Tigers Rumors

Latest On Diamondbacks’ Managerial Search, Front Office Changes

By charliewilmoth | October 30, 2016 at 10:33pm CDT

Here’s the latest on the Diamondbacks’ hunt for a new manager, via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic:

It’s possible the D’backs have already interviewed most of their candidates, Piecoro writes. Those include Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo (who is perceived to be the favorite), broadcaster and former big-leaguer Alex Cora, Royals bench coach Don Wakamatsu and Triple-A manager Phil Nevin, whose candidacies have been noted elsewhere.
Piecoro also adds a new name: that of Cardinals bench coach David Bell. Before taking his current position, Bell had previously served as an assistant hitting coach with the Cardinals, a third base coach with the Cubs and a minor-league manager with the Reds.
New Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen came from the Red Sox and has thus been strongly connected to Lovullo, with whom he had also previously worked in the Indians system. Hazen says that dynamic has had no impact on the interview process, however. “People can read or interpret how they want to,” says Hazen. “I don’t think any of that is fair, but it hasn’t been something that has been a major factor. It’s our responsibility to hire the best manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks. That’s the only way I’m looking at it.”
Piecoro confirms that pro scouting director Mike Russell has left the organization to take a job with the Tigers, for whom he worked from 2012 through 2014. Robert Murray of Today’s Knuckleball had previously reported Russell’s departure.
Of Ed Lewis, the former veterinarian who until recently headed the Diamondbacks analytics department, Hazen says, “I feel like there are just going to be some avenues that we want to explore on that side of the game that maybe bringing in people who are a little more specialized in certain things and maybe rebuild the department in a different way.” Lewis recently left the organization in the wake of recent changes to its front office.

Minor MLB Transactions: 10/28/16

By Steve Adams | October 28, 2016 at 9:27am CDT

Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the league…

The Tigers have signed right-hander Arcenio Leon to a minor league pact, according to MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery. The 30-year-old Leon, a longtime Astros farmhand that has also spent time with the Brewers and White Sox, pitched in the Mexican League last season and logged a 3.30 ERA with a 53-to-21 K/BB ratio in 62 2/3 innings of work. Woodbery also reports that Detroit signed right-hander Cory Riordan to a new minor league contract rather than letting him hit minor league free agency. Also 30, Riordan made 24 starts between the Tigers’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates in 2016, recording a 4.86 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9.

AL Central Notes: Holland, Rondon, White Sox

By Steve Adams | October 24, 2016 at 10:02am CDT

Though he wouldn’t comment on the possibility of an offseason reunion, Royals GM Dayton Moore spoke highly of former Kansas City closer Greg Holland last week, writes Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. “Greg Holland is one of the very best and most talented relief pitchers that I’ve been around,” said Moore of the free-agent righty. “The success of our bullpen is a direct correlation to his toughness and his competitive spirit. So we admire him as a person and a pitcher.” Holland didn’t sign anywhere this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery last October, and Dodd outlines the potential obstacles that stand in the way of a reunion, again mentioning the Royals’ potential payroll crunch as well as uncertainty surrounding Holland’s health. A low-cost one-year deal with Luke Hochevar could also be pursued, Dodd writes, though Hochevar is coming off surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome. Dodd also lists young righty Josh Staumont as a potential bullpen darkhorse for the Royals at some point in 2017.

Quick Hits: Francona, Maddon, BoSox, A’s, Tigers

By Connor Byrne | October 23, 2016 at 3:25pm CDT

The decision the Red Sox made in 2003 to hire Terry Francona over Joe Maddon as their manager has worked out for all parties, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. The Red Sox won two World Series and 574 regular-season games under Francona from 2004-11, while Maddon ended up with the Rays a couple years later and established himself as one of baseball’s top managers. Now, after several seasons of squaring off as AL East rivals, Francona (Indians) and Maddon (Cubs) will meet in this year’s World Series. On losing out to Francona for the Boston job, Maddon told Silverman, “I thought Tito was more prepared for that moment than I was at that time and I’ll stand by that. I got the right job at the right time with Tampa Bay. Tito was the right guy back then. But the experience for me was fantastic moving forward.” Theo Epstein, the executive who picked Francona in Boston, also hired Maddon in Chicago. Epstein explained his call to pass on Maddon 13 years ago, telling Silverman, “In the end, we loved him but we thought taking over a veteran team in a big market, there would have been some risk involved because he’s so unique. I think it worked out best for both sides. He could go to Tampa, which was really like a petri dish at that time, he could try things out, grow into it with young players and obviously blossom.”

Heyman’s Latest: Schwarber, Dodgers, Tigers, Red Sox

By Connor Byrne | October 23, 2016 at 8:38am CDT

There’s a “very real” possibility slugger Kyle Schwarber will be able to contribute for the World Series-bound Cubs in their matchup with the Indians, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman. Schwarber has been out since early April after tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee, but, as the Cubs were in the midst of defeating the Dodgers to clinch their first pennant since 1945, the 23-year-old returned to action Saturday in the Arizona Fall League. Schwarber accrued four plate appearances and said afterward that “it was overall a really great day for me” (via Jack Thompson of the Chicago Tribune). If Schwarber does return for the World Series, the player whom Cubs baseball president of baseball operations Theo Epstein deems a “special talent” could factor in as a DH and pinch-hitter.

Tigers Received Trade Calls About Justin Upton

By Mark Polishuk | October 22, 2016 at 5:00pm CDT

5:00pm: A Tigers source tells Olney (Twitter link) that while they received some calls about Upton last summer, Detroit wasn’t trying to move the outfielder.

9:14am: The Tigers “were ready to move” Justin Upton last season, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports (subscription required). The club’s efforts seemed to go beyond merely testing the market or exploring offers, as Olney writes that the Tigers “pushed to” trade Upton and will make an “effort to dump his salary this winter.”

It was just last January that Detroit signed Upton to a six-year, $132.75MM contract, seemingly making him a cornerstone piece for the franchise (though the deal allows Upton to opt out after the 2017 season). His tenure in the Motor City got off to a shaky start, as he posted just a .590 OPS in April and May before recovering for a .862 OPS over the last four months, including a red-hot September. 2016 marked Upton’s first season with an AL team, so it’s possible his early struggles simply reflected some adjustment to pitchers in his new league.

Overall, Upton hit .246/.310/.465 with 31 homers over 626 plate appearances, with a 105 wRC+ that marked a career low over a full season. Between this middling offensive performance and pretty average defensive metrics (-6.7 UZR/150 but +1 Defensive Runs Saved), Upton was only worth 1.4 fWAR, not a great return for a player earning $22.125MM last season.

Upton has a partial no-trade clause in his contract that allows him to block deals to 20 teams, so the Tigers are already limited in their efforts at a swap unless Upton is open to switching teams. As Olney notes, teams looking to add outfield pop this winter could acquire many players earning far less than the $110.625MM still owed to Upton through the 2021 season. Teams probably also aren’t too keen on surrendering much in return for a player who could opt out after just one year, unless Detroit is willing to take a smaller trade return just for the sake of getting Upton’s deal off the books.

It’s pretty rare for a team to almost immediately start shopping a player so soon after signing him to a huge free agent deal, and the very fact that Detroit did so with Upton could have been something of a red flag to other teams. (The Diamondbacks discussed a Zack Greinke trade with the Dodgers last summer, though Arizona was seemingly exploring its options in the wake of a very disappointing season, whereas the Tigers were in the playoff hunt until Game 162.) That said, shopping Upton could be a sign of how creative the Tigers need to be in order to remain competitive while still getting younger and cutting salary.

Olney’s column as a whole explores how the industry perceives the Tigers as willing to listen to offers on anyone (even the likes of Miguel Cabrera or Justin Verlander), though since the club isn’t at all going into fire-sale mode, a willingness to hear offers doesn’t actually mean Detroit is ready to unload a cornerstone star. There’s also the fact that many of the Tigers’ best players are in their 30’s, still guaranteed large salaries for years to come and also have trade protection in their own contracts, so the market for some of these players could be somewhat restricted. Younger and controllable options like J.D. Martinez (who the Tigers aren’t planning to talk to about an extension) and Jose Iglesias could potentially be more realistic trade chips.

Tigers Hire Lloyd McClendon As Hitting Coach

By Jeff Todd | October 21, 2016 at 5:56pm CDT

Former Mariners and Pirates skipper Lloyd McClendon will serve next year as the Tigers’ hitting coach, per a team announcement. He’ll take over for Wally Joyner, who is said to be departing to pursue other opportunities, per Evan Woodberry of MLive.com (via Twitter).

The 57-year-old McClendon ran up a 336-446 record during his initial run as a manager with Pittsburgh. After a strong first season in Seattle in 2014, when he returned to the top uniformed staff job, McClendon’s Mariners sputtered a season ago and he lost his job as part of a broader house cleaning exercise.

McClendon spent the 2016 season managing at Triple-A Toledo — the top Detroit affiliate. Now, he’ll be a part of a major league staff that’s headed by manager Brad Ausmus. The Tigers somewhat surprisingly elected to pick up Ausmus’s option this winter, but there has been no indication that any additional seasons were added to his deal — putting Ausmus in the position of managing for his job.

Also joining the Tigers’ staff as assistant hitting coach is Leon “Bull” Durham. The former big league slugger has been in the organization for 17 years, the team notes, but has never before coached at the major league level.

Tigers Unlikely To Pursue Extension With J.D. Martinez

By Steve Adams | October 20, 2016 at 10:44am CDT

GM Al Avila made headlines earlier this week when he stated that changes were on the horizon for a Tigers team that “has been working way above its means for some time,” thereby implying that payroll needs to decrease, and he also added that the Detroit roster needs to get younger. While that doesn’t mean the Tigers will ship off cornerstones Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera, it does call into question the future of some players who are nearing the end of their time with the team, including J.D. Martinez, whom Avila says isn’t likely to be extended this winter, according to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press.

“I don’t foresee any talks of a long-term contract at this point,” Avila said of Martinez. “In saying that, we’re going to keep an open mind in what possibilities come across this winter, this coming summer. I’m not going to rule out that we wouldn’t consider a long-term deal, but sitting here today, we’re not thinking that way right now.”

An extension of Martinez, who is slated to become a free agent next winter, would represent yet another $100MM+ commitment for the Tigers given the extent to which the 29-year-old has blossomed since signing in Detroit. Martinez has batted a combined .299/.357/.540 over the past three years and averaged 34 homers per 162 games played along the way. He missed nearly two months of the 2016 season with a fracture in his elbow but was improbably even better after his time on the DL, slashing .332/.392/.553 with 10 homers over his final 232 plate appearances (albeit with the help of an unsustainable .418 BABIP).

MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently examined the possibility of a Martinez extension, noting that his age and emergence as an offensive force could push his price point beyond the six-year, $132.75MM figure for which Justin Upton signed last winter (depending on whether or not the Tigers and Martinez’s agents worked an opt-out clause into the deal). That number may look jarring for a player who was released by Houston in Spring Training 2014, but since Opening Day 2014, Martinez rates as the game’s 13th-best hitter by measure of wRC+ (via Fangraphs), placing him alongside the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista and Kris Bryant. His defense, as Mark addressed in the aforementioned Extension Candidate piece, is another story, but Martinez’s bat comes with tremendous value.

As such, the possibility of Martinez’s entrance into the trade market this offseason shouldn’t be taken lightly. Fenech speculates that Martinez is the likeliest member of the Tigers to be traded this winter, as doing so would trim $11.75MM off the payroll and net the team some much-needed premium minor league talent. The Tigers, after all, have a pair of young outfielders that are out of minor league options next year in Steven Moya and Tyler Collins, both of whom will need to make the Opening Day roster or risk being exposed to outright waivers. Dealing Martinez would free up a much clearer path to a big league opportunity for either player.

Al Avila: “Changes Are Coming” To Tigers

By Jeff Todd | October 18, 2016 at 1:24pm CDT

Tigers GM Al Avila told team reporters in his end-of-year press conference today that the organization will be looking to shake up its approach to roster building this winter. While Avila was largely and understandably vague on specifics, he made clear that “changes are coming” to how Detroit does business, as Evan Woodberry of MLive.com reports on Twitter.

The central issue, Avila suggested, is to avoid the ongoing reliance on high-priced veterans, as Jason Beck of MLB.com reports (Twitter links). “We want to get younger,” he said. “We want to get leaner. We want to run the organization without having to go over our means. We want to stay competitive, but at the same time, this organization has been working way above its means for some time.”

The notion that the Detroit organization has been spending “above its means” is certainly notable. Unquestionably, the club — under the leadership of owner Mike Ilitch — has committed huge sums of money to acquire and retain numerous talented players at market prices. That includes not only large extensions for players like Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera, but also major free agent outlays for Prince Fielder (who was later traded for Ian Kinsler), Anibal Sanchez, Victor Martinez, and — most recently — Justin Upton and Jordan Zimmermann.

Many of those big contracts were handed out while the Tigers’ baseball operations were being run by Dave Dombrowski, who Avila replaced last summer. But he oversaw the signings of Upton and Zimmermann last offseason, along with acquisitions of veterans Mike Pelfrey, Francisco Rodriguez, Cameron Maybin, and Mark Lowe. And the front office reportedly talked down Ilitch from a budget-busting offer to slugger Chris Davis. While the club improved to an 86-75 record, it failed to make the postseason for the second consecutive season despite an Opening Day payroll of nearly $200MM.

Ultimately, Avila was not willing to label the team’s upcoming approach as a rebuilding effort, as Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports (Twitter links). And he did not specifically chart a course for how the team will accomplish the stated aim of infusing youth and trimming costs. But he did suggest that some tweaks could be coming, and that they may require some changed expectations for a team that has fashioned itself a perennial contender. “It’s not going to be easy,” said Avila. “But it has to be done.”

The overall thrust of the comments appears to indicate that Detroit may look to reallocate resources as soon as the coming winter. Avila left the impression that the organization won’t be looking to add impact free agents, as Woodberry tweets. And the GM made clear that payroll won’t go up, as Fenech tweets. He also didn’t promise a decline, but seemingly suggested as much. “Usually it will be the opposite,” he said. It’s not immediately clear whether the Tigers could pursue trades of quality veterans in a bid to add younger, controllable talent, but that certainly seems to be a natural course to pursue given Avila’s statements.

Detroit may not pursue a dramatic tear-down, but the precise strategic direction remains to be seen. Avila did note that the Tigers will likely need to add a reserve catcher to pair with James McCann, suggesting his son — Alex Avila — could be considered for a return, as Fenech tweets. The organization has yet to decide on club options over Maybin ($9MM with a $1MM buyout) and Rodriguez ($6MM with a $2MM buyout), the veteran executive added and Fenech tweeted.

Heyman’s Latest: Baez, Soler, Lackey, Tigers, D’Backs, Bruce, Yankees

By Mark Polishuk | October 16, 2016 at 9:11am CDT

Here’s a postseason-flavored set of notes from Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports…

The Cubs’ decision to keep Javier Baez has proven to be a wise one, and Heyman writes that the team kept Baez over Starlin Castro last offseason because the front office simply had more belief in Baez’s potential. Not only did Castro carry a much higher price tag than the pre-arb Baez, but the Cubs infielder is already looking like the more productive player — Baez posted 2.7 fWAR over 450 plate appearances, while Castro managed just 1.1 fWAR over 610 PA for the Yankees. Baez has shown great power and is cutting back on his strikeouts, though while he is still something of a work in progress at the plate, his defense has already drawn raves. One NL scout tells Heyman that he thinks Baez could win Gold Gloves at multiple positions in the future.
Jorge Soler could again be trade bait as the Cubs will be juggling a crowded outfield situation. Kyle Schwarber will return to play left field, plus Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist would seem to be penciled in for center and right, respectively. That mix also doesn’t include highly-touted rookie Albert Almora, or if the Cubs were to re-sign Dexter Fowler for center field. Soler drew a lot of trade attention last winter and is signed through 2020, so though he hasn’t truly broken out as a big leaguer yet, he would surely be a big trade chip if the Cubs indeed explored moving him.
The Tigers and Diamondbacks both “tried hard” to sign John Lackey last winter before the right-hander inked his two-year, $32MM deal with the Cubs. Lackey reportedly chose Chicago over two larger offers, though Heyman doesn’t know if the Tigers and D’Backs were the clubs behind those bigger deals. Arizona was known to have “at least checked in” on Lackey last winter, and while Detroit’s involvement in the Lackey market is new information, it isn’t a surprise given how the Tigers targeted starting pitching last offseason. Either team landing Lackey sets up several fascinating what-if scenarios, given that the D’Backs and Tigers made alternate pitching acquisitions that didn’t pan out in 2016. If the Diamondbacks signed Lackey, perhaps they then wouldn’t have made the franchise-altering decisions to sign Zack Greinke or trade for Shelby Miller. If the Tigers had gotten Lackey, perhaps they wouldn’t have spent $110MM on Jordan Zimmermann, or $16MM on Mike Pelfrey.
There have already been reports that the Mets intend to exercise their $13MM club option on Jay Bruce for 2017, and a rival executive tells Heyman that retaining Bruce is a move New York has to make. Keeping Bruce would create some defensive issues within the Mets outfield, though the exec noted that “if they don’t want him, they could always trade him.” Bruce slumped badly after joining the Mets but he posted strong numbers in the season’s first four months, so he’d certainly draw interest on the trade market.
Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield were the two headline prospects sent from Cleveland to New York in the Andrew Miller trade, and Heyman reports that some Indians staff believe Sheffield could be the bigger loss: “Sheffield is a lefty starter, which you can’t find, Frazier is a corner power bat, which you can.” It’ll be several years before we can access how that trade worked out for either the Yankees or the Tribe, though needless to say, nobody in Cleveland has any regrets right now, given Miller’s dominance.

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