MLBTR Live Chat: 4/28/16
Click here to read a transcript of today’s live chat with host Jeff Todd.
John Stanton Group Purchases Majority Ownership Of Mariners
5:19pm: Stanton will become the chairman and CEO of the Mariners, the team announced today in a press release. Kevin Mather will remain the club’s president. MLB.com’s Greg Johns tweets that the ownership change is subject to approval from Major League Baseball, which won’t be finalized until August. Per the press release announcing the ownership transition, the Mariners franchise was valued at $1.4 billion, meaning that First Avenue Entertainment, the new ownership group, spent $1.26 billion to purchase its 90 stake. Lincoln issued the following statement:
“From the first day of our involvement nearly 24 years ago, Nintendo has had two goals for its investment in the Mariners. First, we wanted to assure the permanence of the team in this great city. And on that count, I am proud and gratified that this agreement further solidifies that goal. On the other hand, I’m equally disappointed that we have not been able to host a World Series game for our fans.”
Stanton, too, issued a statement in the Mariners’ press release:
“My goal and the goal of the entire Mariners ownership and management team is to win a World Series. I believe that the Mariners are well positioned to achieve that goal and it will be my honor to lead the organization. I want to thank Howard for his leadership for the last 17 years and thank the members of the board and ownership for giving me this opportunity.”
2:00pm: Unspecified “ownership changes” have led to the end of CEO Howard Lincoln’s tenure with the Mariners, Mike Salk of 710 ESPN reports. Lincoln is set to resign his position, per the report, with minority owner John Stanton in line to “become the new point person for the ownership group” — though it’s unclear precisely what position (if any) he will take.
It’s obviously difficult at this point to assess the long-term ramifications of the move. It’s not clear whether other front office changes could be afoot, though it would obviously be surprising if there were any immediate impact on baseball operations. A news conference has been scheduled for this afternoon, which may begin to shed further light on the situation, including the underlying ownership modifications that prompted the leadership move.
The 76-year-old Lincoln has held his role since taking over before the start of the 2000 season. A former executive with Nintendo of America, the entity which now owns a controlling share of the ballclub, Lincoln is said to have been involved at the highest levels since the current M’s ownership group took control back in 1992.
Lincoln was obviously a significant part of the team’s financial dealings over the years, including the construction of Safeco Field and the organization’s regional sports network agreement in 2013. He was an immensely powerful figure in the organization, as Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times explains. Of course, his tenure has also come with its share of criticism; among other things, the club’s attendance has dwindled quite a bit and its last post-season berth came way back in 2001.
Among Lincoln’s more recent moves was the promotion of Kevin Mather to president and COO early in 2014, replacing Chuck Armstrong. At the time, the organization was winding up for what it hoped would be a successful 2015 season after shocking the baseball world by signing Robinson Cano. But the on-field results proved disappointing, and the leadership group ultimately fired GM Jack Zduriencik, who has since been replaced at the helm of baseball operations by Jerry Dipoto.
Now, it seems, Stanton will decide the strategic direction of the Seattle organization. He is said to have been looking to enhance his role with the club for some time, as Baker explains (Twitter links). Stanton reportedly controls about one-tenth of the Mariners’ ownership stake at present; it’s not known whether he’ll increase his holdings as part of today’s shake-up.
Athletics To Promote Sean Manaea
The Athletics will promote top pitching prospect Sean Manaea to start on Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Manaea, a 24-year-old southpaw, came to Oakland last summer in the deal that sent Ben Zobrist to the Royals.
Since his arrival, Manaea has done nothing but impress. Already considered a top-100 prospect, he dominated at Double-A and started out the 2016 season at the highest level of the minors. Over 18 innings in three starts, he owns a 1.50 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9.
Entering the year, Baseball America credited Manaea’s big fastball, inconsistent but intriguing slider, and promising but still-developing change. BA rated him just inside the top fifty pre-MLB assets in the game, while MLB.com (#65) and ESPN.com’s Keith Law (#59) placed him a bit further down on their own lists. He isn’t generally seen as a fully-finished product, with polish on the secondary offerings and command cited as areas for improvement, but he’s certainly has done enough to warrant a shot at the major league level.
Righty Jesse Hahn had seemed in line for a promotion as the club looks to replace the optioned Eric Surkamp, and he’s certainly the more experienced arm. But as Slusser explains, Hahn is dealing with a blister at present so wasn’t an immediate option.
Whether or not Manaea will get more than a spot start remains to be seen. Either way, he won’t have the chance to accumulate enough MLB time to achieve a full year of service. But if Manaea can stick at the major league level, he would line himself up for future Super Two status and an extra year of arbitration eligibility.
The young lefty is one of several notable arms to get their first call-ups in recent days. You can read up on all of the recent top prospect promotions right here.
Charlie Morton Requires Hamstring Surgery, Out For Season
Phillies righty Charlie Morton will require season-ending surgery on a torn left hamstring, the club announced. He is expected to require a six to eight month recovery time after undergoing the procedure.
Indications were that an MRI had revealed more extensive damage than was initially hoped, and today’s news certainly reflects that. It’s obviously a disappointing turn of events for the veteran starter, who was acquired over the winter for righty David Whitehead.
The Phils had added Morton in hopes that he’d help to stabilize a young rotation while getting his career back on a positive trajectory. He seemed on track to do just that, contributing a 4.15 ERA through 17 1/3 innings in four starts with promising peripherals. Morton had a 19:8 K:BB ratio with an outstanding 62.8% groundball rate in the early going.
Philadelphia owes Morton $8MM for the 2016 campaign. He also has a mutual option at $9.5MM for 2017 that comes with a $1MM buyout. (That was originally a club option under the extension he signed with the Pirates, but converted with the trade.) While mutual options are rarely exercised by both sides, the promising start and subsequent injury could theoretically lead to a match if both sides see the value in a one-year arrangement.
With Morton down, the Phillies will need to find alternatives to fill out the staff. Young hurlers Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, and Vince Velasquez have all shown real promise, while Jeremy Hellickson was added for much the same reason as was Morton. But the fifth starter’s role will now likely go to another internal option. Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice noted yesterday that 26-year-old southpaw Adam Morgan was scratched from his upcoming Triple-A start, likely in anticipation of a call-up, so it seems he’ll get the first crack.
NL Notes: Glasnow, d’Arnaud, Story, Rizzo
Coming into the season, Tyler Glasnow was expected to provide a mid-season boost to the Pirates rotation, and that looks likelier by the day. As MiLB.com’s Sam Dykstra writes, the young righty has been dominant at Triple-A and currently leads the International League in strikeout rate. Though a promotion seems all but inevitable at some point, the timing remains uncertain and may be dependent upon what the club can get from its current options (as well as its estimation of where the Super Two cutoff will fall). Jeff Locke is coming off of his best start of the year after some significant early struggles, while Juan Nicasio is throwing well enough currently to hold down another slot and Ryan Vogelsong remains a factor.
Here’s more from the National League …
- The Mets may ultimately need to consider moving Travis d’Arnaud out from behind the plate, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post suggests. If d’Arnaud misses an extended stretch, argues Davidoff, the organization ought at least to think about alternatives to full-time catching. Of course, while the 27-year-old hit well enough last year (.268/.340/.485 in 268 plate appearances) to play anywhere on the diamond, he’s yet to carry that kind of production over even a full season and — regardless — is most valuable as a backstop.
- Opposing pitchers have exhibited a new approach to breakout Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan writes. After initially testing him on the inner half, with memorable results, hurlers are now attacking him away. While he’ll obviously have a chance to respond in the cat-and-mouse game, Story’s production has fallen off significantly. He still owns a rather productive .247/.306/.649 overall slash, but his 36.5% strikeout rate and recent lack of pull-side power opportunities certainly rate as concerns looking forward.
- Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post questions the Nationals‘ lack of action on GM Mike Rizzo’s contract. The veteran executive says he’s not yet heard anything, though he also expressed a lack of concern on the subject. While there’s no rush to decide on Rizzo’s two-year option (it’s due June 14), and expectations remain that he’ll remain with the organization, Svrluga says it remains a mystery why ownership hasn’t gone ahead and made a seemingly obvious decision to lock up club’s head baseball decisionmaker.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/27/16
Baseball America’s Matt Eddy runs down the week’s minor moves, including a few that we’ve yet to cover here:
- Veteran righty Roberto Hernandez re-signed with the Blue Jays after previously opting out of his contract. He’ll function as depth at the Triple-A level, presumably, and look to return to the majors after ten straight seasons with at least some MLB action. The 35-year-old posted a 4.36 ERA with 4.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in his 84 2/3 frames for the Astros in 2015.
- The Orioles have released right-hander Todd Redmond, who most recently enjoyed a three-year run in the Jays’ organization. He received only 16 major league innings there last year, however, after functioning as a useful swingman in the prior two seasons. Redmond, 30, had been added by the O’s on a minor league deal, but was hammered (18 hits & 15 runs in five innings) in his first two outings for Triple-A Norfolk.
- Former Royals prospect Noel Arguelles has joined the Nationals, per Eddy. Now 26, the Cuban southpaw washed out of Kansas City after originally joining the organization as a big-bonus international free agent. He appeared briefly in the Venezuelan winter league last year but otherwise hasn’t pitched competitively since 2014, when he was knocked around for 7.15 earned runs per nine over 61 2/3 innings in his first run at Double-A.
AL Notes: Colabello, Encarnacion, Calhoun, Richards, Collins
Suspended Blue Jays first baseman/outfielder Chris Colabello maintains that he has no idea how he ended up with prohibited PEDs in his system, as Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. The 32-year-old says that he only ever took supplements provided by the organization, was meticulous in avoiding uncertain substances, and has gone to great lengths to try to figure out how the banned substance ended up in his system. The piece offers necessary context to go with Colabello’s extensive comments on the matter, and is a must-read for anyone interested in his story or the broader issue of performance enhancing drugs.
Here’s the latest out of the American League to round out the evening:
- While initial extension talks this spring weren’t fruitful, the Blue Jays told slugger Edwin Encarnacion that they’d consider re-opening things over the summer, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports (Twitter links). A deal to keep Encarnacion off of the open market still seems unlikely, of course, particularly given where things ended up. Per Heyman, Toronto offered a two-year pact with multiple vesting options. While the veteran’s camp didn’t counter, he’s expected to seek four or five guaranteed seasons in free agency. He’s off to a bit of a slow start, but that still seems eminently achievable if he ends up with anything approaching his recent levels of production.
- Meanwhile, Angels GM Billy Eppler says that the organization has yet to engage outfielder Kole Calhoun or starter Garrett Richards in extension talks, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez reports. Explaining that he’s still “just feeling everybody out,” Eppler did acknowledge that he’s at least considered the idea. “I would be lying to tell you that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind,” he said. “But we’re not at that point. It’s just not something I want to talk about while they’re playing; while they’re trying to perform.” The new GM also noted that the high-budget Halos have the luxury of waiting. “That’s a factor,” he said. “You might be able to afford going year to year in certain situations, just because of your own circumstances.”
- Major League Baseball will not suspend Tigers outfielder Tyler Collins for flipping the bird to booing fans, MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets. That’s good news for Detroit, which would have had to go a man short during any time that Collins would have missed.
Quick Hits: International Bonuses, Prospects, Analytics, PEDs
It goes without saying that the international market offers an increasingly important route for organizations to acquire fresh talent. With bonus rules overlaying an already complicated array of interests, and loads of new players entering the picture from Cuba, it’s a situation that is ripe for gamesmanship, as Ben Badler of Baseball America explains. Teams have numerous avenues for shifting bonuses between amateur players, many of whom are largely controlled by handlers who have varied and obscure arrangements with multiple youngsters. That situation creates a complex and sub-optimal set of incentives, per Badler, with “package” arrangements often utilized to get around limitations on spending on a single player. The post qualifies as essential reading in this area of the transactional game.
Here are a few more notable pieces worth a look:
- Badler also mines the minor league ranks for prospects who have set themselves up for quick promotions. Rangers infielder Andy Ibanez has looked like a strong international investment and is in line to move up from the low A level; highly-touted Red Sox youngsters Andrew Benintendi and Yoan Moncada seem ready for Double-A; and the Phillies have several players clamoring for a step up the ladder, including top prospect J.P. Crawford.
- Baseball analytics departments have expanded greatly in recent years, as Ben Lindbergh and Rob Arthur examine at FiveThirtyEight.com. By their tabulations, the number of quantitative-oriented, full-time employees of major league teams has risen from 44 in 2009 all the way to 156 at present. Clubs that moved quickly to build out their teams of analysts have benefited greatly for a relatively meager investment, the study finds. As big-market clubs have increasingly followed their lower-budget competitors, there has been increasing competition for established and entry-level staffers. Interestingly, though, that hasn’t resulted in a reduction in scouting departments; Lindbergh and Arthur write that any downsizing at the professional level “has been more than offset by increased amateur and international coverage.” Unfortunately, women continue to be drastically underrepresented in the analytics and scouting ranks. You’ll certainly want to give this fascinating piece a full read to appreciate it.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today looks at the current state of PEDs in baseball, asking whether players who test positive are merely those who choose the wrong people to set their drug regimens. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also recently addressed the subject, with several prominent players telling him that the use of illicit substances remains a major problem in the game. Improving the current league efforts to stamp out the problem may be less a matter of tweaking the already-significant penalties than it is one of somehow getting ahead of those who are figuring ways around testing. “If there was a type of testing that guaranteed every person that used PEDs would be caught, I would be all for it,” Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw tells Rosenthal. “I don’t think the problem is the length of the suspension, but more the improbability of being caught.”
- As the Phillies‘ new front office reshapes the organization’s approach to analytics, it is seeking to manage the volume of information in a way that optimizes its function, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “That information can be overwhelming,” says GM Matt Klentak. “There is so much information. The key for our front office and coaching staff and, ultimately, our players is that we’re isolating the information that helps players and coaches in the moment without locking them up.”
Twins Promote Jose Berrios, Place Gibson And Santana On DL
6:04pm: The Twins have made Berrios’ promotion official. As MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets, Berrios will start against the Indians tomorrow night. The Twins also promoted Polanco, as expected, and placed starters Kyle Gibson (shoulder strain) and Santana (back strain) on the DL. The Twins believe Gibson’s injury took place during his last start and seem hopeful that it won’t turn out to be serious, via Neal.
“We’re not dealing with anything overly significant that’s going to require any type of procedure,” says manager Paul Molitor. “We’re just going to have to calm that thing down the best we can and try to get his strength back so he can pitch.”
1:25pm: Santana is indeed likely to be placed on the disabled list tomorrow, writes La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. However, Neal notes that the Twins are also recalling infielder (and fellow Top 100 prospect) Jorge Polanco from Rochester for a second time this season, so there’s another roster move in the works for the club as well.
12:26pm: The Twins will promote top pitching prospect Jose Berrios, Twins blogger Ted Schwerzler reports on Twitter. Berrios, 21, entered the year rated as a consensus top-100 prospect leaguewide.
A product of Puerto Rico, Berrios has steadily risen up the prospect rankings over the last several years and is now viewed as one of the best pre-MLB arms in the game. Entering the current season, he rated 16th overall on MLB.com’s list, 26th in the eyes of ESPN.com’s Keith Law, and 28th per Baseball America.
Many clamored for a call-up late last year, as Minnesota made a late (and ultimately unsuccessful) run at the postseason. But the organization ultimately decided to hold off on the move, preferring instead to allow him to finish the season at Triple-A.
It’s safe to say that Berrios has proven all that he needs to at the highest level of the minors. In his 16 starts for Rochester, he owns a 2.82 ERA with 10.0 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 — and that’s including the bombing he suffered in his lone outing at the level in 2014. Berrios has continued to allow less than one base hit per inning, as he’s done rather consistently throughout his minor league career. Though he has allowed a few more walks than usual in his first three starts in 2016, Berrios has permitted only two earned runs in 17 frames in the early going.
Those results reflect the general scouting perspective on the youngster, who’ll turn 22 in late May. He’s considered an excellent athlete with a well-rounded three-pitch mix — the classic blend of a four-seam fastball, curve, and change. Though none of his offerings are expected to be truly exceptional, all are quality options, and he’s said to have the command, makeup, and feel to come with a number two or three starter’s ceiling.
For Minnesota, the move points to an effort to provide a fresh boost to a club that stumbled out of the gate. Ervin Santana‘s injury situation could open a rotation spot for the time being, but in the long run the Twins could conceivably drop Kyle Gibson or the out-of-options Tommy Milone. It’s notable that Berrios worked up to 166 1/3 innings over 27 starts last year, suggesting that he ought to be ready to shoulder a more or less full workload this season. By going to Berrios now, Minnesota can receive nearly thirty starts without allowing him to clock a full year of service time.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AL East Notes: Dominguez, Gallardo, Chavis, Red Sox
The Blue Jays will indeed select the contract of third baseman Matt Dominguez today, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports on Twitter. Nicholson-smith had suggested the move was likely once Drew Hutchison cleared optional waivers and could be removed from the active roster, and it appears that Dominguez will indeed get his first chance at the majors since 2014. At one time, the Astros considered the 26-year-old an important future piece, even dabbling in extension talks after he hit 21 home runs in 2013. But while Dominguez has shown a good bit of power from the corner infield, he’s struggled to reach base at a reasonable clip and has drawn mixed reviews in the field. While he doesn’t strike out much, Dominguez also doesn’t draw many walks and owns a .255 BABIP in the majors. Meanwhile, DRS and UZR were split on his fielding in ’13, but both saw him as a negative the following year. While Jesus Montero seemed a more direct replacement option for the suspended Chris Colabello, Toronto evidently preferred a player who could also spell Josh Donaldson at third.
Here’s more from the AL East:
- Another MRI on Yovani Gallardo‘s ailing right shoulder has left the Orioles feeling fairly upbeat about his prognosis, MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli tweets. He only appears to be experiencing tendinitis, which seems to bode well for his chances of returning in relatively short order. Of course, the 30-year-old still faces plenty of questions after a rough start. Among other things, he’s lost over two miles per hour on his average fastball even after showing declines in recent years. And his already-falling swinging strike rate is down to 5.1%.
- The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier corrects a previous report in which he tweeted that Red Sox prospect Michael Chavis has a torn ligament in his thumb (links to Twitter). Speier clarifies that he misunderstood his source when reporting the information, and Chavis’ diagnosis is not yet certain. The 2014 first-round draft pick will undergo an MRI on his thumb, but until that takes place, no diagnosis can be definitively made. A torn ligament remains a possibility for Chavis, per Speier, but the extent of his injury remains unknown for the time being. Chavis was off to a strong .356/.415/.576 start at the plate in a repeat run at the Class A level.
- Shifting in baseball remains a fascinating subject to watch. As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains, the Red Sox may be partaking in the strategy more than some numbers might suggest. For Boston, shifting and pitching strategies go hand in hand, with GM Mike Hazen explaining that “pitching to the shift” allows the team’s hurlers to “be more aggressive pitching inside.” While the Sox utilize frequent shifts, the team’s alignments may not be quite as dramatic as some others. “Some teams unilaterally shift,” per Hazen. “We’re more selective in how we shift. Even though we’re shifting in every game on a large group of players, it’s not as unilateral.” The club’s field staff also discusses the concept with Rosenthal in an interesting piece that warrants a full read.