Cardinals Acquire Riley O’Brien From Mariners
The Cardinals and Mariners got together on a minor trade yesterday, with St. Louis acquiring right-hander Riley O’Brien from the Mariners, according to MLB.com’s transactions log. The return headed to Seattle in exchange for O’Brien is not currently known, but figures to be insignificant. O’Brien is slated to hit minor league free agency if not added to the 40-man roster. While the Cardinals have not announced that O’Brien’s contract will be selected, they have just 38 players on their 40-man meaning no corresponding move would be necessary to do so.
O’Brien, 28, was an eighth-round pick in the 2017 draft by Tampa Bay. He pitched well in three seasons with the organization while seeing time as both a starter and reliever. By the 2019 season, he had reached Double-A with a 3.93 ERA and 24.2% strikeout rate in 68 2/3 innings of work at the level. Though O’Brien did not pitch in the 2020 campaign thanks to the cancelled minor league season, he was swapped to the Reds in a deadline deal that brought Cody Reed to the Rays that summer.
O’Brien spent almost the entire 2021 season at the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, where he struggled somewhat to a 4.55 ERA across 23 appearances (22 starts). Despite that uninspiring performance, O’Brien was called up to make his big league debut near the end of September. Unfortunately, his sole appearance in the big leagues during the 2021 season did not go well as he walked three and allowed two home runs in just 1 1/3 innings of work. Cincinnati retained O’Brien on their 40-man roster throughout the 2021-22 offseason but ultimately designated the then-27-year-old righty for assignment in April in order to make room for left-hander Nick Lodolo on the 40-man roster.
That led the Reds to ship O’Brien to Seattle, where the Mariners had an open 40-man roster spot to offer the righty. While he returned to the big leagues in May and pitched a scoreless inning out of the bullpen, O’Brien’s 2022 season left plenty to be desired overall as he struggled to convert to full-time relief, posting a 7.03 ERA in 39 2/3 innings of work at the Triple-A level after being outrighted off the club’s 40-man roster in June.
Difficult as the 2022 season was, O’Brien returned to the Mariners in 2023 and pitched far better than he had the year before. Though he did not manager to make his way back onto the 40-man roster, O’Brien dominated the hitter-friendly PCL to the tune of a 2.29 ERA in 55 innings of work this year while striking out a whopping 37.7% of batters faced. Given those fantastic numbers at the Triple-A level this year, it’s easy to see why the Cardinals, who are known to be looking for bullpen upgrades this offseason, would be interested in taking a chance on O’Brien and finding out if his strong 2023 season in the minors could carry over to the big leagues in 2024.
Guardians Hire Stephen Vogt As Manager
The Guardians have their next manager. Cleveland announced the hiring of longtime MLB catcher Stephen Vogt on Monday afternoon. It’s reportedly a three-year contract running through the 2026 season.
Vogt, who recently celebrated his 39th birthday, made his big league debut for the Rays in 2012. He went on to play for five more organizations over his ten seasons in the majors, including six years with the A’s. During his time in Oakland, Vogt slashed .246/.308/.406 good for a roughly league average wRC+ of 98 and was named an All Star in both 2015 and 2016. He also played for the Brewers, Diamondbacks, Giants, and Braves throughout his big league career. Upon retiring from playing following the 2022 season, Vogt was hired by the Mariners to act as a bullpen and quality control coach in Seattle.
Vogt will now step into the shoes of the recently-retired Terry Francona as Guardians manager. It’s a remarkable achievement for the former catcher, who moves into the role just one year removed from his time as a player. As quick an ascent to the managerial chair as Vogt has had, it’s hardly an unexpected one. Vogt publicly voiced his managerial aspirations while he was still a player back in 2020, and he has long been regarded as up to the task among those in the game. Bob Melvin, who managed Vogt in Oakland and has since moved from the Padres to the Giants, noted even as Vogt was first retiring from professional play that his long-time player “definitely has a future in managing” while adding that his value in the clubhouse during his playing career was “immeasurable.”
Such a strong endorsement from a well-respect big league manager surely gives the Guardians assurance that he’ll be able to lead their roster into an uncertain 2024 campaign. After making a surprise run to the playoffs in 2022, Cleveland faced regression from many of their young players and injuries to key members of their pitching staff as they wound up finishing third in a weak AL Central with a 76-86 record. As the club looks to rebound next season, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti was particularly effusive in his praise of the longtime catcher in a statement today.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Stephen and his family to Northeast Ohio and to name him the next manager of the Cleveland Guardians,” Antonetti said in the statement, “Stephen earned a reputation as one of the best teammates in the game across his 16-year career as a player, and we’ve greatly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him over the past several weeks. Stephen has thought critically about the type of leader and manager he wants to be. His deep care for others, his ability to build meaningful relationships with those around him, and his open-mindedness and curiosity make him an ideal fit to lead our club moving forward. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Stephen.”
While the Guardians are clearly pleased to have Vogt in the fold, it’s worth noting that all indications have pointed to longtime Brewers manager Craig Counsell as the club’s top choice for the role. Counsell is a free agent for the first time since becoming Milwaukee’s manager midway through the 2015 campaign, and has received considerable interest from each of the Guardians, Mets, and Brewers already this offseason. While the thinking throughout the game has largely been that the Guardians were a distant third among the three in terms of likelihood to land Counsell, a Wisconsin native who had a strong working relationship with new Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns during their time in Milwaukee, Jon Heyman of the New York Post makes clear that Cleveland’s interest in Counsell was real, noting that the club made a “serious, sincere run” at hiring the 53-year-old.
Beyond the possibility of hiring Counsell, it seems that Cleveland’s preference in replacing Francona may have been a rookie manager. Setting aside Counsell, it seems that Yankee bench coach Carlos Mendoza was the runner-up for Cleveland’s managerial gig. The 43-year-old was reportedly a favorite for the role along with Vogt in the event that Counsell declined, and has also received interest from a variety of clubs with managerial vacancies this offseason including the Mets and Padres.
Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com first reported the Guardians were hiring Vogt. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported it would be a three-year deal.
Blue Jays Exercise Two-Year Club Option On Chad Green
The Blue Jays announced this morning that the club has exercised its two-year club option on the services of veteran right-hander Chad Green. Green will now earn $21MM total across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Green signed an unusual contract with Toronto this past offseason that afforded the club a three-year, $27MM team option, which if declined would offer Green a one-year, $6.5MM player option. If both of those options were declined, the Blue Jays would then have a final two-year, $21MM option. Evidently, the first club option and Green’s player option were both declined before Toronto picked up the two-year option.
Green, 32, missed most of the 2022 and ’23 campaigns while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. A look at Green’s basic run prevention stats would indicate that the right-hander struggled in his return to action in 2023, given his 5.25 ERA that was 17% worse than league average. That doesn’t tell the whole story, however, as Green pitched just twelve innings with Toronto this year and had excellent peripheral stats. He struck out a whopping 30.8% of batters faced while walking just 7.7% with one home run allowed, giving him a much more palatable 2.67 FIP.
That sort of performance is much more in line with Green’s career numbers. After an uneven rookie season where he was used primarily as a starter in 2016, Green became one of the most reliable set-up men in the game from 2017-2022, as he posted a 2.96 ERA (147 ERA+) with a 3.01 FIP and a 33.4% strikeout rate. Impressive as those numbers are, they’re actually somewhat bogged down by a brief return to starting in 2019. Over the course of his entire career, Green sports a sterling 2.88 ERA across 338 innings out of the bullpen. That’s the sixth-best figure among all relievers with at least 300 innings of work since Green’s debut in 2016, surpassed only by Josh Hader, Kenley Jansen, Raisel Iglesias, Blake Treinen, and Aroldis Chapman.
Of course, it’s an open question whether or not Green can reach those heights again in his age-33 and -34 campaigns. After all, Green heads into his mid-thirties coming off a lengthy rehab from surgery. While his velocity did not appear to be impacted during his brief run in the majors this year, it’s hard to say what sort of impact the surgery could have on him over a full season. Between his age, the fact that he hasn’t pitched a full season since 2021, and the volatility of relievers in general, there’s a fair bit of risk in offering Green a two-year, $21MM guarantee even as the righty clearly has the potential to be among the better relievers in baseball.
Given that combination of risk and potentially significant reward, the two-year $21MM pact seems like a reasonable price point for both sides of the arrangement. The interesting structure of the contract left MLBTR readers divided in a recent poll, with each of those four possible outcomes (Green hitting free agency and each of the three potential options being picked up) receiving between 20% and 30% of the total vote. That being said, with the Toronto bullpen scheduled to lose Jordan Hicks and Jay Jackson to free agency this offseason, retaining Green gives the club a quality set-up man to pair with Erik Swanson in front of closer Jordan Romano in 2024.
The Opener: Option Decisions, Qualifying Offers, Top 50 Free Agents
With the offseason on the verge of kicking into high gear, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Option decisions come due:
Today is the deadline for option decisions around the league. Many of the most significant option decisions were resolved over the weekend, including veteran righty Marcus Stroman‘s decision to hit the open market and the White Sox’s decision to decline their option on shortstop Tim Anderson. That being said, there are a handful of option decisions that have been left to the final day before the deadline. Some of them seem fairly certain, such as the likelihood that shortstop Javier Baez will opt into the final four years and $98MM remaining on his contract with the Tigers, but other decisions provide more intrigue. Giants outfielder Michael Conforto, Tigers catcher Carson Kelly, and Blue Jays right-hander Chad Green are among the players whose option decisions still appear to be up in the air headed into the day.
2. Qualifying Offer decisions:
By 4pm CT this afternoon, teams will have to decide whether or not to extend pending free agents a one-year, $20.325MM qualifying offer. If a player receives a QO, he’ll have until November 14 to decide whether to accept or reject the offer. If rejected, the player’s former team will receive draft pick compensation in the event the player signs anywhere else this offseason. Players traded mid-season such as Lucas Giolito and Jeimer Candelario are ineligible to receive a QO, as are players who have already been extended the QO previously such as Marcus Stroman and Justin Turner. Many QO decisions are fairly cut-and-dry; it’s all but certain, for example, that the Angels will extend Shohei Ohtani a qualifying offer, which he in turn is all but certain to reject. That being said, some decisions aren’t so certain, such as that of the Dodgers regarding veteran slugger J.D. Martinez. MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald recently previewed today’s pitching QO decisions, while MLBTR’s Anthony Franco discussed today’s decisions regarding position players.
3. MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents:
With the 2023-24 class of free agents on the verge of being mostly set in stone this afternoon, we here at MLBTR are excited to unveil our annual Top 50 Free Agents list later today. Some outlets have already published theirs, but we like to wait until the QO decisions have been revealed because they can have such a significant impact on a free agent’s market. This makes us a little bit late to the party but allows us to provide a bit more analysis and (hopefully) more accuracy. For instance, one year ago, we predicted that Joc Pederson would accept the QO and returns to the Giants, which eventually came to pass. For most borderline QO candidates, we have separate predictions based on whether they get the offer or not. It’s our biggest post of the year and you should keep an eye out for it later today! Shortly after that comes out, we will also launch our annual prediction contest, where you can do your best to try and predict the events of an unpredictable offseason.
Marlins Officially Hire Rays GM Peter Bendix As President Of Baseball Operations
TODAY: The Marlins have officially announced Bendix’s hire. Principal owner Bruce Sherman spoke glowingly of Bendix in a press release, saying that “Peter is an established industry leader with an extensive skillset and deep experience that will continue the momentum we have made on the Major League level, while also strategic building the foundation for sustained success.”
Nov 5: The Marlins are set to hire Rays general manager Peter Bendix as the club’s next head of baseball operations, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Andy McCullough (links to X). Rosenthal reported earlier tonight that Bendix was Miami’s “leading candidate” for the job, and Bendix has informed some Rays co-workers that he will be leaving for the Marlins job.
Bendix would become the latest in a long line of Tampa Bay executives hired away by other teams. Andrew Friedman (Dodgers), Chaim Bloom (Red Sox), Matt Arnold (Brewers), and James Click (Astros) all got rival front office jobs due in part to the Rays’ consistent ability to draft and develop talent, all while fielding competitive teams on small player payrolls. Other organizational attempts to replicate the Rays’ success has been somewhat mixed, though obviously Friedman and Click both won World Series titles with their teams.
The Rays’ track record is undoubtedly of interest to Marlins owner Bruce Sherman, who reportedly hasn’t been happy with how his team has been developing its younger talent. These concerns led to Sherman’s plan of installing a new head of baseball operations above general manager Kim Ng, which resulted in Ng declining her end of a mutual option on her contract for the 2024 season. It isn’t known if Bendix or any other candidates were already being targeted by Sherman prior to Ng’s departure, yet naturally Ng balked at the idea of suddenly being demoted after the Marlins reached the playoffs last season. Rosenthal reports that Bloom was also on the Marlins’ radar, but the former Red Sox chief baseball officer declined to be a candidate for the Miami job.
This will be Bendix’s first time in full command of a front office, as Erik Neander is Tampa’s president of baseball operations, and former PBO Matt Silverman is now the team president. Bendix has been a member of the Rays organization since starting as an intern in 2009, and worked his way up the ladder through multiple roles in the research and development department. The 38-year-old Bendix earned a VP title in 2019 as the team’s director of baseball development, and was promoted to general manager just under two years ago.
Sherman’s purchase of the Marlins franchise in 2017 has led to quite a bit of front office turnover in that limited timeframe. Michael Hill was kept on as the president of baseball operations, though CEO Derek Jeter was known to be making the bigger-picture baseball decisions as the team was going through a rebuild. Ng was hired to be the GM when Hill’s contract was up after the 2020 season, but the picture was shaken up again when Jeter himself left prior to the 2022 campaign.
Jeter’s public statement that “the vision for the future of the franchise is different than the one I signed up to lead” only led to more questions, and some reports suggested that Jeter wasn’t pleased with Sherman’s apparent desire to spend less on payroll, though that was apparently far from the only issue between the two. The Marlins have increased spending to some extent under Ng, up to a $92.5MM Opening Day payroll in 2023 that still ranked 23rd of 30 teams.
However, even with the Marlins securing a wild card berth this past season, Sherman still wasn’t satisfied. The hiring of Bendix now provides a full break from the Jeter era, and in theory makes it seem as if the Marlins will try to emulate Tampa Bay’s strategy of perpetual contention with modest spending. This doesn’t mean that Sherman couldn’t green-light higher levels of spending than the Rays are accustomed to, yet it also doesn’t seem like the Marlins will exactly be approaching the luxury tax any time soon.
Adopting “the Rays’ plan” is far easier said that done, of course, and the next step will be seeing exactly how the Marlins will operate under Bendix in 2024. Sandy Alcantara will miss all of next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Jorge Soler is a free agent after opting out of his contract, and it can be argued that Miami’s 2023 club might have gotten to the postseason due more to good fortune than to championship pedigree. The Marlins were outscored by a 723-666 margin, but enjoyed a whopping 33-14 record in one-run games.
As much as Miami fans would be exasperated at seeing another step back or some sort of rebuild, Bendix could be given perhaps at least a season to remake the team in his image, if restocking the farm system is a larger priority for Sherman than another playoff push. Or, since the Fish already have a good deal of talent in place, Bendix might try to hit the ground running by trying to compete and add some prospect depth at the same time.
From the Rays’ perspective, they’ll have to again fill a hole in their front office. Assistant GMs Chanda Lawdermilk, Will Cousins, and Carlos Rodriguez stand out as natural candidates to be promoted to the full general manager job as Neander’s new No. 2, though any number of candidates might emerge for a franchise that likes to promote from within.
Central Notes: Kiermaier, Twins, Anderson, Morel, Kantrovitz, Bloom
The Twins are interested in Kevin Kiermaier to address their need in center field, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Since Byron Buxton‘s health and ability to play center field is still in doubt, the Twins are again looking for some help up the middle, as Michael A. Taylor (acquired last winter in a trade with the Royals) is now a free agent. Kiermaier would come at a higher price tag in free agency, yet the veteran offers equally stellar glovework, albeit with a pretty significant injury history in his own right.
With the Blue Jays managing Kiermaier’s playing time in order to keep him healthy, Kiermaier managed to almost entirely avoid the injured list in 2023, while hitting .265/.322/.419 over 408 plate appearances and winning another Gold Glove for his work in center field. If Buxton is able to play in the field at all, the Twins could conceivably platoon Buxton and Kiermaier in center field to keep both players fresh. Signing Kiermaier would add yet another name to a somewhat crowded list of Minnesota position players, yet Nightengale feels the Twins will aim to trade from this surplus to land pitching help
More from both the AL and NL Central…
- Also from Nightengale, the White Sox “desperately tried” to find a trade partner for Tim Anderson, but ended up just declining Anderson’s $14MM club option. A trade would’ve allowed the Sox to at least recoup something in return for their veteran shortstop rather than letting him go for nothing, yet any number of factors might’ve prevented a deal. We don’t know what Chicago was looking for in return, of course, or whether Anderson’s salary was a sticking point for either a new team to absorb, or if a suitor wanted the White Sox to eat some money to facilitate a deal. Now a free agent, Anderson figures to draw plenty of attention as a bounce-back candidate, probably on a one-year pillow contract worth less than $14MM, considering Anderson’s poor 2023 season.
- Christopher Morel is expected to draw a lot of trade attention this winter, as The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney write that rival teams scouted Morel thinking the Cubs would be more open to moving the utilityman in the offseason than at the trade deadline. Morel is something of a “master of none” type of utility player, as he can play multiple positions but isn’t real defensive plus at any spot, except possibly second base. But, this versatility and his above-average hitting numbers over 854 career PA makes him an interesting trade chip for the Cubs as they address other needs.
- Also from Sharma and Mooney, the Mets had interest in hiring Cubs VP of scouting Dan Kantrovitz “for a high-level job in their front office,” but Kantrovitz will be staying in Chicago. Kantrovitz has been with the Cubs for the last four seasons, after previously working as an assistant GM with the Athletics. In other Cubs front office buzz, Sharma/Mooney figure that the team will explore an external hire for at least one of their two assistant GM openings, as a way of bringing a fresh voice into the mix.
- “There are rumblings” that former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom might land with the Cardinals in an advisor role, Peter Gammons reports (on X). Not much had been heard about Bloom’s potential next step after he was fired by the Sox in September, before Gammons’ item and today’s news that Bloom turned down overtures from the Marlins about their front office vacancy. An advisory job would be an interesting way of Bloom to keep a foothold in baseball without committing to another full-time post, as Gammons notes that Bloom is prioritizing time with his family.
Diamondbacks Notes: Turner, Pitching, Hazen, Deadline
Justin Turner is “atop [the Diamondbacks’] wish list” this offseason, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes. It isn’t any surprise that the D’Backs would be in pursuit of Turner, as the team also had interest in the veteran infielder last winter, and Turner’s stock is quite high after a successful year with the Red Sox.
Turner hit .276/.345/.455 with 23 homers over 626 plate appearances with Boston last season, as he hasn’t shown much sign of decline even though he turns 39 later this month. He’s back on the free agent market after declining his player option to remain with the Sox, and seems likely to land another multi-year contract even at his advanced age. Anything beyond two guaranteed years might be a bit of a reach, however, which perhaps keeps Turner within the Diamondbacks’ price range.
Several contenders or would-be contenders are likely to check in on Turner this winter, so the reigning NL champion D’Backs won’t be alone in their pursuit. Playing in Phoenix would also bring Turner a bit closer to his home in Southern California, and if Turner had designs on being a regular third baseman again, the Diamondbacks have an opening at the hot corner since Evan Longoria is also a free agent. Turner would probably be in the lineup most every day as either a third baseman, designated hitter, or occasional first baseman if Christian Walker is at DH or getting a rest day. When Turner isn’t at third base, Gerardo Perdomo or Emmanuel Rivera would be on hand to man the position.
Signing Turner would also add a right-handed bat to Arizona’s lineup, and GM Mike Hazen told reporters (including The Athletic’s Evan Drellich and Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic) that keeping the lineup balanced is “probably going to be an area that we’re going to need to address again.” Free agents Longoria, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Tommy Pham all hit from the right side, leaving the Snakes a little heavy on lefty swingers and switch-hitters. Top prospect Jordan Lawlar is a right-handed hitter who is expected to get a larger role after making his MLB debut in 2023, though installing Lawlar as the everyday shortstop might be a little bold, and it might be dependent on how the D’Backs address the third base situation.
Beyond another hitter or two, Hazen stressed that his team will be looking to add some experienced rotation help. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly were the cornerstones of an otherwise subpar rotation, as most of the younger arms had some growing pains, veteran Zach Davies was injured and mostly ineffective, and Madison Bumgarner was released entirely after continued struggles.
Rookie Brandon Pfaadt established himself during the playoffs, so he’ll be penciled into one spot along with Gallen and Kelly. That leaves room for another seasoned pitcher within the rotation’s top four, and Hazen felt the Snakes were simply lacking in this department during the postseason, most notably in their now-infamous bullpen game in Game 4 of the World Series.
“Having veterans in that rotation matter. I think you looked across the aisle here in this series and [the Rangers] had more veteran starting pitchers than we did,” Hazen said.
To this end, Hazen had some regrets over not already addressing this need last summer. The general manager said he “chased every starting pitcher in the free market” at the deadline, and noted that teams often asked for Pfaadt and Alek Thomas in trade demands. While Hazen had no intention of moving either of those players, “were there other avenues that we could have pushed, by adding more prospects in the deals where it didn’t include those guys? Where I should have gone down that route? I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to those things. But I know I didn’t get a starting pitcher. And that’s on me.”
Managerial/Coaching Notes: Showalter, Kotsay, Ramos, Hudgens
Buck Showalter is one of “several finalists” to be the Angels‘ next manager, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports (via X). Reports have linked Showalter to Anaheim’s vacancy for almost a month, just a few days after the Mets announced that the veteran skipper wouldn’t be back in their dugout next season. Morosi’s update would seemingly imply that the Angels have moved into at least a secondary stage of their search, though public details have been rather scarce to date about who exactly is on the list of candidates.
Beyond Showalter, such names as infield coodinator Benji Gil, former Brewers/Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke, and former Angels players like Torii Hunter, Darin Erstad, and Tim Salmon have all been mentioned as possible candidates for the manager’s job, though it isn’t clear how many proper interviews has taken place. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote today that the Halos “plan to interview” Hunter, Erstad, and Salmon, which would seem to run counter to the idea that the club has already moved onto its group of finalists. Regardless, Showalter seems to be firmly in the mix, and his track record would seemingly give him some advantage in the race, as Roenicke is the only other candidate with past experience as a big league manager.
Some more on other managerial and coaching situations from around the game…
- The Mets‘ search might be down to just Craig Counsell and Carlos Mendoza, as reported earlier today by SNY’s Andy Martino. Earlier this week, Martino reported that Athletics manager Mark Kotsay was also under consideration from New York, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (X link) today wrote that “Kotsay no longer is part of” the Mets’ search. The A’s did grant Kotsay permission to speak with the Mets, though it doesn’t appear that Kotsay will be departing the Oakland dugout. The former 17-year MLB veteran has been Oakland’s manager for the last two seasons, with a miserable 110-214 record that is hardly Kotsay’s fault, given that he was tasked with overseeing a team in a massive rebuild.
- The Phillies announced that Cesar Ramos will be the team’s new bullpen coach for the 2024 season. Ramos has working in the Phillies organization for the last four seasons, and was the pitching coach for Philadelphia’s Triple-A affiliate in 2022-23. Ramos is best known for his eight-year pitching career with the Padres, Rays, Angels, and Rangers from 2009-16.
- The Blue Jays have reassigned hitting strategist Dave Hudgens to another role in the organization, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reports. Hudgens was one of three batting-related coaches on the Jays’ staff (along with hitting coach Guillermo Martinez and assistant hitting coach Hunter Mense) this season, and some changes to this department were expected after most of Toronto’s lineup struggled in 2023. Hudgens has been on the Blue Jays’ coaching staff since the 2018-19 offseason, previously working as the club’s bench coach.
- Padres assistant farm director Mike Daly will manage the team’s Triple-A affiliate next season, according to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin. It is something of an unusual hire, as Daly has no professional experience as a manager, coach, or player at any levels. Daly’s long career of front office work began with six years in Cleveland’s front office as a baseball operations staff and scout from 2001-06, then 15 seasons with the Rangers that saw him rise to assistant GM status. Daly also worked with A.J. Preller during that stint in the Texas front office, and in 2021 Daly became one of many of Preller’s past Rangers associates to join San Diego’s organization.
Gold Glove Winners Announced
Major League Baseball announced the Gold Glove winners tonight, as selected by a group of managers, coaches, and statistical analysis. Twenty-five percent of the selection total was determined by SABR’s Defensive Index metrics, while the other 75 percent was determined by votes from all 30 managers and up to six coaches from each team. Of the latter pool, managers and coaches were limited to voting on players in their own league, and they weren’t allowed to vote for any players on their own team. The utility Gold Glove wasn’t determined with any votes, but rather via a defensive formula calculated by SABR and Rawlings.
The list of winners…
- AL catcher: Jonah Heim (1st Gold Glove)….finalists: Alejandro Kirk, Adley Rutschman
- AL first base: Nathaniel Lowe (1st)….finalists: Ryan Mountcastle, Anthony Rizzo
- AL second base: Andres Gimenez (2nd)….finalists: Mauricio Dubon, Marcus Semien
- AL third base: Matt Chapman (4th)….finalists: Alex Bregman, Jose Ramirez
- AL shortstop: Anthony Volpe (1st)….finalists: Carlos Correa, Corey Seager
- AL left field: Steven Kwan (2nd)….finalists: Austin Hays, Daulton Varsho
- AL center field: Kevin Kiermaier (4th)….finalists: Luis Robert Jr., Julio Rodriguez
- AL right field: Adolis Garcia (1st)….finalists: Kyle Tucker, Alex Verdugo
- AL pitcher: Jose Berrios (1st)….finalists: Sonny Gray, Pablo Lopez
- AL utility: Mauricio Dubon (1st)….finalists: Zach McKinstry, Taylor Walls
- NL catcher: Gabriel Moreno (1st)….finalists: Patrick Bailey, J.T. Realmuto
- NL first base: Christian Walker (2nd)….finalists: Freddie Freeman, Carlos Santana
- NL second base: Nico Hoerner (1st)….finalists: Ha-Seong Kim, Bryson Stott
- NL third base: Ke’Bryan Hayes (1st)….finalists: Ryan McMahon, Austin Riley
- NL shortstop: Dansby Swanson (2nd)….finalists: Francisco Lindor, Ezequiel Tovar
- NL left field: Ian Happ (2nd)….finalists: David Peralta, Eddie Rosario
- NL center field: Brenton Doyle (1st)….finalists: Michael Harris II, Alek Thomas
- NL right field: Fernando Tatis Jr. (1st)….finalists: Mookie Betts, Lane Thomas
- NL pitcher: Zack Wheeler (1st)….finalists: Jesus Luzardo, Taijuan Walker
- NL utility: Ha-Seong Kim (1st)….finalists: Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman
Giants To Exercise Club Option On Alex Cobb; Sean Manaea Opts Out Of Contract
The Giants intend to exercise their $10MM club option on Alex Cobb‘s services for the 2024 season, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post (X link). In another notable Giants pitching development, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports (via X) that Sean Manaea has elected to opt out of the final year of his contract, foregoing a $12.5MM salary to test free agency.
It was widely expected that Cobb’s option would be picked up, though a possible wrench was thrown into the mix with last week’s news that Cobb was undergoing hip surgery. Though Cobb might not be able to return to a big league mound until May at the earliest, the Giants decided that the $8MM net decision (Cobb’s option contained a $2MM buyout) was still worth the investment. Obviously the surgery was no surprise to the team, as Cobb has battled hip problems for much of the season and had his year officially ended by a 15-day injured list placement in late September.
Cobb signed with San Francisco in November 2021 on what is now a three-year, $28MM deal with the option exercised. The results have been more than solid, as Cobb has a 3.80 ERA over 301 innings for the Giants, and he was even an All-Star this past season. His strikeout rate, barrel rate, and total barrels declined sharply from 2022 to 2023, though Cobb also improved his walk rate and his fastball velocity from season to season. Cobb also has a 59.4% grounder rate across the last two seasons, and a .327 BABIP indicates that his numbers might’ve been better if it wasn’t for the Giants’ subpar infield defense.
Injuries have also been a factor, as Cobb has been on the IL four separate times during his Giants tenure. That said, Cobb still brought some durability to the rotation since he and Logan Webb were the only two starters San Francisco used in a normal starting role for much of the 2023 season. The Giants addressed the other rotation spots in a number of ways, ranging for actual starts, piggyback-style pitcher usage, or an opener/bulk pitcher mix.
Manaea was one of the many Giants pitchers used in this fashion, as he started only 10 of his 37 appearances. However, Manaea often found himself in a bulk pitcher or piggyback role, and he finished with 117 2/3 innings pitched while posting a 4.44 ERA and an above-average 25.7% strikeout rate. It was a pretty decent course-correction for Manaea after some early struggles cost him a full rotation job, and it was a good bounce-back after a down year with the Padres in 2022.
Despite that down year, Manaea landed a two-year, $25MM deal with the Giants last winter, with the opt-out built into the contract so Manaea could quickly re-enter the market if he had a better platform year. While not a hands-down breakout year on paper, the left-hander should be able to find another multi-year deal heading into his age-32 season, likely with a team that wants him in a full-time starting role.
Heading into 2024, San Francisco’s rotation consists of Webb, Cobb (when healthy), DeSclafani (if healthy), Stripling (who passed on his own opt-out opportunity), and Kyle Harrison, with Tristan Beck, Jakob Junis, and Keaton Winn on hand as depth options. The Giants might well use at least one rotation spot for another mix-and-match assortment of pitchers, but the club is known to be looking for pitchers to bring more stability to the starting five. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is known to be on the Giants’ radar, and depending on how aggressive the team plans to be, any number of top free agent or trade options could be explored.