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Mets Rumors

AL West Rumors: Athletics, Marwin, Gurriel, Grandal, Ramos, Wakamatsu

By Jeff Todd | November 7, 2018 at 4:46pm CDT

The Athletics will boost their payroll in 2019, but general manager David Forst tells John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that there’s no set number following meetings with ownership. Oakland needs to address its rotation, second base and catcher situations, but Forst cautions that the A’s aren’t “going to shock anyone with huge deals.” Shea writes that while deals for Patrick Corbin and Dallas Keuchel won’t come together for the A’s, they’ll still be active in searching for upgrades. As for second base and catcher, the latter of the two is a more pressing urge for Oakland. Forst explains that the presence of Franklin Barreto as an MLB-ready option creates less urgency at second base than at catcher, where Sean Murphy, a fellow well-regarded prospect, is a bit further from the Majors.

More from the division…

  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow discussed his team’s options for replacing utlityman Marwin Gonzalez, as MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart covers. Moving Yuli Gurriel around the diamond could help the club make up for the loss of flexibility. Perhaps notably, Luhnow specifically references a “post-Marwin world,” which could be telling with regard to how the organization feels about its chances to retain its most versatile player. Meanwhile, says Luhnow, he’s “looking at different options to add more to our offense.” Adding a big stick certainly seems to make sense under that roster alignment, as the club would have flexibility to get a new player into the lineup at DH, first base, or the corner outfield.
  • Speaking of the Astros, catching is another obvious area to address. The club has some level of interest in Yasmani Grandal, according to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter), with the Mets also showing early signs of intrigue. As the top catcher on the free-agent market, Grandal will garner interest from a wide slate of teams. At present, the Astros’ top internal option behind the dish is Max Stassi.
  • Veteran catcher Wilson Ramos is of interest to the Angels, according to Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times, with at least four other teams also in pursuit early. The fit for the bat-first backstop is perhaps not as clean in Los Angeles as it might be for some other clubs, as most of the Halos’ DH plate appearances seem already to be spoken for with Shohei Ohtani and Albert Pujols figuring to garner significant playing time in that capacity. Given Ramos’ durability issues, he’d be a more logical fit for an American League club with plenty of DH at-bats available, though he’ll certainly draw interest from clubs lacking in DH time and from National League clubs as well.
  • Don Wakamatsu, who spent the 2018 season as the Rangers’ bench coach before assuming the role of interim manager late in the season, will return to the organization in 2019, tweets T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Wakamatsu interviewed for the managerial opening that eventually went to Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward, but he’ll return to the 2019 staff despite being passed over for the job in the end.
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Athletics Houston Astros Los Angeles Angels New York Mets Texas Rangers Don Wakamatsu Franklin Barreto Marwin Gonzalez Wilson Ramos Yasmani Grandal

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Pitching Market Notes: Kikuchi, Kimbrel, Happ, Miller, EJax, Patton

By Jeff Todd | November 7, 2018 at 11:20am CDT

Changes in pitching usage seem likely to shake up the player market — but how? Jayson Stark of The Athletic takes a look at the question, which will in no small part be answered in this winter’s free agent market, in a subscription piece. The broad takeaway is that back-of-the-rotation starter types will still find a market, but perhaps won’t be pursued as forcefully in years past. (It seems fair to add that such pitchers may still be valued for their ability to eat innings, but may also not be asked to gobble up quite as many in hopes that they’ll be more effective.) Meanwhile, teams will perhaps be more willing than before to pay up for highly talented pitchers with durability questions.

Here’s the latest market chatter:

  • The Phillies intend to pursue Japanese hurler Yusei Kikuchi, according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. It bears noting that the Philadelphia organization is also said to be interested in quite a few other appealing free agent hurlers, but it’s particularly notable that the Phils like Kikuchi after watching him pitch in his native Japan. Per a report from the Japan Times, it seems that Kikuchi’s formal posting will be processed sooner than later.
  • If there are several starters on the menu for the Phillies, it seems they could also play at the upper reaches of the relief market. Morosi tweets that they are at least looking into top available closer Craig Kimbrel. Elsewhere, while a reunion between Kimbrel and the Red Sox can’t be counted out, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe suggests that it does not seem particularly likely, either. The vibe of the post is that the Boston organization is probably not preparing to out-bid the market on the veteran closer. Though Kimbrel would obviously still have appeal at a reasonable price, Cafardo seems to hint at relatively tepid interest. For instance, he writes, “Red Sox officials usually shrug their shoulders when asked about Kimbrel’s future.”
  • Starter J.A. Happ is a popular early name on the market. The Twins can be counted among the many teams with interest, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter). It’ll be interesting to see whether the southpaw ends up signing relatively early in the winter. The lefty has been much more than a steadying presence in recent season, with intriguing peripherals that suggest he’s better than ever even at 36 years of age. You can track all the prior and future rumors on Happ right here.
  • Veteran lefty Andrew Miller is “definitely seeking [a] multiyear commitment” in free agency, Andy Martino of SNY.tv tweets. While some have guessed Miller might seek to reestablish some value with a pillow contract, that doesn’t seem to be his preference. There’s also solid early interest. Martino (here) and Morosi (Twitter link) each tie Miller to the Mets, with Martino also noting that the Yankees also are interested. More broadly, Martino writes that the Mets are looking into the entire free agent market for relief help, including the best (and most expensive) arms available. It is difficult to guess at this point how things will turn out, particularly since the Mets have so many bullpen openings. MLBTR gave its best guess recently, though, predicting the Mets would land a pair of notable relievers. As for Miller, we expect he’ll have strong, multi-year offers to choose from.
  • The Athletics have interest in a reunion with Edwin Jackson, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link). The 35-year-old still managed to average better than 94 mph on his four-seam fastball and got good results from a cutter that became his most-used pitch. One would think he will have multiple suitors after throwing 92 innings of 3.33 ERA ball, though the interest will be tempered by less-than-exciting peripherals (6.7 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 1.2 HR/9, 36.4% GB) that left ERA estimators rather unimpressed by his 2018 effort (4.65 FIP, 4.88 xFIP, 4.98 SIERA). The Oakland organization secured excellent results from several bounceback hurlers this year and will surely weigh retaining at least some of them, even as it also seeks new possibilities.
  • Right-hander Spencer Patton could weigh a return stateside after two campaigns in Japan, per Robert Murray of The Athletic (via Twitter). The 30-year-old may have found another gear while pitching for the Yokohama Bay Stars. He worked to a 2.64 ERA in his 116 innings over the past two seasons, recording 10.3 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9. Patton failed to hold down a big league job despite receiving some opportunities in the past, though he is said to have found some added velocity of late. It seems he’s hearing from a few interested MLB organizations as the offseason gets underway.
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Athletics Boston Red Sox Minnesota Twins New York Mets New York Yankees Philadelphia Phillies Andrew Miller Craig Kimbrel Edwin Jackson J.A. Happ Spencer Patton Yusei Kikuchi

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Brodie Van Wagenen On Mets’ Offseason Roster Plans

By Jeff Todd | November 7, 2018 at 9:17am CDT

New Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen has given every indication that the organization will push to contend right away. He also rather notably suggested that the Mets would not shy away from adding through the free agent market. What remains unclear, however, is the club’s plan to pay for new additions. The New York org has opened each of the past two campaigns with $150MM or so in payroll. With arb money factored in for 2019, there isn’t much of a gap between the team’s existing commitments and its recent levels of spending. Addressing the media again yesterday, Van Wagenen was non-committal about the financial expectations, as Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. While he reiterated that the Mets don’t see any free agents as being off limits, he also stated that the subject of payroll has not even been broached in detail with ownership.

Needless to say, that’s a bit of a curious statement given that the offseason is at hand. Here’s more from Van Wagenen’s chat:

  • Catching is one area of some focus for the Mets, and it seems that Van Wagenen is contemplating some maneuvering with his options behind the dish. As Mike Puma of the New York Post covers on Twitter, Van Wagenen indicated that the club is drawing interest in its existing fleet of backstops — including, it seems, the Tommy John rehabbing Travis d’Arnaud. Despite his evident talent, the 29-year-old backstop has rarely stayed healthy or produced consistently. He projects to earn $3.7MM in his final season of arbitration eligibility. That seems like a fairly hefty rate of pay, but Van Wagenen indicated the Mets could tender d’Arnaud and then deal him. While Van Wagenen says d’Arnaud will “hopefully” be ready to play, as DiComo adds on Twitter, there are still no assurances that he’ll be tendered.
  • In terms of catching targets, Tim Healey of Newsday tweets that Van Wagenen spoke well of Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, though he hardly gave any clear indication that there’ll be a pursuit. Realmuto figures to draw strong interest from a variety of contenders, and it’s frankly somewhat difficult to see the Mets coming away with him. There are certainly plenty of other possibilities, of course. We broke down the broader market situation about a month ago in our Market Snapshot series.
  • As for infielder Wilmer Flores, another player with a questionable arbitration situation, Van Wagenen also walked a fine line. As DiComo tweets, the new GM did not say definitively that Flores will be tendered — which would cost a projected $4.7MM. But Van Wagenen seemingly spoke in terms that suggest Flores is in the organization’s plans. “I think he should be healthy and ready to go,” Van Wagenen said of the 27-year-old Flores, “and we will be counting on him. … He’s had a long track record of performing against left-handed pitching.”
  • The win-now mantra in Queens will also extend to prospect promotions, it seems. As DiComo covers, Van Wagenen made clear he won’t keep down Mets first base prospect Peter Alonso to open the year if he shows he deserves a roster spot. While no executive would admit to playing with service time with a top prospect, Van Wagenen went further in discussing one of the club’s best-regarded youngsters, who he labeled a potential “impact player.” Van Wagenen says that the Mets want “to put the best 25 guys on the field” and notes that “the wins in April are just as important as the wins in September.”
  • Meanwhile, Van Wagenen also gave a recent update on QB-turned-TV analyst-turned minor-leaguer Tim Tebow. As DiComo writes, the new Mets exec — who was most recently an agent who repped Tebow and quite a few other Mets players — gave rather an optimistic take on the former Heisman winner’s chances. Tebow, he says, will likely open the 2018 season at Triple-A but could even be considered for the MLB roster “if he wows us.”
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Miami Marlins New York Mets Brodie Van Wagenen J.T. Realmuto Peter Alonso Tim Tebow Wilmer Flores

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Mets Making Changes To Coaching Staff

By Steve Adams | November 5, 2018 at 6:04pm CDT

6:01pm: In addition to confirming the previously reported modifications, the Mets have some further tweaks to their staff, Van Wagenen announced (via Tim Healey of Newsday, Twitter links). Gary DiSarcina will become the third base coach while Glenn Sherlock will shift across the diamond to serve as the first base coach, leaving the club in search of a bench coach as well as a hitting coach and bullpen coach.

Meanwhile, Ruben Amaro Jr. will move into a front office role advising Van Wagenen. Amaro has been in uniform since being removed from his position as the Phillies GM after the 2015 season.

12:36pm: The Mets have opted not to retain hitting coach Pat Roessler for the 2019 season, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). The Post’s Mike Puma adds that bullpen pitching coach Ricky Bones will be reassigned elsewhere in the organization. Meanwhile, assistant hitting coach Tom Slater will not be considered for the lead hitting coach job and will remain in his current role, per Puma.

Roessler, 59 in December, spent just one year as the team’s primary hitting coach. He’d previously served as assistant hitting coach for three seasons, including two years in which the Mets set new franchise records for home runs hit (218 in 2016 and 224 in 2017). Prior to Roessler’s time with the Mets, he spent more than a decade with the Yankees as their director of player development — also at times working as their minor league hitting coordinator and field coordinator. He held similar roles with the White Sox, Expos and Astros from 1988-2004.

Bones, 49, had a 10-year career as a big league pitcher and got his start as a coach in the minor league ranks with the Expos/Nationals franchise. He’s previously worked for more than half a decade as a pitching coach in the Mets’ minor league system and has also twice served as the pitching coach for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic (2013, 2017). He’d been serving in his role as the Mets’ bullpen coach for the past seven seasons.

It’s not yet clear what the future holds for the rest of the staff, though new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said during his introductory press conference that Mickey Callaway would return as the Mets’ manager in 2019.

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New York Mets Pat Roessler Ricky Bones

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Quick Hits: Yanks, Machado, Harper, Astros, Mets, Marlins

By Connor Byrne | November 4, 2018 at 11:30pm CDT

With questions along the left side of their infield, the Yankees will at least “look into” signing free-agent shortstop/third baseman Manny Machado, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets, though he notes that adding pitching is their top priority. Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn’t expect the Yankees to sign either Machado or free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper, writing that they’ve “never seemed infatuated with” the latter. Instead of splurging on either of them, Sherman looks for the Yankees to spread money around on their rotation, bullpen and lineup, for which they may seek a “versatile lefty bat” such as Marwin Gonzalez.

More from around the majors…

  • Changes are coming to the Astros’ front office, as Sig Mejdal and Ryan Hallahan – members of their Ground Control analytics team – are leaving, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com and Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Their exits come on the heels of director of research and development Mike Fast’s September departure. Both Mejdal and Hallahan had been in Houston since 2012. Mejdal, a former NASA researcher, joined the Astros as a director of decision sciences. He spent part of the 2017 season as a coach at the Class-A level, interestingly enough, and held the title of special assistant to the general manager, process development in 2018. Hallahan served as the Astros’ senior technical architect.
  • After a season in which the Mets’ bullpen finished 28th in the majors in both ERA (4.96) and fWAR (minus-0.6), they “expect to be active” in the relief market, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. When it comes to finding free-agent relievers, new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen won’t have a difficult act to follow in ex-GM Sandy Alderson, Puma observes, considering the bullpen pieces the Mets signed under the latter fell well short of expectations. Anthony Swarzak, for instance, endured a brutal 2018 after inking a two-year, $14MM contract with the Mets last winter.
  • Having finished last in the league in runs scored in 2018, the Marlins are focused on upgrading their offense, according to president of baseball operations Michael Hill (via Joe Frisaro of MLB.com). “We like the young starting pitching that we have, and have coming,” he said. “We like where we’re at from a pitching-depth standpoint. But we know we need to score more runs and improve our offense. I think that will be a big part of the conversations we have.” Specifically, Miami’s seeking players who can man the middle of the field, and the club’s also interested in first base help, per Frisaro.
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Houston Astros Miami Marlins New York Mets New York Yankees Bryce Harper Manny Machado

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Quick Hits: Mets, Rangers, Escobar, Trumbo

By Mark Polishuk | November 4, 2018 at 12:54pm CDT

Some stray items from around the league…

  • It isn’t yet known if assistant GM John Ricco or special assistant J.P. Ricciardi will remain with the Mets in the front office of new GM Brodie Van Wagenen, though MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (Twitter link) reports that both Ricco and Ricciardi are expected to join Van Wagenen and Omar Minaya at the GM Meetings this week.  The Mets reportedly want to retain both Ricco and Riccardi, though club COO Jeff Wilpon did say prior to Van Wagenen’s appointment that the new general manager would have hiring authority.
  • Are Nomar Mazara and Jurickson Profar extension candidates or trade candidates for the Rangers?  Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News feels the team should hold off on a Mazara deal at least for now, as Texas would be selling low on a former top prospect who has yet to really display that ability at the big league level (.258/.320/.425 with 60 homers over 1720 career PA, with just 1.5 fWAR over three seasons), plus Mazara is only entering his age-24 season and could still break out as a Rangers cornerstone.  Profar was once seen as the best prospect in baseball, yet injuries have stalled his career, making it unlikely that the Rangers would invest in an extension for a player they still don’t know if they can count on as a long-term piece.  By that same token, Profar probably doesn’t have a ton of trade value if Texas shops him around to rival teams.
  • From that same piece, Grant argues that the Rangers should try to acquire a quality starting pitcher this winter as “seed money” towards a future contender.  Grant feels Texas probably won’t be ready to contend until 2021, though since the Rangers have a huge need for pitching right now, the club could acquire a notable starter as something of a “relevancy tax” to help keep fan interest up, and then conceivably trade this pitcher for future assets later.
  • With free agency upon us, Eduardo Escobar chose to sidestep the open market entirely by re-signing with the Diamondbacks on a three-year, $21MM contract.  Multiple rival executives felt the deal was a good one for the D’Backs, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal writes (subscription required), with one exec speculating that Escobar’s price tag could’ve reached as high as four years and $40MM.  As Rosenthal noted, however, the market is crowded with several other infield options, and Escobar could have found himself forced to take the sort of below-market contract that many other free agents had to settle for last offseason.  Since Escobar enjoyed his time in Arizona, Rosenthal wonders if other players could prioritize a good situation rather than take the risk of a protracted free agent stint.
  • The Orioles will be open to moving any and all veterans as they rebuild, but it doesn’t seem likely that they’ll be able to deal Mark Trumbo this winter, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko writes.  Owed a hefty $13.5MM in 2019, Trumbo was already going to be a tough sell in trade talks, but his season-ending knee surgery at the end of August almost surely ruined his stock for any potential suitors.  Trumbo’s surgery isn’t expected to limit him for the start of Spring Training, and the O’s will have to hope that he performs well in the first half of the 2019 season to potentially become a trade candidate by the deadline.  Trumbo rebounded from a sub-replacement level season in 2017 to hit a solid .261/.313/.452 with 17 homers over 358 PA in 2018, though he’ll need to significantly top those solid numbers to increase his trade value, given his salary and defensive limitations.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Baltimore Orioles New York Mets Texas Rangers Eduardo Escobar J.P. Ricciardi John Ricco Jurickson Profar Mark Trumbo Nomar Mazara

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Harper/Machado Notes: Braves, Mets, Cardinals, Giants

By Mark Polishuk | November 4, 2018 at 11:14am CDT

Bryce Harper and Manny Machado will drive the action of the 2018-19 free agent market, as the two 26-year-old stars are in line to land the two biggest contracts in baseball history.  Here’s the latest buzz on what teams may or may not be preparing to pursue either of the duo…

  • The Braves have been mentioned as speculative suitors for Harper and Machado, and Atlanta even had some interest in Machado at the trade deadline.  A pursuit of either player this winter, however, might not be in the cards, as per GM Alex Anthopoulos’ comments in an interview with Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio on Siriux XM (audio link).  “We can be in on any player, we certainly have the dollars to do that.  I don’t know that it makes a lot of sense….to do deals that are ten years in length and longer at significant dollars with the payroll that we have,” Anthopoulos said.  “It’s not a rule for us, but I tend to not see a ton of value from our club that that would make sense for us….That doesn’t mean we won’t at least explore some things and see if we could line up on the right deal and the right term, but I am reluctant to go extremely long in terms of length.”  Freddie Freeman’s eight-year, $135MM deal (signed in February 2014, long before Anthopoulos was with the franchise) is the biggest contract in Braves history, though that extension was signed while Freeman was still 24 and in his first arbitration-eligible year.
  • Could the Mets take a run at Machado?  Recent history would seem to indicate against it, though the New York Post’s Joel Sherman lays out the case why pursuing Machado wouldn’t be so far-fetched an idea, starting with new GM Brodie Van Wagenen’s statement about how the team is planning to contend in 2019.  Signing Machado would obviously be a big help on that front, and Sherman also notes that keeping Machado away from the Yankees would also be of interest to the PR-conscious Wilpon family.  In terms of payroll, the Mets don’t have any salaries whatsoever on the books beyond the 2020 season, plus even Machado’s 2019 salary could be covered via injury insurance payouts from David Wright and Yoenis Cespedes’ contracts.  Sherman also speculates that adding Machado would turn young shortstop Amed Rosario into a very valuable trade chip the Mets could use to address other needs, or the team could try a scenario where Machado plays shortstop in 2019 and Rosario moves to second base, with Machado potentially moving back to third base in 2020 once Todd Frazier’s contract is up.
  • The Cardinals will check in on Harper as part of what could be a busy offseason for the team, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.  As one industry source puts it, the Cards are “sending signals they are out to be a player” as a response to their three-year postseason drought, and also because they’ve missed out on other some major winter targets (i.e. Giancarlo Stanton, David Price) in recent years.  While the Cardinals still have some hesitations about extended long-term commitments to players, they could agree to such a contract in unique cases — as Goold notes, the team’s willingness to take on Stanton’s contract could hint that they are open to the record-setting deal it would take to land Harper.  Installing Harper as the everyday right fielder would make Dexter Fowler expendable, though St. Louis could also give Harper some time in center field while platooning Fowler and Harrison Bader between the two outfield spots.
  • The Giants also made a run at Stanton last winter, and San Francisco makes a lot of sense as a landing spot for Harper, as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes in a subscription-only piece.  Beyond the major upgrade Harper would bring to the Giants’ shaky outfield, Harper could find the Bay Area as much of a fit as another often-controversial star (Barry Bonds) did years ago, though obviously Bonds had the hometown factor in his favor. Olney notes that Giants owner Charles Johnson “was all-in on the idea of adding Stanton,” and the club’s traditional willingness to spend big on free agents could be more indicative of future plans than what the Giants’ yet-to-be-named new general manager has in mind.
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Mets Outright Conlon, Montero, Evans, Callahan

By Jeff Todd | November 2, 2018 at 4:23pm CDT

The Mets have outrighted four players from their 40-man roster, per a club announcement. Lefty P.J. Conlon was assigned to Triple-A after clearing waivers, while Rafael Montero, Phillip Evans, and Jamie Callahan also cleared but are all now free agents.

Conlon, who’ll soon turn 25, is a rarity as a Belfast-born big leaguer. He had a rough all-around campaign in 2018 despite reaching the majors, with poor results there and at Triple-A. However, the southpaw has had greater success previously in the minors and could still have a chance to reestablish himself.

Of these players, Montero certainly has the most name recognition. Once considered a future rotation stalwart, his career had largely stalled out before he underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2017 campaign.

Callahan is another righty with some former prospect notoriety. He was a second-round pick in 2012, and had some successes in the minors after moving to a relief role. After a brief 2017 call-up, though, Callahan lost almost all of his 2018 season to shoulder surgery.

Evans has spent his entire career with New York to this point and saw MLB action in each of the past two seasons. A versatile defender who has plenty of experience at shortstop, Evans will mostly be considered as utility infield depth. He did launch a career-high 14 home runs in only 245 Triple-A plate appearances in 2018, though, which could increase his appeal to other organizations.

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Cubs Outright Gore, Freeman; Claim Jack Reinheimer From Mets

By Jeff Todd | November 2, 2018 at 4:19pm CDT

The Cubs announced today that they have outrighted outfielder Terrance Gore and infielder Mike Freeman from the 40-man roster. Meanwhile, the club has added infielder Jack Reinheimer via waiver claim from the Mets.

Gore and Freeman were each added to the Chicago 40-man owing to late-season considerations. The former is a standout baserunner, the latter a quality defender. Both players appear to qualify as minor-league free agents.

Reinheimer, meanwhile, is a 26-year-old utilityman who is capable of lining up at shortstop. He showed some life at the plate in a 16-game run with the Mets’ top affiliate late last year, though he has mostly been a palatable-but-unexciting hitter at the Triple-A level, with a .278/.343/.371 slash in 1,376 total plate appearances.

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Latest On Mets Front Office Transition

By Jeff Todd | November 1, 2018 at 9:50am CDT

When the Mets announced the hiring of former agent Brodie Van Wagenen as their new general manager, it was apparent that his top lieutenants would be of particular importance. After all, this will be his first time working in, let alone leading, a baseball operations department.

For the moment, all that’s known for certain is that one notable figure — former Mets GM Omar Minaya — will remain on hand to assist Van Wagenen. Andy Martino of SNY.tv recently tweeted that Minaya, who re-joined the organization last year as a special assistant to the GM, would stay on in some capacity. Minaya’s specific role and job title aren’t yet known, but Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets that he will be a “top adviser” to Van Wagenen.

Two other top baseball executives, assistant GM John Ricco and special adviser J.P. Ricciardi, are still in limbo. However, the team has advised both that “they are wanted back,” as Puma puts it. Whether they’ll choose to stay with the team, and if so in what capacity, isn’t known. Puma noted recently (on Twitter) that Ricciardi “has multiple years remaining on his contract.” Neither has spoken personally on the matter.

In his most recent report, Martino does note that, while some turnover is expected, morale within the Mets front office was good yesterday, and there may be less turnover among lower-level staffers than originally expected. In the meantime, Van Wagenen is beginning to look around the league for potential assistant GM candidates. He will also look to expand the Mets analytics department, but as of right now no personnel decisions have been made.

Adding context to the Mets’ peculiar new situation, The Athletic’s Tim Britton explores how the specific responsibilities might shake out by speaking with three NBA GMs who made a similar transition – though none is a perfect analog for Van Wagenen. Still, the Mets’ new front office picture is beginning to take shape. In his introductory press conference yesterday, Van Wagenen made it crystal clear that the Mets will be looking to “win now.”

Meanwhile, yesterday was the final day of Sandy Alderson’s contract with the Mets, as Martino observes. The veteran baseball executive had remained at least loosely involved with the organization despite stepping down from daily GM duties owing to medical needs.

Now, Alderson is moving on as the team turns the position over to Van Wagenen. Fortunately, Martino writes, Alderson has a “good” prognosis in his cancer recovery. Whether or not he has any intention of aligning with another team isn’t clear, but Alderson does “plan[s] to continue to work in baseball in some capacity,” per the report.

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