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Archives for October 2016

AL Notes: Liriano, Joyner, Wallace

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Blue Jays lefty Francisco Liriano was cleared to return home to Toronto with his team after being struck by Carlos Gomez’s eighth-inning line drive in Game 2 of the ALDS Friday, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet and others have noted. The ball hit Liriano in the back of the head as he turned away, and it caromed into right center field. “I know what he’s going through right now, hoping for the best for the results,” says fellow Jays hurler J.A. Happ, who fractured his skull after taking a line drive to the head in 2013. “[B]ut yeah, that was scary.” Here’s more from the American League.

  • The Tigers have announced that hitting coach Wally Joyner will not return in 2017, as he intends to pursue “other interests in the game of baseball.” Assistant hitting coach David Newhan’s role with the team will be determined once the team finds a replacement for Joyner. Other key Tigers coaches (including pitching coach Rich Dubee, bench coach Gene Lamont, first base coach Omar Vizquel, third base coach Dave Clark, bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer and defensive coordinator Matt Martin) will return. The Tigers exercised manager Brad Ausmus’ 2017 option earlier this week. Under Joyner and Newhan, the Tigers had one of MLB’s better offenses in 2016, batting .267/.331/.438, although it should perhaps be noted that having Miguel Cabrera in the middle of their lineup gave them a hefty head start.
  • Orioles pitching coach Dave Wallace, who retired from his full-time role earlier this week, will be missed, Rich Dubroff of CSNmidatlantic.com writes. Wallace had no connections with Buck Showalter or Dan Duquette when the Orioles hired him three years ago, but his hiring turned out to be a boon for Orioles pitchers like Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen and Brad Brach, along with younger hurlers like Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy. Perhaps the best orange and black feather in Wallace’s cap is that of Zach Britton, who transformed from a struggling (and out-of-options) starter to a dominant closer soon after Wallace arrived.

5 Key Stories: 10/1/16 – 10/7/16

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Here were this week’s five biggest stories here at MLBTR.

Dave StewartThe Diamondbacks clean house. The Diamondbacks parted ways with GM Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale following a disastrous 69-93 season for which they’d prepared by spending very heavily, both in money and prospects. Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa remains in the organization, but will no longer run the team’s baseball operations. Ned Colletti, Kim Ng and a variety of executives with Diamondbacks ties are reportedly among the candidates to replace Stewart (who took to the media to discuss his firing).

Walt Weiss resigns. In more upheaval in the NL West, the Rockies manager left his post, citing a working relationship with GM Jeff Bridich that “wasn’t healthy, wasn’t productive,” as he told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. The Rockies are reportedly considering Triple-A manager Glenallen Hill and Braves first base coach Eddie Perez to replace him.

Tigers exercise Brad Ausmus’ option. As of early this week, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus still hadn’t heard whether the team planned to retain him for 2017. But the Tigers finally ended speculation about Ausmus’ future — or at least his immediate future — by announcing that they had exercised his 2017 option. His outlook beyond next season remains unclear.

Braves extend Jim Johnson. The Braves kept a key reliever from hitting the free agent market this winter, extending veteran righty Jim Johnson through 2018. The 33-year-old posted a 3.06 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 64 2/3 innings in 2016 in his second stint with Atlanta.

Marlins part ways with Barry Bonds. The Marlins are going in a different direction at hitting coach, electing not to renew the contract of legendary slugger Barry Bonds. Reporting from Craig Mish of MLB Network Radio indicated that there was at least some friction between Bonds and manager Don Mattingly. The Marlins also parted ways with third base coach Lenny Harris and bullpen coach Reid Cornelius.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On The Rockies’ Managerial Search

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The Rockies are considering Braves first base coach Eddie Perez for their vacant managerial position, Reyes Ureña of El Universal in Venezuelan tweets (link via MLB.com’s Thomas Harding). Perez recently interviewed for the Braves’ managerial job as well, although the team has acknowledged that it would be difficult to hire him, given the work interim manager Brian Snitker has done.

Previous Rockies manager Walt Weiss resigned this week, citing an unhealthy relationship with GM Jeff Bridich. Immediately after Weiss’ departure, Glenallen Hill, the Rockies’ manager at Triple-A Albuquerque, emerged as a possible candidate. As Harding notes, Bridich acknowledges that Hill is a potential candidate.

“I think he [Hill] would be somebody internally that we would consider, certainly,” says Bridich. “But then again, this is all very new information and new news. So there have been no formal plans put in place.”

The 48-year-old Perez played parts of 11 seasons in the big leagues, suiting up for the Braves, Indians and Brewers, notably serving as Greg Maddux’s personal catcher in Atlanta. Since retiring as a player, he’s worked as a bullpen coach as well as first base coach for the Braves, while also managing in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Hill, 51, played for the Blue Jays, Indians, Cubs, Giants, Mariners, Yankees and Angels over the course of a 13-year big-league career. He began coaching in the Rockies system in 2003 and has served as the team’s first base coach. He has managed the Rockies’ Triple-A team (first in Colorado Springs, then in Albuquerque) for the past four seasons.

Quick Hits: De La Rosa, Plouffe, Wacha, Cards CF, Rothschild

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All indications are that Jorge De La Rosa’s nine-year run with the Rockies is at an end. The southpaw, who largely thrived at Coors Field, spoke with MLB.com’s Thomas Harding about the possibility that he’ll be looking for a new organization this winter. De La Rosa, 35, ended the year with a 5.51 ERA and 7.3 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9. He also allowed 10.5 basehits per nine in what was his worst season in Colorado (excepting a truncated 2012). De La Rosa spoke well of his time with the Rockies and did not rule out a return, while noting that he battled through health and mechanical issues this year. He added that he “liked” pitching out of the bullpen, though he added that he still believes he can succeed as a starter. It remains to be seen how the market will view the southpaw, and whether he’ll be pursued in some capacity by his long-time organization, but there figures to be a fair bit of interest in a pitcher who has proven able to supply solid innings in a tough pitching environment.

  • There are also questions moving forward for Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe, though he remains under Minnesota’s control for one more year. As Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports, the 30-year-old acknowledged that his future with the organization is uncertain. Plouffe dealt with injuries for much of the year, which he says was especially problematic because he tried to rush a return. With a $7.25MM base salary heading into a final run at arbitration, where he’ll tote a .260/.303/.420 batting line and a dozen homers over 344 plate appearances, Plouffe could be non-tendered or perhaps tendered and traded by a Twins team that suffered through an abysmal 2016 campaign.
  • The Cardinals still view Michael Wacha as a starter, as MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports, though that’s in greater question than ever after an injury-riddled 2016 season that was easily his worst as a big leaguer. Skipper Mike Matheny suggests that Wacha’s shoulder health could be improved by building up his upper-body strength. “As you start to look for some compensation and where there might be weaknesses, how can he build up some parts of his body muscularly that will help support maybe the arm and the demand that comes with being a starting pitcher?” asked Matheny. “When his health is right, you’re seeing the right arm action. The next step is going to be the one that’s missing right now. That’s consistency in the strike zone. He’s a rare talent that we need to figure out how to get into a consistent spot.”
  • Sticking with the Cardinals, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks at some options for the team in center field — which increasingly seems to be a target area this winter. He runs through a variety of trade and free agent targets, some of whom seem more achievable than others. At this stage, it’s tough to handicap from the outside, though GM John Mozeliak has certainly hinted that defense will be a priority in the search.
  • Pitching coach Larry Rothschild will be back with the Yankees for his seventh year with the organization, per a club announcement. He had been the only member of the coaching staff who had yet to agree to terms with the team to return. With his re-signing, Joe Girardi and the rest of the uniformed staff are all set to repeat in 2017.

Jarred Cosart To Undergo Elbow Surgery

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Padres right-hander Jarred Cosart will undergo elbow surgery to “remove loose bodies,” per a team announcement. San Diego acquired Cosart in the summer trade that sent Andrew Cashner to the Marlins.

There is no indication as of yet as to whether the operation will impact his offseason timeline in any appreciable way. But this sort of procedure isn’t all that unusual; prior suggestions were that Cosart was dealing with a bone spur, which is the kind of issue that is frequently addressed at this time of year.

Regardless, there’s uncertainty any time a pitcher goes under the knife. In this case, though, it likely won’t have much of an impact on the Pads’ offseason plans. Cosart wasn’t able to reach three full years of major league service because he was optioned for part of the year, and it doesn’t appear that he’ll qualify for Super Two status after entering the season with two years and twenty days of service already in the bank. Cosart’s 2016 campaign was split roughly evenly between the big leagues and minors.

San Diego likely has already baked plenty of question marks into its assessment of Cosart anyway. The 26-year-old has always been seen as a talented pitcher, and logged excellent results for stretches earlier in his career. Though his strikeout-to-walk ratio has never impressed — it stands at 6.2 K/9 against 4.6 BB/9 for his career — Cosart generates quite a few groundballs and has successfully tamped down on home runs when at his best.

Ultimately, there still seems to be quite a lot of work to do for the Padres to get value out of Cosart, though there’s also minimal risk since the organization isn’t expected to contend in 2017 and he’ll seemingly play at the league minimum. His 57 major league frames this year weren’t terribly inspiring, as he walked more batters than he retired via strikeout and allowed an even six earned runs per nine innings. Cosart also sported a career-low 92.3 mph average fastball. On the bright side, he did top his annual best with a 60.9% groundball rate.

Poll: Should The Pirates Trade Andrew McCutchen?

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MLBTR’s Charlie Wilmoth just broke down the Pirates’ upcoming offseason, labeling as the team’s “key topic” the question whether to seriously entertain trade talks on long-time star center fielder Andrew McCutchen. It’s a tough call for a team that disappointed in 2016 but still hopes to contend next year. While an answer is obviously dependent in no small part upon the level of demand on the market, it seems worth posing now to the MLBTR readership.

As Charlie explained, McCutchen’s middling season did end well, with a .284/.381/.471 batting line from the start of August. And while he’s no longer particularly youthful, he’ll only be entering his age-30 season with a track record as one of the game’s most productive all-around players.

Even if teams buy into the idea that Cutch’s true talent level at the plate remains rather high, despite his rough results for most of the year, the question remains what they’ll think of his glovework in center. Metrics have never loved him up the middle, but took a particularly dim view of his work in 2016. McCutchen graded out at -22.5 runs per UZR and racked up -28 Defensive Runs Saved. Both were league-low marks among qualifying players.

Beyond the on-field matters, McCutchen is a unique player. He has been the face of the franchise as it has emerged from a long period of misery, and remains affordable despite his long run of excellence. His extension calls for a $14MM salary next year and includes a $14.5MM club option ($1MM buyout) for 2018. And it’s obviously a relative low point at which to deal.

On the other hand, Pittsburgh has several needs and already signaled some payroll concerns in giving up prospects to move the remaining contract of Francisco Liriano at the deadline. With other holes to plug, as Charlie documents in the above-linked piece, there’s an argument to be made that now’s the time to re-allocate the salary while getting some assets back. Plus, the club has center field options on hand in Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco along with an outfield replacement available in highly-rated youngster Austin Meadows — though a .214/.297/.460 batting line over his first 147 Triple-A plate appearances suggests there’s some polishing left.

There’s a lot to ponder here, and the Bucs have some time to think about it while getting a read on the market. But as things stand, what do you think Pittsburgh ought to do?

Mets Notes: Wright, Cespedes, Asdrubal, Free Agency

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While he obviously wasn’t able to suit up for the Mets in their Wild Card loss the other night, veteran third baseman David Wright says he’s “really positive and really confident that this neck surgery’s going to hold up.” As Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports, though Wright hasn’t done anything beyond walking yet in terms of physical activity, it seems he’s already regained quite a bit of strength. The biggest tests from a baseball perspective are yet to come, of course. He’s hoping to be cleared for baseball activity in December.

Here’s more from New York:

  • There’s no reason the Mets can’t bring back star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes yet again, David Lennon of Newsday suggests. In fact, the club is more confident now than it was last year that a reunion would be possible, with Lennon suggesting that the team believes it has approximately even odds of landing him in free agency. Still, New York isn’t interested in participating in a major bidding war and likely won’t compete past a certain point, he indicates.
  • Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is getting checked out for the possibility of knee surgery, as Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweeted, but no determination has been reported. The balky knee slowed Cabrera at times, but it didn’t stop him from finishing the regular season with a highly productive .280/.336/.474 batting line and 23 home runs. His two-year contract looks to be a bargain, and it’s worth noting that the Mets have an option for 2018 as well.
  • It’s worth wondering what the Mets might do in free agency, especially if they don’t land Cespedes, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post has some ideas on the matter. He thinks the time is right for the team to pursue fireballing lefty Aroldis Chapman, and also suggests that a push for slugger Edwin Encarnacion would make sense. It’s an interesting thought, though the same basic reasoning could lead numerous other teams to make lofty bids for these two players — who’ll likely be among the most expensive to sign this winter.

Heyman’s Latest: ChiSox, Santana, Cozart, Rockies, Davis, Brewers, Smith

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Jon Heyman of Fan Rag gives his odds on the postseason and provides a host of interesting information in his latest notes column. Here are a few highlights:

  • While there’s been some turnover in the White Sox’ dugout, as bench coach Rick Renteria has moved up to manager as a replacement for the departing Robin Ventura, changes to the field staff don’t figure to impact pitching coach Don Cooper, per Heyman. In fact, the South Siders have actually made an extension offer to their well-respected pitching coach, who is on the brink of entering his 16th season at that post.
  • While it’s hardly a surprise, Heyman notes that the Indians will exercise their $12MM option on Carlos Santana. For a player with a .259/.366/.498 with a career-high 34 homers, that decision was a no-brainer, even for a typically cost-conscious club like Cleveland.
  • The Rockies quietly made a run at Cincinnati’s Zack Cozart prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, knowing that Trevor Story, whose last game came on July 30, was ailing and could miss the remainder of the season. Talks continued into August, per Heyman, but Cozart’s own injury issues arose and made a deal more difficult. It’d have been interesting to see the Rox land Cozart, as he’d have once again become a trade chip for them in the offseason with Story expected to be ready to go for the 2017 season. While talks don’t seem likely to be revisited this winter, the note is another reminder that Cozart is a desirable trade chip for the Reds, who also had a near-swap that would’ve sent Cozart to the Mariners on Aug. 1. Heyman also reminds that longtime GM/president Walt Jocketty will step into an adviser role this winter, leaving GM Dick Williams as the top decision-maker in Cincinnati’s baseball ops department.
  • Sticking with the Rockies, Heyman chronicles the rift that grew and eventually became irreconcilable between now-former manager Walt Weiss and GM Jeff Bridich. Per the report, there was a near-total breakdown of communications between the two. Weiss expressed concern with owner Dick Monfort — who was seemingly preparing to give Weiss a two-year extension and tried to convince him to stay. But the skipper didn’t believe that the two leaders could co-exist, and Monfort ultimately stuck with his GM.
  • Tigers owner Mike Ilitch was serious about pursuing slugger Chris Davis in free agency last winter — so much so that he was willing to guarantee something approaching $200MM, says Heyman. Newly-installed GM Al Avila, however, recommended that the team take another course. Though Davis has been reasonably productive, he hasn’t produced at the levels that earned him his ultimate contract — a $161MM deal with the Orioles.
  • As the Brewers’ brass has suggested, Heyman says that the team is not inclined to utilize Jonathan Villar at third base. With Orlando Arcia seemingly set for his first full season at short, that may well mean that Villar is destined to shift over to second base. If that’s the case, it’s not clear just what role Scooter Gennett will have. The 26-year-old is entering his first season of arbitration eligibility after a posting a below-average .263/.317/.412 batting line in his 542 plate appearances in 2016.
  • Meanwhile, the Brewers may not be sold on the idea of tendering Chris Carter a contract. While the team has suggested he’s expected back, Carter’s 41 homers also make him a good bet to earn a rather significant arbitration raise.
  • The Mariners appear to be “leaning toward” picking up a $7MM option over outfielder Seth Smith. Smith, 34, isn’t quite an everyday player, but has received over 400 plate appearances in each of his two campaigns in Seattle. This year, he hit .249/.342/.415 with 16 home runs, just under his overall career marks. At $7MM, the M’s would be getting Smith for something like the going annual rate for a fourth outfielder, while limiting its commitment to a single season.

Phillies Announce Six Outrights

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The Phillies have outrighted six players, per a club announcement. Infielder Emmanuel Burriss, outfielder Jimmy Paredes, lefty Patrick Schuster, and righties Frank Herrmann, Dalier Hinojosa, and Colton Murray all lost their roster spots.

It’s no surprise to see Philadelphia partaking in some aggressive roster trimming. The organization has been utilizing a variety of temporary options while its best young talent develops in the minors. With another offseason at hand, the Phils will need to protect a new round of players from the Rule 5 draft while also pursuing new additions from the group of players that will inevitable enter the open market as other organizations make their winter decisions.

Paredes, 27, struggled badly in his 150 plate appearances, posting a .217/.242/.350 slash a season after providing the Orioles with an approximately league-average bat last year in over 100 games of action. Likewise, Burris didn’t show much at all in his fifty plate appearances, which represent his most extensive MLB action since way back in 2012.

The southpaw Schuster, who is still just 25, was bombed in his two major league innings. But he showed quite well in 44 2/3 Triple-A innings on the year, allowing just six earned runs on 31 hits and 18 walks while punching out 46 batters.

As for the righties, Herrmann earned a return to the majors for the first time since 2012 but was hit hard in 15 frames. The 30-year-old Hinojosa held opponents to four earned runs in 11 innings, with eight strikeouts and three walks, and also carried a 2.86 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 5.1 BB/9 in his 28 1/3 innings at the highest level of the minors.

Among these players, only Murray was drafted and developed by the Phils. He was coming off of two straight quality campaigns in the upper minors and continued to perform well at Triple-A, but didn’t impress in the bigs. Over 31 2/3 innings, Murray worked to a 6.25 ERA with 8.8 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9. Though ERA estimators suggest he was a bit unlucky, he was quite susceptible to the long ball and gave up a ton of hard contact (41.1%).

Orioles Claim Jed Bradley, Designate Paul Janish

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The Orioles announced this afternoon that they’ve claimed left-hander Jed Bradley off waivers from the Braves and designated infielder Paul Janish for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

The DFA of Janish is largely procedural, as the Orioles non-tendered him last December and had already outrighted him back off the 40-man roster once this summer before selecting his contract again late in the year. He wasn’t likely to be carried on the 40-man roster throughout the offseason, though if he again clears waivers — which is likely — he could re-sign a minor league pact to return to the organization with which he has spent the past two seasons. The 34-year-old Janish is a standout defender at shortstop and a nice depth piece for any organization, but his upside at the plate is limited; he’s a career .216/.284/.289 hitter in 1277 big league plate appearances and slashed .248/.333/.280 with Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate this season.

As for Bradley, the former top prospect and first-round pick (15th overall by the Brewers in 2011) made his Major League debut with Atlanta this season, yielding four runs on seven hits and six walks (two intentional) with four strikeouts in seven innings for the Braves. Bradley’s career never took off as the Brewers hoped, as he moved from the rotation to the bullpen in the minors and struggled a great deal between Double-A and Triple-A in 2015. However, Bradley logged a 3.09 earned run average with 108 strikeouts against 40 walks in 107 2/3 innings between the rotation and bullpen at Triple-A this year (13 starts, 22 relief appearances) and will give the Orioles some needed left-handed depth in the organization if he survives the winter on Baltimore’s 40-man roster.

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