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Pirates To Interview Ryan Christenson For Managerial Opening

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The Pirates will interview Ryan Christenson for their managerial opening, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). It appears he’s the first known candidate for the Pittsburgh opening to hold a sit-down.

Christenson, 45, saw action in six MLB campaigns after being drafted and developed by the A’s. He never gained much traction as a player in the majors, but he’s looking to do so on the coaching/managerial front after steadily re-ascending the Oakland farm system as a skipper.

For the past two years, Christenson has served as bench coach to veteran Athletics manager Bob Melvin. Christenson could be seen as a possible eventual successor to Melvin, but the long-time helmsman remains under contract tin his role through 2021.

There are, of course, other names connected with the Bucs’ opening. But it’s not clear which, if any, have scheduled formal discussions with the Pittsburgh brass.

Rick Honeycutt Retires From Role As Dodgers’ Pitching Coach

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Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt will not return to that job in 2020, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters including MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (via Twitter). Honeycutt is expected to remain in the organization in a special assistant capacity.

The departure of Honeycutt from the staff of skipper Dave Roberts will not necessarily kick off a hiring search for a replacement. Bullpen coach Mark Prior appears to be in line for a promotion, Friedman indicated. There’ll be at least one new coaching staff opening regardless.

Honeycutt spent two decades in the majors as a sturdy starter and then reliever. He mirrored that longevity as a coach, running the Dodgers’ pitching operations for a remarkable 14 years. It seems that serious back issues and the rigors of the MLB schedule have combined to lead him to a more relaxed role in the organization.

Prior’s playing career was the opposite of Honeycutt’s — brilliant but excruciatingly fleeting. He tried for years to make it back from arm injuries but never did. Once he turned to teaching pitching, Prior quickly proved his merit. After a stint with the Padres organization, he spent the last two years as Honeycutt’s understudy.

Friedman also confirmed that Roberts will indeed be back as the manager — as had already been reported. Indeed, he expressed surprise that some had questioned whether Roberts would return after another exceptional regular season. The skipper’s job security became an issue after his confounding management of the team’s pitching resources in the recent NLDS Game 5 loss. But Friedman said that the organization still sees Roberts as an “additive part” of the club’s effort to capture an elusive World Series title.

Latest On Padres’ Managerial Search

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The Padres have made a fair bit of progress in their managerial search, though it remains unclear at this point which direction they’ll go. There’s now added clarity on the handful of serious candidates as well as the interviewing timeline.

It’s now clear that Braves third base coach and former Rangers skipper Ron Washington is a serious possibility. He interviewed today, as Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. It was already known that Brad Ausmus had interviewed as well.

But those aren’t the only candidate to get a sit-down interview. Indeed, Scott Miller of Bleacher Report tweets that quite a few others have already been in to meet with GM A.J. Preller and company.

Rod Barajas and Jayce Tingler were already known to be candidates. They have in fact held interviews, according to Miller. Unlike the two men mentioned already, Barajas and Tingler are each looking for their first opportunity to helm a big-league team.

It may be that the list doesn’t extend beyond those four names. Miller reports that long-time MLB managers Buck Showalter, Joe Girardi, and Mike Scioscia appear not to be part of the ongoing Padres search. Whether there are more candidates still under consideration beyond those isn’t yet clear.

Mets Begin In-Person Managerial Interviews

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The Mets have launched their first round of managerial interviews. Carlos Beltran appears to have been the first candidate to sit down with the front office, with Andy Martino of SNY.tv reporting (Twitter links) that the sides met yesterday.

It’s a mite surprising to see Beltran jump to the front of the interview list, though it stands to reason that the Mets had to fit him in wherever they could with Beltran actively engaged with the Yankees’ postseason efforts. The future Hall-of-Famer doesn’t have any prior coaching or managerial experience but certainly knows his way around a big-league dugout. Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweeted earlier today that Beltran is seen as a “very serious” candidate for the job.

Other candidates will obviously follow Beltran into the offices in Queens. Derek Shelton, Joe Girardi, and Mike Bell are already known to be lined up for interviews. All three are said to be scheduled for next week.

It’s too soon to declare this a four-man race. Mets quality control coach Luis Rojas will get an interview, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). The son of long-time former skipper Felipe Alou, Rojas joined the New York organization’s MLB staff last season under just-canned manager Mickey Callaway.

There could be yet more candidates to come. GM Brodie Van Wagenen is also chatting with other persons of interest via phone, Martino adds. The soon-to-be-sophomore exec is working through a “big list” of names. Martino tweets that John Gibbons, Dusty Baker, and Buck Showalter have all been “discussed internally” but “not contacted” to this point.

Yankees, Astros Announce ALCS Rotation Plans

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Yankees manager Aaron Boone and Astros skipper A.J. Hinch each spoke with the media today and divulged the upcoming starting pitching plans of their respective organizations. The teams have each named starters through the first three contests in the American League Championship Series.

Game 1, tomorrow night in Houston, will feature Masahiro Tanaka and Zack Greinke. The 30-year-old Tanaka has had his share of ups and downs in recent seasons, but turned in a strong effort against the Twins in the ALDS (one earned run in five innings with seven strikeouts and one walk). Greinke, who was acquired with a series like this in mind, struggled badly in his first postseason showing with his new team. But he’s one of the game’s most experienced hurlers and remains vested with quite a lot of trust.

Thereafter, the clubs will turn the ball over to their best starters. James Paxton goes against Justin Verlander in game 2, while Luis Severino will square off against Gerrit Cole in game 3, the first contest at Yankee Stadium. There’s little doubt that Houston’s co-aces have the advantage on paper, but the Yankees duo is also amply talented.

Each of the six pitchers listed above will be faced with a massive challenge. As Greinke put it today, in typically dry manner, “it’s tough to get good hitters out than not as good hitters.” Both lineups (and benches) are loaded with good hitters.

Unless these starters can fill up a lot of frames, the two teams’ bullpens could end up getting a workout as well. That has the potential to make things quite interesting in game 4. Neither team has a clear, high-end starting option ready to run out after their top three arms. Even if the Astros roll with Jose Urquidy, he’ll be going on a short leash with expectations of leaning on multiple relievers. While the Yankees can get some length from Luis Cessa and/or Jonathan Loaisiga, they’ll likely be attempting a true bullpen game in a high-stakes situation.

Cardinals Announce NLCS Roster

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When last the Nats and Cards squared off in the postseason, way back in 2012, Stephen Strasburg was out of commission. But Ryan Zimmerman and Kurt Suzuki were with the Nationals. The Cardinals will counter with a roster that includes just a few key holdovers: grizzled backstop Yadier Molina, resurgent veteran starter Adam Wainwright, and long-time infielder Matt Carpenter.

For those that watched the club’s NLDS effort closely, this roster will be a familiar one …

Right-handed pitchers

Left-handed pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

As we noted when the St. Louis org rolled out this same roster for the divisional matchup with the Braves, two of the most prominent names not included are right-handed hurlers Michael Wacha and John Gant. The latter fell out of favor amid second-half struggles, and it’s not surprising to see the Cards sticking with their assessment. But the former might have garnered renewed consideration in a longer series since he’s capable of throwing multiple innings. Just about any pitcher can be pushed beyond typical usage this time of year, but if the club needs a true long man, it may turn to Ponce de Leon, who spent much of the year as a starter.

The Cardinals elected not to make any changes to the position-player mix. Arozarena has scant MLB experience and struck out in two of just three plate appearances in the divisional series. But he’ll be retained as a glove-and-run bench piece instead of the more experienced Tyler O’Neill, who might’ve brought more pop in a reserve role.

That aforementioned 2012 NLDS matchup provided lasting memories for Cards fans and nightmares for the Nationals’ faithful. This time around, the St. Louis organization has a clear advantage in its relief corps, though the pen isn’t exactly a dominant unit and the Nats can hope to get many innings from their vaunted rotation. The Nationals hold an advantage in superstar bats, though the Cards arguably possess better position-player depth and a strong rotation of their own. It should be another highly competitive series.

2019-20 Qualifying Offer Value To Decline For First Time

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The value of the qualifying offer will be set at $17.8MM for the coming winter, per Jayson Stark of The Athletic (via Twitter). That’s down by $100K from last year’s mark of $17.9MM.

In every prior year that the QO has been in existence, it has risen. The offer price is set by averaging the salaries of the 125 highest-paid players in the game, so the number is obviously reflective of some broader market changes. Stark points out that some large recent contracts came with low base 2019 salaries, which may have skewed the accounting a bit. Obviously, a detailed assessment would be needed before reaching any firm conclusions. Prior years’ qualifying offer values were $17.4MM (2017-18), $17.2MM (2016-17), $15.8MM (2015-16), $15.3MM (2014-15), $14.1MM (2013-14), and $13.3MM (2012-13).

Any team wishing to receive draft compensation for the loss of a free agent will first have to make that free agent a one-year offer worth that $17.8MM value. Qualifying offer recipients will have 10 days to decide whether to accept or reject the offer and are free to talk with other clubs during that window as they get an early sense of their market value. If a player accepts, he is considered signed for the 2020 season at that rate. Like other free-agent signings, that player would be ineligible to be traded, without his consent, prior to June 15 of the following season.

Only players who spent the entire 2019 season with the same organization are eligible to receive a qualifying offer; midseason trade acquisitions and signings cannot receive one. Nicholas Castellanos of the Cubs and Yasiel Puig of the Indians are therefore not candidates for a QO. Additionally, the 2017-21 collective bargaining agreement added the stipulation that players can only receive one qualifying offer in their career. Brewers catcher Yasmani Grandal and third baseman Mike Moustakas are among the players who cannot receive another this winter. MLBTR’s Connor Byrne took a recent look at the upcoming free-agent class, discussing the variety of players who could be considered for qualifying offers by their respective teams.

Draft compensation under the new system is more complicated than it was under the 2012-16 CBA, as both luxury tax spending and revenue sharing are now factored in to determine the specific penalty and compensation associated with qualified free agents. Each team’s top overall draft pick is protected, but teams with multiple first-round picks can lose their late first-rounders in some cases.

Click here for a full rundown. Here’s a crash course/reminder.

For teams that signs a qualified free agent…

  • A team that received revenue sharing the previous season will forfeit its third-highest selection upon. Signing a second qualified would result in the loss of that team’s fourth-highest selection. Signing a third would result in the loss of its fifth-highest selection.
  • A team that did not receive revenue sharing and also did not pay any luxury tax penalties would lose its second-highest selection as well as $500K of the league’s allotted international bonus pool. Signing additional qualified free agents would result in forfeiting the third-highest selection and another $500K of international allotments.
  • A team that paid luxury tax penalties must forfeit both its second- and fifth-highest selections in the 2019 draft and forfeit $1MM of international funds. Signing a second would result in the loss of that team’s third- and sixth-highest picks, plus another $1MM in international funds.

For teams who lose qualified free agents…

  • A draft pick after Competitive Balance Round B will be awarded if the team losing the free agent did not receive revenue sharing or if the free agent in question signed a contract worth less than $50MM in guaranteed money.
  • A draft pick after Round 1 will be awarded if the team losing the free agent received revenue sharing and the free agent in question signed for more than $50MM.
  • A draft pick after Round 4 will be awarded if the team losing the free agent paid luxury tax penalties in the preceding season.

This post includes information adapted from prior MLBTR posts on prior seasons’ qualifying offer values.

Nationals Announce NLCS Roster

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The Nationals have released their roster for the club’s first-ever National League Championship Series. It contains a few wrinkles …

In particular, the team made some notable changes in the bullpen. Key late-inning righty Daniel Hudson will begin the series on paternity leave, replaced temporarily by Wander Suero. Once Hudson is ready to return to duty — he can take between one and three days — Suero will depart.

The Nats have made one series-long bullpen swap. Southpaw Roenis Elias, another important deadline pickup, is healthy enough to take part. He’ll be joined by Javy Guerra in a new middle-relief mix, with Hunter Strickland bumped out of the picture.

Here’s the full 25-man unit:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Catchers

With just eleven pitchers, the Nats are again going to be banking on heavy contributions from their starters. Voth will help provide length if there’s a need for a volume of relief innings. Strickland’s two poor innings in the NLDS sealed his fate. It’s still a bit surprising to see the Nats unwilling to rely upon Suero for more than a placeholding spot; he has been effective against hitters of both hands and carried strong peripherals, while Guerra was not terribly effective this year. Elias’s ability to contribute may be a key aspect of the Nationals’ ability to hang with the Cardinals late in tight games.

The approach does leave the club an exceptionally deep bench to work with, increasing the match-up possibilities for late innings. There’ll be bench bats, pinch-running possibilities, and defensive replacements to call upon as needed.

Notably, the Nats feel good enough about the health of Suzuki to carry him and withhold a third catcher. Raudy Read would likely have been the alternative. Suzuki left Washington’s decisive game 5 after a pitch struck his hand and ricocheted into his face. He isn’t in the lineup tonight, though. Neither is Robles, who is still dealing with a hamstring injury suffered during the series with the Dodgers.

Former Big Leaguers Playing Abroad: NPB Hitters Roundup

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It’s always fun to keep an eye on familiar players who’ve taken their talents across the pond. Now that the 2019 season is in the books, it seemed an opportune time to check in. Numerous former big leaguers and others of note are playing abroad, many of them thriving in Asia’s top leagues.

We’ve seen foreign stints help spur big league revivals from quite a few players. Eric Thames, Miles Mikolas, and Chris Martin are among those that played significant roles in the 2019 MLB campaign. Whether any of the players covered below will do so remains to be seen, but there’s certainly a path.

We started by looking at position players and pitchers in the KBO, the top league in South Korea. Now we’re headed to Japan to examine Nippon Professional Baseball, generally considered the highest-grade league outside of North America. Remember, teams in these leagues face limits on the number of non-native players they can carry on a roster. That creates a lot of pressure to secure big production from those roster spots, which often spurs mid-season change.

Here’s a 2019 wrap on some interesting NPB hitters …

  • Infielder Brandon Laird was never able to carve out a steady MLB job, but has found a home in NPB. This year, he slashed a healthy .248/.333/.483 with 32 dingers in 553 plate appearances for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He was joined mid-season by Leonys Martin, who found some NPB success of his own after being cut loose by Indians. Over 228 plate appearances, Martin slashed .232/.342/.495 with 14 home runs. The good vibes were not there for former Twins slugger Kennys Vargas, who turned in an oddball .179/.324/.274 slash line with one home run and 16 walks through 102 plate appearances at NPB’s top level.
  • Appearing for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, former Padres and Angels outfielder Jabari Blash finally turned his talent into production at a top level of play. In 527 trips to the plate, he slashed .261/.397/.540 with 33 homers. The 30-year-old could at some point be a candidate to attempt a MLB return. Teammate Zelous Wheeler, briefly of the Yankees, batted .243/.320/.418 with 19 home runs. That’s a fair bit shy of Wheeler’s first four seasons with the Golden Eagles, during which time he delivered a collective OPS north of .800.
  • Believe it or not, another short-lived Yankee whose name begins with Z also contributed to a NPB club. Zoilo Almonte only received 174 plate appearances at the top league level for the Chunichi Dragons, but slashed a robust .329/.362/.506 in that time. The Dragons also get nice output from Dayan Viciedo, the 30-year-old former White Sox outfielder, who went for a .315/.374/.496 slash in 594 plate appearances. Viciedo has uncovered previously absent on-base ability in Japan and could perhaps be of interest to big league clubs once his current deal expires in 2021, though he’ll be 32 at that point.
  • Former Mariners outfielder Stefen Romero appeared again with the ORIX Buffaloes. He bounced back from a down 2018 to post 331 plate appearances of .305/.363/.539 hitting and slugged 18 homers. Romero never showed much of a spark in brief MLB action but was a productive hitter coming up through the minor-league ranks. He’ll soon turn 31 years of age. Otherwise, Chris Marrero couldn’t capitalize on his chances with the Buffaloes, managing only a .211/.256/.317 output over 133 plate appearances. Former Tigers outfielder Steven Moya wasn’t much better after an early-season trade to ORIX from the Chunichi Dragons, with a .244/.278/.397 slash in 255 trips to the dish.
  • Wladimir Balentien made his annual assault on NPB hurlers, launching 33 home runs in 468 plate appearances and turning in a hefty .280/.363/.554 overall output. The Curacaoan slugger seems content with the Yakult Swallows, having been with them for nine years. Despite his perennial dominance — Balentien is a career .273/.378/.558 hitter with 288 home runs in Japan — he’s now 35 years of age, so it seems unlikely he’ll seek a move back stateside. Likewise, Nori Aoki is likely settled back in his native land after wrapping up a generally successful big league tenure. But it’s worth noting that he’s still a capable performer at 37 years of age, having just slashed .297/.385/.442 in 565 plate appearances for the Swallows.
  • Kosuke Fukudome had a similar career arc to that of Aoki, but his production slipped to .256/.347/.397 this season — his age-42 campaign and seventh with the Hanshin Tigers since returning to Japan. The Tigers received better results out of Jefry Marte, formerly of the Tigers and Angels. Marte put up a nice .284/.381/.444 batting line in 412 plate appearances. Other notable names had less of an impact: Yangervis Solarte had a forgettable 20-game stint, while Efren Navarro struggled through 15 games with the organization’s main club.
  • After wrapping up a combustible MLB tenure, former Dodgers infielder Alex Guerrero has settled in with the Yomiuri Giants. He hit .237/.337/.526 with 21 dingers in 333 plate appearances this year and just hit a big postseason home run. Fellow former NL West infielder Christian Villanueva struggled with Japan’s Giants, managing only a .223/.325/.386 slash over 235 plate appearances.
  • It has been quite a while since we’ve seen Jose Lopez stateside (2012), but he is still going in Japan. The Yokohama DeNA BayStars slugger launched 31 long balls and slashed .241/.295/.461 this year, a step back from his recent output.
  • Lopez’s teammate, Neftali Soto, was once a prospect in the Reds organization but has found a home with the BayStars. In his second season with them, the infielder slashed .269/.348/.554 with 43 long balls — his second straight 40-homer campaign. One-time Cubs farmhand Xavier Batista has emerged with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. In the just-completed season, he turned in 423 plate appearances with 26 home runs, slashing a sturdy .269/.350/.513 on the season. Former Braves prospect Ernesto Mejia has carved out a career in Japan, but he followed a tepid 2018 showing with a subpar .211/.286/.422 effort in 147 plate appearances with the Saitama Seibu Lions.
  • From the what might’ve been department, a pair of Cuban sluggers that never played in affiliated ball have been monsters for the Fukuoka SoftBank Haws. Alfredo Despaigne knocked 36 dingers and slashed .259/.355/.520 over 519 plate appearances, while Yurisbel Gracial turned in an eye-opening performance with 410 plate appearances of .319/.365/.595 hitting and 28 homers.
  • While he received at least some MLB consideration when posted by his Taiwanese club, and landed with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters for a reasonably significant commitment, outfielder Wang Po-Jung had a forgettable first season in Japan. The 26-year-old slashed just .255/.321/.327 in 355 plate appearances.

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