Cafardo On Murphy, Price, Davis, Cueto
In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe spoke with eight major league officials about the players trending up and trending down as free agency approaches. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that the list of players trending in the right direction starts with Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy.
“Obviously, he’s not going to be as hot as he’s been in the postseason, but he plays positions where his power plays well,” an American League GM told Cafardo. “There are teams like the Dodgers and Yankees who need a second baseman. Others, like the Angels, need a third baseman, where he also plays. He’s going to be sought-after and get a five-year deal at around $75MM. Maybe more.”
Murphy, who can also play at first base, would also have appeal for the attractive to the Orioles, Astros, Padres, and Tigers, Cafardo writes.
Here’s more from today’s column..
- The feeling is that a seven-year, $210MM deal for David Price would be fair, Cafardo writes, though some are concerned that Price won’t live up to that kind of deal unless he goes somewhere that he’s comfortable. The incumbent Blue Jays could be that place, but the Dodgers, Cardinals, and Cubs are also listed as possibilities. Price, 30, pitched to a 2.45 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 32 regular season starts for the Tigers and Blue Jays this past season.
- The group of eight anonymous scouts, managers, and GMs polled by Cafardo would not want to give Orioles bopper Chris Davis more than a five-year deal. Of course, a team out there very well could. “In the heat of the negotiations and fearing someone else will get him, this will likely get beyond what everybody wants. Scott Boras is the agent, so we may be looking at seven years,” one scout remarked. Recently, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes profiled the two-time home run king and estimated that he’ll be in line for a six-year, $144MM pact.
- Johnny Cueto had a rough second half after being traded to the Royals and one National League GM told Cafardo that a “few teams have scratched him off their list.” Still, that GM estimates that Cueto can net a Jon Lester-type $155MM deal. Recently, we learned that the Red Sox are mulling a serious push for Cueto. The Marlins also like Cueto, but financial constraints will probably hold them back in that pursuit.
- One GM told Cafardo that he wouldn’t give Royals outfielder Alex Gordon anything more than a three-year deal at $36MM-$38MM. In addition to KC, Cafardo recently listed the Indians, Orioles, Mets, Tigers, and possibly the Red Sox as potential fits.
- Nationals hurler Jordan Zimmermann didn’t have a great season, but he was listed by Cafardo as a player whose arrow is pointing upwards. One NL scout praised Zimmermann’s work ethic and toughness. At the end of the regular season, Zimmermann sounded like a player who knows that he’ll be changing teams.
- One AL GM envisions Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada attracting attention from “six or seven teams” who could offer up a “four- or five-year deal in the $12MM-$15MM [per year] range.” Last month, MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk checked in on Estrada’s free agent stock. The right-hander posted a 3.13 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 across 28 starts and six relief appearances in 2015.
- Cafardo’s panel indicated that Scott Kazmir could get a three-year deal this offseason, but at a reduced rate because of his struggles with the Astros down the stretch. The group of eight officials sees Kazmir getting $10-$12MM AAV over a three year period. The Tigers are among the clubs with interest in the veteran left-hander, though Kazmir has also expressed a desire to return to Houston.
- At least two teams have their top advisers and scouts looking at Rich Hill‘s last four starts with the Red Sox to see if his emergence in 2015 is for real. One AL scout who has done his homework on the left-hander praised the hurler for his confidence.
- Cafardo identified the Braves, Dodgers, Rays, Astros, and Mariners as teams that could have interest in Orioles catcher Matt Wieters. Of course, his market will be impacted by whether or not he receives a qualifying offer. The Rangers will be among the teams with interest, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, but only if he does come with a QO attached. In a recent MLBTR poll, 60% of readers said that the O’s should give Wieters a QO.
Heyman’s Latest: Mattingly, Red Sox, Ozuna, Heyward, Giants, Storen
The Marlins have interviewed at least five candidates for their managerial opening, but they put their search on hold to wait to see what the future held for Don Mattingly, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman also looks at the Dodgers‘ upcoming managerial search, noting that former Padres manager Bud Black, current Dodgers third base coach/former Brewers skipper Ron Roenicke and current Dodgers bench coach Tim Wallach could factor into L.A.’s search for a replacement in addition to early favorite Gabe Kapler. Here are some more highlights from the column…
- The Braves will pursue bullpen upgrades this winter after their relief corps struggled tremendously in 2015. Presumably, the club could be in the mix for some short-term upgrades that could be flipped come the trade deadline, though I’ll point out that the Braves will probably be better off in 2016 with the returns of Shae Simmons, Chris Withrow and perhaps Daniel Winkler from Tommy John surgery.
- While the Red Sox are more willing to trade prospects under president Dave Dombrowski than they were under former GM Ben Cherington, the club is said to consider infielder Yoan Moncada, outfielder Andrew Benintendi and right-hander Anderson Espinoza off-limits as it looks to upgrade its pitching staff on the trade market.
- The White Sox are on the lookout for third base help and will also pursue upgrades behind the plate. Chicago wound up designating Conor Gillaspie, its primary third baseman from 2013 through the first half of 2015, for assignment this summer and trading him to the Angels. Tyler Flowers had a poor second half, although as MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes noted in his Offseason Outlook on the ChiSox, Flowers has worked hard to become an excellent pitch framer, so he does bring some value to the table in that increasingly important element of the game.
- Some feel that the Reds are going to blow things up and go for a full-on rebuild this winter, though Heyman writes that Brandon Phillips is said to have negative trade value. Considering the fact that Phillips had a decent rebound season at the plate and is still a sound defender whose contract no longer is too burdensome, I wonder if that’s a universal sentiment. While he’s not a bargain, Phillips seems to be at least reasonably priced.
- The Cardinals will try to re-sign Jason Heyward, but while they could go “a bit beyond” Matt Holliday’s franchise-record $120MM guarantee, Heyward’s camp will insist on topping Jacoby Ellsbury’s $153MM sum and inching as close to $200MM as they can get.
- The Indians still have interest in Marcell Ozuna, as they reportedly did prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. I mentioned in my Offseason Outlook for Cleveland that a pursuit of Ozuna would make some sense and speculated on a potential match sending Trevor Bauer to Miami. Heyman notes that the Marlins are looking for a frontline pitcher to pair with Jose Fernandez, but history shows us they’re not likely to spend on a top-tier free agent.
- The Astros, too, are looking for bullpen upgrades. Houston pursued top-end relief talent prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, with GM Jeff Luhnow candidly telling the Houston Chronicle’s Evan Drellich that he’d like to pursue a “flamethrower.”
- The Twins are expected to pursue a reunion with A.J. Pierzynski, as many have speculated on recently (myself included). Heyman notes that the Braves will probably try to bring Pierzynski back as well. Minnesota also wants Torii Hunter back, but in a reduced role.
- Starting pitching will be a focus for the Giants, who are interested in Zack Greinke and Mike Leake, Heyman writes. They will also exercise their $5.5MM club option on Nori Aoki, so long as he continues to progress from late-season head injuries that stemmed from being hit in the head by a pair of pitches. San Francisco will decline Marlon Byrd‘s $8MM option.
- The Nationals will try to trade both Drew Storen and Jonathan Papelbon this winter, though the latter, of course won’t have much of a market due to his personality issues. Storen’s an expensive but talented option, and Heyman opines that he “absolutely has to go.” While I wouldn’t go that far, I’ll admit that it does seem like a change of scenery would be best for all parties involved. I’d imagine a number of teams — the Tigers, Cubs, Astros, Red Sox, Yankees and Rangers, to name a few — would have interest in Storen. Papelbon’s $11MM salary strikes me as nearly impossible to move unless the Nats eat the majority of the deal or take on an even more undesirable contract.
Outrighted: Blanks, Corporan, Richardson, Strausborger, Fryer, Robinson, Thompson
Here are the day’s outright assignments:
- The Rangers have outrighted infielder/outfielder Kyle Blanks, catcher Carlos Corporan, and outfielders Antoan Richardson and Ryan Strausborger, according to a club announcement. Blanks continues to struggle to stay on the field and ended his season with surgeries on both feet. Corporan, acquired last winter from the Astros, struggled to a .178/.244/.299 batting line in 121 plate appearances for Texas. Richardson saw minimal action this year, all in the minors. And Strausborger, 27, reached the majors for the first time, though he produced only a .507 OPS in his first 51 plate appearances.
- The Twins outrighted catcher Eric Fryer, outfielder Shane Robinson, and lefty Aaron Thompson from their 40-man roster, as Phil Miller of the Star Tribune was among those to report (on Twitter). All have cleared waivers. Fryer, 30, has seen limited MLB action in each of the last five seasons and will surely catch on somewhere (if not back in Minnesota) as a depth option. Robinson, who is also 30, has been somewhat more heavily used at the major league level. Despite a light bat, he is capable of playing center and has received solid grades on his glovework. As for the 28-year-old Thompson, he managed only a 5.01 ERA last year in his first season of frequent MLB usage.
West Notes: Utley, Kimbrel, Astros, Padres
The suspension appeal for Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley has been delayed, reports the Associated Press. Utley was suspended two games for his role in the play that broke Ruben Tejada‘s leg in Game 2 of the NLDS. However, with the Dodgers eliminated from the postseason, there is less urgency to conduct the appeal immediately. This is the first notable example of a player being suspended for overzealously attempting to break-up a double play. If the suspension is ultimately upheld, Utley will be suspended for the first two contest of 2016. The Dodgers hold a club option on Utley valued between $5MM and $11MM, based on days spent on the disabled list.
Here’s more from the West divisions..
- Utley’s hearing will be postponed until later this year or possibly next spring, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter links). The CBA mandates that the hearing must take place within 14 days after the player has filed the appeal, but the hearings can be postponed upon mutual agreement between the parties involved. The appeal will be heard by MLB’s John McHale, not an independent arbitrator.
- A package of three Astros pitchers – Francis Martes, Josh Hader, and Joseph Musgrove – most likely would have the convinced the Padres to part with closer Craig Kimbrel, a baseball source told Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. However, a third piece, thought to be Musgrove, was too rich for Houston’s blood. The Padres could very well make Kimbrel available once again this winter.
- Meanwhile, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow believes that his club has an opportunity to become an annual contender. “We’re in a great position as an organization because our payroll’s going to continue to increase as revenues increase,” Luhnow said. “Our young players are going to continue to come through the system, and we have some assets. We’ve got some benefits, some advantages that other clubs maybe don’t have. We’ve got one of the top farm systems in baseball still while having a young team at the major league level that’s already competing. That’s the ideal situation. Now, we want to maintain that for a long time to come.”
Cafardo On Carter, Longoria, Strasburg
Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe is concerned about the Red Sox‘s lack of power, but top exec Dave Dombrowski doesn’t seem as worried.
“I think we have enough power,” Dombrowski said last week. “It depends on how the lineup shakes out. Personally, I like guys who can drive the ball into the gaps or hit the ball out of the ballpark. David [Ortiz] is a power guy. Hanley can do what I’m talking about. We don’t strike out in abundance. Our strikeouts are down compared to most clubs in the league. We’re very similar to Kansas City — not a power club.”
Still, in case DD changes his mind, Cafardo lists many intriguing power hitters that could be options for Boston this winter. Here’s more from today’s column..
- One major league source believes that the Astros could dangle first baseman Chris Carter as trade bait. The 28-year-old (29 in December) ended up with a .294/.400/.529 batting line over twenty postseason plate appearances, continuing to build off of the .240/.328/.558 batting line and nine home runs that he put up over his final 120 plate appearances. Despite that strong second half, his “unpredictable performance, coupled with high strikeouts” could have the Astros a more reliable alternative, Cafardo writes. MLBTR projects Carter to earn $5.6MM in his second of four trips through arbitration.
- Evan Longoria‘s contract runs another seven years and his production hasn’t been as great as expected, but one AL GM sounds like he’d be pretty high on him still. “The contract he signed is long but reasonable,” the exec told The Boston Globe scribe. The Rays have repeatedly shot down speculation that they would shop the third baseman, but with the position being in such high demand, Cafardo wonders if they would keep an open mind. The Angels, he says, would be a great fit for the 30-year-old. Longoria’s contract with the club runs through 2022, which would be his age-36 season, plus the Rays have a club option on his services for 2023.
- Cafardo is hearing “a lot of buzz” that the Nationals could make right-hander Stephen Strasburg available. Recently, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Rangers and Nationals had trade talks involving Strasburg over the winter, though nothing ever came close to getting done. The 27-year-old right-hander’s value is down due both to an inconsistent 2015 season and to the fact that he now has only one season left before hitting free agency. Despite all of that, one has to imagine that the Nats would require significant return to part with the former No. 1 overall draft pick.
- The Indians, Orioles, Mets, Tigers, and maybe even the Red Sox (thanks in part to the Allard Baird connection) could all be in the mix for Royals outfielder Alex Gordon this season, Cafardo writes. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com recently wrote that the Astros were a team to keep an eye on with regards to Gordon.
- Cardinals outfielder/first baseman Brandon Moss is an interesting and affordable left-handed power option for a few clubs this winter, including the Red Sox, Cafardo writes. Cafardo says the Orioles will be another team “likely” keeping an eye on Moss. Moss earned $6.5MM in 2015 and the MLBTR projection model has him slated to earn $7.9MM in 2016. The incumbent Cardinals would reportedly like to retain Moss, at least in a bench capacity.
Quick Hits: Hillman, Indians, Almonte
Astros bench coach Trey Hillman has been the subject of rumors about him becoming the manager of the Yokohama BayStars in Japan, but he says he has not been in touch with them, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle writes. If Hillman were to go to Japan, it would be more likely that he would return to the Nippon Ham Fighters, who he managed from 2003 through 2007 (although a move to that team doesn’t appear to be in the works right now, either). He does, however, remain open to possibilities outside the Astros organization. “It’s obviously not something that I’m politicking for,” says Hillman. Nonetheless, he adds, “I’m very happy being a Houston Astro, but if something jumps out I’m not going to snub my nose at it.” The Astros have Hillman under contract for 2016, so they would need to grant permission for another club to interview him. Here’s more from around the big leagues.
- The Indians need to add a bat this offseason, Paul Hoynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. He suggests that if the Indians were to trade a top starter like Danny Salazar or Carlos Carrasco (a possibility Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe mentioned last week), they would likely want a capable big-leaguer and a good prospect in return. Hoynes does caution, however, that Salazar and Carrasco might not actually be on the market.
- Leaving aside the more significant Nick Swisher/Michael Bourn deal, the best of the Indians’ small trades last summer was sending Marc Rzepczynski to the Padres for outfielder Abraham Almonte, Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer writes. Almonte hit well after the trade and earned praise for his defense in center field, and he’ll be back with the team last year. Meanwhile, Rzepczysnki struggled in San Diego, posting a 7.36 ERA despite striking out 17 batters in 14 2/3 innings.
Quick Hits: Gibson, Cuba, Astros, Alou
It’s been about six months since long-time big leaguer and former Diamondbacks skipper Kirk Gibson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, and Scott Miller of Bleacher Report paid a visit to his Michigan home for an interesting interview. Needless to say, Gibson is attacking the disease with the same gusto he’s long brought to the game of baseball. The piece offersan exceedingly deep look at one of the game’s most legendary post-season performers, and well worth your time for a full read.
Here are some more stray notes from around the game:
- The market for Cuban ballplayers is in a state of flux right now, and in the midst of that the nation is sending an interesting roster over to Asia for the “Super 12” tournament, as Ben Badler of Baseball America writes. In the post, Badler provides updates on a variety of notable players.
- It was a fun run in 2015, but the Astros‘ pending free agents are all now facing the reality that they could end up elsewhere next year, as Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports. Outfielder Colby Rasmus, starter Scott Kazmir and relievers Tony Sipp, Chad Qualls, and Joe Thatcher all spoke highly of their time in Houston and expressed (to a greater or lesser extent) interest in returning. (Qualls, it should be noted, can be brought back via club option.)
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com wonders whether former big leaguer Moises Alou could become a candidate for the Padres‘ open managerial position. He currently serves as a special assistant to the organization’s player development department, and his name has “come up prominently” in internal discussions. Of course, as Heyman explains, it’s not even clear that Alou would be interested, as he’s kept a fairly low profile and spent much of his time in the Dominican in recent years.
Heyman’s Latest: Greinke, Mattingly, QOs, Gordon, Anderson, Hunter
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports kicks off Friday morning with a pair of columns — the first being a piece on Zack Greinke‘s opt-out status and the second being his weekly Inside Baseball column. Heyman writes in the first piece that Greinke will indeed opt out of the remaining three years and $71MM on his Dodgers contract, as has been widely anticipated for the better part of a year. One general manager suggested to Heyman that Greinke will receive, “at minimum,” multiple offers of $125MM over the next five seasons. That GM wagered a guess at the winning bid: $150MM over five years. Heyman notes that while many teams — the Cubs, Giants, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, D-Backs and Rangers, among others — will be in the mix for Greinke this winter, the right-hander enjoyed 2015 with the Dodgers more than he enjoyed his first two seasons, and L.A. will attempt to bring him back. Per Heyman, Greinke didn’t mesh with Josh Beckett and Hanley Ramirez in previous years but had nothing but positive feelings about the 2015 campaign.
Onto some highlights from his second column…
- There’s no certainty on the job status of Don Mattingly right now despite three consecutive division titles, Heyman writes. Mattingly is well-liked by the new Dodgers front office on a personal level, and the team is pleased with how he handled Andre Ethier‘s shift to a part-time role, A.J. Ellis‘ shift to a backup role in favor of Yasmani Grandal, and the emergence of Corey Seager over Jimmy Rollins late in the year. Mattingly’s people-managing skills are valued by the Dodgers, even if his in-game tactics aren’t quite as strong. Heyman notes that with the Dodgers unconvinced of Mattingly as their long-term option, they may allow him to interview with other clubs, and both the Nationals and Marlins would show interest.
- The Orioles are believed to be hesitant to make a qualifying offer to Matt Wieters and will only do so if they’re convinced that he won’t take it. (I can’t imagine a Scott Boras client that plays a premium position in the midst of his prime age doing so under any circumstances.) The White Sox will make a QO to Jeff Samardzija, who will not accept it, as has been suggested multiple times over the past couple of months.
- Colby Rasmus, on the other hand, is not expected to receive a $15.8MM qualifying offer from the Astros despite 25 regular-season homers and a strong postseason showing. Heyman writes that Alex Gordon will be “a name to keep an eye on” in connection with the Astros this offseason, as the team may look to inject its lineup with more on-base percentage and batting average than the 2015 crop. They’ll also look for more steady production at first and third base this winter after a season of boom-or-bust results from Luis Valbuena and Chris Carter.
- The Dodgers are set on making a qualifying offer to Howie Kendrick and are also planning on making a QO to Brett Anderson despite his injury history. The latter of the two drew some surprise when Heyman shared it with execs around the league, though as he points out, L.A. is in need of pitching. If Anderson accepts — again, a scenario I find unlikely given his age and strong 2015 results — he’d solidify a spot in the rotation behind Clayton Kershaw. And, I’ll point out, Anderson’s 2016 salary would then check in just $3.4MM north of the $12.4MM he earned in total after receiving a $10MM base salary and earning another $2.4MM worth of innings-based incentives this season.
- The Twins are willing to pay a premium to bring Torii Hunter back to their clubhouse if he’s willing to take a reduced role. Hunter, though, has been resistant to that idea in the past. He’s not yet decided whether or not he’ll return to the Majors for his age-41 season or call it a career.
- Other qualifying offer notes from Heyman throughout the column indicate that Padres people have suggested that they’ll make a QO to Ian Kennedy, though rival execs remain skeptical. Current expectation in the industry is that the Mets won’t make a qualifying offer to Daniel Murphy, and the same is true of the Nationals with regard to Denard Span, who suffered through an injury-shortened season. Kennedy and Murphy seem like easy calls to decline the qualifying offer to me, whereas Span is a tougher case due to his age and injuries, which included season-ending hip surgery. I can see a case for Span taking the $15.8MM payday — the initial contract extension he signed with the Twins, after all, was only for $16.5MM guaranteed, though that rose to $25MM after his 2016 option was exercised.
- The Nationals have received permission from the Giants to interview bench coach Ron Wotus to fill their managerial vacancy. Wotus has coached on the Giants’ Major League staff for the past 17 seasons and is a two-time Minor League Manager of the Year.
ALDS Notes: Glass, Moore, Cueto, Cecil, Andrus, Carter
Last night’s exciting end to the American League Division Series set up an intriguing matchup between the Royals and the Blue Jays. And it provides us an opportunity to take a look at some notes on the teams that just finished playing in the ALDS:
- The Royals‘ bold trade deadline moves paid off big in the ALDS, writes Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star. “This year, we believed we had a chance to do it, and to do it right and to fix what we didn’t get done last year,” said club owner David Glass. Mid-season trade acquisition Johnny Cueto was masterful last night, of course, while Ben Zobrist has been his steadily excellent self. “It’s difficult to give up the prospects, but … you go for it when you have a chance,” Glass added, explaining that he placed trust in GM Dayton Moore.
- Glass heaped praise on Moore, explaining that the organization’s leaders always envisioned the creation of a multi-year contention window, as Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com writes. “When we hired Dayton, that was the plan all along,” he said. “We weren’t interested in just getting there one year and not getting back. That required a lot of patience on his part, along with [club president] Dan [Glass], despite the criticism to the contrary from some people in the media. He stood in there and built something that is here to last.”
- While Kansas City’s window should remain open for some time after this season, as Glass suggested, tough decisions are never far away. There was a slightly wistful moment in Glass’s comments, which came when discussing the need to seize the moment. “One of these days,” he said, “you’ve got some guys on this team we’re not going to be able to afford. That’s sad but true. Hopefully, we’ll keep them together for some period of time, the core group, but that’s real life with small markets.”
- Speaking of Cueto, his performance over the final games of the year could go some way toward setting up his hard-to-predict upcoming free agent case. His struggles down the stretch for the Royals are well-documented, but going eight strong innings last night — with eight strikeouts and no walks — was exactly the kind of performance that the team and prospective suitors were looking for. Cueto’s overall body of work is unassailable, of course, but he has a chance to tamp down any concerns with the status of his valuable right elbow.
- Blue Jays lefty Brett Cecil, who tore his left calf just days ago, is going to try his best to return to playoff action, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. There’s no chance that he’ll be ready for the next round, so the only way he’d possibly make it back is if Toronto makes it into the World Series.
- If there was a goat in last night’s action, it was Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, who committed two key errors in the unbelievable seventh inning against Toronto. While that obviously represents a sour end to his season, it should not be forgotten that Andrus did a lot to restore his standing in 2015. The 27-year-old batted a sturdy .277/.320/.398 in the season’s second half while reversing some of the defensive decline that metrics saw last year. That’s hardly world-beating stuff, but it’s critical to Texas that Andrus can at least represent an average option at short given that he’s still owed over $100MM going forward.
- We already addressed Astros outfielder Colby Rasmus in a bullet this morning, but another Houston player who continued to build his stock is slugger Chris Carter. He ended up with a .294/.400/.529 batting line over twenty plate appearances, continuing to build off of the .240/.328/.558 batting line and nine home runs that he put up over his final 120 plate appearances. MLBTR projects Carter to earn $5.6MM in his second of four trips through arbitration. That’s not cheap — remember, dingers pay — but it’s nothing compared to what power will cost on the open market. After seeming like a non-tender candidate several months back, Carter will once again be an interesting possible trade target to keep an eye on this winter.
AL West Notes: Angels, Mariners, A’s, Rasmus
The Angels announced last night that they’ve fired pitching coach Mike Butcher and hitting coach Don Baylor. Via MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez (links to Twitter), new GM Billy Eppler had this to say of Butcher: “I got to know Mike once I took this spot here. We had a very good and constructive conversation. He’s articulate, he’s got passion, he’s got presence, he’s got vision. Ultimately, we arrived at the conclusion that we would mutually part ways after our discussions.” Eppler offered a similar take on Baylor, explaining to the media: “It was an organizational decision that, through discussions, we felt like it was the proper course of action for what we wanted to do. I’ve spoken with Don at length, and I’ve asked him to stay on in an advisory role within our baseball operations group and our efforts moving forward.” Despite the fact that Butcher is parting ways with the organization, he offered nothing but praise for Eppler when speaking to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Butcher said he likes Eppler and considers him a leader with a plan.
A bit more on the Angels and the rest of their division…
- Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times tweets that Dave Hansen is a strong candidate to become the Angels‘ new hitting coach. Bud Black is a candidate to become the club’s pitching coach if he doesn’t land a managerial job elsewhere, DiGiovanna adds. Hansen is currently the team’s assistant hitting coach — a role he’s filled over the past two seasons. Black, of course, managed the Padres from 2007-15 and was on Scioscia’s coaching staff from 2000-06 prior to that.
- There’s been some turnover in the Mariners‘ front office since Jerry Dipoto took over as general manager, but as MLB.com’s Greg Johns writes, Dipoto isn’t cleaning house. The Mariners will retain assistant GM Jeff Kingston, amateur scouting director Tom McNamara and pro scouting director Tom Allison. Special assistants Roger Hansen and Ken Madeja will be retained, too, as will international operations director Tim Kissner.
- Athletics GM David Forst told SportsTalk Live host Jim Kozimor that the team had some chemistry issues early this year (CSN Bay Area’s Joe Stiglich has multiple highlights from the interview). “We brought in a bunch of new guys, no doubt, and I thought (manager) Bob (Melvin) did a fantastic job during the spring of preparing these guys and getting them together as a group,” said Forst. “What we couldn’t plan for was getting off to the start we did, and anytime you don’t play well, particularly early in the season in April, guys are going to start questioning their role, what other guys are doing, and over the course of the season, it snowballed a little bit.” Forst also addressed the difficulty of making the trades of Josh Donaldson and Yoenis Cespedes over the past 15 months. He also hinted that there could be more tough decisions this winter: “…at the time we made those, and when we make deals this offseason, we feel like it’s in the best interests of the club.”
- Sticking with the A’s, John Hickey of the Oakland Tribune reports that the team has fired first base coach Tye Waller. A member of the team’s coaching staff since 2007, Waller was the longest-tenured member of the Oakland coaching staff. MLB.com’s Jane Lee reports that the A’s are expected to retain the rest of their coaching staff for the 2016 season.
- Billy Witz of the New York Times profiles Astros outfielder Colby Rasmus, who enjoyed a monstrous postseason performance and will soon return to the free agenct market. Witz notes that Rasmus, whom he describes as a “free spirit,” struggled to adapt to life in a veteran-filled Cardinals clubhouse as a rookie and had difficulty adjusting to the culture in Toronto. The Georgia-born Rasmus, though, has thrived in a return to the South and in a lower-key Astros clubhouse. “I’d say this has been the best place for me,” said Rasmus. “The environment’s been good — a lot of young guys with a lot of life to them, and not a lot of big egos in the room. I just like to play baseball. I don’t like having too many people put their pressure down on me. I just like to play. That’s helped me.” Witz notes that Houston GM Jeff Luhnow drafted Rasmus when he was the scouting director in St. Louis. Luhnow explained that he always thought Rasmus would be able to thrive in the right environment,