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Luke Voit Not A Lock For Yankees’ ALDS Roster

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It would have been difficult to fathom for most of the year, but thanks to a late-season slump, first baseman/designated hitter Luke Voit might not make the Yankees’ ALDS roster, per George A. King III and Dan Martin of the New York Post.

Whether Voit participates in the Yankees’ first-round series will depend in part on the status of fellow first baseman/DH Edwin Encarnacion. An oblique strain has kept Encarnacion out for more than two weeks, but general manager Brian Cashman said (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) that the Yankees “expect him to be available Friday” when the series begins.

Voit and Encarnacion were similarly productive during the regular season, but the former’s numbers dipped amid a rocky finish. A sports hernia led to multiple stints on the injured list in the season’s second half for Voit, who missed almost all of August. While Voit boasted an .886 OPS upon his return a month ago, he ended the year a .263/.378/.464 hitter after an ice-cold September in which he batted .194/.326/.347 in 86 trips to the plate. Voit inflicted a particularly large amount of damage on his numbers from Sept. 15 onward, as he closed the season on a 1-for-32 skid with 13 strikeouts.

Now, with an October matchup against the similarly home run-happy Twins looming, the Yankees may opt to shelve Voit in favor of Encarnacion and rookie Mike Ford. Unlike Voit, Ford was an offensive machine during the last several weeks of the season. One of the many unsung Yankees to step up during an injury-riddled 2019 for the club, the 27-year-old Ford slashed a power-packed .259/.350/.559 with 12 home runs, a lofty .301 ISO and a low 17.2 percent strikeout rate in his 163-PA major league debut.

Rockies Announce New TV Deal

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The Rockies have announced the extension of their contract with AT&T SportsNet, as Kyle Newman of the Denver Post was among those to report. Details on the length and value of the pact are not known.

These entities already had an arrangement for the 2020 season pursuant to their preexisting agreement. Earlier this year, owner Dick Monfort referred to the TV deal as being three or four years old, so that was obviously a shorter-term arrangement than those we’ve seen in some other circumstances.

In terms of the money involved, Monfort had cited a “sizable jump” in the rights fee amount in the prior deal. In its breakdown of the Rockies’ financial situation, Forbes claims that the present TV rights fee sits at an average of $20MM annually. The new one, it estimates, could double that sum — though whether it has in fact done so is not known. Whatever the precise amount of the past and future rights fees, it’s not likely an industry-leading amount.

It’s certainly possible that the Rox have boosted their earnings in a meaningful way, though this renegotiation doesn’t exactly come as a surprise. And the organization did not exactly help its leverage on the field, limping to a 71-91 record after two straight Wild Card campaigns.

With numerous roster needs to address, the Rockies will need every available cent of payroll they can muster to turn things around. The club ran its Opening Day payroll up to a team-high $145MM this year and already has $120MM committed (before accounting for significant arbitration raises) for 2020.

Poll: Grading Manny Machado’s 2019

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The long-suffering Padres made a stunning strike in free agency last offseason when they signed former Orioles and Dodgers  infielder Manny Machado to a 10-year, $300MM contract in late February. For a short period, Machado’s deal stood as the richest in the history of the game. Outfielder Bryce Harper – who, along with Machado – owned baseball-related headlines last winter, surpassed him less than two weeks later with a 13-year, $330MM guarantee from the Phillies. Harper was more good than great in the first year of his accord, though, while Machado probably wasn’t as strong as many expected him to be in his San Diego debut.

In the end, neither Harper nor Machado led their teams to drought-breaking playoff berths in 2019. The Padres won a paltry 70 games and extended their postseason-less streak to a whopping 13 years, though they surely remain hopeful Machado will help them back to relevance in short order. However, for the Padres to maximize their chances of success as they move ahead, they’re going to need the more productive version of Machado to reappear.

To his credit, Machado continued an impressive run of durability in 2019, appearing in at least 156 games for the fifth consecutive season. He also belted upward of 30 home runs (32) for the fifth year in a row. Overall, though, the Machado who was a dominant offensive player as recently as 2018, when he posted a wRC+ of 140 en route to 6.2 fWAR, wasn’t present. Machado’s wRC+ dropped to 108 this year, while his fWAR total fell to 3.0. Both figures are respectable, but they don’t make for superstar-caliber output. The same can obviously be said of the .256/.334/.462 line Machado recorded over 661 plate appearances. And Statcast doesn’t indicate Machado deserved a better fate at the plate, evidenced by his matching .339 weighted on-base average/expected wOBA (a steep drop-off from his .377/.372 in 2018).

On the defensive side, Machado remained a stalwart at third base, where he accounted for 5 Defensive Runs Saved and a plus-2.4 Ultimate Zone Rating. Per the metrics, Machado was less successful at shortstop (minus-2 DRS, minus-1.5 UZR), but that doesn’t figure to be his long-term spot anyway. He saw 299 innings at the position because of multiple lengthy injured list stints for rookie Fernando Tatis Jr., who, when healthy, showed why he’s one of the most coveted young players in baseball.

Machado, for his part, is still plenty youthful in his own right. He won’t turn 28 until next July, and even though the four-time All-Star wasn’t a force this season, the left side of San Diego’s infield will remain in enviable shape going forward with him and Tatis in the fold. As for this year, though, how would you assess Machado’s performance?

(Poll link for app users)

Tigers Announce Coaching Staff Changes

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The Tigers announced their re-shaped 2020 coaching staff under returning manager Ron Gardenhire. It’ll feature Lloyd McClendon as bench coach, with the former skipper taking over for Steve Liddle.

Liddle, who’s the only member of the ’19 staff to depart, is retiring, as Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reported. Fortunately, there was a well-experienced replacement on hand in the form of McClendon, who had functioned as the hitting coach.

Also moving into a new role is Joe Vavra, who’ll step in to coach the bats. He’s also exceedingly experienced in his new role, having occupied the same spot for a lengthy stretch alongside Gardenhire with the Twins. Otherwise, Ramon Santiago and Dave Clark will flip-flop base coaching duties, with the former going to third and the latter moving over to first.

With that business taken care of, the Tigers do have one coaching opening to account for. Vavra had worked as quality control coach and it appears the team will seek someone to take on the same job title.

Nationals Reportedly Made Recent Extension Offer To Anthony Rendon

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The Nationals have made a late-season push to retain pending free agent star Anthony Rendon, according to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post.

Per the report, the club dangled a seven-year offer in the range of $210MM to $215MM. While there were deferrals in the proposal, it would’ve functioned more like the Max Scherzer contract than the long-fuse offer the team made last year to Bryce Harper.

The offer was put on the table in early September, according to Svrluga, and it doesn’t seem as if it’s likely to be accepted. Rendon is now just weeks away from the open market and appears destined to reach it. He’ll do so armed with the knowledge that the Nats have intense interest in keeping him.

It’s not entirely clear whether the D.C. organization will keep this particular offer on the table once the offseason begins. Neither is it known whether the team is willing to go any higher if that’s needed. Regardless, it’s a nice starting point for Rendon, who has ramped up his already excellent play to higher-than-ever levels in 2019. He’s slated to reach free agency as the top available position player.

Depending upon where one looks for their contract numbers, the reported offer may sound light. After all, Rockies star third bagger Nolan Arenado just got a $260MM contract that spans eight years … sort of. In fact, that deal added seven years and $234MM beyond Arenado’s final season of arbitration eligibility. In reality, the Nats’ offer to Rendon is close to — but still clearly less than — the money the Rox gave to Arenado.

That Arenado contract (which also includes an opt-out) always spelled bad news for the D.C. organization’s efforts with Rendon, as it pushed a big new comp out at an inopportune time. Rendon is nearly a year older, lacks the history of consistent home run output, and isn’t as flashy a fielder or well-known a marketing piece. But for all his steady excellence, Arenado has never reached the offensive heights Rendon did in 2019 and hasn’t yet posted a 6.0 fWAR campaign. Rendon, meanwhile, has quietly reeled off three-straight seasons with that level of all-around value.

These ongoing talks only help to set the stage for what promises to be quite an interesting trip onto the open market for Rendon and super-agent Scott Boras. The universe of bidders isn’t yet known, but there’s little doubt multiple clubs will make serious pushes to draw Rendon from the Nats.

Mariners Reportedly Making Three Coaching Changes

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Now that their last-place campaign is in the books, the Mariners have decided to turn over a few of their coaching positions, according to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). Manager Scott Servais and the front office will be seeking to make three hires.

Pitching coach Paul Davis will vacate his job but remain in the organization in a different capacity. Two other 2019 staffers will be leaving the organization: third base/outfield coach Chris Prieto and bullpen coach Jim Brower.

Davis just wrapped up his first year as a big-league pitching coach after coming to the org with an analytics background. It seems the club still values his abilities but decided a new approach was needed in terms of the uniformed staff. Prieto had been with the team since 2017 while Brower had served under Servais for the past two campaigns.

D-Backs Part Ways With Pitching Coach, Change Bench Coach

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5:08pm: In another move now acknowledged by the team, Luis Urueta will move into the bench coach role for 2020. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported that decision on Twitter.

That decision pushes Jerry Narron out of the seat he had occupied since early in the 2017 season. He’s expected to remain on the staff in an as-yet-undefined capacity.

3:12pm: The Diamondbacks have announced that they will not retain pitching coach Mike Butcher. Ken Rosenthal and Robert Murray of The Athletic first tweeted the news.

Butcher had been in his role since the start of the 2016 campaign, so he pre-dated manager Torey Lovullo and the organization’s primary front office leadership. He has previously served as the pitching coach for the Rays and Angels.

Though he was able to survive the major 2016-17 organizational shakeup, and help a few notable pitchers turn in quality campaigns, Butcher evidently wasn’t seen as the right voice moving forward. His departure isn’t part of a broader wave of change, as the remainder of the 2019 coaching staff is expected to return for 2020.

Orioles Outright Chandler Shepherd

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The Orioles announced today that righty Chandler Shepherd has been outrighted after clearing waivers. He lost his 40-man spot after starting the final game of a forgettable Baltimore campaign.

Shepherd, 27, saw his first-ever big-league action this year, taking advantage of the O’s urgent need for arms. He ended up throwing 19 innings, allowing 14 earned runs and five long balls but compiling a sturdy 17:6 K/BB ratio.

A former 13th-round draft pick, Shepherd landed with the Baltimore organization when he was exposed to waivers by the Red Sox. He wasn’t any more effective at Triple-A than he was in the majors this year, but did post a 3.89 ERA in 25 starts at the highest level of the minors in 2018.

Angels Fire Brad Ausmus

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1:55pm: Today’s news conference was canceled, but Eppler will speak to the media on a conference call tomorrow, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Bollinger adds that Eppler himself will be retained.

1:10pm: The Angels have formally announced that Ausmus will not manage the team in 2020.

12:52pm: The Angels have decided to fire Brad Ausmus less than a year after naming him manager, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (via Twitter). The report comes just one day after MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that the Angels were “contemplating” Ausmus’ job status. The Angels have a press conference scheduled for this afternoon.

Brad Ausmus | Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Given the sudden nature of the move and the fact that the Cubs parted ways with Joe Maddon over the weekend, speculation will surely abound that Maddon is now the Angels’ top target. The 65-year-old Maddon spent more than a decade as a coach on the Angels’ Major League staff and even served as interim manager for the Halos in two different seasons, totaling 51 games at the helm.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweets that “a number of sources” believe Maddon will land with the Angels, although he adds that it is not yet set in stone. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times also suggests that clearing way for Maddon would be one of the only reasons the Angels would make the move at this time (Twitter link).

It’s a brutal blow for Ausmus, whose tenure in the dugout will last only one season despite signing a three-year contract just 49 weeks ago. The former All-Star catcher and three-time Gold Glove winner previously spent four seasons managing the Tigers and spent a year between managerial stints as a special assistant to Angels general manager Billy Eppler. At the time, it seemed possible that Ausmus was being groomed as an heir-apparent to manager Mike Scioscia, and whether that was actually the case, matters played out in exactly that fashion. Now, if Maddon lands with the Angels as many anticipate, Ausmus will meet the same fate as Rick Renteria — a first-year manager who is ousted with multiple years remaining on his contract because of Maddon’s sudden availability.

The Angels certainly didn’t produce the results they hoped in 2019, finishing out the season with a 72-90 record. But Ausmus was at the helm for one of what was surely one of the most tumultuous and difficult seasons in franchise history, guiding the team through the tragic loss of perhaps the heart of its clubhouse: left-hander Tyler Skaggs. Indeed, Eppler said in a statement announcing the move that Ausmus “navigated this franchise through one of its most difficult seasons with class and professionalism.”

The Angels were also plagued by additional injuries up and down the roster (again), as Mike Trout, Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton, Andrew Heaney, Shohei Ohtani, Tommy La Stella and others were absent for significant stretches of time. That’s not to say that Ausmus had no hand in the team’s lackluster performance, but it’s difficult to see how any manager could’ve found success with the hand he was dealt.

If there’s a silver lining for Ausmus, perhaps it’s that there appears to be a perhaps record level of managerial openings for him to explore around the league — assuming he wants to continue managing. The Padres (Andy Green) and Pirates (Clint Hurdle) have already fired their managers, and the Cubs, of course, aren’t bringing back Maddon. The Royals (Ned Yost) and Giants (Bruce Bochy) have both seen their longtime skippers retire, and it’s also possible that the Mets (Mickey Callaway) and/or the Phillies (Gabe Kapler) elect to move on from their current managers. Ausmus presumably wouldn’t be a candidate for all of those clubs, but he’ll surely garner some interviews if he seeks out another opportunity.

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