Rockies Rumors

NL Notes: Nats Coaches, Rox Bullpen, Tejada, Braun

By Steve Adams | October 12, 2015 at 2:41pm CDT

The Nationals announced today that several of the coaches that were reassigned last week when Matt Williams was fired have been given new roles in the organization. Bench coach Randy Knorr will join the front office as a senior assistant to GM Mike Rizzo, focusing on player development. Third base coach Bobby Henley has been named a senior advisor of player development. Bullpen coach Matthew LeCroy will be the manager of the team’s Double-A affiliate, while former Double-A skipper Brian Daubach will become the hitting coach for the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate. The rest of Williams’ staff was fired last Monday.

Some more notes from around the NL as the Royals and Astros do battle in the ALDS…

Though the Rockies finished the season with an NL-worst 4.70 ERA from their relief corps, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post points out that there are some arms to be excited about for the future. Most notably, right-hander Jairo Diaz, whom the Rockies acquired from Anaheim in exchange for Josh Rutledge last offseason, has made huge strides with his slider and control. Paired with a heater that averaged 97.2 mph and touched 100 mph at times, he could eventually be a dominant pairing with Adam Ottavino, though Ottavino is recovering from early May Tommy John surgery. Also worth watching are Scott Oberg, who had a strong finish, and Justin Miller, whose 38-to-11 K/BB ratio in 33 1/3 innings is certainly cause for some optimism. As Saunders and colleague Nick Groke note in a video breakdown of the ’pen, John Axford will return in 2016 via the arbitration process after falling just two days shy of qualifying for free agency (he has five years, 170 days of MLB service). Last week’s arbitration projections from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz pegged Axford at $6.5MM.
Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada won’t need surgery to repair his fractured fibula, the Mets told reporters today (Twitter link via Mike Vorkunov of the New Jersey Star-Ledger). Tejada will be in a case for the next six to eight weeks but is expected to be ready for Spring Training.
Brewers right fielder Ryan Braun underwent lower back surgery today, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Reports that Braun would require an operation to address his back surfaced late last month, though the specifics surrounding his back surgery aren’t known. Haudricourt adds that everything went well, and Braun has previously said that his expectation is a relatively quick recovery that will allow him to be back up speed in plenty of time for Spring Training.

Quick Hits: Hawkins, Padres, Rockies

By | October 10, 2015 at 8:38pm CDT

LaTroy Hawkins, 42, is the oldest active player in the game, but he nearly walked away before his career got started, writes Tracy Ringolsby of MLB.com. Hawkins is expected to retire after the season with the 10th most appearances in major league history – 1,042 regular season games. Hawkins was upset when the Twins sent him back to rookie ball to start the 1992 season, but his grandfather talked him out of quitting with a typical grandfatherly quote, “Where you going to stay? I don’t let quitters stay in my house.” Hawkins was also peeved after the club sent him back to Triple-A early in the 1995 season. Despite a 21 season career, Hawkins has yet to win a World Series. He’ll need the Blue Jays to recover from their two-game deficit in the ALDS.

Padres GM A.J. Preller will need a new bag of tricks this offseason, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. Last year, Preller memorably traded many of San Diego’s top prospects for major league reinforcements like Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel, and Matt Kemp. The highly visible approach did not pay dividends, and now the club must retool (mostly) without the help of prospect chips. The team is likely to lose Upton and Ian Kennedy via free agency, but most of the core is under contract for 2016. Preller indicated that left-handed bats, left-handed pitching, and a true shortstop may be among the top priorities.
The Rockies have a familiar problem to address this offseason – starting pitching. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports that the rotation was actually worse than the 2014 version. Rockies starters posted a league worst 5.27 ERA and 4.87 FIP this season. Last year, they were second worst with a 4.89 ERA although their 4.54 FIP was still ranked last. Colorado pitchers certainly work with a handicap (called Coors Field), but the club needs to eventually figure out a way to get better pitching. GM Jeff Bridich seems to be betting on the current staff, per Saunders. Agent Scott Boras offered his own opinion, saying “They have to find a top, veteran arm…They have good, young pitchers. But they have before, too. And they’re all three (years) and out.”

Walt Weiss To Return As Rockies Manager In 2016

By Steve Adams | October 6, 2015 at 8:42pm CDT

Walt Weiss will return to the Rockies as manager in 2016, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. There had been some uncertainty surrounding the situation, with Weiss himself even recently acknowledging the possibility that he could be dismissed at season’s end.

Weiss, who will be entering the final season of a three-year contract next season, has been managing the Rockies since 2013 but has yet to top 74 wins in a season and has finished with 68 and 66 wins, respectively, in each of the past two seasons. Of course, the Rockies have suffered through injuries to Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado and Corey Dickerson, among others, in each of the past two seasons and ultimately traded Tulowitzki to Toronto this past July. In addition to those injury woes, the Rockies have characteristically struggled with their pitching, as the front office has yet to compose a pitching staff that can master pitching at altitude.

It remains to be seen whether the rest of Weiss’ coaching staff will return next season, but the Rockies’ young core will have a familiar voice and clubhouse culture. Weiss could have some degree of say in the roster’s construction as well, as the manager told the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders back in February that he spent a good deal of time with GM Jeff Bridich and others in the front office over the course of the offseason. Bridich made clear in May that despite the team’s struggles, he didn’t blame Weiss for the lack of on-field results. “The manager and the coaches don’t step on the field and take a bat and step into the batter’s box, and they don’t take the ball to stand on the mound,” Bridich told the Post’s Nick Groke.

Heyman’s Latest: Nats, Managers/GMs, Kennedy, Martinez, Beltre, Desmond

By Steve Adams | October 2, 2015 at 12:04pm CDT

While Matt Williams is all but certain to be let go following the season, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports in his latest Inside Baseball column, a source close to the situation tells him that Nationals GM/president of baseball ops Mike Rizzo “isn’t going anywhere.” The ill-fated acquisition of Jonathan Papelbon and Rizzo’s backing of Williams has led to some speculation about his job, but Heyman indicates that Washington’s top decision-maker is safe. Heyman focuses on the Nats in a lengthy intro to his column, also notably reporting that the “ship has sailed” on the Cubs’ interest in Papelbon, making them an unlikely destination in a trade this winter. The Nats will try to unload Papelbon, though finding a trade partner in the wake of recent drama surrounding him will prove exceptionally difficult. Heyman also notes that Tyler Clippard and Gerardo Parra were Rizzo’s top two deadline priorities, but he didn’t have authorization to increase payroll, and thus turned to Papelbon, as the Phillies were willing to include money in the deal.

Some highlights from the rest of the lengthy but informative column…

In running down current GM vacancies as well as potential managerial openings, Heyman notes a number of likelihoods. Billy Eppler is expected to be offered the Angels’ GM position, he hears, but the Halos may go with the increasingly popular two-executive format, meaning Josh Byrnes could be hired as president to work above Eppler. Torey Lovullo’s name could surface as a candidate for the Padres, especially given CEO Mike Dee’s ties to Boston. Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto could have a tough time with Lloyd McClendon, whom one Mariners person described as even more old-school than Mike Scioscia, and Heyman hears that former Rangers bench coach/Angels front office assistant Tim Bogar could get a look.
The Indians will be looking for third basemen this winter and could seek upgrades in center field and right field as well.
Rockies GM Jeff Bridich is said to be a believer in young right-hander Eddie Butler, a former Top 100 prospect that has struggled mightily in the Majors. Others in the organization aren’t as sold on him.
The Tigers will be looking for a closer and at least one setup man this winter, and they could show interest in the Reds’ Aroldis Chapman on the trade market (though he strikes me as a questionable fit with just one year until free agency). Detroit will also be seeking rotation upgrades on the free agent market, and a few players of early interest are Scott Kazmir, Ian Kennedy and Jeff Samardzija. Trades for rotation help are also possible, though Detroit wants to hold onto Daniel Norris and Michael Fulmer.
Cuban outfield prospect Eddy Julio Martinez recently worked out for the Royals and had an impressive showing. The Dodgers and Giants remain interested as well, he adds. It’s worth also pointing out that each of those three clubs has already spent heavily enough on international free agents to incur maximum penalties, so the only further repercussion they’d face is further luxury taxation.
The Brewers will target rotation help this offseason, and Heyman calls Kennedy a “possibility.” To me, that’d seem like more of the same from recent winters, when Milwaukee added Matt Garza and Kyle Lohse — a pair of mid-range upgrades. Unlike those winters, however, they’re not close enough to contention this time around for me to see the logic in offering Kennedy a four-year deal, especially since he’ll probably end up with a qualifying offer attached to his name. On another Brewers’ note, Heyman writes that the team should listen on Jean Segura, given Orlando Arcia’s emergence in the minors, though I’m not sure Segura is teeming with trade value following another poor season.
Samardzija could be a target for the Yankees, who employ former Cubs GM Jim Hendry in their front office. Hendry was Chicago’s general manager when the team initially signed Samardzija and remains a believer in the right-hander.
The D-Backs, Nationals, Tigers, Cubs, Rangers, Yankees and maybe the Braves will all show interest if the Padres decide to move Craig Kimbrel this winter.
Adrian Beltre will need to undergo surgery to repair a severe thumb sprain through which he’s been playing for quite some time following the Rangers’ season.
There’s “no chance” that Ian Desmond would accept a one-year qualifying offer, writes Heyman, who presumes that the Nationals will make the offer. Though Desmond’s struggled this year, it shouldn’t be expected that any prime-aged player who isn’t coming off a major injury would accept the offer, in my view. Detractors will state that said player can’t find a similar average annual value on a multi-year deal, and while that may be true, locking in a more sizable payday once free agency is an option tends to be a greater priority. Heyman lists the Mariners, White Sox and Mets as speculative possibilities to enter the shortstop market. Desmond won’t top $100MM, like many once expected, but even with a QO in tow, he’ll be able to handily top $16MM, even at a lower AAV. And, if the offers don’t materialize, he can always sign a one-year deal at or near that rate later in the offseason.

Wilin Rosario Open To Trade

By Steve Adams | October 2, 2015 at 8:55am CDT

Having seen his role diminish from starting catcher to part-time catcher to backup/platoon first baseman over the past few seasons, Wilin Rosario is open to a trade away from the Rockies organization if it means a larger role with another team, he tells Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “If they want to move me, I’m good with it,” Rosario said. “If it gives me a chance to play more, I’m fine with it.”

Rosario, still just 26 years of age (27 in February), hit 49 homers in his first two full big league seasons, batting .282/.314/.507 in that time. His bat took a fairly substantial step backward in 2014, however, and he’s started just 53 games this season — 45 at first base, six as a DH in interleague play and two behind the plate. He’s batted .272/.298/.421 in 2015, seeing most of his action against left-handed pitching.

While Rosario’s diminished offense played a part in his reduced role with the team, it’s his glove that really cost him his playing time. Rosario is regarded as a poor defensive backstop and rates as one of the worst pitch-framing catchers in the league. He caught opposing base-stealers at about a legaue-average rate in 2012-13, but that number dipped to 16 percent in 2014 as well. He’s also struggled blocking pitches, per Baseball Prospectus.

Rosario told Saunders that he’s not bitter toward the Rockies for the decision, but he does still think of himself as a catcher, and clearly one that can produce if given a greater role. General manager Jeff Bridich said to Saunders that he’s seen improvement in Rosario’s glove at first base, adding that it’s too soon to make any sort of determination on Rosario’s future.

If a trade is the preferred route, Bridich may have a difficult time, as the GM himself admitted in August that trade interest in Rosario was limited, at best, prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. Failing that outcome, the Rockies will have another decision to make by early December, as Rosario will be eligible for arbitration once again this winter. He took home a $2.8MM salary in his first trip through the arb process, and while his shuffling between Triple-A and the Majors this season as well as his diminished production will hinder his raise, he should still see a bump north of $3MM. It wouldn’t be an exorbitant price to pay for a platoon first baseman — especially not one that has crushed left-handed pitching at a .319/.356/.604 batting line throughout his career — but both a trade and a non-tender seem like plausible outcomes.

Quick Hits: Gray, Epstein, McClendon, Desmond

By charliewilmoth | September 28, 2015 at 9:33pm CDT

Athletics ace Sonny Gray will not pitch again this year, MLB.com’s Jane Lee tweets. Gray left his start on Friday with tightness in his hip. Gray has been a huge standout in what’s otherwise been a frustrating season in Oakland — he’s pitched 208 innings with a 2.73 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 52.7% ground ball rate, posting ace-caliber numbers for a 65-91 team. Starting in Gray’s place on Wednesday will be veteran Barry Zito, who will be making his third start of the season in his comeback with the A’s. Here are more notes from throughout the game.

Cubs owner Tom Ricketts says the team will eventually work on an extension for president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, but that will wait until after the season, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. “Theo and I have a great relationship. Obviously, the results are great,” says Ricketts. “Everyone in the baseball organization, we’re on a mission. And we want to keep that mission going forward.” Epstein is currently signed through next season to a five-year, $18.5MM contract. Given the Cubs’ strong season and the escalation in executive salaries since his deal was struck in late 2011 (Andrew Friedman’s contract with the Dodgers is worth $35MM), Epstein’s next deal will likely be significantly more lucrative.
Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon had what he describes as a “great” conversation with new GM Jerry Dipoto on Monday, MLB.com’s Greg Johns writes. It isn’t yet clear whether Dipoto will retain McClendon next season, however. “I’m under contract to manage next year, and hopefully I’ll manage the club,” says McClendon. “So beyond that, if you’re looking for security in this game, you’re in the wrong business. That’s me and every other manager.”
Impending free agent shortstop Ian Desmond has fans in the Padres organization, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. The Padres, of course, have a need at shortstop, and Desmond’s struggles with the Nationals this year (during which he’s batted .236/.289/.389) should make him available more cheaply, and on a shorter deal, than he previously figured to get.
Rockies 2015 first-round picks Brendan Rodgers (No. 3 overall) and especially Mike Nikorak (No. 27) had uneven pro debuts, but the team isn’t worried, MLB.com’s Jim Callis writes. Rodgers hit well (.273/.340/.420) at rookie-level Grand Junction, especially given his age, but suffered through hamstring troubles. Nikorak walked 32 batters in 17 2/3 innings, also for Grand Junction. The Rockies believe that Rodgers’ injury issues were due to a long break between the end of his high school season and the start of his pro career, and they’re going to help him work on his conditioning. Rockies director of player development Zach Wilson says he isn’t concerned about Nikorak’s debut. “Quite frankly, this season is going to be the best thing that ever happened to Mike Nikorak,” says Wilson. “He’s got the mentality to learn from this and make adjustments.”

NL West Notes: Anderson, Padres, Gray, De La Rosa, Weiss

By Steve Adams | September 23, 2015 at 10:17pm CDT

As Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register recently pointed out on Twitter, Brett Anderson has accumulated enough innings that he’s reached the incentive portion of his one-year contract with the Dodgers. The left-hander’s deal calls for a $10MM base, but Anderson received an extra $300K for reaching both 150 and 155 innings, and he received an additional $350K upon reaching 160 and 165 innings. Currently sitting at 168 2/3 innings, Anderson will receive another $350K for reaching 170 and 175 innings, and he’ll earn $400K for every five innings he amasses beyond that point, up to 200. Obviously, he won’t reach the 200 inning maximum given the limited amount of time left this season, but Anderson’s already secured an additional $1.3MM and could conceivably earn an additional $1.5MM or so before season’s end, making for a very hefty payday.

Quick Hits: GMs, Data, Prospects

By Jeff Todd | September 23, 2015 at 6:29pm CDT

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick takes an interesting look at the changing general managerial landscape around the league. The Brewers just hired thirty-year-old David Stearns to take the helm, of course, and Crasnick notes that several other young, analytically-minded executives are in the hunt for other GM positions. As he explains, however, there is more nuance both to the more youthful newcomers and the more established GM candidates on the market. While there is a cyclical element to front office hiring, says Crasnick, it’s also true that the job has changed significantly, with baseball operations departments growing in size and diversity of functions. Then, there’s the fact that team ownership is increasingly savvy and data-driven as the amount of money involved has skyrocketed. (Crasnick quotes one executive who notes that many owners are very hands-on: “They’ll see something on the MLB Trade Rumors site and call you and say, ’Why didn’t we know about this?'”) You’ll want to give the piece a full read.

Here are a few more stray notes from around the game:

While the use of data in baseball is a given at this point, that doesn’t mean it isn’t continuing to evolve. Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal sat down recently with two key figures in analytics, A’s GM Billy Beane and noted sabermetrician Bill James, for a compelling chat. Both agreed that, while teams often work on fascinating projects behind closed doors, the analytical work done in the public realm still offers the greatest capacity for knowledge advancement because it is subject to broad scrutiny and capable of being built up from a gathering of many minds. Of course, as Beane notes, an increasing number of the people who might once have written in public fora are now employed by teams.
If you feel it’s been too long since the last exciting new Cuban player popped up on the radar, then check out this piece from MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez. He highlights a 16-year-old known as Lazarito — full name: Lazaro Robersy Armenteros Arango — who has impressive skills and a rising profile. Lazarito is currently in Haiti, where he’s preparing to showcase his talents and continuing the process of achieving free agency. While he still has a lot to prove, Lazarito already stands out in one regard: he’s much younger than most Cuban prospects that are attempting to move into MLB organizations.
Baseball America is running through the top prospects in each of the minor leagues. It’s an ongoing process, but now would be a good time to take a peek if you’re interested in seeing how recent draft picks and rising international youngsters are progressing, as BA is most of the way through its Rookie ball ratings. Among the players placing highly are Brewers prospects Trent Clark and Gilbert Lara, Brendan Rodgers of the Rockies, and Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Bridich On Offseason, Weiss, CarGo

By Mark Polishuk | September 20, 2015 at 8:34pm CDT

The Rockies are already looking ahead to the offseason, and GM Jeff Bridich is giving some hints about his winter plans with a few different media outlets. Here’s the latest from the Colorado general manager…

In an interview with Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (audio link), Bridich said that “everything is on the table” in terms of what the club could do this winter. This includes “players, how the team looks, how the team gelled together this year. We had a number of guys injured so we’ll have to make a number of evaluations in terms of those players, do they factor into our future whether they’re young players or veteran guys headed towards free agency. We’ll evaluate our own process [in the] front office, evaluate the Major League staff and our collective combined process together this year.”
Manager Walt Weiss’ status for 2016 will be decided after the season. “We’ll have meetings, sit down and talk and see what the right fit is,” Bridich said. “This isn’t the time or the place yet to say 100 percent yes or no. He’s got to have a part in that too and we’re going to let the season play out before we make that final determination.” A month ago, Weiss said he wanted to return next season, which would be the final year of his three-year contract.
No big changes are seemingly on the horizon in player acquisition, as “we’ll probably proceed as we have for the last year, which is eyes and ears open and if people want to talk we’re willing to talk.” Carlos Gonzalez has again become an object of trade speculation given his big season, though Bridich reiterated that the Rockies are in no particular rush to move the star outfielder. “I think we’ve showed that if we were hellbent on trading Carlos Gonzalez, he would’ve already been gone by now,” the GM said.
While there’s no magic formula to rebuilding, Bridich told The Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders that he has taken some lessons from how the Pirates and Royals rebuilt their organizations, though he clearly believes Colorado won’t suffer multi-decade struggles like those two teams. How the Rockies “evaluate, collectively, the available pitching in the industry, might shift a little bit” but Bridich said player development will still be the organization’s prime focus. “If you are asking if there is going to be massive monetary or financial shifting with us, I would be very surprised if that happens,” he said. “The Pirates didn’t do it that way and neither did the Royals.”
For more from Bridich, check out the Sept. 4 edition of the MLBTR Podcast when the GM spoke with Jeff Todd.

NL Notes: Lackey, D’Backs, Kimbrel, Colletti

By Jeff Todd | September 18, 2015 at 7:33pm CDT

MLBTR has learned the full details of the incentives clause negotiated last winter between the Cardinals and righty John Lackey. (Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has already reported major elements of the clause.) The provision calls for $400K payouts to Lackey for reaching each of five innings tallies. His first milestone was 100 innings, with successive markers every 25 innings thereafter. When Lackey reached 200 frames last night, he maxed out the bonus at a total of $2MM (on top of the league minimum salary that was already called for in his deal).

Here are some more notes from the National League:

The Diamondbacks face several contract questions regarding pitchers even before considering outside additions, as Zach Buchanan of AZCentral Sports writes. Whether to tender Jeremy Hellickson and Jhoulys Chacin, exercise a club option over Josh Collmenter, and pursue a reunion with free agent-to-be David Hernandez are among the matters that Arizona will need to address. Chief baseball officer Tony La Russa discussed all four pitchers with Buchanan. Most interestingly, perhaps, is the situation regarding Chacin. La Russa says that he has “seen enough from Chacin” to know that he’d be “in the competition” for the club next year. The 27-year-old looked good at Triple-A this year and has put together three nice outings for Arizona. Because of his limited MLB time this year, he is arb-eligible. Chacin had agreed to a $5.5MM deal with the Rockies before he was released in the spring before signing successive minor league deals with the Indians and D’Backs. My guess would be that the club will look to work something out with him before the tender deadline.
Padres closer Craig Kimbrel says it’s been a frustrating first season in San Diego, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Kimbrel says that he expects the club to improve next year, citing the assembly of new faces as one factor that may have slowed down the Pads this year. Of course, as Lin writes, it’s certainly plausible to imagine a scenario where Kimbrel is dealt elsewhere to address other areas of needs or re-build the farm system.
Former Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, who now works with the organization as an adviser, is “right in the middle of everything, but nowhere near anything,” Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times writes. But as Plaschke points out, Colletti — who says it’s been “a different kind of year” — was responsible for bringing in many of the team’s key pieces. That includes not only players like Clayton Kershaw and Zach Grienke, but youngsters such as Joc Pederson and Corey Seager. All said, the piece suggests, Colletti’s nine-year tenure as the head of the organization’s baseball operations department was probably more successful than many have acknowledged.

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