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Coaching Notes: Mallee, Rays, Giants, Cora

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The Cubs are promoting John Mallee back to the big league staff, as reported by Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. It’s currently unclear what role the long-time coach will serve. He was the team’s hitting coach from 2015-17, but that job is currently held down by Dustin Kelly, who helped several players thrive in his first year with the big league squad. 

According to Sharma and Mooney, the Cubs will “incorporate Mallee’s experience and expertise” in a new role, rather than replace anyone currently on the coaching staff. He was the hitting coach at Triple-A Iowa in 2023, and he earned “rave reviews” for his work at the minor league level. Evidently, the Cubs have decided he can have a greater impact with the MLB club, even in a less defined role.

In other coaching news from around the league…

  • In addition to hiring a new first base coach, the Rays could look to hire a couple of additional coaches to replace Jonathan Erlichman, the former process and analytics coach, and Dan DeMent, the former assistant hitting coach (per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Erlichman has taken on a new role with the team, while DeMent has parted ways with the organization after 13 years as a minor league coach and two with the big league club. The Rays have another assistant hitting coach, Brady North, and with Erlichman remaining in the organization, they don’t necessarily need to hire a direct replacement for either Erlichman or DeMent. As Topkin notes, the Rays could look to add a couple of coaches in new roles instead.
  • On Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Franciso Chronicle discussed the Giants’ director of pitching role, which has been vacant since the White Sox hired away Brian Bannister to be their senior pitching advisor. She suggests Bryan Price, a long-time pitching coach and former Reds manager, to fill the role. Price is currently employed as a senior advisor to the coaching staff in San Diego, but it’s not out of the question he could come over to San Francisco alongside Bob Melvin, Matt Williams, and Ryan Christenson. Price spent 14 years as a pitching coach for the Mariners, Diamondbacks, Reds, and Phillies. He announced his retirement as a pitching coach after the 2020 season, but a director of pitching job could represent an intriguing new opportunity for the veteran coach.
  • Joey Cora, the Mets’ third base coach in 2022 and ’23, has drawn interest for several coaching positions around the league, per Andy Martino of SNY. Cora, the elder brother of Red Sox manager Alex Cora, has been coaching since 2004. His contract with the Mets expired at the end of October. In further Mets news, Martino notes that first base coach Wayne Kirby’s contract has also expired. Evidently, the team saw no reason to retain all of their coaches without a new manager in place.

Latest On Astros’ Managerial Search

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After four seasons under veteran manager Dusty Baker, in which the Astros won three division titles, two AL pennants, and one World Series, the team is on the hunt for a new skipper. Baker, who had been managing on and off since 1993, announced his retirement following Houston’s loss in Game 7 of the ALCS. Presumably, the Astros always knew this was a possibility – Baker’s contract was up at the end of the season – but the manager didn’t tell the team his decision until last week. Thus, it comes as little surprise that general manager Dana Brown will take his time searching for a replacement.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday (including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com), Brown revealed the team has no timeframe to hire a manager. In fact, they have not yet begun to interview candidates. “We’re not going to rush through this,” he explained.

Brown’s comments conflict with a statement owner and chairman Jim Crane made a few days ago, when he said, “We’ll work on [hiring a new manager] quickly… We’ll have a fluid search and work as fast as we can to get somebody in place” (per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle).

Nevertheless, it makes sense why the Astros aren’t hurrying this decision. Baker, 74, won’t be easy to replace. While his choices didn’t always sit well with more analytically inclined fans, he brought decades of experience to the table. He earned his first managerial gig before most of today’s active managers had even begun their playing careers. Moreover, he is widely respected and beloved around the game for his people skills and unique style of leadership.

As Brown said, “I’m looking for someone with some leadership ability, someone that could run the clubhouse, of course, looking for someone with great feel for players and managing players.” In other words, he’s looking for another Dusty Baker.

A long and drawn-out hiring process isn’t out of character for the Astros, who waited until January last offseason to hire Brown as their new GM. Crane played an unusually influential role in the team’s decision-making over the first two and a half months of the offseason, as did front office adviser Jeff Bagwell. In the same vein, Crane and Bagwell will reportedly have an “immense say” in choosing the next manager of the Astros, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

While Brown insisted that he has no timeline, he thinks it’s possible he could set up interviews during the general manager’s meetings, which begin November 7. The team is clearly in the preliminary stages of the hiring process, but they are widely expected to consider bench coach Joe Espada and former Tigers and Angels manager Brad Ausmus. More recently, they were linked to former Brewers manager Craig Counsell, whose contract with Milwaukee officially expired on Tuesday. McTaggart notes that third base coach Omar López could be another contender.

Padres Took Out A $50MM Loan In September To Cover Payroll

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As reported by Evan Drellich, Dennis Lin, and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Padres took out a $50MM loan in September to address “short-term cash flow issues” and cover their player payroll, among other expenses. That $50MM figure is particularly interesting, considering a previous report from Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune that the team is hoping to reduce payroll by about $50MM in 2024. 

The Padres ran a top-five payroll in the sport for a second straight season in 2023, yet they failed to make the playoffs, finishing two games back of a Wild Card berth. Evidently, strong ticket sales (only the Dodgers had higher attendance) weren’t enough to convince ownership to double down in hopes of better results next year. The fact that the team needed to take out a sizeable loan – and that they missed out on postseason revenue – might explain why.

Ultimately, however, it’s hard to say whether this news is an indication of trouble for the Padres or simply a standard practice of running a baseball team. The reporters from The Athletic note that MLB teams “commonly” take out lines of credit, and it could be seen as a good sign that the Padres were deemed suitable for such a sizeable loan in the first place. To that point, the lender was reportedly willing to provide as much as $100MM.

Then again, it’s concerning that the team needed such a large sum of money so late in the season; it’s hard not to read into that as a sign of poor financial planning. Indeed, the news of the loan is said to have taken some MLB officials by surprise.

For what it’s worth, it was the league’s head office that prevented the Padres from taking all $100MM they were offered by their lender. That could be a sign that the team is in real financial trouble – the commissioner doesn’t generally allow teams to take on more debt than they can afford – but it could also be a broader indication that other owners simply don’t approve of San Diego running such a high payroll. After all, the Padres took many by surprise with their aggressive spending over the past few years, showing that a so-called “smaller market” team can indeed compete with the financial giants from New York and L.A. As the reporters from The Athletic point out, some owners consider the Padres’ spending to be reckless – and commissioner Rob Manfred has implied he feels the same way.

Nonetheless, several team officials repeated the idea that this loan was nothing more than business as usual, whether speaking on behalf of the team or not. Padres CEO Erik Greupner said in a statement that the team “established a capital plan for 2023” and that they operated “in accordance with that plan.” On a similar note, an anonymous team official told Drellich, Lin, and Rosenthal, “We anticipated we may need [the loan] at some point this year. We’re not in crisis.”

Another anonymous official told The Athletic, “The levels of payroll that we’ve been at have probably reasonably been in excess of what we could have supported, but it was part of the larger plan.”

Still, the Padres’ financial situation is something to monitor going forward. If temporarily spending more than they could afford on player payroll was always part of the team’s master plan, then it remains to be seen how the rest of the plan will play out. This past season certainly didn’t go as expected, and several of the team’s top contributors could become free agents in the coming days. It will be challenging to fill those holes while significantly reducing payroll.

In other words, it’s hard to imagine the on-field product improving next season without suitable replacements for Blake Snell, Josh Hader, and Seth Lugo (pending his opt-out decision) – and even more so if the team trades Juan Soto. Unfortunately, that might be the only way they can reduce payroll by such a large amount. Per roster resource, the team already has an estimated 2024 payroll of $190MM and an estimated luxury tax payroll of $242.9MM. Soto alone is projected to make $33MM in arbitration, per MLBTR’s Matt Swartz.

Jacob Barnes Elects Free Agency

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Right-handed pitcher Jacob Barnes has cleared outright waivers and elected free agency, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. This move frees up another spot on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster, which now has six open spaces. However, the team still has five players on the 60-day injured list who will require a 40-man spot in the offseason.

Barnes was released by the Rangers and Phillies organizations in 2023 before signing a minor league deal with the Cardinals in July. The big league team selected his contract in August, and he spent the rest of the season on the active roster, appearing in 13 games and pitching to a 5.93 ERA in a low-leverage relief role. He struck out eight and walked three while giving up 18 hits in 13 2/3 innings.

At 33 years old, Barnes is an eight-year MLB veteran, having spent time with the Brewers, Royals, Angels, Mets, Blue Jays, Tigers, Mariners, Yankees, and Cardinals. He also pitched in the minors for the Phillies and Rangers. Across 265 career games, he has seven saves, 33 holds, and a 4.76 ERA.

The veteran right-hander is now eligible to sign with a new organization – perhaps the 12th of his professional career, or perhaps a reunion with one of his previous clubs. Although he isn’t much more than an innings eater out of the bullpen, Barnes is a durable and capable big league arm. He has made double-digit appearances in each of the past eight MLB seasons, and he should be able to find a team to help him make it nine.

Max Scherzer, Adolis García Leave World Series Game 3 With Injuries

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10:26 pm: Max Scherzer told reporters after the game, including Bob Nightengale of USA Today, that his back locked up ahead of the fourth inning. The spasm was unrelated to the batted ball that hit him in the back earlier in the game (per Alden González of ESPN). As reported by Levi Weaver of The Athletic, Scherzer has had this issue before; sometimes, it clears within two or three days, but on some occasions, it has been significantly worse. Thus, his availability for the rest of the series is up in the air.

García, meanwhile, is set to undergo an MRI, per Nightengale.

10:15 pm: Although the Rangers beat the Diamondbacks to take a 2-1 lead in the World Series, it wasn’t all good news for Texas on Monday night. Two of the club’s biggest stars left the game early with injuries: future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer and postseason hero Adolis García.

Scherzer took the mound in the bottom of the fourth, but he would leave the field without throwing another pitch. He held the Diamondbacks scoreless over three innings, needing just 36 pitches to get the first nine outs. However, as he began to warm up for the fourth, manager Bruce Bochy and a trainer came to the mound and walked the 39-year-old off the field. Soon after, the team announced that he had left the game with back tightness (per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic). Presumably, the injury was caused by a comebacker from Alek Thomas that hit him squarely in the back during the second inning.

Scherzer missed the first two series of the postseason as he continued to rehab from the teres major strain he suffered during the regular season. He returned for the ALCS, but after a couple of rough outings, he told reporters (including David Lennon of Newsday) that a cut on his thumb was affecting his performance. Now, yet another injury has prevented the long-time ace from pitching like his typical self in the playoffs. It remains unclear if he will be available for a potential Game 7, should the series reach that point.

Jon Gray was lights out in relief of Scherzer, pitching three scoreless innings of his own, striking out three, and giving up just one hit. He collected the win, the first postseason victory of his career. Unfortunately, that means he won’t be available for Game 4 tomorrow; previously, he had seemed like the leading candidate to get the start. Now, it’s likely that Bochy will hand the ball to one of Dane Dunning or Andrew Heaney, although the leash will be short for either one.

García exited later in the game with tightness in his left side (per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News). He seemed to hurt himself on a bad swing, as he flew out to end the eighth. While the Rangers have not yet provided more specific details about his injury (presumably, he needs to undergo some tests), it seems likely the problem is in his oblique. That could be bad news for the Rangers offense, of which García has been, perhaps, the most productive performer. Entering Game 3, he was leading his team in batting average, slugging percentage, home runs, and RBI in the postseason.

Alex Cobb To Undergo Hip Surgery

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Alex Cobb will undergo surgery on his left hip labrum tomorrow, the Giants announced to reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). The surgery will also address the impingement issues that ended his 2023 season midway through September. The right-hander will need approximately six months to return to pitching, to say nothing of his readiness for the major leagues. That puts his earliest return at some point in May 2024.

The 36-year-old was a valuable contributor to the Giants’ rotation before his season came to an early end, making 28 starts with a 3.87 ERA. He pitched especially well in the first half, posting a 2.91 ERA through 16 starts and making the first All-Star Game of his 12-year career. Unfortunately, his performance was rather uneven in the second half; he threw a complete game gem on August 29, but he also failed to escape the fifth inning on three separate occasions. Presumably, the nagging issues in his hip were affecting his stuff down the stretch.

Cobb has a $10MM team option for next season, with a $2MM buyout. Before this latest update, it seemed like a no-brainer the Giants would pick up the option (Pavlovic notes they were indeed planning to do so), and it remains the most likely course of action. If Cobb returns in May and pitches like he has over his first two seasons with San Francisco, a net $8MM will be a small price for the Giants to pay.

Still, with Cobb on the shelf, the Giants’ need for starting pitching only intensifies. Logan Webb will be an anchor atop the rotation next season, but the team is lacking trustworthy options behind its ace. Alex Wood is a free agent. Sean Manaea, who pitched to a 4.44 ERA (but a 4.18 xERA and 3.83 SIERA) in 117 2/3 innings between the rotation and bullpen, can opt out of his contract after the World Series. Meanwhile, Ross Stripling has already said he doesn’t plan to exercise his opt-out clause, but that’s only because he pitched too poorly in 2023 to command a better deal on the open market. In 22 games (11 starts), the veteran righty posted a 5.36 ERA, a 5.58 xERA, and a 4.13 SIERA.

Anthony DeSclafani, 33, is under contract through next season. He made 19 appearances (18 starts) in 2023, pitching to a 4.88 ERA, a 5.16 xERA, and a 4.37 SIERA. On top of his mediocre results, he spent most of the second half on the injured list with a flexor strain, marking his second straight injury-plagued campaign. Barring a setback, he should be ready for spring training next year, but he hardly seems like a reliable option for a mid-rotation role.

The Giants also have some promising young arms, but none have proven themselves ready to play a major role in the big league rotation. Top prospect Kyle Harrison made his MLB debut in August, joining the starting staff for the final six weeks of the season. His 4.15 ERA was impressive for a 22-year-old rookie, but his 4.45 SIERA and 4.48 xERA suggest he still has plenty of room for improvement. Meanwhile, 25-year-old Keaton Winn struggled his way through five starts in his rookie season, posting a 6.04 ERA in 25 1/3 innings pitched. Tristan Beck could get a shot in the rotation, too, although he had success pitching out of the bullpen in 2023. Finally, prospects like Carson Whisenhunt, Landen Roupp, and Mason Black have yet to make their big league debuts.

Thus, the Giants should be active on the starting pitching market this winter. They have signed numerous starters to eight-figure deals over the past two offseasons, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they look to add multiple starters once again.

Diamondbacks Claim Chris Rodriguez

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While the Diamondbacks are preparing to host their first World Series game in over twenty years, they’re already thinking about the future. The team claimed right-handed pitcher Chris Rodriguez off of waivers from the Angels, according to his player page on MLB.com (and as first reported by Robert Murray of FanSided). Rodriguez spent the entire 2022 and ’23 seasons on the injured list following shoulder surgery.

When he last took the field, Rodriguez was a promising young arm with a high-velocity fastball and a nasty curve. Entering the 2021 season, Baseball America ranked him as the No. 3 prospect in the Angels system, praising his “wicked stuff” and “tantalizing four-pitch mix.” Across 15 games (2 starts) in his rookie campaign, he posted a 3.64 ERA, 3.50 xERA, and 4.29 SIERA. His 11.2% walk rate was cause for concern, yet he made up for it with an excellent 54.7% groundball rate. Even then, however, health was a problem for the righty. He missed all of the 2018 season and most of 2019 with back injuries before his shoulder started to cause problems in 2021. He would need capsule repair surgery, ending his rookie season, and he has not returned to a major league mound since. In addition to his long rehab for his shoulder, Rodriguez also dealt with a setback related to his back in 2023, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.

Despite all his injury trouble, it’s easy to see why Arizona was interested in Rodriguez. Still just 25 years old, he’s not so far removed from all the potential he had in his prospect days, although he has to prove he can stay on the field long enough to rediscover what made him such a highly-regarded talent. The Diamondbacks, for their part, have done well to help their pitchers thrive in recent years. Zac Gallen has become one of the best pitchers in baseball since he was dealt to D-backs in 2019. Merrill Kelly became a reliable MLB starter in his thirties after several seasons in the KBO. Kevin Ginkel, a 22nd-round pick, has blossomed into one of the better relievers in baseball. Most recently, the Diamondbacks raised Brandon Pfaadt from fifth-round pick to top-100 prospect to postseason hero. Arizona’s pitching coach, Brent Strom, is widely considered one of the most knowledgeable pitching gurus in the league.

It’s a little harder to see why the Angels would let Rodriguez go. They will surely need pitching depth in 2024, and with the possible departure of Shohei Ohtani, it’s difficult to picture this team in the thick of the playoff race next season. Nevertheless, they seem to have decided that Rodriguez’s 40-man roster spot was too valuable to use on a player who hasn’t pitched in over two years. The 25-year-old has spent most of the past two seasons on the 60-day injured list, but there is no 60-day IL during the offseason, so the Angels would have had to add him back to the 40-man after the World Series, thereby giving them one less open spot for potential offseason additions.

Frank Howard Passes Away

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Former major league player, coach, and manager Frank Howard has passed away, per an announcement from the Nationals. He was 87 years old.

“Growing up a baseball fan in Washington D.C., Frank Howard was my hero,” reads a statement from Nationals managing principal owner Mark D. Lerner. “The towering home runs he hit into the stands at RFK Stadium gave him the nickname ’Capital Punisher,’ but I’ll always remember him as a kind and gentle man. The entire Lerner family would like to offer our thoughts and condolences to Frank’s family during this difficult time. The world of baseball has truly lost a giant.”

Although Howard never played or coached for the Nationals/Expos franchise, he was a beloved figure in the city of Washington thanks to his seven-year tenure with the Senators. From 1965 to 1971 (the team’s last years in the nation’s capital before becoming the Texas Rangers), Howard played in over 1,000 games for the Senators, hitting 237 of his 382 career home runs. He made four consecutive All-Star teams from 1968-71 and earned MVP votes in four separate seasons, finishing fourth in 1969. In 2016, he was selected to the Washington Nationals Ring of Honor for his significant contributions to the game of baseball in Washington, D.C.

After seven years in Washington, Howard moved with the team to Arlington for the inaugural season of Rangers baseball in 1972. However, following an uncharacteristically slow start to the season, his contract was sold to the Tigers in August. He would play one more season in Detroit, the last of his MLB career, before finishing out his playing days with a brief stint for the Taiheiyo Club Lions in Japan. Still, Howard will be best remembered for his time with the Senators/Rangers franchise.

“The Texas Rangers are saddened by the passing of one of the top sluggers in franchise history, outfielder-first baseman Frank Howard, who died this morning at the age of 87. He was the oldest living expansion Washington Senator at the time of his passing,” reads a statement from the Rangers organization. “Howard was a bigger than life personality who was very popular with his teammates and the fans in Washington and Texas. The Rangers extend their deepest condolences to Mr. Howard’s family and friends. He will be greatly missed.”

Before his time with the Senators, Howard played parts of seven seasons for the Dodgers. Indeed, the 6-foot-7 outfielder turned down an opportunity to play in the NBA to sign with baseball’s brand new LA team out of college. He played a handful of games in 1958 and ’59 before breaking onto the scene in 1960, slashing .268/.320/.464 with 23 home runs in 117 games, en route to NL Rookie of the Year honors. Three years later, he was a member of the 1963 World Series champion team. He started in right field in three out of four games, batting .300 with a 1.000 OPS and helping the Dodgers sweep the Yankees to collect their third World Series title. His go-ahead, Game 4 home run off of Whitey Ford is undoubtedly one of the most memorable blasts in franchise history.

Following his days as a player, Howard wasted little time getting back in the dugout. He spent four seasons as a coach for the Brewers from 1977-80 before earning his first managerial gig with the Padres. The former slugger lasted just one year at the helm for San Diego (the strike-shortened 1981 campaign) but got right back on his feet with the Mets, who offered him a coaching job in 1982 and another brief shot in the manager’s chair in 1983. Howard spent most of the next 16 years in various coaching roles around baseball, working for the Mets and Brewers again, as well as the Mariners, Yankees, and Rays (then the Devil Rays). He stepped down from coaching in 2000, instead taking on a job as a player development instructor for the Yankees.

From Rookie of the Year to world champion, from perennial All-Star to home run king, Howard went by many names and titles throughout his decades-long career in professional baseball. Still, he will always be remembered as “Hondo,” a promising up-and-comer in LA, a local legend in Washington, and a true baseball lifer. We at MLB Trade Rumors extend our condolences to Howard’s family, friends, and loved ones.

NL Notes: Giants, Schumaker, Kelly

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The Giants recently signed veteran skipper Bob Melvin to a three-year deal, filling their managerial vacancy ahead of what could be a busy offseason. However, if they had not been able to woo Melvin, they likely would have hired either Mariners bullpen coach Stephen Vogt or Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza (per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). The only other candidates to receive an interview were Giants coaches Alyssa Nakken, Kai Correa, and Mark Hallberg, although the team also expressed interest in Red Sox player information coach Jason Varitek, Angels third base coach Bill Haselman, and Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley.

Mendoza’s candidacy comes as something of a surprise; he is seen as a possible contender for the Guardians managerial opening, but he had not previously been linked to the Giants.

After four years as a player in the Yankees farm system, Mendoza moved into a minor league coaching role in 2009. Over the next nine seasons, he took on various coaching roles at various levels before he was promoted to the big league staff ahead of the 2018 campaign. He spent two years as the infield coach and has been Aaron Boone’s bench coach since 2020.

More coaching and managerial news from around the Senior Circuit…

  • Jon Heyman of the New York Post identifies Marlins manager Skip Schumaker as a potential target for the Padres – the team loved him during his tenure as a coach in San Diego – although it doesn’t seem likely that the Marlins will give him permission to interview with another club. The 2024 season will be the last guaranteed year on the skipper’s contract, but Miami has a club option for the 2025 campaign. Still, Heyman suggests the rookie manager might already be looking to move on; he is reportedly upset with the way the team pushed former GM Kim Ng out of her role. Ng hired Schumaker last October, and presumably, he planned on working with her for more than a single season.
  • Heyman also brings up Pirates bench coach Don Kelly, dubbing the former utility player a “future manager” – although he doesn’t link him to any specific teams. In fact, Kelly isn’t planning to throw his hat in the ring for any of the managerial openings around the league. Following the recent passing of his father-in-law Tom Walker, he would prefer to remain close to family in Pittsburgh, where he has spent the past four seasons working under manager Derek Shelton.

AL Notes: Astros, Angels, White Sox, Tigers, Orioles

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Dusty Baker might be finished as a manager, but the baseball lifer has a job in the Astros front office anytime he wants it. Owner Jim Crane told reporters (including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com) that Baker is “always welcome” in the Astros organization. Meanwhile, the long-time skipper said he is “retiring from the field” but hasn’t made up his mind about what comes next (per Chandler Rome of The Athletic).

As for hiring a new manager to replace Baker, the Astros are just beginning their search. Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggests that bench coach Joe Espada and former Tigers and Angels manager Brad Ausmus are “strong candidates.” Ausmus was a contender for the Astros GM position last offseason and the managerial opening back in 2020. Espada was another candidate in the team’s last managerial search, and he has interviewed for numerous other managing jobs in the years since. McTaggart also identified several contenders for the gig, including Ausmus, Espada, and Diamondbacks bench coach Jeff Banister.

More news from around the American League…

  • After four years on the Angels’ coaching staff (three as pitching coach), Matt Wise has accepted a new job as the bullpen coach for the White Sox, as first reported by Ken Rosenthal and Sam Blum of The Athletic. While going from pitching coach to bullpen coach might seem like a step backward, Wise was something of a sitting duck in the Angels organization. Los Angeles is looking to hire a new manager after parting ways with Phil Nevin, and that new manager will presumably want to hire a coaching staff of his own.
  • The Tigers, meanwhile, need a new first base coach. According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Alfredo Amézaga will not return to A.J. Hinch’s coaching staff next season. He joined the staff ahead of the 2023 campaign after previously working as a minor league coach in the Braves organization. Amézaga is also a manager in the Mexican Winter League.
  • Finally, over in the AL East, the Orioles made some changes in their scouting and player development departments. A dozen front office staffers were promoted to new roles, including Matt Blood, the new vice president of player development and domestic scouting; Koby Perez, the new vice president of international scouting and operations; and Anthony Villa, the new director of player development (per Roch Kubatko of MASN). Blood was the previous director of player development, while Perez served as director of international scouting. Villa was the minor league hitting coordinator in 2023.

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