain since 2000. And I'm happy to run some campaign ads for you and Opus.

Can you give me a reason for Cuddyer? That would be a good start.

I have a few of these questions in the queue but I'm not sure what exactly you're asking for. Bat? Schwarber. total value? I mean, give me the shortstop with the plus glove.

Yes, at least an everday 2b for me. Broken hand sucks, can sap power for up to a year, but players who have hand/wrist injuries do recover fine in time.

Saw him in the playoffs, looked exactly the same - swing and miss in the zone, not recognizing offspeed. You should expect any minor league player to play better in the second half if he's not promoted because of promotions of other prospects - so for example, Frazier didn't have to face Giolito, Lopez, Pivetta for Potomac in the second half because they were all in AA.

I heard it on radio - was driving home from the airport - and Boog and Chris both expressed no doubt it was deliberate. Going off their opinion, yeah, that was pretty stupid. I hope that was just Watson being an idiot.

You're welcome, but really, I continued them because of you guys. No readers, no chats, no Klaw (well, no writer Klaw ... I think I'd continue to exist).

I didn't hear any of it (travel) but Archer did show plus-plus hair.

Hall of Fame comps are kind of tough, no? High average/OBP, modest power, plus-plus defense and baserunning, great instincts, fans will adore him. I think that's good.

His reputation within the game is strong, and players love him. I have two questions: One, why has he interviewed for six different gigs, including one with the club that employed him for six years, and never gotten a managing job? Two, is seven years' experience as a bench coach for a great manager equivalent to actual managing experience? I'd like to think it is.

It's the ratio, man. It's all wrong.

I think he ends up a reliever. I don't know of a big-league starter with a delivery that violent. It makes Alex Wood's look clean and simple.

Yes, he does. He manages los Criollos de Caguas in Puerto Rico every winter and handles a lot of the GM-type duties in assembling the roster.

Maybe try the decaf? Periscopes will return soon but I have been traveling - I was in Santo Domingo Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Profar will DH two days a week in the AFL. I bet Baez is someone's second baseman next year ... but I don't know if it's for the Cubs. Mazara was in my top 10 when I did my last update.

There is no such thing as "hotter than Ashley Judd" for me.

Not sure why Heston would have a guaranteed spot, but I do think Leake is a great fit there and very much in line with what they seem to like in starting pitchers. I think they need quantity as well as quality, and if that means foregoing an "ace" FA to sign two mid-rotation guys, so be it. They have a great defense and the offense should be better if everyone is healthy next year.

It's not one I've made, but it's a very good one.

I have one side of the story, much of it off the record, but I think I can safely say that the two parties do not agree on what the actual agreement was in the first place. He is looking for more than that $2.5 million figure and, having seen him take BP on Tuesday, he is worth it.

You would think so. There shouldn't be a 'good guy' pass for choking someone.

Hansen, Ray, Groome, Rutherford, maybe Puk (I think that's a reach). There isn't really a clear 1-1 guy right now, just a lot of guys who are easy top 5-10 picks.

Yes, but they don't display easily in HTML because you have to use special codes (usually & + the letter + a few letters indicating which accent); I'll replace them manually in the transcript afterwards.

Potential, yes. Probability, low. Never liked his approach at the plate and I haven't seen a ton of improvement there.

Good hire, but big question is how much autonomy he'll have. If Scioscia is really going to run player development from Anaheim, it'll be a big challenge for Eppler.

If you're trying to claim that's equivalent to managing a team in a winter league, I am openly laughing at you right now. It's like telling me you can beat Solitaire on your computer so you're ready to take on Deep Blue.

She knows the deal.

I agree - and that bonehead made it ten times worse by referring to her by a body part, which is a great trick if you want to dehumanize your target. Her gender is irrelevant to her qualifications, and now that she's doing the job, even her qualifications are irrelevant. She's performing her job right in front of us - judge her on that and nothing else.

No rush, still better stuff than command/feel, unsurprising for a guy who missed so much time over the last few years.

I do not believe there is any chance of that happening.

Bad contract, not sure I'd go with worst. I don't think he's movable except for another really bad contract.

Toronto vs LAD.

Supply and demand, but I do think that's starting to change a little bit. Their salaries are creeping up.

Go for it. I won't say anything goes, but it's not G-rated here.

Bit of an academic point there. Baseball is still popular, and has work to do to grow or maintain its popularity in certain demographics - and to maintain accessibility for people with less disposable income. NFL/NBA are more popular abroad, which is a tougher road for baseball to hoe because it's so much more complicated than basketball, American football, soccer, or hockey. All other major team sports involve one team trying to move an object straight down a field to put it in a net or a specific area of the field, and the other team tries to stop them. Baseball defies such easy explanation.

I thought he was headed for #2 starter when he got hurt.

Really? I hadn't heard that (in the last five minutes). I get the sense that Buck believes his way is the right way and nothing is changing while he's there. You can draw your own conclusions as to whether that is the best thing for the Orioles.

Nope. I try to remind people of that when I say that I think guys like Severino, Reynaldo Lopez, Carson Fulmer, etc are all relievers in the long run. You can be a 3 WAR reliever and make $10 million a year. The game has changed and if anything it's shifting further in that direction.

Price, although Ausmus keeping his job after the Norris debacle was ridiculous.

No, I think the Phillies will wrap theirs up by the end of the month, although MacPhail could certainly handle the GM meetings by himself. They're just going to be very discreet about their process.

Fine with me. Can't say that on Twitter though. I don't swear for its own sake, but you know, if you've ever talked to a scout or an exec, you've probably heard that such-and-such a pitcher has "good shit." It's a technical term.

It's legal gambling, right? If we try to make it illegal it'll just move offshore, so you might as well regulate and tax it. More transparency is good for the consumer. Then again, I think state lotteries should be illegal because they're just a wealth transfer from the poor to the middle- and upper-classes, so my views here aren't simple.

If the Cards were totally healthy I'd pick them. Now I'm not sure but I'm leaning slightly toward the Cubs.

We're entering a new era with some of these relievers; Kimbrel and Aroldis have held up longer than most top-end closers ever did, so perhaps the paradigm is shifting. Two years ago I would have said "not much longer." Maybe that's no longer true.

My guess is they sign one top-end starter and trade for one. I hope for their sake that they keep Rodriguez, who has ace upside, and try to package some of these major-league ready guys like Marrero, Cecchini, JBJ, etc. who have no obvious places to play in Boston any time soon.