Ringolsby: Hurdle not on hot seat, others maybe

While a faction of the media has attempted to create a buzz about the future of Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, there never was a desire within the organization to make a managerial change.

And the fact he will be in the final year of his contract isn't a concern of Hurdle, who shrugs off the suggestion that life can be more challenging if a manager is perceived to be in a lame-duck position.

Hurdle isn't the only manager who will go into 2009 in the final year of his contract.

Former Rockies manager Jim Leyland faces a similar situation in Detroit. Last weekend, he said he was "disappointed" the Tigers did not give him an extension, but he did indicate unlike the three previous times that he managed a team to a last-place finish -- Pittsburgh (1996), Florida (1998) and Colorado (1999) -- he will not quit this time.

While decisions still have to be made about who is going to manage the Mariners, Brewers and Mets next year, 15 of the 27 manages are currently under one-year guarantees for 2009, including Mike Scioscia of the Angels, Charlie Manuel of the Phillies and Joe Maddon of the Rays, who have their teams in the postseason.

Scioscia, Manuel, the Nationals' Manny Acta, the Orioles' Dave Trembley and the Rangers' Ron Washington have options for 2010, but those are at the team's discretion and do not include buyouts.

Others with contracts that cover only 2009 include the Astros' Cecil Cooper, the Athletics' Bob Geren, the Braves' Bobby Cox, the Cardinals' Tony La Russa, the Giants' Bruce Bochy, the Marlins' Fredi Gonzalez and the Padres' Bud Black.

It might be worth nothing that three managers fired during the 2008 season had guarantees for 2009 -- the Mariners' John McLaren, the Brewers' Ned Yost and the Mets' Willie Randolph.

The Blue Jays' John Gibbons was in the final year of his contract.

INFIELD CHATTER

-- Slow down on rumors that San Diego might deal ace Jake Peavy, 27. Peavy, who is guaranteed $11 million in 2009, $15 million in 2010 and $16 million in 2011, has a complete no-trade clause through 2010.

-- Right-hander Mike Mussina, 39, indicated that if he returns to the Yankees, he would like a three-year deal. Mussina, whose 18-year career has been spent with the Orioles and Yankees, also is hinting that if he doesn't return to the Yankees, he could retire because he doesn't want to become a vagabond.

-- Left-hander Mike Hampton wants to pitch again. He doesn't want to have his career end with an injury-prone label, and Atlanta is interested in bringing him back with a contract heavy on incentives.

THE ROTATION

With the Yankees giving general manager Brian Cashman a three-year extension and Mets GM Omar Minaya being given four more years, GM jobs still uncertain include:

-- Philadelphia. Pat Gillick said he is retiring. His assistants, Ruben Amaro and Mike Arbuckle, are leading candidates.

-- Toronto. J.P. Ricciardi's future is tied to the new president. If it is someone with a baseball background, such as Gillick, a change could be made. If Rogers Communications, which owns the team, sends in a business type to be president, Ricciardi likely will survive.

-- Washington. Jim Bowden always seems on the edge. Word inside the organization is scouting director Mike Rizzo has been positioning himself.

-- Los Angeles. Ned Colletti came under heat for free-agent signings but then made masterful in-season deals to get the Dodgers into the postseason. Ownership won't confirm Colletti is secure, creating speculation that scouting director Logan White could move up.

-- Seattle. Gillick could have the job, again. If he really doesn't want to be a GM, interim Lee Pelekoudas has been told he will be considered. The names of assistant GMs Bill Geivett of the Rockies, Jerry DiPoto of Arizona and Kim Ng of the Dodgers also have surfaced. San Diego denied permission for the Mariners to talk to GM Kevin Towers.

-- Texas. Jon Daniels could remain in the organization, but there is talk about bringing in a more experienced exec to run the baseball operation, such as Gerry Hunsicker.

OUT IN LEFT FIELD

Five of the 10 teams with opening day payrolls in excess of $100 million didn't advance to the postseason -- the No. 1 Yankees ($209 million), No. 2 Mets ($137.8 million), No. 3 Tigers ($137.7 million), No. 9 Mariners (117.7 million) and No. 10 Braves ($102.4 million).

However, only one team that ranked in the bottom half of opening day payrolls is still playing -- No. 29 Tampa Bay ($43.8 million).

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CLOSING STATEMENT

Washington's ineptitude will pay off in next June's draft.

The Nationals earned the No. 1 pick in the draft with a worst in baseball 59-102 record, two fewer wins than Seattle. The Nationals also will get the 10th pick in the first round to offset their failure to sign first-round pick Aaron Crow, a right-handed pitcher from Missouri whom Washington took with the ninth pick in the draft. Teams that fail to sign a No. 1 pick are awarded the pick directly after the spot where the player they failed to sign the previous year was selected.

That bumps the Rockies to the No. 11 pick. The Rockies, Cincinnati and Detroit tied with 74 wins, but the Rockies had a better record in 2007 than the other two, so the Reds will pick eighth and the Tigers ninth, just ahead of Washington's comp pick.

The Yankees will receive the 29th selection in the first round for their inability to sign pitcher Gerrit Cole of Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High School, who opted for college without even negotiating. Seattle still has signing rights to No. 20 pick Joshua Fields, a pitcher from Georgia, because he was a senior.

NUMBERS GAME

-- .388: Batting average with four home runs and 15 RBI for Milwaukee first baseman Prince Fielder in the final 12 regular-season games, during which Dale Sveum was manager. That compares with a .239 average with two homers and six RBI in the first 13 games of September, which shows it might have been more player production than decisions by fired manager Ned Yost that slowed the Brewers the first half of September.

HIS HOME: THE BRAVES

Third baseman Chipper Jones has been with the Braves organization since he was signed as the No. 1 draft pick in 1990 and has spent the past 14 years at the big-league level.

Jones, 36, fresh off becoming the oldest switch hitter to win a batting title, says he hopes he can finish his career with the Braves. Not only has Jones never worn another uniform, he never has played for a big-league manager other than Bobby Cox.

His .364 average was one point short of the record for a switch-hitter that Mickey Mantle set in 1957.

HE SAID IT

"I thought we had a club that would compete to win a championship, and it's apparent we were significantly off on that, which is my responsibility. I'm embarrassed that you have a very large payroll and you don't do well. Now what we need to do is go out and try to fix it."

-- Dave Dombrowski, general manager, whose Tigers finished last in the American League Central despite a $134 million payroll, third highest in baseball.

(Contact Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News at ringolsbyt(at)rockymountainnews.com.)