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Blaine Hardy Elects Free Agency

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4:21PM: Hardy has indeed officially elected to become a free agent, as per a team announcement.

1:50PM: The Tigers have placed left-hander Blaine Hardy on outright waivers, as per MLB.com’s Jason Beck (Twitter link).  The move all but officially ends Hardy’s tenure in the Motor City, as he will become a free agent if he goes unclaimed on the waiver wire.  On his personal Twitter feed, Hardy bid his farewells to the Tigers organization, fans, and the city of Detroit after seven seasons in the fold.

Hardy posted a 4.47 ERA, 2.23 K/BB rate, 48.5% grounder rate and 5.9 K/9 over 44 1/3 relief innings in 2019, just about all the while battling left flexor tendinitis.  The elbow issues resulted in a two-week injured list stint early in the season, and then Hardy’s year came to a premature end after he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in mid-August.

The abbreviated campaign was expected to result in a non-tender for Hardy, who was projected to earn $1.8MM via the arbitration process this winter.  The early release will give the 32-year-old a bit of an early jump on the rest of the market as he looks for a new contract.  While Hardy’s tweet sounded like a pretty definitive end to his time in Detroit, a return (at a lower price) probably shouldn’t be entirely ruled out, given how the rebuilding Tigers will be looking for low-cost pitching answers in both the rotation and bullpen.

Hardy has a 3.73 ERA, 2.25 K/BB rate, and 7.1 K/9 over 289 2/3 career innings, all in a Tigers uniform.  He has worked as a reliever in all but 13 of his 233 career games, though all of those starts came in 2018, perhaps making him more attractive to a new team looking to add a swingman or a “featured pitcher” (behind an opener) to its 2020 pitching mix.

Astros Fire Assistant GM Brandon Taubman

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The Astros have fired assistant general manager Brandon Taubman, as per a statement released by the team.  The move comes three days after news broke of an incident following Houston’s ALCS win over the Yankees on Saturday, when Taubman repeatedly yelled “Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so f—— glad we got Osuna!” at a group of three female reporters, a reference to one reporter’s criticism of the Astros’ 2018 acquisition of Roberto Osuna while the closer was serving a 75-game suspension under the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse policy.

The team’s full statement:

During the past two days, the Astros pro-actively assisted Major League Baseball in interviewing Astros employees as part of MLB’s investigation of the events published in the recent Sports Illustrated article. Major League Baseball also separately interviewed members of the media over the past 24 hours.

Our initial investigation led us to believe that Brandon Taubman’s inappropriate comments were not directed toward any reporter. We were wrong. We sincerely apologize to Stephanie Apstein, Sports Illustrated and to all individuals who witnessed this incident or were offended by the inappropriate conduct. The Astros in no way intended to minimize the issues related to domestic violence.

Our initial belief was based on witness statements about the incident. Subsequent interviews have revealed that Taubman’s inappropriate comments were, in fact, directed toward one or more reporters. Accordingly we have terminated Brandon Taubman’s employment with the Houston Astros. His conduct does not reflect the values of our organization and we believe this is the most appropriate course of action.

We are thankful to Major League Baseball and to everyone that cooperated in the investigation. As previously stated, the Astros are very committed to using our voice to create awareness and support on the issue of domestic violence. We fully support MLB and baseball’s stance and values regarding domestic violence. We will continue to make this cause a priority for our organization.

Apstein was the journalist who reported Taubman’s outburst in a piece for Sports Illustrated, which led to a statement from the Astros on Monday describing her story as “misleading and completely irresponsible,” and an “attempt to fabricate a story where one does not exist.”  After multiple other reporters confirmed Apstein’s account of events, the Astros issued two new statements from Taubman and owner Jim Crane, neither of which corrected the organization’s initial claim that Apstein’s story was false.

The Astros organization has been roundly criticized for its response to the situation, and ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported earlier today that Taubman’s status with the team “has been under evaluation” in recent days.  Taubman was promoted to assistant GM before the 2019 season, following five and a half years with the team in various roles in the baseball operations department.

Cesar Puello Elects Free Agency

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3:15PM: Puello has elected free agency, the Marlins announced.

6:48AM: The Marlins outrighted well-traveled outfielder Cesar Puello to Triple-A New Orleans on Wednesday night, per the Pacific Coast League transactions page. As a player who has been outrighted previously, Puello will have a chance to elect free agency.

Puello, a 28-year-old Dominican, has worked in the Mets, Angels, Rangers, Rays, Diamondbacks, Giants, and Marlins organizations over the course of his twelve-year stateside playing career. Though he’s logged a respectable .290/.372/.431 batting line over the course of 3000-plus minor league at-bats, Puello did not debut in the bigs until 2017. This past season marked his longest exposure to major league pitching. His early-season appearances with the Angels saw him in hot form, with a .350/.500/.683 line in a twelve game sample, before a June trade sent him to the outfielder-needy Marlins. Puello never got it going in Miami, and he wrapped up 2019 with a cumulative .248/.356/.384 slash (104 wRC+) in 147 plate appearances.

Puello was one of thirteen players handed suspensions in 2013 due to their link to the Biogenesis scandal. Then a top-50 prospect with the Mets, Puello was forced to miss 50 games that year owing to his involvement with the Florida clinic accused of providing PEDs to ballplayers.

Phillies Hire Joe Girardi

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3:06PM: The Phillies made the news official, announcing in a press release that Girardi has been signed to a three-year contract with a club option for the 2023 season.

8:03AM: The Phillies are expected to hire former Yankees and Marlins manager Joe Girardi as their new skipper, according to a tweet from Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. The club had recently been rumored to have Girardi among their final three candidates for the job, but Zolecki indicates that the former Yankee manager’s hiring is expected to be announced today (link). Girardi was reported to have undergone a second interview with the division-rival Mets on Tuesday, after receiving consideration for the Cubs managerial job that ultimately went to David Ross.

Girardi’s hiring comes in the wake of the Oct 10 firing of Gabe Kapler from the club’s managerial seat, and his installment should provide a pretty fair litmus test as to the viability of Philadelphia’s roster. The novice manager Kapler pushed an expectation-laden Phillies club to just a 161-163 record since being installed as manager in 2018, despite numerous high profile additions made by club GM Matt Klentak and president Andy MacPhail. Since 2018, the club added Carlos Santana, Jake Arrieta, Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, and several not-inexpensive bullpen arms on free agent deals, as ownership edicts about “stupid money” forecasted a win-at-all-costs organizational philosophy.

About those edicts: Phillies owner John Middleton was said to have the determining vote in the club’s search for a new skipper after similarly holding the last word in Kapler’s firing. Veteran managers Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker were both said to be among that final mix of candidates, but it appears that Girardi’s World Series pedigree won over Middleton in the end.

After a fifteen-year playing career that saw him capture three World Series rings as a catcher for the Yankees, Girardi was named manager of the then-Florida Marlins in 2006.  Girardi incredibly won Manager of the Year and got fired in the same offseason after just one year in Florida, allowing the Yankees to install him as manager in 2008.

Over the next ten seasons in the Bronx, Girardi would win a World Series championship and log six playoff appearances before being relieved of duty at the conclusion of the 2017 season. Since then, Girardi has appeared frequently as a television analyst, in addition to performing as the manager of the USA national team. The 55-year-old, Illinois native will bring a 988-794 managerial record to Philadelphia, leaving little doubt as to whether he has enough experience to guide the club’s assembly of high-profile players.

Astros AGM Brandon Taubman Reportedly Shouted “Thank God We Got Osuna” At Female Reporters

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TODAY: Taubman’s job status “has been under evaluation in recent days” by the Astros, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports.

TUESDAY, 7:00pm: Taubman’s outburst was targeted at one particular reporter, per NPR’s David Folkenflik (all Twitter links). Folkenflik spoke to seven people regarding the incident and reports that Taubman had previously complained internally about this reporter’s persistent tweets offering contact information for domestic abuse hotlines following Houston’s acquisition of Osuna. Chandler Rome and David Barron of the Houston Chronicle report a similar tale, citing two sources close to the situation. Both Taubman and Crane declined further comments on the matter when asked by The Chronicle.

2:10pm: The Astros organization has changed course, no longer labeling the story as “misleading,” “irresponsible” or “fabricated” and instead issuing statements from Taubman and owner Jim Crane. Said Taubman:

This past Saturday, during our clubhouse celebration, I used inappropriate language for which I am deeply sorry and embarrassed. In retrospect, I realize that my comments were unprofessional and inappropriate. My overexuberance in support of a player has been misinterpreted as a demonstration of a regressive attitude about an important social issue. Those that know me know that I am a progressive and charitable member of the community, and a loving and committed husband and father. I hope that those who do not know me understand that the Sports Illustrated article does not reflect who I am or my values. I am sorry if anyone was offended by my actions.

Crane added that the Astros “continue to be committed to using our voice to create awareness and support on the issue of domestic violence,” pointing to the teams charitable contributions in that regard. Neither party’s comment offered any sort of retraction of or apology for the prior statement which called into question the credibility of both Apstein and Sports Illustrated.

Major League Baseball plans to interview the involved parties before commenting further, according to a statement issued by the league this afternoon.

9:30am: While celebrating his organization’s ALCS victory on Saturday evening, Astros assistant GM Brandon Taubman repeatedly shouted at three female reporters who were standing together: “Thank God we got Osuna! I’m so f—— glad we got Osuna!” Stephanie Apstein of SI.com reported the outburst, which has since been confirmed by multiple other reporters — including Hannah Keyser of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link), and other sources that spoke with Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle and Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (subscription link).

That statement was made in apparent reference to the Astros’ controversial decision to acquire relief pitcher Roberto Osuna from the Blue Jays in July of 2018. Osuna was at the time serving a 75-game suspension under the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse policy for allegedly physically assaulting his girlfriend.

At the time that the Astros acquired Osuna, GM Jeff Luhnow stated that the organization “wanted to provide a second opportunity, a second chance” for Osuna. “It’s obviously created quite a bit of conversation in our community and across baseball and outside of baseball,” Luhnow observed. “Quite frankly, I think the conversation is healthy and I think that these topics are important and I’m glad we’re talking about it.” He also expressed hope that there would “be some positive that comes out of this situation down the road” while stating that “this topic is front and center for us as an organization.”

Taubman is reported to have been standing with a group of colleagues about eight feet away from the group of three reporters. He is said to have shouted the statements regarding Osuna about six times. An unnamed Astros employee thereafter issued some form of apology to the three women. Osuna had been questioned by reporters after giving up two runs during the contest, but was reportedly not in the vicinity when Taubman made his statements. Neither were any other players present. Luhnow was not in the clubhouse after the game, Rome tweets.

While the Astros declined to comment on the matter before SI’s reporting was released, the team did ultimately issue a statement last night. (Rome provided it on Twitter.) The Houston organization did not dispute what Taubman said, but labeled the story “misleading.” The Astros claimed, in conflict with the above-cited reports, that: “An Astros player was being asked questions about a difficult outing. Our executive was supporting the player during a difficult time. His comments had everything to do about the game situation that just occurred and nothing else — they were also not directed toward any specific reporters.”

This is not the first time this year that the Astros have come into conflict with media covering the organization. The club removed reporter Anthony Fenech from the clubhouse at the behest of star pitcher Justin Verlander. (Chris Thomas of the Detroit Free Press set forth the long and strange background of that matter from the paper’s side.) MLB issued a statement making clear that the team had acted improperly.

Tigers Designate Daniel Stumpf

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The Tigers have designated left-hander Daniel Stumpf for assignment, The Athletic’s Emily Waldon reports (Twitter link).  Stumpf has already cleared waivers, and MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports that Stumpf will opt for free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to the Tigers’ minor league system.

Originally a Rule 5 Draft pick in 2016, Stumpf posted a 4.37 ERA, 8.4 K/9, and 2.13 K/BB over 105 innings out of the Tigers’ bullpen over the last three seasons.  Stumpf’s 2019 performance (over 29 IP) came quite close to those numbers, putting him in line for a projected $800K salary for 2020 in his first trip through the arbitration process.

Despite that modest sum, the Tigers will still be moving on to create more room on their 40-man roster, Beck notes.  He also observes that the incoming three-batter minimum rule (that will be instituted for the 2020 season) is a notable factor in Stumpf’s future effectiveness, which could be a story we see repeated for a number of specialist pitchers over the course of the offseason.  While Stumpf hasn’t exactly been used solely as a lefty-only reliever over his career, he does have some wide career splits — left-handed batters have only a .687 OPS (in 229 PA) against Stumpf, while righty batters have crushed him to the tune of a .952 OPS (264 PA).

NL Notes: Castellanos, Giants, Mets, Arrieta

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MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand takes advantage of the break in World Series action to profile six upcoming free agents whose free agent values are “tough to define” heading into the 2019-2020 offseason. Cubs outfielder Nicholas Castellanos kicks off his list, with Feinsand noting that Castellanos’ defensive limitations may limit his market. On the more optimistic end, however, one unnamed NL executive is quoted as saying that “parallels” can be drawn to the profile of J.D. Martinez. As a formerly maligned outfield defender who showed pronounced growth at the plate after a few ho-hum early years in Detroit, Martinez netted a five-year, $110MM deal with the Red Sox back in 2018. Ironically, Castellanos and Martinez could be in direct competition on the open market this winter if Martinez opts out of his Red Sox contract and takes another spin through free agency.

More notes from around the senior circuit…

  • Astros bench coach Joe Espada is using his day off between World Series games to travel to San Francisco for a meeting with Giants brass, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (link). Espada has already conducted a phone interview with San Francisco reps, so his decision to sandwich an in-person interview between Fall Classic contests could be viewed as a sign that interest between both parties is fairly serious.
  • Tim Bogar’s previously reported second interview with Mets leadership is also expected to go down today, according to a tweet from Jon Heyman of MLB Network (link). Bogar, a coach with the Nationals, will also apparently be using his off day with an eye on securing one of MLB’s four remaining open managerial seats. As Heyman notes, Carlos Beltran, Eduardo Perez, Twins coach Derek Shelton, Mets coach Luis Rojas, and an “unknown bombshell candidate” are still in play for the New York position, with tongue presumably planted firmly in cheek on that last item.
  • Heyman also relays that Phillies starter Jake Arrieta will not opt out of the last year of his contract (link). This is largely expected after the starter turned in a mediocre season marred by an arm injury that ultimately required surgery. As part of the three-year, $75MM deal agreed to prior to the 2018 season, Arrieta could have re-entered the free agency portal this offseason were he willing to forego the final year and $20MM slated for Philadelphia’s 2020 payroll. Instead, the 33-year-old will look to regain his form under the watch of new manager Phillies Joe Girardi. Arrieta pitched to a 4.64 ERA (4.89 FIP) in 24 starts and 135.2 innings in 2019.

Reds Name Alan Zinter Hitting Coach

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It appears that major league front offices are taking Thursday as their opportunity to announce new coaching hires, as the Reds have announced the installment of Alan Zinter as the club’s new hitting coach and the promotion of Donnie Ecker to an assistant hitting coach and director of hitting role.

This announcement won’t carry the same impact of the managerial hires reported around the game today, but Zinter’s hire could still prove crucial for a club looking to get over the hump in 2020. A former hitting coach with the Padres, Zinter has been working in player development for the last two years in the Giants organization. Turner Ward, the club’s former hitting instructor, was relieved of duty earlier this month after one season in Cincy.

Zinter will inherit from Ward one of the game’s bottom-half offenses. The club’s 2019 cumulative 87 wRC+ figure–which accounts for park factors–placed Cincinnati 26th among major league teams last year. Though they did unlock a massive breakout from Eugenio Suarez and a nice half-season from Aristides Aquino, the Reds coaching staff received disappointing seasons from the since-departed Yasiel Puig and cornerstone Joey Votto. If hitting is the archetype of the inexact sciences, then Zinter and Ecker will be tasked with undertaking some bold experiments in 2020 to tap into the potential of a largely stagnant group of Reds hitters.

Aaron Hicks To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman provided injury updates on several key players today, according to a tweet from Marc Carig of The Athletic (link). Starter Masahiro Tanaka had a procedure to remove spurs from his right elbow, and slugger Luke Voit had a procedure done to address an injury in his core. However, the most notable revelation is that outfielder Aaron Hicks will ultimately opt for Tommy John surgery to address the flexor strain in his right arm. That surgery will likely place him on an eight-to-ten month recovery timeline.

Needless to say, the last eight months have been something of a worst-case scenario in regard to the seven-year, $70MM extension Hicks signed with the club back in February. Coming on the heels of three mostly excellent years to start Hicks’ Yankees career, the extension appeared to lock in a defensively capable center fielder and top prospect finally rounding into offensive form. With Hicks sidelined for the majority of the upcoming 2020 season, the pact is now likely to be placed under the microscope by New York-area observers.

It’s fair to wonder how Cashman might proceed in attending to Hicks’ absence. Does this increase the chances of Brett Gardner resigning in New York? Gardner filled in capably in center for much of the 2019 season, logging acceptable UZR (3.1) and DRS (-2) metrics at the position. Mike Tauchman also shouldered a portion of the load in covering for Hicks this past season, but it’s uncertain if he would be counted on as a full-time option there for 2020.

In an injury-limited season that did see him manage a return for the Yankees ALCS appearance, Hicks logged a .235/.325/.443 batting line (102 wRC+) in 255 plate appearances. The outfielder will account for a base salary of $10.5MM in 2020.

Cubs Hire David Ross As Manager

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The Cubs have announced the signing of David Ross to a three-year managerial contract running through the 2022 season with a club option for 2023. Ross, a former hero of the club’s 2016 title run, will be formally introduced at a press conference on Monday afternoon.

The Cubs had previously been said to be in serious consideration of Astros coach Joe Espada for the opening, but it appears that they will turn instead to an in-house option in replacing the departed Joe Maddon. Ross has spent three seasons in the Cubs front office as a special assistant to baseball operations following a fifteen-year year playing career that saw him win World Series titles in both Boston and Chicago.

Though he does not have direct managerial experience to his name, Ross is a well-respected former catcher who has shared dugouts with some of the most revered names in the occupation’s history. As a player, Ross suited up for championship winners Maddon, Bobby Cox, Bruce Bochy, John Farrell, and Terry Francona.

At 42 years of age, Ross becomes the youngest Cubs manager since Jim Riggleman was hired to the post in 1995, and his hiring is in keeping with the wider trend of youthful managers being installed around the game (Ross will not even be the youngest manager hired this afternoon, as reports indicate the Padres have hired 38-year-old Jayce Tingler as their own newly minted skipper).

Following an 84-78 season that saw their postseason hopes crumble down the stretch, the Cubs and manager Joe Maddon parted ways at the conclusion of the 2019 season. Maddon, who helped the club break a 108-year World Series drought with their championship in ’16, has since found employment with the Angels.

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