Brian McCann On Yankees: “I Hope I’m Back”
Seven-time All-Star Brian McCann is no longer the Yankees’ starting catcher, having lost the role this season to a sensational rookie, but the 32-year-old wants to continue his career in the Bronx.
“I hope I’m back,” McCann told Chad Jennings of the Lohud Yankees Blog. “I’m not sure how it’s all going to play out, but the future is extremely bright here. … I love it here. I love everything about it. Bright future. And I hope I’m a part of it.”
If the Yankees shop McCann in the offseason, he’ll have the main say in whether he stays with the club because he has a full no-trade clause. While McCann is signed through 2018 on the five-year, $85MM contract he inked with the Yankees in November 2013, questions about his future abound in the wake of Gary Sanchez‘s emergence behind the plate. The Yankees gauged leaguewide trade interest in McCann before the Aug. 1 non-waiver deadline, but no deal came to fruition. New York had discussions with the Braves, with whom he starred from 2005-13, though Atlanta wasn’t open to taking on McCann’s remaining $34MM. As of Sept. 1, the Braves were only willing to pay half of that figure, per FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman. For now, the Yankees seem content to keep McCann.
“I’m hoping to use (McCann) in a lot of different ways,” manager Joe Girardi said. “Getting his bat into the lineup, his ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark, having him catch. This is a guy that takes a lot of pride in that. Understands how to work young pitchers, old pitchers. He understands that. So, this is a guy that’s in our plans. He might move around and do different things, but we want his bat.”
McCann has brought plenty to the table as a hitter and defender throughout his career. However, despite Girardi’s compliments, he hasn’t quite lived up to offensive expectations in New York. McCann’s power has remained mostly intact, as he has swatted between 20 and 26 home runs in each of his three seasons with the Yankees and combined for a .183 ISO, but his overall output (.235/.313/.418 in 1,565 plate appearances) has fallen short of where it was in Atlanta. During his nine-year stint with the Braves, McCann batted .277/.350/.473 with 177 homers and a .196 ISO in 4,354 PAs.
Tim Tebow To Report To Arizona Fall League
In the biggest step of his fledgling professional baseball career, former NFL quarterback and current Mets outfielder Tim Tebow will report to the Arizona Fall League on Sunday and play for Scottsdale, per a club announcement.
“We want Tim to play in more games to continue developing his skills on the field while facing advanced competition,” said Mets general manager Sandy Alderson.
On Sept. 8, just over a week after he held a showcase for 28 of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams (neither the Cubs nor Athletics sent representatives to his workout), Tebow inked a minor league deal featuring a $100K signing bonus with the Mets. The 29-year-old, who previously hadn’t played baseball since high school, then began his pro career in the Florida Instructional League and hit .286/.375/.500 with a home run and two walks in three games. Tebow skipped Friday and Saturday workouts in the instructional league because of his college football broadcasting commitments with ESPN and the SEC Network, and the ex-Florida Gator will do the same in the AFL, according to Vince Lara-Cinisomo of Baseball America.
“Working in the Instructional League has been a lot of fun and productive,” said Tebow. “We worked hard and I was able to see a lot of pitches and work on different things. There was great coaching and I tried to improve every day. I plan to use the Fall League as an opportunity to improve. It’s a blessing and a great opportunity.”
In going to the AFL, the two-time national champion and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner will have a chance to further prove his worth as a baseball player against much better competition than he has faced to this point. Tebow will also play for the same AFL team basketball legend Michael Jordan suited up for during his brief foray into baseball.
White Sox Replace Robin Ventura With Rick Renteria
The White Sox have officially announced that bench coach Rick Renteria will replace Robin Ventura as their manager. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times was the first to report the move. The White Sox had a meeting with Ventura last night, at which he intended to resign, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Three Needs: White Sox]
“Rick is incredibly well respected within the game as one of the top baseball men,” said GM Rick Hahn in a statement (via Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune on Twitter). “He is a knowledgeable teacher of the game who loves to develop players and spends hours watching video looking for any nuance that gives us an edge. He is well respected within the clubhouse, and his ability to communicate in English and Spanish is a real plus as he interacts with our players.”
Nightengale reported Wednesday that the White Sox were hoping to re-sign Ventura, whose contract would expire at season’s end, if he wanted to return. But Ventura is content to move on, per Van Schouwen, who adds that the 49-year-old’s relationship with the organization is “amicable” and devoid of hard feelings.
Ventura, a former third baseman who spent the majority of his 16-year major league career with the White Sox, took over their dugout in 2012. Unfortunately for Ventura and the club, his stint as its manager hasn’t been nearly as successful as his playing days were, though it’s not as if Ventura has been given excellent rosters during his five years as Chicago’s skipper.
Under Ventura, the White Sox have gone 375-433 with only one above-.500 campaign and no playoff berths, thereby extending their postseason drought to eight years. The Ventura-led Sox got off to an excellent start this year with a season-best 24-12 mark on May 13, but they’ve gone just 54-71 since and now own the American League’s fifth-worst record (78-83).
In Renteria, the White Sox have someone with previous managerial experience in the city of Chicago. Renteria oversaw a rebuilding Cubs team that finished 73-89 in 2014, and the 54-year-old has drawn praise this season from Ventura and other White Sox coaches, notes Van Schouwen. Renteria is also a fluent Spanish speaker, which is an obvious asset.
“He’s just a good baseball guy,’’ Ventura said of Renteria. “You see the work he puts in, all the little things he does and [what he can do for] our Latin guys. His interaction. He does a lot of stuff people don’t see. Gets there early, does video work. It’s been great.’’
While the White Sox are set to move forward with Renteria, it remains unknown which approach they’ll take during the offseason. A rebuild is possible, it seems, as left-handers Chris Sale and Jose Quintana would command enormous returns if the Sox were to trade one or both. However, owner Jerry Reinsdorf is reportedly reluctant to take that route, meaning Renteria could be at the helm of a team that aims to end its lengthy skid next season.
Kane was first to note (via Twitter) that Ventura had confirmed he would not return as the White Sox’ manager. FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi tweeted that the White Sox planned to announce Renteria as their manager on Monday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Andrew McCutchen On Contract, Disappointing 2016
The Pirates and center fielder Andrew McCutchen are not discussing a contract extension, and that doesn’t surprise the five-time All-Star, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
“Who’s going to want to sign me for the (rest of) my career when I’ve had the year that I’ve had? No one is going to think that,” McCutchen told Biertempfel. “You know what they’re going to think? ‘Trade him. Get him out of here. He doesn’t deserve (an extension).’ People are going to say that.”
The normally excellent McCutchen has endured by far the worst season of his eight-year career, having accounted for less than 1.0 fWAR while taking sizable steps backward as a batter, baserunner and defender. The lifetime .292/.381/.487 hitter has slashed an underwhelming-in-comparison .255/.336/.430 in 670 plate appearances, though he has clubbed 20-plus home runs for the sixth straight year and experienced an offensive resurgence since August. As a runner, McCutchen has been caught stealing more than he has been successful, which is a first, as the 29-year-old has swiped a career-low six bags on 13 attempts. Moreover, his minus-2.2 BsR is also a personal worst. Defensively, McCutchen is easily the last-ranked center fielder in the majors in Defensive Runs Saved (minus-27), Ultimate Zone Rating (minus-17.6) and UZR/150 (minus-22.5).
If the low-payroll Pirates are going to keep McCutchen in the fold for the foreseeable future, he realizes he’ll have to put forth a better performance next season.
“I’ve got to prove — not to (fans), but to the team and to ownership — that I’m able to play out my career at a high level,” the 2013 National League MVP said. “I didn’t do that this year. I didn’t play at my best level. There are a lot of places I can improve, and I didn’t do that this year.”
Unless the Pirates trade McCutchen in the offseason, they won’t have to make any immediate decisions on his future. He’s under contract next season for $14MM and can stay in the fold in 2018 by way of a $14.5MM club option. While those are eminently reasonable figures, general manager Neal Huntington was noncommittal about McCutchen’s future on Sunday.
“It’s fair to say we’ll continue to explore how we get this club back into a postseason hunt,” said Huntington, whose team will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2012. “We love this core (of players), and we think we can supplement it. At the same time, if there is a significant move that gives us a better chance to get back to the postseason in 2017 and ideally ’18 and beyond, that’s something we’ll be open to.”
Productive corner outfielders Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco, both of whom are on team-friendly deals, are surely part of the core Huntington mentioned. The same has been true of McCutchen, long the face of the franchise, but his future in Pittsburgh seems less certain than ever. Further clouding his long-term status is the presence of 21-year-old outfielder Austin Meadows, a top prospect who’s nearing the majors.
Manfred On CBA, Red Sox-Padres Trade, Preller, Ortiz
Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire in December, but commissioner Rob Manfred said Sunday that he expects a new CBA in place by the end of the postseason, according to Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal (Twitter link). “Both parties still have significant issues on the table,” added Manfred, but he doesn’t believe those concerns are enough for either side to rip up the agreement and start negotiations from scratch (via Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, on Twitter).
Manfred, who’s in Boston on Sunday for Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz‘s final regular-season game, also addressed several other important topics:
- After acquiring left-hander Drew Pomeranz from the Padres for top pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza in July, questions arose in August over whether San Diego was completely honest about Pomeranz’s medical information. It turned out the Padres didn’t reveal that Pomeranz was taking anti-inflammatory medication for his elbow at the time of the deal. Then, when MLB handed Padres general manager A.J. Preller a 30-day suspension in September, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner expressed displeasure with the commissioner’s office, saying, “We felt that some wrong was committed and that it’s important to have a level playing field. The Padres didn’t play on it.” Interestingly, the league gave the Red Sox the opportunity to undo the trade in early August, Manfred revealed, but the non-waiver deadline had already passed by then. Moreover, there was no way for the league to compensate the Red Sox, the commissioner stated. As a result, Boston turned down the offer and kept Pomeranz (Twitter links via MacPherson and Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe). The 27-year-old has scuffled since the trade and is currently dealing with left forearm soreness.
- Whether the Padres fire Preller for his questionable practices is up to them, not the league, according to Manfred (via Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune). “I felt that that Mr. Preller behaved inappropriately in the situation. He behaved inappropriately to the detriment of two clubs,” said Manfred. “And I thought that a publicly announced suspension of 30 days, which is the longest suspension of a front-office person in 70 years, was a firm statement of our view on how he had behaved or, in this case, misbehaved.” As of Sept. 17, the Padres’ front office was reportedly split on Preller, who, in addition to crossing the Red Sox, didn’t disclose all available medical information in a July trade with the Marlins. As a result, the Preller-led Padres reversed part of what was a large transaction that centered on Andrew Cashner. Ultimately, the Padres re-acquired right-hander Colin Rea from Miami and sent pitching prospect Luis Castillo back to the Marlins. That came after Rea left his sole Marlins start with an elbow injury. Rea is now attempting to stave off Tommy John surgery.
- Ortiz was among 104 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing substances in 2003, but Manfred downplayed that. The list didn’t distinguish therapeutic use exemptions from PEDs, per Manfred, who called it “unfair” and “wrong” that the positive test might negatively affect Ortiz’s legacy (Twitter links via MacPherson and Alex Speier of the Boston Globe).
Marlins Rumors: Rodney, Cashner, Ichiro
The Marlins were in the thick of the National League wild-card race when they made separate summer deals to acquire reliever Fernando Rodney and starter Andrew Cashner from the Padres. Those two have since scuffled in Miami, which has gone backward during the season’s second half and will finish with a sub-.500 record for the seventh straight year. As a result of their disappointing performances with the Marlins, the club is likely to move on from Rodney and Cashner, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
The Fish have a 2017 club option in the $3.5MM to $4MM range for Rodney, who went from nearly invincible as a Padre to borderline unusable with the Marlins. After Rodney logged a pristine .31 ERA, 10.4 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and 59 percent ground-ball rate in 28 2/3 innings in San Diego this year, the club traded him to Miami on June 30 for right-handed pitching prospect Chris Paddack, who has since undergone Tommy John surgery. Rodney has converted only 8-of-11 save opportunities with the Marlins after going 17-of-17 in San Diego. Worse, the 39-year-old has seen both his ERA (5.89) and BB/9 (6.21) skyrocket across 36 2/3 innings in South Florida. If the Padres move on from Rodney after the season, the journeyman could look for his eighth major league employer during the winter.
Cashner, meanwhile, seems primed to search for his fourth major league team on the heels of a subpar contract year. Since joining the Marlins on July 29, the hard-throwing right-hander has been even more woeful than Rodney at preventing runs, having registered a 5.98 ERA in 52 2/3 innings. That’s over a run worse than the 4.76 ERA Cashner posted in 79 1/3 frames with the Padres this year and not what the Marlins had in mind when they surrendered a handful of players, including well-regarded first base prospect Josh Naylor, for the impending free agent. While Cashner slightly improved his K/9 from 7.65 to 7.74 after switching uniforms, he mimicked Rodney with an unpalatable BB/9 (5.13, far worse than the 3.42 he put up in San Diego).
Unlike Rodney and Cashner, the Marlins are set to bring back outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, per Jackson, as the 3,000-hit club member carries a low cost ($2MM club option) and has performed respectably this season. Ichiro, who will turn 43 on Oct. 22, has batted .288/.352/.374 in 365 plate appearances while spelling Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna at each outfield position.
Padres, Clayton Richard Interested In New Deal
Shortly after the Cubs designated left-hander Clayton Richard for assignment July 26, the 33-year-old rejoined the Padres, with whom he spent parts of five seasons from 2009-13. Richard fared respectably in his second stint in San Diego, which began Aug. 6, and he and manager Andy Green confirmed Saturday that there’s mutual interest in a new deal for the impending free agent, reports Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).
In a disastrous final start of the season on Saturday, Richard allowed seven runs (four earned) on six hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings of a 9-5 loss to Arizona. But that outing wasn’t enough to sully the run-prevention numbers Richard posted with the Padres in just under two months. Overall, Richard threw 53 2/3 innings with the Friars and recorded a terrific 2.52 ERA, though he struck out only 34 hitters and issued 24 walks. Richard also logged below-average strikeout numbers in his first go-around with the Padres, yet he helped his cause with a 50.3 percent ground-ball rate and managed a usable 4.16 ERA across 636 2/3 innings. Richard’s trend of inducing grounders has continued since, as he registered a career-best 65.1 percent rate in 67 2/3 frames with the Cubs and Padres this season.
If the Padres do re-sign Richard, who made $2MM this year, he’ll likely factor into their rotation plans again in 2017. Richard was almost exclusively a reliever as a member of the Cubs, with whom he came out of the bullpen in 45 of 48 appearances, but has otherwise worked mostly as a starter since debuting with the White Sox in 2008. Notably, the rebuilding Padres aren’t exactly loaded with quality rotation options going into next year, and their best starter, Tyson Ross, could face surgery after missing nearly all of this season with shoulder issues. Christian Friedrich and Luis Perdomo look likely to take rotation spots in 2017 after combining for 43 starts this year, while Jarred Cosart and Paul Clemens represent a pair of other possibilities under team control.
Aside from a healthy version of Ross – something no one has seen since 2015 – that group inspires little confidence, which explains why the Padres’ rotation is among the league’s worst this year. That instability could lead the Padres to bring back Richard on a cheap deal to take the ball every fifth day and, if he continues producing decent results, perhaps turn into a trade chip around next summer’s deadline.
Rockies Likely To Move On From Walt Weiss
Discord between Rockies GM Jeff Bridich and manager Walt Weiss will likely lead to the end of the latter’s tenure in Colorado, reports Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. That should make the Rockies’ regular-season finale against the Brewers on Sunday the last game of Weiss’ four-year stint, one in which the club has gone just 283-364. All told, Weiss’ .438 winning percentage is the lowest in franchise history. However, Colorado’s results alone won’t determine whether the franchise re-signs the 52-year-old Weiss, whose contract is set to expire.
“In a decision-making process like this, it’s not totally or fully dependent on some sort of win-loss record or this or that,” Bridich told Saunders. “There are a lot of factors that go into it. That’s how it should be. It’s not that simplistic.”
Bridich has been a member of the Rockies’ front office since 2004, but he wasn’t the GM when the team hired Weiss. That was Bridich’s predecessor, Dan O’Dowd, who appointed Weiss in 2012. Bridich took over in 2014 and now wants a manager who’s more in line with his own philosophies, relays Saunders.
On his relationship with Weiss, Bridich said, “There has been mostly good communication, some great communication and some periods where he’s busy and I’m busy and we haven’t communicated as well as we could have. That’s a natural thing for the job that he has and the job that I have.”
Notably, Bridich has left Weiss out of key decisions the Rockies have made since last offseason, per Saunders. For instance, Weiss had no input in the free agent signings of relievers Jason Motte and Chad Qualls or Gerardo Parra. All three of those players, especially Parra, have bombed this season.
Bridich denies that he has kept Weiss out of the loop, however.
“I’m not going to respond to rumor mongering,” Bridich said.
According to Bridich, he and owner Dick Monfort will meet with Weiss during the upcoming week to discuss the 2016 campaign and future plans. Monfort will help Bridich determine whether the team will bring back Weiss.
“We will go through the same process as we did last year,” Bridich revealed. “That is, sitting down after the season is done and having conversations and talking about how the season went and talking about the future.”
While it seems the Rockies and Weiss are primed to go their separate ways, Bridich did praise the embattled skipper for what he has done in Colorado.
“The environment in the clubhouse, it’s moved in the right direction,” said Bridich. “It’s a positive for us. The time that Walt’s been involved with the team, if you’re looking to dole out credit, absolutely he deserves credit. It’s a good thing. It’s a good thing for the organization.”
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Jose, Vin, Managers, Jays, Trout
This week in the baseball blogosphere…
- Outside Pitch MLB and BaseballDocs pay tribute to the late, great Jose Fernandez.
- LA Dodger Report offers two pieces on venerable play-by-play man Vin Scully, who will call his final game Sunday.
- Chin Music Baseball names five young players who have come a long way in 2016.
- MLB 451 argues that the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts and the Rangers’ Jeff Banister deserve Manager of the Year honors in their respective leagues.
- Blue Jays from Away praises outfielder Jose Bautista, whose excellent Toronto tenure could conclude after the season.
- DieHard NYY regards Twins left-hander Hector Santiago as a potential trade target for the Yankees.
- Halo Headquarters contends that the Angels are wasting the best player in the game, center fielder Mike Trout.
- The Runner Sports says goodbye to Tal’s Hill.
- Jays Journal tackles the Blue Jays’ baserunning issues.
- The Point of Pittsburgh looks at the impact the next collective bargaining agreement could have on minor league teams.
- Camden Depot applauds Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim for his impressive 2016 campaign.
- When Sid Slid provides a rundown of the Braves’ top 30 prospects.
- Clutchlings details the Blue Jays’ top 10 prospects.
- NYRDCAST ranks the Cardinals’ seven best prospects.
- Pirates Breakdown compares this year’s Pirates to the 2011 and ’12 versions.
- Jays From The Couch lists the Blue Jays’ offseason options for soon-to-be free agent outfielder Michael Saunders.
- Clubhouse Corner previews the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League.
- Rotisserie Duck connects three inductees of the 1939 Hall of Fame class to current major league stars.
- Both Dan Grant of Same Page Team and Everything Bluebirds examine Monday’s dust-up between the Blue Jays and Yankees.
- Chris Zantow goes back 40 years to Hank Aaron’s final game.
- Philliedelphia breaks down how much money first baseman Ryan Howard has made during his time with the Phillies.
- Brew Crew Fever focuses on ex-Brewers who are in the playoff hunt.
Please send submissions to ZachBBWI @gmail.com
Red Sox Notes: DH, Ramirez, Kimbrel, Vazquez
The American League East-winning Red Sox are headed for the postseason, but designated hitter David Ortiz‘s illustrious career is also nearing an end. Ortiz will play his final regular-season game Sunday, and despite his age (40), he has been the top hitter in Boston’s major league-best offense this year. With the offseason approaching, the Red Sox will soon need to find a replacement for Ortiz, which is something their pro scouting department has been working on since August, writes Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. “We’ll do all that coverage in August and September,” general manager Mike Hazen told Drellich. “You have a month-and-a-half to scout the major leagues before you switch gears (to prepare for the playoffs), and if you’re not advancing, then you do it for all September.” While the Red Sox are looking into free agent options to take over for Ortiz, they’ll also consider moving first baseman Hanley Ramirez to DH on at least a part-time basis, per Drellich. Ramirez has bounced back from a dreadful 2015, his first season with the BoSox, to post a .286/.360/.500 line with 29 home runs in 616 plate appearances this year. His time at first base has also gone better than last season’s disastrous experiment in left field, though advanced metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating still give him low marks.
A couple more notes on the Red Sox, who will face the Indians in the ALDS:
- Closer Craig Kimbrel has scuffled over the past week, but manager John Farrell said Saturday that he isn’t considering flipping him and red-hot setup man Koji Uehara for the playoffs. “At this moment, no,” Farrell told Scott Lauber of ESPN.com. The Red Sox will instead focus on fixing a flaw in Kimbrel’s delivery that has caused the longtime late-game ace to move “a little side-to-side,” per Farrell. “You get into some bad habits when you get a little rotational. I felt like tonight I was a little better,” said Kimbrel after taking the loss, 4-3, to Toronto on Saturday. Kimbrel walked a batter, threw a wild pitch and yielded the deciding run in the ninth inning. The 28-year-old has allowed at least one earned run in three of his previous four outings, but he hadn’t surrendered any in a 16-appearance streak that spanned from Aug. 13 to Sept. 22.
- Although catcher Christian Vazquez has totaled just eight at-bats since the All-Star break, the 26-year-old might crack the ALDS roster as Boston’s backup to Sandy Leon, per Chris Smith of MassLive.com. Of the Red Sox’s reserve backstop options (Ryan Hanigan and Bryan Holaday are the others), Vazquez could stand the best chance of countering Cleveland’s base-stealing prowess. The Indians rank fourth in the majors in steals (134) and third in FanGraphs’ BsR metric, while the strong-armed Vasquez has thrown out 41 percent of baserunners between Boston and Triple-A Pawtucket this season. Hanigan has helped prevent 7-of-25 runners from stealing this year, while Holaday has stymied a more impressive 8-of-22.