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Twins Notes: Sano, Colon, Perkins

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A players-only meeting in the aftermath of the trade deadline may have been the turning point in the Twins’ season, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes.  A July slump led the club’s front office to deal Brandon Kintzler and Jaime Garcia at the deadline, leaving the clubhouse feeling “angry,” in the words of Byron Buxton.  The meeting, led by Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier, lasted only 10-15 minutes and “I think the biggest thing in the meeting was to direct that anger or whatever feeling in a positive way,” Mauer said.  The message certainly seemed to sink in, as the Twins turned things around in a big way and are now headed to the AL Wild Card game.

Here’s more from Target Field…

  • Miguel Sano is “still having discomfort” in his ailing left shin, manager Paul Molitor told Berardino and other reporters today.  The slugger felt some soreness while lightly running out a grounder in the fifth inning today and didn’t return to the game.  It is still very much up in the air as to whether or not Sano will be activated for the Wild Card game, as GM Thad Levine said that the club may use every minute until the 9am CT deadline on Tuesday to finalize their roster for the game against the Yankees.  Sano has gone 1-for-8 since returning from the DL, and as Berardino notes, “has yet to hit a ball in the air.”
  • To honor a promise to his late mother, Bartolo Colon intends to pitch in 2018, the right-hander told reporters, including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger and Michael Clair.  “That’s the goal.  That’s what I promised my old lady and that’s what I want to do,” Colon said.  Colon earned the 240th victory of his 20-year career today, and he received a standing ovation from Twins fans when he was removed from the game in the seventh inning just in case this is the end of the road for the 44-year-old.  After several effective years that belied his age, Colon finally showed signs of declining this season, posting a 6.48 ERA over 143 innings with the Twins and Braves.
  • Glen Perkins was emotional after what may have been his final big league game on Saturday, as MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger writes that Perkins has said that he’d consider retiring if he can’t return to the Twins next season.  The St. Paul-born Perkins has spent his entire career with his hometown team, and only just returned to the mound in August after missing over 16 months due to shoulder surgery.  The Twins will surely buy Perkins out for $700K rather than exercise their $6.5MM club option on his services for 2018, though there’s a chance he could return on a minor league contract.

First-Round Order For 2018 MLB Draft

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With the regular season now complete, we now know the order for the first round of the 2018 amateur draft.  As always, the draft order is determined by the reverse order of the standings.  When two or more teams share the same record, the team that had the lesser record in the 2016 season gets the higher pick in the 2018 draft.

This is why the Tigers will pick first overall in June, even though Detroit and San Francisco both finished with identical 64-98 records — the Tigers were 86-75 to the Giants’ 87-75 in 2016.  This will be the second time in franchise history that Detroit has held the 1-1 selection.  Back in 1997, Detroit took hard-throwing right-hander Matt Anderson first overall, a pick that ultimately proved to be a bust as Anderson struggled with injuries and control problems.

Here is the full draft order for all 30 teams…

1. Tigers (64-98)
2. Giants (64-98)
3. Phillies (66-96)
4. White Sox (67-95)
5. Reds (68-94)
6. Mets (70-92)
7. Padres (71-91)
8. Braves (72-90)
9. Athletics (75-87)
10. Pirates (75-87)
11. Orioles (75-87)
12. Blue Jays (76-86)
13. Marlins (77-85)
14. Mariners (78-84)
15. Rangers (78-84)
16. Rays (80-82)
17. Angels (80-82)
18. Royals (80-82)
19. Cardinals (83-79)
20. Twins (85-77)
21. Brewers (86-76)
22. Rockies (87-75)
23. Yankees (91-71)
24. Cubs (92-70)
25. Diamondbacks (93-69)
26. Red Sox (93-69)
27. Nationals (97-65)
28. Astros (101-61)
29. Indians (102-60)
30. Dodgers (104-58)

In past years, teams that signed a qualifying offer-rejecting free agent would have to give up their first-round pick as compensation.  Under the new collective bargaining agreement, however, first rounders are now automatically protected.  The highest draft pick that a team could have to surrender in order to sign a QO free agent would be its second-highest selection (so either a first-round sandwich pick given as compensation for losing a QO free agent, or an actual second-rounder).

The full draft order won’t be known under all of the qualifying offer free agents have been signed.  The 16 teams who qualify for revenue-sharing can obtain a compensatory draft pick after the first round if any of their free agents rejects the QO and then signs elsewhere for $50MM or more in guaranteed money.  The Royals look like the most notable team to watch in this regard, with as many as three compensation picks potentially headed their way — Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas are all lined up to receive (and reject) qualifying offers and then get lucrative contracts on the open market.

Latest On Marlins’ Front Office Changes

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SATURDAY: The reason the Marlins fired their executives before Jeter’s group assumed ownership of the team is that their contracts will now have to be paid by outgoing owner Jeffrey Loria, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. Jeter’s group will save $5MM.

FRIDAY: The Marlins are continuing their front office housecleaning as the new ownership group prepares to take over, with Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reporting that assistant GM Mike Berger, VP of player development Marc DelPiano, VP of pitching development Jim Benedict and VP of player personnel Jeff McAvoy have all been let go.  As with the firings of four Marlins special assistants last week, incoming co-owner and CEO Derek Jeter didn’t make these new dismissals himself.  Instead, outgoing Marlins president David Samson was again asked to deliver the news to the now-former members of Miami’s baseball ops department.

It’s normal, of course, to see new owners make wholesale changes to a team’s pre-existing front office personnel.  (The only unusual aspect seems to be the fact that Jeter is outsourcing this task to Samson rather than handle the firings personally.)  It does raise some question about Michael Hill’s future role with the team; the president of baseball operations is reportedly being kept on by Jeter and Bruce Sherman, though likely in a different capacity since so many of his chief lieutenants have now been fired.

Several reports have tabbed two current Yankees executives as candidates to join the Marlins’ front office — VP of player development Gary Denbo and special assistant Jim Hendry.  According to FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman, the Marlins have yet to contact the Yankees about Denbo or Hendry, though many within the Yankees organization believe Denbo is a sure thing to leave, possibly to become the Marlins’ new general manager.

Hendry, of course, is a former GM himself, running the Cubs’ front office from 2002-11.  Heyman reports that Hendry has a good relationship with Jeter’s agent Casey Close, who himself has been mentioned in rumors about possibly taking on a front office role in Miami.  Close has told people, however, that there are no plans for him to leave Excel, Heyman writes.

Two more names under consideration for front office jobs include Braves special assistant Gordon Blakeley and former Marlins VP of player development Jim Fleming, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro.

As for the on-field managerial role, Don Mattingly has yet to hear about his fate for 2018, Jackson reports, though he is widely expected to be staying.  Jeter and Mattingly obviously are well-acquainted with each other from their days in New York.  Mattingly only has a 154-166 record as he finishes his second year as Miami’s skipper, though it’s hard to attribute that lack of success to Mattingly given the off-the-field tumult of the team’s sale and the tragic death of Jose Fernandez.

Quick Hits: Lackey, Lynn, Nicasio, Hundley

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The Cubs’ clubhouse celebration after clinching the NL Central included some telling comments from Jon Lester, who proclaimed that John Lackey had made “probably his last regular-season start.  Here’s to one hell of a career!” before toasting his longtime teammate.  (USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has the details.)  This is the first open acknowledgement that Lackey is heading towards retirement after the season.  Lackey’s two-year, $32MM contract is up once the Cubs conclude their postseason run, and he turns 39 in October.  He struggled to a 4.56 ERA over 169 2/3 innings thanks in large part to problems with the long ball, as Lackey surrendered a league-high 36 homers and a career-high 18.3% home run rate.  Still, Lackey has enjoyed a tremendous 15 seasons in the big leagues and, coming out of the Cubs bullpen in the playoffs, he’ll look to collect his fourth World Series ring.

Here’s more from around baseball as we head into the final weekend of the regular season…

  • The Cardinals don’t expect extensions with any of their upcoming free agents before the season is over, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.  This includes Lance Lynn, whose representatives haven’t had any in-depth talks with the club about a new deal.  When asked if Thursday’s start could be his last with the Cardinals, Lynn said it “certainly looks that way.”  Lynn looks to be one of the top pitchers available in this year’s free agent market, and it appears he’ll be departing a Cards rotation that will mostly be relying on promising younger arms in 2018.
  • Also from Goold’s article, he reports that the Cardinals have been in touch with Juan Nicasio about a new deal.  Nicasio came to St. Louis after a rather surprising series of transactions that saw the right-hander waived by the Pirates, claimed by the Phillies and then dealt to the Cards all within a week’s time at the end of August and in early September.  No matter the uniform, Nicasio pitched well, posting a 2.65 ERA, 3.55 K/BB rate and 71 strikeouts over 71 1/3 innings for his three teams, making a league-high 75 appearances.  The Cardinals have clearly liked what they’ve seen in their short time with Nicasio on the roster and may be trying to lock Nicasio up before he hits the open market.
  • There is mutual interest between the Giants and Nick Hundley in a new contract, though Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle observes that it might hinge on how much playing time Hundley is able to find elsewhere from a catching-needy team.  Obviously, anything more than a backup role isn’t an option in San Francisco with Buster Posey locked in as the regular catcher.  Hundley hit .246/.276/.425 over 296 PA with the Giants while becoming a big voice in the team’s clubhouse.

Managerial Notes: Mets, Phillies, Klentak, Bochy, Guillen

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David Wright and Jacob deGrom were two of several Mets players who weren’t pleased by the teammates who anonymously criticized manager Terry Collins in a recent piece by Newsday’s Marc Carig.  “It was cowardly, in my opinion,” Wright told Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News.  “I have been very fortunate in my career.  I haven’t had too many gripes, but when I did, I went and talked to Terry or whoever the manager is.  His door has always been open and he’s always listened.”  It seems a foregone conclusion that Collins won’t return to manage the Mets in 2018, and the manager himself didn’t want to comment on many of items in Carig’s piece, other than to take exception to the idea that his usage of Jeurys Familia contributed to the reliever’s surgery to address an arterial clot in his right shoulder.

Some more managerial notes from around baseball…

  • “In my mind, we have reached a turning point in this rebuild,” Phillies GM Matt Klentak told reporters (including PhillyVoice.com’s Ryan Lawrence) about why Pete Mackanin was moved to a front office position rather than manage the Phils next season.  “We see our roster right now is littered with young players who look to have a very, very bright future. It’s time to look forward. That’s the message today: it’s time to look forward.”  In Lawrence’s view, Klentak’s answers were somewhat indirect, especially since Mackanin was just given a contract extension in May.  Both Lawrence and Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer believe Klentak is now taking a larger role in the Phillies’ rebuild, given that several of the team’s top young talents were brought into the organization by previous (since fired) front office personnel.  Brookover figures the new skipper will be younger and more analytically-minded, and he cites Dusty Wathan as “the smart choice” for the job since Wathan is so familiar with Philadelphia’s young players.  Wathan has managed in the Phillies’ farm system for the last decade, including managing the Triple-A affiliate in 2017.
  • Sources close to Giants manager Bruce Bochy believe he’ll certainly stay on until his contract is up after the 2019 season, CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic writes.  Despite the Giants’ dreadful season, there is no danger of Bochy being fired, and though the manager has undergone some health issues in recent years, Bochy is intent on righting the ship next year.  “I want to leave the Giants organization better than when I came here and I want to get this team back on track. This is my passion,” Bochy said.
  • Ozzie Guillen hasn’t received an interview request since being fired by Miami four years ago, but the former Marlins and White Sox manager is still hopeful of another chance at managing a big league team, he tells Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press.  Fenech believes Guillen would be an interesting candidate for the Tigers job as the club embarks on a rebuilding process, though it isn’t clear whether Guillen is one of the names under consideration for the job.

AL West Notes: Perez, Morton, Upton, Erasmo

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The Rangers have already told Martin Perez that they will exercise their $6MM option on the left-hander’s services, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports.  Teams have until five days after the World Series to decide on all contract options so nothing is official yet between Perez and the Rangers (we’ll have the news here on MLBTR when this move and other option decisions are finalized), though it was widely expected that Perez would be retained.  The Rangers would’ve had to pay $2.45MM in a buyout, so it was an easy call to spend the extra $3.55MM on Perez, who has delivered 3.8 fWAR and 377 2/3 innings over the last two seasons.  Texas also has club options on Perez for 2019 and 2020.

Here’s more from around the AL West…

  • Charlie Morton may call it a career after the 2018 season, the Astros right-hander told MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (Twitter link).  Morton turns 35 in November 2018 and has battled several injuries throughout his career, though he is wrapping up one of the most successful of his ten seasons in the big leagues.  His unique enjoyment of his Astros experience, however, is actually one of the factors in Morton’s reasoning: “The group we have here is so good….The most valuable thing you have is time, and these are the guys I’m investing that in.  I can only think of a couple other groups I was with, where I look back and say ’That was really good.  That was worth it.’  It would be a search for that feeling, when you go in a clubhouse and like being with that group.  Here, you’re doing something meaningful — with everything that’s going on in the city….This is a moment to be cherished and valued.”
  • In other Morton-related news, he made his 25th start of the season tonight, which Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle notes triggered a $625K bonus in the Astros righty’s contract.  Morton also received $625K bonuses for hitting the 15-start and 20-start thresholds, so he’ll tack an extra $1.875MM onto his $7MM base salary for the 2017 season.  Morton also has the same base salary and bonus structure in place for 2018.
  • “Winning” is the only factor that will go into Justin Upton’s decision about opting out of his contract, he tells Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.  Of course, Upton faces a significant financial decision if he chooses to forego the $88.5MM remaining on his contract to re-enter free agency, though Fletcher notes that Upton could prioritize playing for a contender since he has already earned over $95MM in his career.  The Angels, of course, made a run at a wild card this year and could offer Upton that chance of playing for a winner, as the club will have some money to spend on needed upgrades this winter.
  • The Mariners “didn’t know quite what we were getting” when Erasmo Ramirez was re-acquired by the Rays, Seattle manager Scott Servais tells Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune, but the right-hander has now established himself as a potential rotation candidate for the 2018 squad.  After working for several years as a swingman, Ramirez became a full-time starter after his trade to the Mariners and the results were impressive — 3.92 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 3.60 K/BB over 62 innings (11 starts).  Ramirez’s emergence is a boost to a Seattle team that is looking for healthy and reliable starting pitching this winter.

Hisashi Iwakuma Sidelined For Five Months After Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery

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Hisashi Iwakuma underwent arthroscopic right shoulder debridement surgery two days ago, as per an announcement from the Mariners.  The right-hander is expected to resume throwing in five months, putting him on pace to miss the first few weeks of Spring Training and likely to miss some time at the start of the season as he rebuilds his strength.

Iwakuma made just six starts for the M’s in 2017 before being sent to the disabled list with inflammation in his throwing shoulder.  What was expected to be an absence of four-to-six weeks ended up lasting the entire season, as Iwakuma suffered a setback that couldn’t be overcome despite cortisone and PRP injections.

It was already expected that Seattle wouldn’t exercise their $10MM club option on Iwakuma’s services for 2018, and the veteran righty will instead receive a $1MM buyout.  It isn’t out of the question that the Mariners re-sign Iwakuma to a smaller or even a minor league contract for next season in the aftermath of his surgery — they’re obviously more familiar with his health situation than other teams, who would naturally be wary of adding a pitcher who turns 37 in April and will probably need significant time to ramp up for action in 2018.

Never a hard-thrower or a big strikeout pitcher, Iwakuma has relied on a recipe of grounders, soft contact and a lack of walks over his six MLB seasons, all with the Mariners.  He was seemingly on the verge of signing a three-year, $45MM deal to join the Dodgers in the 2015-16 offseason before L.A. pulled out of that agreement due to a still-unknown concern with Iwakuma’s medicals.  Iwakuma returned to Seattle on a one-year contract that contained a pair of vesting option years, the first of which Iwakuma caused to vest for 2017 by easily surpassing the 162-inning threshold (he tossed 199 frames in 2016) and finishing the year injury-free.

Starting pitching is a clear need for the Mariners this offseason in the wake of all their rotation injuries this year.  James Paxton, Felix Hernandez and Mike Leake have three spots spoken for and the M’s have several young arms who could battle for at least one of the other rotation jobs, though adding a reliable veteran would greatly help stabilize the Mariners’ staff.

Rays Notes: Montoyo, Mets, Sternberg, Payroll, Cobb

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The Mets have an interest in talking to Rays third base coach Charlie Montoyo about their upcoming managerial vacancy, Adam Rubin reports (Twitter link).  Montoyo has been a fixture in the Rays organization even before the franchise’s first MLB game, managing his way up the farm system ranks from 1997-2014, including eight years at Triple-A Durham.  He joined the big league staff in his current role prior to the 2015 season after receiving some consideration for the manager’s job that eventually went to Kevin Cash.  Montoyo also interviewed with the Mariners prior to Scott Servais’ hiring.  With Terry Collins widely expected to not be returning to the Mets’ dugout in 2018, Montoyo is the latest of several names already rumored to be in the running to be New York’s new manager.

Here are some more Rays-related items, stemming from a Q&A between principal owner Stuart Sternberg and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (part one; part two)…

  • Sternberg is disappointed at the team’s late fade from playoff contention but doesn’t regret spending extra money and dealing prospects for midseason upgrades.  “We’d do it 10 times out of 10 again…I’d love to be in that position every year to be able to do that with the kind of team we thought we had, and the team we had up until the All-Star break,” Sternberg said.
  • Those extra expenditures, however, will impact the team’s 2018 plans.  The payroll will “absolutely” drop from its current $80MM range, and though Sternberg doesn’t “anticipate” an enormous payroll dropoff and a shift towards a rebuild, he also didn’t entirely rule out the possibility: “The team is good enough clearly, and we have confidence in the guys, but we’ll see how the offseason goes. Who’s available to us? What’s available in trade for us? We try to react to what the market is going to bear.”
  • No management changes seem to be forthcoming, as Sternberg expressed confidence in the front office and in Kevin Cash’s work in the dugout.
  • “It’s a big stretch” to keep players like Alex Cobb to the very end of their contracts, given how the Rays often look to trade veteran stars and replenish the farm system.  Despite trade rumors throughout the year, Cobb stayed in the fold and delivered a solid season, leaving the Rays now potentially unable to get anything in return if Cobb signs elsewhere, given the risk involved in issuing him a qualifying offer.  Sternberg called Cobb “a quality guy” and praised the right-hander’s contribution to the team.
  • The Rays continue to lack revenue, as this season saw more low attendance despite a club that was contention for much of the year.  Sternberg cited lower-than-expected attendance numbers for visits from the Red Sox and Cubs, not to mention the unexpected shift of a home series against the Yankees moved to Citi Field due to Hurricane Irma.  “All in all, it was a minus-minus-minus. However, having said that, we’re incredibly fortunate for what could have been,” Sternberg said about the Citi Field series.
  • A new television contract is “way down the road” for the franchise, as Sternberg said that the Rays could end up receiving less than they currently do for broadcast rights “given what’s gone on with cord-cutting and the value of cable.”  Sternberg also hinted that the Rays could explore starting their own TV network.

AL East Notes: Donaldson, Cards, Hardy, Bogaerts

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Some news and rumblings from around the AL East…

  • The Cardinals “are expected to strongly pursue” a trade for Josh Donaldson during the offseason, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (via Twitter).  The Cards’ internal interest in Donaldson was initially reported last July though at that time, no offers had been made.  Jedd Gyorko saw the bulk of action at third base for St. Louis last season (with Greg Garcia getting a fair amount of action as a left-handed hitting complement) and Gyorko could be a possible candidate to be headed back to the Blue Jays as part of a deal.  The Cardinals have a surplus of both outfielders and multi-positional infielders, so they’re a fit for Toronto’s needs as potential trade partners.  Of course, there hasn’t been any indication that the Jays are actually shopping their star third baseman.  Donaldson is a free agent after the 2018 season, though with the Jays planning to contend next year, it would take a massive offer to get them to part ways with the former AL MVP.
  • J.J. Hardy will “re-evaluate” his 2018 plans once this season is concluded, though the veteran shortstop tells Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com that, in terms of considering retirement, “I don’t think I can go there yet.”  Hardy’s seventh (and perhaps final) season with the Orioles has been a frustrating one, as he struggled in the first few months and then suffered a fractured wrist in mid-June.  The O’s will certainly buy out Hardy for $2MM rather than exercise their $14MM club option on his services for 2018, though Hardy is hopeful of working out a new deal to remain in Baltimore.  Given Tim Beckham’s emergence and Hardy’s injury problems and lack of production in recent years, it certainly seems as if Hardy would have to take a reserve role if he did return to the club.  I recommend reading the full piece, which is a wide-ranging and at times emotional discussion of Hardy’s career, his Orioles stint and his family.
  • In a podcast interview with WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford (transcript link), Xander Bogaerts provides details on the hand injury that curtailed his production over the summer.  Bogaerts was hit on the right hand by a pitch on July 6 and simply wasn’t the same afterwards, hitting just .193/.270/.293 over his next 200 plate appearances.  “Looking back I probably should have taken a few days off. I thought with the All-Star break coming up I would have been find, home resting it,” Bogaerts said.  “But when I came back it never got better….It was a little more serious than I thought.”  The Red Sox shortstop received two cortisone shots to treat his injured hand and said he has started to feel like his old self over the last month, as evidenced by his .800 OPS in the month of September.  Needless to say, an in-form Bogaerts would provide a big boost to the Sox in the postseason, especially given other injury concerns within Boston’s lineup.

Twins Activate Miguel Sano From Disabled List

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The Twins have activated third baseman Miguel Sano from the 10-day disabled list, as per a team announcement.  The slugger last played on August 19, a day after fouling a ball off his left shin and causing a stress reaction.

What was initially thought to be some minor soreness led to a pretty lengthy DL stint for Sano, and even some worry that he wouldn’t be able to return this season.  However, Sano reportedly made some progress in recent days at swinging the bat, looking good enough that the Twins feel comfortable in activating him in time for their final regular-season series, and of course their upcoming AL wild card game appearance.  Of course, there isn’t yet any guarantee about how much action Sano will see, whether he returns to the everyday lineup or is used as a pinch-hitting threat.

The Twins’ run to a wild card after a 103-loss season in 2016 is amazing enough, though it’s even more surprising that Minnesota was able to hold steady through September even without its top hitter.  Sano has a .267/.356/.514 slash line and 28 homers over 475 PA, with a 126 wRC+ that leads all Twins hitters.

Given both the nature of Sano’s injury and the fact that he isn’t a speedy runner even at the best of times, one would think the Twins will be looking to use Sano as a designated hitter the rest of the way.  Eduardo Escobar has filled in at third base in Sano’s absence and delivered some unexpected power, hitting .257/.299/.584 with eight homers over 107 September plate appearances.

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