Marlins Likely To Tender Alvarez; Not Crow
At this point, the Marlins are leaning towards tendering an offer to pitcher Henderson Alvarez, Barry Jackson of Miami Herald reports. However, Jackson writes that it is “less likely” that Miami extends an offer to reliever Aaron Crow.
Alvarez, Jackson writes, could be due to earn about $4MM in arbitration. The club’s decision, unsurprisingly, will come down to his medicals before the December tender deadline. For his part, Alvarez believes he’ll be ready to pitch by February 2016. The 25-year-old underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a tear in his right shoulder in late July, ending his season prematurely. He was Miami’s Opening Day starter, but wound up finishing the 2015 season with just 22 1/3 innings, four starts, and a dismal 6.45 ERA under his belt.
Originally acquired from the Blue Jays in the Jose Reyes/Mark Buehrle/Josh Johnson blockbuster in the 2012-13 offseason, Alvarez looked to be an increasingly important member of the Marlins’ rotation in 2013-14, as he tossed 102 2/3 innings of 3.59 ERA ball in 2013 and showed improved results (2.65 ERA) with an increased workload (187 2/3 innings) in 2014. The young righty’s season-ending no-hitter served as one of the bright spots to the 2013 campaign for the Marlins.
On April 7th of this year, Crow learned that he would have to undergo Tommy John surgery. The Marlins sent left-hander Brian Flynn and minor league righty Reid Redman to the Royals to acquire Crow over the winter, but the former first-round pick didn’t get to throw a pitch in his new environment in 2015. Crow delivered generally strong ERA and strikeout marks for the Royals from 2011-13, working exclusively out of the bullpen, but he struggled in 2014; Crow’s ERA spiked to a career-worst 4.12, and he posted the worst K/9 (5.2) and ground-ball (43.2%) marks of his career. Miami acquired Crow in the hope that it was buying low on a previously successful reliever with two years of team control remaining. However, it sounds like his time in Miami might be coming to a close.
Cafardo On Chapman, Ausmus, Red Sox
In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe looked at some potential options Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski can explore to help bolster the team’s bullpen. Among the many names listed is Craig Kimbrel, who might not be made available. San Diego didn’t deal Kimbrel at this year’s deadline, but the Padres likely want to reload with major league players, so Cafardo wonders aloud if the closer could be moved if it helps them at third base, in the outfield, or the rotation. Here’s more from today’s column..
- Will the Reds deal Aroldis Chapman this winter? If they do, it would require a blockbuster package, as Reds exec Kevin Towers tells Cafardo. Last month, Cafardo heard that the Reds were asking for an “incredibly unrealistic” return when the D’Backs and other clubs came calling for the closer at the deadline.
- If the Tigers dismiss manager Brad Ausmus, he might not be unemployed for long. Cafardo hears whispers in the industry that he would be a strong candidate to replace Padres‘ interim skipper Pat Murphy to take the position. Ausmus was a special assistant in San Diego before taking the Tigers job, so there’s certainly a familiarity there.
- Speaking of Detroit, Dombrowski has a history with Ausmus, so Cafardo throws out the Red Sox possibility. A report surfaced last week that the Tigers were planning on firing Ausmus, but GM Al Avila quickly issued a statement declaring that no decision would be made until the season was through. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suspects that Ausmus will be dismissed.
- Former Cubs manager Rick Renteria has had some “indirect feelers” from teams concerning managerial jobs, Cafardo writes. Renteria, of course, was displaced in Chicago last October when the club hired Joe Maddon. Renteria is well-regarded around the game and the Cubs were effusive with praise for him when they let officially let him go on Halloween of last year. The Tigers, Marlins, and Padres could all be possibilities for him, Cafardo writes.
- Towers tells Cafardo that he has only heard about possible interest in him “through back channels” and has no idea if he’ll have a GM job next year. “I’m 53 and would love to get back in, but if it doesn’t happen I’m perfectly happy here with Walt [Jocketty]. It’s been fun going through our organization and evaluating our young talent.” Cafardo speculates that Towers, an Oregon native, could be a candidate with the Mariners.
Quick Hits: Phillies, Puerto Rico, Park
Phillies president Pat Gillick will officially pass the baton to future-president Andy MacPhail in roughly 45 days, writes Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer. However, the first decision of the MacPhail administration was made on Thursday when the club dismissed GM Ruben Amaro Jr. Kaplan provides a look at potential candidates and names Angels assistant GM Matt Klentak as a possible favorite. Klentak, 34, fits plurality owner John Middleton’s suggestion that MacPhail “hire himself.” Klentak was also a favorite of MacPhail while both executives were with the Orioles. Former Reds GM Wayne Krivisky, Royals assistant GM J.J. Picollo, and Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler are also names to watch.
- Regular season games may return to Puerto Rico in 2016 for the first time since 2004, writes Bill Shaiken of the LA Times. Major League Baseball plans to honor Puerto Rican legend Roberto Clemente in a series between the Pirates and Marlins. Details are as yet unconfirmed per Shaiken’s anonymous source. The visit could include part or all of a four game set between the two clubs. Shaiken also writes about the history of talent development out of Puerto Rico. When the island was included in the Rule 4 draft beginning in 1990, clubs refocused international scouting efforts to Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, the unintended consequence weakened the popularity of baseball in Puerto Rico.
- We learned earlier today about how Jung-ho Kang‘s success could influence the earning power of fellow Korean star Byung-ho Park. Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes about the “paradox” or Kang’s success. When Yoenis Cespedes and Ichiro Suzuki were acquired from their respective markets, they were a relative bargain. They were followed by Jose Abreu and Daisuke Matsuzaka respectively. In both cases, the second player earned substantially more. As such, the Pirates may be pushed out of the market for Park. Sawchik does have a word of caution. Davenport translations suggest Park may only be a roughly .249/.323/.443 hitter with 24 home runs. Teams may want to be careful about investing Abreu or Matsuzaka money in Park.
NL Notes: Stanton, Phillies, Kang
Dave Schoenfield of ESPN’s list of five stars who could be traded this offseason is topped by a provocative name: that of Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Schoenfield doesn’t suggest a Stanton trade is likely, only that it’s a possibility, given how unpredictable the Marlins can be. Schoenfield speculates that Dodgers as a potential match if the Marlins put Stanton on the market. Stanton has full no-trade protection, but might well be willing to waive it if the Dodgers were to deal for him, given that he was born and raised in Southern California. The Dodgers presumably would also have relatively little trouble absorbing Stanton’s enormous contract. Here’s more from the National League.
- Now that the Phillies have dismissed Ruben Amaro, their open GM position should be an attractive one to potential candidates, Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes. They have plenty of young talent, including Maikel Franco, J.P. Crawford, Aaron Nola and a host of prospects they acquired when trading veterans. They also have few troublesome contracts.
- Pirates infielder Jung-Ho Kang is cutting a path for other players from the Korea Baseball Organization to come to the U.S., Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Kang has excelled in his first season in the big leagues, hitting .288/.358/.468 while also providing value on the bases and on defense. That’s led to 4.1 fWAR, so the $2.5MM he’ll make this season is a fraction of what he’s worth. The next Korean star set to come to the big leagues is Kang’s friend former Nexen Heroes teammate Byung-Ho Park. “(Park) has much more power than I have,” says Kang. The Pirates could be in the market for a first baseman this offseason and have scouted Park. The big contract it will surely now take to sign Park would, however, block top first base prospect Josh Bell, who hit well upon being promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis this season.
East Notes: Yankees, Park, Orioles, Marlins
The Yankees are scouting KBO first baseman Byung-Ho Park, Chosun Ilbo reports (link in Korean; hat tip to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com). As Kuty notes, the Yankees’ level of interest is unclear, and they have Mark Teixeira under contract for 2016 and Greg Bird potentially ready to take over at first base after that. Nonetheless, Park will be a tempting option, assuming the Nexen Heroes post him after the season. He’s hit .351/.442/.727 this year and has totaled 100 homers in the last two seasons. The KBO is an offense-heavy environment, but the success of Park’s former teammate Jung-Ho Kang in Pittsburgh makes it appear likely that Park’s skills will translate fairly well to the Majors. Here’s more from the East divisions.
- At 68-72, the Orioles are still expected to push as hard as possible for the playoffs even though their chances of getting there are remote. They should consider trying equally hard in these next few weeks to keep at least some of their pending free agents, Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun writes. Scott Boras clients Chris Davis and Matt Wieters are likely to test free agency, but the team ought to consider trying to re-sign reliever Darren O’Day, who might require a three-year deal in the $20MM range. (MLBTR’s Jeff Todd profiled O’Day earlier this week.) Gerardo Parra might also be a good candidate for the Orioles to re-sign before free agency begins, Schmuck suggests.
- It’s been a lost season for the Marlins, and their struggles extend to their minor league system, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald writes. Three of the Marlins’ top four affiliates finished in last place, and the Marlins rank at the bottom of Baseball America’s Organization Standings. That’s not necessarily the kiss of death, since minor league records aren’t always the best indicators of prospect quality. But experts agree that the Marlins aren’t exactly spilling over with top prospects, other than top 2014 pick Tyler Kolek. “[Y]ou go beyond [Kolek], and you get to guys who are not top 200- or 300-type guys,” says BA’s J.J. Cooper. “I have talked to scouts who struggle to name a player or two they project as future regulars from the Marlins’ position-player prospects.” The Marlins recently attempted to address the issue by hiring Marc DelPiano from the Pirates to oversee their minor league operations.
NL East Notes: Jennings, Gillick, Fernandez, Aardsma
Having just begun to look for a new baseball operations leader, the Phillies have at least some interest in Marlins manager (and recent GM) Dan Jennings, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports (Twitter links). Philadelphia has yet to request permission to interview Jennings, who is not only still manning the dugout in Miami but reportedly has an offer on the table to step back into the GM role there. It’s a complicated situation already, but interest from the Phillies, who have quite an appealing GM opportunity up for grabs, would be an interesting wild card.
Here’s more from the NL East:
- Outgoing Phillies president Pat Gillick says he’s not sure what he’ll pursue next, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports. “At this point, I haven’t even thought about it,” said the long-time, 78-year-old executive. Gillick also acknowledged that he was not surprised that his replacement, Andy MacPhail, had decided to find a new GM rather than keeping Ruben Amaro Jr. “I don’t think … the public would really accept that,” said Gillick, who has long been a supporter of the deposed Amaro. “That wasn’t the reason the decision was made, but certainly the fans and the public play into every organization in the sports industry.”
- The Marlins hope to avoid the recent Matt Harvey controversy with their own ace, Jose Fernandez, as Spencer writes. Both pitchers, of course, are in their first seasons back from Tommy John surgery. Fernandez himself says he does not foresee any difficulties in working out an approach before the season, noting that he expects the team will meet with his agent (Scott Boras, as with Harvey) and medical experts to arrive at an agreement. The young righty added that a plan was in place this year, had the Fish remained in contention, to help limit the strain on his recently-replaced UCL while maximizing his value to the club.
- The Braves recently designated and then released right-hander David Aardsma, and he has penned an interesting piece on the subject at Baseball Essential. We cover an awful lot of DFAs here, and it’s easy to forget that there is a person involved who faces a potentially life-changing impact. Aardsma walks through the process from the awkward moment of hitting DFA limbo through the battle to stay prepared for another opportunity. It’s a great read and well worth your time.
Reactions To And Effects Of Ruben Amaro’s Dismissal
The Phillies made a move that many felt to be inevitable yesterday when they announced that Ruben Amaro Jr.’s contract would not be extended, and assistant GM Scott Proefrock would become interim GM immediately as the team began its search for a new full-time general manager. Plenty has already been written about the decision and what it means for the Phillies’ future, and here are some early reactions and aftereffects in the wake of the fifth front-office shakeup we’ve seen in about two months’ time…
- Amaro’s firing was “only a matter of time,” writes ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, but he did well to position his successor for a quick turnaround with recent trades of Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Chase Utley and others. Crasnick lists former Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, former Cubs GM Jim Hendry and current Royals assistant GM J.J. Picollo as potential candidates, also noting that former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington isn’t likely to pursue any GM opening at present, thus removing him from consideration. President-to-be Andy MacPhail told Crasnick that he isn’t limiting himself to targeting a specific “type” of GM (e.g. a young, analytically savvy candidate or a more traditional, scouting-based GM). Said MacPhail to Crasnick: “Let’s look at a wide spectrum of candidates. You might be surprised.”
- MacPhail said at yesterday’s press conference (via MLB.com’s Paul Hagen) that while he will, of course, have a role in roster decisions and general baseball operations — “…let’s face it, I’m not here for my marketing acumen,” he joked — any GM he hires will have a good deal of power. “I’ve had GMs under me before,” said MacPhail. “If you talk to them, I think they feel like they had a fair amount of autonomy, which I think is important to them to be able to do their job. They can’t be in short pants running back to the president every time they have to make a decision. … They should keep me apprised, but that is a balance I’m going to have to strike.”
- MacPhail feels that it would be ideal to have a new GM in place by the time the Phillies hold their organizational meetings on Oct. 26, writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, but he admitted that said timeline may be a bit “ambitious.” Hiring an outside-the-box thinker is key to the hire, whether he comes from an analytical background or scouting background, writes Salisbury, though if the selection is of the latter variety, MacPhail will look to add to his analytics department in other ways. Proefrock, who has worked for MacPhail in the past (with the Orioles) will receive some consideration for the full-time position, per Salisbury, but Angels assistant GM Matt Klentak could be the early favorite. Klentak, whose name has been mentioned in connection with the Phillies’ presumed GM vacancy in the past, was the Orioles’ director of baseball ops while MacPhail served as president. Also named by Salisbury are Dipoto, Picollo, Hendry, Yankees AGM Billy Eppler, Giants scouting director John Barr and Angels pro scouting director Hal Morris.
- Partial owner John Middleton offered his take at yesterday’s presser as well, Salisbury notes, stating that he wants MacPhail to find a young version of himself. “And I say that because, 30 years ago, a very young Andy MacPhail was a general manager, a newly minted general manger at that,” said Middleton. “This guy was sitting in an office in Minneapolis and he was playing with mathematical, statistical, analytical tools. And he was using them to try to figure out how he could make better evaluations and therefore better personnel decisions. Andy was constantly pushing himself to get better.” (Salisbury has a second piece with further, more in-depth quotes from the press conference for those interested.)
- Interim manager Pete Mackanin has a good chance at returning in 2016, sans the “interim” label, writes MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “I would encourage everybody not to make any assumptions about what’s happening today to have any domino impact on the manager,” said MacPhail. “…I know the tradition is that the GM picks his manager. I’ll just go full disclosure here, if that happens, and it takes you a while to find a GM and then he gets consumed the first month or two with a manager and coaching staff, look how much of the offseason we’ve lost. That’s a high price to pay.” MacPhail said the best way to measure a manager is by the energy, effort and enthusiasm he gets out of whatever talent is provided to him, and Mackanin has shined in that area thus far.
- MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets that he expects to see Dan Jennings’ name connected to the Phillies’ GM opening if he does not return to his former post as Marlins general manager following the season.
NL Notes: Juan C. Rodriguez, Cain, Giants, Winkler
Regular MLBTR readers will be familiar with the work of Juan C. Rodriguez, who covers the Marlins for the Sun-Sentinel. Juan has battled brain cancer for several years, undergoing surgeries and chemotherapy treatments. A campaign has been launched to help support him, as well as his wife and children, in this difficult time. Please take a moment to read the story and consider giving to provide a hand to the Rodriguez family.
With our very best wishes to Juan, let’s check in on the latest from the National League:
- Giants righty Matt Cain says he is working on correcting some mechanical issues as he continues to adjust to ongoing elbow issues, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. His new motion was making it easier for hitters to pick up his pitches, says Cain, who has been tagged for 36 earned runs in 52 2/3 big league innings this season. He’s still owed $47.5MM on his extension after this season, which covers two guaranteed campaigns and the buyout of a 2018 option.
- Whether or not the 30-year-old Cain returns to form will be a major factor in the Giants‘ ability to contend in the near term, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes. Manager Bruce Bochy says that he expects the veteran righty to return to logging a high number of quality innings. But even if that occurs, change is probably coming. Ryan Vogelsong will likely not be brought back, says Baggarly, and while Tim Lincecum may be, the club probably will not count on much from him. Also, of course, Tim Hudson has made clear that he’s retiring.
- Braves Rule 5 pick Daniel Winkler has been activated from the DL, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports (Twitter links). Atlanta took advantage of the fact that he was recovering from Tommy John surgery to pluck him from the Rockies. The team can now begin building up to the ninety active roster days required to gain Winkler’s rights moving forward. The 25-year-old had shown promise in the Colorado organiation, dominating the Double-A level in 2014 — with a 1.41 ERA and 9.1 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 in 70 innings — before suffering the UCL tear.
Front Office Notes: Jennings, Brooks, Eppler, Nationals
Dan Jennings has a standing offer from the Marlins to return to the GM seat, but has not yet informed the team whether he will accept, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Miami seemingly expects that Jennings will slot back in at that role, unless he is able to land a job elsewhere with more conclusive decisionmaking authority. As the Fish continue their front office maneuvering, the club has hired Marc DelPiano as VP of player development, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports on Twitter.
Here’s more on some front office and managerial situations around the league …
- The Brewers are set to interview Pirates director of player personnel Tyrone Brooks for the open GM position in Milwaukee, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter. We have heard some chatter about possible names to watch for the Brewers, but it appears that Brooks is the first reported candidate to receive an interview. Brooks has held his current role in Pittsburgh for about four years, overseeing an impressive delivery of young talent onto the big league roster. He gave an interesting interview with MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch back when he received that promotion, acknowledging at the time that he ultimately hoped to keep climbing the front office ladder.
- Both the Mariners and Angels have been given permission to interview Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Eppler has long been considered a top general manager candidate, and interviewed with several teams in the past, so it’s no surprise to hear his name linked to multiple openings.
- The Nationals have dropped two straight to the Mets in hard-to-believe fashion, squandering an opportunity to re-start the division race in the season’s final weeks. Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post encapsulates the situation well in his piece on the frustrating turn of events. Despite the obvious cause for disappointment, GM Mike Rizzo says there is no consideration to making a late-season change at manager. “Matt Williams is our manager,” said Rizzo, “and he’s going to lead us through this stretch. I’ve always supported him. We’re not going to talk about 2016 while 2015 is ongoing.” Rizzo himself is not believed to have any job security issues, says Svrluga, though he adds that the team’s ownership can be “opaque” in its decisionmaking.
Marlins Claim Tommy Medica
The Marlins have claimed first baseman/outfielder Tommy Medica off waivers from the Padres, Miami announced. Medica will not immediately report to the organization, per the announcement.
Also announced today by the Marlins were the recall of righty Scott McGough and the transfer of starter Henderson Alvarez to the 60-day DL.
Medica, 27, is a right-handed hitter who has seen 338 career plate appearances at the major league level. He’s slashed .246/.308/.417 in those chances, spread over 2013-14, with 12 home runs and six stolen bases.
After several big seasons in the minors, Medica has fallen off since moving up to the Triple-A level. This year, he owns a .259/.314/.364 batting line with just five long balls in 363 plate appearances. Medica has, however, hit lefties well; in theory, then, he could be part of an affordable platoon situation at first base next year alongside the left-handed-hitting Justin Bour.