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Mets, Rene Rivera Agree To Minors Deal

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The Mets have agreed to a minor league contract with catcher Rene Rivera, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. The deal includes an invitation to major league spring training for Rivera, who will earn a $1MM salary with up to $300K in incentives if he makes the Mets’ roster.

This is the third time since 2016 and the second offseason in a row in which the Mets have added Rivera on a minors pact. The well-traveled 36-year-old ended up playing in just nine games with the club last season. He spent the majority of the year as a member of the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate, with whom he batted .254/.319/.501 and smacked 25 home runs in 396 plate appearances.

Historically, Rivera hasn’t been all that successful at the plate in the majors, where he has hit .221/.272/.354 in 1,547 tries. However, he’s a well-regarded defender who has thrown out an excellent 36 percent of would-be base thieves during his time in the majors and earned the trust of Mets starter Noah Syndergaard.

Rivera will now attempt to work his way back to the bigs with a team whose catching situation isn’t ideal. Wilson Ramos is entrenched as the starter, though he had a somewhat disappointing 2019, and the leading candidate to back him up remains the extremely light-hitting Tomas Nido.

Latest On Yoenis Cespedes’ Recovery

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Injuries have derailed Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes’ career over the past couple seasons, but the 34-year-old is finally progressing toward a return to a major league diamond. On Monday, Cespedes tweeted a video of himself sprinting, swinging a bat and catching a fly ball at the Mets’ spring training headquarters in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (hat tip to Matt Kelly of MLB.com)

While it may not sound like much, any footage of Cespedes performing baseball activities is encouraging at this point. The injury-riddled Cespedes has gone from star to afterthought dating back to 2017, having appeared in a meager 119 regular-season games since then. He didn’t play past July in 2018 and didn’t suit up at all last year on account of foot problems. Cespedes fractured his right ankle in May as a result of a dust-up with, of all things, a wild boar at his ranch in Port St. Lucie.

If there’s a silver lining for the Mets, it’s that Cespedes’ boar battle did lead to some financial relief for them. The team stopped paying his salary for 2019 sometime last season, and the two sides reached an agreement on an amended contract back in December. Consequently, New York will shell out $6MM to Cespedes this year instead of the $29.5MM he was supposed to earn. That’s a positive development for the club’s books, but it’s obviously not the outcome the Mets envisioned when they re-signed Cespedes to a four-year, $110MM deal before the 2017 season.

Cespedes is now going into the last season of his pact, though it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll come close to resembling the player he was before his health troubles arose. It’s also up in the air just how much playing time Cespedes will garner in 2020, as the Mets have a strong mix of other corner outfield-capable players (Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith) and could add yet another starting-caliber OFer in trade target Starling Marte. There’s also no designated hitter role for Cespedes to fall back on, and he can’t make a regular shift to first base with NL Rookie of the Year winner Pete Alonso entrenched at the position.

Latest On Mets’ Managerial Search

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Longtime major league managers Buck Showalter, Dusty Baker and John Gibbons have been mentioned as speculative fits for the Mets since Carlos Beltran stepped down last week. However, as of now, none of them are candidates to take over in New York, Jon Heyman of MLB Network suggests. Something would have to “drastically” change for any of the three to emerge as a possibility for the Mets’ job, according to Heyman.

To this point, almost no known Beltran successors have come to the fore since he left the organization Thursday as a result of the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing fiasco. The lone reported name is Mets quality control coach Luis Rojas, whom they almost hired before making the ill-fated decision to tab Beltran back in the fall.

Now, it seems Mets bigwigs aren’t fully sure how to proceed in the wake of Beltran’s sudden exit. There’s “some level of paralysis” from their front office on where to turn, according to the New York Post’s Mike Puma, who notes an eventual ownership change is part of the issue.

While minority owner Steve Cohen won’t grab the reins from Fred Wilpon and Jeff Wilpon as the Mets’ control person until 2025, his eventual takeover has slowed down the club as it seeks its next skipper. GM Brodie Van Wagenen & Co. fear they’ll “look bad to Cohen” if they hire a manager whom they didn’t consider in their previous search, Puma writes. So, with that in mind, it appears Rojas is the front-runner to land the position after coming up short in his bid for it just a couple months ago.

Latest On Red Sox Managerial Search

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10:15 pm: The Red Sox have considered Mets’ bench coach Hensley Meulens for the position, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). It’s unclear if the sides have yet arranged for a formal interview. As Heyman points out, Meulens might find himself in consideration for the top job in New York as well.

8:45 pm: The Red Sox are one of three teams surprisingly on the hunt for a manager in January. Unlike the Astros and Mets, to whom some early names have been tied, Boston’s search for a skipper has been quiet the past few days.

It seems Boston may not name a replacement for Alex Cora any time soon. Speaking to reporters (including Chris Cotillo of MassLive), Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy allowed that Boston could enter spring training without a manger in place. The Sox “would like” to have the position settled by then, Kennedy said, but it’s not a mandate. Indeed, as of Friday, the Red Sox had yet to reach out to other clubs to seek permission to interview external candidates (via Cotillo). Boston is vetting its internal candidates first, Kennedy explained (Twitter link), but the club plans to cast a wide net in its search.

If the Red Sox were to hire from within, bench coach Ron Roenicke seems a logical option. The former Brewers’ skipper has been Cora’s bench coach the past two seasons. He’s no doubt familiar with much of Boston’s current roster. (The 2018 Red Sox are themselves under investigation related to sign stealing allegations, of course, but there’s no reason to believe at this point that Roenicke will be implicated). Red Sox coaches, in fact, seem to believe Roenicke would be the frontrunner if Boston stays internal, notes Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

Former Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell would have interest in the position, he tells Rob Bradford of WEEI, but only under a unique circumstance. Lowell’s interest would be conditional on his serving as a bridge to a Cora return in 2021. “I would love to (manage) if I knew it was just for a year and Cora was guaranteed to come back,” Lowell told Bradford. Of course, such a scenario seems far-fetched at the moment. Cora hasn’t yet been disciplined by Major League Baseball for his role in the respective sign stealing scandals, but a suspension is almost certainly forthcoming. Further, there’s no indication the organization would have interest in exploring such an arrangement.

The situation is no doubt a difficult and unexpected one for first-year chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. The next steps for the Red Sox (and the Astros and Mets, as well) will be fascinating to follow. It seems Bloom and the rest of Boston’s front office are prepared to take their time sorting things out.

Latest On Dusty Baker

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JANUARY 19: To this point, neither the Mets nor the Red Sox have reached out to Baker to discuss their respective positions, he tells reporters, including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (Twitter link). Baker will interview for the Astros’ managerial job tomorrow.

JANUARY 17: The Mets find themselves in need of a new manager after first-timer Carlos Beltran stepped down this week. Now in their second offseason search for a skipper, the Mets are considering veteran Dusty Baker for the role, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

The interest in Baker represents a change in direction for the Mets, as he wasn’t among their candidates before they hired Beltran in November. However, as Puma notes, Baker could act as “a calming influence” for an organization sailing through tempestuous waters in the wake of Beltran’s sudden exit over the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal. And although a World Series has eluded him, Baker would still be one of the most accomplished Mets hires ever, having managed the Giants, Cubs, Reds and Nationals to a combined 1,863-1,636 record with nine playoff berths from 1993-2017.

Since Beltran stepped down Thursday, Baker’s the second reported possibility to arise for the Mets, who are also considering Luis Rojas, their quality control coach. Rojas was among several candidates the Mets interviewed before hiring Beltran, so it stands to reason those who haven’t gotten managerial jobs since then could also be in the mix.

Mets, Pirates “Recently Reopened Starling Marte Trade Talks”

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The Mets and Pirates have reengaged about the possibility of a Starling Marte trade, per sources for Robert Murray (via Twitter).

It’s an interesting time for the Mets to launch into trade discussions. They’d certainly love for something with a positive tilt to share the spotlight with Carlos Beltran’s recent dismissal. Of course, to view a discussion about Marte as reactionary from the Mets perspective presumes a number of things, including that the Mets were the ones to engage the Pirates. What we know for sure, the Mets would like to add an impact centerfielder, and the Pirates have one they are willing to trade – all of which has been true for the majority of the winter. 

With most impact pieces off the board by now, Marte’s name has been curiously absent from the rumor mill of late, especially given the lack of league-wide depth in center. The Diamondbacks have previously been linked to Marte, as have the Cubs, though the latter remain on ice for the time being.

On the Pirates’ side, things have been pretty quiet thus far under Ben Cherington, who no doubt is taking some time to acclimate himself to the depth of the organization. That said, moving the 31-year-old Marte would be a natural place to start moving pieces around given his talent, contract, and age. 

Insofar as talent is concerned, Marte has posted back-to-back 3+ fWAR seasons and owns a career batting line of .287/.341/.452. He put up a 119 wRC+ in 2019, and for the traditionalists in the crowd, he also posted his second 20-20 season (23 HR, 25 SB). 

Defensively, he may have slipped a tick, but Statcast still has him near the middle of the pack with 2 Outs Above Average. His reaction time isn’t great, but he runs good routes and still tracks enough to remain viable in center. Fangraphs’ defensive metrics, however, were less kind (-9 DRS, -7.6 UZR). He’s due just $11.5MM this year with an exceptionally reasonable $12.5MM team option for 2021, so even a team like the Cubs ought to be able to work him into the payroll should they desire. There is the potential for slippage as he approaches his age-31 season, but again, at those contract rates, the risk is negligible. The only real holdup in trade discussions should be the Pirates asking price.

The Mets might seem like a peculiar fit. They already have a pseudo-centerfielder in Brandon Nimmo who handles the position adequately but without particular aplomb (which some might say describes Marte). And they have a fair amount of outfield depth, with Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil and J.D. Davis all capable of playing in the grass, though only Conforto is a natural outfielder. At the same time, they have their defensive option for center in Jake Marisnick, so a Marte addition would give whoever ends up managing the Mets a fair amount of options with which to mix-and-match based on handedness or situation. 

Astros To Interview Dusty Baker

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The Houston Astros will interview veteran skipper Dusty Baker on Monday, writes MLB.com’s Matt Kelly (crediting Jon Paul Morosi). Baker has also drawn interest from the Mets to fill their recent opening. While the Astros and Baker have connected, Baker has yet to hear from the Mets (or Red Sox), per MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.

Baker managed an even 3,500 games across four stints in the majors. The Giants (1993-2002), the Cubs (2003-2006), the Reds (2008-2013) and Nationals (2016-2017) all enjoyed regular season success with Baker at the helm.

Baker hasn’t made much traction in the managerial market since parting ways with the Nationals, but unique circumstances in New York and Houston may open the door for the 70-year-old Baker to return to the bench. Certainly, Baker can handle the media scrutiny that will comes with stepping into the spotlight vacated by A.J. Hinch or Carlos Beltran, respectively.

Baker is no stranger to public scrutiny. He oversaw the Giants through Barry Bonds’ record-breaking home run season and the Cubs during their 2003 playoff collapse and the what-ifs of the Kerry Wood-Mark Prior era. He’s also the only manager in the last 24 years to take the Reds to the playoffs, which he did three times.

Playoff disappointment has also been a feature of Baker teams, however. After twice losing in the first round, Baker took the 2002 Giants to the World Series and lost. The Cubs heartbreak followed. He was unable to get either the Reds or Nationals out of the first round, getting eliminated in a winner-take-all game in each of his last four postseason appearances.

Of course, a manager cannot be solely held accountable for playoff losses, and Baker would certainly provide a semblance of much-needed stability to either franchise. Houston has said they want to have the opening filled by February 3rd.

Mets Managerial Notes: Rojas, Collins

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The Astros’ sign-stealing scandal has sent shockwaves around the baseball world, including the sudden creation of three managerial vacancies in less than four days.  With A.J. Hinch, Alex Cora, and now Carlos Beltran out of work, the Astros, Red Sox, and Mets are all looking for new managers less than a month before the start of Spring Training.  Here’s the latest on the three openings…

  • The Mets are considering quality control coach Luis Rojas, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (via Twitter).  Rojas seems like a logical candidate, as he received two interviews when the team was doing its initial search for a new skipper last fall, though Rojas wasn’t among the reported finalists for the job.  Installing a familiar face from the current staff might be preferable to bringing someone in from outside the organization at this late stage of the offseason, though Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen told reporters (including The Athletic’s Tim Britton) that internal and external candidates are under consideration, as the club so recently did background on a number of managerial candidates before Beltran was hired.
  • One known quantity that doesn’t appear to be on the Mets’ radar for now is former manager Terry Collins, as SNY’s Andy Martino (Twitter link) writes.  Collins has worked as a special assistant in New York’s front office since leaving the dugout after the 2017 season.

Carlos Beltran Out As Mets’ Manager

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8:13pm: Beltran will not receive any of the approximately $3MM owed to him over the course of his three-year deal with the Mets, the New York Post’s Ken Davidoff reports.  The team has instead made a $200K donation to Beltran’s charitable foundation.

12:25pm: The Mets have formally announced Beltran’s ousting. COO Jeff Wilpon and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen issued the following statement:

We met with Carlos last night and again this morning and agreed to mutually part ways. This was not an easy decision. Considering the circumstances, it became clear to all parties that it was not in anyone’s best interest for Carlos to move forward as Manager of the New York Mets. We believe that Carlos was honest and forthcoming with us. We are confident that this will not be the final chapter in his baseball career. We remain excited about the talent on this team and are committed to reaching our goals of winning now and in the future.

12:07pm: Carlos Beltran’s time as manager of the Mets will apparently come to a close before he even suits up for a game. Yahoo’s Tim Brown reports (via Twitter) that Beltran has informed the Mets he feels it is best if he steps down.

Beltran was named in commissioner Rob Manfred’s report on the findings of his investigation into the Astros’ sign-stealing scheme earlier this week. While Beltran was a player at the time and wasn’t expected to be disciplined by the league as a result, reports over the past 24 hours have indicated that the Mets have been mulling his future in light of his connection to the scandal.

Whether the decision truly rested with Beltran or whether the wording of the reports (and, presumably, the forthcoming announcement) was structured in a way to allow Beltran to save face to some extent isn’t known at this time. Regardless, his ousting as manager now means that every person listed in Manfred’s Astros report — Astros GM Jeff Luhnow, Astros manager A.J. Hinch, Red Sox manager Alex Cora (formerly Houston’s bench coach) and Beltran — have now lost their jobs in the wake of a scandal that has increasingly shaken Major League Baseball as a whole.

It’s worth emphasizing that The Athletic’s report that broke the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal wide open was published two weeks after Beltran was named Mets manager. As such, there’s no reason to believe that Beltran was asked about the scandal during the interview process — let alone any reason to believe that he was untruthful with the Mets during interviews. That said, Beltran did tell the New York Post’s Joel Sherman shortly after the scandal was brought to public light that he was “not aware of that camera,” denying any improper utilization of technology.

Two months later, Manfred’s report indicated the following: “Approximately two months into the 2017 season, a group of players, including Carlos Beltrán, discussed that the team could improve on decoding opposing teams’ signs and communicating the signs to the batter.”

The Mets, incredibly, are now the third team seeking a new manager in mid-January. They’ll likely interview a mix of internal and external candidates, and it’s worth noting that the club did interview bench coach Hensley Meulens and quality control coach Luis Rojas in its initial search following the firing of Mickey Callaway. While other clubs throughout the league might be less inclined to allow members of their coaching staff to interview now that Spring Training looms in the near future, ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez was also reported to be a leading candidate in New York’s most recent search. One would imagine that he could once again factor prominently into the club’s hunt for a skipper.

Bruce Bochy Not Planning To Pursue Managerial Opportunities At This Time

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The 2019 season marked the end of a legendary managerial run with the Giants for Bruce Bochy, but the future Hall of Famer has publicly voiced an interest in continuing his managerial career in the future. FOX 26’s Mark Berman reported just yesterday that Bochy was of interest to Astros owner Jim Crane as he seeks a new skipper following A.J. Hinch’s firing, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that Bochy does not plan to pursue any managerial openings at this time.

At the time he indicated a desire to continue his managerial career, the 64-year-old Bochy termed the 2020 season as something of a “sabbatical” for him as he “hit the pause button.”  But while a return in 2021 or beyond is seemingly plausible, it doesn’t appear as though Houston’s reported interest in him is reciprocated at this time.

The Astros have already interviewed Buck Showalter and are set to meet with John Gibbons, too, as they look for a new dugout leader. At this juncture of the offseason, interviewing coaches with other clubs could be more difficult than it would’ve been earlier in the winter when teams had yet to set their staffs and had more time to find suitable replacements for departing coaches. That said, Rosenthal tweets that the Cubs would be willing to let third base coach Will Venable interview for the Astros’ vacancy. Venable, like Bochy, was on Berman’s reported list of potential targets for the Houston organization.

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