Alderson: “No Present Plans” To Dismiss Terry Collins
Mets GM Sandy Alderson says that the club has “no present plans” to part ways with manager Terry Collins or any of his staff, as ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin reports. Alderson declined to endorse the skipper for the rest of the way, though he did so while noting that he would never issue such an assurance “unequivocally.”
Sitting at .500 entering play tonight, New York is beginning a critical, four-game series in San Francisco. The club sat at seven games over back after splitting a doubleheader on July 26th, but has gone just 7-and-14 since. Still, a recent report suggested that Collins’s job was safe for the time being.
Collins helped guide the Mets to a NL East title and World Series appearance last year, and entered his sixth season on the job with a seemingly firm grasp of the position. Indeed, he struck a new deal with the organization in November which guaranteed his salary through next season.
That successful campaign raised expectations, though, and Collins carries a sub-.500 mark during his time in New York. Of course, his tenure has coincided with a forced austerity plan occasioned by ownership’s financial limitations in the wake of the Bernie Madoff scandal.
At the time of his extension last fall, Collins suggested he was interested only in continuing on for a relatively short period of time. It seemed fairly likely that he had hoped to remain in command for this season and one more — the life of the deal — as the Mets sought to take advantage of their current window of contention.
Things haven’t gone as hoped, however, and some have argued that Collins is at least partially to blame. Certainly, Collins isn’t responsible for the team’s roster decisions over the winter and injuries to key players such as David Wright, Matt Harvey, and Lucas Duda. But there has been simmering frustration over his bullpen management, handling of struggling young outfielder Michael Conforto, and other matters — though much the same could be said of many other managers around the game.
It’s always difficult to assess from the outside just how much blame should fall on a skipper, excepting at least certain in-game decisionmaking. Conforto’s playing time, for instance, was presumably determined in conjunction with the front office. Still, Alderson’s somewhat tepid statement on his manager’s situation seems to suggest that the organization isn’t fully on board with his work this season.
Whether or not a change could make any kind of meaningful difference at this stage, of course, is an open question. And it’s not yet clear whether the Mets will see if a new in-uniform leader can effect a sudden turnaround, or whether instead the team will wait until the offseason to assess its options.
Heyman’s Latest: Managers, White Sox, Yunel, Dodgers, Puig, Norris, Rangers
Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports kicks off his weekly Inside Baseball column with a look at the job security of a number of managers, noting that Mets skipper Terry Collins, D-backs manager Chip Hale and White Sox manager Robin Ventura could all be on the hot seat, while Braves interim manager Brian Snitker doesn’t seem especially likely to shed the interim label and keep his post. Other names mentioned include Mike Scioscia (Angels), Brad Ausmus (Tigers), Kevin Cash (Rays), Paul Molitor (Twins), Bryan Price (Reds) and Walt Weiss (Rockies), but none from that group seems to be eminently in danger of losing his job even at season’s end, per Heyman.
Some highlights from the lengthy column…
- White Sox GM Rick Hahn was far more in favor of a deadline sale than owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Heyman writes, but the Sox ultimately held onto nearly all of their tradeable assets, with the exception of left-hander Zach Duke, suggesting that Hahn ultimately wasn’t given the go-ahead to operate as he might’ve wished. The Sox haven’t put Chris Sale on trade waivers yet, Heyman notes, though that decision is a moot point. He’d be claimed by the first team available — the Twins, as things currently stand — and pulled back off waivers. Chicago had interest in Gary Sanchez when the Yankees were looking at Sale, he adds, though that’s not much of a surprise. Catcher has long been a weak spot in Chicago, and Sanchez is among the more highly regarded prospects in all of baseball.
- There wasn’t much chatter pertaining to Yunel Escobar prior to the non-waiver trade deadline (and there’s been less in August), but Heyman writes that Escobar did draw interest in July. However, the Angels like what he’s been able to give to the club offensively, batting .316/.365/.397 in 474 plate appearances. I’m not sure I see the logic behind not being willing to move Escobar but trading a similarly priced and very arguably more valuable asset with the same amount of club control (Hector Santiago) for what amounted to an injured prospect, but perhaps the Halos simply didn’t receive an offer to their liking for Escobar.
- The Dodgers “love” Rich Hill and were planning to pursue him last winter until Brett Anderson accepted the team’s qualifying offer, per Heyman. Those two don’t seem like they should’ve been mutually exclusive — the Dodgers went out and signed Kenta Maeda and Scott Kazmir following Anderson’s acceptance of the QO, after all — but perhaps the Dodgers either couldn’t guarantee a rotation spot or didn’t find the notion of two starters with such recent injury woes to be palatable. Either way, if the Dodgers are as fond of Hill as Heyman indicates, it seems likely that they’ll be in the mix to re-sign him come the offseason.
- One executive from a non-Dodgers club opined to Heyman that no team will claim Yasiel Puig if and when he’s placed on revocable waivers and added, “…if they do, they’re going to get him.” Furthermore, Heyman writes that it isn’t likely that Puig will rejoin the Dodgers at any point this season, as he has “turned off” many of his teammates. It seems difficult to fathom that the Dodgers wouldn’t bring him back in the month of September when rosters expand, but we’ll find out in just a few weeks — if Puig isn’t dealt first.
- The Padres have yet to put Derek Norris on trade waivers, and Heyman calls him a more likely offseason trade candidate. The Indians showed mild interest but ultimately decided that their internal options were preferable to Norris, who is once again struggling tremendously following a strong showing at the plate from May 1 through the All-Star break. Heyman also notes that the Padres are interested enough in Puig to at least be thinking about it and points out the connection between pro scouting director Logan White and Puig. White was the Dodgers VP of amateur scouting prior to his Padres gig and was one of the execs that recommended Puig to his colleagues.
- The Rangers weren’t able to swing a deal for any of the big-name starters they pursued, but that’s in part due to the asking prices they received. The Rays asked the Rangers for Jurickson Profar and other pieces in exchange for Matt Moore, while Rougned Odor‘s name was suggested by the Rays in Chris Archer talks and by the White Sox in talks for Chris Sale.
Zack Wheeler Diagnosed With Flexor Strain
5:47pm: Wheeler has a mild flexor strain, Mike Puma of the New York Post was among those to tweet. He won’t throw for two more weeks, which would make a return this season appear to be rather unlikely since he’ll still require a full ramp-up from that point. Of course, if the Mets make it into the post-season then Wheeler could theoretically be in play, but it remains to be seen how the organization will approach things given his somewhat uneven TJ recovery and future importance to the team.
3:41pm: Mets righty Zack Wheeler visited Dr. James Andrews recently after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow, which carries a newly-installed ulnar collateral ligament. Fortunately, the examination revealed “nothing devastating” about the 26-year-old’s arm health, per ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin (Twitter link).
While it seems that we’ll need to await further details on just what Andrews advised, the preliminary news suggests that the scariest possibilities aren’t on the table at this point. Perhaps the worst outcome would be the need for another new UCL, but while that always remains a threat to any pitcher, it appears that Wheeler doesn’t have cause to fear a re-started recovery process.
At the same time, there still doesn’t appear to be much hope that Wheeler will make it back to the big league mound this year. Given the starts and stops he has experienced already, the more likely scenario might involve some fall or winter appearances in hopes that he can ramp back up next spring.
Wheeler owns a 3.50 ERA in 285 1/3 career innings, making him one of the more promising young starters in baseball. But he hasn’t thrown a big league frame since 2014, despite once seeming on track to return in the middle of the current campaign.
Mets Not Showing Interest In Carlos Gomez Trade
While Mets GM Sandy Alderson said last week that the Mets would keep an open mind regarding Carlos Gomez after Gomez was designated for assignment by the Astros, ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin now reports (via Twitter) that the team has yet to show interest in a Gomez trade. Furthermore, he suggests that their thinking may not change even if Gomez becomes a free agent. The Mets, he notes, will get Justin Ruggiano back from the disabled list at some point this week, giving manager Terry Collins a right-handed option in the outfield.
Since Gomez’s DFA, the Mets have been linked to him on a few occasions, but Rubin’s report would suggest that New York’s interest in its former top prospect has been somewhat overstated. The Mets did come close to acquiring Gomez shortly before the 2015 non-waiver trade deadline, of course, though that trade fell through, prompting Alderson and his lieutenants to pivot to Yoenis Cespedes.
On paper, Gomez does seem like a reasonable roll of the dice for the Mets, who currently have Ruggiano, Cespedes and Juan Lagares all on the disabled list. The latter of that trio is possibly out for the remainder of the season following thumb surgery to repair a torn ligament in late July, and neither Ruggiano nor Cespedes is considered a plus option in center field from a defensive standpoint. But, with Gomez’s lackluster .210/.272/.322 slash this season and the Mets’ reported concerns about his hip last summer (plus a rib cage injury that sidelined him for a month earlier this year), there’s no guarantee that he’d ultimately serve as an upgrade.
The Marlins and Cardinals have also been linked to Gomez since he was designated on Wednesday of last week, with injuries to Giancarlo Stanton and Matt Holliday creating a need in the respective outfields of those two teams.
Managerial News & Rumors: Collins, Cash, Ventura
Here’s the latest on the job security of a trio of big league managers…
- The Mets have no plans to make a managerial change, a front office source tells Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. There had been some whispers about Terry Collins’ job security in the wake of the club’s underwhelming season, though in fairness to Collins, he has been hampered by a lackluster offense and some key injuries (most notably to Matt Harvey and David Wright). The Mets are 59-58 after today’s victory but they’re just two games behind Miami for the last NL wild card slot, and the Marlins got some bad injury news themselves today.
- Rays owner Stuart Sternberg gave manager Kevin Cash a strong vote of confidence, telling Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that there is “zero” chance of Cash’s job being in danger. The Rays are just 127-151 under Cash, who is in the second year of a five-year deal to manage the club. It was an unusually strong commitment for a first-time manager, yet it was a sign of the confidence Sternberg and team executives had in Cash. Even in regards to the team’s recent struggles, “to go through these sort of times will only make [Cash] a better manager,” Sternberg said. “We knew coming in, he was here as a long-, long-term guy….But he handled things extraordinarily. As I would expect he would. And it makes him even more valuable going forward.”
- Robin Ventura wants to return as the White Sox manager in 2017, though he tells Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times that “you have to have somebody ask you to do it and all that. That’s stuff that happens after the season is over, if you get there.” The Sox are on pace for the fourth straight losing season of Ventura’s tenure, and the skipper is in the last year of his contract.
East News & Rumors: Marlins, Red Sox, Nats, Mets
Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Saturday that the playoff-contending club hasn’t discussed signing Miami native and resident Alex Rodriguez, whom the Yankees released Saturday.“You’ve got to have a place to play. I know he hasn’t played in the field in a long time. I don’t know where he fits right now,” Mattingly told reporters, per the Associated Press. However, given the injury-forced absence of Justin Bour, Mattingly didn’t rule out the 41-year-old Rodriguez as a first base option for the Marlins. “There’s no reason he couldn’t play first. He has the ability to do a lot of things,” Mattingly stated. “We miss Justin a little bit over there at first. I don’t think we’ve been able to replace that. We’re always looking at ways of getting better in different areas.” The Marlins have been deploying right-handed hitters Miguel Rojas and Chris Johnson in a first base platoon with the lefty-swinging Derek Dietrich, though the former two have registered miserable batting lines this season. The same is true of Rodriguez – hence his release – but he’s only a year removed from hitting a tremendous .263/.394/.532 in 193 plate appearances against southpaws.
More regarding A-Rod and the majors’ two East divisions:
- For his part, Rodriguez seems unsure if he wants to continue his career. After his final game with the Yankees on Friday, the 22-year veteran was reluctant to say he was done. “For all the things I’ve been through, to have a night like tonight, I don’t know what more I can ask for,” he said (Twitter link via David Lennon of Newsday). For what it’s worth, in a survey of 24 executives from around baseball, nearly half (11) told Jayson Stark of ESPN that Rodriguez would return either this season or in time for spring training next year.
- On the heels of his Saturday release from the Nationals, free agent reliever Jonathan Papelbon would welcome a return to Boston, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI (Twitter link). Papelbon, whom the Red Sox selected in the fourth round of the 2003 draft, had a highly successful run with the club from 2005-11. During that seven-season, 429 1/3-inning span, the right-hander converted over 88 percent of save opportunities (219 of 248) and compiled a 2.33 ERA, 10.67 K/9 and 2.41 BB/9. He’s far less effective now, having lost a few miles per hour on his fastball and his job as Washington’s closer before it released him. However, Boston’s bullpen has posted a 4.14 second-half ERA – the sixth-highest figure in baseball – notes Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. Moreover, the Red Sox are without injured setup man Koji Uehara, and closer Craig Kimbrel has scuffled while dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. Given their issues, Papelbon is “worth investigating,” Sox president Dave Dombrowski told reporters, including Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
- Thanks to a clean MRI on Saturday, the Nationals will not place right fielder Bryce Harper on the disabled list, president and general manager Mike Rizzo said (via Alex Putterman of MLB.com). Harper hasn’t taken an at-bat since last Saturday because of a stiff neck, and manager Dusty Baker is wary of playing the 23-year-old in the event the team decides to place him on the DL retroactively. By playing him, Baker would reset the clock on a retroactive DL stint.
- Left-hander Jon Niese is likely to return to the Mets’ rotation at the expense of Logan Verrett, whom the team pulled from its starting five after a disastrous Friday outing, according to Troy Provost-Heron of MLB.com. In an 8-6 loss to the Padres that dropped the Mets to below .500, Verrett yielded all eight runs on six hits (including four home runs) and three walks. Verrett has thrown 60 innings as a starter this year and recorded a 6.45 ERA, 6.15 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9. Niese was a capable option out of the Mets’ rotation from 2010-15, but he struggled this year with the Pirates after an offseason trade, leading Pittsburgh to deal him back to New York prior to the non-waiver trade deadline. Niese’s return to the Mets was going well until Thursday, when he gave up six earned runs on three hits and three walks in just an inning of work.
Cardinals, Mets Interested In Carlos Gomez
8:56pm: The Mets aren’t giving off indications that they have serious interest in Gomez, Marc Carig of Newsday tweets. Though GM Sandy Alderson has “left [the] door open,” says Carig, his comments “sounded like diplomacy” rather than the prelude to a move on the veteran outfielder.
12:40pm: ESPN’s Mark Saxon tweets that the Cardinals are indeed looking into Gomez, and his ability to play center field is a big draw for them. However, he notes that St. Louis could be outbid by the Mets. Saxon adds in a second tweet that Gomez is expected to be traded rather than waived and released. Shortly after Gomez’s DFA earlier this week, the Mets were said to be “open” to reacquiring him. Gomez came up through the Mets’ farm system and was lauded as one of the game’s top prospects before he was traded to the Twins as part of the Johan Santana package.
11:00am: The Cardinals will explore the possibility of adding recently designated center fielder Carlos Gomez, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). According to Goold, they’ll try to ascertain the reasons for his sudden decline and determine whether they believe he can rediscover his form and help the 2016 club. Adding onto that, Goold said in an appearance on the Ryan Kelley Morning Show on 105.7 FM / 920 AM in St. Louis that the Cards have “legitimate curiosity” in Gomez and were intrigued by him even before last night, when left fielder Matt Holliday suffered a fractured thumb that could cost him much of the remaining season.
Gomez was a big-name addition for the Astros last July, when Houston parted with four prospects to pry Gomez and right-hander Mike Fiers away from the Brewers. However, there were some medical concerns about Gomez at the time — a trade to the Mets was reportedly nixed in part due to concerns surrounding Gomez’s hip — and he performed dreadfully in the calendar year for which he donned an Astros uniform. The 30-year-old batted just .221/.277/.342 in 126 games for the Astros — a far cry from the terrific .278/.342/.475 batting line he compiled from Opening Day 2013 until the time of said trade. Gomez remains a base-stealing threat, but even defensive metrics have soured on his once-elite skill set in center field. Of course, he missed time in 2015 with a hamstring injury, played through alleged hip issues last season and spent more than a month on the DL in 2016 after injuring his rib cage while laying out to make a diving catch. Any and all of those issues could contribute to a decline in his defensive prowess in the outfield.
For the Cardinals, center field has been a revolving door for quite some time. Last year saw Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos deliver underwhelming performances before Randal Grichuk looked to seize the job, but Grichuk has taken a significant step back in 2016 and has been optioned to the minors on multiple occasions (though he’s back in the Majors now). Beyond Grichuk, the Cards have trotted out Tommy Pham, Jeremy Hazelbaker and even displaced second baseman Kolten Wong as they look to find a dependable everyday solution.
While Gomez is far from a certainty to fill that need, he could add an option with significant upside if he is ultimately released. That fate could very well be his outcome, as Gomez is owed $2.51MM through season’s end, and any claiming team would be on the hook for that sum. (And, while a trade is certainly another possibility, one can imagine that the recent data breach issues between the two teams in question here might create a reluctance to enter into such negotiations.)
Zack Wheeler To Visit Dr. Andrews After Elbow Discomfort
Mets righty Zack Wheeler is set for a visit to orthopedist Dr. James Andrews after experiencing discomfort in his surgically-repaired right elbow, Mike Puma of the New York Post was among those to tweet. It seems that the flare-up occurred after his most recent rehab outing.
Though it’s still far from clear whether Wheeler has a new injury with which to contend, the news makes it tough to imagine that he’ll return to New York this season. The prized 26-year-old had seemed primed to make a late-season return from Tommy John surgery, potentially giving the Mets a boost down the stretch.
At this point, the greater concern lies in the long run. Wheeler last pitched in the majors in 2014, when he wrapped up a stellar campaign for the Mets. He had been brought back slowly from his UCL replacement procedure, but attempts to ramp things up toward a major league return have not gone according to plan. Now, a dreaded trip to the famed Dr. Andrews may help to ascertain whether there’s a new problem to contend with.
The expectation has long been that Wheeler would constitute a major part of a loaded Mets pitching staff full of frontline starters. But while Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom have continued to thrive, though the former has pitched through a bone spur, but some cracks have formed elsewhere. Though Steven Matz has been productive in his first full MLB campaign, he has dealt with some inconsistency while battling his own elbow bone spur. And Matt Harvey has undergone a shocking downfall, struggling badly before undergoing season-ending surgery.
Wheeler certainly deserves mention in that company. Over his first 285 1/3 innings at the big league level, from 2013-14, Wheeler owns a 3.50 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9. Returning to that form may once have seemed a foregone conclusion, given the prevalence of Tommy John surgery, but the fact is that the surgery isn’t always successful. Indeed, as MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum has explained, a prior TJ procedure “strongly predicts a second surgery.”
Mets “Open” To Adding Carlos Gomez
The Mets nearly acquired center fielder Carlos Gomez from the Brewers prior to last summer’s trade deadline, but New York backed out thanks to concerns over Gomez’s hip. Gomez ended up with the Astros, who designated him for assignment Wednesday after he hit a shockingly ineffective .221/.277/.342 with nine home runs in 486 plate appearances dating back to last year’s trade.
Now that Gomez will likely be available for the prorated league minimum soon, the Mets could once again have interest in the services of a player whose professional career began when they signed him as a 16-year-old in 2002.
“We always have an open mind,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told Howie Kussoy of the New York Post.
Despite his woes at the plate, the 30-year-old Gomez remains a threat on the bases and would add some speed to the Mets, who have the third-fewest steals in the majors (27) and have been among the worst base-running teams in the sport this year, according to FanGraphs. He’d also provide another option in center field to a club in need of one at the moment. With Juan Lagares recovering from thumb surgery, the Mets’ primary choices in center are Yoenis Cespedes, Alejandro De Aza, Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson. Those are all less-than-ideal fits, as Cespedes – who has spent the lion’s share of the season in center – would much rather play left field; De Aza is amid a miserable year; Conforto has little experience in center; and Granderson, 35, is a defensive liability. Unfortunately, Gomez has endured an uncharacteristically subpar season in the field, posting negative figures in Defensive Runs Saved (minus-6) and UZR/150 (minus-4.7).
Offensively, the right-handed hitting Gomez could conceivably serve in a platoon with the lefty-swinging Conforto, who has hit a terrible .133/.185/.150 against southpaws since his promotion to the majors last season. That’s over an admittedly microscopic sample size of 65 plate appearances, though, and the only way the 23-year-old Conforto will eventually become an everyday player is by adjusting to same-handed pitchers. For his part, Gomez (.221/.275/.326 in 95 PAs) hasn’t inspired versus lefties this year, either. Nevertheless, at 57-55 and two games out of a Wild Card spot, the reigning National League Champions haven’t ruled out reuniting with Gomez.
Mets Plan To Discuss Extension With Neil Walker
Neil Walker was acquired as a one-year rental this offseason, but Mets GM Sandy Alderson plans to discuss a long-term contract with Walker’s representatives at Excel Sports Management, per Roger Rubin at ESPN.com. “I have not had any conversations with his agent at this point,” said Alderson. “I expect that there will be some conversations before the end of the season. He’s been a terrific player for us on the field. He’s been excellent in the clubhouse.”
The on-field and clubhouse results for Walker have to be encouraging for the Mets, who in retrospect got the better of the trade that swapped Walker for lefty Jon Niese (who has since been reacquired), but the Mets now have extra incentive to explore a long-term arrangement with Walker after dealing presumptive second baseman of the future Dilson Herrera to the Reds in last Monday’s deadline deal to acquire Jay Bruce.
The 30-year-old Walker is hitting .268/.330/.449 with 19 homers (already the second-highest total of any season in his career), playing average to above-average defense at second base depending on your defensive metric of choice. On a thin free agent market, he’s be one of the most appealing bats available, as evidenced by the fact that he’s been hovering around the back end of the top 10 on MLBTR’s Free Agent Power Rankings for much of the season. A four-year deal seems like a reasonable expectation for Walker on the open market, given his strong year-to-year results at the plate, though there’s been no indication of any kind of asking price. It seems unlikely that with free agency now fewer than three months away, Walker would be open to much of a discount, especially considering the fact that the free agent market is especially thin at second base.
The other question facing the Mets is how well Walker will fit into the club’s payroll next season. Yoenis Cespedes seems likely to opt out of the remaining two years on his contract in pursuit of a larger deal, and one can imagine that the Mets will have interest in retaining him. Bartolo Colon and Alejandro De Aza, too, are each coming off the books. However, there are also numerous payroll increases facing the Mets. Bruce’s $13.5MM option figures to be exercised, while Jeurys Familia and Addison Reed are due for substantial raises on their respective salaries of $4.1MM and $5.3MM. Jacob deGrom, meanwhile, is in line for one of the richest paydays ever for a first-time arbitration-eligible player.
While there are certainly obstacles to Walker himself sounds open to the idea. The second baseman spoke to Rubin about the possibility of forgoing free agency and called the notion a “double-edged sword” but also acknowledging that the idea of an extension at the very least intrigues him. “…when you look at the big picture and you look at what’s going on here and you look at how I fit in here and how happy I’ve been … this is a really good fit for me.”