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Latest On Mets’ Managerial Search

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OCT. 22: Luis Rojas will also interview for a second time, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets.

OCT. 20, 8:55pm: Tim Bogar is also getting a second interview, Ken Rosenthal reports (via Twitter).

7:50pm: Joe Girardi will also receive a second interview from the Mets, as per Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link).

7:33pm: The Mets are entering their second round of managerial interviews, with two names already scheduled for another meeting with team brass.  SNY’s Andy Martino reported yesterday that long-time Mets star Carlos Beltran was expected to get another interview, and Mike Puma of the New York Post writes that the Mets have indeed asked the Yankees for permission to speak with Beltran (who is a special advisor to the Yankees GM Brian Cashman).  Eduardo Perez, the former first baseman and current analyst for both ESPN and MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM, is also being asked back for a second interview, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports.

At least one more candidate is expected to join this next stage of the interview process, though the identity of the third person isn’t yet known.  Joe Girardi, Skip Schumaker, Derek Shelton, Luis Rojas, Tim Bogar, and Mike Bell are the other six candidates who have received interviews to date.  Martino also tweets that the Mets are still looking into some other candidates who have yet to be revealed.

Beltran and Perez aren’t under consideration for any of the other seven managerial openings around the game, though Beltran has said that he is only interested in managing in New York, to the point of turning down requests to interview with the Padres and Cubs.  Perez was interviewed by the Reds and Blue Jays about their managerial vacancies last offseason.  Though Beltran and Perez have 33 combined seasons of MLB playing experience between them, neither has managed at the big league level, which means the Mets would be following up Mickey Callaway’s short-lived tenure with another first-time skipper if either Beltran or Perez (or, in fact, any of the known candidates except Girardi) are hired.

Perez has been a manager in Puerto Rico and also managed Colombia’s team in the qualifying rounds for the 2013 World Baseball Classic.  Perez’s resume also include a stint as a special assistant in the Indians front office, as well as one season as the Astros bench coach in 2013 and roughly a season and a half as the Marlins’ hitting coach from 2011-12.

Beltran only hung up his spikes after the 2017 season, and after taking a year away from the sport, joined the Yankees’ front office as Cashman’s advisor.  Beltran came relatively close to becoming a New York manager two winters ago, as he was one of the six candidates interviewed by the Yankees for the position that eventually went to Aaron Boone.

Nationals Outright Spencer Kieboom

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The Nationals are preparing for Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday, but that’s not stopping their front office from handling other business. The club outrighted catcher Spencer Kieboom to Triple-A Fresno on Monday, per the Pacific Coast League transactions page. As someone who has been outrighted previously, Kieboom will have a chance to elect free agency.

Kieboom, the brother of standout Nationals shortstop prospect Carter Kieboom, has been a member of the organization since going in Round 5 of the 2012 draft. Spencer Kieboom was a decently regarded prospect in his own right a few years back, though he hasn’t been able to carve out a consistent big league role thus far.

Kieboom got his only real taste of the majors in 2018, when a patient, low-strikeout approach helped him post a playable on-base percentage. However, a lack of power limited Kieboom to a .232/.322/.320 line over his 143 plate appearances. The 28-year-old didn’t make it back to Washington or even play with Fresno this season, instead spending all of it with Double-A Harrisburg. Kieboom batted just .196/.271/.256 in 188 PA before an elbow injury cut his season short.

David Hale Elects Free Agency

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Veteran right-hander David Hale has elected free agency, according to the International League transactions page. The Yankees outrighted Hale on Oct. 19. He had been projected to earn $900K in arbitration.

This may conclude Hale’s time with the Yankees, but it’s worth noting they’ve brought him back in the past after cutting him loose. The club designated Hale for assignment on three separate occasions during the 2018 campaign, though the well-traveled 32-year-old stuck around and managed impressive numbers this season.

Hale, who divided 2019 between New York and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, put up a strong 3.11 ERA/3.32 FIP with 5.5 K/9, 1.67 BB/9 and a 50 percent groundball rate across 20 relief appearances and 37 2/3 big league innings. As a starter in the minors, Hale totaled seven outings and 32 2/3 frames of 4.13 ERA/4.08 FIP ball with 8.27 K/9, 2.76 BB/9 and a 53.3 percent grounder rate. However, a lumbar spine strain derailed his summer, sidelining from the last week of July until the final days of September.

Latest On Giants’ Managerial Search

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The Giants have identified at least seven serious candidates in their search for departed manager Bruce Bochy’s successor. Regardless of who ultimately gets the job, it appears it’ll be president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi making the call. Giants ownership is putting “the entirety of this decision” in Zaidi’s hands, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic writes (subscription link). That isn’t the case for every team with a managerial opening, as we’ve seen with the Phillies.

As for those in the running for San Francisco’s job, Athletics quality control coach Mark Kotsay may be the favorite. One source told Baggarly it’ll be a surprise if the Giants don’t select Kotsay, a longtime major league outfielder who played in Oakland (2004-07) when Zaidi was in its front office. Kotsay, like the vast majority of candidates on the Giants’ radar, has never managed in the majors.

While Kotsay may be the front-runner for the Giants, the club’s still keeping its options open. The Giants have told a pair of their assistants, bench coach Hensley Meulens and third base coach Ron Wotus, that they remain under consideration to take over for Bochy, according to Baggarly. They’re the only in-house candidates so far for San Francisco, which Baggarly reports is not close to making a hire.

Latest On Phillies’ Managerial Opening

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Phillies owner John Middleton had the determining vote in the team’s decision to fire manager Gabe Kapler, and he could wield his power again in finding a new skipper. Middleton’s said to be “leaning toward” Joe Girardi as the choice, while other members of the Phillies’ hierarchy are fans of fellow finalist Buck Showalter, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. There’s no word on whether Dusty Baker, who has also been in the mix, is still a candidate for the job.

Girardi, reportedly the favorite for the position, had his second interview with the club Monday. Unlike Kapler, a first-time MLB skipper at the time of his hiring, Girardi brings a wealth of experience in the role. The 55-year-old oversaw the NL East rival Marlins back in 2006, when he led a low-payroll club to 78 wins en route to NL Manager of the Year honors. The dysfunctional Marlins fired Girardi in the wake of that season, though, and after a year off, he accepted the Yankees’ managerial job entering 2008. Girardi, who ultimately remained in the position through 2017, helped the Yankees to six playoff berths. In Girardi’s crowning achievement as New York’s manager, the team knocked off his next potential employer, Philadelphia, in the 2009 World Series.

Showalter, seemingly Girardi’s main competition, also comes with significant experience as a manager (20 years, to be exact). As of last week, Middleton was reportedly collecting information from players on Showalter. There’s already quite a bit of familiarity between Showalter and key members of the Phillies’ front office, making it unsurprising they’re interested in hiring the 63-year-old. Showalter last managed in Baltimore, where now-Philly president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and general manager Matt Klentak worked before landing their current gigs. MacPhail hired Showalter to steer the Orioles, but it doesn’t appear the two will be reuniting if Girardi truly is Middleton’s No. 1 target.

Japanese Center Fielder Shogo Akiyama Adds To Open-Market Options

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You may have noticed that this winter’s slate of free agents isn’t exactly teeming with high-end center fielders. That state of affairs led us to examine recently what could be a robust trade market for Pirates star Starling Marte. With so much demand and so little obvious supply, the timing may be just right for a relatively unknown option up the middle.

Center fielder Shogo Akiyama is known well to fans of Nippon Professional Baseball. The 31-year-old, a left-handed hitter, has starred for the Seibu Lions since a breakout 2015 season. He’s a .301 lifetime hitter with strong plate discipline. More recently, his power has been on the rise, with a total of 69 home runs over the past three seasons.

Akiyama has long carried an excellent reputation for glovework up the middle, veteran NPB scribe Jim Allen observes, though it seems that his prowess may have taken a bit of a downturn more recently. No doubt MLB scouts have taken a close look for themselves already. Akiyama isn’t exceptionally youthful, but he has been quite durable, so that’s another feather in his cap.

NPB recently confirmed that Akiyama is an international free agent, meaning he’s free to sign with any team in any league in the world without going through a posting system. The lack of a transfer fee certainly increases the appeal. MLB teams can approach Akiyama more or less as they would any other available player.

As a recent Yahoo Japan report covers, the Seibu Lions have made clear that they intend to pursue Akiyama with a long-term offer. Other NPB clubs may also be involved, that report indicates. But MLB outfits have been tracking him as well. The report suggests that at least four teams — the Mariners, Padres, Diamondbacks, and Cubs — have at least taken a look at Akiyama.

Akiyama is not the only intriguing Japanese player who’ll factor in the offseason market. Fellow star outfielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo has already indicated a clear interest in coming over via the posting system; it remains to be seen how his market will develop.

MLBTR Poll: Didi Gregorius & The Qualifying Offer

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Now that the Yankees’ season is over, their front office is left to ponder the futures of many of the club’s players, including shortstop Didi Gregorius. While Gregorius has largely been an above-average to excellent contributor since the Yankees acquired him entering 2015, the two sides’ five-year partnership may be on the verge of ending. Gregorius is weeks from a trip to free agency, where he’s easily slated to be the highest-upside shortstop available. The question, if Gregorius does reach the open market, is whether he’ll come with a qualifying offer attached.

The 29-year-old Gregorius would’ve been a slam dunk for a $17.8MM QO were he coming off a similar season to the ones he posted from 2017-18. Gregorius was a 4.0-fWAR player in each of those years, though he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow after the latter of those campaigns. As a result, Gregorius didn’t debut this year until June 7. When Gregorius returned, he wasn’t the same player the Yankees grew accustomed to seeing in the previous two seasons. He wound up playing just about half the season (82 games) and slashing a mediocre .238/.276/.441 in 344 plate appearances. The power outburst Gregorius enjoyed from 2017-18 remained intact, evidenced by his 16 home runs and his .204 ISO, yet he still only managed an 84 wRC+ (he checked in at 122 just a year ago).

In light of his downtick in production this season, it’s fair to wonder whether the Yankees will qualify Gregorius and risk paying him a hefty sum for 2020. They did bring Gregorius back for a pricey $11.75MM in the wake of his TJ surgery last year, but as mentioned, he was coming off a much stronger season at the time. Now, it’s easy to imagine Gregorius accepting a much more expensive QO and trying for a bounce-back year in New York. Doing so would take a significant chunk out of the luxury tax-minded Yankees’ spending room for a position to which the club arguably doesn’t need to allocate a ton of financial resources. The Yankees could let Gregorius walk, plug Gleyber Torres in at short and use DJ LeMahieu at second. Alternatively, if the Yankees really want to go for a bold strike after yet another season without a World Series title, they could trade for someone like Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, keep Torres at second and continue to move the versatile LeMahieu around the infield.

Regardless of whether Lindor’s a realistic trade target for the Yankees, what should they do with Gregorius in the next couple weeks? Is he worth taking a chance on via QO, or should general manager Brian Cashman let him hit the market unfettered?

(Poll link for app users)

World Series Roster Notes

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World Series media day gave us a bit of a look behind the curtain at the planning that is going into the early portion of this year’s series. We still don’t have full and final 25-man rosters for the Astros and Nationals, but their respective managers did discuss a few major tactical decisions that have already been made. Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com and Jake Kaplan of The Athletic were among those to cover the festivities; all links below are to their Twitter feeds.

  • There aren’t any surprises in terms of the initial pitching plans. The Nationals will roll out a rested Max Scherzer for the first game tomorrow night. As a prize for eliminating the Yankees in six games, rather than taking it to a seventh, the Astros will be able to counter with their top option in Gerrit Cole. The second match-up of the series will be just as compelling, with the Nats starting Stephen Strasburg and the ’Stros going with Justin Verlander.
  • After that? You might presume that each team will turn to its third starter — in each case, a hurler that would feature as an ace on quite a few other staffs around the game. Houston manager A.J. Hinch committed to utilizing mid-season trade acquisition Zack Greinke to open game three. But D.C. skipper Davey Martinez says he’s not going to name a starter yet for the first contest back in the nation’s capital. Does that mean that southpaw Patrick Corbin might be utilized in relief in Houston, as he has on several occasions already in the postseason? Martinez said we’ll just have to wait and see how things unfold.
  • It remains to be seen whether either team will end up utilizing a fourth starter to open any contests. The Nats can perhaps have some added confidence in Anibal Sanchez after watching him nearly no-hit the Cardinals in the NLCS, though tip-toeing through an exceptionally potent Astros lineup would be another thing entirely for the wily veteran. It’ll also be a wait-and-see situation for the Houston organization, with Hinch saying Brad Peacock, Jose Urquidy, or some other pitcher could be tapped to open a game that will likely feature quite a few pitching changes.
  • The availability of a designated hitter slot will open some opportunities for the Nats in games one and two. The club is planning to place veteran Howie Kendrick in the bat-only slot, Martinez suggested. Kendrick has stung the ball all year long and thrived in big situations in October, but he has also hurt the Nationals with the glove at times. Meanwhile, Hinch says the Astros will be sticking with young slugger Yordan Alvarez — at least for the first two contests. Whether or not he’ll be installed in left field once the series moves to D.C. could depend upon who’s starting game three — and whether Alvarez can break out of the 1-for-24, 12-strikeout skid he left in the championship series.
  • In terms of a formal roster announcement, that isn’t yet available. The Astros, in particular, are waiting until the last possible moment. The club believes that excellent reliever Ryan Pressly will be good to go after dealing with a knee injury in the ALCS. But it’ll hold off on making the final call until checking on his condition tomorrow. Both teams figure to rely heavily upon their core players throughout the series. Each could go in a variety of directions with a few of the final roster spots — those players that may not end up being used much at all, but could end up being thrust into major roles at key junctures.

Giants Interview Will Venable

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Cubs first base coach Will Venable interviewed with the Giants on Friday for their managerial vacancy, Henry Schulman and John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle report. He had previously been rumored to be of interest to the San Francisco organization.

Venable, who’ll turn 37 at the end of the month, wrapped up a solid big-league career in 2016. Since, the Princeton grad has worked in the Cubs organization, serving as the first base coach on Joe Maddon’s staff.

With this reported interview, the Giants are now known to have held first-round meet-and-greets with at least seven candidates to take over the managerial seat vacated by Bruce Bochy. Venable is also reportedly under consideration to take over for Maddon in Chicago.

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