Diamondbacks Rumors

Diamondbacks Considering Managerial Change

By Jeff Todd | July 22, 2016 at 2:43pm CDT

The Diamondbacks are considering replacing skipper Chip Hale, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Tim Montemayor of Arizona’s AM 1060 first tweeted that there were rumors circulating.

If Arizona goes ahead and moves Hale aside, Triple-A manager Phil Nevin would likely take his place at the helm of the big league club, per the report. General manager Dave Stewart declined to comment on the matter when asked about the rumors by Rosenthal.

Hale, 51, has managed the D-Backs since the start of last year, when he was selected by Stewart and chief baseball officer (and Hall-of-Fame manager) Tony LaRussa to run the club on the field. Things seemed on the upswing after year one, as Arizona showed improvement and logged a 79-83 record. Indeed, the organization picked up Hale’s 2017 option at the start of camp this spring.

The promising showing in 2015 emboldened the organization to make several major additions over the winter. That included, most prominently, the stunning signing of Zack Greinke and the acquisition of Shelby Miller for a trio of critical assets.

With over half of the games in the books this year, it is evident that things haven’t gone as hoped. Arizona sits in the NL West basement at the moment with a 40-55 record on the year. It would be hard to pin all of that on Hale, of course. Star center fielder A.J. Pollock was lost during camp, Miller has been dreadful (as have other recent acquisitions like Yasmany Tomas), and the club has somewhat predictably failed in its outfield defense — among other areas of concern.

A.J. Pollock Making "Ridiculously Good" Progress

By Connor Byrne | July 16, 2016 at 9:32pm CDT

Diamondbacks standout center fielder A.J. Pollock is making “ridiculously good” progress in his recovery from April surgery to repair a fractured elbow, and he expects to play this season, he told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. “With these types of injuries, I’ve done research in the past and for some reason you don’t always see bone-to-bone healing,” Pollock said. “Maybe you see a little bit, but usually you have kind of fibers that bridge the gap. They don’t expect 100 percent bone-to-bone healing, but if you can get 50, 60 percent … but I’m way past that. I’m up in the 80s or 90s.” A return to the D-backs is nowhere near imminent for Pollock, notes Piecoro, who points out that the 28-year-old is only hitting off a tee right now, still has to rebuild his throwing strength and will need to embark on a multi-week rehab assignment upon receiving medical clearance to come back.

D’backs Willing To Trade Relievers, But Not Starters

By charliewilmoth | July 16, 2016 at 4:40pm CDT

Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart is willing to deal relievers Daniel Hudson and Tyler Clippard, but not starters Patrick Corbin and Robbie Ray, Nick Piecoro and Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic write. (Stewart had previously told Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball he wasn’t interested in dealing Corbin.) The Diamondbacks have already traded Brad Ziegler and appear amenable to continuing to trade from their bullpen, but it looks like their starters are off limits.

“We’ve gotten calls, and you have to call to ask, but I don’t really have an ear to listen,” says Stewart, speaking of Corbin and Ray. “If you want to talk about Hudson or Clippard, I’ll listen. That’s pretty much how it is.”

Stewart also says that, at this point, he’s unlikely to complete an extension for Hudson before the deadline, putting pressure on the Diamondbacks to deal him while they can. (Last month, Stewart named Hudson and Ziegler as potential extension candidates.)

“Once we get past that deadline, there’s uncertainty for the organization to be able to sign these guys,” says Stewart. “I don’t think I can put the organization in a position to not get some value back for Huddy.”

Stewart’s willingness to deal Hudson and Clippard but not Corbin or Ray makes sense, given the free agency timelines of the players involved. The Diamondbacks’ 2016 season appears to be mostly lost, with the team posting a 38-53 record so far, but Corbin and Ray could easily be significant contributors in future seasons. Corbin can’t become a free agent until after 2018, while Ray isn’t eligible until after 2020.

Hudson, meanwhile, is eligible for free agency this coming winter, while Clippard can become a free agent after 2017. Hudson has had a modestly productive season at best (4.91 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 in 33 innings) and might not fetch much on the trade market. Clippard has been better, with a 2.97 ERA, 3.0 BB/9 and strong strikeout numbers (11.1 K/9) that help compensate for his usual fly-ball tendencies. Given his long track record of productivity and experience closing, he ought to be able to net the Diamondbacks a nice return.

Is Chip Hale On The Hot Seat?

By Steve Adams | July 15, 2016 at 11:55pm CDT

Some within the industry have told Rosenthal that Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale “could be in imminent danger” of losing his job, but D-backs sources denied the notion when asked, he continues. Rosenthal lists Bryan Price and Walt Weiss as skippers that are safe for now but may be seeking new employment come season’s end, and he notes that Robin Ventura, Brad Ausmus, John Farrell and Terry Collins could all be in the same boat if their clubs finish the season poorly.

Heyman’s Latest: Hosmer, Corbin, O’s, Astros, Brewers, Rangers

By Steve Adams | July 14, 2016 at 10:10pm CDT

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports covers a lot of ground in his latest Inside Baseball column, beginning with a look at the Royals and the closing window of Kansas City’s core players (Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas). Hosmer is controllable through 2017, and while the Royals would love to keep him in K.C. forever, Heyman writes that Royals brass feels Hosmer and agent Scott Boras could seek $20MM+ on a 10-year deal. Those numbers may sound jarring for Hosmer, especially in light of Brandon Belt’s $79MM price tag this offseason, but a pair of GMs to whom Heyman spoke invoked contractual comparisons of Jason Heyward and Jacoby Ellsbury when looking ahead to Hosmer’s market. Hosmer will be entering his age-28 season when he hits the free-agent market, so he’ll certainly have youth on his side in addition to consistently improving performance.

Diamondbacks Option Shelby Miller To Triple-A

By Steve Adams | July 14, 2016 at 7:05pm CDT

The Diamondbacks announced tonight that they have optioned struggling right-hander Shelby Miller to Triple-A Reno. Arizona did not announce a corresponding move at this time.

Just four months ago, this would’ve been an unthinkable outcome for Miller, who was coming off his finest season as a Major Leaguer. The 25-year-old posted a 3.02 ERA with 7.5 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 205 innings in his lone season with the Braves after coming to Atlanta in the December 2014 Jason Heyward swap. That performance led the D-backs to part with an king’s ransom — center fielder Ender Inciarte, 2014 first-round pick Aaron Blair and 2015 No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson — to acquire Miller in a trade this summer.

However, the 2016 has been a disaster for Miller, whose 7.14 ERA is the third-highest in all of baseball among pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched. He’s missed some time this season with a finger injury but struggled even in his return from the disabled list, posting a 7.23 ERA over his final four starts prior to the All-Star break. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets that Miller said he understands why he’s being sent down and candidly added that he was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner.

Miller’s trade was among the most talked-about swaps in recent history, as many considered the price paid by the D-backs to be exorbitant in nature. However, even the most adamant detractors of the deal have been surprised by the struggles of Miller, which have played a major role in what has been a disappointing season for the Diamondbacks overall. Arizona lost center fielder A.J. Pollock, one of the game’s top all-around players, for much (if not all) of the 2016 season before Opening Day, and it watched $206.5MM starter Zack Greinke falter out of the gates as well. The D-backs have also lost right-hander Rubby De La Rosa to the disabled list for most of the season to date, and the club’s projected No. 3 starter, Patrick Corbin, has had issues of his own. While Corbin’s woes haven’t been as pronounced as those of Miller, he’s currently toting a 4.94 ERA after pitching to a 3.47 mark between his two most recent healthy seasons (2015 and 2013).

The end result for the Diamondbacks has been a 38-52 record and a last-place standing in the NL West that few would have predicted following their flashy offseason. The D-backs have reluctantly begun to operate as sellers, having already traded Brad Ziegler to the Red Sox.

Red Sox Notes: Ziegler, Clark, Trade Market

By charliewilmoth | July 12, 2016 at 7:59am CDT

New Red Sox reliever Brad Ziegler is a throwback to former Royals submariner Dan Quisenberry, ESPN’s Keith Law writes (subscription only). Like Quisenberry, Ziegler has been an effective closer for years despite not having elite velocity or throwing overhand. He can be a good eighth-inning option for the team, or he can work multi-inning stretches. Law characterizes the Diamondbacks’ return in the deal as being good enough, given that Ziegler is 36 and will be a free agent at season’s end — second baseman Luis Alejandro Basabe runs well and has good plate discipline, and Jose Almonte’s fastball might not be good enough for him to start in the long run. Here’s more on the Red Sox.

With negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement looming, MLB Players Association head Tony Clark recently offered his take on a few key labor-related issues, via Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. In the wake of the Red Sox being punished for circumventing rules governing international amateur prospect bonuses (resulting in several players’ deals with the team being voided), Clark describes both international and domestic baseball prospect development as “the wild, wild west.” He names domestic amateur travel baseball — which he describes as both costly and time-consuming — as one problem. As Drellich notes, amateurs and minor-leaguers are not part of the players union, but they are affected by collective bargaining. “With respect to these young players, to say we are concerned about how they were treated, is an understatement,” says Clark. “So suffice it to say from start to finish we have been and continued to be engaged on everything that’s going on.”
The Sox did well to hang on to All-Stars Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley and Xander Bogaerts, Peter Gammons writes. The team held onto all three despite some fans’ insistence the team make a big trade for a pitcher, and they’ve been key to the team’s resurgence this season. Of course, the Red Sox still have a need for starting pitching, partially because not enough of their prospects have developed into good back-end options. This time, though, the trade market is heavy on pitchers who don’t qualify as aces, which means that there likely won’t be much question of whether the Red Sox hold onto top prospects like Andrew Benintendi.

Brad Ziegler On Pre-Trade Talks With D-backs

By Connor Byrne | July 10, 2016 at 1:29pm CDT

Before the Diamondbacks traded Brad Ziegler to Boston on Saturday, they asked the pending free agent reliever if he’d be open to a contract extension. Ziegler said yes, but, “Next time I heard from them, they told me I was traded” (via ESPN’s Scott Lauber).

D-backs Interested In Bringing Back Brad Ziegler

By Connor Byrne and Jeff Todd | July 9, 2016 at 8:31pm CDT

The Diamondbacks and closer Brad Ziegler might only be amid a separation, not a divorce, after they traded him to Boston on Saturday. While breaking the news of the trade to Ziegler, the D-backs informed the soon-to-be 37-year-old that they’d be interested in bringing him back during free agency, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (on Twitter). General manager Dave Stewart expressed a desire last month to extend Ziegler’s contract, so it’s not surprising that Arizona might want to sign him in a few months. In the meantime, “With no real certainty of whether we’re going to be able to bring him back on a multi-year deal, we just decided we’d be able to get some pretty good prospects for him,” Stewart said regarding the trade (via Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic). Ziegler joined the Diamondbacks in 2011 and ultimately recorded an impressive ERA (2.49), sky-high ground-ball rate (69.3 percent), and 62 saves across 335 2/3 innings with the franchise.

Red Sox Acquire Brad Ziegler

By Tim Dierkes | July 9, 2016 at 12:47am CDT

The Red Sox acquired reliever Brad Ziegler from the Diamondbacks for minor leaguers Jose Almonte and Luis Alejandro Basabe, according to a team press release. Blake Swihart was transferred to the 60-day DL to clear a 40-man roster spot for Ziegler.

Ziegler, 36, has served as Arizona’s closer in recent years. This season, the sidearmer owns a 2.82 ERA, 6.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, and 63% groundball rate, with just one home run allowed in 38 1/3 innings. The veteran groundballer will slot in toward the back end of Boston’s bullpen.

Notably, Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel was unavailable Friday due to knee soreness, leading to a save chance for Koji Uehara. Kimbrel’s injury popped up Friday during pregame warmups, with ESPN’s Scott Lauber reporting that MRI results are expected today. The injury will likely keep Kimbrel out of Tuesday night’s All-Star game in San Diego. Another key reliever, Junichi Tazawa, was unavailable Friday due to shoulder discomfort. Earlier this year, the Red Sox lost key acquisition Carson Smith to Tommy John surgery, so it’s no surprise president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski felt the need to act. The Ziegler deal marks Dombrowski’s third trade of the young month, after his pickups of Aaron Hill and Michael Martinez.

[Updated depth charts: Red Sox and Diamondbacks]

This is Ziegler’s ninth Major League season. He’ll be eligible for free agency at its conclusion, having signed an extension with the D’Backs in 2013. In June of this year, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports spoke to Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart, who said the team was considering extensions for relievers Ziegler and Daniel Hudson. Instead, Ziegler and the remaining $2.5MM+ on his contract were sent to Boston for a pair of prospects.

The Diamondbacks’ front office may be signaling a willingness to sell, given the team’s 38-50 record heading into the All-Star break. In an article Thursday, Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball said the team was “getting the most trade hits” on relievers Ziegler, Hudson, and Tyler Clippard. Like Ziegler, Hudson is eligible for free agency after the season. The 29-year-old Hudson has worked his way into a setup role, having overcome a pair of Tommy John surgeries. Clippard, 31, will join Hudson in trying to handle the ninth inning for Arizona following Ziegler’s departure. He’s signed through 2017.

In Almonte, the D’Backs added a Low A starting pitcher who was signed out of the Dominican Republic four years ago for $610K. Almonte’s pitching coach Walter Miranda gave his thoughts on the young pitcher to MiLB.com’s Chris Tripodi in late May. Arizona also picked up middle infielder Luis Alejandro Basabe, not to be confused with twin brother and teammate Luis Alexander Basabe. Luis Alejandro is generally regarded as the lesser prospect, but he is hitting .311/.414/.471 in 271 plate appearances this year at Low A and will participate in the South Atlantic League All-Star game.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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