Mark Polishuk | MLB Trade Rumors

Poll: The Phillies’ Managerial Finalists

By Mark Polishuk | October 17, 2019 at 10:28pm CDT

The Phillies’ managerial search appears to be down to three candidates, who combine for 53 years of experience at running a Major League team. Gabe Kapler was a first-time manager who took an analytics-heavy approach to his role as the Phils’ skipper, though after two disappointing years, Kapler was fired to make way for a more seasoned hand in the dugout. This isn’t to say that Dusty Baker, Joe Girardi, or Buck Showalter aren’t open to modern ideas, yet it’s clear that the Phillies are looking for, in the words of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Breen, a mix of “analytics and tradition.”

While it could be argued how “new school” or “old school” the three candidates are, one thing is for certain — Baker, Girardi, and Showalter all have outstanding track records.

Baker: 1863-1636 record over 22 seasons managing the Giants (1993-2002), Cubs (2003-06), Reds (2008-13), and Nationals (2016-17); 14 winning seasons; eight postseason appearances, seven division titles, one league pennant

Girardi: 988-794 record over 11 seasons managing the Marlins (2006) and Yankees (2008-17); 10 winning seasons; six postseason appearances, three division titles, one World Series championship

Showalter: 1551-1517 record over 20 seasons managing the Yankees (1992-95), Diamondbacks (1998-2000), Rangers (2003-06), Orioles (2010-18); 10 winning seasons; five postseason appearances, two division titles

Between managing contenders, also-rans, rebuilding teams, and (in Girardi’s case) World Series champions, the three skippers have basically seen it all in their careers, which should help in dealing with a Phillies team that has a lot of talent, but was also hamstrung by injuries and a lack of production in some key areas over the last two seasons.

As much as the Phillies were expected to contend this year, they haven’t yet gotten into that tier of the sport’s top teams — which is nothing unusual for Baker and Showalter, who have each molded losing teams into playoff contenders on multiple occasions. Girardi didn’t exactly have the same rebuilding experience when he took over the consistently-winning Yankees following Joe Torre’s departure, though he withstood a decade in the Bronx pressure cooker, and kept the Yankees above .500 from 2013-16 during what counts, by New York’s standards, as a rebuilding period (only one postseason appearance in those four years).

If you ran the Phillies, which of these three managers would you hire to get your team over the top? (Poll link for app users.)

Who would you hire as the Phillies' manager?

Joe Girardi 60.90% (9,371 votes)

Buck Showalter 22.45% (3,454 votes)

Dusty Baker 16.66% (2,563 votes)

Total Votes: 15,388

AL Central Notes: Castellanos, Perez, Lovelady

By Mark Polishuk | October 17, 2019 at 9:24pm CDT

As BBWAA writers in Detroit prepare to vote on the “Tiger Of The Year” award, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reveals that his vote will go to a player who didn’t suit up for the Tigers after the trade deadline — Nicholas Castellanos. A case could certainly be made that Castellanos was still the best performer on the woeful Tigers, though Fenech took something of a more symbolic stance, arguing that Castellanos “provided a fitting look at the front office’s failure to gain serious ground in their rebuilding process.” After several months of fruitless attempts to move Castellanos, Detroit finally unloaded the slugger to the Cubs for two decent but unspectacular pitching prospects, only to see Castellanos start tearing the cover off the ball after arriving in Chicago.

“How did the Tigers not know this hitter was in there? And why does every player that leave Detroit improve?” Fenech asks, also wondering why the club didn’t make more of an effort to extend a player who openly desired to be a long-term piece for the Tigers. Instead, the lack of progress on either a trade or an extension seemed to wear on Castellanos in the first half of the year, which didn’t help his trade value.

AL West Notes: Espada, Rendon, Athletics

By Mark Polishuk | October 17, 2019 at 7:53pm CDT

Astros bench coach Joe Espada has been linked to another managerial opening, as MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link) that the Giants have asked the Astros for permission to speak to Espada. This will mark the third team who has put Espada on their radar this offseason, as he has already interviewed with the Cubs and received some consideration from the Angels before Los Angeles hired Joe Maddon. At least three more teams (the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Rangers) all considered Espada for managerial vacancies last offseason, as well.

As Heyman notes, San Francisco’s list of known candidates consists of “mostly younger guys” who have never managed at the Major League level before, like the 44-year-old Espada. Gabe Kapler and Mike Matheny (who has to be interviewed for the job) are the only candidates who have been big league skippers, though Kapler is only 44 years old and Matheny is 49. Longtime Giants coach Ron Wotus, at 58, is the oldest of the candidates. It certainly seems as though Giants president of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi is looking to follow the league’s recent trend towards younger, more analytically-inclined dugout bosses, though Zaidi said earlier this month that he was going to embark on a rather extensive search, so more candidates could still emerge.

MLBTR Chat Transcript: Cole, Angels, Padres, Ozuna

By Mark Polishuk | October 17, 2019 at 6:58pm CDT

Click here to access (and submit questions to) tonight’s baseball chat, moderated by MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk

Latest On Padres’ Managerial Search

By Mark Polishuk | October 17, 2019 at 5:12pm CDT

TODAY: “Many folks around baseball believe” Tingler will be hired as the Padres’ next manager, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). While nothing is yet confirmed, “Tingler is seen as [the] favorite.”

OCT. 16: The Padres could be nearing the final steps in their search for a new manager, as two candidates will receive second interviews for the position. Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link) report that Jayce Tingler is in San Diego today, while Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Ron Washington will also meet with the team later this week. These secondary interviews will involve Padres ownership for the first time, as executive chairman Ron Fowler and general partner Peter Seidler will be meeting with Tingler and Washington.

It isn’t known if any of the other known candidates from the Padres’ first round of interviews will also be brought back for a second meeting, or if Tingler and Washington are the only two finalists for the job (or if any candidates could still surface in the future). As per Acee, Fowler and Seidler will give their input but the final hiring is with GM A.J. Preller, which makes for an interesting dynamic given Preller’s connection to both candidates.

The expectation was that San Diego would go with an experienced former big league skipper with their new hire, after failing to find success with a first-time manager in Andy Green. Of the five people interviewed for the job, however, only Washington and Brad Ausmus had any substantial MLB experience. Tingler and Nationals third base coach Bob Henley have only managed minor league clubs, while Padres bench coach Rod Barajas served as the team’s interim manager for the final eight games of the season after Green was fired.

If experience is still seen as a key factor in the Padres’ decision-making, Washington would have the clear advantage, with a 664-611 record and two AL pennants on his resume as the Rangers’ manager from 2007-14. This overlapped with Preller’s time working in the Texas front office, though Preller also worked with Tingler during this same period. Tingler was a manager for the Rangers’ Dominican Summer League and Arizona League clubs, and also worked as the Rangers’ minor league field coordinator from 2012-14. Tingler’s current role is player development field coordinator for Texas, after working in jobs ranging from assistant GM to interim bench coach over the last five seasons.

Latest On Adam Wainwright’s Future

By Mark Polishuk | October 17, 2019 at 4:25pm CDT

In the wake of the Cardinals being swept out of the National League Championship Series, it isn’t surprising that Adam Wainwright was more focused on the end of his club’s season than he was on his future plans. The 38-year-old righty told MLB.com’s Adam Berry and other reporters after Game Four of the NLCS that “I haven’t even thought about” what he might do for the 2020 season, though “we’ll talk about it over the next couple weeks.”

If the veteran does decide to hang up his glove after 14 seasons, Wainwright will have gone out on a very high note. He posted a 4.19 ERA, 8.02 K/9, 48.8% grounder rate, and 2.39 K/BB rate over 171 2/3 frames for St. Louis this season, and then delivered a 1.62 ERA over 16 2/3 innings during the Cards’ playoff run.

While not at the level of Wainwright’s ace-like prime in 2009-14 (a stretch that saw him earn four top-three finishes in NL Cy Young Award voting), it was still the right-hander’s best season of the last half-decade. Wainwright has been hampered by injuries in recent years, so it’s no wonder that his performance began to improve once his nagging elbow problems finally began to subside. Aside from a 10-day minimum stint on the injured list due to a balky hamstring in June, 2019 was a very healthy campaign for Wainwright, as he passed the 170-inning plateau for the eighth time in his career.

Signed to a one-year deal for just $2MM in guaranteed money, Wainwright ended up earning $10MM by maxing out his incentives. Wainwright re-signed with St. Louis last offseason before October was even over, so another quick deal isn’t out of the question if Wainwright and the Cardinals have a mutual interest in continuing their partnership with as little drama as possible, though it’s fair to wonder whether other teams might also be keen on talking to Wainwright on the open market.

Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, and Dakota Hudson project as the Cards’ top three starters for 2020, and with Michael Wacha unlikely to return, there would certainly seem to be room for Wainwright to once again suit up as the veteran leader of the St. Louis rotation. Wainwright’s presence would help stabilize an otherwise uncertain back of the rotation, as the Cardinals would then have their younger options (Daniel Ponce de Leon, Austin Gomber, Genesis Cabrera or possibly Alex Reyes if healthy) battling over one rotation job, rather than two. Of course, the Cardinals could also augment this mix with another veteran arm via free agency or trade, even if Wainwright does return.

AL Central Notes: Matheny, Twins, Indians

By Mark Polishuk | October 16, 2019 at 12:33pm CDT

October 16 is an important date in the histories of the Royals and White Sox, as the two teams each clinched the American League pennant on this day back in 1985 and 2005, respectively. Kansas City recorded a 6-2 win over the Blue Jays in Game Seven of the 1985 ALCS, completing the comeback after being down 3-1 in the series and winning the second AL pennant in club history. The Royals went on to take the further step of capturing the franchise’s first World Series that came October, topping the Cardinals in another seven-game set. The 2005 ALCS was also Chicago’s first step en route to a World Series title, as the White Sox beat the Angels in five games before sweeping the Astros in the Fall Classic. 2005 ended a pair of long droughts for the White Sox, as it marked the club’s first pennant since 1959 and its first World Series title since 1917.

News from around the AL Central…

The Giants, Padres, and Mets have all shown some interest in Royals special advisor Mike Matheny as a possible candidate to fill their managerial vacancies, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan writes. Matheny hasn’t been linked to any of those clubs for an interview, however, and “word has it that the Padres are going another direction,” Flanagan writes. [UPDATE: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Giants hadn’t spoken to Matheny as of three days ago.] All three of those teams have already amassed a long list of candidates for interviews, as you can follow via MLB Trade Rumors’ central post for the many rumors and reports floating around concerning the offseason managerial carousel. Matheny has also been widely tabbed as the leading contender to be the Royals’ next manager, and while Flanagan notes that Matheny’s hiring is “not as certain as it once was,” the former Cardinals skipper still appears to be “the odds-on favorite” for the job.
Byron Buxton stands out as a prime extension candidate this offseason, MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park opines, looking at the Twins’ model in extending Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco last spring. Both of those players were coming off solid but not surefire breakout seasons (Polanco’s year was also marred by an 80-game PED suspension) in 2018, while Buxton is similarly coming off something of a mixed 2019 campaign. He hit .262/.314/.513 with 10 homers in 295 PA while contributing excellent baserunning and center field defense, though Buxton’s year was marred by injuries, including season-ending shoulder surgery that could cause him to miss the start of Spring Training. With this health uncertainty in mind, Buxton could have interest in locking in a long-term payday, though he would be foregoing potentially big arbitration raises in both 2021 and 2022 (Buxton has three arb years left as a Super Two player). Buxton has also achieved some financial security already, with close to $9.5MM in career earnings that includes his $6MM signing bonus as the second overall pick of the 2021 draft. Beyond Buxton, Park figures Jose Berrios and Miguel Sano are also extension candidates.
Assuming the Indians are no longer cutting costs, the Athletic’s Zack Meisel (subscription required) estimates that the Tribe could have roughly $17MM to spend this winter. The current payroll sits at $102MM, as Meisel calculates based on current salaries, some minimum contracts, and MLBTR’s projected salaries for Cleveland’s arbitration-eligible players (with a few non-tender candidates not counted). That leaves the Tribe short of their $119.5MM Opening Day payroll from 2019, giving the club some extra cash to pursue needed help in the infield and outfield. Meisel also guesses the Indians could look into some future payroll certainty by discussing extensions with Mike Clevinger and/or Shane Bieber.

Angels Hire Joe Maddon

By Mark Polishuk | October 16, 2019 at 11:24am CDT

11:24AM: Maddon’s contract is a three-year deal worth $12MM, Jeff Fletcher tweets.

10:03AM: The Angels have hired Joe Maddon to be the team’s next manager. Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group reported (Twitter link) that an agreement had been reached, after MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported earlier today that Maddon and the Angels were closing in on a deal. Official terms of the contract haven’t been released, though ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers reported that Maddon is expected to earn roughly $12MM-$15MM over a three-year deal.

“We are thrilled that Joe is coming back home and bringing an exciting brand of baseball to our fans,” Angels GM Billy Eppler said in an official press release from the team. “Every stop he has made throughout his managerial career he has built a culture that is focused on winning while also allowing his players to thrive. We believe Joe will be a great asset for our Club and look forward to him leading the team to another World Series Championship.”

The signing represents something of a homecoming for Maddon, who was a member of the Angels organization from 1975-2005. After playing four seasons of minor league ball in the Halos’ farm system, Maddon transitioned into scouting, coaching, and managing within the team’s minor league ranks before joining the Major League coaching staff prior to the 1994 season. Maddon worked as the first base coach and bench coach, serving in the latter role in 2002 during the Angels’ World Series championship year.

From there, Maddon went on to amass a 1225-1044 record over 14 seasons managing the Rays and Cubs, a resume that includes eight postseason appearances, four division titles, both an American League and National League pennant, and (of course) the 2016 World Series title that ended the Cubs’ championship drought after 107 years.

The 65-year-old Maddon has developed a reputation as one of the game’s more innovative motivators and thinkers, though as far back as a year ago, it seemed like rumors were already swirling that 2019 would be Maddon’s last year at Wrigley Field. Those rumors came to fruition after the Cubs missed the postseason for the first time in Maddon’s tenure (though the team still had a winning record at 84-78), and the Cubs announced that Maddon wouldn’t be brought back on a new contract for 2020 and beyond.

This technically isn’t Maddon’s first time managing the Angels, as his long tenure with the club included two separate stints (totaling 51 games) as an interim manager. But now he’ll officially take over in the dugout following the abrupt and rather surprising dismissal of Brad Ausmus, who was let go just one season into a three-year deal with Los Angeles. Speculation immediately began to build about a Maddon/Angels reunion as soon as Maddon’s parting with the Cubs became official, and since Ausmus’ firing came quickly after Maddon became available, it seemed like it was only just a matter of time before Maddon returned to Anaheim. Still, the Angels did some due diligence in their search, also speaking to former Buck Showalter, John Farrell, and Johnny Washington about the manager’s job. Showalter was the runner-up for the position, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets.

Maddon also received some interest from the Padres about their managerial vacancy, though seemingly no official connection between the two sides was ever made. With eight teams in search for new managers this offseason, the fact that Maddon only formally interviewed with the Angels could indicate that they were each other’s top choice all along, as Maddon would have seemingly been a fit for several other teams in need for new bench bosses. The Phillies, for instance, have been looking at veteran managers and theoretically would’ve been a prime fit for Maddon, a Pennsylvania native.

The Angels are coming off a 72-90 record in Ausmus’ only season as manager, a disappointing year on the field that was overshadowed by the tragic death of Tyler Skaggs. Maddon will now be taking over an organization still reeling from Skaggs’ loss, as well as potential future ramifications that could stem from the circumstances surrounding his death.

In terms of on-field matters, the Angels haven’t had a winning record since 2015 and have reached the postseason only once in the last ten seasons (a three-game sweep at the hands of the Royals in the 2014 ALDS). It isn’t a sterling record for any team, though the Angels’ lack of success particularly stands out given the presence of Mike Trout. Despite having baseball’s best player for the bulk of the decade, Los Angeles has been consistently hampered by injuries and a lack of return from high-priced acquisitions (such as Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Vernon Wells, and C.J. Wilson).

Between Maddon’s hiring and the fact that Eppler is only under contract for one more season, the Angels seem poised for an aggressive offseason in order to finally get back into contention. The Halos are widely expected to pursue starting pitching, and the position player side could be improved from within should stars like Justin Upton or Andrelton Simmons rebound from down years. Shohei Ohtani is also expected to return to the mound following Tommy John surgery, giving L.A. the full benefit of his two-way skills as both a starter and a designated hitter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Giancarlo Stanton

By Mark Polishuk | October 15, 2019 at 11:50am CDT

Oct 15: Stanton is out the lineup once again for Game 3. Said manager Aaron Boone, as relayed in a tweet from MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch: “[Stanton] wants to play. But we’ve also had some real conversations about, you’ve got to be honest with where you’re at. I mean, there is an injury in there.”

Oct 13: Giancarlo Stanton isn’t in the Yankees’ lineup for Game 2 of the ALCS due to a quad strain, manager Aaron Boone told James Wagner of the New York Times (Twitter links) and other reporters. Cameron Maybin will take Stanton’s spot in left field for tonight’s game.

Stanton suffered the injury while beating out an infield single in the second inning of Game 1, though it wasn’t serious enough for him to stop playing. In fact, Stanton even homered in a later at-bat, before finally being replaced by Maybin prior to the bottom of the eighth (seemingly just for defensive purposes). A post-game MRI, however, revealed the strain, hence Stanton’s absence from the lineup. He could still potentially come off the bench to pinch-hit, or play in case of an emergency situation. Boone was hopeful that the slugger would return to the starting nine at some point in the series, perhaps as early as Game 3 if Monday’s off-day provided enough time for Stanton to heal up.

2019 has already been an injury-marred season for Stanton, who played in only 18 games due to a variety of biceps, calf, shoulder, and knee problems, most notably a strained PCL in his right knee. In the wake of such a year (not to mention Stanton’s lengthy injury history in past seasons), this day-to-day quad issue looms larger for him than it would for most other players. To be fair, Boone could be engaging in a bit of gamesmanship against the Astros by not putting any sort of timeline on Stanton’s return, though it also could be that the Yankees themselves are being as cautious as possible with the outfielder’s status. If Stanton is removed from the ALCS roster due to injury, he would be ineligible for the World Series if New York were to advance.

With Stanton sidelined, the Yankees have four outfielders (Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, and Maybin) remaining on their roster, with Hicks himself only just returning from a late-season elbow injury.

Quick Hits: Cubs, Dominguez, Beer

By Mark Polishuk | October 13, 2019 at 11:37pm CDT

Some stray items from around the Show….

Can Theo Epstein’s front office get the Cubs back on track? Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times explores the question in a detailed look at the challenges facing the team this winter, as the team’s overhaul has already led to the end of Joe Maddon’s managerial tenure but seemingly no major shuffles coming to the baseball operations department. The Cubs’ lack of success in 2019 had arguably less to do with Maddon and more to do with the team finally paying the price after several ill-fated acquisitions clogged the roster and the farm system failed to produce much high-impact talent (especially on the pitching side). Wittenmyer wonders if Epstein and top lieutenants Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod can guide the Cubs through this reload period now that “the industry has caught up” to some of the roster-building strategies deployed by Epstein and company in rebuilding the Cubs, or in building the Red Sox into World Series winners last decade. To Epstein’s credit, his post-season remarks to reporters included several admissions that mistakes were made by his baseball ops group, and more significant change is on the way to the big league roster. “If you want to say we were stubborn with this group, I think that’s fair. We had a real belief in this group. That’s an area where I need to do a better job as a leader, letting go of the past and focusing on the future,” Epstein said.
“It’s never an easy thing to drop $5.1MM on one player, but he made it pretty easy,” Yankees international scouting director Donny Rowland told Baseball America’s Ben Badler (subscription required) about Dominican prospect Jasson Dominguez. The 16-year-old Dominguez’s $5.1MM payday matched the highest bonus given to any player in this year’s international draft class, and his stock has only continued to rise now that he has seen some action in the Dominican instructional league. Badler’s piece details how the Yankees’ international scouting staff first came across Dominguez, and how the youngster is already showing potential as a five-tool center fielder (not to mention a sixth tool of plate discipline).
While playing in the Arizona Fall League, Diamondbacks prospect Seth Beer is focusing on answering questions about his defensive future by improving his first base glovework, Baseball America’s Bill Mitchell writes. The Astros selected Beer with the 28th overall pick of the 2018 draft, though he is best known for being part of the prospect package Houston sent to Arizona in the Zack Greinke trade deadline blockbuster. Beer has carried the hitting prowess he displayed at Clemson into his pro career, but since sticking as an outfielder may not be feasible, Beer has seen a good deal of first base time in order to establish a position for himself. Playing in an NL organization, he also doesn’t have the future comfort of a designated hitter spot. On the plus side, Beer is “excited” to have a clearer path to the big leagues with the D’Backs than he did in Houston, calling the trade “a great opportunity for me in my career.”

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