About a year ago, the White Sox signed Adam Eaton to a one-year, $7MM deal to be their right fielder. By July, Eaton had been designated for assignment. The Angels picked him up for the league minimum, and he lasted about a month with them before being released. The 33-year-old Eaton is “at least considering retirement,” according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, in part because the Angels discussed a coaching position with him prior to the lockout. However, MLB’s stance is that Eaton is locked out from discussing employment as a coach.
Minor league free agents like Jake Bauers – even with plenty of MLB time this year – have been able to sign minor league contracts during the lockout. Though he was released by the Angels on August 20th, Eaton become a free agent via unconditional release waivers, and is therefore covered by the lockout. That means Eaton is unable to sign with a team as a coach or a player. “The union does not necessarily agree” that Eaton should be locked out, according to Rosenthal.
Rosenthal has more on the Angels’ coaching staff, including their addition of Bill Haselman as a catching instructor. Haselman had a 13-year MLB career spanning 1990-2003. Phil Nevin and Benji Gil are also known to have roles on Joe Maddon’s staff.
What a terrible trade by the Nationals that was.
Seemed to work out ok for the nats
He was a key piece to a WS title.
They didn’t get full return on investment, and they “lost@ trade, but I think they are just fine with the end result.
No. Winning a trade matters more than winning the World Series. The site is called MLB Trade Rumors. Not MLB World Series Rumors.
What’s “winning a trade”? Wouldn’t winning a World Series have an impact on any definition of winning a trade?
The whole notion of trading players is to better your chances of winning a World Series…now or in the future.
I saw Eaton play an important part in his club hoisting up a trophy. Sounds like winnin’ to me.
Bwahhahaa. Okay that was good.
It was definitely surprising that the Sox were able to get that much pitching in return for Eaton, but he was signed for peanuts, he was playing well, and an identical player in Jason Heyward had somehow just signed for like a billion dollars.
Eaton had a good season the year the Nats won a ring, so ultimately it paid off.
Eaton was a very good player when on the field three of the four years in Washington. Difficult to predict injuries and he fell off a cliff in 2020.
Could it have been better sure eaton could have been on field for 150 games each year with his line from the first three years all four.
The nationals got the player they paid for
hello
Interesting. He’s not regarded as a strong club house guy so a coaching job is…curious.
I always got the feeling from the way he played loved the little details of the game. That’s what makes a great coach, not necessarily being a “clubhouse guy.”
Pre tell, what “little details of the game”?….were exhibited in his game when he played………can you provide details as too what you mean?
He was a consistently a great baserunner, had great outfield jumps, and had a great BB/K ratio. None of those things are natural talents. They are the results of a lot of work and dedication to your craft.
Plus he could shift the he.ll out of an imaginary car with Howie Kendrick.
It was a decent career Adam! I think it’s time to hang up the cleats though…
Tim is there a way you can provide a list of free agents that are covered by the lockout? Maybe it’ll be clear from the list that this is a service time issue for Eaton and why it wasn’t for Bauers.
How can MLB block a move to coaching? Tell me there is more to it than he can’t “retire” as long as business is at a standstill and, so, can’t officially negotiate such a move?
That is interesting. I wonder if it’s because he’s still a part of the MLBPA and making the transition during a lockout is the problem, as opposed to other coach additions (i.e. Joey Cora becoming 3rd base coach with NYM as the most recent example).
I’m pretty sure you’re right RunDMC. I think they’re barred from even making contact with him..even if it’s to discuss a move that’s not as a player.
If he announced his retirement first, then he could probably do that (like if Kyle Seager wanted to sign on with Seattle as a coach now, he should be able to do that).
Adam Eaton being allowed to coach… not even the Angels are that dumb.
Who in their right mind would want a meat head who thought an 11-year-old kid was a locker room leader coaching anyone?
Decent career, but does anyone even respect Eaton?
I do, but I don’t judge people over a throwaway line like that
My guess is he meant mascot as opposed to leader but I got what he was saying either way. Very good career and a smart baseball mind
That “11 year old” Drake just got married.
Wow, how time flies!
Kind of young to retire as a player, but he’s also only posted a 72 OPS+ the last two seasons and his fielding is fading. If his goal is to coach, this might be his opportunity. Maybe by floating this out there, any team who might have an interest in him as a player will contact his agent immediately as soon as the owners end the lockout. My guess is he’ll be a coach.
There have been a few players who have retired “young” this off season. I wonder if a lot of these guys just figure they’ll have a harder time staying in the majors going forward and don’t want to be minor leaguers.
Probably. With the money Eaton and others have made, there’s not point in signing minors deals unless they absolutely can’t stop playing.
Isn’t he a known dick in clubhouses?
Pretty sure he does not have a private investigators license – so.. no
Drake LaRoche is clear to sign though.
He must be entering middle-age by now!
He’s a true clubhouse leader
Surprised he’s not thinking on going to the KBO.
I loved watching Eaton play when I used to go to Nats Stadium. Seemed like he had a good work ethic.
The original framework of the Mark Trumbo trade was Skaggs and Eaton for Trumbo. The Angels wanted more pitching so Chicago was brought in as a third team to facilitate the deal, taking Eaton and shipping us Hector Santiago.
Considering the Hamilton disaster was just around the corner and we had a LF desert for years following, we’d have been better off keeping Eaton.
Maybe he can take Brett Gardner with him in to retirement?
“We think you suck as a player. But how would you like to coach for us?”
-Angels front office
Basically Jake Taylor from Major League
Drake LaRoche recently got married…wonder if Eaton was the best man?
One of the few embarrassing moves by Hahn last year. Makes one wonder if Chicago is ever truly serious about contending. The Kimbrel trade was another head scratcher. They clearly have no plan in place to address positions of need.
I heard somewhere that the D-Backs were looking for a BP catcher…