Cafardo On Cherington, Indians, Lackey
The game is getting younger, but we saw plenty of older players make a difference in 2015, as Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes. The list of impact vets starts off with Red Sox slugger David Ortiz who posted a .273/.360/.553 slash line with 37 homers, earning Cafardo’s “Old Guy of the Year” award. Twins outfielder Torii Hunter was another older player who made his mark this year, though he may have had a stronger impact on his team off the field rather than on it. That type of veteran leadership can be valuable for a younger team, Cafardo argues, and he hears from people within the Astros that they’ll be seeking a “older, Raul Ibanez type” in the winter.
Here’s more from today’s column..
- Despite some speculation to the contrary, former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington says that he has not interviewed for the Phillies‘ GM role. Cafardo writes that he seems “content to sit out the year and regroup. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recently noted that Cherington isn’t likely to try to get a GM job this offseason, but the Phillies job could be appealing to him, since he and Phillies owner John Middleton both went to Amherst. If Cherington does take a GM job, he’ll want it to be with people that he trusts.
- Cafardo hears that the Indians will continue to try and move a starting pitcher for a hitter this offseason. Cleveland seemed more willing to move Danny Salazar than Carlos Carrasco later in the season, Cafardo says, and The Boston Globe scribe identifies the 25-year-old as a potential trade chip.
- One major league source tells Cafardo that Cardinals pitcher John Lackey could be a fit for the Cubs next season as a free agent. After all, Theo Epstein signed Lackey as a free agent in Boston and the veteran hurler is close with Jon Lester. Lackey, who turns 37 in a few weeks, pitched to a 2.77 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 33 regular season starts.
- Cafardo cautions us not to expect Xander Bogaerts and the Red Sox to work out an extension this winter. Agent Scott Boras isn’t one to do team-friendly deals and Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski tends to wait later in the arbitration process to discuss new deals.
- D’Backs Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa offered up a strong endorsement of ex-Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, who is looking to repackage himself as a manager. “Ruben is a very smart baseball man,” La Russa said. “There’s no doubt in my mind he could be a very good major league manager. He’s an ex-player who understands the game.”
- Tim Naehring, one of the Yankees‘ top pro scouts, is a possibility to replace Billy Eppler as assistant GM in New York. Brian Cashman adviser Jim Hendry and former big league outfielder Kevin Reese are other potential candidates for the role.
West Notes: Padres, Lopez, Dipoto
Some items from around both the NL and AL West divisions…
- Between existing salaries and arbitration salaries (as projected by MLB Trade Rumors), the Padres may not have much available payroll space for 2016, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. The Padres will have just under $104MM committed to 14 players, as per Sanders’ calculations, leaving GM A.J. Preller with little to spend if the team’s payroll is staying in the $120MM range. Some players could be non-tendered, of course, and Sanders suggests that San Diego could get some additional payroll relief by signing Tyson Ross to an extension and exploring trades for Craig Kimbrel, Andrew Cashner and Derek Norris.
- Cuban righty Yoan Lopez had a rough year on and off the field in his first season of American baseball, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. The 22-year-old posted a 4.17 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 1.33 K/BB rate over 54 innings (48 of which were at the Double-A level) in a season shortened by a blister and elbow soreness. Lopez didn’t particularly impress scouts, as “the most positive among them viewed him as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter.” Perhaps even more troubling was an unsanctioned absence Lopez took from his team in July. The Diamondbacks signed Lopez to an $8.27MM bonus last January, surpassing their international signing pool and thus limiting them to signings of $300K or less during the current international period and the next.
- Both Jerry Dipoto and the Mariners have a chance at quick redemption after a messy resignation in Anaheim and a disappointing 2015 season, Tracy Ringolsby writes for Baseball America. While the situation with the Angels wasn’t entirely Dipoto’s fault, he still bears a share of the blame and will have to learn from the situation to succeed with the M’s.
Heyman’s Latest: Ng, Ziegler, Wieters, Arrieta, Angels, Kershaw, Gordon, Aoki
Kim Ng, the senior vice president of baseball operations at MLB’s central offices, will interview for the Phillies‘ GM vacancy, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports in his latest Inside Baseball column. Ng, who has previously interviewed with the Dodgers, Angels, Mariners and Padres, still hopes to become the first female general manager of a team. (She has previously worked in several front offices as well.) Her pursuit of the Phillies’ job brings up the issue of diversity among front office execs and managers, Heyman notes, and commissioner Rob Manfred discussed with Heyman some steps the league could take to increase the hiring of minority candidates for such roles. Manfred places a good deal of blame on his own office, telling Heyman, “I am concerned that we at Central Baseball have to do a better job.” Manfred emphasized a need to better prepare minority candidates and to encourage the hiring of such candidates for entry-level positions, so as to deepen the pool of minority candidates from which MLB clubs can select.
Some highlights from Heyman’s weekly piece…
- The Diamondbacks plan to exercise Brad Ziegler‘s $5.5MM option — an expected outcome considering questions throughout the team’s bullpen and the strong numbers that the side-arming Ziegler posted this season. Arizona will focus on adding starting pitching this offseason, though young arms Robbie Ray and Rubby De La Rosa have positioned themselves well to join Patrick Corbin in the rotation.
- The Braves will be eyeing pitching upgrades and catching help this winter, and re-signing A.J. Pierzynski will be one option. Heyman also lists a run at Georgia native Matt Wieters as a possibility. I’d expect Wieters to receive and reject a qualifying offer, though Heyman notes that no decision has been made on Wieters’ QO situation just yet.
- The Cubs are expected to pursue top starting pitchers such as David Price and Jordan Zimmermann, but they’ll also attempt to work out a long-term deal with Jake Arrieta, whose dominant second half and Wild Card performance have thrust him into the national spotlight. As a Scott Boras client, however, it could be difficult for the two sides to come to any sort of agreement. Arrieta is controlled through 2017.
- A big left-handed bat will be a priority for the Angels this winter, and they’ll be hoping to add at second base and third base, specifically. As for David Murphy‘s $7MM club option, Heyman notes that the team might want to put those resources toward a more impactful bat.
- Clayton Kershaw turned down a $300MM contract offer a few months before signing his seven-year, $215MM extension that featured an opt-out clause after the fifth season, per Heyman. While that’s a shocking number to reject, we also don’t know the length of said deal or the amount of deferred money it contained. Sticking with the Dodgers, the CBS scribe adds that Zack Greinke will exercise his own opt-out clause this winter. That was a foregone conclusion, though Heyman notes that Greinke is said to have enjoyed the L.A. clubhouse much more this season, so his chances of re-signing may be better than previously expected.
- Once they hire a manager to replace Dan Jennings, the Marlins‘ first order of business will be to pursue an extension with All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon. The 27-year-old led the Majors in hits and stolen bases in his first year with the Marlins. A client of the Beverly Hills Spots Council, Gordon is currently controlled through the 2018 season. He earned $2.5MM in 2015 after avoiding arbitration for the first time as a Super Two player last offseason.
- The Giants are planning on picking up Nori Aoki‘s $5.5MM club option. Considering the $700K buyout attached to the deal, it’s essentially a $4.8MM decision for the Giants, making it seem like a fairly easy call. San Francisco also plans to pursue top-of-the-market arms like Price and Greinke.
La Russa, Stewart On Pollock, Closer, Salty, Coaching Staff
Top Diamondbacks baseball decision-makers Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart spoke with the press today as the offseason begins. Here are some of the highlights:
- Arizona has begun at least exploratory discussions with center fielder A.J. Pollock about a contract extension, per Stewart, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. Pollock is entering his first of three seasons of arbitration eligibility. He has shown an openness to considering a deal, it seems, though he’s not going to be cheap given his incredible (and still under-appreciated) level of production over the last two years.
- While the team has a theoretical opening in the closer role, which Brad Ziegler filled after the demotion of the since-traded Addison Reed, that doesn’t necessarily mean a 9th-inning specialist will be added. Stewart said that it’s possible the club will look to fill out the pen with depth rather than pursuing someone to tag with the closer label, as MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports on Twitter.
- Backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia has indicated to the team that he’ll test the open market in search of a starting role, Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona tweets. But Arizona would like to bring him back, presumably to make a continued pairing with Welington Castillo. That tandem was among the most productive in baseball over the season’s second half.
- The D’Backs will replace pitching coach Mike Harkey with Mel Stottlemyre Jr., Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter. La Russa, however, would only confirm that the team decided to part ways with Harkey, calling Stottlemyre a candidate, as Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic reports. Otherwise, the coaching staff under skipper Chip Hale will remain the same. That being said, the Padres have asked for and received permission to speak with third base coach Andy Green about San Diego’s open managerial position. Phil Nevin is another Arizona coach that has and could again draw interest from outside the organization.
West Notes: Nevin, Puig, Iwakuma, Dipoto
The Padres are considering Phil Nevin for their managerial job, tweet Scott Miller of Bleacher Report. Nevin, currently managing for the Diamondbacks Triple-A affiliate, also played for the Padres from 1999 through 2005. Per Miller, he is “among those under consideration.” Miller also says that current interim manager Pat Murphy isn’t expected to return.
- The Dodgers have reinstated outfielder Yasiel Puig from the disabled list, the team announced via press release. Puig will man right field and bat sixth tonight. The 24-year-old slugger has battled injury this season. The most recent malady was a right hamstring strain. He’s managed just 306 plate appearances this year. His .256/.324/.440 batting line is solid (112 wRC+) but falls well short of expectations. With the playoffs right around the corner, Puig will have two games to tune up. Manager Don Mattingly doesn’t plan to start him tomorrow, but he’ll be available off the bench, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange Country Register (via Twitter).
- Hisashi Iwakuma looked at yesterday’s start as a normal appearance, writes Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Iwakuma, a free agent after the season, says he prefers to remain in Seattle, but he is seeking a multi-year deal. Mariners officials would also like to re-sign him, calling it a priority. Iwakuma had another solid season despite making just 20 starts. He posted a 3.54 ERA with 7.70 K/9 and 1.46 BB/9.
- Newly installed Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto has a busy offseason ahead of him, writes Dutton. The club’s farm system has failed to produce a top talent in recent seasons. For that reason (and others), industry insiders expect Dipoto to lure Angels assistant GM Scott Servais away L.A. Dipoto also has to make a quick decision about manager Lloyd McClendon and build depth. Lengthening the rotation is a stated goal so an extension for Iwakuma appears likely.
NL West Notes: Leake, Kennedy, Anderson
Reports have already indicated that the Giants will have interest in retaining Mike Leake beyond this season, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today adds a division rival to the mix of teams expected to pursue the right-hander (Twitter link). Per Nightengale, the D-Backs, in addition to the Giants, will show interest in Leake as a free agent once the season ends. Arizona is known to be on the hunt for rotation upgrades, and Leake would certainly add some stability; he’s shown the ability to thrive in a homer-friendly setting in Cincinnati, thanks in part to strong ground-ball tendencies, and he of course is familiar with Arizona, having played his college ball at ASU. Leake wouldn’t be the top-of-the-rotation fix the D-Backs have previously mentioned, but he’d be a nice source of 30-plus starts and about 200 innings to pencil into the rotation behind Patrick Corbin. Leake said Wednesday evening that he hopes to make a quick decision in free agency rather than spend a lengthy period of time feeling out the market. He did call it a “strong possibility” that he’d have interest in returning to the Giants, though he stopped short of saying he considered them an early favorite in free agency.
Here’s more from the NL West…
- Yesterday might have marked Ian Kennedy‘s final start as a member of the Padres, and if it did, he ended his San Diego tenure with a flourish, writes MLB.com’s Corey Brock. Kennedy, a free agent after the season, allowed one run on five hits and no walks with 11 strikeouts in six innings versus the Brewers. “There’s plenty of opportunities to talk,” Kennedy replied when asked about his potential departure from the Padres. “I think [general manager] A.J. [Preller] and [agent Scott Boras] have a good relationship. I feel I have the same relationship with him [Preller].” Kennedy will likely be the recipient of a qualifying offer, per Brock, and I can’t personally envision him accepting the one-year deal. Kennedy added that he thoroughly enjoyed his time in San Diego but is “excited” to see what awaits on the open market. As Brock notes, he’s the lone pitcher in the NL to make 30-plus starts in each of the past six seasons, and he also posted a 2.63 ERA over his final 17 starts, so interest in Kennedy should be strong.
- Brett Anderson‘s final start of the season was also a strong one, writes the O.C. Register’s Bill Plunkett. And, in making that final start, he positioned himself to be added to the Dodgers‘ postseason rotation after some recent struggles and earned himself some extra cash, as Anderson will earn $2.4MM worth of incentives on top of his $10MM base salary based on innings pitched. The oft-injured southpaw discussed with Plunkett what it means to him to have completed a full, healthy season. “For all of the stuff I’ve been through the last handful of years to be able to make pretty much every start they asked me to is pretty special,” said Anderson. “Zack [Greinke] and Clayton [Kershaw] make it look easy, but double-digit wins in the big leagues is a tough thing to do [Anderson won 11] so I take pride in that.” Of course, more than pride was at stake, as Anderson will hit the open market looking for a multi-year deal this winter.
NL West Notes: Desmond, Upton, Padres, Hill
The Dodgers clinched their third straight NL West championship in style last night as Clayton Kershaw threw a complete game one-hitter to whitewash the Giants. Kershaw struck out 13 and allowed just one walk in the 8-0 result. The Dodgers will move on to face the Mets in the NLDS, and home-field advantage has yet to be decided in what is sure to be a pitching-centric series. Here’s some more from around the NL West…
- Some members of the Padres organization like Ian Desmond, Justin Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. Desmond is coming off a disappointing walk year though he might still represent a big shortstop upgrade for a club that has struggled to find productive middle infielders in recent seasons.
- The Padres aren’t likely to re-sign Justin Upton, MLB.com’s Corey Brock says in an interview with Marty Caswell of The Mighty 1090 Sports Show (video link). Brock isn’t sure the Padres ever planned to have Upton beyond this season, as the plan seemed to be to issue him a qualifying offer and then get a first round pick back when he signed elsewhere. The interview is well worth a full watch as Brock discusses several Padres topics looking ahead to the 2016 team, including Yonder Alonso‘s future, big names on the trade block and the team’s manager search. For the record, Brock predicts that Ron Washington will be San Diego’s next manager.
- Aaron Hill tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he asked the Diamondbacks to look into trading him prior to the season. The veteran infielder made the request after he was told he’d be used in a part-time role, though Hill said he wouldn’t have asked if he’d known that he’d still be receiving significant playing time (111 games and 338 PA entering today). Hill admitted that the trade rumors swirling around him may have impacted his play, and if so, “that’s on me. The last couple months have been nice. Maybe it’s because it was after the deadline and things were a little clearer about where I was going to be the rest of the year.” Both Hill and GM Dave Stewart expect him to be back with the Snakes next year, though given Hill’s $12MM salary in 2016 and his .239/.290/.359 slash line over the last two seasons, a trade would’ve seemed unlikely anyway unless the D’Backs agreed to eat some money.
- A new contract between Tim Lincecum and the Giants is “more a matter of when, how much and in what form, rather than if,” according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. Lincecum underwent hip surgery in early September that ended his season, though rumors have swirled since then that both he and his long-time team were interested in Lincecum remaining in the Bay Area. Indeed, Baggarly hears that “interest is mutual and strong” between the two sides in continuing their relationship.
NL West Notes: Padres, Aoki, Casilla, Tomas
The Padres have been fined by Major League Baseball for an infraction of the international signing rules, reports Scott Miller of Bleacher Report. According to Miller, the Padres flew prospects from Venezuela to Aruba for private workouts shortly before the onset of this year’s international signing period. That maneuver violated a league rule which states that teams are not allowed to host workouts for prospects that are not yet old enough to sign anywhere other than their native countries. The amount of the fine is not clear, per Miller, and the violation hasn’t done anything to jeopardize the job status of GM A.J. Preller, who is still in the first season of a five-year contract.
Elsewhere in the division…
- It was reported over the weekend that the Giants hope to bring back Marlon Byrd in 2016, and as Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News now writes, manager Bruce Bochy has also expressed a desire to retain Nori Aoki. A platoon of the two in left field could make some sense, Baggarly notes, though paying that platoon a combined $13.5MM (the sum of Byrd’s $8MM option and Aoki’s $5.5MM option) may be too much. Baggarly points out that the top priority this winter will be to rebuild the rotation, and an expensive outfield platoon could detract from that goal. Byrd’s option will vest with another 18 plate appearances.
- Also within the piece, Baggarly points out that closer Santiago Casilla‘s option will vest if he finishes two more games this season. That would lock in his 2016 salary at $6.5MM, but Baggarly writes that the Giants will probably pick up the option anyway, even if Casilla doesn’t reach the necessary milestone.
- The Diamondbacks‘ outfield situation is crowded, writes Yahoo’s Tim Brown, meaning the team might end up moving one of its corner options this winter. David Peralta, Ender Inciarte and Yasmany Tomas have all seen time in the corners this season, but despite Tomas’ shrinking role and disappointing second half, he’s likely to remain with the club. As Brown points out, Tomas reported to Spring Training out of shape this season, and the club will push him to arrive in much better physical condition next year. Manager Chip Hale told Brown to expect “a huge jump” in Tomas’ performance next season, adding, “No. 1, he’s going to come back in a lot better shape.”
Quick Hits: Tiebreakers, Lee, Diamondbacks, Padres
With less than two weeks left in the regular season, the NL playoff picture appears relatively stable, but there’s plenty left to be determined in the American League. That could result in any number of headache-inducing tiebreaker situations, as ESPN’s Jayson Stark explains. That includes the possibility that there could be a four-way tie between the Rangers, Astros, Angels and Twins for one spot atop the AL West and the last Wild Card spot. The number of possible scenarios are exhausting, but for the teams involved, the travel could be even more exhausting. For example, if the Astros and Twins were to tie for the final Wild Card and the Astros were to win, they’d potentially have to travel from Seattle to Phoenix to Minneapolis to New York to either Kansas City or Toronto, all in a span of about a week. Here’s more from around the league.
- Cliff Lee‘s tenure with the Phillies is about to officially reach its end, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes. This is the last year of the $120MM contract to which the Phillies signed Lee before the 2011 season, and the Phillies will surely pay Lee a $12.5MM buyout rather than exercising his 2016 option for $27.5MM. Lee missed much of the 2014 season and all of 2015 with elbow trouble. “He helped us make the World Series in ’09 and the postseason in ’11. He pitched very well in ’12 and ’13. It just didn’t work out,” says Phillies interim GM Scott Proefrock. “It was a situation last year where we were looking to trade him and obviously his injury short circuited that.” Zolecki notes that the Phillies insured Lee’s contract, so they’ll get back part of the $25MM they’ve paid him for 2015. Lee was, of course, a huge part of the 102-win 2011 Phillies, ranking among the best pitchers in a brilliant rotation that also featured Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. He also pitched 200-plus excellent innings in both 2012 and 2013.
- The Diamondbacks and Padres have both had underwhelming seasons, but they’re taking diverging paths, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. The Diamondbacks have plenty of good young players under team control, including Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, David Peralta and Ender Inciarte, Lin writes. The Padres, meanwhile, have a veteran team that would be expensive to try to keep together even if it weren’t already disappointing. The D-backs entered the season with modest expectations and may have already surpassed them, while the Padres began with great expectations and fell well short. “For us, we have a nice core of talent that’s come through the minor leagues together, and now they’re getting this opportunity,” says Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale. “We have to make the decision this winter of where do we spice in some of those veterans, whether it’s a position player or a couple starting pitchers.”
- The Padres’ situation is such that more wins this season might actually diminish their flexibility for the future, writes Jeff Sanders of the Union-Tribune. Not only does fewer wins mean a higher draft position for 2016, but a bottom-ten finish in wins means the Padres can pursue top-tier free agents this winter without risking losing their top draft pick due to the qualifying offer system. Currently, the Padres are tied with the Tigers for the eighth-worst record in the big leagues at 72-81, but they’re within striking distance of improving upon the records of several other teams, including the White Sox, Diamondbacks, Red Sox and Mariners.
Heyman’s Latest: D-Backs, Freeman, O’s, Samardzija
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports has published his latest Inside Baseball column and begins by taking a look at his 25 “heroes” of the 2015 season. Here are some highlights from the rest of the piece…
- Adding a top-tier starting pitcher and a top closer are the main priorities of the Diamondbacks this offseason, Heyman hears. While the D-Backs probably won’t make a run at “the” top starter (presumably David Price), the team does have some money to spend on a starting pitcher. Previous reports have also stated that the Diamondbacks will renew trade talks for Aroldis Chapman this winter, though the asking price on him has, in the past, been said to be exorbitant.
- The Braves have shown a willingness to listen to trade offers on almost anyone, but sources tell Heyman that Freddie Freeman probably isn’t going anywhere. Atlanta is also said to be open to a return for Craig Kimbrel — the initial trade was made for the purpose of shedding Melvin Upton’s contract — though the ‘pen will receive a boost when Shae Simmons, Jason Grilli and Chris Withrow are healthy.
- The Orioles will make qualifying offers to Chris Davis and Wei-Yin Chen but are not yet certain whether to extend one to Matt Wieters, who has had somewhat of a rough season in his return from Tommy John.
- Clay Buchholz has been out since July with an elbow injury and will not return this season, according to Heyman, but the Red Sox will exercise his $13MM option for 2016 if he looks good in a bullpen session Sunday. Whatever happens, the Red Sox will look for additional pitching this winter. (Last night, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford reported that Buchholz still hopes he can pitch an inning in the Red Sox’ last game of the season.)
- The White Sox considered offering Jeff Samardzija an extension of around $80MM when they acquired him last season, but Samardzija wanted to test free agency. Heyman reports that Samardzija was disappointed the White Sox didn’t deal him in July, since a deal would have allowed him to pitch for a contender and would have prevented him from being extended a qualifying offer.
- Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler still looks like the favorite for the Angels GM job, and Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine is another possibility. Heyman also mentions that the name of Padres and Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has also come up.
- Though Eppler may the favorite in Anaheim, he’s also one of two finalists for the Mariners‘ GM post, with the other being Jerry Dipoto. Each candidate is in line for a second interview, which could be more than Dana Brown of the Blue Jays and interim GM Jeff Kingston get. Each has interviewed once, as have others, per Heyman.
- Incoming Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro will retain GM Alex Anthopoulos. Of course, as Heyman notes, that’s hardly surprising given how well the Jays have played recently.
- Nationals ownership, is, perhaps unsurprisingly, very disappointed with the 2015 team. While nothing is certain, however, GM Mike Rizzo seems likely to return for 2016.