Sherman’s Latest: Alderson, Cashman, Anthopoulos, Moore
Barring an epic collapse, the Mets and Yankees will reach the postseason together for the first time since 2006, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. In fact, the Mets clinched the NL East just a few minutes ago. Sherman takes a look at how both New York franchises reached October baseball via important offseason and trade deadline moves. Here’s more on Sandy Alderson, Brian Cashman, and others.
- Alderson whiffed on his offseason moves for a second year in a row, per Sherman. Sean Gilmartin, a solid middle reliever, was the best acquisition. Alderson forfeited the Mets’ first round pick and a bundle of cash to sign Michael Cuddyer. That move has seemingly backfired. A lack of depth hurt the club until mid-season when he acquired Kelly Johnson, Juan Uribe, Tyler Clippard, Addison Reed, and Yoenis Cespedes. The promotion of Michael Conforto has also helped.
- The Yankees experiencedÃÂ the polar opposite story. Cashman’s only in-season move of note was the acquisition of Dustin Ackley. However, he spiked the offseason. Rather than invest in more expensive, old players, Cashman focused on youth. First, he gambled that closer Andrew Miller could match the production of former Yankee David Robertson for less money. Cashman was right, and he earned a compensation pick when the White Sox inked Robertson. He also did well to acquire Didi Gregorius and Nathan Eovaldi (if Eovaldi can avoid a second Tommy John surgery).
- While Alderson and Cashman have been vindicated, they won’t win the executive of the year. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos may have had the biggest impact on his roster by acquiring Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin, Devon Travis, David Price, and Troy Tulowitzki. However, those players were costly – both in prospects and financially.
- Royals GM Dayton Moore is another candidate for top executive. He made a couple unpopular moves that have turned out well, especially the signings of Kendrys Morales and Edinson Volquez. He also acquired Kris Medlen, Ryan Madson, Johnny Cueto, and Ben Zobrist. The club ran away with the AL Central after their surprising success in 2014.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels has surged up the list. His club was treading water when he traded for Cole Hamels and Jake Diekman at the July deadline. Now Texas is on the cusp of clinching the AL West. He also added Yovani Gallardo prior to the season. Sam Dyson and Mike Napoli were smaller in-season moves. While the acquisition of Hamels may have reinvigorated the club, I still wonder how history will view the trade.
- Meanwhile, Pirates GM Neal Huntington works below the radar, but his role in rostering Francisco Liriano, A.J. Burnett, Francisco Cervelli, Jung-ho Kang, Aramis Ramirez, J.A. Happ, and others should not be underestimated. The club’s depth and versatility is a big reason for their success.
- The Braves may have the second worst record in baseball, but GM John Hart did well to accept reality and rebuild. His remodeling should help the club prepare to contend in 2017 when their new stadium opens. In the process, Hart cleared dead weight off the payroll and improved the farm system dramatically. Personally, my favorite move was the creative swap for Touki Toussaint.
NL Notes: Enberg, Bruce, Asher
Padres broadcaster Dick Enberg announced during Wednesday’s game that he would retire after the 2016 season, as MLB.com’s Corey Brock notes. Enberg has been the Friars’ play-by-play broadcaster for six years. Previously, Enberg had done play-by-play work for CBS on NFL, college basketball and tennis broadcasts. He had also previously worked for NBC. “In culminating 60 years of sports broadcasting, it has been a tremendous thrill to be the TV voice of my hometown San Diego Padres, and I’m tremendously excited that I will have a continuing TV role though the 2016 season, an All-Star Game year for San Diego,” said Enberg in a press release. Here are more quick notes from the National League.
- Reds outfielder Jay Bruce is “embarrassed” by his season, Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News writes. “There are a lot of different ways to be good and driving in runs is good,” says Bruce. “But I should have 100 RBI, easily, every year. I should hit 30 home runs, hit 40 doubles and I should hit for a respectable average. And I’m not doing it.” Bruce’s offensive issues, such as they are, stem from a low batting average (.229) and on-base percentage (.300). Still, he’s hit 26 home runs and has produced some value with his solid defense. Nonetheless, rumors near the trade deadline connected Bruce to the Mets, and he wouldn’t have had nearly the impact of the player they acquired instead, Yoenis Cespedes. “I don’t think about it and it looks as if the Mets made a good decision,” says Bruce. “Cespedes has done a great job for them.”
- Righty Alec Asher, one of the Phillies‘ acquisitions in the Cole Hamels trade, is making a bid to be included in the team’s plans for next season, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. He took the loss in his start against the Marlins Thursday, but pitched seven innings and only allowed one run. After allowing 21 runs and six homers in his first four MLB starts, Thursday’s start was a step in the right direction. Asher wasn’t the centerpiece of the trade — prospects Jake Thompson, Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro were all more highly regarded. But he and Jerad Eickhoff (another Hamels acquisition who’s currently in the Phillies’ rotation along with Asher) could provide the Phils with valuable rotation depth as they rebuild.
East Notes: Gordon, Red Sox, Hanley, Harvey
Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald highlights the charitable efforts of Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon, whose work in the domestic violence arena was motivated by personal tragedy. Gordon has started a program to help children who have lost parents as a result of a domestic incident, and is the spokesperson for the club’s domestic violence prevention night this week. While Miami has had its share of on-field disappointment this year, Gordon has been a clear bright spot, improving upon his breakout 2014. It will be interesting to see whether and when the team looks into an attempt at a contract extension with Gordon, who can be controlled through 2018.
Here are some more notes from the east to start the day:
- Whatever else may come of this season for the Red Sox, the development of young starters Eduardo Rodriguez and Henry Owens has been promising, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. After seeing a previous group of prospects falter in their efforts to make the final step, Boston has reason to feel good about where both of its high-upside lefties are headed after their debut years.
- The Red Sox‘ trial of Hanley Ramirez at first base may begin in short order, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes. The infield-turned-outfielder is set to meet with the coaching staff today to discuss an activation date. There isn’t much time for Ramirez to showcase his potential at the position, let alone to adapt and improve, but the early returns could be important as new president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski charts an offseason strategy.
- The Mets‘ handling of Matt Harvey continues to draw discussion and intrigue, especially after the team collapsed following Harvey’s early exit from his most recent outing. Ken Davidoff of the New York Post and Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News break down the latest, including GM Sandy Alderson’s comments on his recent conversations with surgeon James Andrews. According to the Mets’ GM, Andrews did not cite the 180-inning cap that had previously been attributed to him. The situation remains fluid, per Alderson, and the team will continue to monitor Harvey’s workload on a start-to-start basis.
Quick Hits: Walker, Cespedes, Gyorko
The Pirates may say goodbye to second baseman Neil Walker after the season, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittburgh Tribune-Review. He’s set to earn at least $10MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility. Due to a balky back and the availability of Jung-ho Kang, Jordy Mercer, and Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh may prefer to commit that money to another position. Of course, the Pirates will probably never reach the point of actually non-tendering Walker. Plenty of teams should be interested in a one-year flier on the 30-year-old. Biertempfel offers a fascinating look at Walker who is actually a Pittsburgh native. It’s well worth a read.
- Pittsburgh should actually extend Walker, opines Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Rossi refers to Walker as a fan favorite and lauds his clubhouse presence. Rossi suggests a four-year, $47MM contract as a reasonable compromise. Of course, the notoriously penurious club does have a wealth of affordable middle infield depth with Kang, Harrison, and Mercer on the roster. Prospect Alen Hanson is also close to major league ready. Presumably, Walker could return a decent player via trade too. While it’s tough to part with a hometown fan favorite, sometimes it’s the right thing to do.
- A hot October could lead Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to his desired six-year contract, writes Mark Townsend of Yahoo. While teams may be concerned about offering a big guarantee through his age 36 season, they may be willing to swallow the risk if they can bank on production early in the contract. Of course, no player is a sure thing to repeat past exploits. Postseason success would certainly go a long way towards assuaging any doubts. I said the same earlier tonight when examining the players who most improved their free agent stock.
- The Padres are pleased with Jedd Gyorko‘s development at shortstop, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. The Friars began the experiment to keep both Cory Spangenberg and Gyorko in the lineup. While there is obviously concern about his defense, his offense easily ranks among the best at the position. Advanced statistics like UZR aren’t a fan of his work, but a one month sample is way too small to form a judgment. He hasn’t committed an error and makes all the routine plays. A NL West scout even suggested that he looks more comfortable at short than second. If the club thinks he can continue to man the position in 2016, it could save them from scrounging through the free agent shortstop market.
Cespedes Seeks Free Agent Contract Of 6+ Years
Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes said today that he will look for six or more guaranteed years in the free agent contract he signs this winter, as Marly Rivera of ESPN Deports reports (Twitter link).
Cespedes has, of course, greatly improved his open market value with a very good first half and an outstanding run down the stretch in New York. All told, he owns a .294/.330/.555 slash with 35 home runs in 624 plate appearances on the year.
That is all but certain to represent the most impressive platform year among soon-to-be free agent corner outfielders. There’s still plenty of competition, of course, as both Jason Heyward and Justin Upton are younger and arguably have better prior overall track records. But Cespedes isn’t exactly old — he’ll turn thirty in October — and has every chance of cashing in on a significant contract right alongside those players.
All told, it’s far from surprising to hear that Cespedes hopes to get six or more seasons on his next deal. There’s ample precedent, in fact, for even more. Players like Shin-soo Choo, Carl Crawford, and Jayson Werth are among those outfielders who have taken down seven years (and well over $100MM) in open-market deals.
It doesn’t hurt that Cespedes is ineligible to receive a qualifying offer, while both Heyward and Upton — to say nothing of Alex Gordon and perhaps some others in the next tier of the market — will almost certainly be tied to draft compensation. That’s a relatively minor consideration at that level of the market, but could move the needle somewhat.
And, of course, Cespedes will be free to re-sign with the Mets after tweaking his deal with the team. Whether or not a return to New York is likely, the club will surely feel pressure at least to engage in a hearty pursuit of its newfound star, and that can only help his market situation.
If you’re interested in hearing a bit more on where Cespedes stands at this early stage, check out the analysis of Steve Adams and myself in a recent edition of the MLBTR Podcast.
NL East Notes: Minaya, Marlins, Phillies, Storen
Though many felt that Omar Minaya left the Mets with a barren farm system and more than deserved his dismissal as GM in 2010, Michael Powell of the New York Times notes that many of the Mets’ key contributors in 2015 are from the Minaya regime. Minaya tells Powell that he takes pride in knowing that he helped lay the groundwork for the team’s current success, noting that he still gets excited seeing players like Jeurys Familia and Hansel Robles succeed. As Powell points out, those two pitchers, along with Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy, Wilmer Flores, Ruben Tejada, Juan Lagares, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz and Jon Niese were all signed or drafted during Minaya’s time as GM. Minaya defers much of the credit to scouts such as Ismael Cruz, Rudy Terrasas, Ramon Pena and Larry Izzo, but the now-former GM nonetheless deserves credit for some of the talent he left for successor Sandy Alderson. “You’re just happy to be part of something that is working today; a story is not written by one man,” said Minaya, who is now a senior adviser to MLBPA executive director Tony Clark. “If I said I always knew all these kids would be this good, I’d be lying.”
Here’s more from the NL East…
- The Marlins are playing for more than pride and third place in the NL East, writes MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. Though the playoffs, of course, are not a possibility for Miami, the team’s performance over the final 16 games could help shape the front office and owner Jeffrey Loria’s course of action this offseason. Frisaro notes that it’s “no secret” that the club is willing to trade Marcell Ozuna, but a dismal finish to the year could potentially leave the front office convinced that further changes are required and thusly place even more players on the trade block.
- Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com spoke with Baseball America’s John Manuel about the pitchers that could be waiting for the Phillies at the top of next year’s June draft. As Salisbury notes, incoming president Andy MacPhail is known as a “pitching guy” and has in the past been quoted as saying, “Buy the bats. Grow the arms.” Manuel tells Salisbury that among single-digit picks in next year’s draft (i.e. those chosen picks 1 through 9), pitching is a strength. Florida left-hander A.J. Puk, high school lefty Jason Groome and high school right-hander Riley Pint make up the top three arms in next year’s draft class, Manuel tells Salisbury. Those interested in the Phillies and in next year’s draft will surely want to give the column a lengthier look.
- Drew Storen expressed regret to reporters, including MLB.com’s Ben Raby, over his actions that led to a fractured thumb that will end his season. The displaced Nationals closer Storen broke the finger when slamming a locker door after surrendering a two-run homer to Yoenis Cespedes. “Obviously, I was a little frustrated with my outing, but I had no intention [of causing harm],” said Storen. “I’m not the type of guy to punch a wall or do something like that. It’s not what I was aiming for.” Storen dismissed the notion that he may have played his final game for the Nats, writes Raby — he’s been mentioned as a speculative trade candidate this offseason — instead stating that his focus is on getting healthy and supporting his Nationals teammates in the season’s final few weeks. Storen will be arb-eligible for the final time this offseason and due a raise on his $5.7MM salary. He’ll be a free agent following the 2016 season.
NL East Notes: Harvey, Harper, Lazo
ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark takes a long look at the question of how the Mets ought to be handling righty Matt Harvey within the context of the broader state of knowledge on pitching injuries. It is an interesting read, though the bottom-line takeaway remains that even the experts still feel unable to provide clear guidance on how to handle post-Tommy John pitchers.
A few more quick notes relating to the NL East:
- It’s time for the Nationals to consider whether to make a real run at attempting to extend Bryce Harper, writes Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post. As he notes, Harper is currently looking to polish off a historic season — his OPS+ of over 200 is something that a number of inner-circle Hall-of-Famers never reached, let alone at age 22 — which obviously gives him plenty of leverage. True, Harper is already under contract for a reasonable price tag next year — after reaching a two-year, $7.5MM, grievance-avoiding deal that has worked out well for Washington — and he can be controlled for two more seasons beyond. But signing a player like Harper, who is represented by Scott Boras, is probably less about market comps than it is creative business valuation and the imaginations of both sides. Giancarlo Stanton‘s record $325MM guarantee would probably need to be smashed to get something done, Boswell suggests, and I’m inclined to agree.
- Marlins lefty Raudel Lazo has overcome long odds to reach the big leagues this year, as Christina De Nicoloa of FOXSports Florida writes. Not only did he have to defect from his native Cuba and climb the ranks as a fairly unheralded signee, but he overcame consecutive Tommy John surgeries along the way. The 26-year-old has a small frame and lacks a high-velocity fastball, but he has consistently posted good strikeout-to-walk numbers in the minors.
NL East Notes: Cespedes, Olivera, Phillies
Yoenis Cespedes has been surprised with by the overwhelming manner in which Mets fans have embraced him, he told the New York Post’s Ken Davidoff on Wednesday, and the slugging outfielder is open to a return to the Mets in free agency. Cespedes called his time with the Mets thus far the best of his Major League career because of his production, the team’s overall play and the fact that as it stands, New York is playoff-bound. Cespedes revealed to Davidoff that he was the one who instructed his agents to approach the team about removing the contractual clause that would’ve only given the Mets five days to re-sign him this offseason. Cespedes admitted to Davidoff that he knew little about the Mets before being traded there, and it was news to him that the Mets hadn’t reached the playoffs since 2006. “This year will be the next time,” Cespedes confidently told Davidoff. Cespedes also spoke to Davidoff about his decision to sign with Jay-Z’s startup agency, Roc Nation Sports, last offseason, although he didn’t get into specific details about the switch.
Here’s more from the NL East…
- Former Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski spoke with ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes about the trade that sent Cespedes to the Mets, providing some insight into the final day of the non-waiver trade season. Dombrowski received an 8am phone call from Mets GM Sandy Alderson expressing serious interest in Cespedes after the Carlos Gomez trade fell through, he told Edes. His response was that Michael Fulmer would be the Tigers’ top target in talks, and Alderson replied that he’d keep in touch. At 1:30pm, Dombrowski received permission from Tigers owner Mike Ilitch to go ahead with a trade only if the return included the prospects atop Detroit’s list; there’d be no take-what-you-can-get scenario. Had their price not been met, “[W]e would’ve kept him,” said Dombrowski. Alderson had been told by Dombrowski that the Tigers would need to hear definitively within 15 minutes of the deadline, as a trade involving Cespedes would need commissioner approval due to his unique contract, and the final call conceding Fulmer was (obviously) made in time to complete the swap.
- The Braves are easing Hector Olivera into things early in his big league career, writes David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta believes that Olivera will be in a better position to succeed in 2016 after playing winter ball in Puerto Rico and benefiting from a full Spring Training, so for the time being, they’re willing to give him a couple of nights off per week as he adjusts to life as a Major Leaguer. That’s less likely to be the case following this season, when Olivera will be counted on as a key fixture in the middle of the lineup.
- Though Ruben Amaro Jr.’s tenure as Phillies GM hasn’t produced the results the organization hoped for when Pat Gillick stepped aside in 2008, former president David Montgomery believes that Amaro deserves respect for the work he put in over the years, writes Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Amaro took the blame for a good deal of the Phillies’ misfortunes, but Montgomery notes that the decision to continue acting in a win-now capacity stretched beyond Amaro. “We pushed it hard,” said Montgomery. “We were all involved in it, and I’ve said that many times, as far as trying to get one more after we got ’08. We were all in. We knew the risk. We knew the risk that when you trade your near-ready minor leaguers, there’s going to be a dip.”
East Notes: Cespedes, Hutchison, Parmelee
The Mets faced a tough last-minute decision on Yoenis Cespedes, as Tim Rohan of the New York Times details in an interesting story on the key deadline addition. GM Sandy Alderson decided to pull the trigger, parting with well-regarded young pitcher Michael Fulmer, after a somewhat nerve-wracking meeting with the organization’s key decisionmakers. You’ll want to give this one a full read if you’re interested in the subject. It also includes some discussion of the complicated matter of whether the team will make a real go at re-signing the streaking outfielder.
Here are a few more notes from the game’s eastern divisions:
- The Blue Jays will utilize righty Drew Hutchison out of the bullpen for the rest of the year, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm tweets. He’ll be used as a one-inning reliever down the stretch. It remains to be seen whether the 25-year-old will crack the postseason roster as a pen arm, but there’s not much time left for the year to be anything but a disappointment. Hutchison owns a 5.33 ERA in 147 innings, which won’t create quite the arbitration platform he might have hoped for heading into his first season of eligibility.
- Orioles outfielder/first baseman Chris Parmelee will need surgery to repair a broken left forearm that he suffered recently, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (Twitter links). Baltimore hopes to re-sign the 27-year-old, who saw relatively minimal time at the big league level but put up good numbers at Triple-A. He’ll be looking at another minor league deal, of course.
MLBTR Mailbag: Heyward, Murphy, Red Sox
Thanks for all of your questions this week. Remember that you can ask about whatever is on your mind in our Tuesday afternoon chats (~2pm central) or through the Mailbag email address (mlbtrmailbag@gmail.com). On to this week’s questions…
Will the Cardinals extend Jason Heyward or not, because they did give up Shelby Miller to acquire him, and it doesn’t make much sense to let him walk after one year. — Michael P
The two sides haven’t had any serious talks about an extension yet, though there’s also some mutual interest in Heyward staying beyond 2015. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes ranked the outfielder as having the second-most earning potential of any 2015-16 free agent, so it would take easily the largest contract in Cardinals franchise history to bring Heyward back into the fold. If Heyward did leave, the 2016 St. Louis starting outfield projects as Matt Holliday, Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty, with Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos as backups, which could leave room for another veteran outfielder to be brought in at a lower price than Heyward will command. Does a year of excellent play from Heyward, a month of Jordan Walden and a compensatory first-round draft pick (due to the qualifying offer) equal four years of control over Miller and prospect Tyrell Jenkins? That’s a question that might take a few more years to answer, though the Cards would instantly chalk it up as a win if Heyward helps them win a championship. I’d guess that St. Louis will make a strong play to re-sign Heyward this offseason, though if the bidding gets really high (into the $180MM-$200MM range), that might be too expensive for the Cards’ liking.
Care to handicap the odds that Sandy Alderson extends a QO to Daniel Murphy? If offered is there any chance that Murph becomes the first player to ever accept? I’d imagine his agent will make lots of noise that he would “love to stay in NY on a 1 year deal to finish the job” in an attempt to bluff the Mets out of hurting his market value. — Cliff P
The upcoming class of free agent second and third basemen isn’t very deep, so I’d expect Murphy would indeed reject a qualifying offer in search of a healthy multi-year deal elsewhere. He should be able to find such a deal despite the draft pick compensation attached to his services, though Cliff is probably right in thinking that Murphy’s market will take a hit from the QO. If Murphy did break precedent and accept, it wouldn’t be the worst outcome for the Mets; a one-year/$16MM deal for an everyday second baseman who can also be something of a poor man’s Ben Zobrist in his ability to fill in at multiple other positions.
Yes or No. The Red Sox will sign one of the following this offseason: David Price, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmermann? — Kyle R
I’m leaning towards no. Anibal Sanchez is the only notable starting pitcher Dave Dombrowski has ever acquired in free agency, and even then Sanchez was re-signed after originally coming to the Tigers in a midseason deal. Dombrowski’s past history with starting pitcher contracts (hat tip to the MLBTR Transaction Tracker) indicates that he is more likely to obtain an ace via trade. Dombrowski could change tactics given his new surroundings and input from whomever is hired as the new Red Sox GM, though my guess is that if the Sox do land a top-tier arm this winter, it will be by dealing from their deep farm system.
What is Bronson Arroyo‘s current standing with the Dodgers? Will he ever be able to pitch in the majors again, this year or next? — Jack S
Arroyo underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2014. He said in June that he was hoping to return to action by mid-August, there has been no recent word on his status now that August has come and gone. As such, he’s almost certainly not going to pitch this season. The Dodgers have a $13MM club option on Arroyo for 2016 that is sure to be bought out for $4.5MM (paid by the Braves, as per a condition of the elaborate trade that brought Arroyo to Los Angeles). If Arroyo is healthy, I’d expect he will find a a minor league deal from some team this winter. Arroyo hasn’t hinted at retirement in the wake of his injury, though since he’ll turn 39 in February, you have to wonder if he’ll consider hanging up his spikes if his recovery process is taking longer than expected.