Brian Dozier On Potential Future In Minnesota
Twins second baseman Brian Dozier would like to stay in Minnesota for the long haul, but he realizes the rebuilding club might not feel the same way.
“You need to see after the season who is going to be our GM, which obviously plays a huge part in it,” Dozier told Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
The Twins are in the midst of a front office shakeup and are looking for both a president of baseball operations and a general manager. Interim GM Rob Antony is a candidate to take over as president, and he’s aware of Dozier’s desire to remain with the Twins.
“I know talking with (interim GM Rob Antony) he knows I’d love to be here for a very, very long time,” Dozier said. “We made that clear the past three or four years as we’ve been talking about extensions and that kind of thing. But there’s way too many (questions) and there’s a lot of other things involved that have to take place rather than just for me to say, ‘Hey, I’m open. Let’s do it.’ ”
Antony was working under then-GM Terry Ryan when the Twins signed Dozier to a four-year, $20MM extension prior to the 2015 season. That contract has been a bargain for the Twins, especially this season. After slashing .240/.322/.425 with 69 home runs and 47 stolen bases in 2,034 plate appearances from 2013-15, during which time he combined for 10.5 fWAR, Dozier’s performance has reached an higher level in 2016. The 29-year-old has belted 41 homers, becoming just the fourth second baseman to hit 40 or more in a season, to accompany a .282/.354/.577 line across 641 PAs. Dozier has also added 15 steals on 17 attempts and accumulated 6.2 fWAR, the majors’ eighth-highest total among position players.
Given both his on-field excellence and cheap remaining control (two years, $15MM), the last-place Twins will have a highly appealing trade chip on their hands if they choose to shop Dozier in the offseason. Before putting Dozier on the block, the Twins would likely approach him about an extension, according to Berardino. Not only would locking Dozier up be costly, but the possibility of the team being a fair distance from returning to contention could make retaining him for the foreseeable future all the more difficult.
“I want to win,” Dozier said. “I want to win more than ever. It’s a point in my career that I want to have everybody on the same page — to be dedicated to win and make sure to do that. That comes first.”
With the offseason approaching, plenty of opposing scouts have been on hand at Twins games this month to watch Dozier, per Berardino. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported last week that the Twins would likely want front-line pitching in return for Dozier, for whom they have a potential successor in Baseball America’s 97th-ranked prospect, Jorge Polanco. While mostly playing shortstop for the Twins, the 23-year-old has held his own with a .294/.344/.431 line in 217 trips to the plate this season.
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Mariners Want Nori Aoki Back In 2017
After joining the Mariners on a one-year, $5.5MM deal during the winter, left fielder Nori Aoki began the season in dreadful fashion. The former Brewer, Royal and Giant hit just .245/.323/.313 over his first 284 plate appearances, which led the Mariners to option him to Triple-A Tacoma on June 24. The demotion proved effective for Aoki, who returned to the majors in late July and has since slashed .317/.363/.468 in 136 trips to the plate. As a result, the Mariners hope Aoki sticks around in 2017, reports Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune.
“He’s been awesome,” said general manager Jerry Dipoto. “I don’t think he was ever out of our plans (for 2017). When we sent him to Triple-A, we explained to him that we were going to let him play. And whatever happens, happens.”
The Dipoto-led Mariners sent Aoki to the minors again in late August, but that trip only lasted 10 days and came on account of roster issues, per Dutton.
Whether Aoki is a Mariner in 2017 could come down to his player option. The soon-to-be 35-year-old needs another 60 PAs this season to trigger his $5MM option for next season, notes Dutton, who expects Aoki to see plenty of action during the final 15 games of the Mariners’ campaign as they try to overcome a three-game deficit in the American League wild-card race. Collecting 60 more plate trips could be difficult for Aoki, but it’s in his favor that Seattle is set to face plenty of right-handed pitchers, as Dutton writes. Aoki has slashed .292/.357/.413 and walked nearly as much as he has struck out (21 to 27) in 316 PAs versus righties this year.
“I’m doing a lot of things different,” Aoki said of his second-half success. “It’s not just one thing. I changed my bat. I changed my helmet. I changed the way I see the ball. I changed a lot of things.”
Carlos Carrasco Done For Season
7:30pm: Carrasco is done for the year, manager Terry Francona announced Saturday (Twitter link via Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal).
5:49pm: In what could be a serious blow to the Indians’ World Series hopes, the team announced Saturday that right-hander Carlos Carrasco has a nondisplaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal on his pitching hand, Jason Beck of MLB.com was among those to tweet. There’s no timetable for Carrasco’s return, which is particularly troubling with the playoffs approaching.
Carrasco suffered the injury during the Indians’ matchup with the American League Central rival Tigers on Saturday. The 29-year-old started for Cleveland, but Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler hit a line drive off Carrasco’s hand in the first inning and caused him to exit after only two pitches.
At 85-62, the Indians are theoretically in great shape. Their record trails only the Rangers’ for the AL’s best, and they lead second-place Detroit by seven games in the Central. However, losing Carrasco for an extended period of time could be crippling come October. Carrasco, who’s the Indians’ second-best starter behind Cy Young contender Corey Kluber, threw 146 1/3 innings prior to his injury and registered a 3.32 ERA, 9.23 K/9, 2.09 BB/9 and 48.5 percent ground-ball rate. Health has been an issue, though, as Carrasco missed six weeks earlier in the year with a strained hamstring.
Before Carrasco went down, the Indians were already set to finish the regular season without fellow righty Danny Salazar, who has a forearm strain. Salazar’s return next month would be welcome news for the Indians if it happens, but it’s up in the air how effective he’d be in the wake of both the injury and the 7.44 ERA he posted over 32 2/3 second-half innings. Therefore, not having Carrasco would leave Cleveland with only one front-line option, Kluber. Otherwise, their next best choices include Trevor Bauer, Josh Tomlin and Mike Clevinger. No one from that trio has managed a sub-4.00 ERA this year, though Bauer has provided 170 2/3 respectable frames.
Latest On Angels’ Garrett Richards
Angels right-hander Garrett Richards‘ May decision to eschew Tommy John surgery in favor of a stem-cell therapy treatment on his elbow has produced positive results thus far. Richards threw his first bullpen session since May 1 on Saturday and came away from it encouraged about his chances to make an impact in 2017, saying, “There’s no doubt in my mind I’ll be able to pitch” (Twitter link via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register).
Richards’ next milestone is to face live hitters Oct. 1, per Fletcher, who adds that the 28-year-old will then pitch in instructional league if that goes well. Should Richards emerge from those steps unscathed, he’ll have an opportunity to help the Angels next year. That Richards has currently progressed to such a degree is remarkable, as it appeared he was headed toward Tommy John surgery after receiving word in May that he had a significant tear in his elbow. Surgery is still a possibility if Richards’ recovery hits a snag, of course, and that would substantially delay his return to a big league mound. However, had Richards chosen surgery over stem-cell therapy in the first place, he would have had difficulty coming back in 2017, anyway. By taking the route he has, Richards has given himself a chance to pitch next season.
Before succumbing to injury, Richards posted mostly stellar numbers this year, logging a 2.34 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 34 2/3 innings. Over the previous two seasons, Richards started 58 games and recorded a 3.18 ERA, 8.14 K/9 and 3.09 BB/9 across 376 frames. Injuries to him and fellow starters Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano have helped sink the Angels this year and could damage the team’s odds of bouncing back next season.
Heaney underwent Tommy John surgery in July after first attempting an unsuccessful stem-cell treatment. Tropeano, meanwhile, required the surgery in August after tearing his UCL in July. With few contributions from those three and Tyler Skaggs, who has only thrown 48 innings this year and had his own Tommy John scare earlier this week, the Angels have stumbled to a 63-84 mark. Their record puts them last in the American League West and tied for second worst in the AL.
While Heaney and Tropeano will most most or all of next season, Richards is so far on track to return to the Angels’ rotation. Richards should be in line for an increase over his $6.425MM salary as he makes his third of four possible trips through arbitration in the offseason. Of course, a serious setback before then would leave the Angels to decide whether to tender Richards a contract for next year.
Mets Activate Lucas Duda
6:20pm: To make room for Duda on their 40-man roster, the Mets placed left-hander Jon Niese on the 60-day disabled list, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN.com. Niese underwent knee surgery Aug. 24, and it’s possible he has thrown his last pitch as a member of the Mets. New York will likely decline Niese’s $10MM club option after the season, per Rubin.
5:26pm: The Mets have activated first baseman Lucas Duda from the 60-day disabled list, per a team announcement. Duda will now return after going on the DL in late May with a stress fracture in his lower back. However, Duda will likely only serve as a bench piece for the rest of the year, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Duda worked his way back at the Mets’ facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla., but he didn’t appear in any rehab or instructional league games, as DiComo writes.
For the Mets, the activation of Duda comes on the same day they lost star right-hander Jacob deGrom for the season because of an elbow issue. Injuries have beset the Mets throughout the season, but the defending National League champions have still managed a 78-69 record and a two-game lead on the final wild-card spot. The absence of Duda has hurt the club, though, as fill-in James Loney has been among the majors’ worst regulars at first base this year.
Loney, whom the Mets acquired from the Padres as a result of Duda’s injury, has hit a meek .264/.305/.382 with seven home runs in 335 plate appearances. Duda was in the midst of a slow start before he landed on the shelf, having batted .231/.297/.431 in 145 PAs, but he still swatted as many homers as Loney (seven) in 190 fewer plate trips. The Mets are actually second in the NL in long balls (199), yet they’ve scored the third-fewest runs in their league (579). Only the bottom-feeding Braves and Phillies, two fellow NL East teams, have crossed home plate less.
Although he’s unlikely to fill a prominent role over the next several weeks, Duda’s comeback could help the 30-year-old remain in a Mets uniform past this season. He’s currently on a $6.725MM salary and is scheduled to make one more trip through arbitration, which will leave the Mets to decide whether to tender him in the offseason. That seems likely, as the powerful Duda combined to hit an easily above-average .249/.349/.453 with 97 homers in 2,340 PAs from 2011-15.
Cafardo’s Latest: Sox, Dozier, Votto, Jays, Puig, Braun
Here are the latest rumblings from the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, who’s looking ahead to the offseason:
- The Red Sox will be in the market for a big bat to replace retiring designated hitter David Ortiz, which could lead them to pursue free agents-to-be Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Carlos Beltran, Mark Trumbo and Mike Napoli. Boston is quite familiar with all of those players – Encarnacion, Bautista and Trumbo are currently in its division, while Beltran was in the AL East until the Yankees traded him to Texas in July. Napoli, who’s in the midst of a bounce-back year in Cleveland, is the only member of the group with past Red Sox experience. The soon-to-be 35-year-old was with Boston from 2013-15 and was a key part of its latest World Series-winning team in his first season with the club.
- If the Twins shop slugging second baseman Brian Dozier during the winter, they’ll likely want front-line pitching in return, per Cafardo. Dozier, who is one home run shy of joining Rogers Hornsby, Ryne Sandberg and Davey Johnson as the only second basemen to hit 40 in a season, is on an eminently affordable contract over the next two seasons. The 29-year-old power and speed threat is owed a combined $15MM through the 2018 campaign.
- Even though the Blue Jays have undergone a regime change since they tried to acquire first baseman Joey Votto from the Reds last summer, talks could restart if Toronto loses both Encarnacion and Bautista in free agency. Cincinnati would also have to eat some of the $192MM left on Votto’s contract to make a deal possible, according to Cafardo. Votto, a Toronto native, is enjoying yet another brilliant season, having slashed .315/.433/.525 with 23 homers in 589 plate appearances.
- While the White Sox will listen to teams’ proposals for left-handed ace Chris Sale after the season, a deal seems unlikely. “The odds of getting what we feel we need to get are slim. That’s why I think Chris will be with us in 2017,” a White Sox source told Cafardo. That jibes with an earlier report from FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman, who relayed that White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf doesn’t want to move Sale.
- The Brewers and Dodgers are likely to revisit talks centering on outfielders Ryan Braun and Yasiel Puig in the offseason, a Dodgers source told Cafardo. Los Angeles placed Puig on revocable waivers in August, and the Brewers won the claim. The teams then discussed him and Braun, but a deal didn’t come to fruition.
Rays Designate Tyler Sturdevant For Assignment
The Rays have designated right-hander Tyler Sturdevant for assignment, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
The 30-year-old Sturdevant is in his first season with the Rays organization. He has thrown 18 1/3 major league innings this year and recorded a 3.93 ERA, 6.87 K/9 and 2.95 BB/9. Sturdevant was even better with Triple-A Durham, where he logged a 3.66 ERA, 11.25 K/9 and 2.75 BB/9. Previously, he spent seven years with the Indians organization after going in the 27th round of the 2009 draft. Sturdevant served a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs last season.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dodgers, Yanks, Bucs, Jays
This week in the baseball blogosphere…
- Rotisserie Duck pays tribute to legendary Dodgers play-by-play man Vin Scully.
- Chin Music Baseball names seven rookies who have unexpectedly become x-factors for their teams.
- Wayniac Nation examines the rebuilds of both the Yankees and Braves.
- TPOP forecasts the futures of several Pirates.
- Jays From The Couch studies the impact the Blue Jays’ improved defense has had on their pitchers.
- Call To The Pen (links: 1, 2) highlights what non-contending teams have to look forward to this month and shares an outside-the-box idea on how clubs should use their pitchers.
- Yanks Go Yard breaks down the biggest questions facing the Yankees’ offense for 2017.
- Think Blue Planning Committee praises the Dodgers‘ rookie starting pitchers for their work this year.
- Halo Headquarters argues that 25-year-old center fielder Mike Trout is already the greatest player in Angels history.
- MLB 451 focuses on balancing offensive and defensive value.
- Sports Heaven looks at the Pirates’ playoff chances.
- Outside Pitch MLB has a piece on the rise of Brewers infielder Jonathan Villar.
- Blue Jay Hunter delves into the success of closer Roberto Osuna.
- BaseballDocs puts together some trade proposals involving Marlins ace Jose Fernandez.
- Camden Depot wonders if catcher Caleb Joseph is playing his way out of the Orioles’ future plans.
- Inside the ‘Zona provides a rundown of the Diamondbacks’ Arizona Fall League prospects.
- The Runner Sports profiles Astros outfield prospect Drew Ferguson.
- Clubhouse Corner revisits the beginning of the Arizona Fall League.
- A’s Farm shows which Athletics minor leaguers had the most prolific statistical seasons in 2016.
- Notes From The Sally details the seasons the catchers in the South Atlantic League had this year.
- Now On Deck writes that, from a national perspective, the return of college football is overshadowing the pennant races.
- Everything Bluebirds is not a fan of the Rays’ home, Tropicana Field.
- All Sports With Steve asks if Washington, D.C., is a baseball town.
Please send submissions to ZachBBWI @gmail.com.
NL Notes: Pirates, Rockies, Phillies, Reds
Since the Pirates acquired Ivan Nova from the Yankees prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, the right-hander has unexpectedly performed like a top-of-the-rotation starter. In seven starts and 46 1/3 innings with the Bucs, Nova has recorded a 2.54 ERA while tossing two complete games and amassing 32 strikeouts against a paltry two walks. Part of the reason for Nova’s success is the Pirates’ stadium, PNC Park, he told Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “It’s not like pitching in Baltimore or Boston, Toronto, where the ball flies, or New York. A fly ball, (and) it’s a homer,” said Nova, whose new venue has the largest left field in the majors, per Sawchik. Yankee Stadium, on the other hand, has the league’s shallowest right field and is among its most home run-friendly venues. The change in parks has been timely for Nova, a free agent-to-be who is likely pitching his way to an appreciable raise over his current salary of $4.1MM.
More from the National League:
- Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich will face several important decisions during the offseason, observes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. In addition to the fate of manager Walt Weiss, whose contract expires at season’s end, Bridich will have to address a few areas on the diamond – including the bullpen and outfield. While the Rockies have a glut of capable outfielders, which might open the door for a trade, they could use more quality relievers to complement the likes of Adam Ottavino and perhaps Boone Logan, who’s an impending free agent. Saunders wonders whether the Rockies will pursue Nationals closer Mark Melancon, a free agent-to-be who’s a Colorado native, but he concedes that the team is unlikely to spend big money on anyone. That should rule out Melancon as a possibility.
- The Phillies called up two of their top prospects, catcher Jorge Alfaro and outfielder Roman Quinn, before Sunday’s game against the Nationals. Alfaro, whom Baseball America rates as the game’s 67th-best prospect, earned his first promotion in late August, but the Phillies quickly returned him to Double-A Reading before he could debut on the field. The 23-year-old is in his first full season with the Phillies organization after the Rangers traded him in the Cole Hamels deal last summer. He hit .285/.325/.458 with 15 home runs in 435 plate appearances with Reading this year. Also 23, Quinn was in the lineup Sunday. He ranks as the Phillies’ eighth-best prospect, per MLBPipeline.com, and also hadn’t gotten past the Double-A level previously. Quinn batted .287/.361/.441 with six homers and 31 stolen bases in 322 PAs with Reading this season.
- Reds righty Alfredo Simon will undergo arthroscopic shoulder surgery Tuesday, tweets Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. That ends a miserable campaign for Simon, who posted a 9.36 ERA, 5.98 K/9 and 4.76 BB/9 in 58 2/3 innings. Simon was a highly productive member of the Reds’ pitching staff from 2012-14, when he combined for a 3.16 ERA, 6.16 K/9 and 2.71 BB/9 in 345 frames and even earned an All-Star appearance, but he began falling off last year with the Tigers. The Reds, who acquired infielder Eugenio Suarez from Detroit for Simon in December 2014, brought the 35-year-old back in March on a $2MM salary. He’ll once again hit free agency during the upcoming offseason.
Cardinals Activate Aledmys Diaz From DL
The Cardinals have activated shortstop Aledmys Diaz from the 15-day disabled list, per a club announcement. Diaz went on the DL on Aug. 2 with a hairline fracture in his left thumb.
[RELATED: Updated Cardinals Depth Chart]
Before suffering the injury, the 26-year-old Diaz was in the midst of one of the majors’ best rookie seasons. The Cuba native burst on the scene with a .423/.453/.732 batting line and a measly four strikeouts in 75 April plate appearances, and while the opening month was high-water mark prior to fracturing his thumb, his steady play continued through July. On the whole, Diaz has batted .312/.376/.518 in 401 PAs, swatted 14 homers and posted an outstanding 13.5 percent strikeout rate. While Diaz’s work in the field has left plenty to be desired (16 errors, minus-8 Ultimate Zone Rating, minus-3 Defensive Runs Saved), his bat has made him an eminently valuable commodity – which no one expected when the Cardinals designated him for assignment in July 2015.
In theory, Diaz’s return should be a welcome one for the 75-66 Redbirds, who are a half-game up on the Mets for the second wild-card spot in the National League. However, the club’s middle infield actually fared well without him, as Jedd Gyorko, Kolten Wong and Greg Garcia have each enjoyed productive seasons. It’s unknown how manager Mike Matheny will deploy the group going forward. For now, Diaz isn’t in the Cardinals’ lineup against the Brewers on Sunday.
“Just being healthy isn’t necessarily the answer to everything right now,” Matheny said Saturday (via Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). “We also have to get his timing right, get him confident with how he feels at the plate.”