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Monfort: Rockies Lack Payroll Flexibility

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Not that it was ever much in question, but Rockies owner Dick Monfort confirmed in comments today that the organization won’t be able to spend its way out of its roster difficulties. “We don’t have a lot of flexibility next year,” Monfort said of the team’s payroll situation, as Nick Groke of The Athletic was among those to cover (Twitter links).

Appearing at an end-of-season press conference alongside GM Jeff Bridich and manager Bud Black, Monfort also commented on the team’s just-announced TV deal. The contract, which begins with the start of the 2021 season, is “not as lucrative as I wanted it to be,” says the Colorado franchise owner.

It’d be foolish to rule out contention for a club that features some impressive core talent and that made back-to-back postseason appearances in the prior two campaigns. But much went wrong for the Rox in 2019 and there aren’t many clear avenues to improving — at least, beyond getting the team’s existing players ready to roll for the new campaign.

Last year’s Rockies club opened with a $145MM payroll, marking the sixth-straight year in which the organization set a new high-water mark. That tally was reached in part with a series of multi-year contracts, many of which remain on the books.

Looking ahead to 2020, there’s already $120MM on the ledger, some portion of which is dedicated to underperforming assets. That’s before accounting for arbitration pay raises to Trevor Story, Jon Gray, Scott Oberg, David Dahl, and others. And it doesn’t include any new acquisitions.

There are other interesting observations still rolling out of the presser, with Michael Spencer of CBS Denver documenting some items of interest via video on his Twitter feed. Some recent comments from star third baseman Nolan Arenado featured heavily. Bridich contested any suggestion that the club has adopted or will take up a rebuilding posture. He also said the club is content with the opt-out clause included in Arenado’s contract. Indeed, the GM says it was his idea to bake it in. (Why? He spoke obliquely of “some of the realities that can exist” and “giving people the opportunity to take a breath, at a certain time period, to say is this right for me right now?” Of course, it’s also possible the team pushed the concept as a way of giving non-financial value.)

Looking ahead, the pitching staff is probably the key area of focus. Though the club was also distinctly below-average offensively, it’s easier to imagine relying upon internal strides in that area. Getting arms to Coors Field remains a difficult task, however, which helps to explain how the club ended up with some less-than-desirable reliever contracts. Bridich says the organization is “always looking” at ways to get quality players in, though the above-noted limitations figure to make that tough. The roster architect suggested that he remains confident in a group that certainly has been more effective in the recent past. As he put it, “I think that there still is a foundation as long as certain guys bounce back.”

Reds Will Not Retain Hitting Coach Turner Ward

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Hitting coach Turner Ward will not return to the Reds for the 2020 season, the club announced today. He had been hired last fall as part of a revamped coaching staff under first-year manager David Bell.

Ward came to Cincinnati after previously serving as the Dodgers’ hitting coach. President of baseball operations Dick Williams thanked Ward in a statement but explained that, “as we reflected on this season, it became clear that we lacked the alignment we were seeking with our offensive approach.”

It seems the organization will return the remainder of Bell’s staff, though the announcement did not make that explicit. The Reds will now set out to find a new hitting voice to replace Ward.

Brewers’ Wild Card Roster Includes Lorenzo Cain

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Moments after the Nationals released their Wild Card roster, the Brewers have followed suit. The Milwaukee group notably includes center fielder Lorenzo Cain, who has been limited of late by injury and could be a game-time decision.

Otherwise, the club is preparing for a contest in which manager Craig Counsell will likely call upon quite a few members of this 25-man unit:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Catchers

With four lefties on hand, it’s fair to presume that the Brewers will aim to match up whenever possible. But the team is also going to need to get a number of innings out of each arm. Woodruff will presumably take two or three frames, with righties Lyles, Anderson, and Guerra options to fill volume behind him.

It’d be a surprise if Josh Hader doesn’t end up throwing more than one inning, but it remains to be seen whether the club will deploy him early or save him for the end of the contest. Don’t forget that the team suddenly has another southpaw strikeout weapon in the form of key mid-season trade acquisition Pomeranz. He and fellow lefty Suter are also capable of working multiple frames. By mixing these pitchers in with the aforementioned starters, Counsell could go back and forth between lefties and righties all game long. Though the Brewers have long foregone significant rotation additions, they’ll trust that their deep and talented pitching staff can defeat the Nats’ more traditional trio of top-shelf starters (each of whom will be available this evening).

Cain remains the big question on the position-player side. He obviously feels well enough to be a possibility to play, though that could end up being determined by pre-game workouts. Perhaps there’s a chance he opens the game and goes as long as he can, or is held back for late-game need. Whatever approach the club takes, it’ll have a significant impact on the way the contest unfolds.

It’s possible to draw up an anticipated strategy for a game like this, but odds are it’ll go out the window as soon as things get underway. Counsell will be trying to get the best possible matchups from the jump while also keeping an eye on how early-game moves impact his options as the contest proceeds.

Nationals’ Wild Card Roster Features Only 5 Relievers

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The Nationals have released their Wild Card roster, and it’s a fun one. Anticipating a deluge of Brewers relievers — and long innings from their top starters — the Nats have loaded up on bench players at the expense of pitching volume.

Here’s the 25-man unit that will be available this evening to manager Dave Martinez:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Catchers

It has long been supposed that the Nats would stake their season on their trio of high-end starters, and this roster is a bold affirmation of that decision. The club will ride Scherzer as long as he’s his typically dominant self before making its next move. Whether that’ll mean handing off to Strasburg and then Corbin, or vice versa, with or without a reliever interspersed … that all remains to be seen.

By foregoing additional hurlers, the Nationals will not have as many chances to gain situational advantage when they are in the field. They’ll instead trust their best pitchers to get outs no matter the handedness of the opposing batter. That’s a reflection both of the core trio of excellent starters — Scherzer, Strasburg, and Corbin — and the Nats’ season-long struggles in the relief unit. Doolittle was long the team’s lone reliable hand but ran into late health issues. Hudson has been good since coming over via trade but doesn’t exactly carry dominating peripherals. Martinez will do everything he can to avoid deploying any pitcher other than those five in a high-leverage spot.

It’s a bit of a surprise not to see Wander Suero on this roster. He threw a lot of mostly solid innings this season and has shown the ability to retire both left and right-handed hitters. Perhaps the club only anticipates utilizing Rodney, Strickland, and Rainey if specific match-up situations arise and simply did not see a way that Suero would get in the game.

There’s perhaps some possibility of the Nats being hung out to dry in the pitching department, though that’s not terribly likely and Sanchez provides a ready backstop. The team obviously felt it preferable to ensure that it doesn’t have such an issue arise on the position-player side. With the Brewers expected to run out a dizzying array of arms over the course of the contest, the Nationals have chosen to carry an overstuffed bench. That’ll create opportunities for countering the Milwaukee pitching match-ups and liberally deploying pinch hitters, pinch runners, and/or defensive replacements.

MLBTR Poll: NL Wild Card Matchup

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It’s a quiet morning, but the evening promises to be filled with fireworks. The Nats and Brewers will square off in D.C. after falling shy in their respective divisions but out-running the rest of the National League Wild Card field.

All Wild Card games come with the potential to be … well, wild. The format allows teams to compile rosters aimed at maximizing situational possibilities in one single game. And the win-or-go-home setting ensures that those rosters are unloaded — sometimes in creative fashion — without concern for ensuing contests. But this particular matchup is especially intriguing. In part by design and in part by happenstance, these teams have polar-opposite distributions of pitching talent.

The Nats are in good shape on paper, as they’ll trot out one of the game’s preeminent aces and competitors in Max Scherzer. An exceedingly unreliable bullpen lies in wait, but the club may attempt to forego it entirely by calling upon their other top-shelf starters — Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin — to clamp down on a Brewers lineup that managed to produce a late winning streak even after losing superstar Christian Yelich for the season. In theory, it’s a reasonably straightforward situation for Nats skipper Davey Martinez, but there could easily be some nervy moments as he decides whether and when to pull his horses and hand the ball off to Sean Doolittle and company.

The Brewers will also call upon their best starter in Brandon Woodruff. But he won’t be tasked with turning in a lengthy, shut-down performance. The young righty has only made a pair of two-inning appearances since returning from injury and surely won’t be extended too far beyond that point. His abbreviated start will kick off a cat-and-mouse bullpen game that is likely to feature multiple frames from relief ace Josh Hader and gobs of mixing and matching. It’ll be fascinating to see how manager Craig Counsell attempts to navigate a deep and balanced Nationals lineup. He’ll no doubt try to get as many outs as possible from his best arms while deploying situational relievers when necessary. The Milwaukee pitching situation could take any number of different paths and involve every hurler on the roster.

Which team has the edge in the NL Wild Card? (Poll link for app users.)

Three Needs: Toronto Blue Jays

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We’re continuing with our “Three Needs” series, in which we take a look at the chief issues to be addressed for clubs that have fallen out of contention. Next up: the Blue Jays, who ran up 95 losses but also installed some highly promising core pieces at the MLB level.

[Toronto Blue Jays Depth Chart]

1. Open The Wallet For Starters

The Shapiro/Atkins regime has rarely lured significant starters with hefty promises, due in part to the organization’s need to transition away from some big preexisting commitments. (That task is now all but complete, with only eighteen million more Troy Tulowitzki dollars left to pay down.) To this point, J.A. Happ (3/$36MM) and Marco Estrada (2/$26MM) are the biggest pitching deals the current front office has done.

It’s time for more. With Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez finally dealt away, there’s a mile-wide opening in the rotation. The Jays may like their long-term outlook for graduating pitching talent, but at present the returning unit would be anchored by Trent Thornton and Jacob Waguespack. The 2019 Jays relied upon Clayton Richard, Edwin Jackson, Clay Buchholz, and a smattering of other pitchers to get through the season.

Bringing back Matt Shoemaker and/or adding another bounceback candidate is well and good, but if this club is going to make strides it’ll need to spend — perhaps significantly — to bring in multiple quality arms. Avoiding overly lengthy and massive entanglements may still be wise, but the club ought to be willing to take some financial risk with a short-term, high-AAV deal (as in the John Lackey-Cubs signing) and/or mid-length, lower-AAV contract (e.g., the Twins’ deal with Phil Hughes) — depending upon what’s achievable on the market.

2. Deal Ken Giles

This runs somewhat counter to the above point, but the Jays aren’t in a position to point the bus down the road and slam the gas. They still need to meander around and make some additional finds before moving on down the road. Spending on some starters will boost the quality of the team significantly in the near-term and enhance the outlook for the next few seasons. Hanging onto Giles for his final season of arbitration eligibility would be a luxury.

The Jays almost certainly would’ve dealt Giles this summer had it not been for an ill-timed injury episode. He bounced back and finished strong, wrapping up the campaign with a 1.87 ERA and 14.1 K/9 vs. 2.9 BB/9 over 53 innings. That’s high-end relief output. With 23 saves also finding their way onto his ledger, Giles is going to command a pretty big raise on his $6.3MM salary, so he’s not cheap. But think about it from a contenders’ perspective: would you rather take a one-time, ~$10MM shot on a 29-year-old with elite stuff or risk as much or more annually over a multi-year term for one of the best-available free agents? There’s value here for Toronto to cash in and it’ll probably make sense to do so this winter.

3. Take Risks In The Relief Corps

Giles’s own year-to-year volatility is emblematic of a broader phenomenon that is by now well-recognized. It helps boost the reasoning behind dealing him. It also provides cause to believe that the Jays can dig up real talent on the relief corps by taking some shots.

This is hardly a new strategy. The Jays have used it themselves of late, inking veterans David Phelps and Daniel Hudson (since spun off via trade) and acquiring castoffs such as Derek Law, Ryan Dull, and Brock Stewart. So … suggesting this isn’t exactly earth-shattering. But it’s not the right approach for every team and every situation. It does seem to fit perfectly for the Jays. If they move Giles, as suggested above, the team will be left without a single relief pitcher who turned in a clearly productive 2019 season.

There’ll be plenty of internal hurlers who will and should get to compete for jobs in camp, but the Jays can legitimately offer free agents an opportunity to step right into prominent late-inning roles. Splashing some cash on short-term relievers isn’t going to hamstring the club in the long run. Waiver claims and minor-league signings offer other routes to bringing in talent. The Jays can fill out their group for the spring, then make late-camp changes as other clubs make their own tough calls. There’s no real need to focus on stability — something the club will be hoping to establish on the position-player side in 2020 — so much as to grab the most, best talent and let it all play out.

Theo Epstein On Bryant, Baez, Team Needs, Managerial Search

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Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein met with reporters Monday to discuss the team’s disappointing season, its upcoming winter and its newly launched search for a manager. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com and Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune were among those on hand.

Just as previous manager Joe Maddon wasn’t safe after the Cubs sputtered to 84-78 finish, multiple stars on the team’s roster could be in danger of exiting the franchise. Specifically, Epstein seemingly isn’t slamming the door shut on potential trades involving third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant or shortstop Javier Baez.

“I think they’re both hugely important, and it’d be hard to see them out of a Cubs uniform, but we’re at a transition point, and we have to do whatever is best for the Cubs,” Epstein said. “I hope it includes both of those guys.”

As two of the finest players in the game, Bryant and Baez have been vital to the Cubs’ cause throughout their careers. However, the club’s control over them is waning. Both players are scheduled to enter arbitration for the second-last time during the winter, with the former NL MVP Bryant about to become especially expensive. Bryant earned $12.9MM this season, during which the 27-year-old posted star-caliber numbers yet again. Baez, 26, took home a more modest $5.2MM, and though injuries held him to 138 appearances, he enjoyed his second straight year of premier production for his position.

As of last February, the Cubs hadn’t discussed extensions with either Bryant or Baez. If the Cubs aren’t optimistic they can lock up either player, that could possibly persuade them to shop one or both. However, contending without Bryant and-or Baez would only be more difficult, and Epstein noted that winning “is a priority” in 2020 “because we’re now just two years away from a lot of our best players reaching the end of their period of control with the Cubs.”

Regardless of what happens with Bryant or Baez, Epstein revealed the Cubs are going to address center field and second base in the offseason. That suggests center fielder Albert Almora Jr., middle infielder Addison Russell, and utilitymen David Bote and maybe Ian Happ are “in flux,” Wittenmyer writes, who adds that the majority of the roster could be in play for trades (with the potential exceptions of catcher Willson Contreras, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and right-hander Kyle Hendricks).

As for who will be managing what could be a drastically different Chicago roster next season, former Cubs catcher and current special assistant David Ross has already thrown his hat in the ring. Epstein admitted there’s interest in hiring the fan favorite to take over for Joe Maddon, saying: “I think Rossy is an attractive candidate and will be evaluated on the merits of what he can bring to the table as a major-league manager. Given his skills, his experiences, his worldview, what he knows about winning, just as every other managerial candidate will be evaluated.”

Ross is part of a “broad list” of preliminary candidates, according to Epstein, with reports indicating it could also include bench coach Mark Loretta. The Cubs expect to start interviewing targets next week, and though hiring someone with previous managerial experience isn’t “a determining factor,” it is a “significant factor,” Epstein stated. “I have a greater comfort for someone handling the role before.”

Pablo Sandoval Hopes To Retire A Giant

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As a pending free agent coming off major surgery, Giants corner infielder Pablo Sandoval is heading into the offseason facing an especially uncertain future. If the 33-year-old gets his way, though, he’ll remain in San Francisco.

“Yeah, I want to be back,” Sandoval told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I want to retire from this organization. I’d love to be back with my teammates. We had a lot of fun.”

This will be the second trip to the open market for Sandoval, who exited the Giants for the Red Sox’s huge offer in November 2014. Then fresh off his third World Series title as a Giant, the two-time All-Star landed a five-year, $95MM contract that ultimately couldn’t have worked out worse for the Red Sox. Not only did Sandoval’s production tank in Boston, but injuries kept him off the field on a regular basis. The Red Sox deemed Sandoval a sunk cost in July 2017, releasing him with just under $50MM left on his deal. He’ll finally be off their books going into next season.

Sandoval didn’t look like a realistic bounce-back candidate when the Red Sox cut ties with him. However, he has served as a useful role player in his second act as a Giant. The Kung Fu Panda has batted .259/.311/.466 (105 wRC+) with 23 home runs in 548 plate appearances dating back to the start of the 2018 season.

Despite his recent return to relevance in San Francisco, Sandoval’s journeying back to free agency at an inopportune time. He only took one at-bat from Aug. 10 forward because of a right elbow injury – one that forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery and a more minor arthroscopic procedure Sept. 5. To make matters worse, Sandoval revealed afterward that the doctors found more damage in his elbow than they’d anticipated. He’s now facing “lots of rehab,” as Shea writes. Nevertheless, whether with the Giants or another team, Sandoval aims to keep his career going in 2020.

Managerial/Coaching Notes: Callaway, Cubs, Ibanez, Bucs, Shelton, Reds

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Let’s take a look at several managerial and coaching updates from around the majors…

  • The Mets could decide beleaguered manager Mickey Callaway’s fate as soon as Wednesday, David Lennon of Newsday reports. Callaway just wrapped up his second season in New York, which improved from 77-85 to 86-76. The Callaway-led Mets were a mess prior to a second-half tear, though, and indications are the ax will fall on him in the wake of a another non-playoff season.
  • The Cubs will consider Raul Ibanez for the managerial post Joe Maddon just lost, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Ibanez, a former major league outfielder, has no managerial experience. However, the 47-year-old has stayed in the game since his playing days ended in 2014 by serving as a special assistant in the Dodgers’ front office and a broadcaster. The work Ibanez has done in his post-playing career has made him an appealing possibility to skipper-needy teams over the past couple years, though he turned down managerial interview requests from clubs last offseason.
  • The Pirates, who fired manager Clint Hurdle on Sunday, will “likely” consider hiring Twins bench coach Derek Shelton as his replacement, Morosi tweets. Currently in his second season with the Twins, the 49-year-old Shelton has garnered extensive coaching experience over the past decade and a half. Plus, as Morosi notes, Shelton has an important Pittsburgh connection in general manager Neal Huntington. The two of them worked in the Cleveland organization together from 2005-07.
  • The Reds’ player development system is undergoing significant changes, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer details. Outfield/baserunning coordinator Billy Hatcher, Triple-A manager Jody Davis, Triple-A pitching coach Jeff Fassero, Double-A pitching coach Danny Darwin and hitting coordinator Milt Thompson are all on the way out. The longest-tenured Red of the bunch was Hatcher, who was one of the organization’s coaches for 14 years.

Padres Chairman Ron Fowler On “Embarrassing” Season

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Neither a gargantuan investment in Manny Machado nor the marvelous rookie introduction of Fernando Tatis Jr. helped the Padres escape from the majors’ basement this season. With a 70-92 mark in 2019, the club’s now mired in a 13-year playoff drought and stuck on nine seasons without at least a .500 finish. Executive chairman Ron Fowler has seen just about enough. As Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes, Fowler apologized to Padres fans Monday for an “embarrassing” season, particularly a 25-47 second-half unraveling that undid the promising 45-45 mark San Diego mustered before the All-Star break.

Fowler also assured fans that “heads will roll, beginning with mine” if the Padres don’t make legitimate progress in 2020. Manager Andy Green already paid the price for this year’s failings, as the club ousted him Sept. 21 and is now seeking someone it believes will be more capable of orchestrating a much-needed 180.

With the Padres having scapegoated the manager for their dismal 2019 showing, GM A.J. Preller could become a realistic candidate to lose his job sometime next year if the tide doesn’t start turning. Preller has helped amass an impressive collection of young talent since his hiring in August 2014, but even when he made a serious effort to build a winner early in his tenure, the roster fell well shy of expectations.

Considering Preller has led the franchise on an extensive rebuild in recent seasons, it’s more understandable that the Padres have continued to wallowed at the bottom of the standings. However, the organization’s attempts to leave its rebuild behind have also come up short so far, thanks in part to multiple questionable signings. The eight-year, $144MM contract the Padres handed Eric Hosmer prior to 2018 has been a disaster. The six-year, $83MM extension the team gave Wil Myers entering 2017 hasn’t worked out much better. And even Machado, whom the Padres inked to a 10-year, $300MM contract in free agency last offseason, wasn’t his typically spectacular self in 2019.

Fowler hasn’t voiced any dissatisfaction in regards to Machado (at least not publicly), whereas the other two big-money Padres have drawn his ire. He “addressed his disappointment” in Hosmer’s defense and Myers’ offense, per Acee, who reports it’s “likely” the Padres would eat half of the money left on the latter’s contract in order to trade him. Myers, who’s cognizant a move could occur, is still owed $60MM for the next three years on his heavily backloaded deal. It remains to be seen whether another franchise would want the 28-year-old for even half of his remaining money, though, as Myers’ offense has only hovered around league average over the past few seasons. Committing $30MM to a corner outfielder/first baseman who’s coming off one of his worst seasons at the plate doesn’t seem like an especially appealing proposition.

While shopping Myers will be on the Padres’ agenda this offseason, they may also be in for an aggressive winter of additions if we’re to take Fowler’s frustration at face value. The Padres’ offense finished this year near the bottom of the majors in runs (27th), wRC+ (24th) and position player fWAR (19th), all of which shows there’s vast room for improvement there. San Diego’s pitching staff was similarly subpar, placing 18th in team ERA and 23rd in FIP, and also figures to be a key area of focus in the coming months.

For now, Fowler told Acee he’s on the heels of his “worst 2½ months of ownership” – a span in which, “There were some days, quite honestly, I didn’t want to get out of bed.”

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