Archives for 2019

Yankees Replace CC Sabathia On ALCS Roster

By Jeff Todd | October 18, 2019 at 10:34am CDT

10:34am: Sabathia has been diagnosed with a subluxation of his left shoulder joint, per the team. He’ll be replaced by righty Ben Heller.

6:07am: It appears that the long and storied career of Yankees lefty CC Sabathia is now at an end. He exited last night’s contest with an injury, with manager Aaron Boone saying after the game that Sabathia is likely to be replaced on the ALCS roster. Erik Boland of Newsday was among those to report the news via Twitter.

Sabathia, 39, was trying to bail his team out of an error-fueled jam when the trainer was summoned. Boone said after the game that the issue is in Sabathia’s pitching shoulder. Details are scant, but the skipper did say the outlook is “not good.”

The Yanks ended up dropping the messy game 5 contest by a score of 8-3. That puts the team in a 3-1 hole with Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole lined up to start for the Astros. Ripping off three-straight victories isn’t impossible, but will certainly be a tall order.

The front office will now need to settle on a roster replacement for Sabathia. The limitations of Giancarlo Stanton must also be considered; he’s said to be available to DH but is still dealing with a quad injury. Utilityman Tyler Wade and first baseman Luke Voit were both on the divisional series roster and remain options. Outfielder Mike Tauchman is also said to be available. It’s also possible the Yanks could instead add another arm.

As for Sabathia, he’s already committed to wrapping up his playing career at season’s end. But removing him from the roster would mean that he has now thrown his final pitches as a major leaguer. Sabathia would not be eligible to appear in the World Series — should the Yanks storm back and qualify — if he’s taken off of the ALCS roster.

Freddie Freeman Undergoes Elbow Surgery

By Jeff Todd | October 18, 2019 at 9:07am CDT

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman has undergone surgery on his right (non-throwing) elbow, per a club announcement. He was operated on by Mets team medical director and frequent baseball surgeon Dr. David Altchek.

The team provided a nicely detailed account of the procedure, which evidently did not involve any significant structural repairs. Altchek is said to have “cleaned out” the joint, including “removing three fragmented loose bodies and cleaning up multiple bone spur formations.”

Freeman is expected to be ready to roll by the time Spring Training comes around in mid-February. That’s obviously good news, as the 30-year-old remains a key cog after nine full seasons in the majors. He’s under contract for two more campaigns at $22MM apiece.

The Atlanta organization will hope that the medical work will resolve the elbow discomfort that seemingly plagued Freeman late in the 2019 season. The ever-productive first bagger suffered a bit of a late power outage, hitting .264/.365/.389 in the month of September. And he was just four-for-20 with a walk in his 22 plate appearances in the NLDS.

Bruce Bochy Not Interested In Managing In 2020

By Jeff Todd | October 18, 2019 at 8:49am CDT

After wrapping up his lengthy tenure as the manager of the Giants, Bruce Bochy is not going to head into the dugout with another organization — at least, not right away. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter), Bochy has informed interested teams that he won’t interview for open managerial positions this winter.

It had at least been worth wondering whether Bochy might be wooed by one of the eight (now seven) teams that needed new skippers. He is only 64 years of age, after all, and has never said he’d be certain never to return to the dugout. There was a bit of a send-off tour as Bochy circled the majors this year, and he did say he was retiring, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation — including from within the Giants clubhouse.

For now, Bochy will remain with the San Francisco organization as a special assistant. But it seems he could be open to considering a return to a managerial role as soon as next year. Bochy has indicated before that he wouldn’t rule out that possibility in advance, preferring instead to see how things unfold once he steps away from the Giants.

There’s little doubt that other clubs would have interest. Bochy has overseen some rough recent campaigns in San Francisco, but it’s doubtful any other manager would’ve coaxed more from those rosters. And the mediocre conclusion doesn’t detract from the Bochy-led Giants’ remarkable run of three World Series titles in five years.

Indeed, the Padres — who Bochy managed for a dozen years before going up the coast — are even said to have “offered him a job.” (Whether that refers to the San Diego managerial vacancy isn’t made clear, but seems fair to presume.) It seems unlikely that particular position will be open this time next year, barring a calamitous first season for whomever is hired, but Bochy will surely end up fielding phone calls as the 2020 campaign draws to a close.

Poll: The Phillies’ Managerial Finalists

By Mark Polishuk | October 17, 2019 at 10:28pm CDT

The Phillies’ managerial search appears to be down to three candidates, who combine for 53 years of experience at running a Major League team. Gabe Kapler was a first-time manager who took an analytics-heavy approach to his role as the Phils’ skipper, though after two disappointing years, Kapler was fired to make way for a more seasoned hand in the dugout. This isn’t to say that Dusty Baker, Joe Girardi, or Buck Showalter aren’t open to modern ideas, yet it’s clear that the Phillies are looking for, in the words of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Breen, a mix of “analytics and tradition.”

While it could be argued how “new school” or “old school” the three candidates are, one thing is for certain — Baker, Girardi, and Showalter all have outstanding track records.

Baker: 1863-1636 record over 22 seasons managing the Giants (1993-2002), Cubs (2003-06), Reds (2008-13), and Nationals (2016-17); 14 winning seasons; eight postseason appearances, seven division titles, one league pennant

Girardi: 988-794 record over 11 seasons managing the Marlins (2006) and Yankees (2008-17); 10 winning seasons; six postseason appearances, three division titles, one World Series championship

Showalter: 1551-1517 record over 20 seasons managing the Yankees (1992-95), Diamondbacks (1998-2000), Rangers (2003-06), Orioles (2010-18); 10 winning seasons; five postseason appearances, two division titles

Between managing contenders, also-rans, rebuilding teams, and (in Girardi’s case) World Series champions, the three skippers have basically seen it all in their careers, which should help in dealing with a Phillies team that has a lot of talent, but was also hamstrung by injuries and a lack of production in some key areas over the last two seasons.

As much as the Phillies were expected to contend this year, they haven’t yet gotten into that tier of the sport’s top teams — which is nothing unusual for Baker and Showalter, who have each molded losing teams into playoff contenders on multiple occasions. Girardi didn’t exactly have the same rebuilding experience when he took over the consistently-winning Yankees following Joe Torre’s departure, though he withstood a decade in the Bronx pressure cooker, and kept the Yankees above .500 from 2013-16 during what counts, by New York’s standards, as a rebuilding period (only one postseason appearance in those four years).

If you ran the Phillies, which of these three managers would you hire to get your team over the top? (Poll link for app users.)

AL Central Notes: Castellanos, Perez, Lovelady

By Mark Polishuk | October 17, 2019 at 9:24pm CDT

As BBWAA writers in Detroit prepare to vote on the “Tiger Of The Year” award, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reveals that his vote will go to a player who didn’t suit up for the Tigers after the trade deadline — Nicholas Castellanos. A case could certainly be made that Castellanos was still the best performer on the woeful Tigers, though Fenech took something of a more symbolic stance, arguing that Castellanos “provided a fitting look at the front office’s failure to gain serious ground in their rebuilding process.” After several months of fruitless attempts to move Castellanos, Detroit finally unloaded the slugger to the Cubs for two decent but unspectacular pitching prospects, only to see Castellanos start tearing the cover off the ball after arriving in Chicago.

“How did the Tigers not know this hitter was in there? And why does every player that leave Detroit improve?” Fenech asks, also wondering why the club didn’t make more of an effort to extend a player who openly desired to be a long-term piece for the Tigers. Instead, the lack of progress on either a trade or an extension seemed to wear on Castellanos in the first half of the year, which didn’t help his trade value.

AL West Notes: Espada, Rendon, Athletics

By Mark Polishuk | October 17, 2019 at 7:53pm CDT

Astros bench coach Joe Espada has been linked to another managerial opening, as MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link) that the Giants have asked the Astros for permission to speak to Espada. This will mark the third team who has put Espada on their radar this offseason, as he has already interviewed with the Cubs and received some consideration from the Angels before Los Angeles hired Joe Maddon. At least three more teams (the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Rangers) all considered Espada for managerial vacancies last offseason, as well.

As Heyman notes, San Francisco’s list of known candidates consists of “mostly younger guys” who have never managed at the Major League level before, like the 44-year-old Espada. Gabe Kapler and Mike Matheny (who has to be interviewed for the job) are the only candidates who have been big league skippers, though Kapler is only 44 years old and Matheny is 49. Longtime Giants coach Ron Wotus, at 58, is the oldest of the candidates. It certainly seems as though Giants president of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi is looking to follow the league’s recent trend towards younger, more analytically-inclined dugout bosses, though Zaidi said earlier this month that he was going to embark on a rather extensive search, so more candidates could still emerge.

MLBTR Chat Transcript: Cole, Angels, Padres, Ozuna

By Mark Polishuk | October 17, 2019 at 6:58pm CDT

Click here to access (and submit questions to) tonight’s baseball chat, moderated by MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk

Latest On Padres’ Managerial Search

By Mark Polishuk | October 17, 2019 at 5:12pm CDT

TODAY: “Many folks around baseball believe” Tingler will be hired as the Padres’ next manager, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). While nothing is yet confirmed, “Tingler is seen as [the] favorite.”

OCT. 16: The Padres could be nearing the final steps in their search for a new manager, as two candidates will receive second interviews for the position. Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link) report that Jayce Tingler is in San Diego today, while Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Ron Washington will also meet with the team later this week. These secondary interviews will involve Padres ownership for the first time, as executive chairman Ron Fowler and general partner Peter Seidler will be meeting with Tingler and Washington.

It isn’t known if any of the other known candidates from the Padres’ first round of interviews will also be brought back for a second meeting, or if Tingler and Washington are the only two finalists for the job (or if any candidates could still surface in the future). As per Acee, Fowler and Seidler will give their input but the final hiring is with GM A.J. Preller, which makes for an interesting dynamic given Preller’s connection to both candidates.

The expectation was that San Diego would go with an experienced former big league skipper with their new hire, after failing to find success with a first-time manager in Andy Green. Of the five people interviewed for the job, however, only Washington and Brad Ausmus had any substantial MLB experience. Tingler and Nationals third base coach Bob Henley have only managed minor league clubs, while Padres bench coach Rod Barajas served as the team’s interim manager for the final eight games of the season after Green was fired.

If experience is still seen as a key factor in the Padres’ decision-making, Washington would have the clear advantage, with a 664-611 record and two AL pennants on his resume as the Rangers’ manager from 2007-14. This overlapped with Preller’s time working in the Texas front office, though Preller also worked with Tingler during this same period. Tingler was a manager for the Rangers’ Dominican Summer League and Arizona League clubs, and also worked as the Rangers’ minor league field coordinator from 2012-14. Tingler’s current role is player development field coordinator for Texas, after working in jobs ranging from assistant GM to interim bench coach over the last five seasons.

Latest On Adam Wainwright’s Future

By Mark Polishuk | October 17, 2019 at 4:25pm CDT

In the wake of the Cardinals being swept out of the National League Championship Series, it isn’t surprising that Adam Wainwright was more focused on the end of his club’s season than he was on his future plans. The 38-year-old righty told MLB.com’s Adam Berry and other reporters after Game Four of the NLCS that “I haven’t even thought about” what he might do for the 2020 season, though “we’ll talk about it over the next couple weeks.”

If the veteran does decide to hang up his glove after 14 seasons, Wainwright will have gone out on a very high note. He posted a 4.19 ERA, 8.02 K/9, 48.8% grounder rate, and 2.39 K/BB rate over 171 2/3 frames for St. Louis this season, and then delivered a 1.62 ERA over 16 2/3 innings during the Cards’ playoff run.

While not at the level of Wainwright’s ace-like prime in 2009-14 (a stretch that saw him earn four top-three finishes in NL Cy Young Award voting), it was still the right-hander’s best season of the last half-decade. Wainwright has been hampered by injuries in recent years, so it’s no wonder that his performance began to improve once his nagging elbow problems finally began to subside. Aside from a 10-day minimum stint on the injured list due to a balky hamstring in June, 2019 was a very healthy campaign for Wainwright, as he passed the 170-inning plateau for the eighth time in his career.

Signed to a one-year deal for just $2MM in guaranteed money, Wainwright ended up earning $10MM by maxing out his incentives. Wainwright re-signed with St. Louis last offseason before October was even over, so another quick deal isn’t out of the question if Wainwright and the Cardinals have a mutual interest in continuing their partnership with as little drama as possible, though it’s fair to wonder whether other teams might also be keen on talking to Wainwright on the open market.

Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, and Dakota Hudson project as the Cards’ top three starters for 2020, and with Michael Wacha unlikely to return, there would certainly seem to be room for Wainwright to once again suit up as the veteran leader of the St. Louis rotation. Wainwright’s presence would help stabilize an otherwise uncertain back of the rotation, as the Cardinals would then have their younger options (Daniel Ponce de Leon, Austin Gomber, Genesis Cabrera or possibly Alex Reyes if healthy) battling over one rotation job, rather than two. Of course, the Cardinals could also augment this mix with another veteran arm via free agency or trade, even if Wainwright does return.

NL Notes: Rockies, Strasburg, Scherzer, Espada

By Dylan A. Chase | October 17, 2019 at 2:55pm CDT

Thomas Harding of MLB.com confirms that the Rockies have dismissed several minor league coaches, including longtime Triple-A manager Glenallen Hill (link). Double-A hitting coach Lee Stevens and Single-A hitting coach Norberto Martin will also be let go, according to assistant general manager of player development Zach Wilson.

A member of the club’s coaching ranks since 2004, Hill was previously first base coach with Colorado’s big league squad from 2007 to 2012. The 54-year-old Santa Cruz native played for the Jays, Indians, Cubs, Giants, Yankees, and Angels over the course of a twelve-year MLB career. After Hill’s dismissal, top Colorado third base prospect Colton Welker figures to suit up for a fresh face at Triple-A Colorado Springs next season.

More notes from around the National League…

In another Rockies item, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post gives an eye toward the defensive improvements made in 2019 by catcher Tony Wolters–while also opining that the club should acquire a veteran backstop to lighten the workload of the light-hitting Wolters (link). As Saunders notes, Wolters, a former second baseman, was charged with just one error last season while throwing out 34% of would-be base stealers, a rate which trailed only J.T. Realmuto of the Phillies. Manager Bud Black, for one, told the Post this year that Wolters had turned himself into “one of the best defensive catchers in baseball”. Unfortunately, the value-added performance hasn’t translated to the plate for the 27-year-old San Diego native, as his .239/.327/.324 line in parts of four seasons would indicate. Weighted runs created plus, which discounts the effect of his offensively friendly Coors Field home, pegs Wolters with a 59 wRC+ in that same timeframe, profiling him as one of the weakest-hitting regulars in the sport. For this reason, Saunders posits that finding a platoon partner for the lefty-swinging Wolters will be a high priority for Rockies GM Jeff Bridich this winter.
Two notes on Nationals players, one bullet point–efficiency reigns here at MLBTR. First up is a piece from MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince, who, in creating a list of eight potential opt-out candidates this offseason, posits that any possibility of Stephen Strasburg opting-in to the remaining four years and $100MM on his contract has been “totally erased” this postseason (link). This seems a good time to supply a standard public service announcement regarding small sample size caveats, as recent history would suggest that postseason performance does not affect free agency decisions as frequently as many would expect. Still, Castrovince might not exactly be going out on a limb RE: Strasberg. While the pitcher’s injury concerns–evidenced best by his team’s decision to hold him out of the 2012 playoffs–have loomed over him for most of his career, Strasberg’s 1.64 ERA across 22 postseason innings this year has arguably gone some way toward ameliorating that fragile rap.
In a piece with fewer implications on the forthcoming hot stove, every baseball fan would be well-served to check out Rustin Dodd’s oral history regarding the college days of one Max Scherzer, published on The Athletic this morning (link). For Nats faithful feeling the afterglow of an NLCS sweep, hearing tales of some of Scherzer’s collegiate habits–including his ravenous affinity for Cici’s Pizza–should provide a giddy laugh.
A Houston source tells David Kaplan of NBC Chicago that Astros bench coach Joe Espada gave a “sensational” interview for the open Cubs manager job (link). Espada gave executive Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer “a lot to think about”, per Kaplan’s source, but the question still remains if Espada can surpass franchise favorite David Ross in consideration for the managerial opening. For the time being, Espada’s ’Stros will square off with the Yankees in New York this evening for the fourth game of the ALCS.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines

Archives for 2019

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect