Keone Kela Switches To Wasserman Media Group
Rangers right-hander Keone Kela has changed agents, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). He is now represented by the Wasserman Media Group, per the report.
Kela, 22, emerged as a force in the Texas bullpen in his rookie campaign. Over 60 1/3 frames, he owns a 2.39 ERA with 10.1 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 to go with a 50.1% groundball rate. Those peripherals supported the excellent results: all the major ERA estimators (FIP, xFIP, and SIERA) viewed Kela as a sub-3.00 performer.
Of course, despite his success, Kela will enter the winter with only one year of service on his clock. That means he’ll be at least two seasons away from arbitration eligibility. While an extension is always theoretically possible, they are fairly rare for young relievers. That’s due in part, of course, to the volatile nature of relievers.
Texas has handled Kela delicately down the stretch, slowing his usage somewhat and even giving him a breather in Triple-A. Though he was medically cleared after experiencing some elbow issues, GM Jon Daniels explained recently that Kela has entered “uncharted territory” this year. He is still expected to play a role in the club’s post-season efforts, but he and the organization will obviously look to minimize the possibility of an injury.
AL Central Notes: Royals, Albers, Sox, Allen, Indians
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On to some notes from the AL Central …
- Royals GM Dayton Moore discussed his team-building philosophies with MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. He cited a focus on defense and “usable speed” among position players. When asked about his remarkable hit rate on last year’s crop of free agents, Moore credited the organization’s culture: “I think it goes back to the type of the culture our coaches and our players are able to present to make it possible to be successful. It’s Ned [Yost] and his staff and the other players have created a culture in the clubhouse that makes it comfortable for new players to come in and play well and do well in. That allows them to do what they can do. Those players all have had success in the past, but will blossom, so to speak, in the right environment.” There’s plenty more of interest if you follow the link to the interview.
- White Sox righty Matt Albers did about everything he could to set up his free agent case down the stretch, as MLB.com’s Scott Merkin writes. The 32-year-old put up 22 1/3 scoreless frames over his last twenty appearances despite failing to crack 90 mph in average fastball velocity. He credits a new offspeed offering for the success: “I started throwing a different kind of changeup last year, and I think it has just been able to help me with left-handed hitters and being more consistent with my slider and the location of my fastball,” Albers said. “As long as I’m keeping it down and have them hitting it in the ground, hopefully guys make the plays behind you. It’s pretty much a simple approach, but I’m able to execute that.”
- There are plenty of questions facing the White Sox this winter, but ESPNChicago.com’s Doug Padilla says none is more important than shortstop. The club has to decide on its $10MM option over Alexei Ramirez, which could still make sense despite his poor season and advancing age. Otherwise, the club could look to use Tyler Saladino as a bridge to prospect Tim Anderson or it could enter a free agent market featuring Ian Desmond and several less promising options.
- Indians closer Cody Allen says he’s very open to an extension after a big year, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports. “I would absolutely love to,” he said in regards to talking over a multi-year deal. “I think anybody in this clubhouse would love to. We have a great staff here, a great group of guys, and the city of Cleveland has treated me very well. I would love to play here for a very, very long time. If that opportunity presents itself, I’d definitely be open to it.” Allen’s 2.99 ERA is not quite indicative of the quality season he put up, which featured 12.9 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 and sterling marks from many ERA estimators. MLBTR’s arbitration projections, courtesy of Matt Swartz, project Allen to reach a $3.5MM salary in his first year of eligibility — based largely, of course, on his save tallies.
- The Indians have many sure things but also many moving pieces on their future roster, as Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer explores. It’s likely that the club will part with Ryan Raburn (rather than exercising his $3MM option and keeping him) despite his strong batting line, with plans to utilize Chris Johnson (whose salary is largely unmovable) as a right-handed-hitting corner man. He could share time with Lonnie Chisenhall in right field, says Pluto. Likewise, it’s unlikely that Mike Aviles will be re-signed, as Jose Ramirez can fill his up-the-middle infield utility role.
Indians Promote Chris Antonetti, Mike Chernoff
3:53pm: Bastian tweets that from an operational standpoint, little will change with the Indians. The new titles reflect the way in which the team has operated for several years, per Antonetti.
11:06am: The Indians have announced a widely-anticipated series of front office promotions. Chris Antonetti will move into the newly-minted position of president of baseball operations, with Mike Chernoff stepping into the general manager role.
To an extent, the move was precipitated by the departure of former president Mark Shapiro. But Antonetti will remain atop the baseball operations department rather than stepping into Shapiro’s broader, business-oriented role, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian notes on Twitter.
Antonetti, 41, served as the Indians’ GM for five years after a lengthy stint as Shapiro’s right-hand man. Among his most notable achievements are a series of appealing extensions, many of them with high-performing players that the organization acquired at a discount. Under Antonetti’s leadership, Cleveland has locked up Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, Yan Gomes, and Carlos Santana on the position player side as well as Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco among its pitchers.
The club that Antonetti compiled this year fell somewhat shy of expectations. After a 2013 playoff berth and 85-win campaign last year, the team’s array of excellent starters made it a popular pick to reach the post-season. Instead, the club landed at 81-80, though it did manage a late run at Wild Card relevance.
There’s still plenty to like about the team’s young talent, even if it didn’t reach its ceiling this season. In addition to those noted above, players such as Francisco Lindor, Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer, and Cody Allen are all controlled for the foreseeable future.
Tasked with turning that impressive core into a consistent winner will be the 34-year-old Chernoff. The Princeton grad has been with the organization since 2003, but drew plenty of interest from other organizations that were seeking general managers. But he and the team rebuffed those overtures, preferring instead to structure this internal promotion.
Cleveland also announced that it would account for the upward movement of Chernoff with another internal move. Former director of baseball operations Derek Falvey will become the assistant GM in the new front office structure.
The front office combination has some flexibility to work with despite a generally meager spending capacity. The organization has yet to crack $90MM in Opening Day payroll, but has a decent bit of uncommitted potential cash over the next several seasons — even after committing future salary to the significant players listed above.
Duquette, Showalter On Pitching, Davis, Machado, Harvey
Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette and skipper Buck Showalter addressed the media together yesterday, as Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports. The pair is set to continue on for 2016, with Showalter explaining that both are committed to putting the club back in contention after a somewhat disappointing year.
Here are some more highlights;
- Duquette talked about the club’s needs heading into the offseason, saying that “we need to focus on a stronger pitching staff.” As for whether the club can afford to upgrade its rotation and bring back slugger Chris Davis, he made no promises but left open the possibility: “I don’t know what the final market’s gonna be for Chris Davis, but having looked at some of the other contracts, it’s gonna be a lot of money. And we’re gonna have to weigh the competitiveness of the team and the need of the team to staff a strong pitching staff. I don’t know where the money’s going to end up, but we have enough resources in this market to field a competitive team and our aim is to do that again in ’16.”
- Baltimore is assessing whether to make qualifying offers to Davis, Wei-Yin Chen, and Matt Wieters, per the report. “The qualifying offer is under consideration for all those players,” Duquette said. “The club has to decide that by the end of the World Series, so we’re currently working on that.” It still seems probable that all three will be recipients, though the backstop Wieters seems most likely to avoid the QO.
- In terms of pursuing offensive additions, Duquette said the focus would be in acquiring players with good on-base skills.
- While the Orioles would love to extend third baseman Manny Machado, Duquette says that pursuing a new deal with him is not atop the organization’s priority list, as Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports. “It is heartening that Manny wants to play here, we’ve got him for three more years and that’s something we can consider in the offseason but I’ve got to tell you, we got a lot more work to do,” Duquette said. “We’ve got a lot more work to do and the fact that Manny’s gonna be here for the next three years under his current arrangement, doesn’t mean that’s a back-burner item, but we have a lot more urgent things to look at.”
- Duquette also noted that he has had discussions with Machado’s reps in the past, but said that they “didn’t quite get to a deal.” It was wise of the O’s to try, because Machado’s combination of performance and age figure to make him exceedingly expensive to lock up, even after accounting for his somewhat worrying injury history.
- Meanwhile, Duquette said that highly-regarded pitching prospect Hunter Harvey will not require surgery, at least for the time being. “The doctors are recommending based upon the healing they’ve seen, they’re recommending he continue to pitch,” said the club’s top baseball decisionmaker. “If he does throw four to six weeks from now and still has an issue, we can do the surgery then. But we’ve sent him to see several doctors and they’re all recommending he continue to throw.”
Marlins Re-Sign Ichiro Suzuki
1:58pm: The deal also includes a $2MM option for 2017, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
12:20pm: The Marlins have announced the re-signing of outfielder Ichiro Suzuki today, as MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro first reported on Twitter. The John Boggs client will receive a $2MM guarantee, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
A reunion had largely been expected, and it seems that the sides chose to accomplish that by reaching agreement before the likely future Hall-of-Famer hit the open market. It’s not uncommon to see late-career veterans reach extension agreements of this kind when a mutually agreeable situation is at hand.
The club will probably look to give the 41-year-old somewhat less action in 2016 than he did this past season. With Giancarlo Stanton injured and Marcell Ozuna spending time in the minors, Ichiro ended up taking 438 plate appearances and playing in all but nine of the team’s games. That greater-than-anticipated usage did, however, allow the Japanese great to rack up some additional hits, leaving him just 65 shy of the 3,000-hit mark at season’s end.
Miami obviously likes Ichiro’s presence, and his milestone pursuit is not without its appeal. And he still rates as at least a league-average defender and baserunner. But things did not go so well on the offensive side of the equation, as he slashed an anemic .229/.282/.279 on the year for 2015.
That represents a drop off from an already-downward trend, as Ichiro has been consistently below average with the bat since the start of 2011. He was at least serviceable in 2014, earning him a one-year deal with a $2MM base guarantee and a variety of incentives. The Fish will hope that he can return to that level of offensive production (87 wRC+), though that could be the best-case scenario at this point.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Phillies Notes: GM, Giles, Asche, Biddle, Staff
The Phillies’ offseason needs begin with a new general manager, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes. President Andy MacPhail is running the search himself and giving little in the way of clues, though Salisbury cites Matt Klentak, Kim Ng, Thad Levine, and Ben Cherington as names that have arisen in industry chatter.
Here’s more from Philadelphia:
- While the Phillies won’t pursue top-end starters, they figure to add a few veteran arms, possibly of the mid-rotation variety, Salisbury adds. Otherwise, the offseason will presumably remain future-oriented. Nevertheless, Salisbury says that the team’s biggest remaining trade chip may be a relatively young player: closer Ken Giles. As CSN’s Corey Seidman wrote this summer, there’s real merit to the idea given the organization’s broader needs, the volatility of relievers, and Giles’s excellent early-career numbers. I’d certainly agree that the organization should be open to the concept. The pre-2012 Andrew Bailey trade, which netted the A’s Josh Reddick, is one example of such a deal that worked out for the sending team.
- Another at-least-theoretical trade candidate is Cody Asche. Per Salisbury, the 25-year-old drew interest from the Marlins and Brewers this summer. While his value isn’t exactly on the upswing, Asche might be worth more to another organization that could give him a longer look at third base.
- Lefty Jesse Biddle is heading in for Tommy John surgery, Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Long considered a top-100 prospect, Biddle has not performed well in the upper minors over the last two seasons. He’s averaged about five earned runs per nine at Double-A and Triple-A since the start of 2014, and continues to struggle to limit free passes even as his strikeout rate has fallen. Biddle struck out only 6.4 batters per nine in 2015, by far the lowest rate of his minor league career.
- Now-permanent manager Pete Mackanin will have a few staff changes heading into 2016, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports. The team will part ways with bullpen coach Rod Nichols and third base coach John Mizerock, though it will offer contract renewals to bench coach Larry Bowa, hitting coach Steve Henderson, pitching coach Bob McClure, and first-base coach Juan Samuel. Mackanin explained that the team is “going to look at a lot of candidates” in filling out its coaching ranks.
AL West Notes: A’s, Reddick, Pomeranz, Mariners, Astros, Angels
Athletics VP of baseball operations Billy Beane and GM David Forst sat down with the media today to round things up after the season. As Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to report, generally, the club is not planning to trade away young assets but also won’t rush them to the big leagues. That could suggest a sort of transition season at the major league level. The sense seems to be that pitching additions — at least one starter as well as some pen help — could be offseason targets. Slussers notes to keep an eye out for deals to address “poor clubhouse chemistry.”
Here’s more from Oakland and the rest of the AL West:
- Beane made clear that the Athletics see outfielder Josh Reddick as a keeper, noting the possibility of an extension before he hits the open market after 2016. “Josh is a good player and he’s still young,” Beane said. “We’ve always liked having him here. Talented guy, does everything well. … We’re all very pleased with the year Josh had.” Fellow outfielder Coco Crisp, meanwhile, still profiles as a starter — if, that is, he can return to health.
- Athletics lefty Drew Pomeranz is likely headed for AC joint surgery on his pitching shoulder, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group tweets. The 26-year-old, who’ll be arbitration eligible for the first time this winter, put up a 3.66 ERA in 86 innings while serving in a swingman capacity.
- The Mariners have begun turning over their front office after making a change at the top, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). With new GM Jerry Dipoto at the helm, the organization will part ways with special assistants to the GM Duane Shaffer and Joe McIlvaine, pro scouting supervisor Pete Vuckovich, and pro scout Joe Nigro.
- While the Astros are preparing for an exciting post-season trip, that doesn’t mean the club’s front office won’t see some change as well. As Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports, farm director Quinton McCracken and assistant director Allen Rowin could end up being reassigned within the organization if they stay in Houston. GM Jeff Luhnow has a “new vision,” apparently relating to player development, that has created some uncertainty, per the report.
- Luhnow recently discussed the Astros‘ trade deadline in retrospect, noting that some less-than-ideal performances didn’t change his evaluation. As Drellich reports, the Houston GM defended his approach this summer. “We made those trades for the right reason and I’m comfortable with the process that we went through and why we made those trades,” said Luhnow. “The players on this team that put us in a position to make those trades at end of July deserve the opportunity for us to add talent, and that’s what we did. It doesn’t always work out. I think we know that, we knew that going in. Fortunately for us, we have Fiers and Gomez next year, and we’re still in it.”
- Newly-appointed Angels GM Billy Eppler discussed the kinds of players he’ll be targeting with his new organization, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports on Twitter. Eppler noted the idea of finding baseball intelligence in his position players, with a preference for hitters “with a patiently aggressive approach.” In building a staff, he wants arms that not only have quality offerings, but “can set up a hitter [and] execute a game plan.”
- Angels owner Arte Moreno left no doubt that he will provide Eppler with the means of delivering a competitive club, as Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports (Twitter links). “Our plans are not to rebuild,” said the veteran owner. “We would like to become more competitive.” As for the topic of payroll, Moreno indicated that he would not allow the luxury tax threshold to get in the way of an appropriate acquisition. “If it’s the right player, in the right situation, we’ll do whatever is needed,” he said.
Field Staff Notes: Padres, Nationals, Brewers
Here’s the latest on some managerial and coaching situations from around the league:
- As the Padres gear up for a managerial search, GM A.J. Preller says he’s planning to “cast a wider net” over the coming weeks, MLB.com’s Corey Brock reports. “I think the baseball operations group is ready to talk to the best and brightest we can find in the baseball world,” he said, continuing on to note that there would be few limits as the search gets underway. “We are going to interview people from all spectrums … from all experience levels. You look at some of the more experienced managers in the Major Leagues and they come from all different backgrounds.”
- The Nationals, meanwhile, appear likely to seek experience in a new hire. As Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com notes, despite the appeal of all-time great Cal Ripken Jr., the Nats may be fearful of another inexperienced manager. Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post also discusses some possible options to step in.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo spoke with reporters today about the decision to part with Williams and the process of finding his replacement, and Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post has the transcript. Rizzo said that he’ll look at “a group of people with diverse backgrounds, diverse experiences, and diverse skill sets” and will be sure to include those with time spent as skippers — which, he noted, was not the case in the last hiring process. “We feel that where we’re at in our timetable, our time frame of winning a championship, we would lean toward someone who has some type of managerial experience at the major league level,” said Rizzo. “But again, we’re gonna be open minded and look for the best candidate that we can that allows us to win a championship here in the very near future.”
- The Brewers will part with all but two of their current coaches, per a team announcement. Only hitting coach Darnell Coles and third base coach Ed Sedar will stay on for manager Craig Counsell’s 2016 staff. He’ll have a chance to pick his own lieutenants now, in concert with new GM David Stearns. One likely target is Pat Murphy, who won’t stay on as Padres’ skipper, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets. Milwaukee had tried to hire him earlier this year when Counsell took the reins.
Kendrys Morales Switches To Wasserman Media Group
Royals designated hitter Kendrys Morales has changed agents, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). He’ll now be represented by the Wasserman Media Group.
Morales has thrived in Kansas City, where he landed this winter on a two-year, $17MM deal. Over 639 plate appearances, Morales has slashed a robust .290/.362/.485 with 22 home runs.
That pre-2015 contract came despite a forgettable 2014 season in which Morales struggled badly after waiting to sign until the middle of the year. He was unable to find a suitable multi-year deal after declining a qualifying offer, precipitating the delay.
Represented at the time by the Boras Corporation, Morales ultimately landed with the Twins on a deal that ended up paying him about $7.5MM (a prorated $12MM annual salary). He was later dealt to the Mariners, but never got into a groove at the plate.
The Royals have made good on their bet, as Morales has returned to his typical level of offensive productivity. While he is all but limited to DH duties, that suits Kansas City just fine given the presence of Eric Hosmer at first.
Because they bought low, the Royals will owe Morales just $9MM next year in the slightly backloaded deal structure. His contract also includes an $11MM mutual option ($1.5MM buyout) for the 2017 campaign.
La Russa, Stewart On Pollock, Closer, Salty, Coaching Staff
Top Diamondbacks baseball decision-makers Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart spoke with the press today as the offseason begins. Here are some of the highlights:
- Arizona has begun at least exploratory discussions with center fielder A.J. Pollock about a contract extension, per Stewart, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. Pollock is entering his first of three seasons of arbitration eligibility. He has shown an openness to considering a deal, it seems, though he’s not going to be cheap given his incredible (and still under-appreciated) level of production over the last two years.
- While the team has a theoretical opening in the closer role, which Brad Ziegler filled after the demotion of the since-traded Addison Reed, that doesn’t necessarily mean a 9th-inning specialist will be added. Stewart said that it’s possible the club will look to fill out the pen with depth rather than pursuing someone to tag with the closer label, as MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports on Twitter.
- Backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia has indicated to the team that he’ll test the open market in search of a starting role, Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona tweets. But Arizona would like to bring him back, presumably to make a continued pairing with Welington Castillo. That tandem was among the most productive in baseball over the season’s second half.
- The D’Backs will replace pitching coach Mike Harkey with Mel Stottlemyre Jr., Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter. La Russa, however, would only confirm that the team decided to part ways with Harkey, calling Stottlemyre a candidate, as Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic reports. Otherwise, the coaching staff under skipper Chip Hale will remain the same. That being said, the Padres have asked for and received permission to speak with third base coach Andy Green about San Diego’s open managerial position. Phil Nevin is another Arizona coach that has and could again draw interest from outside the organization.