5 Key Stories

Here are five of this week’s biggest stories here at MLBTR…

Kyle Schwarber returns: When Schwarber tore both the ACL and LCL in his left knee on April 7, the assumption was that the Cubs’ slugging catcher/outfielder wouldn’t be in their lineup again until 2017. Shockingly, though, Schwarber’s rehab went well enough that the team activated him prior to its World Series matchup against the Indians. Schwarber’s still not ready to play the field, but the 23-year-old’s best asset – his bat – has been a factor in the Fall Classic. Because the first two games took place in Cleveland, Schwarber was in the Cubs’ lineup as a designated hitter. He didn’t show much rust, going 3 for 7 with a double and two walks as the teams split at Progressive Field. Schwarber then came off the bench Friday at Wrigley Field, where Indians reliever Bryan Shaw retired him in an eighth-inning pinch-hit appearance. The Cubs dropped a 1-0 nail-biter and will try to pull even in Game 4 on Saturday.

Yoenis Cespedes will void his contract, but James Shields won’t: To the surprise of no one, Cespedes plans to opt out of the remaining two years and $47.5MM left on his deal with the Mets and become a free agent. Conversely, Shields, a White Sox right-hander, will not forgo the two years and $44MM remaining on his pact. Cespedes’ decision will become official within a three-day window after the World Series concludes. The Mets gave the outfielder an opt-out when they re-signed him last January to a three-year, $75MM contract, and having delivered another terrific season, he’ll once again test the open market. Given the weakness of the upcoming winter’s free agent class, the 31-year-old likely stands a better chance than any other soon-to-be available player to land a nine-figure contract. Shields also could have taken advantage of an underwhelming market had he enjoyed a strong year. Instead, the 34-year-old was among the worst starters in baseball this season, combining for a 5.85 ERA, 6.69 K/9 and 4.06 BB/9 in 181 2/3 innings with San Diego and Chicago.

Front office changes in Arizona and Boston: New Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen, formerly with the Red Sox, pilfered well-regarded executive Amiel Sawdaye from Boston on Monday to serve as Arizona’s senior vice president and assistant GM. After losing Sawdaye, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski promoted VP of international scouting Eddie Romero to serve as co-assistant GM with Brian O’Halloran. Boston doesn’t plan to hire a GM and will go forward with the Romero and O’Halloran tandem working under Dombrowski.

Danny Salazar is back: After Salazar missed over a month with a forearm strain, the Indians activated the hard-throwing right-hander in advance of their series against the Cubs. Salazar’s return certainly wasn’t as unexpected as Schwarber’s, but he’s another quality piece for a pitching staff that has dominated throughout the postseason. Normally a starter, Salazar tossed a shutdown inning in relief in the Tribe’s 5-1 loss in Game 2. Aside from ace Corey Kluber, the Indians’ starters haven’t eaten many innings in the playoffs, so Salazar could end up as an important bullpen weapon as the World Series progresses.

Astros cancel their agreement with a top international prospect: The Astros and Cuban left-hander Cionel Perez struck a deal with a $5.15MM signing bonus in September, but the team voided it this week over a medical issue. Signing Perez would have actually cost the Astros $10.3MM, as they had already exceeded their spending allotment in this year’s international free agent class and would have had to pay a 100 percent overage tax.

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Here are five of this week’s biggest stories here at MLBTR…

Diamondbacks hire Mike Hazen as general manager, executive vice-president.  Arizona officially moved on from the Tony La Russa/Dave Stewart era by installing Hazen atop its baseball operations pyramid.  The highly-regarded Hazen spent a decade in the Red Sox front office, including the last year as Boston’s GM, working under president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski.  Rumors have been swirling that Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo could become the new D’Backs manager.

Red Sox looking at internal GM candidates.  Dombrowski would prefer to replace Hazen from within the organization, and several notable names have already been mentioned as candidates: assistant GM Brian O’Halloran, senior vice president of personnel Allard Baird, pro scouting director Gus Quattlebaum, VP of international/amateur scouting Amiel Sawdaye and VP of international scouting Eddie Romero.  (There has also been speculation that O’Halloran, Quattlebaum and Sawdaye could take jobs with the Diamondbacks, following Hazen.)  One notable Red Sox front office member doesn’t appear to be a candidate, as senior VP of baseball operations Frank Wren is reportedly happy in his current role.

Tigers could make roster changes while still remaining competitive.  Tigers GM Al Avila’s season-ending comments to reporters indicated that the club is looking to modify how it does business, saying that “We want to get younger.  We want to get leaner.  We want to run the organization without having to go over our means.”  This could hint at changes to Detroit’s free-spending ways, including exploring trading big salaries instead of adding them.  The Tigers already tried to deal Justin Upton last summer and seem likely to explore moving him again this winter, while J.D. Martinez could be another potential trade candidate since Avila isn’t planning extension talks in the near future.

MLB looking to implement an international draft.  In talks with the players’ union about  a new collective bargaining agreement, the league is pushing hard to replace the current international bonus system with a more organized ten-round draft.  The league has long sought for more control over the international market, though in the opinion of Baseball America’s Ben Badler, this draft proposal doesn’t do enough to address some fundamental issues in the way international players are identified, scouted and developed.

Reds agree to new television contract.  The Reds and FOX Sports Ohio agreed to a 15-year extension of their current TV deal.  Terms weren’t disclosed, though club COO Phil Castellini stated the Reds will get a “nice increase” from the $30MM they previously received in annual rights fees.

Here are five of the biggest stories this week at MLBTR.

Braves hire Brian Snitker as manager. The Braves dropped Brian Snitker’s interim tag, officially making him their full-time manager. They also hired former Rangers manager Ron Washington as their third base coach, and made third base coach Bo Porter a special assistant to GM John Coppolella. Washington left a coaching job with the Athletics in order to be closer to his family in New Orleans.

The 2017 qualifying offer will be $17.2MM. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported that the amount of the qualifying offer will increase to $17.2MM this offseason, and will be included in the next CBA, albeit with some adjustments. That’s a boost of $1.4MM over last year’s qualifying offer figure. Last week, MLBTR’s Steve Adams listed Neil Walker, Michael Saunders, Wilson Ramos, Kendrys Morales, Mike Napoli and Matt Wieters as players who might or might not receive a qualifying offer; perhaps the increase of the qualifying offer figure will affect some of them.

Super Two cutoff to be between 2.127 and 2.131 years of MLB service time. MLBTR projected the Super Two cutoff for this year’s crop of players approaching arbitration. Kevin Kiermaier could become eligible for arbitration as a Super Two, while Rougned Odor, David Peralta and Dan Straily seem likely to just miss the cut. MLBTR also projected arbitration salaries for the 2017 season.

Pitchers receive injury news. Cardinals reliever Zach Duke underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2017 season. Injured Padres righty Tyson Ross, meanwhile, had surgery to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome, and could be ready for Spring Training. The news was better for Angels righty Garrett Richards, who made only six starts in 2016. He’s set to have a normal offseason after avoiding Tommy John surgery.

Carlos Beltran to play in 2017. Rangers DH/OF Carlos Beltran says he’ll be back in 2017 for his age-40 season. Beltran, who batted a strong .295/.337/.513 with 29 home runs in 2016, figures to be a solid option for AL teams in need of an extra bat.

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Here were this week’s five biggest stories here at MLBTR.

The Diamondbacks clean house. The Diamondbacks parted ways with GM Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale following a disastrous 69-93 season for which they’d prepared by spending very heavily, both in money and prospects. Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa remains in the organization, but will no longer run the team’s baseball operations. Ned Colletti, Kim Ng and a variety of executives with Diamondbacks ties are reportedly among the candidates to replace Stewart (who took to the media to discuss his firing).

Walt Weiss resigns. In more upheaval in the NL West, the Rockies manager left his post, citing a working relationship with GM Jeff Bridich that “wasn’t healthy, wasn’t productive,” as he told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. The Rockies are reportedly considering Triple-A manager Glenallen Hill and Braves first base coach Eddie Perez to replace him.

Tigers exercise Brad Ausmus’ option. As of early this week, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus still hadn’t heard whether the team planned to retain him for 2017. But the Tigers finally ended speculation about Ausmus’ future — or at least his immediate future — by announcing that they had exercised his 2017 option. His outlook beyond next season remains unclear.

Braves extend Jim Johnson. The Braves kept a key reliever from hitting the free agent market this winter, extending veteran righty Jim Johnson through 2018. The 33-year-old posted a 3.06 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 64 2/3 innings in 2016 in his second stint with Atlanta.

Marlins part ways with Barry Bonds. The Marlins are going in a different direction at hitting coach, electing not to renew the contract of legendary slugger Barry Bonds. Reporting from Craig Mish of MLB Network Radio indicated that there was at least some friction between Bonds and manager Don Mattingly. The Marlins also parted ways with third base coach Lenny Harris and bullpen coach Reid Cornelius.

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Here’s a look back at the five biggest stories to cross MLBTR’s desk this week.

Jose Fernandez passes away. In tragic and shocking news, young Marlins ace Jose Fernandez died in a boating accident Sunday morning. The Marlins announced they would retire Fernandez’s No. 16. Players and commentators throughout the game expressed grief at Fernandez’s passing and looked back at his career. Soon after the tragedy, the Marlins agreed to extend infielder Martin Prado, who figures to provide veteran leadership for the team in what will surely be a trying time.

Cubs extend Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer, Jason McLeod. In the midst of a wildly successful season, the Cubs agreed to new deals with three top execs. Epstein’s deal reportedly could be worth more than $50MM with incentives, a wild sum for a front office employee.

Wilson Ramos tears ACL. The Nationals lost their starting catcher for the postseason after he tore his right ACL for the second time. Ramos was in the midst of an excellent walk year, batting .307/.354/.496, but now he’s facing an injury that will impact his free agency prospects this offseason.

Cardinals to decline Matt Holliday’s option. The Cardinals will allow their longtime slugger to test the free agent waters rather than pay him $17MM for 2017. It’s unclear whether Holliday might return to St. Louis on a different deal. “Speaking in absolutes and saying there’s no chance of him coming back — I’m not prepared to do that,“ said GM John Mozeliak. “We haven’t had our offseason meetings.” Holliday, for his part, thinks it’s unlikely he’ll return to the Cardinals, although he says he’ll continue playing. One Cardinal who will be back next season is manager Mike Matheny, who the Cardinals will retain. His contract expires after 2017.

Twins likely to hire Derek Falvey. The Twins appear to be on the verge of hiring Indians assistant GM Derek Falvey to be their next president of baseball operations, although the team has not yet made an announcement.

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Here’s a look back at five crucial stories from this week at MLBTR.

Jacob deGrom has surgery. The righty had a procedure to alleviate an ulnar nerve issue in his elbow. His recovery period is three months, so obviously, he won’t pitch for the Mets in the postseason, assuming they get that far. The loss was the latest for an injury-riddled Mets rotation that has also dealt with extended absences from Zach Wheeler, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz.

Mariners suspend Steve Clevenger. The M’s suspended the backup catcher without pay for the rest of the season after he issued a pair of offensive tweets. “As soon as we became aware of the tweets posted by Steve yesterday we began to examine all of our options in regard to his standing on the team,” Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto said.

Pirates try to extend Ivan Nova. The Bucs have reportedly made two extension offers to keep righty Ivan Nova, who’s been terrific since arriving in a deadline trade with the Yankees. In response, Nova’s camp asked for $70MM over five years, a price that would have been unimaginable for him just two months ago. It appears likely Nova will head to this winter’s free agent market as one of the top starters available.

Nationals try to extend Wilson Ramos. The Pirates aren’t the only team trying to keep a free-agent-to-be. It emerged this week that the Nationals have begun discussing a new deal with catcher Wilson Ramos. The Nats reportedly initially offered a little more than $30MM over three years, seemingly a very low bid for a player who’s hit .304/.351/.496 this season. Talks reportedly didn’t go far, and it’s unlikely the two sides will revisit them before Ramos hits the open market this winter.

Padres promote Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot. A final wave of Padres call-ups this week following the end of Triple-A El Paso’s season included top outfield prospects Renfroe and Margot, along with infielder Carlos Asuaje and catcher Austin Hedges. Renfroe, the 13th overall pick in the 2013 draft, batted .306/.336/.557 for El Paso, while the 21-year-old Margot (who arrived along with Asuaje in the Craig Kimbrel deal) hit .304/.351/.426.

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Here are five important stories from the last week of coverage here at MLBTR.

MLB suspends A.J. Preller. The league suspended Preller for 30 days and fined the Padres for the team’s failure to disclose medical information in the Drew Pomeranz / Anderson Espinoza trade. ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Padres kept two separate sets of injury information on each player and only made one available to the rest of the industry, and that teams the Padres traded with, including the Red Sox, White Sox and Marlins, were furious that they’d been tricked. The Red Sox felt MLB’s decision to suspend Preller wasn’t enough and that they should have received a player as compensation. Meanwhile, top Padres brass are split on the now-controversial Preller, with executive chairman Ron Fowler questioning Preller’s performance.

More front office movement. The Blue Jays hired former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington as their new vice president of baseball operations, and he’ll focus on player development in Toronto. The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, will not pick up their option on senior vice president of baseball operations De Jon Watson’s contract, furthering talks of change in the Arizona front office.

Billy Butler changes teams. The Athletics released their former DH early in the week, and the Yankees quickly signed him to a big-league deal. Since Butler had been released, signing him was a low-risk proposition on the Yankees’ part, as they’ll only owe him a pro-rated portion of the league minimum.

Dodgers, Brewers nearly completed — and could later revisit — trade involving Yasiel Puig and Ryan Braun. The rumored Puig/Braun blockbuster continued to generate headlines this week, as it became clear that the deal almost happened and that talks could be rekindled this winter. One possibility had Puig and Brandon McCarthy heading to Milwaukee along with two prospects.

Orioles, Scott Boras to discuss Matt Wieters extension. With catcher Matt Wieters set to hit free agency, Scott Boras and the Orioles front office will discuss a deal that could keep him in Baltimore after what’s been somewhat of a rough season. Boras also represents fellow Orioles Zach Britton and Pedro Alvarez, so talks between the two sides might not be limited to Wieters.

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Here’s a look back at five key stories this week at MLBTR this week.

Mets sign Tim Tebow. Scoff if you like — after all, this was a minor league signing of a 29-year-old whose chances of reaching the Majors appear remote, to say the least. But public interest in the former Jets and Broncos quarterback remains intense, and plenty of sports fans will be following Tebow’s career in the minors. Here’s a post in which Mets GM Sandy Alderson explains the signing, and here’s a note from earlier in the week, when it looked like Tebow might head to the Braves organization, not the Mets.

Alexei Ramirez changes teams. The veteran shortstop was released by the Padres last weekend following an underwhelming .240/.275/.330 performance in San Diego. In the wake of an injury to Matt Duffy, the Rays snapped Ramirez up later in the week, and he’s already played two games for Tampa Bay.

Plenty of injury news. Star-crossed Mets starter Zack Wheeler’s season is over due to a flexor muscle strain, and Yankees starter Chad Green is done as well, thanks to a sprained right UCL and strained flexor tendon. The Angels’ Cam Bedrosian saw his dominant 2016 campaign end, as he had surgery on a blood clot in his right arm, while Athletics reliever Fernando Rodriguez had shoulder surgery. There were also important pitchers who got bad injury news that might not be season-ending — the Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg was diagnosed with a flexor mass strain, while the Astros’ Dallas Keuchel was shut down with shoulder trouble. Meanwhile, a key hitting prospect, Braves shortstop Ozzie Albies, saw his season end due to a fractured elbow.

Not all the injury news was bad, however. The Marlins activated Giancarlo Stanton (groin strain) with the idea that he would pinch-hit, while Clayton Kershaw (herniated disc) returned to the Dodgers.

Brewers acquire Ryan Cordell from Rangers. The Brewers and Rangers completed the Jonathan Lucroy / Jeremy Jeffress trade, with the Rangers sending 3B/OF Cordell to Milwaukee, which already got outfielder Lewis Brinson and righty Luis Ortiz in the deal. Cordell had been rated among the Rangers’ top ten prospects and was hitting .264/.319/.484 for Double-A Frisco.

Twins weigh front office candidates. Current Dodgers exec and former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos emerged early in the week as a candidate for a top job with the Twins, who are revamping their front office in the wake of the departure of Terry Ryan. But Anthopoulos has told colleagues the time isn’t right for him to leave Los Angeles. The Twins also appear to be considering Cubs execs Jason McLeod and Shiraz Rehman.

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Here were the five most crucial stories from MLBTR this week.

Red Sox promote Yoan Moncada. At long last, the Red Sox promoted Cuban phenom Yoan Moncada to the big leagues this week, and he made his Major League debut Friday. The 21-year-old was batting .277/.379/.531 for Double-A Portland. (Moncada, by the way, wasn’t the only top prospect to receive good news this week — the Dodgers were also set to promote righty Jose De Leon.)

Drama surrounding Yasiel Puig. The Dodgers outfielder, who’d already been demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City, was placed on revocable waivers early in the week. The Brewers subsequently claimed him, then discussed a would-be blockbuster with the Dodgers that would have involved Ryan Braun. The Dodgers then revoked Puig’s waiver placement and promoted him back to the big leagues, so trade talks would appear to be on hold until after the season.

Trades, trades everywhere. Teams took advantage of their last opportunity to make waiver trades for players they can add to their postseason rosters, coming up with several deals before Wednesday’s deadline. The Mets acquired righty Fernando Salas from the Angels, the Orioles picked up outfielder Michael Bourn from the Diamondbacks, and the Indians got outfielder Coco Crisp from the Athletics.

Reds sign Vladimir Gutierrez. The Reds made a big splash on the international market, signing Cuban righty Vladimir Gutierrez for $4.75MM. The deal will count against the Reds’ international bonus pool, but they’d already exceeded it by signing Alfredo Rodriguez for $7MM. Gutierrez ranked among the top international prospects available during this signing period.

Neil Walker to have season-ending back surgery. The Mets’ playoff hopes — and, perhaps, Neil Walker’s offseason ambitions — were dealt a blow this week with the news that Walker would undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk. Walker batted .282/.347/.476 with 23 home runs in his last season before free agency eligibility.

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Here’s a look back at MLBTR’s biggest stories from the past week.

Dodgers trade A.J. Ellis and prospects for Carlos Ruiz. The Dodgers’ decision to trade backup catcher A.J. Ellis, righty Tommy Bergjans and a player to be named later or cash to the Phillies for Carlos Ruiz might not have an obviously huge on-field impact, but it’s an interesting deal, given Ellis’ clubhouse reputation and close relationship with ace Clayton Kershaw. The Phillies, meanwhile, promoted top prospect Jorge Alfaro in the wake of Ruiz’s departure.

Ellis and Ruiz weren’t the only veterans to head to new teams this week. Also on the move were Dioner Navarro (who headed from the White Sox back to the Blue Jays for lefty Colton Turner), Marc Rzepczynski (who went with cash from the Athletics to the Nationals for infielder Max Schrock) and Jeff Francoeur (who is now a Marlin after a complex three-team deal with the Braves and Rangers).

Rangers sign Carlos Gomez. The Rangers agreed to a minor league deal with the veteran outfielder, who had previously been with the Astros. Texas GM Jon Daniels has said he hopes the club bought low on a still-talented player. “He’s 30 years old; he’s still in his physical prime,” says Daniels. “We’re taking a chance on him thinking he’s better than his most recent performance.” To clear space on their roster for Gomez, the Rangers designated another veteran outfielder, Drew Stubbs.

Pirates extend David Freese. Freese had been having a strong season as a role player at first base and third base, but the Bucs removed him from the 2016-17 free agent market, signing him to a two-year, $11MM extension that includes a team option for 2019. Both the Freese deal and the recent promotion of Josh Bell would seem to bode poorly for incumbent first baseman John Jaso, who’s batting a modest .259/.346/.369 and has a year left on his contract.

Astros promote Yulieski Gurriel. The Astros promoted Cuban infielder Yulieski Gurriel to the Majors last Sunday. The Serie Nacional superstar has played sparingly so far, batting 2-for-7 in four games. At the very least, though, he provides the Astros with a bit of insurance in light of the recent news that third baseman Luis Valbuena will have season-ending hamstring surgery.

Rays to release Desmond Jennings. The Rays are set to part ways with longtime outfielder Desmond Jennings, who has had knee troubles and experienced a recent decline in performance. The 29-year-old, a former top prospect, was batting just .200/.281/.350.

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