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Archives for October 2019

Twins Claim Matt Wisler

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The Twins have claimed right-hander Matt Wisler off waivers from the Mariners, per an announcement from the Seattle organization. Minnesota opened three roster spots yesterday when outrighting Ronald Torreyes, Ian Miller and Ryan LaMarre, so a corresponding move wasn’t necessary.

Wisler, 27, was once one of the game’s top pitching prospects and was even a key piece in the trade that sent Craig Kimbrel from Atlanta to San Diego. The 2011 seventh-rounder has never really found his footing in the big leagues, though, and was shifted from a starting role to a bullpen setting back in 2017. That change didn’t prove fruitful, however, and he’s since bounced from Atlanta, to Cincinnati, back to San Diego, to Seattle and now to Minneapolis.

This past season, Wisler totaled 51 1/3 innings between the Padres and Mariners but struggled to a 5.61 ERA in that time. Home runs were his primary undoing, as the former top prospect yielded an average of 1.75 long balls per nine innings pitched.

Be that as it may, however, Wisler nonetheless provided cause for optimism. He averaged a hefty 11.1 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 while posting a gaudy 14.9 percent swinging-strike rate and 37.7 percent chase rate on pitches outside the strike zone. Wisler’s curveball ranked in the 72nd percentile among MLB pitchers in terms of spin rate, and while his 92.8 mph average fastball velocity isn’t exactly formidable in today’s game, it’s only slightly below the league average 93.1 mph.

If the Twins want to get a look at Wisler in Spring Training, though, likely need to be prepared to carry him on the 40-man roster all winter, as they can’t pass him through waivers themselves and be assured of keeping him. Even if he goes unclaimed on waivers a second time, he has the requisite service time to elect free agency. Wisler is also out of minor league options, so he’d need to break camp with the Twins or another club next year or else be designated for assignment.

Blue Jays Claim Anthony Bass, Designate Ryan Dull

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The Blue Jays announced Tuesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Anthony Bass off waivers from the Mariners. In a corresponding roster move, Toronto designated fellow right-hander Ryan Dull for assignment.

Swapping out Dull for Bass on the 40-man roster is an upgrade for the Blue Jays, who pick up a 31-year-old veteran fresh off a 3.56 ERA through 48 innings of relief with this move. Bass has been inconsistent at the MLB level but has been sharp across the past two seasons with the Cubs and Mariners and is the owner of a career 4.38 ERA in 347 1/3 MLB innings. This past season marked his largest workload in the Majors since a 2015 run with Texas. In addition to his solid ERA, Bass averaged 8.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 0.94 HR/9 to go along with a quality 51.6 percent ground-ball rate. His 11.1 percent swinging-strike rate was the second-best of his career, and his 31.1 percent opponents’ chase rate on out-of-zone pitches was a career-high.

Dull, who turned 30 earlier this month, has bounced all over the league (and the continent, for that matter) since the beginning of August. He’d spent his entire eight-year career in the Athletics organization until being designated for assignment on Aug. 3. Since then, he’s bounced to the Giants, to the Yankees and to the Blue Jays via a series of waiver claims. Toronto actually passed him through waivers unclaimed in September but quickly selected his contract again when needing some ’pen depth late in September. Players who have more than three years of service or have been previously outrighted can elect free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment; Dull meets both criteria and will surely elect free agency if another club doesn’t claim him.

Dull was one of Oakland’s best relievers back in 2016 but has battled injuries over the ensuing three years and wasn’t particularly effective in 2019. He surrendered 18 runs in just 12 2/3 Major League innings this season and was also tagged for an ERA north of 5.00 in Triple-A. That said, he entered the 2019 campaign with a career 3.63 ERA and 155-to-44 K/BB ratio in 158 2/3 MLB innings and only just turned 30, so a return to form isn’t out of the question. He’ll just likely need to prove himself to a new club in the form of a minor league pact (again — if he clears waivers).

Red Sox Front Office Notes

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The Red Sox introduced new chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom yesterday, with Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald and Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe among those to cover the proceedings. With Brian O’Halloran rising to become GM, the top leadership is set. But how did the team settle on this arrangement and what does it mean for the rest of the baseball ops department?

President Sam Kennedy, chairman Tom Werner, and principal owner John Henry all addressed the matter, as did Bloom. The picture painted was of a hiring search that increasingly became a coronation.

While the Boston club started out looking at about twenty possible candidates to replace Dave Dombrowski, it recognized that many roads were leading to Bloom. It was a bit of a risk, Kennedy acknowledged, but the club focused on the key Rays executive even before sitting down with him.

There certainly was an interview process, with Bloom convincing the Red Sox of the merits of their intuitions. As Henry explains it, the team “felt he was the right candidate before we met with him” and left everyone with precisely that belief after a lengthy two-day process that involved a number of one-on-one meetings with key organization personnel.

Clearly, Bloom and upper management were on the same page — and not just on his general baseball acumen and lauded people skills. Both Kennedy and Bloom hit upon the same theme. The former says that Sox fans “want” and “deserve” a “sustainable baseball organization;” the latter cited a desire “to build as strong of an organization as possible in all aspects so that we can have sustained long-term success and compete for championships year in and year out.” While there’s no disputing the desirability of putting out a good product every year, Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports rightly points out that the concept of sustainability is en vogue leaguewide as something of a euphemism for profit-minded salary management. The Red Sox have not been shy about stating a desire to draw down their spending levels.

Bloom wasn’t brought in to sit atop the existing leadership so much as to integrate within and lead it. Henry said that his initial inclination to pursue a heavily experienced baseball ops manager began to shift as he watched the club’s four-person interim team operate. “I don’t think anybody thought we were going to be interviewing No. 2’s, or people that had not been at least a general manager,” said Henry. “But because they were so strong, we decided that we should have somebody who can compliment them and lead the department.”

The precise stucture is still being sorted. Brian O’Halloran has been elevated to the GM seat, so he’ll be Bloom’s number two. But the exact arrangement on the next tier isn’t clear. Raquel Ferreira, Eddie Romero, and Zack Scott joined O’Halloran in filling in bridging from Dombrowski to Bloom. They’ll all remain in key roles, though at least one could still be on the move, as Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. That’s not due to any known acrimony, but a hiring opportunity. Henry did not specify which person was actively under consideration elsewhere, but did make clear one of those three is interviewing for a position with another club.

Lance McCullers Jr. Making Progress In Rehab

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Righty Lance McCullers Jr. is showing tangible progress in his efforts to return from Tommy John surgery. He’s back on the mound and already touching 90 mph, as he documented yesterday on Twitter.

It has been just under a year since McCullers went under the knife to receive a replacement ulnar collateral ligament. There was never any urgency to his rehab, since it was exceedingly unlikely he’d be back late in 2019. That makes it all the more promising to see him already cleared to reach this level of activity.

McCullers still has over four months to work with before Spring Training opens next year. There are still plenty of obstacles to clear, but it seems reasonable to hope that he’ll get in the required work (along with some rest) and be ready to roll come mid-February.

The Houston organization is obviously still focused on the final game or two of the season at the moment. But the gaze will soon turn to a winter roster-building effort that will feature some tough choices from a financial perspective.

There’s particular need in the Houston rotation, which is set to part with top hurler Gerrit Cole as well as the capable Wade Miley, who threw a lot of useful innings before a late nosedive. You can do worse than a staff anchored by Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke, though neither is a youthful hurler and there are questions after that point. Jose Urquidy was likely already ticketed for a spot before his impressive recent World Series outing, but he’s largely unproven and that still only accounts for three spots. There’s always talent to work with in Houston, but high-ceiling prospect Forrest Whitley and other options have even lesser track records than Urquidy.

There’ll surely be some kind of outside addition to ensure adequate depth, though it’s unclear how much cash president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow will be able to dedicate to that purpose. The status of McCullers will therefore weigh heavily on the Astros’ offseason planning and, perhaps, its fortunes in 2020.

Latest On J.D. Martinez

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Red Sox chairman Tom Werner met recently with agent Scott Boras regarding the contractual status of slugger J.D. Martinez, as Christopher Smith of MassLive.com was among those to report, but there’s still no clarity as to whether Martinez will remain with the Boston organization for 2020 and beyond. Martinez can opt out of the three years and $62.5MM left on his contract, with a decision due five days after the conclusion of the World Series.

That’s one of several opt-out calls that Boras will be making with his clients. There have been some indications over recent months that Martinez is at least pondering a return to the open market. When we polled MLBTR readers late in the season, it came down as a fairly close call, with just under 57% of respondents expecting Martinez to stay in Boston.

Martinez’s representative did not give the Red Sox a clear impression as to his current thinking, per owner John Henry. Neither did the team express any interest in hammering out a new deal that would override the in-or-out decision available to the veteran outfielder/DH. Given the club’s decision to pare back payroll, that’s not at all surprising. It’s quite possible that the club would rather Martinez walk, freeing up spending capacity to utilize in other, potentially more efficient manners. The ability to issue a qualifying offer and pick up draft compensation would also hold appeal.

That said, there’s no question the Red Sox are better with Martinez anchoring the lineup. The 32-year-old turned in a .304/.383/.557 batting line with 36 home runs in his second campaign in Boston. That wasn’t quite the monster showing he put up in 2017-18, but was still about forty percent better than the league-average hitter.

With just-inked chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom tasked with finding spending efficiencies to keep the BoSox competitive at a lower price point, it’d be surprising to see an expanded commitment to Martinez. But there was — and perhaps still is — at least a theoretical possibility of working out a new deal that spreads the cash owed over a lengthier stretch. But that would mean pushing deep into Martinez’s fourth decade, a decidedly risky proposition.

For much the same reason, it is far from clear that Martinez would benefit by opting out. As noted, his just-completed season was not especially excellent by his lofty standards. The qualifying offer would be a factor. The consensus among the MLBTR staff seems to be that Martinez might have trouble beating his remaining guarantee since there just isn’t a ton of obvious demand for players of his ilk on the marketplace. It’s possible to imagine him getting more money, but there’s certainly downside risk in an opt-out scenario.

It may well be that the sides will remain wedded for the time being. Boras already controls the market’s top names — including fellow opt-out candidate Stephen Strasburg — and would surely love the chance to dangle another top name when he’s making the rounds with ownership. But the super-agent has also shown ample respect (and disdain) for the power of the qualifying offer and knows the limits of earning power for aging, defensively limited hitters. In recent comments, Boras said he believes Martinez is capable of playing the corner outfield and certainly seemed to be launching his marketing campaign. But it’ll be a close decision and one that probably comes down to personal preference and risk tolerance on the part of Martinez.

Central Notes: Pirates, Royals, Indians

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Let’s check in on a few teams from the majors’ Central divisions…

  • A month after their season ended, the Pirates made the surprising decision to fire general manager Neal Huntington on Monday. There are already at least a few potential replacements for Huntington, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey, who names Blue Jays senior vice president, player personnel Tony LaCava, Yankees scout Marc DelPiano and Brewers assistant GM Matt Arnold as names who could be in the running. Whether the Pirates hire a member of that group or someone else, that person will be taking over a small-market club that has come under fire for its lack of spending. Owner Bob Nutting addressed the criticism Monday, telling Bill Brink of the Post-Gazette and others, “The idea that we are hoarding cash as a team is simply not accurate, and we will find a more compelling and complete way to make sure that that is an issue that simply is not on the table.” Newly named team president Travis Williams stated the Pirates hope to “model ourselves after” clubs in similar markets that have been able to consistently succeed despite financial disadvantages.
  • The Royals “will be as aggressive as payroll will allow” when it comes to addressing their bullpen this offseason, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com writes. Left-hander Jake Diekman, whom the Royals traded to the Athletics in July, could be one target for Kansas City, per Flanagan. Diekman enjoyed his time in KC, which is close to his native Nebraska, and will wind up back on the free-agent market if the A’s go the expected route of buying out his $5.75MM mutual option for $500K. Diekman’s control totally failed him in Oakland this season, but the hard-throwing 32-year-old was at least a legitimate source of strikeouts as a member of the Royals, with whom he posted a 4.75 ERA with 13.6 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 across 41 2/3 innings.
  • The Indians have promoted Brian Sweeney to bullpen coach, per Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com. He’ll will take over for Scott Atchison, whom manager Terry Francona dismissed earlier this month. The 45-year-old Sweeney’s a former professional right-hander who will enter his third season as a member of Cleveland’s coaching staff in 2020.

Offseason Outlook: Cleveland Indians

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After posting only a 29-30 record through June 2, the Indians played .621 baseball the rest of the way but couldn’t catch up to the Twins in the AL Central, or to the Athletics and Rays in the AL wild card race.  It was a tough result for a team in “win-now” mode, and now the Tribe will have to retool in order to take advantage while their (perhaps rapidly closing?) competitive window is still open.

Guaranteed Contracts

  • Carlos Carrasco, SP: $37.25MM through 2022 (includes $3MM buyout of $14MM club option for 2023)
  • Corey Kluber, SP: $17.5MM through 2020 (club option will be exercised; Indians also have $18MM club option for 2021 with $1MM buyout)
  • Carlos Santana, 1B: $17.5MM through 2020 ($17.5MM club option for 2021, $500K buyout)
  • Jose Ramirez, 2B/3B: $17.25MM through 2021 (includes $2MM buyout of $11MM club option for 2022)
  • Brad Hand, RP: $7MM through 2020 ($10MM club option for 2021, $1MM buyout)
  • Roberto Perez, C: $3.5MM through 2020 ($5.5MM club option for 2021, $450K buyout)
  • Oliver Perez, RP: $3MM through 2020

Arbitration-Eligible Players (projections via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Option Decisions

Free Agents

Looking at the position players, Cleveland has a very nice core group of Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana, Jose Ramirez, Oscar Mercado, Roberto Perez, and Franmil Reyes heading into 2020.  Jordan Luplow’s huge numbers against left-handed pitching will merit at least a platoon role in either corner outfield slot, and since the Tribe’s outfield situation is still rather unsettled outside of Mercado in center field, Luplow has a decent shot of winning an everyday job in Spring Training.

It also remains to be seen if Reyes could be an option in right field.  Though Reyes has shown very little fielding aptitude over his young career, the Indians would certainly like to see if Reyes can be a passable option on at least a part-time basis before relegating him to DH-only duty at age 24.  One would also think that the Indians would prefer to keep the designated hitter position open so multiple players could be rotated through DH days in order to keep everyone fresh.

Assuming Reyes will mostly be a DH in 2020, that leaves Luplow, Jake Bauers, Greg Allen, and Bradley Zimmer battling for playing time in the corner outfield slots, with Tyler Naquin entering the mix sometime between mid-April or mid-June as he recovers from a torn ACL.  Prospect Daniel Johnson (acquired from the Nationals in last offseason’s Yan Gomes trade) is also knocking on the door after a big season at Triple-A.

It isn’t a stellar collection of names on paper, but there’s enough promise here that Cleveland might prefer to see what it has rather than pursue an everyday corner outfielder (like, for instance, a re-signed Yasiel Puig).  In particular, the Indians are hoping that Bauers can start to blossom after a disappointing first year in Cleveland, while Zimmer is looking to get his career on track after missing almost all of 2018 and 2019 due to shoulder surgery.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Indians sign a veteran to a minor league deal for extra depth, or perhaps a multi-position utility type to fill holes all over the diamond.

Ramirez has said he wants to remain at one single position in 2020 rather than alternate between second and third base, though he is open to playing either position, giving the Indians some flexibility as they look for infield help.  It doesn’t seem like longtime second baseman Jason Kipnis will be brought back at a lower price tag after the Tribe declined his $16.5MM option, leaving the team with Mike Freeman, Christian Arroyo, and Yu Chang as internal candidates.

Needless to say, the Indians don’t have the payroll space to shop at the very top of the free agent infield market (i.e. Anthony Rendon or old friend Josh Donaldson).  And the presence of top third base prospect Nolan Jones will further preclude any type of truly long-term signing, as Jones could potentially make his MLB debut as early as the second half of the 2020 season.

Players like Howie Kendrick and Eric Sogard are coming off big seasons yet could likely be had on one-year contracts.  Along those same lines, productive veterans like Starlin Castro, Brock Holt, Brian Dozier, or former Clevelander Asdrubal Cabrera could be pursued in free agency.

Depending on how much the Tribe are willing to spend, Mike Moustakas seems like a realistic option.  The Moose has had trouble finding even a multi-year contract the last two offseasons, despite still swinging an above-average bat and slugging 101 homers over the last three seasons.  Since Moustakas is likely to decline his end of an $11MM mutual option with the Brewers for 2020, a modest two-year offer for maybe only a bit more than that $11MM average annual value should get his attention.

Such a signing would essentially just replace Kipnis’ declined salary commitment with Moustakas — certainly an upgrade on the field, though perhaps not a move the cost-conscious Indians are looking to make.  Spending cuts were a big factor in last year’s offseason moves and even into the year, as evidenced by the trade deadline blockbuster with the Reds and Padres that saw Trevor Bauer moved to Cincinnati, and Reyes, Yasiel Puig, young pitching prospect Logan Allen and two other minor leaguers come to Cleveland.

The biggest looming payroll question, of course, is Lindor’s status as both the Tribe’s best player and biggest trade chip.  Lindor is projected to earn $16.7MM via arbitration next season, a raise of $6.15MM from his 2019 salary, and putting him on a likely path to a salary in the $23MM range for 2021.  Indians owner Paul Dolan’s already-infamous comment from last March that Cleveland fans should “enjoy him and then we’ll see what happens” with a potential extension doesn’t overly optimistic about the chances of Lindor staying in a Tribe uniform for the long term.  Dolan’s interview also cited a lack of bonus revenue from postseason games as a reason for last winter’s payroll-lessening measures (the 2018 Indians had just one postseason home game during a three-game sweep at the Astros’ hands in the ALDS), and thus a spending increase doesn’t seem likely coming off a season that saw the Indians miss the playoffs entirely.

Having a superstar like Lindor on the books for roughly $40MM over a two-year span is still a bargain even for a smaller-market team like the Indians, of course, so there’s certainly value in keeping him around.  But given how the Tribe shopped Bauer and Corey Kluber last offseason before eventually moving Bauer at the deadline, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the front office at least discuss Lindor with other teams this winter if for no other reason to see what a rival could potentially offer.  Needless to say, the Indians would want a haul of MLB-ready talent and prospects to move the All-Star shortstop, but if Cleveland finds a team willing to meet that price, a Lindor trade can’t be ruled out. The Dodgers have already come up as a potential fit for Lindor.

A Lindor trade would be the kind of franchise-altering move that could potentially address all of Cleveland’s offseason needs in one fell swoop.  Dealing Kluber could have brought back a similar package last offseason, though the former two-time AL Cy Young Award winner’s trade value isn’t nearly as high in the wake of a season that saw Kluber make just seven starts due to a fractured forearm and then an oblique strain.

Despite this lost year, Kluber’s $17.5MM club option was still exercised by the Indians.  Letting him go for nothing wouldn’t have been too logical, given the chances that Kluber could quite possibly bounce back and look like his old self.  A Kluber trade can’t be entirely ruled out this offseason, just in case an aggressive team is willing to offer something at least in the neighborhood of a trade package befitting an ace-level pitcher, which would leave Cleveland in an interesting conundrum.

Starting pitching, after all, is the Tribe’s biggest strength.  Shane Bieber and Mike Clevinger project as strong front-of-the-rotation arms, with Carlos Carrasco looking to return after battling leukemia last summer, rookies Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale both making strong first impressions in 2019, Adam Plutko and Jefry Rodriguez on hand as further depth options, and Allen approaching big league readiness.  If Kluber and Carrasco both return to form, the Indians will be left with the enviable problem of having almost too much pitching, though that depth will almost surely be necessary given the inevitability of injuries or downturns in performance.

An argument could be made that the Indians could turn one of their younger pitchers into a trade chip, though that seems a little less likely given how controllable young arms are such an especially big asset to a lower-payroll team like Cleveland.  The Tribe might also want that extra depth in the fold given the uncertainty around Kluber and Carrasco heading into 2020.  One pitcher who likely won’t be back is Danny Salazar, as two straight years of virtual inactivity will make him a non-tender candidate.

The starting pitching depth could be translated into extra bullpen help, and since the Indians’ relief corps is already pretty solid, any reliever shopping this winter is more likely to take the form of minor league signings.  There probably isn’t quite enough depth that the Tribe would feel totally secure in trading Brad Hand, and a $7MM salary isn’t onerous for a closer of Hand’s caliber.

Ramirez and Carrasco are the only two Cleveland players on guaranteed contracts for 2021, and several big names (Santana, Kluber, Hand, Perez) are on club options for that season.  Though Lindor and many other key talents will still be in their arbitration or pre-arb years, 2020 stands a pivotal year for this core group given the amount of roster churn that could be on the horizon next winter.

President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff have shown a lot of creativity in assembling this roster and supplementing it with a strong pipeline of young players, especially pitchers.  Yet the Twins’ emergence in the AL Central has narrowed the Indians’ margin for error rather considerably, and another missed postseason could lead to many more tough decisions.

Report: Dave Bush Favorite To Become Red Sox Pitching Coach

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A favorite has emerged in the Red Sox’s search for a pitching coach to succeed the reassigned Dana LeVangie. The club’s minor league pitching performance coordinator, Dave Bush, is the “clear front-runner” to take over as its pitching coach, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports. The Red Sox could appoint Bush to the position “within days,” according to Speier.

Along with Bush, the Red Sox are known to have interviewed ex-Reds manager Bryan Price for their pitching coach position. The team has reportedly focused on five candidates for the role, though the identities of the other three remain unclear. Regardless, it appears Bush is on the verge of beating all of them out for the job. The 39-year-old has been a coach in the organization since the beginning of the 2017 season.

While Boston bigwigs have grown familiar with Bush in recent years, he’s better known to most baseball fans as a longtime major league right-hander. Bush spent 2004-13 with the Blue Jays, Brewers and Rangers. It now appears he’s about to oversee a Red Sox pitching staff that, like the team as a whole, fell short of expectations in 2019. However, with Chris Sale, David Price, Eduardo Rodriguez and Nathan Eovaldi in place, Bush can take solace in the fact that most of Boston’s rotation looks set going into next season.

MLBTR Poll: Francisco Lindor’s Future

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We may be in for at least a couple of months of rumors centering on superstar Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, who came up in trade speculation earlier Monday. The Dodgers are reportedly set to explore taking an offseason run at Lindor, already a four-time All-Star who won’t turn 26 until next month. Los Angeles is likely part of a large group of teams with interest in Lindor, as he’s clearly an elite, in-his-prime player who holds down one of baseball’s most valuable positions with aplomb.

In Cleveland’s shoes, it’s hardly a slam dunk the team will market Lindor. Since Lindor debuted in 2015, the Indians have come within striking distance of a World Series title, they’ve won three division championships and haven’t finished below .500. Even this season, which was a disappointment and non-playoff campaign for the club, it still won 93 games. Lindor was no small part of the Indians’ latest respectable performance, as he accounted for 4.4 fWAR, 34 home runs and 22 stolen bases despite missing the first couple weeks of the season with calf and ankle injuries. Factoring in his most recent output, the switch-hitting Lindor is tied with the venerable Jose Altuve for sixth among position players in fWAR (27.2).

Thanks to Lindor’s career-long brilliance, he’s set to earn a somewhat lofty salary in 2020 – his penultimate year of arbitration. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Lindor will rake in $16.7MM, which obviously isn’t the type of salary just any team could absorb. However, Lindor is spectacular enough to make it worthwhile, and with the possible exception of Didi Gregorius, the upcoming class of free-agent shortstops offers little in the way of answers. With that in mind, the Indians probably wouldn’t have difficulty landing appealing offers for Lindor.

Of course, whether the Indians are willing to seriously consider moving Lindor (or someone like right-hander Corey Kluber, another speculative trade candidate) is in question. There still appears to be enough talent on hand for the team to push for a playoff berth next season, after all. The Indians could easily retain Lindor and attempt to make another run at a World Series in 2020, or they could at least keep him until the July trade deadline and see where they stand at that point. That said, the trade value of Lindor is surely high now, and the small-market Indians appear highly unlikely to extend him before he’s eligible to reach free agency. Perhaps the upcoming winter is the right time to aggressively market Lindor, then. How do you expect it to pan out?

(Poll link for app users)

Mets Holding Third Round Of Managerial Interviews

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The Mets are moving ahead with a third round of managerial interviews, as Andy Martino of SNY.tv reported last night. Somewhat surprisingly, the list hasn’t really been pared down much to this point.

In for a third interview are long-known candidates Carlos Beltran, Tim Bogar, and Derek Shelton. (Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted Shelton’s continued inclusion on Twitter.) Also still in the mix is Eduardo Perez, who was said to be a “clear frontrunner” just days ago but remains in a large group of possibilities.

Luis Rojas once seemed to have a solid shot at the gig, but he now appears to be out of the mix. But Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy has taken his place after flying under the radar earlier in the process. Murphy is still in the hunt as well.

Now that Murphy has been unveiled, is there still a mystery candidate lurking? Martino has continually cited that possibility, though MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets that it seems the field has been set.

New York owner Fred Wilpon will meet with the five candidates — and, presumably, any others if they should be inserted into the process. Precisely how the decision will be made remains to be seen, though surely it’ll mostly come down to a discussion between Wilpon, COO Jeff Wilpon, GM Brodie Van Wagenen, and a few top advisors.

The timeline is likewise not yet evident; DiComo suggests that it may take a bit longer due to the fact that Bogar still has one or two games left to coach in the World Series. It doesn’t appear as if any of the Mets’ candidates are in active demand from other organizations, so the New York club can continue to take its time reaching a final decision.

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