Dusty Baker may not be as safe in Cincinnati as the Reds' strong finish would suggest. Owner Bob Castellini reportedly has his eye on the Cardinals tandem of manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan. ... Another former Cubs manager, Don Baylor, is being mentioned as a candidate for the vacancy in Houston, but general manager Ed Wade is trying to sell Jim Fregosi to owner Drayton McLane. ...
The odds on the Cardinals re-signing Matt Holliday, which weren't great to start with, took a hit when he muffed a ninth-inning line drive in Game 2 of the division series against the Dodgers. The 800-pound gorilla in the Holliday negotiations is Alex Rodriguez's 10-year, $275 million contract with the Yankees. That has to be the starting point for an extension with Albert Pujols, who is two years from free agency. ...
The Brewers are telling teams they don't plan to trade Prince Fielder. They hope to get pitching back in trades for shortstop J.J. Hardy and possibly third base prospect Mat Gamel, a .302 hitter in five minor league systems who has been made expendable by the emergence of Casey McGehee, claimed on waivers from the Cubs last fall. ... "Heart of the Game" by S.L. Price, on the late Mike Coolbaugh, might be the best baseball book since "Ball Four." ... Speaking of books, "Moneyball" protagonist Billy Beane is responsible for A's teams that have gone 226-259 since Barry Zito's exit, and Beane admits "we have a long way to go" in getting competitive again. Manager Bob Geren is safe for another year as the search for hitters continues. ...
New Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, 32, was hired as J.P. Ricciardi's scouting coordinator in 2003. He was a teenager when he got his first job in baseball, coordinating the fan mail of Expos players. ... The Twins will attempt to re-sign shortstop Orlando Cabrera, whom they praise as a leader. ... Prospective free agent John Lackey might make himself a lot of money with a couple more strong playoff starts for the Angels. He'd be a perfect addition to the Cubs, but there may be too many bad contracts on the books for them to bid for him. The teams seemingly in the best position to spend this winter are the Red Sox, Yankees, Nationals and Giants.