Scott Downs; Photo from Wikimedia Commons

James Paxton continues to dominate the BluGrass Baseball headlines, but the Winter Meetings start tomorrow in Indianapolis so plenty of trade rumors will break in the next few days. Baseball executives will arrive in Indiana today so keep checking back for news about your favorite Kentucky major leaguers.

• Aaron Fitt of Baseball America looks at UK’s response in the James Paxton lawsuit, and lists three possible outcomes.
• Dan Uggla tells Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post that if the Marlins are going to trade him, he would prefer it to be sooner than later.
• Jordan Bastian of MLB.com lists UK alum Scott Downs as one Blue Jays trade candidate.
• Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports echoes the Downs rumors.
• Mark Sheldon of MLB.com looks at the Cincinnati Reds’ farm system including AAA Louisville Bats.

‘Same Card, Different Paths’ – Card #22

1967 Topps - Card #581 – AKA – ‘The Tom Seaver Rookie Card’

Bill Denehy - Denehy’s career lasted 3 brief seasons.  He appeared in 49 games and finished his career with a 1-10 record along with 1 save.  His high ERA of 4.56 coupled with his 63:61 K:walk ratio assisted in his quick exit from the big leagues.

Tom Seaver – Seaver was a Rookie of the Year winner, a 3-time Cy Young award winner, and a member of the 1969 World Series Champion New York Mets.  His Hall of Fame resume includes 311 wins, a career 2.86 ERA, 3,640 strikeouts and being a 12-time All-star.  Seaver was one of the most dominant pitchers in the 1970’s – and he deservedly earned the nickname ‘Tom Terrific’!

According to current New York Mets beat writer and future Director of Player Development Adam Rubin, the Mets have officially announced the hiring of former Cincinnati Reds’ GM Wayne Krivsky as special assistant to GM Omar Minaya.

Despite having “assistant” in his title, trust me when I tell you, Krivsky will not be answering the phone for Minaya. And trust me when I tell you, Minaya had nothing to do with this hire.

Minaya is on the hot seat in Flushing

The Mets are trying to bring in as many quality baseball people as possible, so not only can they try to right the ship for 2010, but when they eventually do get rid of Minaya, they have internal options.

In my opinion, Krivsky will be the next GM of the Mets.

At this point, Minaya is just a fugure head. He is the Bobby Bowden of the Mets–minus the success or credibility.

From what I have been hearing, Minaya has little or no power with the Mets anymore. Jeff Wilpon is the one calling the shots in Flushing.

The only reason the Mets have not fired Minaya after his disaster both on and off the field is because he signed a three-year extension that just kicks in next year and the Mets don’t want to pay his salary.

Are there two bigger lame ducks in baseball than Minaya and Jerry Manuel?

Last month the Mets hired Wally Backman, who is a good bet to replace Manuel–to manage the Brooklyn Cyclones–a move I have been saying the Mets should make for years. And now they have hired Minaya’s eventual replacement in Krivsky.

My guess is Minaya and Manuel won’t be around for the 2011 season.

This will be Krivsky’s second stint with the Mets. He held the same title in 2008 before leaving to take a similar position with the Baltimore Orioles in 2009.

The fact Krivsky would leave a team and an organization on the rise to come to a dysfunctional organization just strengthens my belief that he came to the Mets to eventually become the GM.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

Baseball America has released its list of the top ten prospects for the Arizona Fall League, and 2009 Bat Yonder Alonso made the cut. Alonso only played with Louisville during the International League playoffs, but he should start 2010 in AAA. The first baseman batted .292 with nine home runs and 52 RBI in 84 games between rookie ball, high A and AA in 2009. Check out Alonso’s AFL stats and a snippet of BA analysis below:

#8) 1B — Yonder Alonso — Peoria Saguaros — Cincinnati Reds

• .267, two home runs, 23 RB, 23 G
• BA: “When healthy, Alonso has above-average power and good bat speed, allowing him to let the ball travel deep in the zone and wear out the gaps. His plate discipline helps him get into good hitter’s counts and get on base at a high clip.”

Alonso has also appeared in two games in the Puerto Rican Winter League following the AFL season. You can see the full BA list here. (subscription required)

Roberto Alomar has the numbers of a first ballot Hall-of-Famer.

Roberto Alomar: The best second baseman of the 90’s, Roberto Alomar was a model of consistency both offensively and defensively, winning 10 Gold Gloves (the most ever by a 2B) and capturing four Silver Sluggers during his illustrious career. The 12-time All-Star collected 2,724 hits, 504 doubles, 210 HR’s, 1,134 RBI’s, 474 stolen bases and hit an even .300 in his 17-year playing tenure with the Padres, Blue Jays, Orioles, Indians, Mets, White Sox and Diamondbacks. Delivering surprising pop and excellent speed for a middle infielder, Alomar is one of the most decorated second baseman in the history of the game and compares favorably to another recent Hall-of-Famer at his position, Ryne Sandberg. The native of Puerto Rico captured two World Series titles with Toronto in 1992 and 1993, hitting .480 in the ‘93 Fall Classic and finishing with a .318 career postseason average. If there’s a knock against Alomar’s candidacy it would be an embarrassing incident in 1996 when he spat in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck, leading to a five game suspension. However, in an era of rampant steroid abuse and numerous other off-field transgressions, Alomar’s moment of stupidity probably won’t cost him that many votes. His numbers speak for themselves…Alomar is one of the game’s best second baseman ever. Verdict: First Ballot Hall-of-Famer

Barry Larkin: Barry Larkin was the preeminent shortstop of the National League in the 1990’s, making eight All-Star appearances in the decade. Born in Cincinnati, Larkin attended the same high school as Ken Griffey Jr and played the entirety of his 19-year career with the Reds after being selected fourth overall in 1985. Larkin’s tenure with Cincinnati was highlighted by his selection as the NL MVP in 1995 (.319-15 HR’s-66 RBI’s-51 SB’s), but he also thrived defensively, capturing three Gold Gloves at SS. Despite the fact that he won nine Silver Sluggers during his career, Larkin never led the league in a single offensive category, and his career numbers (.295-198 HR’s-960 RBI’s-379 SB’s) aren’t that overwhelming. He was a very good player for a long time, but the Hall-of-Fame was created for greatness. Verdict: Outside looking in

Edgar swung a mean stick, but will his lack of time in the field cost him a shot at the Hall?

Edgar Martinez: The only man who could legitimately challenge Ken Griffey Jr. as the most beloved player in Seattle Mariners’ history, Edgar Martinez helped to save a franchise on the brink with his steady presence and clutch hitting (his game winning double in the 1995 ALCS against New York is one of the best postseason moments of the past 20 years). Martinez was one of the game’s finest right-handed hitters, finishing his career with 2,247 hits, 514 doubles, 309 HR’s, 1,261 RBI’s and a .312 lifetime batting average. His career .418 OBP is 22nd all-time, placing him ahead of Hall-of-Famers Stan Musial, Mel Ott and Hank Greenberg, while his OPS is the 34th best in the history of baseball. ”Gar” was a 7-time All-Star, 5-time Silver Slugger and 2-time AL Batting Champion (1992 and 1995) while playing his entire 18-year career in Seattle. The main argument against Martinez is that he accumulated the majority of his stats as a designated hitter, but he did so well enough that the award for the best DH is now named after him. The fact that he was never associated with steroids helps his cause, as does voters willingness to consider “newer” statistics like OBP and OPS in which Martinez excelled. Leaving a player out of the Hall-of-Fame simply because he didn’t play in the field seems like quite an injustice, especially if players who made their living almost solely defensively (Ozzie Smith, Luis Aparicio, etc.) or couldn’t field at all but hit well (Jim Rice, Paul Molitor, etc.), have been enshrined in Cooperstown. Verdict: Hall-of-Famer, but not in 2010

Fred McGriff: When he retired in the middle of the 2004 season, Fred McGriff fell just short of the mythical 500-HR plateau, finishing with 493 career longballs (although he could still pull a Bernie Mac and return for one last shot at glory ala Mr. 3000). Much like Larkin, McGriff was a good player for an extended period of time, making five All-Star teams and winning three Silver Sluggers. The Crime Dog was a consistent run producer with eight seasons of 100+ RBI’s and 10 seasons in which he hit 30 or more HR’s, although he never hit more than 36 in any one year. His career numbers (.284-493 HR’s-1,550 RBI’s-2,490 hits) are certainly impressive, but McGriff never finished in the top-3 of MVP voting, and is 8th all-time in strikeouts. There have been worse selections in the history of Cooperstown (Ted Lyons?), but McGriff isn’t quite worthy of joining baseball’s most exclusive fraternity. Verdict: Close but no cigar