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Dodgers Move Danny Lehmann To Bench Coach

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The Dodgers announced their 2023 coaching staff this afternoon (link via Dodger Insider). The biggest news is the hiring of Danny Lehmann as bench coach, his first time serving as Dave Roberts’ top assistant.

Lehmann, 37, is a graduate of Rice University. He spent some time in the Twins’ minor league system, reaching Triple-A for parts of four seasons. After a seven-year professional playing career, he transitioned to executive work by 2015. Initially hired by the Dodgers as a video scout, he worked his way up to game planning/communications coach on Roberts’ staff. He’s held that position in four of the last five years — with an intervening 2019 stint as a front office special assistant — and now looks set to shoulder his largest responsibility for the organization.

He’ll replace Bob Geren in that role. The veteran coach moves to major league field coordinator for his eighth season in the organization. Geren had been L.A. bench coach for the past seven years. He remains on the big league staff but vacates the bench coach position.

The rest of Los Angeles’ staff had been previously reported. Mark Prior is back as pitching coach, while Robert Van Scoyoc and Aaron Bates will share hitting coach duties. Josh Bard is back as bullpen coach, with Clayton McCullough and Dino Ebel coaching the bases. Connor McGuiness returns as Prior’s assistant pitching coach. There is no new hire to fill Lehmann’s previous role.

Dodgers Set To Promote Mark Prior To Pitching Coach

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The Dodgers lost pitching coach Rick Honeycutt to retirement earlier this month, though they appear to be closing in on a replacement. They’re working toward a deal to promote bullpen coach Mark Prior to take over for Honeycutt, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. It won’t be a surprising hire, as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman suggested upon Honeycutt’s exit that Prior would grab the reins.

Prior, who’s now 39 years old, still counts as one of the most hyped pitching prospects of the past couple decades. He was a member of the Cubs from 2002-06, a span in which he ranged from good to excellent, but a rash of injuries ruined Prior’s MLB career and prevented him from pitching professionally after 2013. Prior then spent time as the Padres’ minor league pitching coordinator for three seasons before the Dodgers hired him to oversee their bullpen in advance of the 2018 campaign.

Now, assuming Prior does succeed Honeycutt, he’ll be inheriting a pitching staff with no shortage of talent. The Dodgers’ relief corps was somewhat of a sore spot in 2019, especially during a Game 5 meltdown against the Nationals in the NLDS, though the club’s pitchers still ranked at or near the top of the majors in ERA (first), K/BB ratio (first) and fWAR (second). Unfortunately for LA, it’s now at risk of losing starters Hyun-Jin Ryu and Rich Hill to free agency in the coming weeks. However, the big-spending team could re-sign either or both and/or go outside the organization this offseason to give Prior more to work with in 2020.

Rick Honeycutt Retires From Role As Dodgers’ Pitching Coach

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Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt will not return to that job in 2020, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters including MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (via Twitter). Honeycutt is expected to remain in the organization in a special assistant capacity.

The departure of Honeycutt from the staff of skipper Dave Roberts will not necessarily kick off a hiring search for a replacement. Bullpen coach Mark Prior appears to be in line for a promotion, Friedman indicated. There’ll be at least one new coaching staff opening regardless.

Honeycutt spent two decades in the majors as a sturdy starter and then reliever. He mirrored that longevity as a coach, running the Dodgers’ pitching operations for a remarkable 14 years. It seems that serious back issues and the rigors of the MLB schedule have combined to lead him to a more relaxed role in the organization.

Prior’s playing career was the opposite of Honeycutt’s — brilliant but excruciatingly fleeting. He tried for years to make it back from arm injuries but never did. Once he turned to teaching pitching, Prior quickly proved his merit. After a stint with the Padres organization, he spent the last two years as Honeycutt’s understudy.

Friedman also confirmed that Roberts will indeed be back as the manager — as had already been reported. Indeed, he expressed surprise that some had questioned whether Roberts would return after another exceptional regular season. The skipper’s job security became an issue after his confounding management of the team’s pitching resources in the recent NLDS Game 5 loss. But Friedman said that the organization still sees Roberts as an “additive part” of the club’s effort to capture an elusive World Series title.

NL Notes: Marlins, Dodgers, Rockies, Brewers

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Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald has obtained two versions of Project Wolverine – the operational plan of new Marlins owners Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman – one of which is from August and the other from a couple months before. According to the document, whose name stems from Jeter’s home state of Michigan (the Wolverine State), the Marlins will turn a profit in 2018. Most of that will come from MLB’s sale of BAMTech to Disney, which entitles each team to a one-time payout of $50MM. Otherwise, exactly how much of a profit the Marlins will rake in next season is going to depend largely on their television deal with Fox, Jackson explains.

Back in August, Jeter and Sherman forecast a $68MM “cash flow” profit, but they projected $44.8MM would come via an up-front payment from a renegotiated TV contract with Fox. There hasn’t been a renegotiation yet, though, and if it doesn’t occur, the Marlins’ projected profits would drop to $23MM or lower for next season, Jackson reports. The Marlins’ pact with Fox runs through 2020 and ranks as the lowest-paying TV contract in the majors, and as Jackson notes, it’s a key reason why the team is unwilling to field a larger payroll. Additionally, as of August, the Marlins expected a 2018 spike in attendance revenue, but that now looks questionable at best with fan favorites Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna having been traded in payroll-slashing deals. Looking beyond next season, Jeter and Sherman projected profits of $10MM in 2019, $15.8MM in 2020 and $22MM in 2021 in August, details Jackson, whose piece is well worth a full read.

More from the NL:

  • The Dodgers have hired former major league right-hander Mark Prior to serve as their bullpen coach, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links here). Prior had worked as the division-rival Padres’ minor league pitching coordinator since he officially retired from the game in 2013. The 37-year-old was “very good” in that role, notes Brown, who suggests Prior could eventually take over for Rick Honeycutt as the Dodgers’ pitching coach.
  • The Rockies re-signed reliever Jake McGee to a three-year, $27MM contract earlier this winter, and he repaid the club by helping recruit closer Wade Davis to Colorado, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post relays. “I told him this was a team that was going to win now,” said McGee. “I told him that (manager) Bud Black was awesome and I really liked how he used the bullpen. I told him the team was awesome and the communication was really good.” McGee and Davis, who joined the Rox last week on a three-year, $52MM pact, previously played together in both the minors and majors as members of the Rays organization. The two were even Single-A roommates at times, Saunders adds.
  • Brewers righty Jimmy Nelson, who underwent surgery on a torn labrum in September, told MLB Network on Tuesday that his “rehab is going just about as well as it could possibly go, knock on wood” (via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Its still unclear, though, how much time the 28-year-old will miss next season after emerging as a front-of-the-rotation starter in 2017. For now, Nelson’s “really anxious to start a throwing program and get to spring training.”

Mark Prior Officially Retires; Could Join Padres Front Office

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Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that he ran into Mark Prior at the Winter Meetings and was told the Prior has officially retired and could join the Padres front office. Prior's most recent comeback attempt with the Reds in 2013 was cut short when he once again injured his shoulder.

Prior, now 33 years of age, hasn't pitched in the Major Leagues since 2006. Drafted second overall behind Joe Mauer in the 2001 draft, Prior burst onto the scene in 2002-03 with the Cubs in dominant fashion. In his first 328 big league innings, Prior posted a 2.74 ERA with a 392-to-88 (4.45) K/BB ratio.

Unfortunately, Prior would go on to throw just 329 additional Major League innings in an injury-riddled career. Multiple injuries to his rotator cuff, labrum and anterior capsule in his right shoulder required multiple surgeries that have limited 58 2/3 innings in affiliated ball since the end of the 2006 season.

Prior's once-promising playing career officially comes to an end with a 3.51 ERA, 10.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 657 innings. Prior signed a then-record $10.5MM contract out of the 2001 draft, which stood until 2009 when Stephen Strasburg signed a four-year $15.1MM deal as the No. 1 overall pick.

The Padres organization has lost several key members of its field staff following the hiring of Rick Renteria as Cubs manager, and it also lost special assistant Brad Ausmus to the Tigers. Prior could bring a wealth of knowledge to assist GM Josh Byrnes and his staff.

Minor Moves: Kinney, Prior, Sherrill

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Here's today's collection of minor moves from around the league…

  • The Mariners announced that they have re-instated right-hander Josh Kinney from the 60-day DL and outrighted him to Triple-A Tacoma. Kinney was placed on the disabled list on March 25 with a stress reaction in his rib cage. He's thrown 8 1/3 innings at Triple-A over the course of a rehab assignment, allowing three runs with seven strikeouts and no walks.
  • Mark Prior has been released from the Reds' Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, the team announced via Twitter. The former phenom has been on the shelf since April 25 with a right shoulder strain. He posted a 4.66 ERA with nine strikeouts and four walks (one intentional) in 9 2/3 innings for the Bats this year. Prior hasn't appeared in the Majors since 2006.
  • Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star tweets that the Royals have released lefty George Sherrill from Triple-A Omaha. Scott Unger, media relations manager of the independent league Winnipeg Goldeyes (for whom Sherrill used to pitch) first tweeted the news yesterday. The 36-year-old Sherrill posted a 6.23 ERA with with 12.5 K/9 and 5.8 BB/9 in 21 2/3 innings for the Storm Chasers this season. Sherrill racked up 51 saves for the Orioles from 2008-09 after they received him along with Adam Jones, Chris Tillman and Kam Mickolio from the Mariners in 2008's Erik Bedard heist. He has a 3.77 ERA in 324 1/3 Major League innings between the Mariners, Orioles, Dodgers and Braves. Sherrill pitched just 1 1/3 innings last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery in early May.
  • Three players are currently in DFA limbo: Carlos Marmol of the Cubs, Francisley Bueno of the Royals and Eric Thames of the Mariners.

Reds Sign Mark Prior

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The Reds signed Mark Prior to a minor league deal, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The move reunites Prior with manager Dusty Baker, who managed Prior early in his career with the Cubs.

“He called me and … asked for a chance,” Baker told Fay. "He feels like he has some unfinished business."

Critics often point to Baker's handling of Prior as one of the reasons the promising right-hander dealt with so many injuries. Despite the perception that Baker mis-managed Prior, they have remained close and speak a couple of times each year, Fay reports.

A series of shoulder problems derailed Prior's career, and he last pitched at the MLB level in 2006. Prior has tried to resurrect his career with stints with the Padres, Rangers, Yankees and Red Sox. The 32-year-old had been working to strengthen his shoulder in the hopes of receiving an invitation to Spring Training. 

The Cubs drafted Prior second overall in 2001 and he soon became one of the National League's best pitchers. He posted a 2.43 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 as a 22-year-old just a year and a half after being drafted. 

Central Notes: Cubs, Brewers, Gamel, Chapman, Reds

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A look at the Central divisions..

  • There are six or seven teams in the eastern or central divisions to which Alfonso Soriano would accept a trade, writes Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. The long-time Cubs outfielder made it clear last summer that he would not have accepted a potential trade to the Giants. Soriano told reporters that the Cubs know which teams he'd prefer, but stated multiple times that his first priority is to win in Chicago.
  • Brewers manager Ron Roenicke announced today that Mat Gamel, who was sidelined for the final five months of the 2012 season with a torn ACL, will miss all of the 2013 season, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.  The Brewers were already thin at first base thanks to Corey Hart's injury.  They plan to cover with in-house options, but GM Doug Melvin will look for outside options as well.  McCalvy suggests (on Twitter) that they could consider the recently DFA'd Mike Carp and Daric Barton of the A's.
  • Craig Fehrman of Cincinnati Magazine profiled Aroldis Chapman and the journey that brought the left-hander to the Reds.  The piece includes Chapman's daring move to defect from Cuba and the unique events that led him to changing representation while auditioning for teams.
  • The Twins are not among the clubs that have expressed interest in Mark Prior, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter).  Prior is working on strengthening his shoulder in an attempt to hook on with a team in spring training.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Indians, Mark Prior, Phillies, Mark Lerner

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On this day in 1971, Satchel Paige became the first Negro League player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The oldest player to make his Major League debut, Paige took the field for the Indians for the first time at the age of 42. Here's the latest news and stories making headlines across MLB.

  • After making a series of deals this offseason in hopes of making a strong push toward the playoffs, the Indians may not be done adding pieces to their roster just yet, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. Kyle Lohse and Michael Bourn remain on the radar for Cleveland as the organization would only have to give up a third round draft pick in order to sign either player.
  • Mark Prior hasn't given up on his goal of returning to the Major Leagues as he's working on strengthening his shoulder in hopes of receiving an invitation to Spring Training, says David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com. Currently in the best shape of his life according to reports, Prior spent the 2012 season at Triple-A Pawtucket as a member of the Red Sox organization before being released in August. For more on Prior, Doug Miller of MLB.com takes an in-depth approach to telling the past and present story of the former sensation's life on both a professional and personal level.
  • The contracts for recently-signed members of the Phillies organization are broken down by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com as he provides the financial incentives players would receive based upon meeting specific goals. For example, Delmon Young would be awarded $100K if named NL MVP next season and $250K for reaching 600 plate appearances, among others. 
  • Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner told college students at a conference directed toward finding a career in sports that he often learns of deals made by his GM Mike Rizzo by visiting MLB Trade Rumors, writes James Wagner of The Washington Post. A special thanks to Mark for publicly recognizing the work done at MLBTR by Tim Dierkes and his staff.

Red Sox Release Mark Prior

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The Red Sox have released right-hander Mark Prior, according to Brendan McGair of the Pawtucket Times (via Twitter).  The move was made in order to create space for the newly-acquired Pedro Beato.

Prior, 31, hooked on with the Red Sox in early May as he looked to attempt yet another comeback.  During his time in Triple-A Pawtucket, Prior posted a 3.96 ERA with 13.7 K/9 and 8.3 BB/9 in a small sample size of 25 innings of work.  The second-overall pick in 2001 was brilliant in the early portion of his career but has not pitched in the majors since 2006 thanks to a series of shoulder problems.

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