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Bryan Price Favorite To Become Phillies’ Pitching Coach

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OCT. 30: Price is indeed the favorite for the position, reports Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Rothschild is still in the mix, Breen adds, but Price is believed to be the front-runner.

OCT. 29: Former Reds manager Bryan Price is a legitimate candidate to become the Phillies’ pitching coach, Jim Salisbury and Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia report. New manager Joe Girardi revealed Monday the Phillies have already conducted “a couple of interviews” with pitching coach hopefuls, though it’s unclear if they’ve spoken with Price.

A Price hiring for the Phillies may not be imminent, but it’s worth noting he just rejected the Diamondbacks’ interest in him for their pitching coach position. Price has talked to the Red Sox in regards to their vacancy, meanwhile, but it looks as though they’ll select Dave Bush over him.

If the Phillies truly do want to hire Price, it appears the stars are aligning for that to happen. However, the Phillies could still consider other candidates – perhaps including Larry Rothschild – per Salisbury and Seidman. Rothschild came available Monday after a long run as the pitching coach for the Yankees, originally joining the team when Girardi, then New York’s manager, hired him in 2011.

The 57-year-old Price would bring extensive experience to Girardi’s staff in Philly. Before managing Cincinnati from 2014-18, Price held pitching coach roles for the Mariners (2000-06), D-backs (2007-09) and Reds (2010-13). Whether the Phillies choose Price or someone else, that individual will be taking over a pitching staff that failed in 2019 on account of a combination of subpar performances and injuries. As a result of their woes this season, the deep-pocketed Phillies seem likely to focus on giving their next pitching coach more to work with in 2020 than the ousted Chris Young had at his disposal this year.

Latest On Phillies’ Pitching Plans

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As you’d expect, it appears the deep-pocketed, starter-needy Phillies will be among the teams in pursuit of Astros superstar right-hander Gerrit Cole when free agency begins. Phillies brass is set to map out offseason scenarios in which the team does and does not reel in Cole, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports (subscription required).

If the Phillies do get Cole, this may go down as the second straight offseason in which they secured the game’s most expensive free agent. The club signed outfielder Bryce Harper for 13 years and $330MM last offseason. Both the term and money Harper received are all-time records for a free agent. While Cole won’t do that well this winter, the 29-year-old at least seems like a strong bet to surpass David Price for the richest contract a pitcher has ever landed. Boston inked Price to a seven-year, $217MM pact entering 2016.

Signing Cole would surely mean another significant payroll hike for the Phillies, who saw their opening-day outlay climb from $95MM-plus in 2018 to upward of $140.6MM this season. But the Phillies did put $170MM-plus rosters on the field earlier this decade (albeit before owner John Middleton took control in 2015), and as Gelb notes, throwing cash at their rotation may be their best hope of improving it to a noticeable extent. Philadelphia isn’t willing to trade any of its top prospects to upgrade its iffy rotation, per Gelb, which seems to make it all the more likely the club will sign at least one of free agency’s best starters.

Cole’s in a league of his own as far as the upcoming free-agent class is concerned, but Nationals righty and playoff hero Stephen Strasburg may be a Phillies target in his own right if he opts out of the remaining four years and $100MM left on his contract. Either Cole or Strasburg would give the Phillies a much-needed front-of-the-rotation presence to join Aaron Nola.

After Cole and Strasburg, the rest of the game’s soon-to-be free-agent starters don’t look nearly as promising, though Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Jake Odorizzi all seem likely to rake in guarantees worth $50MM or more. Philly could conceivably sign any of them if it doesn’t end up with Cole or Strasburg. However, as Gelb points out, a Cole pursuit might complicate matters for the team if his stay on the open market drags out. Cole’s represented by Scott Boras, whose high-profile clients (including Harper last year and Phillies righty Jake Arrieta two offseasons ago) have sometimes taken several months to ink contracts. Considering Cole’s in line for an enormous payday, a team such as Philly may be less likely to toss a substantial amount of cash to one of the aforementioned second-tier starters if it’s waiting for an answer from the Houston ace.

Whether the Phillies pick up Cole or someone else, it’s clear their rotation is in dire need of help. Nola was their only starter who offered above-average production in 2019, a season that went down as the club’s eighth in a row without a playoff berth. Now, with new manager Joe Girardi in the fold, the Phillies are feeling even greater urgency to turn around their fortunes.

“Now that our team is where it is and we’ve added through free agency and through players coming through our system, we’ve reached a place where it is time to win,” general manager Matt Klentak said this week. “No questions asked: It is time to win right now.”

It’s arguable nothing would help the Phillies “win right now” more than signing Cole. But they’re sure to face plenty of competition if they make a serious run at the potential AL Cy Young winner.

2020 Managerial Search Tracker

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Eight teams were looking for new skippers in October, and loads of potential candidates have been either rumored or directly connected to these job openings. We’ll do our best to keep things straight in this post….

Angels

Hired

  • Joe Maddon: former Cubs/Rays manager, former Angels bench coach/interim manager

Also Interviewed

  • John Farrell: former Red Sox/Blue Jays manager
  • Buck Showalter: former Orioles, Yankees, Rangers and Diamondbacks manager
  • Johnny Washington: Padres hitting coach

Reportedly Received Consideration

  • Joe Espada: Astros bench coach
  • Joe Girardi: Hired by Phillies
  • Eric Chavez: Angels special assistant

Cubs

       Hired

  • David Ross: former Cubs/Red Sox catcher, current ESPN analyst

Also Interviewed

  • Joe Espada: Astros bench coach
  • Joe Girardi: Hired by Phillies
  • Gabe Kapler: former Phillies manager, former Dodgers director of player development
  • Mark Loretta: Cubs bench coach
  • Will Venable: Cubs first base coach

Giants

       Hired

  • Gabe Kapler: former Phillies manager, former Dodgers director of player development

Also Interviewed

  • Joe Espada: Astros bench coach
  • Gabe Kapler: former Phillies manager, former Dodgers director of player development
  • Pedro Grifol: Royals quality control and catching coach
  • Mark Kotsay: Athletics quality control coach, former Padres hitting coach & baseball operations special assistant
  • Hensley Meulens: Giants bench coach
  • Matt Quatraro: Rays bench coach, former minor-league manager
  • Will Venable: Cubs first base coach
  • Ron Wotus: Giants third base coach

Reportedly Received Consideration

  • Raul Ibanez: Dodgers special assistant
  • Mike Matheny: former Cardinals manager

Mets

Interviewing Twice

  • Carlos Beltran: Special assistant to Yankees GM, former MLB outfielder
  • Tim Bogar: Nationals first base coach
  • Eduardo Perez: ESPN analyst, former Astros bench coach, former Puerto Rican Winter League Manager of the Year
  • Derek Shelton: Twins bench coach, former Rays hitting coach
  • Luis Rojas: Mets quality control coach
  • Pat Murphy: Brewers bench coach

Interviewed Once

  • Joe Girardi: Hired by Phillies
  • Skip Schumaker: Padres first base coach, former Padres baseball ops/player development assistant, former MLB utilityman
  • Mike Bell: Diamondbacks director of player development

Reportedly Under Consideration

  • Buck Showalter: former Orioles/Yankees manager
  • Mike Matheny: former Cardinals manager

Padres

Hired

Also Interviewed

  • Ron Washington: Braves third base coach, former Rangers manager
  • Brad Ausmus: former Angels/Tigers manager
  • Rod Barajas: Padres interim manager, former bench coach
  • Bob Henley: Nationals third base coach
  • Mark Loretta: Cubs bench coach

Reportedly Received Consideration

  • Joe Maddon: Hired by Angels
  • Mike Matheny: Former Cardinals manager

Pirates — Search “paused” while team searches for new GM

Interviewing

  • Ryan Christenson: Athletics bench coach, former minor-league manager
  • Derek Shelton: Twins bench coach, former minor-league manager
  • Stubby Clapp: Cardinals first base coach, former minor-league manager
  • Matt Quatraro: Rays bench coach, former minor-league manager
  • George Lombard: Dodgers first base coach, former minor-league manager

Reportedly Under Consideration

  • Jeff Banister: Pirates special assistant; former Rangers manager, Pirates bench coach
  • Mike Bell: Diamondbacks director of player development
  • Mark Kotsay: Athletics quality control coach, former Padres hitting coach & baseball operations special assistant
  • Joe Espada: Astros bench coach

Phillies

Hired

Also Interviewed

  • Buck Showalter: former Orioles, Yankees, Rangers and Diamondbacks manager
  • Dusty Baker: Special advisor to Giants; former Nationals/Reds/Cubs manager

Royals

Interviewing

  • Vance Wilson: Royals bullpen coach

Reportedly Under Consideration

  • Pedro Grifol: Royals quality control and catching coach
  • Mike Matheny: Royals special advisor
  • Dale Sveum: Royals bench coach

Phillies Hire Joe Girardi

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3:06PM: The Phillies made the news official, announcing in a press release that Girardi has been signed to a three-year contract with a club option for the 2023 season.

8:03AM: The Phillies are expected to hire former Yankees and Marlins manager Joe Girardi as their new skipper, according to a tweet from Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. The club had recently been rumored to have Girardi among their final three candidates for the job, but Zolecki indicates that the former Yankee manager’s hiring is expected to be announced today (link). Girardi was reported to have undergone a second interview with the division-rival Mets on Tuesday, after receiving consideration for the Cubs managerial job that ultimately went to David Ross.

Girardi’s hiring comes in the wake of the Oct 10 firing of Gabe Kapler from the club’s managerial seat, and his installment should provide a pretty fair litmus test as to the viability of Philadelphia’s roster. The novice manager Kapler pushed an expectation-laden Phillies club to just a 161-163 record since being installed as manager in 2018, despite numerous high profile additions made by club GM Matt Klentak and president Andy MacPhail. Since 2018, the club added Carlos Santana, Jake Arrieta, Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, and several not-inexpensive bullpen arms on free agent deals, as ownership edicts about “stupid money” forecasted a win-at-all-costs organizational philosophy.

About those edicts: Phillies owner John Middleton was said to have the determining vote in the club’s search for a new skipper after similarly holding the last word in Kapler’s firing. Veteran managers Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker were both said to be among that final mix of candidates, but it appears that Girardi’s World Series pedigree won over Middleton in the end.

After a fifteen-year playing career that saw him capture three World Series rings as a catcher for the Yankees, Girardi was named manager of the then-Florida Marlins in 2006.  Girardi incredibly won Manager of the Year and got fired in the same offseason after just one year in Florida, allowing the Yankees to install him as manager in 2008.

Over the next ten seasons in the Bronx, Girardi would win a World Series championship and log six playoff appearances before being relieved of duty at the conclusion of the 2017 season. Since then, Girardi has appeared frequently as a television analyst, in addition to performing as the manager of the USA national team. The 55-year-old, Illinois native will bring a 988-794 managerial record to Philadelphia, leaving little doubt as to whether he has enough experience to guide the club’s assembly of high-profile players.

NL Notes: Castellanos, Giants, Mets, Arrieta

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MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand takes advantage of the break in World Series action to profile six upcoming free agents whose free agent values are “tough to define” heading into the 2019-2020 offseason. Cubs outfielder Nicholas Castellanos kicks off his list, with Feinsand noting that Castellanos’ defensive limitations may limit his market. On the more optimistic end, however, one unnamed NL executive is quoted as saying that “parallels” can be drawn to the profile of J.D. Martinez. As a formerly maligned outfield defender who showed pronounced growth at the plate after a few ho-hum early years in Detroit, Martinez netted a five-year, $110MM deal with the Red Sox back in 2018. Ironically, Castellanos and Martinez could be in direct competition on the open market this winter if Martinez opts out of his Red Sox contract and takes another spin through free agency.

More notes from around the senior circuit…

  • Astros bench coach Joe Espada is using his day off between World Series games to travel to San Francisco for a meeting with Giants brass, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (link). Espada has already conducted a phone interview with San Francisco reps, so his decision to sandwich an in-person interview between Fall Classic contests could be viewed as a sign that interest between both parties is fairly serious.
  • Tim Bogar’s previously reported second interview with Mets leadership is also expected to go down today, according to a tweet from Jon Heyman of MLB Network (link). Bogar, a coach with the Nationals, will also apparently be using his off day with an eye on securing one of MLB’s four remaining open managerial seats. As Heyman notes, Carlos Beltran, Eduardo Perez, Twins coach Derek Shelton, Mets coach Luis Rojas, and an “unknown bombshell candidate” are still in play for the New York position, with tongue presumably planted firmly in cheek on that last item.
  • Heyman also relays that Phillies starter Jake Arrieta will not opt out of the last year of his contract (link). This is largely expected after the starter turned in a mediocre season marred by an arm injury that ultimately required surgery. As part of the three-year, $75MM deal agreed to prior to the 2018 season, Arrieta could have re-entered the free agency portal this offseason were he willing to forego the final year and $20MM slated for Philadelphia’s 2020 payroll. Instead, the 33-year-old will look to regain his form under the watch of new manager Phillies Joe Girardi. Arrieta pitched to a 4.64 ERA (4.89 FIP) in 24 starts and 135.2 innings in 2019.

Phillies Hire Brian Barber As Director Of Amateur Scouting

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The Phillies announced yesterday the hiring of Brian Barber as Director of Amateur Scouting. The 46-year-old will take over for Johnny Alamaraz, who voluntarily transitioned to a special assistant role with the organization after five years of overseeing the club’s drafts (as initially reported by Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports).

Barber was a first-round draft choice of the Cardinals as a right-handed pitcher in 1991. While he suited up in parts of four big league seasons for MLB’s pair of Missouri franchises, he’s really carved out a niche in his post-playing career as a talent evaluator. After hanging up the spikes following the 1999 season, Barber moved into scouting, where he’d spent the better part of the last two decades in the Yankees’ organization.

Barber got his feet wet as an area scout for the Bombers before being promoted to East Coast crosschecker in 2007. For the last ten seasons, Barber has served as a national crosschecker under Yankees’ VP of Amateur Scouting Damon Oppenheimer. As Salisbruy reports, Barber was instrumental in the organization’s selection of Aaron Judge in the first round out of Fresno State in 2013, no doubt the Yankees’ best war room decision in recent memory. He’ll now get his first opportunity to head an organization’s amateur scouting efforts.

Joe Girardi The Reported Favorite In Phillies’ Managerial Search

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Oct. 22: Girardi has emerged as the favorite in the Phillies search for a new manager, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Breen hears the same.

A match with the Phillies is not a foregone conclusion, however; Girardi is undergoing a second interview with the Mets today, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link), so he’s still very much in the running for one of Philadelphia’s division rivals. There’s been no indication of a contract offer to this point. Even if (or when) the Phils do make an offer, it’s possible that Girardi will prefer one of the other openings for which he’s interviewed. He’s been tied most prominently to the vacancies in Philadelphia, New York and Chicago, and it appears increasingly likely that he’ll be back in a big league dugout in 2020.

Oct. 21: Phillies owner John Middleton had the determining vote in the team’s decision to fire manager Gabe Kapler, and he could wield his power again in finding a new skipper. Middleton’s said to be “leaning toward” Joe Girardi as the choice, while other members of the Phillies’ hierarchy are fans of fellow finalist Buck Showalter, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. There’s no word on whether Dusty Baker, who has also been in the mix, is still a candidate for the job.

Girardi, reportedly the favorite for the position, had his second interview with the club Monday. Unlike Kapler, a first-time MLB skipper at the time of his hiring, Girardi brings a wealth of experience in the role. The 55-year-old oversaw the NL East rival Marlins back in 2006, when he led a low-payroll club to 78 wins en route to NL Manager of the Year honors. The dysfunctional Marlins fired Girardi in the wake of that season, though, and after a year off, he accepted the Yankees’ managerial job entering 2008. Girardi, who ultimately remained in the position through 2017, helped the Yankees to six playoff berths. In Girardi’s crowning achievement as New York’s manager, the team knocked off his next potential employer, Philadelphia, in the 2009 World Series.

Showalter, seemingly Girardi’s main competition, also comes with significant experience as a manager (20 years, to be exact). As of last week, Middleton was reportedly collecting information from players on Showalter. There’s already quite a bit of familiarity between Showalter and key members of the Phillies’ front office, making it unsurprising they’re interested in hiring the 63-year-old. Showalter last managed in Baltimore, where now-Philly president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and general manager Matt Klentak worked before landing their current gigs. MacPhail hired Showalter to steer the Orioles, but it doesn’t appear the two will be reuniting if Girardi truly is Middleton’s No. 1 target.

Pitchers Recently Electing Free Agency

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Since the conclusion of the regular season, a number of players have elected free agency. That right accrues to certain players who are outrighted off of a 40-man roster during or after the season — namely, those that have at least three years of MLB service and/or have previously been outrighted. Such players that accepted outright assignments during the season have the right to elect free agency instead at season’s end, provided they aren’t added back to the 40-man in the meantime.

We already rounded up the position players. Now, here are the pitchers that have recently taken to the open market, along with their now-former teams (via the International League and PCL transactions pages):

Position Players Recently Electing Free Agency

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Since the conclusion of the regular season, a number of players have elected free agency. That right accrues to certain players who are outrighted off of a 40-man roster during or after the season — namely, those that have at least three years of MLB service and/or have previously been outrighted. Such players that accepted outright assignments during the season have the right to elect free agency instead at season’s end, provided they aren’t added back to the 40-man in the meantime.

Here are the position players that have recently taken to the open market, along with their now-former teams (via the International League and PCL transactions pages):

Coaching Notes: Phillies, Girardi, Red Sox, Fatse, Espada

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Joe Girardi is in Philadelphia today for his second meeting with ownership, and it’s his job to lose, tweets ESPN1000’s David Kaplan. The Phillies have no qualms about their ability to compete in 2020, and Girardi certainly fits the bill of a guy who’s been there before – both in terms of competition and level of scrutiny. Ownership and the front office weren’t necessarily aligned in their decision to part ways with Gabe Kapler, and it seems clear that ownership’s desire for a veteran hand is top-of-mind in their current search. Whomever takes the role will have an expectation to compete right away. Easier said than done in a division with the Braves, Nationals, and Mets also in gung-ho win-now mode. Let’s take a look elsewhere on the coaching carousel…

  • Peter Fatse will become the assistant hitting coach of the Boston Red Sox, per Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverageMN (via Twitter). Fatse, 32, spent last season as a minor league hitting coordinator for the Minnesota Twins. He is a native of Massachusetts, and he has owned an Advanced Performance Facility in the area since 2010, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Fatse is the first offseason addition to Boston’s coaching staff, but they will soon look to fill out the pitching side of their coaching team.
  • Joe Espada has a second interview upcoming in Chicago, but he’s been through the ringer before. Espada interviewed with the Angels, Blue Jays, and Rangers last year before returning to Houston. Better than last year’s tryout, Espada’s off-field perseverance prepped him for this year’s round of interviews, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. While serving as Girardi’s third base and infield coach with the Yankees, Espada and his wife began to wrestle with what would become a diagnosis of autism for their daughter, who was only two-years-old at the time. “Seeing a four-year-old struggle to communicate with another four-year-old; you need to take time to spend with someone to teach them basic things,” Espada said, per Feinsand. “That can be the case in a clubhouse, too. The more we get involved, they see how much you care. The compassion, the commitment to do something together, it makes you a better person. It’s made me a better father and a better coach.”

 

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