The Royals have yet to begin extension talks with manager Ned Yost, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reports. “There’s a progression in the offseason. There’s a sequential way we’re doing things. Right now, we’re focused on other things,” GM Dayton Moore said, in reference to the team’s roster. Whenever negotiations take place, there’s no doubt Yost will eventually get a fresh new contract from the team in the wake of the Royals’ unexpected postseason performance. Here’s the latest from the AL Central…
- Also from McCullough (Twitter links), a group of Royals officials are en route from the GM Meetings to organizational meetings in the Dominican Republic where they could watch Yasmany Tomas work out. The Royals are a recently new addition to the list of teams interested in Tomas, though McCullough says K.C. has “scouted Tomas extensively, but quietly, leading up to this winter.”
- White Sox GM Rick Hahn will listen to other teams’ offers for Alexei Ramirez as he would for any player, though Hahn tells reporters (including Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune) that the Sox aren’t looking to trade their shortstop. “Being strong up the middle is the priority for any good club, and we don’t intend to take a step back there,” Hahn said. “We’re open-minded and we have depth in the area, so it’s reasonable to hear his name out there. I get that, but it’s certainly not something we’re pursuing on our end or are eager to convert on.”
- The Tigers have been talking to Joel Hanrahan about a minor league contract, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (via Twitter). Hanrahan signed a one-year, $1MM Major League deal with Detroit in May but didn’t pitch at all last season as he suffered a setback in his recovery from May 2013 Tommy John surgery.
- Scott Bream is staying in his current position as the Tigers director of pro scouting, Turner Sports’ Scott Miller tweets. The Dodgers had reportedly been on the verge of hiring Bream to join their front office.
- Twins righty Ricky Nolasco’s three-team no-trade clause has been updated for this offseason, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (Twitter link). All three teams are “big-market” AL clubs, so Berardino speculates that the Yankees and Red Sox are included.
- The Twins have hired Gene Glynn as their third base coach, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter link).
- The Indians could look for small upgrades rather than a big splash in free agency, GM Chris Antonetti told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman). “I think what we would look for from the free-agent market is something to complement our roster,” Antonetti said. “I don’t think we are going to be in the free-agent market to add a cornerstone player.”
Extending Yost would be a mistake. Making the WS doesn’t mean you have a good manager.
No, but it doesn’t mean you have a bad manager either.
No poor BP management means you have a bad manager though
Really? Yost managed his bullpen brilliantly, identifying early in the season that Herrara (1.71), Davis (1.00) and Holland (1.44) would lock down the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. Find something else to criticize him for. Bullpen management sure isn’t it.
And it’s not like those three guys were locks coming into the year. Their ERAs in 2013 were Herrera (3.86) and Davis (5.32 as mostly a starter), with only Holland (1.21) as a bullpen certainty.
You realize having really talented reliever and managing your pen well are two very different things, right? Yost did not pay any attention to who was hitting or what the situation was. When the Royal had a lead Herrera pitched the 7th, Davis the 8th and Holland the 9th. Anybody could have followed that plan, a good manager looks at the situation and picks the right reliever based of who is at bat/on base.
Davis wasn’t a talented reliever. He was an untalented starter with a 5.32 ERA the previous season. Yost was the one that converted him to the pen and then moved him into the 8th inning role where he was the best in baseball last season. Shrewd managing.
What are you talking about? The rays first turned Davis into a reliever in 2012, and he was great for them. Then KC tried to make him starter again and he did terribly so they sent him back to the pen. If anything Yost should be criticized for not sending him back to the pen in 2013.
Yost simply had no other starter options in 2013 after Shields and Santana. Guthrie won 15 games, but his FIP (4.79) was more than a half run worse than Davis’ (4.18). Mendoza was a complete bust and things were so bad that he had to take 36-year old Bruce Chen out of the bullpen after the all star break (who actually pitched reasonably well). Yost could barely piece together a five man starting rotation in 2013. He needed Davis to start out of necessity.
I’ll spare you the splits, but rest assured that Davis was a lights out reliever when he had been used there previously. And by lights out I mean close to unhittable. He was so good in that role it was actually insane for them to move him back into the rotation.
He converted himself to the pen by tanking as a starter…don’t give Yost all that credit.
You realize that having Herrera pitch the 7th, Davis the 8th, and Holland the 9th WAS the right choice, right? Those three succeeded no matter who was hitting or what the situation was. Why should Yost should have deviated from that plan?
Yost’s mismanagement of the pen single handedly cost them the central… That’s a fact. He had multiple games that he even admitted to not managing well. One in Boston he failed to bring Herrera in in the six…cause.. “Man, one more out and we had our 7th inning guy in there.” He’s a questionable manager, to think any other way just isn’t fair.
BJ Upton/Nolasco bad contract swap with Braves kicking in cash, prospects, or another piece?
or maybe swap Nolasco with Ubaldo.
Why in the world would the Twins even consider that?
Oh exactly! Espacially when the Twins have blue chippers in the wings to take over in the outfield. Nolasco has a decent shot at a nice rebound year and Twins need rotation pieces. Dead on buffalo, dead on!
And to be clear, while I agree Nolasco has the chance to rebound in 2015, I think the Twins should be exploring trade opportunities with him. I just think the B.J. Upton idea is terrible.
They would be trading EXTREMELY low on him! They would be lucky just to unload his contract. Hopefully he has a bounce back year because the Twins will need him, Hughes, and Gibson to pitch well
Hanrahan could be a great pickup for a terrible bullpen. He was a beast for the Pirates a couple years ago.
An extension for Yost? Really…how on God’s green Earth is that possible…he’s clinging to that job it seems