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Heyman’s Latest: Mattingly, Red Sox, Ozuna, Heyward, Giants, Storen

By Steve Adams | October 23, 2015 at 1:12pm CDT

The Marlins have interviewed at least five candidates for their managerial opening, but they put their search on hold to wait to see what the future held for Don Mattingly, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman also looks at the Dodgers’ upcoming managerial search, noting that former Padres manager Bud Black, current Dodgers third base coach/former Brewers skipper Ron Roenicke and current Dodgers bench coach Tim Wallach could factor into L.A.’s search for a replacement in addition to early favorite Gabe Kapler. Here are some more highlights from the column…

  • The Braves will pursue bullpen upgrades this winter after their relief corps struggled tremendously in 2015. Presumably, the club could be in the mix for some short-term upgrades that could be flipped come the trade deadline, though I’ll point out that the Braves will probably be better off in 2016 with the returns of Shae Simmons, Chris Withrow and perhaps Daniel Winkler from Tommy John surgery.
  • While the Red Sox are more willing to trade prospects under president Dave Dombrowski than they were under former GM Ben Cherington, the club is said to consider infielder Yoan Moncada, outfielder Andrew Benintendi and right-hander Anderson Espinoza off-limits as it looks to upgrade its pitching staff on the trade market.
  • The White Sox are on the lookout for third base help and will also pursue upgrades behind the plate. Chicago wound up designating Conor Gillaspie, its primary third baseman from 2013 through the first half of 2015, for assignment this summer and trading him to the Angels. Tyler Flowers had a poor second half, although as MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes noted in his Offseason Outlook on the ChiSox, Flowers has worked hard to become an excellent pitch framer, so he does bring some value to the table in that increasingly important element of the game.
  • Some feel that the Reds are going to blow things up and go for a full-on rebuild this winter, though Heyman writes that Brandon Phillips is said to have negative trade value. Considering the fact that Phillips had a decent rebound season at the plate and is still a sound defender whose contract no longer is too burdensome, I wonder if that’s a universal sentiment. While he’s not a bargain, Phillips seems to be at least reasonably priced.
  • The Cardinals will try to re-sign Jason Heyward, but while they could go “a bit beyond” Matt Holliday’s franchise-record $120MM guarantee, Heyward’s camp will insist on topping Jacoby Ellsbury’s $153MM sum and inching as close to $200MM as they can get.
  • The Indians still have interest in Marcell Ozuna, as they reportedly did prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. I mentioned in my Offseason Outlook for Cleveland that a pursuit of Ozuna would make some sense and speculated on a potential match sending Trevor Bauer to Miami. Heyman notes that the Marlins are looking for a frontline pitcher to pair with Jose Fernandez, but history shows us they’re not likely to spend on a top-tier free agent.
  • The Astros, too, are looking for bullpen upgrades. Houston pursued top-end relief talent prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, with GM Jeff Luhnow candidly telling the Houston Chronicle’s Evan Drellich that he’d like to pursue a “flamethrower.”
  • The Twins are expected to pursue a reunion with A.J. Pierzynski, as many have speculated on recently (myself included). Heyman notes that the Braves will probably try to bring Pierzynski back as well. Minnesota also wants Torii Hunter back, but in a reduced role.
  • Starting pitching will be a focus for the Giants, who are interested in Zack Greinke and Mike Leake, Heyman writes. They will also exercise their $5.5MM club option on Nori Aoki, so long as he continues to progress from late-season head injuries that stemmed from being hit in the head by a pair of pitches. San Francisco will decline Marlon Byrd’s $8MM option.
  • The Nationals will try to trade both Drew Storen and Jonathan Papelbon this winter, though the latter, of course won’t have much of a market due to his personality issues. Storen’s an expensive but talented option, and Heyman opines that he “absolutely has to go.” While I wouldn’t go that far, I’ll admit that it does seem like a change of scenery would be best for all parties involved. I’d imagine a number of teams — the Tigers, Cubs, Astros, Red Sox, Yankees and Rangers, to name a few — would have interest in Storen. Papelbon’s $11MM salary strikes me as nearly impossible to move unless the Nats eat the majority of the deal or take on an even more undesirable contract.
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Atlanta Braves Boston Red Sox Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Guardians Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers Miami Marlins Minnesota Twins San Francisco Giants Washington Nationals A.J. Pierzynski Andrew Benintendi Brandon Phillips Bud Black Don Mattingly Drew Storen Jonathan Papelbon Marcell Ozuna Marlon Byrd Mike Leake Ron Roenicke Torii Hunter Yoan Moncada Zack Greinke

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View Comments (24)
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24 Comments

  1. mrnatewalter

    10 years ago

    Bumgarner, Greinke, Leake… Giants fans just might geek out about the 9-slot in the batting order more than the rotation…

    Reply
    • gilgunderson

      10 years ago

      Matt Cain is also a very good hitter for a pitcher. Hopefully he can become a good pitcher again, too.

      Reply
  2. stl_cards16 2

    10 years ago

    I’d be pretty shocked (and disappointed) if the Cardinals won’t offer much over $120MM to bring Heyward back.

    Reply
    • stymeedone

      10 years ago

      I’d be pretty shocked if they offered that, and he accepted!

      Reply
    • Lance

      10 years ago

      The Cards were willing to let Pujols go, and he was one of the greatest hitters in STL history! Heyward isn’t in Albert’s league….a nice player but worthy a $200m contract? Not in STL.

      Reply
      • therealryan

        10 years ago

        Pujols was 32 in the first year of his new contract, while Heyward will be 26. That is a huge difference when you’re talking about 10 year deals.

        Reply
  3. stymeedone

    10 years ago

    While Storen would be an upgrade from what they have, I just don’t see him being a viable option for the Tigers. The July trades provided a little help for the farm, but I sincerely doubt they would now turn around and trade that depth. I have to think that with a new GM in place, trades are also less likely, so the FA market will be the source of much of their retooling. Tyler Clippard is much more likely because he won’t cost players. Tony Sipp would also be high on my to do list, because they haven’t had a reliable lefty in the bullpen since Guillimo.

    Reply
    • RedRooster

      10 years ago

      Storen is only a year from free agency. Tigers aren’t really in any position to trade for one year rentals at this point.

      Reply
      • Out of place Met fan

        10 years ago

        with the age of that lineup, a 1 year rental of Storen makes a lot sense. For the talent he will be considerably cheaper then any other comparable closer on the market. (sans Papelbon). It would allow them to dedicate resources to the rotation, and if age affects the everyday lineup (again) he can still be dealt at the deadline for a prospect similar to his cost or better.

        Reply
  4. mookiessnarl

    10 years ago

    Those are the right players to be on the off limits for the Red Sox. The question then becomes can they get something done with Margot, Devers, Owens, Johnson, Guerra? Does the mean Swihart is on the table? He may be en enticing enough piece and there are another three or four current and former top 100’s in there. Three of those pieces and another lesser piece may be enough to get a top of the rotation arm. Although the team with the pitcher would be right to hold out for one of the guys on the off-limits list.

    Reply
    • start_wearing_purple

      10 years ago

      I don’t think DD will actively make Swihart available because of the questions surrounding Vazquez but the truth is any player is available for the right price. As for Johnson, don’t expect him to be as valuable trading chip as he could be since he’s about to have surgery.

      Reply
      • mookiessnarl

        10 years ago

        Actually Johnson has begun throwing again and it doesn’t look like he’ll need surgery. Unless things have changed? Regardless of when Vazquez comes back, the Red Sox still have Hanigan and Leon. Leon is fine as a backup and Hanigan’s work last season was good enough to be a starter for the time being. Most teams are looking for near ML ready pieces. The Sox balked at moving Swihart in the Hamels deal (and rightfully so). But they need to include at least one ML ready or near ML ready piece for a TOR arm. Most of the valuable trade pieces they have are in A ball. And the pitching they have available looks to be middle of the rotation to back of the rotation. If Swihart gets you in the door for a young controllable ace you pull the trigger.

        Reply
    • Steve_in_MA

      10 years ago

      No, its crazy to start taking your best prospects off the board. We are supposedly out to trade for a top of the rotation pitcher. You don’t get those for just a number 5 chip, like Manuel Margot, and some throw ins. It takes something like Moncada, plus one of Devers or Margot, plus Owens, to get another team to part with the kind of talent we are seeking. You think the Mets would part with either of Harvey or Syndergaard for a package of secondary prospects? That would be a ridiculous offer. If you want top talent, we are going to have to pay a price that really, really, really hurts.

      Reply
      • mookiessnarl

        10 years ago

        There are plenty of teams with untouchable pieces. As a matter of fact I would imagine most teams have them. Moncada, Benintendi and Espinoza are 1,5, & 3. That still leaves Margot and Devers at 4 and 2. The Mets would probably be really interested in a guy like Guerra who is #6. But I don’t think Syndergaard or Harvey are going anywhere. They may move Wheeler who would also be a descent pickup, but I don’t think it would mean Moncada, Benintendi or Espinoza would have to be included. It depends on what they are looking for, although Swihart wouldn’t have appeal to them.

        Reply
  5. BG921

    10 years ago

    People need to realize that the salary and payroll has shifted greatly over the past few years. If the Cards gave Heyward a $200M deal, it wouldn’t be as ridiculous as say, when A-Rod signed his deal. It wouldn’t even be that ridiculous compared to the deals that Pujols got with LAA etc. The markets are changing and if Heyward signed long term, (which he’ll more than likely have an early opt-out clause) it will just reflect the current market. Not sure why so many fans struggle to realize this, but again… The market is constantly changing and about two to three years into his next deal, it won’t look too bad at all. But again, just keep thinking “J-Hey isn’t worth $200M!!!!” when the market would say that he is indeed worth it.

    Reply
  6. 8791Slegna

    10 years ago

    Heyman is correct that Chili Davis would make a great manager one day. He was the leader on those young Angels teams of the early 90s with Tim Salmon, Jim Edmonds, JT Snow, etc. Hope he gets a shot one day.

    Reply
  7. JoeyPankake

    10 years ago

    Angel Pagan for Johnathan Papelbon straight up. Only way either one of them gets traded. Span will probably leave in FA and Pagan could be insurance in case Taylor doesn’t work out. Giants could use the bullpen help and Bochy and Rags might be able to keep Paps from being the biggest DB on the planet. Plus the money is almost exactly the same.

    Reply
    • mrnatewalter

      10 years ago

      If there’s a clubhouse where Papelbon would be alright, it’s San Francisco. That’s a team that has embraced big personalities. If they can let Jonathan Papelbon be Jonathan Papelbon, perhaps they won’t have to worry about all the shenanigans.

      Reply
      • mookiessnarl

        10 years ago

        The last thing anyone wants is Papelbon being Papelbon. There’s big personalities, which are fine, but some of the stuff he has done isn’t a big personality. It shows impulsivity, lack of self-control and very poor judgement. He has talent. But there’s plenty of talent out there that doesn’t have that much baggage attached to it. There’s no reason to want that in your locker room. Just so long as your team is winning and Pap is pitching fine you won’t have to worry about him putting his hands around his teammates’ throats or making obscene gestures at the crowd. When things get tough he loses it. You want a guy who buckles down and becomes part of the solution. That’s not Pap.

        Reply
        • mrnatewalter

          10 years ago

          There was likely far more context behind that Papelbon-Harper incident than we’ll ever know. I doubt Papelbon is 100% to blame… I’m sure Harper can be insufferable to veteran teammates and has a good amount of blame for things escalating.

          That said, I think it would be foolish to walk around thinking, “is Papelbon going to choke someone in our clubhouse?” It was an isolated incident. But if that’s the case, manage him. Work with him. Let him flourish in a set role that he can succeed in.

          If teams continue to see Papelbon as nothing but a headcase, manage him as a headcase, you’ll find a nice example of self-fulfilling prophecy. The guy can be a tremendous asset to many teams in baseball, but you have to work with the guy.

          Reply
      • gilgunderson

        10 years ago

        There are some big personalities in the Giants’ clubhouse, but there’s a very professional, self-regulating environment in there. Bochy is a steady leader, but Buster Posey is the mild-mannered, low-key counterpart to a Hunter Pence. One thing’s for sure, Paps would have to be on his best behavior because the rest of the team wouldn’t tolerate him going off the rails.

        Reply
  8. Mike_Davis

    10 years ago

    Papelbon straight up for Aaron Hill.

    Reply
  9. nrd1138

    10 years ago

    Pitch framing is Increasingly important? According to whom exactly? I think ‘Pitch framing’ was invented as an excuse to keep inept hitting catchers (like Flowers) on rosters. Who cares if the catcher gets an extra strike here or there when they leave 7 guys on base during a game because they cannot hit? Flowers has hurt the Sox far more in being unable to drive runs home than than helped with pitch framing. The Sox are going to be handicapped as it is with Ventura returning to manage this club (and likely manage it poorly) again.

    Reply
  10. Los Calcetines Rojos

    10 years ago

    I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Sox sign Freese and Wieters to solve 3B and C for the time being. Freese on something like a 3yr 20 mm and Wieters on a 1 or 2 yr deal at around 12-15 mm per year to build his value back up. Personally, I think finding a 3B, C, corner OF, 2 SP, a BP arm or two, and finding someone to take LaRoche’s contract is a pretty tall task for this team to accomplish unless Reinsdorf opens up his wallet and spends money for once.

    Reply

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