Angels To Hire Ray Montgomery As Bench Coach
The Angels are hiring director of player personnel Ray Montgomery as their bench coach, reports Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (on Twitter). Heyman tweeted last night that Montgomery had emerged as a candidate for the position.
It’s an interesting hire, as Montgomery has not yet worked on a big league coaching staff. The 52-year-old does, however, have plenty of experience in scouting and front office roles. That includes stints as scouting director with the Brewers and Diamondbacks.
After being hired as Angels general manager during the 2019-20 offseason, Perry Minasian quickly added the New York native to Anaheim’s front office. Montgomery also has some playing experience, having briefly appeared in the majors as an outfielder with the Astros in the late 1990’s.
It’s not entirely clear what role previous bench coach Mike Gallego will have moving forward. He’s expected to remain on Joe Maddon’s staff in some capacity. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported yesterday that Gallego might return to third base coaching, a role he held in 2019. Phil Nevin had seemingly been tabbed as third base coach in November, but that may no longer be the case. Rosenthal now reports that Nevin’s role with the Angels is yet to be determined, but he is still expected to take on some role on Maddon’s staff.
Former Mets’ Acting GM Zack Scott Acquitted On DWI Charges
Former Mets acting general manager Zack Scott has been found not guilty on charges of driving while intoxicated and driving while ability impaired, according to reports from Anthony Rieber of Newsday and Tim Britton of the Athletic. (Scott was found to have committed two traffic violations and fined $200.00).
The charges stemmed from a late August arrest in White Plains, New York. Arresting officers alleged at the time that Scott had failed a field sobriety test, a claim disputed by the trial court. In announcing the court’s verdict, Judge Eric Press wrote this morning that “Mr. Scott performed the tests in a manner in which no neutral observer would conclude he was drunk, especially to the point of intoxication” (Britton link).
Scott had been leading the New York baseball operations department at the time. After 17 years in the Red Sox’s front office, he was hired by the Mets as an assistant general manager last December. He took over as GM on an interim basis a month later, when then-GM Jared Porter was fired once Porter’s past sexual harassment of a reporter had been made public.
Scott spent seven-plus months as acting GM and looked a strong candidate to assume the position permanently before his arrest. The Mets placed Scott on administrative leave the day after his arrest was made public, with team president Sandy Alderson assuming control of daily baseball ops through the end of the season. After the season, the Mets moved on from Scott entirely. A few weeks later, Billy Eppler was hired as general manager.
It’s presently unclear if/when Scott will attempt to pursue new opportunities within Major League Baseball. He released a statement this morning (via Britton), which reads in part: “I am thankful for today’s verdict. Nevertheless, I regret choices I made on August 31, resulting in circumstances that led to my arrest. … Professionally, I’m grateful to Sandy Alderson for the opportunity to lead baseball operations for the Mets and wish my former teammates nothing but the best going forward. I believe this humbling experience will make me a better husband, father, son, friend and leader, and I look forward to what the future holds.“
Mets To Hire Eric Chavez As Hitting Coach
The Mets are planning to hire Eric Chávez as their next hitting coach, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (on Twitter). The 44-year-old had been slated to join the Yankees staff as an assistant hitting coach, but he’ll instead land the lead position across town.
Chávez is best known for his lengthy, highly successful run in the big leagues as a player. A left-handed hitting third baseman, he broke into the majors with the A’s late in the 1998 campaign and settled in as a regular the following season. Chávez spent more than a decade in Oakland, emerging as one of the game’s best third basemen by 2000.
He posted above-average offensive numbers each season from 2000-07 and was among the league’s best glovemen at the hot corner for much of his prime. Chávez claimed six consecutive Gold Glove awards between 2001-06, and he also earned a Silver Slugger thanks to a .275/.348/.513 showing in 2002. He picked up down ballot MVP support in each of the four seasons between 2002-05.
Chávez’s numbers tailed off by the end of his time in Oakland, but he enjoyed a few productive seasons as a part-time player with the Yankees and Diamondbacks to end his career. He retired from playing in July 2014 and spent a little more than a year as a special assignment scout with the Yankees. Over the 2015-16 offseason, Chávez made the jump to the Angels front office. For much of that time, he worked as a special assistant to then-Angels general manager Billy Eppler. Now the Mets GM, Eppler presumably had a key role in bringing Chávez to Queens.
It’ll be the Southern California native’s first MLB coaching job, save for his two-week tenure with the Yankees. Chávez also spent some time managing in the Angels farm system during his time with Anaheim and has been mentioned as a possible managerial candidate with the Angels and Rangers in years past. He joins pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and base coaches Wayne Kirby (first) and Joey Cora (third) on Buck Showalter’s first Mets staff.
Passan On CBA Negotiations
On Monday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote that no negotiating sessions were scheduled between MLB and the players’ union. That remains the case, but ESPN’s Jeff Passan writes today that “MLB is working on proposals to bring to the table.” Passan’s sources believe the “earliest negotiations will ramp up this time is late January.”
Passan suggests MLB is hoping to determine what tops the players’ list of priorities: the oft-repeated “competitive integrity” anti-tanking buzzword, getting players paid earlier in their careers, or raising the competitive balance tax thresholds.
As has been reported previously, MLB’s most recent proposal had the CBT threshold starting at $214MM in 2022. MLB’s proposal had the thresholds progressing only to $220MM by the end of a presumed five-year deal. Going from $210MM in ’21 to $220MM in ’26 would be a 4.8% increase. As I’ll explain, that’d represent the union’s biggest failure yet in increasing the CBT.
Last month, I documented how the CBT thresholds have changed with each new CBA, after this tax was introduced in 1997. In 2003, the threshold was increased by 98.6% from the previous mark, jumping from $58.9MM in ’99 all the way to $117MM in ’03. That was the first of four collective bargaining agreements where CBT increases were on the table, once it was initially set at $51MM in ’97.
That set of negotiations had the CBT ending at $136.5MM in ’06. In the CBA spanning 2007-11, the players were able to get a 30.4% increase by ’11, jumping up to $178MM. But in the CBA spanning 2012-16, the players had a major loss. They succeeded only in taking the CBT from $178MM to $189MM, an increase of about 6.2%. Compared to that $189MM point, the 2017-21 CBA ended with an 11.1% bump to get to $210MM.
The players have reportedly set their opening bid for the CBT at $245MM. That implies they might hope to see it progress to around $260MM by the end of the deal. A jump from a $210MM starting point to a $260MM ending point would represent a 23.8% increase, falling neatly between the player-favoring 30% increase of ’07 and the MLB-favoring 11% increase of ’17.
The CBT is a major issue, but it remains to be seen whether the players will abandon some other more aggressive asks to prioritize it. As Passan sees it, if the two sides don’t make progress by February 1st, a spring training delay is likely. He feels that a lack of progress by March 1st “sets off the alarm” in terms of not starting the season on time, given all that must be done to be ready to play.
Devin Williams Discusses Last Year’s Season-Ending Injury
The most recent news about Devin Williams was from October 5, with Williams having undergone surgery on his pitching hand, which he had broken when punching a wall the week before. At the time, the Brewers had finished their regular season schedule and were a few days away from starting their NLDS matchup with the Braves. There was still hope then that Williams could pitch in the World Series, if the Brewers were able to make it that far. Unfortunately, it was their opponents in that series who made it to the World Series, with the Brewers falling to the Braves.
It’s impossible to say whether the Brewers would have fared any better in the alternate reality where Williams doesn’t punch that wall, but it’s hard not to wonder. He had an incredible breakout during the shortened 2020 campaign, throwing 27 innings with a miniscule ERA of 0.33 and an absurd 53% strikeout rate. It would have been impossible for Williams to maintain that level of dominance in the larger sample size of a full season, but he still pitched well enough to prove that it wasn’t a complete mirage. Over 54 innings in 2021, he put up an ERA of 2.50, along with a 38.5% strikeout rate, still well above league average. But the Brewers had to head into the playoffs without him, due to the actions of Williams himself.
Now three months later, Williams sat down with Will Sammon of The Athletic to discuss the incident and the events surrounding it. As detailed by Sammon, the incident took place the night of Sunday, September 26, after the Brewers clinched the NL Central, with the post-game celebrations that started in the clubhouse eventually making their way into the outside world. Although Williams doesn’t go into explicit detail about what happened, he says that he became “upset over an altercation” and that “instead of taking it out on that person, I walked away, hit a wall.”
After eventually realizing the severity of the injury days later, Williams was left with the difficult task of informing his teammates about the situation. On the subject of whether he adequately expressed himself in that moment, Williams told Sammon, “I think most people understood what I was trying to say. They got the message. But that … that was the most difficult part.”
However, despite the emotional toll of feeling like he disappointed his teammates, he hasn’t been spending his offseason completely mired in guilt. That’s at least partially attributable to Hunter Strickland who, though now a free agent, was with the Brewers at the time. He had a similar self-imposed injury when with the Giants in 2018 and told Williams, “You have to forgive yourself at some point and move on. Otherwise, you’re just holding yourself back, keeping yourself from moving forward.” When asked if he heeded Strickland’s advice, Williams said, “There was definitely a month and a half when I was just sitting there, couldn’t do anything and I was down on myself. But if I stayed like that, I would never get to where I want to be.”
Williams is now on pace to return to full health before reporting to spring training, gearing up for 2022. He figures to be an integral part of a Brewers pitching staff that is largely the same as the one that was among baseball’s best in 2021, as the club looks to make the postseason for a fifth consecutive season.
Wayne Kirby Set To Be Mets’ First Base Coach
8:20pm: Ken Davidoff of the New York Post has confirmed Kirby is set to be hired.
8:05pm: Wayne Kirby appears to be joining the coaching staff of the Mets for 2022, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets that Kirby and Joey Cora are “likely” to be manning the first base and third base coaching boxes, respectively. (Cora’s hiring was reported yesterday.)
It was reported back in November that Kirby was in talks to join the Angels as a first base coach, though nothing official was ever announced. Today’s report from Rosenthal focuses on how the lockout is leaving Adam Eaton in a state of limbo that is preventing him from being hired to the coaching staff in Anaheim. At the end of the piece, Rosenthal mentions that the Angels didn’t finalize a deal with Kirby, who is “expected to reunite with Buck Showalter with the Mets.”
As noted by Rosenthal and Heyman, this would be a reunion for Showalter and Kirby, who were together with the Orioles from 2011 through 2018. The Orioles made the playoffs three times during the years Showalter and Kirby were on the staff together, but neither were brought back after a 115-loss 2018 campaign which kicked off the current O’s rebuild. Prior to coaching, Kirby, now 57, played parts of eight seasons with the Indians, Dodgers and Mets, stealing 44 bases in 1,325 career games.
Kirby didn’t coach during the 2019 season, but joined the Padres as part of Jayce Tingler’s staff for 2020 and 2021. In recent months, Tingler was fired, with Bob Melvin taking over as bench boss in San Diego. Melvin’s hiring was just the first of many changes, including David Macias taking over Kirby’s role as first base coach.
Showalter was announced as the new manager of the Mets just over two weeks ago. Things seemed to stay quiet over the holiday break, at least publicly, but the club has been busy lately, with the reports of Cora and Kirby emerging in recent days. More news figures to be on the horizon, as the club still needs a bench coach, hitting coach, bullpen coach and assistant coaches. Although the name of the next bench coach isn’t yet known, it was reported earlier today that it will be a “headline-grabbing hire.”
Astros Announce Coaching Staff
The Astros announced the addition of minor league hitting coordinator Jason Kanzler to the big league staff in an unspecified coaching role. The 31-year-old, who spent three seasons in the Twins system as a player, has spent the past three years coaching Astros minor leaguers.
Otherwise, the bulk of Dusty Baker’s staff remains the same. Houston announced the returns of bench coach Joe Espada, hitting coaches Alex Cintrón and Troy Snitker, base coaches Omar Lopez and Gary Pettis, and quality assurance coach Dan Firova in the same positions. Espada, who has spent the past four seasons on the Astros coaching staff, interviewed with the Mets and A’s for their managerial vacancies this offseason but will return to Houston after those respective jobs went to Buck Showalter and Mark Kotsay.
It seems the role of pitching coach will be filled jointly by Josh Miller and Bill Murphy, last season’s bullpen coach and assistant pitching coach, respectively. Longtime Houston pitching coach Brent Strom stepped down at the end of the season, eventually taking on the same role with the Diamondbacks. At the time, Strom suggested the club should turn to Miller and Murphy as his replacements, and that’s the course of action the team will take. It’s theoretically possible Houston adds some additional help for the pitching staff — the team’s announcement didn’t explicitly state that the staff had been finalized — but it seems more likely Miller and Murphy will just take on the responsibilities Strom left behind.
In addition to the tinkering on the coaching staff, Houston announced a few front office hires. The Astros confirmed the previously-reported hiring of Sara Goodrum as director of player development. They also hired a pair of new assistant general managers. Former Angels director of baseball operations Andrew Ball — who had once worked alongside Astros general manager James Click in the Rays front office — and former Dodgers director of quantitative analysis Scott Powers will both join Pete Putila as AGM’s in Houston. The club also announced a handful of promotions within the scouting and player development departments.
Coaching/Organizational Notes: Mets, Pirates, Carroll, Orioles
The Mets are nearing a deal to add Joey Cora to Buck Showalter’s staff as third base coach, and it seems the rest of the coaches will be in place soon. Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports that the Mets are likely to finalize their entire staff by this weekend. Only pitching coach Jeremy Hefner remains from last year’s group, leaving first base coach, hitting coach, bullpen coach, bench coach and assistant hitting/pitching coaches to be determined.
Interestingly, Thosar hears that the mystery bench coach is likely to be a “headline-grabbing hire.” While that person’s identity remains unclear, Thosar writes that nine-time All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltrán is not under consideration. Beltrán served as Mets manager for around two months over the 2019-20 offseason, but he and the club mutually parted ways before he ever coached a game after his role in the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal was made public. He hasn’t landed a position with an MLB team since then, and he apparently won’t be Showalter’s right-hand man in Queens. Yesterday, Mike Puma of The New York Post suggested former Orioles bench coach John Russell and Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough could be possibilities for the role.
The latest on some other coaching/front office situations around the league:
- Jamey Carroll is departing the Pirates organization, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). He’d spent the past seven seasons in Pittsburgh, originally joining the Bucs’ front office in January 2015. Most recently, the 47-year-old was serving as a special assistant in baseball operations and as the club’s defensive coordinator, per Mackey. Carroll is best known for his twelve-year big league playing career. Between 2002-13, the Indiana native suited up with the Expos/Nationals, Rockies, Indians, Dodgers, Twins and Royals.
- The Orioles became the latest in a handful of teams around the league to hire co-hitting coaches in November. Baltimore added Matt Borgschulte and Ryan Fuller to the big league staff, the first MLB opportunity for both. It’s an odd time for incoming coaches to get acclimated to a new club, as staff members are prohibited from interacting with players on the 40-man roster during the ongoing lockout. Jon Meoli catches up with Fuller and Borgschulte to discuss their new positions, with the staff members telling Meoli they talk with one another daily to build out individualized plans to implement with each hitter once the work stoppage ends. Fuller, who was promoted from within the O’s farm system, is familiar with some of the players on the big league roster. Borgschulte was brought over from the Twins organization and doesn’t have the same kind of personal connection to much of the roster, but Fuller speaks with Meoli about how his colleague’s background in pitch recognition training adds a relatively new element to the team’s development processes.
Arizona Diamondbacks Job Opening
From time to time, as a service to our readers, MLB Trade Rumors will post job opportunities of possible interest that are brought to our attention. MLBTR has no affiliation with the hiring entity, no role in the hiring process, and no financial interest in the posting of this opportunity.
Major League Bullpen Catcher – Arizona Diamondbacks
Reports To: Manager, Major League Team
Duties/Responsibilities:
- Attend Major League Spring Training and designated camps/workouts in the off-season as necessary
- Spend the entirety of the 2022 season with the Major League team, assisting the Coaching Staff with catching bullpens and preparing pitchers and catchers as determined by the Coaching Staff
- Work with the Pitching Staff and Run Prevention Coordinator to help ensure that bullpen practice habits align with pitcher development plans
- Assist with different components of the advance process for upcoming opponents as needed
- Communicate effectively with the Coaching Staff and players, ensuring that messaging with the players is well aligned with the vision, goals and strategies set by the Coaching Staff
Required Qualifications:
- Ability to catch multiple bullpens daily, up to seven days a week
- Strong level of intellectual curiosity and openness
- Ability to bring a positive attitude and energy to the ballpark each day, with a mindset committed to serving the needs of the team
Preferred Qualifications:
- Moderate level of technical proficiency, particularly in Microsoft Office products
- Strong knowledge of the advance and self-scouting processes
- Ability to communicate and connect with non-English speaking staff and players
To Apply:
Interested candidates should send a resume and supporting materials to bbopsjob@dbacks.com.
Gregory Polanco Signs With NPB’s Yomiuri Giants
Former Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco has signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, the team announced. It’ll be his first season with the Tokyo-based club.
News first broke of talks between Polanco and teams in the NPB back in mid-December. Polanco was not likely to get a Major League deal. Polanco has seen a once-promising career derailed by injuries that led to his release from Pittsburgh. Still just 30-years-old, Polanco will look to rebuild some value with his time in Japan.
Polanco owns a career .241/.309/.409 triple-slash line across 3,220 plate appearances, though he hasn’t been a positive contributor by rWAR since 2018. That year’s .254/.340/.499 slash (123 wRC+) feels like a distant memory, as Polanco has limped to a combined .203/.270/.364 batting line in 723 plate appearances since. His once minimal strikeout rate — he fanned at just a 14.6% clip in 2017 — has skyrocketed to 30.2% in the past three seasons.
His MLB career consists of eight seasons from 2014-2021, all with the Pirates. He did sign a minor league deal with the Blue Jays after his release in 2021, but he did not make an appearance in the bigs for Toronto. That said, he raked over 101 plate appearances in Triple-A, slashing .374/.436/.747 in that small sample. The Giants were no doubt encouraged by that showing.