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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.

Latest On David Ross

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Oct 24: The Cubs have officially announced Ross’ signing as the club’s new manager. The Chicago hero will receive a three-year contract through the 2022 season with a club option for 2023 (link).

Oct 23: Chicago settled on Ross yesterday afternoon, Kaplan adds (Twitter link). All other candidates have been informed of the decision, he adds, so it seems an announcement is just a formality at this point.

8:41 am: Ross is indeed likely to be hired as the Cubs’ manager this week, reports David Kaplan of NBC Sports (via Twitter). Kaplan adds that Ross’ agent has been negotiating a deal that is “almost done” with President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein.

12:21 am: Joe Espada and David Ross are reportedly the favorites in the Cubs’ search for their next manager, though it appears the latter has pulled ahead in the race. Ross could be announced as the Cubs’ new skipper as early as Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com suggested to “Waddle and Silvy” (Twitter link via Adam Abdalla of ESPN Chicago).

Ross is a revered figure for the Cubs, with whom the former major league catcher played the final two seasons of his career from 2015-16. In the last of those years, Ross helped the Cubs to their first World Series title since 1908 with a strong regular-season performance and a postseason effort highlighted by a home run against the Indians in Game 7 of the World Series.

Ross has served as a special assistant to baseball operations for the Cubs and an ESPN analyst since his playing days wrapped up, but he comes with no coaching experience. He’s something of a polar opposite in that regard to previous Cubs skipper Joe Maddon, a longtime coach whom the club hired after a long run as the Rays’ manager. Despite his lack of seasoning as a coach, though, Ross told Rob Bradford of WEEI that he believes he’s capable of melding the best qualities of the top managers he encountered during his career. Ross played under World Series-winning managers in Maddon, Terry Francona, John Farrell and Bobby Cox.

Maddon’s “old school to the core; he just uses the analytics in his favor for certain wacky situations where he may take the pitcher and put him in left field,” according to Ross. While Ross noted that Maddon’s methods with the Cubs came off as unconventional, “90 percent of the time, it worked out.”

Ross, if he becomes a manager, will attempt to mix the methods of Maddon and Cox – specifically the “freedom” they’ve given players – with Francona’s communication skills and Farrell’s ability to delegate. And as someone who played in the majors for a decade and a half, Ross thinks he learned what not to do from less successful managers. In his discussion with Bradford, Ross opined he’s well aware “what a bad manager looks like.”

Maddon was anything but “bad” during his time with the Cubs, of course, but the club nonetheless moved on after a disappointing 2019 season. It now appears they’ll hand the reins to the popular Ross in an effort to return to prominence next year.

Quick Hits: Mets, Tigers, Kieboom, Bettis

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Yesterday, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo warned that the Mets were “not particularly close” to naming their next manager. The scribe noted that the club is still performing callback interviews in a hiring process that could stretch “well beyond this week” (link). That’s not an encouraging status report for a fanbase eager to see the club narrow a search field that at this point still includes six names in Joe Girardi, Eduardo Perez, Carlos Beltran, Mets quality control coach Luis Rojas, Nationals first base coach Tim Bogar and Twins bench coach Derek Shelton.

Though DiComo doesn’t have a dog in the fight, per se, Tuesday’s piece for MLB.com does give some support to the notion of Beltran getting behind the reins of a big league team (link). DiComo spoke with Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, who opined that Beltran will make an “amazing” manager after having the chance to work with Beltran when the latter was a player on Houston’s 2017 World Series team. “He’s going to help [a] club so much like he helped here in this clubhouse,” Correa told Beltran. “The atmosphere that he built and the chemistry in the clubhouse still lives on.”

  • Four players in the Tigers org were outrighted to the roster of the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, according to the International League transactions page. The new Hens, lefty Nick Ramirez, righty Eduardo Jimenez, righty Zac Reininger, and outfielder Dustin Peterson, are not exactly household names, but Ramirez did make 46 largely serviceable long-relief appearances (4.08 ERA in 79.2 innings) for Detroit in 2019, and Peterson was a top-30 prospect with the Braves as recently as 2018. Reininger, meanwhile, has struggled in parts of three Detroit seasons (8.08 ERA/7.44 FIP in 59 career MLB innings), while Jimenez was only slightly better for the Tigers in his 2019 rookie debut (5.91 ERA/4.34 FIP in 10.2 innings).
  • Agent Trevor Kieboom has joined the ACES agency, according to a tweet from MLB journalist Robert Murray (link). Kieboom, a former player with Georgia’s collegiate team, will bring with him his clients/brothers Spencer and Carter, both of the Nationals, as well as Rangers minor league hurler Alex Speas, Royals lefty Richard Lovelady, Mets minor league pitcher Kevin Smith, and Reds rookie ball infielder Ivan Johnson. In a separate tweet, Murray also shares that Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis, formerly represented by Sosnick, Cobbe, and Karon, is now under the representation of CAA baseball (link).

Spencer Kieboom Elects Free Agency

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OCT. 24: Kieboom has elected free agency, according to the PCL transactions page.

OCT. 22: The Nationals are preparing for Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday, but that’s not stopping their front office from handling other business. The club outrighted catcher Spencer Kieboom to Triple-A Fresno on Monday, per the Pacific Coast League transactions page. As someone who has been outrighted previously, Kieboom will have a chance to elect free agency.

Kieboom, the brother of standout Nationals shortstop prospect Carter Kieboom, has been a member of the organization since going in Round 5 of the 2012 draft. Spencer Kieboom was a decently regarded prospect in his own right a few years back, though he hasn’t been able to carve out a consistent big league role thus far.

Kieboom got his only real taste of the majors in 2018, when a patient, low-strikeout approach helped him post a playable on-base percentage. However, a lack of power limited Kieboom to a .232/.322/.320 line over his 143 plate appearances. The 28-year-old didn’t make it back to Washington or even play with Fresno this season, instead spending all of it with Double-A Harrisburg. Kieboom batted just .196/.271/.256 in 188 PA before an elbow injury cut his season short.

C.J. Cron Undergoes Thumb Surgery

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Twins first baseman C.J. Cron underwent a successful procedure on his right thumb on Oct 16, according to MLB.com’s D0-Hyoung Park (link). The “surgical debridement” Cron underwent generally requires a six-to-eight week recovery period.

Cron, 29, just wrapped up a fairly pedestrian 2019 campaign that saw him hit .253/.311/.469 (101 wRC+) with 25 home runs across 499 plate appearances for Minnesota. As Park notes, Cron’s right thumb issues likely played some role in suppressing those numbers. Cron was placed on the injured list on Jul 6 due to issues with the digit, and a quick return preceded a second injured list placement on Jul 22. Following that initial placement, Cron managed just a .220/.280/.420 batting line, with just seven starts logged for the Twins after Sept 8.

The 2019-2020 offseason will mark Cron’s third pass through arbitration. Cron earned $4.8MM with Minny last season, after being acquired off waivers from the cost-conscious Rays in November. Our recent arbitration projections tag Cron with an expected salary award of $7.7MM for 2020, leaving Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine with a tough offseason decision regarding Cron’s future with the club. While Cron will presumably be ready for Spring Training, any amount of injury uncertainty is unwelcome for a player who stands the risk of being non-tendered thanks to a pedestrian season and a fairly notable salary.

Latest On Padres’ Manager Search

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18:45 pm: San Diego Union-Tribune scribe Kevin Acee cautions that Loretta’s late entry into the interview pool was mostly the result of previous scheduling issues, and the club’s sit-down with the former second baseman is not expected to lead to his hiring (link). Although the club met with Loretta on Saturday, GM AJ Preller traveled to the Dominican Republic on Monday and met with Jayce Tingler, whom Acee still characterizes as the favorite for the job. According to Acee, Preller has been described as consistently “pushing” Tingler, a position somewhat at odds with San Diego players and ownership figures who would prefer a more experienced candidate.

10:16 am: In a bit of a surprise, the Padres “very recently” interviewed Cubs bench coach Mark Loretta for their managerial vacancy, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). The Friars were believed to be down to Braves third base coach Ron Washington and Rangers Field Coordinator Jayce Tingler, but Loretta could perhaps have cracked the door open for a change in direction.

Washington and Tingler remain the favorites, Heyman notes, so perhaps this is simple due diligence on San Diego’s part. That said, Loretta worked in San Diego’s front office for almost a decade before taking over as Chicago’s bench coach this season, so he no doubt has strong ties to many people who will ultimately make the final decision.

Loretta is more well-known for his 15-year MLB playing career. He logged over 1,000 innings at each infield position in a career that took him to five different organizations, including a three-year run in San Diego, where he was most productive. Loretta has no managerial experience and is relatively new to the coaching ranks, but his combination of playing and front office experience makes him a natural candidate for interviews. Loretta was previously in the running for the Cubs’ managerial job, which went to his former teammate David Ross.

You can keep tabs on all the managerial rumors around the league here.

Latest On Yankees’ Plans Regarding Free Agent Pitcher Gerrit Cole

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After a 2018 offseason that saw them largely sit out the open market auctions for Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, it appears as if the Yankees will take a more active role in pursuing a top free agent in the 2019 offseason. According to Andy Martino of SNY.tv, the “early feel” from conversations with sources is that the New York organization will at least “engage” with Astros ace Gerrit Cole this winter. At the same time, Martino downplays the likelihood of a successful pursuit.

The Yankees-Cole connection is a longstanding one, so it’s no surprise to see it continue now that Cole is nearing the open market. It was Yankees GM Brian Cashman, after all, that almost landed Cole from the Pirates in 2017–although Pittsburgh ultimately passed on a trade package that was said to center around outfielder Clint Frazier. The Yankees also pursued Cole, a lifelong Yankee fan, back in 2008 when it made him the 28th overall pick in the Rule IV draft (Cole ultimately opted to attend UCLA). After two near-misses, the 2019 offseason should offer Cashman his clearest shot yet at bagging the now-29-year-old Cole.

It’s obvious there’s some level of interest. But it’s equally clear there are significant barriers to Cole donning pinstripes. The New York org could find itself bidding against numerous other teams for Cole’s services, many of which play in or near his native Southern California. And luxury tax implications could prove fateful here. While the Yankees could clear roughly $30MM off 2019’s salary outlay merely by letting CC Sabathia, Dellin Betances, Brett Gardner, and Didi Gregorius head for other pastures, the club would still have some bending to do if it wanted to both sign Cole and avoid a second consecutive year paying CBT overages.

The Yankees already have over $130MM in salary commitments on the books for 2019 before accounting for forthcoming arb raises (including those for Aaron Judge and James Paxton). Since they exceeded the luxury tax line by more than $20MM and paid a 20% overage with a 12% surcharge in 2018, they would incur a 30% tax on every dollar spent over the CBT threshold in 2020 if they again exceed the line, per terms agreed to as part of the 2016 CBA. Still, it’s worth noting that these considerations apparently won’t count the New York powerhouse out of the Cole sweepstakes unequivocally–even if Cashman will have to pull on his creative reserves to make such an acquisition feasible.

AL Notes: Lindor, Oakland Stadium, Cash, Boone

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In a lengthy piece for The Athletic, Zack Meisel charts the different courses the Indians could take with regard to the contract status of star shortstop Francisco Lindor (link). As Meisel takes pains to point out, Lindor has taken a chilly posture to the idea that he would offer his club a discount in potential extension talks. Besides speaking vocally in support of 2018 free agents Manny Machado and Bryce Harper securing “every single penny that they can get“, Lindor was blunt in stating during the 2019 preseason that Cleveland would need to pay him full value if the club is interested in preventing him from reaching free agency after the 2021 season. “Who knows?” Lindor replied to a gathering of reporters during Spring Training when asked if a longterm extension would interest him. “Can you afford to pay me? If you pay me, I’ll stay.” Noting that the Indians have never signed a contract north of $60MM (Edwin Encarnacion in 2016), Meisel wonders if the time may be ripe for the club to consider trade options involving the 25-year-old shortstop.

While the writer ultimately seems to lean toward the idea of keeping Lindor, allowing him to play out his last two arb years, and then living with the possibility that he leaves in 2022, it is tantalizing to imagine the interest Lindor’s name could stir up on the trade market. As a mid-20s, up-the-middle player with five consecutive seasons of four-plus fWAR valuations, Lindor remains one of the game’s steadiest producers and most marketable stars.

More notes from around the American League in advance of Game 2 of the World Series…

  • In an attempt to rid themselves of the current legal quagmire surrounding their new ballpark project, the Athletics have offered to either buy out the city of Oakland’s half share in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum site for $85 million or enter into a long-term lease, per Phil Matier of The San Francisco Chronicle (link). The team has offered a “community benefits package” to the city that includes affordable housing provisions and apprenticeship programs, with the expectation that the city drops its lawsuit against Alameda County in return. Alameda County, which holds the other half share of the Oakland Coliseum site, recently offered to sell its own half share to the A’s, but a city-initiated lawsuit has stalled that potential agreement. Work on the new Oakland Ballpark is expected to begin in the city’s Jack London Square area in 2021.
  • Rays manager Kevin Cash was honored as one of Sporting News’ several award recipients today, with the outlet naming Cash as American League Manager of the Year (link). Cash was tasked in 2019 with a roster chock-full of trade acquisitions and overlooked players, ultimately leading Tampa to a 96-win season and an ALDS berth. Cash also deserves credit for getting his guys to surmount injury trouble–just two Rays players appeared in over 140 games–although there was another manager in his division who was tasked with some truly Herculean challenges with regard to roster management in 2019. Yankees manager Aaron Boone could be seen as something of a snub for this honor (which is not to be confused with the BBWAA awards that receive far more coverage and recognition) after his Bombers sent an MLB-record 30 players to the injured list en route to an AL East title in 2019.

Red Sox Sign Taiwanese Prospect Chih-Jung Liu

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The Red Sox have agreed to terms with 20-year-old Taiwanese righthander Chih-Jung Liu for $750K, reports Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe (link).

Liu is a former two-way player with a fastball clocked as high as 98 mph in recent months. Abraham notes that a large high school workload forced Liu to abandon pitching in his first collegiate year with Taipei City’s Culture University, but a 2019 return to the bump yielded newfound velocity. Liu teamed with Red Sox infield prospect Tzu-Wei Lin on Taiwan’s national squad in this month’s Asian Baseball Championship series, taking home tournament MVP honors en route to his country’s first ABC gold medal. Liu is set to play for Taiwan in the upcoming Premier12 tournament, an Olympic qualifier trial.

Following the firing of former Team President Dave Dombrowski, it’s fair to say that the Red Sox farm has seen better days. MLB.com’s midseason ranking identified just one “Top 100” prospect within their system (infielder Triston Casas placed 85th), and other organizational rankings generally placed Boston’s young ranks as among the game’s bottom-third. Under the temporary leadership quartet of Eddie Romero, Zack Scott, Brian O’Halloran, and Raquel Ferreira, it appears that Boston’s operations staff is searching far and wide in their search for farm reinforcement.

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