Quick Hits: Royals, Lackey, Odor, Brown, D-Backs
While Alex Gordon is a lock to decline his $14MM player option, he doesn’t want to leave the Royals, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports in his latest notes column. “I want to be here,” Gordon told Heyman. “This is like my second home. We love it here … Obviously, things happen … but this is where we want to be.” Of course, Gordon figures to have a chance at a nine-figure contract on the open market if he chooses to test it, and the Royals have never come close to spending that kind of cash on any player before, as MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes recently pointed out. Heyman also spoke to Johnny Cueto, who acknowledged that his late slide has damaged his free-agent chances. “That’s the way it is,” Cueto said, adding that he hopes he can get some degree of redemption in the World Series. Cueto said adjusting to a new league has played a part in his struggles, but he’s still plenty open to the challenge of signing with an AL club. “The DH isn’t a bad thing,” said Cueto. “I like the challenge.”
More from Heyman’s piece and from around the league…
- John Lackey may have recently turned 37 years old, but his strong work in 2013-15 has some in the industry thinking that he could land a three-year deal worth $15-20MM annually, Heyman writes. I’d agree that a three-year offer is plausible, though the annual values mentioned by Heyman — especially at the top end of that range — seem pretty aggressive.
- The Rangers “are expected” to discuss a long-term deal with standout second baseman Rougned Odor following the completion of the World Series, Heyman hears. Odor, still just 21 years old (22 in February), was demoted to the minors earlier this year due to enormous struggles at the plate, but he was among baseball’s most productive middle infielders upon his return to the bigs. Odor went 3-for-3 on June 15 when he was recalled and proceeded to hit .292/.334/.527 with 15 homers through season’s end. Some might assume a bloated BABIP helped to inflate his numbers, but he batted a very sustainable .305 on balls in play after his recall from the minors.
- The Orioles have “limited interest” in former Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko tweets. It’ll be interesting to see where Brown lands, and what kind of deal he gets. Baltimore would seem, on paper, to be somewhat of a fit for a buy-low corner outfield option, especially if the team’s front office devotes substantial resources to addressing its needs in the rotation and/or re-signing Chris Davis. However, Kubatko’s tweet doesn’t make it seem like Brown is anywhere near the top of Baltimore’s offseason targets.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic provides an excellent preview of the Diamondbacks‘ expected search for starting pitching this offseason. Arizona can’t afford top-tier arms like David Price, Zack Greinke, Johnny Cueto and Jordan Zimmermann, he notes. Many teams will be in that boat, which could push the market for second-tier arms like Mike Leake beyond the D-Backs’ comfort zone. Piecoro calls Lackey a “perfect fit” for the Snakes, noting that his age will cap the number of years Lackey can receive and keep him in Arizona’s comfort range. Among other free agent candidates suggested by Piecoro are Hisashi Iwakuma and Nippon Professional Baseball righty Kenta Maeda, who is expected to be posted this winter. In terms of trade candidates, Piecoro points out that the Indians and D-Backs line up well, as Arizona has plenty of young bats — a big need for Cleveland, which possesses a wealth of young pitching.
Marlins’ Managerial Search Focused On Mattingly
The Marlins’ managerial search is in full effect after the team formally announced that Dan Jennings would not return to the dugout and has been asked to rejoin the front office. To this point, it’s known that Larry Bowa, Manny Acta and Bo Porter are candidates for the Marlins, who are said to prefer someone with previous managerial experience.
Here’s the latest on their search…
- Mattingly’s interview went well, tweets Frisaro, who says it may simply be time for the sides to talk numbers and work out the terms of employment. Bowa, meanwhile, appears to be out of the running after agreeing to return as the Phillies’ bench coach.
- Jackson reports that the Dodgers wouldn’t be responsible for the $1.6MM that Mattingly would’ve earned in 2016 if he receives a new managerial job that pays him more than that figure. Mattingly wants assurances that he can hire his own coaches, which the Marlins are willing to grant, and he also wants financial security with a new deal. As Jackson notes, Loria has shown a willingness to spend generously on managers that appeal heavily to him.
- Mattingly is interviewing with the Marlins today, reports MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). FOX’s Jon Morosi notes (also on Twitter) that if Mattingly is hired by Miami, his 2016 salary would be subject to being offset due to the fact that Mattingly is still under contract with the Dodgers.
Earlier Updates
- Mattingly has interest in the Marlins’ job, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Miami will likely reach out to him to open discussions within “the next few days,” per the report. Because the sides have yet even to meet, Jackson says it would be premature to call the match-up a done deal. But he echoes the other reports suggesting that Mattingly is the front-runner to become the next Miami skipper.
- Don Mattingly will hit the open market after parting ways with the Dodgers, and the Marlins have often been said (see here and here) to have keen interest in him. That is indeed still the case, as MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says (on Twitter) that the Fish have “serious” interest, explaining that their managerial search has been on “semi-hold” while waiting to see what would happen in Los Angeles.
- Nevin has also received two interviews, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who calls Mattingly a “favorite” for the position now that he’s free to join any club.
- Bowa is taking his second interview with the Fish on Oct. 24, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports on Twitter. Currently the Phillies bench coach, Bowa has previously skippered the Padres (1987-1988) and Phillies (2001-2004).
- Among the candidates in Miami is Alex Cora, who’ll receive an interview. But reports indicate that the organization may prefer to wait until the Dodgers decide on Don Mattingly to make their own hire. Mattingly would make for an appealing candidate to the Fish.
- The Marlins have received permission from the Diamondbacks to interview Triple-A manager Phil Nevin, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter. His interview will come tomorrow and be backed by a “strong endorsement” from D-Backs GM Dave Stewart, Nightengale adds. While Nevin lacks Major League managing experience, he’s been a very successful minor league manager and has been oft-regarded as a future big league skipper over the past couple of seasons.
- The current coaching staff will have the opportunity to get some face time with whichever candidate the team elects to hire, president of baseball operations Michael Hill told reporters, including the Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer (Twitter link). Spencer adds in a followup tweet, however, that everyone on the coaching staff has also been granted the permission to seek opportunities in other organizations, should they wish to do so.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, Klentak, Vlad Jr., D’Backs
More and more teams are adopting the formula of hiring an Ivy League-educated, analytics-based GM and/or a veteran player as manager despite little or no coaching experience, a trend FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal finds a bit troubling. A specific hiring model may make it harder for minorities to make inroads into front office or managerial positions. Teams that rely too much on analytics could run into as many problems as front offices that are too “old-school,” while Rosenthal notes that several long-time coaches or managers may now find themselves frozen out of the job market simply because they’re not fresh faces.
Here’s some more from around baseball as we head into World Series week…
- While the Dodgers have some weak spots on their roster, ESPN’s Buster Olney (Insider link) argues that there is no need for the club to step back for a mini-rebuilding year in 2016. Los Angeles has won three straight NL West titles despite those flaws and has an ownership willing to spend record amounts, so Olney feels there’s no reason to waste a year of Clayton Kershaw‘s prime to retool.
- New Phillies GM Matt Klentak is profiled by Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News, who speaks to Klentak’s old Dartmouth coach (Bob Whalen) and his old Angels colleague, director of baseball operations Justin Hollander.
- The Blue Jays expended quite a bit of their prospect capital in making the trades that helped them win the AL East, though GM Alex Anthopoulos tells Baseball America’s Alexis Brudnicki that he feels the farm system has already been replenished by new talent that has emerged. International signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is one of the most-touted new prospects in the system, and Anthopoulos notes that Guerrero has been working out at third base, a bit of a surprise since most pundits felt Guerrero’s body type would eventually see him in a corner outfield/first base/DH role down the road.
- The Diamondbacks have interviewed at least eight candidates in their search for a new pitching coach, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. The list includes each of the pitching coaches from their full-season minor league affiliates, Yankees minor league pitching coordinator Gil Patterson and Athletics minor league pitching coordinator Garvin Alston. Piecoro isn’t sure if the D’Backs will look at any of the available veteran pitching coaches on the market, such as Mike Maddux or Rick Honeycutt.
Latest On The Nationals’ Managerial Search
The Nationals fired manager Matt Williams and his entire coaching staff earlier this week on the heels of a disappointing season, adding them to the list of teams seeking a new skipper. Here’s the latest…
- Baker and Black are expected to receive second interviews with the Nationals, James Wagner and Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post report. (The TalkNats.com blog wrote earlier today that the two were considered finalists, citing a source within the organization.) While that seems to indicate that the club is moving into another phase of the process, new options could still be brought in for initial looks, per the report.
- The Nationals won’t interview Don Mattingly for their managerial position, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. Mattingly, who formally broke ties with the Dodgers yesterday after a five-year run, had seemed at least a hypothetically plausible candidate given his experience running a veteran, contending ballclub.
- Former Nats bench coach Randy Knorr is not under consideration for the job, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson reports on Twitter. GM Mike Rizzo stated a few weeks back that he would not rule out Knorr, who was let go along with the rest of the coaching staff at the end of the season, but it appears that he’s no longer a candidate. Knorr was considered a finalist in the club’s last managerial hiring process.
Earlier Updates
- The sudden availability of ex-Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly could impact the Nats’ search, writes Mark Zuckerman of CSN Mid Atlantic. He’s at least a theoretical candidate in D.C., for one thing, and the availability of the Dodgers’ job could draw interest from some Nationals candidates. Washington is nearing finalization of its initial round of interviews, per the report, with Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez and perhaps Mattingly possibly joining the group already under consideration (all of whom are listed elsewhere in this post). One possibility that appears unlikely to be considered, according to Zuckerman, is Cal Ripken, who has yet to be contacted by the Nationals.
- The Nationals have interviewed Dodgers bench coach Tim Wallach, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Wallach, 58, spent much of his playing career in the Expos organization. Before taking the job as bench coach, Wallach coached for the Dodgers in other capacities and served as the organization’s Triple-A manager.
- Diamondbacks third base coach Andy Green interviewed with the Nationals today (October 20) as well, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.Green is also said to have drawn interest from the Padres. The 38-year-old spent much of his playing and coaching career in the minors, but does have experience in both areas at the major league level.
- Gardenhire arrived in D.C. yesterday and will interview for the position today (October 20), reports MLB.com’s Bill Ladson.
- Wotus will have his interview on Monday, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reports on Twitter. The 54-year-old has been the San Francisco bench coach since 1999.
- Dusty Baker and Ron Gardenhire will indeed interview for the Nats’ opening, multiple sources tell MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. Baker could interview as early as tomorrow, while Gardenhire’s interview might not come until next week.
- The Nationals will interview Black, Nevin, and Alex Cora, according to multiple reports. That trio has, perhaps, drawn the widest interest among teams looking to fill vacancies. Cora, notably, wrapped up his big league career with a stint in D.C. back in 2011. As also covered in that link, Washington continues to have interest in Giants bench coach Ron Wotus as well.
- Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. has often been mentioned as a hypothetical managerial candidate in D.C., and he said this morning in an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show that he’d listen with interest if contacted by the club. (You can read an article on the appearance from Josh Land of the Baltimore Sun.) Ripken made clear that he hasn’t heard from D.C., but added that “everybody wants a phone call like that.” Ripken expressed confidence in his abilities to adapt to running a dugout, despite his lack of direct experience in that role. He certainly wasn’t openly campaigning for the position, but did seem amenable to considering the possibility. It remains unclear, of course, whether the Nats have continued interest in Ripken after rookie skipper Matt Williams failed to deliver.
Coaching Notes: Rockies, Mariners, Tigers, Marlins
Here’s the latest on coaching changes throughout MLB:
- The Rockies will bring back their entire coaching staff under manager Walt Weiss, Nick Groke of the Denver Post writes. That includes hitting coach Blake Doyle, bench coach Tom Runnells, pitching coach Steve Foster, and bullpen coach Darren Holmes.
- The Rockies will, however, lose mental skills coach Andy McKay to the Mariners, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. McKay will reportedly take over for Chris Gwynn as the organization’s farm director. Along with Gwynn, a number of minor-league coaches have also departed, signaling that new GM Jerry Dipoto is changing the way the Mariners develop prospects.
- Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones has announced his retirement, James Schmehl of MLive.com notes. The team had previously announced that its entire coaching staff would be back next season, so the moves comes as a bit of a surprise, although perhaps not a huge one — Jones considered retiring after Jim Leyland’s departure in late 2013. In a statement, Jones said he wanted to spend more time with his family.
- Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux’s contract expires at the end of the month, Evan Grant of DallasNews.com writes. The team has invited Maddux to return next season, but it’s unclear whether he will. One would think he would attract plenty of attention if he were to become available — Maddux’s tenure in Texas has been successful, and he’s highly respected throughout the game.
- The Diamondbacks are interviewing pitching coach candidates, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. Bullpen coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. was expected to be in the mix, but he wants to be closer to his father (who lives in Washington State) as he deals with cancer. The Diamondbacks now believe Stottlemyre is likely to take a position with the Mariners, who have requested permission to interview him. The Diamondbacks say they could consider up to six internal candidates and have requested permission to speak with others outside the organization.
- Former Cubs manager Rick Renteria has spoken with the Marlins about their managerial job, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes (scroll down). The other known interviewees for the position include Larry Bowa, Manny Acta, Bo Porter, Phil Nevin and Alex Cora.
- Orioles first base coach Wayne Kirby will be back, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. Baltimore is working to retain all of its staff and has nearly done so.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
Minor MLB Transactions: 10/19/15
Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:
- Outfielder Jason Pridie has been given his release by the Athletics in order to pursue an opportunity playing in Japan, Oakland announced. The 32-year-old has seen action in seven big league seasons, but has exceeded ten plate appearances in only one of those — 2011, when he slashed .231/.309/.370 in 236 turns at bat for the Mets. But Pridie had a big year at Triple-A in 2015, putting up a .310/.380/.515 line with 20 home runs and 20 steals over 540 plate appearances.
- The Athletics also announced that 28-year-old catcher Bryan Anderson has been outrighted to Triple-A. Not unlike Pridie, Anderson has seen action in five MLB seasons but accumulated just 77 total plate appearances in that span. He struggled badly offensively at the Triple-A level this year, slashing a meager .202/.273/.288 in 322 trips to the plate.
- The Giants have outrighted catcher Jackson Williams, infielder Nick Noonan and righty Brett Bochy, according to the MLB.com transactions page (and as MLBTR has confirmed). The 29-year-old Williams collected 14 plate appearances after being promoted in early September. He spent most of the year at Double-A Richmond, where he hit .228/.312/.279. Noonan, too, was a September call-up. He spent the first several months of the season with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate before the Giants signed him in August and sent him to Triple-A Sacramento. For the season, the 26-year-old hit .263/.310/.338 in 339 plate appearances in the minors, mostly playing shortstop. He’s already cleared waivers and elected free agency. Bochy, the son of Giants manager Bruce, got a cup of coffee in the big leagues for the second consecutive year in 2015. The 28-year-old spent most of the season in Sacramento, posting a 4.19 ERA, 6.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 58 innings of relief.
Cubs Notes: Berry, Wilken
The Cubs’ transformation corresponded with improvements in their infrastructure, Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal writes. When owner Tom Ricketts arrived in 2009, the Cubs were keeping up with trade rumors by having a staffer find articles on the Internet and then print them out for executives. Much of the staff worked in trailers in the parking lot at Wrigley Field. They’ve since developed their own computer database and moved their staff to a building near the ballpark. As Costa notes, many of the Cubs’ improvements were far from revolutionary compared to what other teams were doing, but they were great leaps forward from where the Cubs had been. Here’s more out of Chicago.
- The Cubs have announced their NLCS roster, which includes outfielder Quintin Berry in place of infielder Addison Russell (who has a hamstring strain). Berry had been on their Wild Card roster, but he hasn’t on their roster for the NLDS. The 30-year-old Berry has become something of a postseason specialist. He only has 342 career regular-season plate appearances, 330 of those coming with the Tigers in 2012, but once he appears in a game with the Cubs, he’ll have played in the postseason with three different teams, also including the 2012 Tigers and 2013 Red Sox. The reason, of course, is his speed: Berry has 27 stolen bases and has been caught just once in his big-league career, and he swiped 35 bases in the minors this year. The Cubs signed Berry to a minor-league deal in August.
- Cubs special assistant Tim Wilken is leaving the team for a new job with the Diamondbacks, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports. Before being promoted, Wilken had served as the Cubs’ amateur and professional scouting director, and Gonzales notes he played roles in the signings of Josh Donaldson, Jeff Samardzija, Andrew Cashner, Josh Harrison, DJ LeMahieu, Javier Baez and Darwin Barney. Before joining the Cubs, Wilken had worked with the Blue Jays and Rays.
Minor MLB Transactions: 10/14/15
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- The Diamondbacks have announced that righty Kevin Munson has elected free agency after clearing outright waivers. Munson was designated and then outrighted earlier in the year. The former Rule 5 selection has shown promise at times, but scuffled through a 4.60 ERA campaign in 2015 while struggling badly with his command.
- Likewise, catcher Nevin Ashley has elected free agency from the Brewers, per a team announcement. He, too, had cleared outright waivers after being designated for assignment. It was a milestone season for the 31-year-old, who made it to the big leagues for the first time after ten seasons in the minors. That stint was short-lived, but Ashley impressed at Triple-A this year, slashing .306/.374/.442 in 381 plate appearances.
Managerial Notes: Nevin, Cora, Mariners, Marlins, Mattingly
There were a host of updates this morning on all four managerial openings around the league. Here’s the latest:
- Long-time big leaguer Phil Nevin, who most recently has served as the manager of the Diamondbacks‘ Triple-A affiliate, has drawn broad interest, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter. Nevin has already interviewed with the Marlins and Nationals, as expected, and will also sit down with the Padres and Mariners. Nevin, 44, spent the most memorable stretch of his 12-year big league career in San Diego, where he racked up a .288/.359/.503 slash in over 3,000 plate appearances.
- The Padres will also interview long-time big leaguer Alex Cora, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Cora, who currently works as an analyst, has often been mentioned as a managerial candidate and served as a skipper in his native Puerto Rico. The 39-year-old spent parts of fourteen seasons in the majors, the last of those with the Nationals in 2011.
- The Marlins and Nationals will also interview Cora, according to a tweet from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Like Nevin, it seems, he’ll be given a look by all the teams currently seeking new field leadership.
- Indeed, Cora is also expected to receive interest from the Mariners, according to ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden (Insider link). Other names that could be weighed in Seattle include Padres bench coach Dave Roberts, Rays third base coach Charlie Montoya, Angels special assistant Tim Bogar, and former big league skipper Bud Black, per the report. We’ve heard Bogar mentioned previously as a possible favorite, with a variety of other names that could be considered.
- The Nationals will not only take a look at Nevin and Cora, but will also interview Black this week, Nightengale tweets, which was widely expected. Washington also has interest in Giants bench coach Ron Wotus, James Wagner of the Washington Post reports.
- Bowden says to look for the Marlins to interview an “eclectic” mix of possibilities for their managerial vacancy — a description which could, it seems, be applied to many of the other openings. The club is giving indications that it will wait to make a decision until the Dodgers decide whether to retain Don Mattingly, as he’d be considered a strong candidate in Miami.
- You can keep track of all the latest developments for three of the above teams’ managerial situations at the following links: Marlins, Nationals, Padres. (We’ll start one for the Mariners in short order.)
Quick Hits: Martin, Fowler, Phillies, Padres, D’Backs
It was on this day in 1948 that the Cleveland Indians clinched the World Series with a Game Six victory over the Boston Braves. This marks the Tribe’s last Series championship, the second-longest title drought in baseball behind only the Cubs (who still have a shot at breaking their curse this year). Here’s some news from around baseball as we head into another four-game day of postseason action on Monday…
- Leonys Martin has declined to report to the Rangers‘ instructional league team, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News reports. The club kept some players in training should they be needed for a postseason call-up, though GM Jon Daniels said that Martin “apparently was miffed” over being left off the playoff roster in the first place. Given how Martin struggled this season and lost the center field job to Delino DeShields, you wonder if this incident could lead to the Rangers non-tendering Martin; the outfielder is projected by MLBTR to earn $1.6MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility.
- Dexter Fowler is focused on the NLDS and isn’t thinking about his pending free agency, and Cubs GM Jed Hoyer agrees that “it’s not the right time to talk about it.” Still, Hoyer tells the Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan that “we’d love to have him (back). We’ve loved everything about his game and the way he has gone about his business for us.” Fowler hit .250/.346/.411 with 17 homers, 102 runs and 20 steals over 690 plate appearances for the Cubs in 2015, though his center field defense was below-average according to the UZR/150 (-1.9) and Defensive Runs Saved (-12) metrics.
- The seven players outrighted off the Phillies roster earlier this week aren’t necessarily out of the club’s plans, interim GM Scott Proefrock tells MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “I can’t tell you we would rule out resigning any of these guys,” Proefrock said. “We’re just trying to clear up space on the roster. These guys were the first group that we decided to take off.” Ken Roberts is the only one of the seven who will automatically remain in Philadelphia’s system; Jordan Danks, Chase d’Arnaud, Justin De Fratus, Erik Kratz, Adam Loewen and Jonathan Pettibone can all elect to become either Major League or minor league free agents.
- The Padres will add a left-handed bat this winter or else MLB.com’s Corey Brock “would be stunned” (Twitter link). San Diego’s lineup tilted heavily to the right last season and the paid for it, finishing at or near the bottom of several offensive categories against right-handed pitching.
- The Diamondbacks are expected to target a front-line starting pitcher and a back-end reliever this offseason, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert writes in a position-by-position look at the team. The club has to step carefully with regard to top-tier free agents like David Price due to budget concerns, but they have plenty of trade pieces available if they preferred dealing for an ace. (It has already been reported that Mike Leake could be a D’Backs target this winter.) Gilbert notes Patrick Corbin as the lone lock for a rotation spot but there are a lot of players competing for spots behind him.
- The Diamondbacks are happy with Brad Ziegler (who’s likely to see his club option exercised) in a late-inning role but they want more depth around him, Gilbert writes. A trade for Reds closer Aroldis Chapman remains a possibility for if the Snakes want to make a big upgrade to the bullpen.
MLBTR’s Brad Johnson also contributed to this post