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Tigers Send Bruce Rondon Home Due To “Effort Level”

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Bruce Rondon’s 2015 season is over, but the hard-throwing reliever isn’t injured and hasn’t hit an innings cap. Rather, the Tigers told reporters, including MLive.com’s Chris Iott, that Rondon has been sent home due to his “effort level.” Said manager Brad Ausmus:

“Bruce Rondon, because of his effort level, has been sent home. Other than saying that [general manager] Al Avila and myself completely agreed on it, there will be no other details or comment.”

As Iott notes, the Tigers apparently feel that while embarrassing in nature, a move of this magnitude is the best way to send a message to Rondon, who struggled in 2015 as he returned from Tommy John surgery, though some teammates feel his struggles are attributable to a lack of work. One anonymous Triple-A teammate told Iott that Rondon’s work ethic “definitely has room for improvement.” Tigers bullpen-mate Alex Wilson offered a more harsh, on-record take when speaking to the Detroit News’ Chris McCosky:

“It’s kind of an unwritten rule, you never quit on your teammates, and when you quit on yourself, you kind of quit on your teammates. From a clubhouse standpoint, it’s probably better to let him go on home and try to figure things out a little bit. Hopefully, he comes back next year with a new mindset and attitude.”

Certainly, this isn’t the manner in which Rondon wanted his season to end. Armed with a triple-digit fastball, the now-24-year-old was tabbed as the heir-apparent to the ninth inning in 2013. He struggled early in his first three appearances but came back strong after a late-June promotion, pitching to a 2.73 ERA with a 29-to-9 K/BB ratio in 26 1/3 innings while setting up for Joaquin Benoit. Rondon, though, suffered a torn UCL in his right elbow the following spring and missed all of the 2014 season.

His return in 2015 was slowed by a case of biceps tendinitis which Iott says took an “inordinate” amount of time to heal. Rondon didn’t throw a pitch at the Triple-A level until May 21, and he struggled both there and in the Majors this season, posting a 7.11 ERA in 12 2/3 Triple-A innings and a 5.81 mark in 31 innings at the big league level. McCosky notes that Rondon’s fastball was sitting in the 93 to 96 mph range in his final few outings this season, but the righty told Ausmus and Avila that he felt fine and had merely cut back on his velocity in an effort to improve his control. The manager and pitching coach Jeff Jones advised against that, per McCosky, but Rondon again sat at 93 mph in his next appearance. McCosky describes Rondon’s late-season demeanor as “uncharacteristically surly,” noting that he refused to speak to the media.

Rondon clearly has plenty of upside; he posted an ERA well below 2.00 across three levels and averaged 11+ strikeouts per nine innings in the minors from 2012-13. Both Baseball America and MLB.com rated him as a Top 100 prospect entering the 2013 campaign. But Rondon has yet to deliver on that promise, and while a serious injury is unequivocally a factor in his lack of development, team decision-makers and teammates clearly feel there’s more at play. While neither Iott or McCosky mentions the possibility that the organization will move on from Rondon this winter, this type of public airing of grievances could conceivably create a rift between team and player.

Rondon will have two-plus years of service time under his belt this offseason but will fall well shy of Super Two distinction. He won’t be arbitration eligible until at least the 2016-17 offseason and is under team control through at least 2019 at this point.

AL East Notes: Donaldson, Boxberger, Karns

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The Blue Jays acquisition of Josh Donaldson last offseason has been said to be due to the dogged persistence of Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post echoes that sentiment, noting that Yankees GM Brian Cashman touched base with Billy Beane regarding Donaldson early last offseason. Cashman, however, was told that Donaldson simply wasn’t available in trades. Anthopolous, though, continued his pursuit despite being told the same. “Alex is and was certainly relentless,” Athletics assistant GM David Forst told Sherman. “That is his personality. But we didn’t trade Josh to make Alex go away.” Forst adds that the A’s had a list of Blue Jays players they had strong interest in, and eventually the Jays offered enough from that list to make them cave. Donaldson’s MVP-caliber season notwithstanding, Forst said the A’s still believe the players they got in the deal have bright futures that will even out the transaction in the future. Sherman notes that Franklin Barreto — who is ranked among the game’s top 50 prospects or so — and Kendall Graveman held particular appeal to the A’s.

Here’s more from the AL East…

  • Brad Boxberger’s recent comments about potential overuse from the Rays sparked some controversy, but agent Scott Boras tells Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he believes Boxberger is a good fit for the Rays and will benefit from a more defined role in the future. “[Manager Kevin] Cash has given him an opportunity and he’s taken advantage of it and become an All-Star, and when you have things like that happen for a young player, you’re in a good place,” said Boras. The agent, however, acknowledged that the Rays may eventually struggle to keep Boxberger for financial reasons — a comment that is less a reflection on Boras’ reputation than it is of the Rays’ well-documented payroll constraints. Boxberger has saved 36 games this season, and a full 2016 season as the Rays’ closer would set him up for a hefty payday in 2016 which could soar by 2017. Comparatively, Greg Holland received $4.675MM for his first arb-eligible season in 2014 with just 67 career saves under his belt. That figure jumped to $8.25MM in 2015. Boxberger has already saved 39 games in his career and offers similarly high strikeout numbers, albeit with a higher ERA as well.
  • Also from Topkin, the Rays are shutting down Nate Karns for the remainder of the season due to tightness in his right forearm. Karns and Cash both feel that the issue isn’t serious in nature, and Karns added that at a different point in the season he might’ve pitched through the pain. With Tampa Bay having fallen out of playoff contention, though, it makes sense for Karns to focus on his health. Rookie catcher Curt Casali may also see his season shut down, Topkin notes, due to a lingering hamstring injury.

Yogi Berra Passes Away

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It’s a sad day in the game of baseball, as reports late last night surfaced that one of the game’s all-time great players and personalities, Yogi Berra, has passed away. The Hall of Famer, three-time MVP and 10-time World Series Champion was 90 years old.

Berra spent parts of 19 seasons in the Major Leagues, debuting at 21 years of age in 1946 and would don Yankee pinstripes each season through 1963, also making a brief, four-game appearance with the Mets in 1965. An excellent defensive catcher (and eventually a plus defender in the outfield as well), Berra caught 49 percent of the baserunners that attempted to steal against him in his career and compiled a brilliant .285/.348/.482 batting line in 8359 big league plate appearances. He retired with 358 home runs, 1175 runs scored, 1430 RBIs and 704 walks against a minuscule 414 strikeouts in his career. Strikeouts, of course, were less common in that era than in today’s game, but Berra’s knack for putting the ball in play was nonetheless remarkable; he struck out just 12 times in 656 trips to the plate in 1950 and five times completed a season with more home runs than punchouts.

Berra would earn MVP honors in the 1951, 1954 and 1955 seasons, and he finished in the Top 5 of the award’s voting on five other occasions. He batted .274/.359/.452 in his illustrious postseason career, all of which contributed to the Yankees’ decision to retire his No. 8 alongside the rest of the legends of the franchise.

Following his playing career, Berra returned to the game as a manager, spending parts of seven seasons guiding both the Yankees and Mets. Though he finished with an overall record that was four games south of .500, Berra captured a pennant with each franchise, winning the AL pennant with the Yankees in 1964 and the NL pennant with the Mets in 1973.

Despite all of the aforementioned accolades, though, Berra is equally, if not more revered due to his affable nature and paradoxically quotable nature. Berra was a font of quotes throughout his career — the New York Post has compiled 35 of his most memorable “Yogi-isms” in tribute to the Yankee icon — responsible for now-classic sayings such as, “It ain’t over till it’s over,” “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical,” “It’s deja vu all over again,” and “You can observe a lot by watching.”

Berra served as an inspiration to multiple generations of fans and players alike, and he’ll be remembered as one of the game’s true treasures. Though the game will never see another character quite like Berra, he leaves behind a wealth of irreplaceable memories that will ensure his presence remains ingrained in the very fabric of the game for generations to come. We at MLBTR join those in mourning his passing and offer our condolences to his three sons, the rest of his family and friends as well as the countless people whose lives were impacted and bettered by one of the game’s all-time great personalities.

Phillies Notes: GM Search, Offseason, Howard, Mackanin

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The Phillies have officially begun their GM search, as Andy MacPhail told reporters, including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, that they’ve interviewed one candidate. MacPhail, unsurprisingly, declined to specify the candidate in question, though he said the goal is still to have a new GM in place by the team’s organizational meetings, which begin on Oct. 26.

A few more notes on the Phils…

  • Via Zolecki, MacPhail also said the Phillies aren’t likely to spend on top-tier free agents this winter, though he didn’t completely shut the door. “[D]o you really want to commit after you’ve just been in that pool and suffered from it?” MacPhail asked rhetorically. “Do you really want to commit at this stage?  The only caveat I give you is that if there’s a unique opportunity out there, I wouldn’t want to preclude it from happening … particularly when you consider that once we get to ’17 we are really pretty footloose and fancy free.” The Phillies have no contracts guaranteed beyond the 2017 season.
  • That, of course, doesn’t mean the Phillies will sit on their hands. Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News was also on hand and offers additional quotes from MacPhail, who does believe the Phillies “absolutely” feel a need to be active, just not necessarily on top-of-the-market names. The veteran exec made it clear that he doesn’t feel obligated to spend simply because this year’s free agent crop of starting pitchers is deep. “I know everyone can say, oh, my God, next year’s class isn’t as good as this year’s class,” said MacPhail. “Let’s see a year from now. And it may come in the form of making a trade. You don’t know. But I think the important thing is to do it when that foundation is there that merits it and supports it.”
  • MacPhail also said that he expects Ryan Howard to be with the team in Spring Training next season, per Lawrence. He left open the possibility that an opportunity could present itself which may benefit Howard and the Phillies, but stated that for now, Howard is “somebody we have a vested interest in getting back healthy and getting him to Clearwater.”
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jake Kaplan writes that Phillies players are excited by the news that manager Pete Mackanin was extended through the 2016 season. Kaplan offers quotes from a number of young players, including Ken Giles, Jerad Eickhoff, Aaron Nola and Cameron Rupp, who have thoroughly enjoyed playing for Mackanin, whose new contract also contains a club option for the 2017 campaign.

Korean Outfielder Ah-Seop Son Likely To Be Posted This Offseason

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Korean outfielder Ah-seop Son plans to enter the posting system this winter in order to jump from the Korea Baseball Organization to Major League Baseball, reports Yahoo’s Jeff Passan. Son, a 27-year-old corner outfielder for KBO’s Lotte Giants, is being represented by agent Rick Thurman of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, per Passan.

The left-handed-hitting Son has batted .324/.412/.476 with 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 476 plate appearances this season, walking at a 13 percent clip while striking out in 19.5 percent of his plate appearances. Son has batted .306 or better for the past six seasons in KBO, posting a cumulative batting line of .330/.405/.471 that closely mirrors his overall production from the 2015 campaign.

Son will look to follow in the footsteps of Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang, whose four-year, $11MM contract and $5MM posting fee have proved to be perhaps this past offseason’s greatest bargain. Of course, it’s somewhat understandable that interest in Kang was mixed, as he’s the first position player to make the jump from KBO to MLB. Many questioned whether or not his prodigious power would translate to the Majors or if it was simply a product of the KBO’s notoriously hitter-friendly league. While Kang’s power didn’t necessarily translate, he has, as Passan notes, certainly performed well enough that clubs may be less wary of taking on hitters from Korea’s top professional league.

Korean players are subject to the traditional posting system in which all 30 clubs must submit blind bids, with the team that submits the highest amount being given a 30-day window to then negotiate a contract. Should the team and Son’s representatives at BHSC fail to reach a deal, the posting fee would be returned to the MLB team that submitted the winning bid, and Son would return to KBO.

If a team is unable to work out a deal with Son, however, he could still find himself in the Majors eventually. KBO players become unrestricted free agents following their ninth full season, after which they’re free to negotiate with all 30 MLB clubs. For Son, that would come after the 2017 season. Though he’s technically appeared in parts of nine pro seasons, he didn’t earn enough service time in his first few years to become eligible until after 2017.

Marlins Have Interviewed Manny Acta, Had Discussions With Dusty Baker

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5:29pm: In addition to Acta, former Reds/Cubs/Giants manager Dusty Baker is a “strong candidate” in the Marlins’ hunt for a manager, tweets MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. In a followup tweet, Frisaro reports that the team has “engaged in discussions” with Baker, though he’s unsure specifically when those talks began. In a third tweet, he notes that it’s still not a sure thing that Jennings will return as GM.

5:11pm: It’s been previously reported that Dan Jennings will be asked to relinquish his role as Marlins manager in 2016, and Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes now reports (via Twitter) that the team has interviewed Manny Acta for the position. Interestingly, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports (also via Twitter) that Jennings has been officially notified that he will not return as manager in 2016 despite the fact that he now wants to return to the role. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that when asked, Jennings was unaware of any talks with Acta.

Acta, 46, has served as manager of both the Nationals and Indians, each for parts of three seasons. Acta has a career record of just 372-518 as a big league manager, though he was placed given the reins on clubs that carried low expectations at the time of his hiring. As Jackson further tweets, the Marlins consider the fact that Acta is bilingual to be a factor in their interest.

Reports have indicated that the Marlins have offered Jennings the opportunity to return to the front office this offseason, but it’s unclear exactly how similar his role would be. Assistant GM Mike Berger has assumed a great deal of Jennings’ duties since the change and is said to have the ear of owner Jeffrey Loria. The Marlins have also reassigned one of Jennings’ lieutenants (former VP of player personnel Craig Weissman) and fired another (former pro scout Mickey White). Jennings, in turn, has been linked to other GM openings, most notably the Mariners and Phillies (though the latter of the two was seemingly speculative in nature).

Jeff Samardzija Switches To Wasserman Media Group

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White Sox right-hander Jeff Samardzija has new representation just six weeks or so before he’ll hit the open market for the first time time in his career, reports Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (via Twitter). Samardzija is now represented by agent Adam Katz of the Wasserman Media Group.

The 30-year-old Samardzija entered the year poised to be one of the top free agent arms on the open market after posting a stellar 2.99 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 50.2 percent ground-ball rate across 219 2/3 innings between the Cubs and A’s in 2014. Aside from his strikeout rate, each of those marks represented a career best.

However, Samardzija hasn’t performed well following his trade to the White Sox, working to a 5.04 ERA in 207 innings this season. He could still set a career-high in innings pitched and looked better in his latest outing, throwing a dominant one-hit shutout that helped stop the bleeding in what has been perhaps the worst five-week stretch of Samardzija’s career. Prior to that gem, Samardzija had surrendered a staggering 51 runs in his previous 49 2/3 innings.

Despite his struggles, the expectation here is that Samardzija will still do reasonably well as a free agent. The Sox seem almost certain to make a qualifying offer, and though he’s struggled in 2015, Samardzija will probably reject the offer. No player has accepted the offer to this point, and the downside for Samardzija would be taking a one-year deal worth $10MM+ (probably in a more pitcher-friendly setting than U.S. Cellular Field), whereas the upside is a perhaps a four-year deal with an annual value in excess of $15MM. Samardzija’s velocity has held throughout his struggles, and his raw stuff still impresses scouts. He also has the benefit of a relatively low-mileage arm due to his time playing football and his work as a reliever early in his career.

Samardzija will add to a free agent class for WMG that also includes Hisashi Iwakuma, Bartolo Colon, Brandon Morrow and Bud Norris, among others. The change has been reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database, which contains representation information on more than 2,000 Major League and Minor League players. If you see any errors or omissions, please let us know via email: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Phillies Extend Manager Pete Mackanin

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The Phillies have extended the contract of manager Pete Mackanin through next season, according to a team announcement. Philadelphia will also add a club option for the 2017 campaign.

Aug 12, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Mackanin stepped in mid-year for the basement-dwelling Phils amidst significant organizational turmoil. When then-skipper Ryne Sandberg resigned in late June, Mackanin was given dugout duties on an interim basis. Not long thereafter, Philadelphia brought in new president Andy MacPhail and ultimately fired GM Ruben Amaro Jr.

While the general manager’s seat remains open, the Phillies apparently decided that they had seen enough positive results from Mackanin to keep him as the top uniformed personnel member. Philly is just 30-46 under Mackanin’s leadership, which isn’t much better than they were with Sandberg, but the team was never expected to contend and has also dealt with the loss of several more key veterans.

Of course, Philadelphia is less concerned with immediate results than it is with development at this stage, and Mackanin has overseen a fairly promising arrival of younger players. Having already helped to welcome key names such as Maikel Franco and Aaron Nola to the big leagues, Mackanin will be responsible for overseeing their continued maturation and the ongoing introduction of youthful talent onto the big league roster.

“The Phillies are pleased that Pete has accepted the position of manager for the 2016 season,” MacPhail said in a statement. “We believe that Pete is the best fit for the role. Since assuming the interim manager position in June, Pete has developed an excellent rapport with our players and has also connected well with the media and our fans. Equally as important is his eagerness to take on the challenge of rebuilding the team and further developing our players. We look forward to his contributions.”

Mackanin is a veteran baseball man, but this will be his first non-interim managerial stint. He has previously spent time as a stop-gap skipper for the Pirates and Reds. Before his more recent turn as the Phillies’ third base coach, Mackanin was the team’s bench coach over 2009-12.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Vesting Options Update

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With the regular season nearing its end, we have some clarity on several vesting clauses around the game. Let’s take a look at where things stand …

  • Chase Utley, Dodgers: There’s no chance that Utley’s $15MM option — the first of three in succession — will vest. (He’d need 110 plate appearances over the final two weeks of the season to reach 500.) Instead, Utley will become subject to a team option — the value of which floats between $5MM and $11MM based upon days spent on the DL. The precise details have yet to be reported, so it’s not yet clear how much it would cost Los Angeles to control the veteran. Neither is it known whether the team would have interest; Utley has a mediocre .200/.296/.347 slash over 108 plate appearances with the Dodgers.
  • Jonathan Papelbon, Nationals: This one was taken care of as part of the deal that sent Papelbon to D.C. from the Phillies. Papelbon helped facilitate the swap by agreeing to take $11MM to throw next year for the Nats. He was already likely to reach the requirements for his option to vest at $13MM, but that agreement greased the wheels on a move he desperately wanted and removed any doubt as to his payday.
  • David Ortiz, Red Sox: Big Papi has blown well past the 425 plate appearances he needed for his 2016 option to vest, though he’ll also need to pass an offseason physical. The question now is the value of the option. It has already reached $15MM, but would go higher if he makes his 600th trip to the dish. In that case, it will go to $16MM (or, if it’s more than that, the value of the qualifying offer). Ortiz has earned it, with another huge season and successful run at 500 career home runs.
  • Joaquin Benoit, Padres: Benoit needed to finish 55 games for to his $8MM option to vest. That can’t happen, so it’ll turn into a team option. It’s a fair sum for a reliever, but Benoit continues to put up strong results at 38 years of age.
  • Marlon Byrd, Giants: The 38-year-old sits at 502 plate appearances. He needs 48 more the rest of the way to reach 550 total, which, in combination with those accumulated last year, would be sufficient for his $8MM option to vest for 2016. With 13 games left, it’s still possible that he could reach the needed total, but that’ll depend heavily on playing time — and San Francisco may well not wish to be on the hook for that kind of cash.
  • Santiago Casilla, Giants: As MLBTR reported, Casilla needs 55 games finished for his $7.5MM option to vest for 2016. The situation is somewhat similar to Byrd’s. With 49 finished games in the bank so far, it’s still possible — but, perhaps, unlikely — for Casilla to reach the necessary tally.
  • Nori Aoki, Giants: Due to injuries, the outfielder is stalled well shy of the 550 plate appearances he needed to turn a $5.5MM club option into one of the mutual variety. That could still be an appealing price tag for a player who performed well when healthy.
  • Jonny Gomes, Royals: Gomes needs 325 plate appearances for a $3MM club option for 2016 to become guaranteed. He only has 246, and hasn’t been used much in Kansas City, so that’s not happening.

We already know that Cliff Lee won’t achieve the innings totals required for his 2016 option to vest, as the Phillies southpaw hasn’t pitched all season and is attempting to recover from a torn left flexor tendon without undergoing surgery.  Brandon League also hasn’t pitched this season and has been released by the Dodgers, so he won’t reach the games-finished total required to allow his 2016 player option to vest.

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