NL Notes: Bumgarner, WGN, Cubs, Phillies
Madison Bumgarner has made his last pitch of the 2019 season – and perhaps his career as a San Francisco Giant. The free-agent-to-be would have been in line to start Sunday’s season finale, but manager Bruce Bochy says they’ll watch the game together from the bench, per Kerry Crowley of the Mercury News. Sunday will be the last game of Bochy’s prodigious career as well, and it will be appropriate to take in the game alongside Bumgarner, with whom he won three world championships. If Bumgarner does move on this offseason, he will finish his career in San Francisco with a 119-92 record and 3.13 ERA/3.32 FIP across 1,846 innings – 8th on the Giants all-time bWAR leaderboard. Still just 30-years-old, Bumgarner wraps up 2019 with a 3.90 ERA/3.91 FIP while eclipsing 200 innings for the seventh time in his career. As the penultimate day of the 2019 season gets under way, let’s check in on a couple other teams from the senior circuit…
- The Cubs say goodbye to WGN this week, the beloved television network known as the home of Cubs content for the last 72 years. The long-awaited Marquee Sports Network launches next year, but the revenue streams won’t provide real kickback for a couple of years, per Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. The long-promised “wheelbarrow full of money” won’t be arriving at Theo Epstein’s baseball operations department from day one, but neither does Epstein see the new television deal affecting baseball decisions. Said Epstein, “We want to win the World Series. But it’s not because of the TV network. That’s the goal. It’s unrelated. There’s a wall between baseball decisions and anything related to the TV network.”
- Trust is a process, and first-year Phillies pitching coach Chris Young understands that process takes a little longer with suboptimal results, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb and Meghan Montemurro (subscription required). Young’s job was made all the more difficult when players bristled at the dismissal of his predecessor Rick Kranitz. Young’s analytics-driven philosophy was in lockstep with manager Gabe Kapler, but Philly pitchers are taking longer to buy-in, in part from its perception as an inflexible top-down approach. It was a frustrating season on the whole for Philadelphia’s pitching staff as the team regressed to 2017 levels after taking a big step forward in 2018.
Yu Darvish Suggests Opt-Out Unlikely
Cubs righty Yu Darvish isn’t ready to make anything official, but has given clear indication in recent comments that he has no intentions of opting out of the remaining four years and $81MM left on his contract. That it’s even a question worth asking reflects his remarkable mid-season turnaround.
In recent interviews with Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune and the full slate of Cubs beat reporters (including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian), Darvish said he’s going to take some time to think things over and discuss it with his agent and family. There’s still a few weeks’ time to think things over. Darvish’s season is over — he won’t take his final start owing to nagging forearm discomfort — and he doesn’t need to make an official decision until after the end of the World Series.
But it doesn’t seem likely that things will change in the interim. Darvish said that he’s “so comfortable” in Chicago and that his family is as well. He credited the organization — particularly skipper Joe Maddon — for patience as he worked through marked early difficulties after signing a big contract.
Truth be told, it’d be tough for Darvish to beat the remaining guarantee he has in hand. He just turned 33, has a worrying injury history, and limped through his first year-and-a-half with the Cubs. But he has been exceptional down the stretch. Over his final 13 starts, Darvish carried a 2.76 ERA with 118 strikeouts and just seven walks.
Darvish says he has never before commanded the baseball as well as he is now. With the results to prove it, the future again looks promising for a key Cubs performer. Darvish, at least, thinks that Chicago is the right place for him to continue his excellent career. “This organization is perfect for me,” he says.
Cubs Notes: Hamels, Maddon, Russell
Already out of playoff contention, the Cubs’ late-season downward spiral continued with a loss to the lowly Pirates on Thursday. The Cubs have now dropped nine straight, including a three-game sweep at Pittsburgh’s hands. Thanks in part to their September unraveling, there’s sure to be notable changes to the Cubs’ roster (and perhaps the coaching staff) over the next several months. Here’s the latest on a few members of the organization who will head into the offseason with uncertain futures…
- Left-hander Cole Hamels has been one of the Cubs’ top starters overall this year, but he – like many of his teammates – hasn’t performed at his usual levels this month. Hamels is scheduled to start Chicago’s game Saturday in St. Louis, which could go down as his last with the Cubs. The soon-to-be 36-year-old is on his way to free agency, though he does seem open to staying where he is. “It was a dream come true,” Hamels told Jordan Bastian of MLB.com of his time with the Cubs. “I love pitching at Wrigley. And to be able to put a Cubs uniform on, this is a tremendous organization and one of the best fan bases you can ever play in front of.” Hamels, whom the Cubs acquired from the Rangers before the 2018 trade deadline, has earned $20MM this year after the club exercised his option last offseason. Although he won’t do that well again on his next deal (not on an annual basis, at least), Hamels has produced enough in 2019 to reel in another solid payday. An oblique injury has helped limit the longtime workhorse to 137 2/3 innings, but he has still turned in a respectable 3.92 ERA/4.22 FIP with 8.83 K/9, 3.66 BB/9 and a 47.5 percent groundball rate.
- Hamels’ fate won’t be officially determined until at least November, whereas an answer on manager Joe Maddon’s future should arrive within a few days. Maddon, also without a contract for next season, said Thursday (via Bastian) he’s “certain” he’ll know by the start of next week whether he’ll remain in the Cubs’ plans. “I’ve got to know by Monday, yeah,” said Maddon, who will be traveling back to his hometown of Hazelton, Pa., by then. Chicago’s fifth-year manager expressed optimism earlier this week that the team will bring him back, but president of baseball operations Theo Epstein hasn’t tipped his hand.
- Unlike Hamels and Maddon, middle infielder Addison Russell is under the Cubs’ control for next season. That doesn’t mean he’ll stay with the franchise, though. To the chagrin of many observers, the Cubs stuck with Russell this year after a domestic violence suspension, bringing him back for $3.4MM in his third-last season of arbitration eligibility. However, the weak .226/.300/.385 line Russell has posted in 234 plate appearances in 2019 could help make him an offseason non-tender candidate. Asked if he’d welcome a change of scenery, Russell offered (via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times): “You could look at this a lot of different ways. The grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side.”
MLBTR Poll: Cubs’ Biggest Roster Need
There’s still a lot of time left to dissect what could be a fascinating upcoming offseason for the Cubs. Questions abound for the organization. This time last year, it wasn’t yet clear how limited the spending capacity would be. We’ve got quite a bit left to learn before we can seriously contemplate just how the club can fill its chief needs. But with the team now officially bounced from the postseason race, it seems an opportune moment to gauge the sentiment of the MLBTR readership on the key roster issues facing the team moving forward.
Looking forward, the Cubs will dispatch Ben Zobrist, Cole Hamels, Steve Cishek, and the recently acquired Nicholas Castellanos onto the open market. Otherwise, the club controls the remainder of the roster. Barring a major trade, there isn’t a need behind the dish (Willson Contreras, Victor Caratini), in the corner infield (Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo), or at shortstop (Javier Baez). There are a variety of multi-positional players floating around, but nobody has a firm claim to second base. The team can account for most of the necessary outfield, rotation, and bullpen spots, but could clearly stand to improve in all of those areas.
There’s a basic snapshot. What do you think the biggest need is for the Cubbies? (Poll link for app users.)
What is Cubs' biggest roster need?
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Bullpen 48% (5,176)
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Rotation 37% (3,966)
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Outfield 9% (969)
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Second base 6% (602)
Total votes: 10,713
Theo Epstein Plans To Stay With Cubs
For the first time since 2014, the Cubs aren’t going to qualify for the postseason. They were in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot for most of the season, but a September collapse has doomed the club to a bitterly disappointing finish. The Cubs’ late-season demise will not lead president of baseball operations Theo Epstein to exit the organization, however.
Epstein shot down any speculation to the contrary Wednesday, saying (via Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com): “I’m here [with the Cubs]. We have a lot we need to work on to get back to the level we’re accustomed to. I’m invested in that. That’s what I’m focused on.”
Epstein added that the idea of “waking up and trying to build the next Cubs championship team” still excites him. The architect of Chicago’s curse-breaking title-winning team in 2016, Epstein has been enormously successful since he stepped down as Boston’s general manager in 2011 to run the Cubs. However, thanks to the unhappy ending to the Cubs’ season and the Red Sox’s need for a new leader in their baseball department, speculation arose of a possible Epstein-Boston reunion. If we’re to believe Epstein, though, the Red Sox will have to find Dave Dombrowski’s replacement elsewhere.
As things stand, Epstein still has another two seasons remaining on the five-year, $50MM extension he signed with the Cubs in September 2016. While Epstein’s immediate future in Chicago is secure, the same surely doesn’t apply to a fair amount of this year’s roster. He and the rest of his front office cohorts will spend the next several months trying to construct a team that doesn’t fall apart in crunch time, which figures to lead to quite a bit of offseason turnover. Even championship-winning manager Joe Maddon may not be safe. Maddon has made it known that he wants to manage the team for a sixth season in 2020, though he doesn’t have a contract beyond this year. Epstein declined to reveal when he’ll decide Maddon’s future, per Rogers.
Whether or not Maddon returns next season, he likely won’t have either of the Cubs’ top two players – third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant or shortstop Javier Baez – for the rest of 2019. Maddon said Wednesday (via Tony Andracki of NBC Sports Chcago) that it’s unlikely either will play again until next season. Bryant has been out since he sprained his right ankle last Sunday, while Baez has taken just two at-bats this month (none since last Saturday) after suffering a hairline fracture in his left thumb. The futures of both players will be on the minds of Epstein & Co. during the winter, when Bryant and Baez are each scheduled to go through arbitration for the second-last time.
Joe Maddon Discusses Future With Cubs
Cubs manager Joe Maddon may be riding out the final few days of a memorable tenure — or wrapping up a disappointing season before attempting to spur a bounce back in 2020. He discussed the still-uncertain situation today on 670 The Score (Twitter feed).
Maddon made clear that there’s no resolution to this point. But he indicated that he expects one in the near future, saying his future would be addressed “over the next couple days.” As for the outcome, he says he’s “very optimistic.”
It’s not entirely clear whether Maddon intended that as an expression of optimism in a new contact or a characterization of his general state of mind. But he left no doubt of his own preferences. When asked whether he wished to stay in his job, Maddon responded:
“Of course. That’s what I signed up for in the beginning. It’s always the intention, to stay for a really long time.”
Maddon certainly cast a sunny disposition in his chat, calling the club’s slide out of postseason position “frustrating” but otherwise suggesting he’s quite pleased to be in Chicago. Maddon spoke effusively of Cubs fans and the team’s front office. And he cast his gaze to the future.
“I’m no less motivated now than I was on the very first day on the job,” says Maddon. “To be given the opportunity to be the manager of this organization is quite the honor.”
If that reads almost like a publicly stated interview talking point, it may be just that. Most MLBTR readers expect him to depart, though we’ve yet to hear anything close to a strong hint of the organization’s intentions. The outcome of his situation could be a key domino impacting other managerial situations around the game.
Boras Dishes On Opt-Outs, Upcoming Free Agents
The upcoming free agent market will be shaped to an unusual degree by agent Scott Boras and his clients. That’s true not just because he represents so many of the top players heading to the open market, but because several of his clients have opt-out opportunities this fall. It’s all reading tea leaves at this point, but Boras did offer at least a few subtle hints in the course of an interview with Jon Heyman and Josh Levin on the Big Time Baseball Podcast (audio link).
He was asked first about Stephen Strasburg, who just turned 31 and is presently polishing off an excellent and healthy campaign. Given a chance to chat about the talented righty, Boras was muted. Indeed, he began by pointing out that Strasburg can opt out either this winter or next — which is true, and notable, but isn’t exactly a patented Boras sales pitch.
So, does that mean that Strasburg is leaning against an opt out and/or that Boras will recommend he hang onto his four-year, $100MM commitment? That’s impossible to say. And Boras made clear we shouldn’t assume any such thing, saying: “I make it a practice to not discuss anything with players about their contracts until they’re done performing and certainly we’ll have time to address that and I’m sure Stephen will give me direction on it.”
Boras was not similarly restrained when the hosts raised the topic of Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez, another prominent opt-out candidate. Though he didn’t specifically address the opt-out decision (three years, $62.5MM in his case), Boras left little doubt that he has begun compiling talking points on the slugger.
Martinez, per Boras, is “one of the top 5 offensive players in the game … and that is the vision of J.D. Martinez that I believe all teams have.” But the premium hitter is not a bat-only player, says his agent. He’s in the lineup every day and “plays forty or fifty games in the outfield,” says Boras. “I don’t think teams would in any way view J.D. Martinez as a DH,” adds the always-entertaining player rep, who also emphasized Martinez’s leadership and provision of hitting information and “intensity” to teammates.
Whether it’s fair to read anything into these comments is up for debate. Strasburg is famously quiet and may simply prefer his agent support that low profile. But those decisions are of critical importance to the respective teams and the overall market landscape. While their names were at least mentioned, Boras unsurprisingly passed on the chance to highlight Elvis Andrus and Jake Arrieta — two other clients who don’t seem to be in position to strongly consider opting out of their deals.
Boras also largely passed when asked to comment on two key Nationals players, Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto. Boras says the team has made clear its “strong interest” in retaining Rendon. Having previously sputtered, contract talks won’t start again until the Nats wrap up the 2019 campaign. It still seems unlikely that a deal will be made before Rendon has a chance to test the market, though that’s not written in stone.
As for Soto, Boras acknowledged some recent comments from president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo regarding the team’s obvious interest in a long-term deal with the exceptional young hitter. But he did not read more into them than was intended or give any hint that there was particular interest or disinterest in dealmaking on the part of the 20-year-old Soto. “Those are things that we kind of leave in the space of the offseason before we ever begin discussion,” said Boras.
If there was another topic that really seemed to pique Boras’s interest — aside from the need to protect the health of players, in relation to the recent Kris Bryant injury — it was the upcoming free agency of Nicholas Castellanos. The outfielder has been aflame since landing with the Cubs, with Boras explaining that his talent has finally been freed by “getting into a lineup where people really can’t work around him and have to throw to him and they also have situational pressure.”
With Castellanos having “taken advantage of that situation to illustrate his skills,” and shown the defensive chops of one of the “ten to twelve best right fielders in the game,” Boras obviously feels he’s got a significant piece to market. Castellanos is still just 27 years of age and has certainly impressed in Chicago, but it remains less than clear just how robust his market will be. Boras says he believes “everyone understands now what kind of ballplayer that Nick Castellanos is.” And that may be true. But what isn’t clear is whether teams really believe Castellanos to be more than a 2.5 to 3 WAR range of performer — and whether they’ll be willing to commit big money over a lengthy term to acquire such a player.
Latest On Kris Bryant
Cubs star Kris Bryant suffered a concerning ankle injury recently, placing his availability over the final week of the season in doubt. While it seems clear he’ll be limited, if he’s able to make it back at all, Bryant does not appear to have suffered an injury with long-term repercussions.
MRI results have yet to be announced formally by the Cubs. But Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com hears that Bryant has been diagnosed with a grade 2 sprain (Twitter link). That’s enough to sideline a player for a decent stretch, depending upon specifics and pain tolerance. But it shouldn’t hamper Bryant’s offseason efforts.
Losing Bryant at this juncture of the season certainly stings. But the tide had already turned on the Cubs’ season when he exited over the weekend. And it’s not at all likely his presence would impact the outlook in a material way. The Cubs need a miracle with a four-game deficit in the Wild Card race.
If this is the end of the year for Bryant, it has been quite a good one. He’s carrying a .282/.382/.521 slash line with 31 home runs through 634 plate appearances. That’ll set him up for a big raise on his $12.9MM arbitration salary in what will be his second-to-last season of arb eligibility.
Ben Zobrist On Future Plans
Longtime utilityman extraordinaire Ben Zobrist may be in his last week with the Cubs, but these won’t necessarily be the final days of his major league career. Zobrist, a pending free agent who will turn 39 next May, believes he’s physically capable of continuing his career in 2020, per Tom Musick of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“I feel like I can keep up,” Zobrist said.
However, that’s only one part of the equation, Musick notes, writing that “the mental grind, as well as outside interests and family commitments” all figure to play a role in whether Zobrist will keep going next season. The family aspect seems especially notable in Zobrist’s case, as he has spent most of this season on the restricted list while dealing with a divorce.
Zobrist got off to an uncharacteristically poor start this year before his off-field situation kept him away for most of May and all of June, July and August. Despite the Cubs’ September slide, though, they’ve gotten something resembling vintage Zobrist during his return this month. The switch-hitter has slashed .296/.377/.426 in 61 September plate appearances, which should make for an opportune bounce-back effort if he does take aim at another guaranteed contract over the winter.
As things stand, Zobrist’s on the cusp of wrapping up a four-year, $56MM free-agent payday that has largely worked in the Cubs’ favor. The former Ray, Athletic and Royal has given the Cubs a pair of highly productive campaigns, including a 2016 season in which he played an instrumental role in the franchise’s first World Series title since 1908. Still, it’s undetermined whether the Cubs will make an earnest attempt to bring back the aging Zobrist (or several of their other players) during what looks increasingly likely to be an offseason of notable changes.
Having slashed .263/.356/.321 with almost no power (.058 ISO, one home run) in 160 trips to the plate this year, Zobrist probably won’t be in line for anything better than a cheap one-year deal in his next trip to the market. But Zobrist still has a discerning eye that helps him reach base, evidenced by his almost identical K:BB ratio (21:20), he remains versatile enough to man the keystone and the corner outfield, and he’s a well-respected veteran. With those factors in mind, Zobrist should be able to find a job – whether in Chicago or elsewhere – in the coming months.
MLBTR Poll: Joe Maddon’s Future
To say Cubs manager Joe Maddon’s stint with the franchise has been a success would be a massive understatement. Since the Cubs hired the former Tampa Bay skipper in November 2014, they’ve amassed a sterling regular-season record of 469-335 and made the playoffs four consecutive times. Undoubtedly, though, the greatest triumph during Maddon’s days atop the Cubs’ dugout has been the World Series title they won in 2016, ending a 108-year drought for the North Siders. It’s likely Maddon will always be a beloved Cubs figure as a result of that victory and the rest of his accomplishments with the organization, but after a half-decade, the 65-year-old’s tenure may be winding down.
Although he’s in the last year of his contract, Maddon said just last month that he expects to manage the Cubs again in 2020. However, that was before a late-season collapse by Chicago, which led the NL Central race by two games over Milwaukee at the time of Maddon’s comments. Now, not only are the Cubs out of contention in the division with a week left in the season, but they’re very likely to miss the playoffs for the first time during the Maddon era. At 82-74, they’re seven games back of the archrival Cardinals in the Central and four behind the Brewers and Nationals in the wild-card hunt. With the season on the line, the Cubs have dropped six straight games, all but knocking themselves out of the race in the process.
Thanks in large part to their recent skid, the Cubs have gone a dismal 9-12 in September. It would surely be unfair to solely blame Maddon for that – they’ve dealt with injuries to the likes of Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Cole Hamels, after all, and big-money closer Craig Kimbrel can’t seem to buy a save – but the Cubs could nonetheless elect to go in a different direction at manager. Barring a last-second surge (plus a horrible finish for the Brewers or Nats), president of baseball operations Theo Epstein at least figures to seriously make over the Cubs’ roster during the offseason. Do you expect a change in the dugout to accompany that?
(Poll link for app users)
Will Joe Maddon manage the Cubs in 2020?
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No 76% (9,040)
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Yes 24% (2,921)
Total votes: 11,961