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Red Sox Won’t Retain Ron Roenicke For 2021 Season

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Ron Roenicke won’t be managing the Red Sox in 2021, the team announced.  In an official press release from the Sox, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said the following:

“Throughout this difficult season, Ron’s consistency and professionalism kept the environment in our clubhouse productive and gave all of our players room to grow and develop.  While we believe that, moving forward, we will benefit from new leadership and new energy, that does not diminish how strongly we feel about Ron.  He is a man of the highest character who cares about our players and the Red Sox organization.  As bench coach, he helped this team win a world championship.  As manager, he showed poise and leadership in navigating an extremely challenging year.  We are grateful for all of his contributions in our uniform.”

The release also stated that “a search for a new manager will begin immediately,” though speculation has already focused on whether or not this search will somewhat quickly center around Boston’s old manager — Alex Cora.  The Red Sox fired Cora last January, a day after he was implicated as a major instigator of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in his previous role as Houston’s bench coach.  The Sox interviewed several names as Cora’s replacement before deciding to promote Roenicke from bench coach to interim manager (and then eventually, full-time manager once the interim tag was removed in April).

Major League Baseball ended up suspending Cora for the 2020 season for his role in the Astros’ scandal, and it’s worth noting that back in April, Bloom and Red Sox president Sam Kennedy both indicated that there were no plans to eventually bring Cora back into the fold.  Barring any updated statements from Red Sox brass or from Cora himself, the speculation about a potential reunion is likely to continue until a new manager has been hired.

If Cora isn’t the choice, it will be fascinating to see who Bloom chooses in his first proper managerial hire since taking over Boston’s front office last year.  Former coaches and players with ties to the Rays (Bloom’s old organization) will surely be mentioned as candidates, and one would imagine a new skipper might be a first-time hire who is both relatively young and not far removed from a playing career.  This fits the description of both Rays manager Kevin Cash and Cora at the time of his initial hire with the Sox, so both Bloom and Red Sox upper management might feel comfortable with this type of modern managerial profile.

Roenicke will manage today’s game, looking to end a tough season on a high note.  The Red Sox are 23-36 and currently in last place in the AL East, thanks in large part to a lack of pitching.  Injuries (Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez chief among them) were a big culprit, though the Sox seemingly lacked rotation depth even when those two arms were expected to be part of the 2020 staff.  Between the on-field struggles, the twin aftermaths of Cora’s firing and the Mookie Betts trade lingering over Fenway Park, and the unforeseen circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bloom’s description of 2020 as “an extremely challenging year” is an understatement.

The 64-year-old Roenicke took on a big league managerial post for the second time in his career, following a five-year stint with the Brewers from 2011-15.  Beyond his managerial jobs in Boston and Milwaukee, Roenicke has over 20 years as a Major League coach and as a minor league coach and manager.  Roenicke’s coaching resume includes a pair of World Series rings, one in 2002 as the Angels’ third base coach and another in 2018 as Boston’s bench coach.

A’s Reinstate Chad Pinder From Injured List, Option James Kaprielian

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The Oakland A’s reinstated utility man Chad Pinder from the injured list today, the team announced. Right-hander James Kaprielian has been optioned.

Pinder returns to give manager Bob Melvin flexibility in terms of his in-game substitutions. Pinder can play all over the field, including third base where the A’s are without star Matt Chapman. Jake Lamb figures to continue to get the majority of playing time at the hot corner, but Pinder should serve an important role on the roster. He could be used as a defensive replacement at third, but he could also see some starting time, specifically against southpaws. Vimael Machín and Tommy La Stella have also seen some time at third since Chapman went down. La Stella starts most days at designated hitter or second base, however. Machín doesn’t bring much power to the table, but he puts the ball in play, with a tendency to go the other way and hit the ball on the ground. The 26-year-old rookie is the least likely of the collective to see significant playing time in the postseason.

Pinder should see an at-bat in today’s season finale, but he won’t play the field. Still, Melvin expects Pinder to be able to start in the postseason against left-handers, per Martín Gallegos of MLB.com (via Twitter). Oakland will enter the playoffs as either the #2 or #3 seed after winning the AL West. They’ll need to win today and see the Twins lose in order to jump into the #2 spot. A loss or a Twins win will result in the #3 seed for the A’s. If they finish as the #3 seed, they’ll get the Astros in the first round. In that scenario, Pinder could start a potential game two or three if the Astros go to Framber Valdez to start one of those games.

As the #2 seed, their most-likely opponent would be the Cleveland Indians, who don’t have a left-handed starter set to go in the first round. The Chicago White Sox could also fall to the #7 seed if they lose and the Indians win. Both the White Sox and Indians have some big-time lefties working out of the bullpen, so even if Pinder doesn’t get his name in the starting lineup, he still will have the potential to make an impact, regardless of their first-round opponent.

Kaprielian made just two appearances for the A’s this season. The 26-year-old allowed 3 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings, his first taste of big-league action. The former Yankee farmhand came to Oakland as part of the Sonny Gray deal at the deadline in 2017.

Cubs Promote Brailyn Marquez, Designate Patrick Wisdom

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The Cubs have selected the contract of left-handed pitching prospect Brailyn Marquez, the team announced.  Infielder/outfielder Patrick Wisdom has been designated for assignment to create roster room.

Marquez is expected to make his Major League debut in today’s game, Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian).  The plan is for Marquez to toss an inning of work that could serve as an audition for the postseason roster.

With a fastball that hits the 100mph threshold, Marquez represents a very intriguing x-factor for the Cubs’ playoff run if he can adjust quickly to big league hitters.  The 21-year-old has never even pitched in Double-A ball, posting a 3.19 ERA, 2.84 K/BB rate, and 10.1 K/9 over 257 innings in Chicago’s farm system.

An international signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2015, Marquez emerged on top-100 prospect lists prior to the 2020 season.  Baseball America ranked him 37th on their list, with MLB.com (68th), Keith Law (80th), and Baseball Prospectus (84th) all being a bit more reserved in their praise.  BA’s scouting report cited Marquez’s potential front-of-the-rotation arsenal, including his big fastball, a “spike slider,” and also a changeup that was lacking in polish as a legitimate third pitch.

If everything is working, Marquez could be an ace of the future, though the issue is that his delivery doesn’t lend itself to repetition.  Law thinks Marquez will eventually end up as “a very high-end closer” who can pitch multiple innings, and the Cubs certainly wouldn’t mind a preview of that potential future in this year’s playoffs, though obviously the long-term goal is that Marquez will develop into a quality starter.

Braves To Add Pablo Sandoval To Active Roster

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The Braves will select Pablo Sandoval’s contract to the active roster today, manager Brian Snitker told MLB.com’s Mark Bowman and other reporters.  Sandoval is slated to play third base in Atlanta’s starting lineup today.

Sandoval inked a minor league deal with the Braves a little under two weeks ago, just four days after the Giants released him.  The Panda hit only .220/.278/.268 over 90 plate appearances with San Francisco this season, though as The Athletic’s David O’Brien noted, today’s transaction would seem to imply that Atlanta will put Sandoval on its postseason roster.

Austin Riley has been slowed by a quad injury in recent days, so the Braves could be turning to Sandoval for some additional third base depth beyond Adeiny Hechavarria.  Johan Camargo and Charlie Culberson were both available at Atlanta’s alternate training site, though the fact that Sandoval got the nod might be indicative of how far Camargo and Culberson have fallen down the depth chart.

Or, maybe the Braves are simply hoping for some vintage Sandoval postseason magic.  Sandoval has a .344/.389/.545 slash line over 167 career playoff PA, all with San Francisco from 2010-14.  The Giants’ three postseason appearances in that span resulted in three World Series titles, with Sandoval collecting Series MVP honors in 2012 after hitting three homers in Game One of the 2012 Fall Classic.

It has been a while since Sandoval was that productive, though he did hit .259/.311/.466 in 548 PA for the Giants from 2018-19.  The Braves would happily take similar offense in their lineup or coming off the bench in the playoffs as the team looks to capture its first championship since 1995.

Rangers Activate Shin-Soo Choo From Injured List

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The Rangers have activated outfielder/DH Shin-Soo Choo from the 10-day injured list, and the veteran slugger will be in the lineup for what might be his last game in a Texas uniform.  To create roster space for Choo, infielder Sherten Apostel was placed on the 10-day IL with lower back tightness.

A right hand has kept Choo out of action since September 7, and the 38-year-old has a .229/.317/.394 slash line over 126 PA for Texas this season.  While Choo has said that he wants to keep playing in 2021, today’s game could serve as something of a final bow on his seven seasons with the Rangers.  Choo signed a seven-year, $130MM free agent contract during the 2013-14 offseason that ultimately didn’t provide the return Texas was looking for in such a big investment.

Choo has hit a decent but unspectacular .260/.363/.428 over 3479 PA for the Rangers, good for an 109 OPS+ and 111 wRC+.  This production was rather offset, however, by subpar defense in the corner outfield, and Choo spent quite a bit of time as a designated hitter.  All told, Choo has generated 8.8 fWAR as a Ranger.

It remains to be seen if a player of Choo’s age and somewhat limited skillset will be able to catch on with another team in 2021, but his left-handed bat is still quite potent against right-handed pitching.  Choo has consistently mashed righties over his career, and even in this down year still has a .766 OPS in 88 PA against right-handers.

GM Mike Elias On Orioles’ Season, Looking Ahead To 2021

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Orioles executive VP and general manager Mike Elias met with reporters yesterday for the traditional end-of-season media session, discussing both the 2020 season and what might be in store for next year.  Some notable items, as per MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and The Baltimore Sun’s Jon Meoli…

  • In general terms, Elias felt the season had “enough positive things where we can feel good that this year was far from wasted and that there was progress made in our ultimate goals.”  With a 24-35 record entering today’s finale, the Orioles’ .407 winning percentage at least represents an improvement over the .312 mark posted by the team over the 2018-19 seasons (101-223).  A few more wins and some development progress still left Elias less than satisfied, as “it’s very difficult for me to label any season a success where we have a losing record and don’t make the playoffs.”
  • This doesn’t mean the Orioles’ rebuild process is getting a fast-forward, however, as Elias indicated that the O’s will continue to limit spending since their financial picture is clouded by the pandemic.  “We can’t estimate our revenue, our attendance,” Elias said.  “We can’t estimate various things that we look at when we look at a player or roster budget, so it’s so day-to-day.”
  • Baltimore doesn’t have much in the way of long-term salary commitments anyway, with the very notable exception of Chris Davis.  The struggling first baseman had another rough season, and is still owed $46MM before the end of the 2022 season.  There has been speculation that the Orioles could simply release Davis and eat that remaining salary in order to free up a roster spot and playing time for a younger player, yet Elias said the club isn’t planning to move on from Davis: “We’re taking it as it comes, but he is under contract with this team, there’s a lot that goes into that and we do not have plans to alter that fact.”
  • In terms of offseason targets, Elias noted that the O’s will continue to look for infield help, as it was an area of concern when Elias joined the organization following the 2018 season.  “I think that deficit of infielders was mainly owing to the lack of international pipeline, because that’s where a lot of major league infielders are coming from these days….We’ve tried to attack it through the last couple of drafts and also a couple of trades, and we’ve gotten the international free agent spigot flowing now, so hopefully all of that will long-term fortify our infield depth,” Elias said.  “But, it’s like pitching, one of those areas where everyone is always looking for more.”
  • Retaining Jose Iglesias would be an obvious way to shore up the 2021 infield, though Elias didn’t address Iglesias’ contract option besides saying the veteran infielder “really helped us and we love having him.”  Despite a quad injury that led to a brief injured list trip and more DH time than was expected for the longtime shortstop, Iglesias unexpectedly delivered a monster year at the plate, hitting .373/.400/.556 over 150 plate appearances.  The O’s signed Iglesias to a one-year contract last winter that contained a $3.5MM club option for 2021 with a $500K buyout, and one would think Iglesias has done enough to get that option exercised.
  • And, in the best news of all, Elias believes Trey Mancini will be healthy and ready to return for Spring Training.  Mancini had a malignant tumor removed from his colon last spring and is now through with chemotherapy treatment.  “He just went through a lot and he’s going to have to get his strength and his baseball activities back and all that, and there’s still going to be some work and a process going into that this winter,” Elias said.  “But he’s such a strong, dedicated, mentally strong kid and person that we have nothing but confidence that he can do it this offseason and have a great year next year.“

Latest On Dinelson Lamet, Wil Myers

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TODAY: Myers is in the Padres’ lineup today, batting cleanup and playing right field.  Myers sat out Saturday’s game due to some quad tightness but the injury was apparently minor.

SEPTEMBER 26, 4:47 pm: Lamet is playing catch today and will throw a bullpen session in the next few days, reports AJ Cassavell of MLB.com (Twitter link). The club did not find an MRI to be necessary, notes Dennis Lin of the Athletic. San Diego hopes he’ll be able to start the first game of the Wild Card round.

SEPTEMBER 26, 8:18 am: Lamet complained of biceps tightness, manager Jayce Tingler told reporters (including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune) postgame. At this point, the organization anticipates him being able to start in next week’s Wild Card round, Tingler adds.

SEPTEMBER 25: Padres right-hander Dinelson Lamet and outfielder Wil Myers left the team’s game against the Giants on Friday for undisclosed reasons, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets.

Lamet’s the second key Padres starter who may have suffered a key injury in the past few days, joining fellow righty Mike Clevinger. The Padres seem likely to go without Clevinger for at least the first round of the playoffs because of a sprained elbow. Therefore, they can ill afford to lose Lamet, who has been a Cy Young-level starter this season. The 28-year-old entered Friday with a 2.07 ERA/2.51 FIP across 65 1/3 innings.

While Lamet has been one of the Padres’ best pitchers, Myers has emerged as one of their top hitters. After three straight disappointing seasons, Myers has rebounded in a big way with a .285/.352/.591 slash and 14 home runs in 213 plate appearances this year. He, like Lamet, is among the reasons the Padres broke a 13-year playoff drought this season. But now it seems the Padres are in danger of entering the postseason without Lamet, Myers and Clevinger, so they won’t be at full strength when the playoffs commence.

Williams: Reds “Will Do Everything We Can To” Re-Sign Trevor Bauer

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The Reds are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2013, thanks in large part to an excellent season from staff ace Trevor Bauer.  Naturally, the team is hopeful of retaining the star right-hander when he hits free agency this winter, though president of baseball Dick Williams said the Reds’ braintrust (which includes owner/CEO Bob Castellini and GM Nick Krall) were still what they hope is a long October run away from discussing offseason plans.

“Well, you know, Bob and I and Nick and the group will do everything we can to make that happen,” Williams told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and other reporters.  “I’d love to say yes that there are scenarios where it could happen. It’s honestly not something we’re working on today, right now, we’re really focused on the postseason, but I’d love to think that Trevor would come back.”

The Reds aren’t strangers to big contracts, as evidenced by Joey Votto’s team-record extension from the 2012 season and most recent deals like Eugenio Suarez’s extension or last offseason’s free agent deals with Nick Castellanos and Mike Moustakas.  This winter’s spending market will undeniably be different in the wake of the shortened 2020 season and the league-wide revenue losses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but in terms of pure track record, it isn’t out of the question that the Reds could lure Bauer back to the fold.

In a pure bidding war for a top free agent, the Reds would be underdogs.  But given Bauer’s rather unique stance towards free agency, Cincinnati might have a better chance than expected.  “I don’t think any team is out of the running to sign me,” Bauer told Sheldon and other media members, and the righty added that he has enjoyed his time with the team — particularly now that the playoffs are a reality.

“I don’t see this team as a losing team.  We lost some games early that we probably shouldn’t have lost, but we’re in a position now to go to the postseason, and it takes a lot of energy to change a culture and to get over the hump initially,” Bauer said.  “Once you do, you set yourself up for a window of success.  Looking out into the future, if you’re talking about the I-want-to-win qualification, I feel like this is a team that I can win with, for sure.”

As evidenced by the last two weeks, the Reds are a formidable team when everything is running on all cylinders.  Cincinnati is 10-3 over its last 13 games, a well-timed hot streak that booked the Reds a spot in the NL playoff bracket.  Led by Bauer, the club’s pitching has been among the league’s best over that 13-game stretch, and the offense that struggled for much of the season finally began to perk up (a 102 wRC+ since September 13, the tenth-best such mark of any team in baseball).

It remains to be seen whether or not the Reds can make some noise this particular October, and going forward, the pieces are seemingly in place to make the team a consistent winner.  Moustakas and (if he doesn’t opt out) Castellanos are signed through at least the 2023 season, Suarez through 2024, Sonny Gray through 2022, and younger building blocks like Luis Castillo, Jesse Winker, and Tyler Mahle only become arbitration-eligible this coming winter.

That being said, Cincinnati definitely placed a win-now focus on 2020 while Bauer was still in the fold.  A little less than $13MM will be freed up when free agents Freddy Galvis, Anthony DeSclafani, and Nate Jones come off the books, though that money may be fully absorbed by the team’s many forthcoming arbitration raises.  It doesn’t leave much room for Bauer to get a big bump up from his $17.5MM salary for 2020, and Bauer’s stated willingness to consider shorter-term deals (on a bigger average annual value) helps the Reds in the longer run but still puts them well beyond their usual financial comfort zone for 2021 or 2022 unless Castellini okays such a splurge.

If Bauer did leave, the Reds would at least get some return in the form of a draft pick.  The club will surely issue Bauer a qualifying offer that will be rejected, thus putting the Reds in line to receive a compensatory draft pick if Bauer signs elsewhere.

Tigers Place Willi Castro On Injured List

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9:52AM: Castro has been officially placed on the IL, the Tigers announced, and infielder Sergio Alcantara has been added to the active roster.

8:26AM: Tigers shortstop Willi Castro left Saturday’s game in the second inning due to right shoulder soreness, and manager Lloyd McClendon told The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen and other reporters that Castro will be placed on the 10-day injured list.  The placement will allow the Tigers to add a healthy player to the roster for today’s final game of the regular season schedule (barring more potential action on Monday, depending on what happens with the Cardinals’ playoff situation).

Castro seemed to tweak his shoulder during a swing, though he finished his plate appearance and even delivered an RBI single for what ended up being the winning run in a 4-3 Tigers victory over the Royals.  Castro was replaced by a pinch-runner after his hit, bringing a premature end to an outstanding rookie season.  After posting only a .624 OPS over 110 PA in 2019, Castro exploded to hit .349/.381/.550 with six homers over 140 plate appearances this season.

A .448 BABIP is undoubtedly a big contributor to Castro’s production, and his Statcast numbers reveal some mediocre hard-hit ball and exit velocity totals.  That said, Castro’s 9.6% barrel rate is above-average (64th percentile) and his .365 xwOBA is respectably close to his .387 wOBA.  There’s plenty here for the Tigers to like about the 23-year-old, who came to the Motor City in the trade deadline swap with the Indians in 2018 that saw Leonys Martin head to Cleveland.

Castro seems to have earned himself a place in Detroit’s infield mix going forward, though it remains to be seen if he’ll stick at shortstop given a lackluster (-3.3 UZR/150, -7 Defensive Runs Saved) defensive showing over 212 1/3 innings at the position this season.  Niko Goodrum delivered much better glovework when playing shortstop, so the Tigers could opt to try Castro out at second or third base in 2021.  Conversely, Castro could get a longer look at shortstop to see if his defense can improve with more seasoning, and the Tigers could move Goodrum back into his old superutility role.

Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall On Payroll, Future Plans, 2020 Disappointment

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On the strength of three consecutive winning seasons and an aggressive offseason, the Diamondbacks were a trendy playoff pick and even a dark-horse NL pennant contender last spring, but things didn’t at all go to plan.  The D’Backs have a 24-35 record, and tonight’s loss to the Rockies ensured that Arizona will finish last in the NL West for the first time since 2014.

It was “a disappointing season, obviously, for everybody” in the organization, team president and CEO Derrick Hall told The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan and other reporters.  How the D’Backs will regroup for 2021 is still up in the air, and it is quite possible “the uncertainty of this upcoming season” means that the club might just decide to run things back as best as possible next year.

“I would never say never, but I have had no indication that anyone wants to make changes as a result of this year,” Hall said.  “I also think it’s so difficult to judge the performance of either leadership or the majority of the players in such a short and strange season.  It may not have worked out well for us, and I think there’s obviously nearly half the teams that could say the same thing and be disappointed, but it’s too short a season in a strange season to make those judgment calls.  I’m excited to turn the page, start over and see how we do with guys that we have a lot of confidence in down there.”

However, some changes will be afoot for the D’Backs, as Hall called it “far-fetched” that the club will have the same payroll it was prepared to spend coming into a normal season.  The Diamondbacks were projected to have roughly a $124MM payroll going into Opening Day back in March, and they already have over $51MM committed to next year’s payroll.  Yasmany Tomas’ salary will finally come off the books, though those savings will mostly be eaten up by the second-year raise built into Madison Bumgarner’s contract.

The Diamondbacks have never had more than a $132MM payroll since Ken Kendrick’s ownership group bought the team in 2004, and though the team has spent up to and close to that amount over the last three seasons, Hall said the loss of revenues from this season and the unanswered questions about next year’s revenues will limit spending to some extent.  This doesn’t necessarily auger a drastic payroll cut or even anything beyond a minor cut, and Hall said Kendrick and company could potentially sign off on more player spending if fans are allowed at Chase Field.

“It’s hard to pinpoint where our payroll will be at this point just because it’s going to be fluid….Not just us, but every other team as well,  we’re having to plan for different scenarios of revenue, different scenarios of attendance,” Hall said.  “Smaller minimal crowds, no crowds, no restrictions and what that looks like.  It’s going to take some time before we know exactly what that direction will be and what the payroll will look like.”

Hall also noted that GM Mike Hazen wasn’t under any mandate to cut payroll at the trade deadline.  The deals of Starling Marte, Robbie Ray, and Archie Bradley shaved some significant dollars off of Arizona’s books for both this season and (in the cases of Marte and Bradley) in 2021, and it’s probably safe to assume that Hazen was taking payroll into consideration just as a matter of standard operating procedure, even if he received no direct instruction from upper management.

In the broader financial picture, Hall said the team’s explorations into a potential new ballpark have been “completely put off to the side” in the wake of the pandemic, as “in this economy, it doesn’t make sense to even kick the tires or talk to anybody.”  The construction of the Diamondbacks’ new player academy in the Dominican Republic is also “on pause” for the time being.

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