After being told he would not retain his job as manager, Dan Jennings was set to return to the Marlins last week to resume GM duties. However, Jennings had questions about his current role and responsibilities that president David Samson couldn’t immediately answer, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes.  Samson has asked Jennings to stay home while he discusses the situation with owner Jeffrey Loria.  The Marlins haven’t pulled their offer for Jennings to return as GM, Jackson writes, and he and Loria are expected to talk in the coming days.  Jennings might have less influence in the front office than he did before, and that’s a result of Loria “listening to more voices.”  In addition to president/baseball operations Michael Hill, farm system chief Marc Delpiano and execs Mike Berger and Jeff McAvoy also have sway.
Here’s more out of the East divisions..
- More from Jackson, who writes that the Marlins’ payroll of $68MM “is expected to rise slightly” in 2016.  In 2015, Miami had the lowest payroll in baseball.
- With whispers that the Mets will listen this winter on offers for their top three starters, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald writes that it’s “not impossible” that New Englander Matt Harvey will end up in the Red Sox’s rotation next season. Â Of course, there was more speculation surrounding Harvey’s Mets future during the innings-limit controversy and it’s hard to picture a deal happening as he gets set to take the hill in Game 1 of the World Series.
- Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times opines that it’s fair to wonder if Andrew Friedman erred in not bringing Joe Maddon to the Dodgers after both men left the Rays.  The Dodgers, of course, are searching for their next manager after parting ways with Don Mattingly.
Get Loria out of baseball!!
Can’t see Harvey with the Red Sox keeping Moncada, Benintendi and Espinoza off limits. Probably be more likely to match up on someone like Wheeler. With the Mets a deal can’t be built around Swihart, so it leave you a little thin for blue chip pieces. I would wonder if the Mets would have an interest in a player like Castillo if the Sox would eat some money. Guerra and Marrero may also have appeal.
Yea I want to hold onto those guys and Devers so I think Harvey is out of reach. A package of Guerra,Margot,Owens/Johnson should/could get us back something nice thougj.
Fully support that strategy. It would be tough this off season though as Guerra and Margot are at least a year or two away from the majors. For a team to trade a starter in this environment they need a piece that is close to ready or actually ready and Owens and Johnson don’t exactly spark excitement. Swihart would, and the Sox have some flexibility at the catcher position, but the Mets don’t need a catcher.
I’d be willing to move Devers too. Right now, his stock is incredibly high and he should be able to be the centrepiece in a deal for a top of the rotation arm. I love him as a prospect, but he is the guy I’d be most willing to have lead a package for an ace, oppose to say Moncada, Espinoza, or Swihart. I want to hold onto Benintendi and Kopech too as I think the upside for both of them is high, and I don’t think they’ve reached their peak value as a prospect yet. If they consider trading either of those two, I think they should wait until they climb even further on prospect lists.
I’m inclined to support holding onto Devers because he plays a more valuable position to the Red Sox. With Benintendi already slated to join the OF in the future, and 3 young OFs prepared to start in 2016, Margot seems more expendable, as does Swihart at catcher and Guerra/Chavis at short. Sandoval could be dealt at any time, or get moved to another position. I’d feel comfortable we have a stud prospect as a safety.
I would prefer to move Swihart over Devers. Swihart plays a skill position and is major league ready, which has more value than a potential slugger at a corner spot a few years away. So I think he’d easier headline a trade and bring back a better pitcher. And I don’t think Swihart’s defense will ever get close to Vazquez’s. Given the option, with the offensive possibilities in the Red Sox lineup, I’m perfectly fine with Hanigan/Vazquez/Leon there. A catcher that can hit is a bonus, not a necessity.
I say keep Swihart. He looks like a future all star at the catcher postion. Vazquez is major league ready too and if he proves hes healthy should be worth something. Margot is fairly close Major League ready and could be up as early as late 2016.
You have to give something up of value to get a young controllable arm. There is depth at the catcher position, but you can’t trade someone (a catcher anyway) coming back from TJS before he’s proven healthy. I saw a descent bat from Swihart, but he’s not really ready defensively. A deal built around Vazquez wouldn’t bring back a good enough arm. And I don’t think there’s much else in the minors that a trade for that kind of pitcher can be built around. They’re not moving Moncada, Benintendi, Espinoza, Betts, Bogaerts. Devers and Margot don’t have the same value that Swihart has. It would probably take both Swihart and Margot to even get the conversation started on deal for a young controllable TOR arm (ultimately probably 4 players would be involved). Margot is probably a year and a half away. His numbers in AA were okay, but not spectacular. He’ll probably spend at least a half a season there in 2016. And he just turned 21. I’d be willing to bet Benintendi would see time in the majors before Margot does. But I imagine the Red Sox would too and that’s why he’s on the no-trade list.
I think Carrasco or Ross could be had without giving up those guys. I have a feeling moving Swihart will end up like trading Rizzo. We trade a long term solution at a position then end up with nothing there for years. Even if we can’t get something with Guerra, Owens,Johnson, Koepach, Margot, JBJ and other minor pieces there is a huge free agent pool. We should not be trading a haul for a TOR in a winter when Price, Zimmerman, Grenkie, Cueto, Kazmier Etc are out there.
More in favor of getting rid of Boras people than acquiring them. Give up all of that talent, which NY probably would want more anyway, (such as Substitute Devers for the injured Johnson) and Boston could get the equally front end starter Carlos Carrasco, signed through 2019 w/2 team options through 2021 for probably less and none of the years cost more than 9.5m each.
Just because Harvey is from NE isn’t going to get them any kind of loyalty points, the guy got Boras for a reason and last thing they need is Boras blabbering all summer the next 3 years about him pitching too much, or running off to his voodoo camp when he gets some minor ache and pain for 6 weeks.
Carrasco is safer and cheaper.. Forget Harvey.
Carrasco is going to cost close to Harvey because front offices aren’t idiots. Carrascos numbers and contract make him one of the most valuable assets in the game.
I don’t see a trade involving Matt Harvey happening either, and I highly doubt a deal would be done with the Red Sox if a trade were to happen. The Mets are going to want near MLB-ready prospects, or solid major leaguers in return for Harvey, and the Red Sox don’t really match up well in that regard. Swihart doesn’t really serve much value to them because of d’Arnaud and Plawecki, and Bogaerts and Betts are as untouchable as it gets.
I feel the same way. Betts and Bogaerts are completely off limits, and the Mets have no use for Swihart with D’Arnoud. Which means, Harvey to the Redsox is very unlikley. Maybe Harvey could be a target for the Cubs if they are willing to move Soler.
Anywho, I feel the innings limit thing is kind of overblow. I don’t think the Mets will move any of their trio of arms after making it (and possibly winning) the World Series.
How do you tell a guy to stay home and then expect him to come back? Just fire the guy. They took him out of the job to be the manager only to remove him from that… If he is going to be the GM wouldn’t you think he would be involved in hiring the new manager? I don’t know why Jennings hasn’t walked away. Writing is on the wall
He hasn’t walked away because the chance of getting the GM job is better than getting a demotion somewhere else. I highly doubt any other team would give him the GM job, so he might as well see if he is going to be given another chance. If not, he can look for a different job then.
Dan, Buddy, if it takes more than a day for somebody to tell you what exactly the job you’re being offered is… it’s time to move on to greener pasture.
If there’s even a discussion to be had about how much power the GM will wield, the answer is ‘very, very little’.
There’s ‘whispers’ that the Mets will listen on deGrom and Syndergaard? Are they being made by writers looking for something to write about? Harvey maybe, but there other two are about as off-limits as it gets.
I would include Espinoza in any Harvey trade as Harvey would be the ace that Red Sox need and he is from New England as well.
Harvey is a Boras client and if I am not mistaken, grew up a Yankees fan. If he wasn’t a Boras client, I’d consider it, but he is, making it incredibly hard to see him in a Red Sox uniform after the next few years. Espinoza is likely the only pitching prospect they have with the possibility of being an ace. I think they will try to keep him at all cost, as has been previously reported.
Espinoza is incredible and is also very young. I wouldn’t risk losing him quite yet for what would likely be three years of Matt Harvey. Syndergaard would be a more suitable option for me
First off the mets are in the World Series because of their top three starters. Unless you start with a trout or Harper type talent the mets have no reason to bite. Also matz is also in line with those guys I could see him moving first. Mets plan to lock these guys up mlb fans need to just forget it. Let’s go mets 2015.
Non of the pitchers the Mets have would get Trout or Harper one for one.Not even close really.
He’s not saying they would. He’s saying that it’s pretty silly for writers to write things like they’re hearing rumors that the Mets will ‘listen to offers for their top three starters’. The offers would have to be insane for them to even listen, meaning that they’ll ‘listen to offers’ in the same way that any team in baseball will listen to offers for any of their players. They’re all pretty untouchable in the same way Trout and Harper are.
Xander Bogaerts would be the headliner or they could move Mookie to 2b. Then Devers and other members of the Red Sox 12 top 100 prospects.
I’d wonder if a Jose Altuve for Matt Harvey deal would work out. Altuve is more than replaceable on Houstons end with Lowrie and Bregman a year away.
I personally don’t see a huge value in Altuve for the Astros. His contract is very friendly. However he is a replacement level defender with no walk rate. A lot of teams would love him. Houston has options and rights now won’t get murdered in the press if he goes.
If the Mets are looking to keep Harvey, they should offer an extension this offseason. Otherwise, they need to “sell high” & get a huge ROI.
You rarely see pitchers take out insurance policies on their arms & the Mets have gambled with Harvey’s future. USA Today wrote about it (usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/10/16/matt-harv…) and the NYT just added a piece last week RE: how he shouldn’t be pitching right now – not to mention the possibility of 3x in the W.S. (mobile.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/sports/baseball/in-p…).
Players are told to put themselves 2nd to the team & the Mets need to add another Commissioner’s Trophy to the museum @ Citi Field if they want to attract future pitching prospects/FAs.
To the writer – Harvey isn’t opening. Game 3.
Folks, you’re assuming Harvey would immediately embrace Boston because he’s from the area. He’s a Yankee fan. Mets fans are dreading the day he joins them.
And the Mets aren’t going to deal him for a package of prospects. The time is now. Players that are established and controllable at a reasonable price is what they’ll look for, such as Xavier Bogaerts (and another with him). And Swihart? The Mets have D’Arnaud.
The Cubs would be a better match, or even the Dodgers with Seager.