Latest On Phillies GM Search
The Yankees have a couple of “assistant GM-types” that the Phillies might look into if they decide not to stick with interim GM Ned Rice for the 2021 season, Jon Heyman posits on his new podcast with Tony Gwynn Jr. There still remains a decent chance that the Phillies give Rice the year in the GM seat, however.
If they do decide to look outside the organization, Heyman submits someone like Jim Hendry – not an AGM, but a special assistant to GM Brian Cashman – to receive consideration from the Phillies to fill their GM vacancy. It’s been a bit since Hendry’s name surfaced for a GM opening, but the former Cubs’ executive does have ties to Team President Andy MacPhail, as well as manager Joe Girardi. MacPhail promoted Hendry to the GM role in Chicago way back in 2002. He served as the Cubs’ GM until after the 2011 season. He was hired on as a special assistant to Brian Cashman in 2012.
Hendry’s relationship with Girardi could prove an important element, and that holds for any new candidate coming into Philadelphia. Girardi is respected in the organization and heading into just the second year of his deal. For the Phillies to hit the ground running with a new lead man in the baseball ops department, they would prefer to do so without having to reset in the dugout yet again.
Yankees Vice President of Baseball Operations Tim Naehring and Vice President of Domestic Amateur Scouting Damon Oppenheimer are two other names that Heyman suggests the Phillies might take a look at from the Yankees front office.
Reds President Of Baseball Operations Dick Williams Resigns
The Reds announced this morning that president of baseball operations Dick Williams has resigned from his post in order to “pursue personal interests outside baseball.” He’ll take on a role in his family’s company, North American Properties, per the team’s press release. Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Williams met with owner Bob Castellini in August and informed him that he planned to step away after the 2020 season. General manager Nick Krall will continue to serve in his current role.
The Williams family has been ingrained with the Reds franchise for decades. Williams’ father and uncle are currently minority shareholders with the club, and his grandfather was at one point a partial owner of the franchise as well. Williams joined the team as director of baseball operations back in 2006, when Castellini purchased a majority stake in the team, and he’s steadily climbed the ranks to his current post. Krall, previously an assistant GM, was elevated to GM status in May 2018. He’ll presumably now shift to head up the entire baseball operations department.
“Dick has been an integral part of the Reds’ success from our first days of ownership in 2006 through our Postseason appearance in 2020,” Castellini said in today’s release. “He took the lead on modernizing every aspect of our baseball operations. Dick was the mastermind behind our incredible facility in Goodyear, drove advances in our scouting and player development systems, expanded capacity for analytics and established our sports science departments, just to name a few. … Dick has an incredible baseball IQ, and his gift for innovation came at the right time in history. We are enormously proud of the contributions he has made to this franchise.”
Much of Williams’ tenure as team president was spent in a rebuilding process that was embarked upon as former GM Walt Jocketty transitioned to an advisory role with the team. The Reds’ path to this year’s postseason berth wasn’t exactly straightforward, and it’s fair to point out that some of the biggest trades made during the Williams-led rebuild didn’t bear much in the way of fruit. The Reds were left with little to nothing to show for their trades of Aroldis Chapman, Todd Frazier and Johnny Cueto, for instance, as none of the younger talent acquired in those swaps contributed to this year’s winning club.
At the same time, Williams struck gold in the trade that sent right-hander Dan Straily to Miami and netted the Reds Luis Castillo. Both his decision to buy low on Sonny Gray and the corresponding contract extension look nothing less than brilliant at this point. Despite likely being out of contention in July 2019, the Reds under Williams took a big swing with an eye on 2020 and acquired NL Cy Young candidate Trevor Bauer in a three-team trade with the Reds and Padres. He was also in charge of baseball operations over the winter when the Reds hired president of Driveline Baseball Kyle Boddy to further a strong push into data-driven innovations in the organization’s pitching program.
Recent success notwithstanding, Williams spoke in today’s press release about a desire to spend more time with a young family that he does not see nearly as often as he would like.
“In order todo this job right, you are at a ballpark, either in the major or minor leagues, every single day, night and weekend from mid-February until deep into the fall,” Williams said. “That was a lot to ask of my young family, and they supported m every step of the way. It is time to pour some of that energy back into them.”
Quick Hits: Padres, Weathers, Cardinals, Blue Jays
Left-hander Ryan Weathers was something of a surprise inclusion on the Padres’ NLDS roster, as the 20-year-old had yet to pitch in even a Double-A game, let alone a Major League contest. Still, Weather made his MLB debut in tonight’s Game 1 and impressed, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings and allowing two walks but no hits.
Earlier today, general manager A.J. Preller told MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell and other reporters that Weathers has “always been a strike thrower, and he’s continued to get better over the last few months….Honestly, it’s just giving another quality arm to [manager Jayce Tingler] and see how he wants to use him.” The seventh overall pick in the 2018 draft, Weathers has a 3.78 ERA, 4.91 K/BB rate, and 8.5 K/9 over his 114 1/3 pro innings. Working out at the Padres’ alternate training site, Weathers has seen his fastball velocity jump from 91mph last season to the 96-97mph range this year. He topped out at 96.4mph tonight, working a steady array of fastballs, sliders, and sinkers to six members of the fearsome Dodgers lineup.
More from around the majors…
- The Cardinals rank 23rd of 30 teams in home runs since the start of the 2017 season, and their 51 homers in 2020 was a league low. There’s no easy way to correct this power shortage, leaving The Athletic’s Mark Saxon to speculate that St. Louis might need to make some tough choices to get some more pop into the lineup without drastically (or at all) increasing payroll. For instance, could the Cards again trade from their depth of pitching prospects for a bat, even while their need for additional arms might be greater in 2021? Or, a more drastic option could be to decline Kolten Wong‘s $12.5MM option for 2021 and install Tommy Edman at second base, freeing up some money to land a slugger.
- The Blue Jays face a lot of possibilities as they look to upgrade their roster this offseason, and the Toronto Star’s Gregor Chisholm explores several of those options as part of a reader mailbag piece. In Chisholm’s opinion, the Jays should consider trying to move Randal Grichuk in order to improve the outfield defense and to get some of Grichuk’s contract off the books — Grichuk is owed $29MM through the 2023 season. Grichuk is an imperfect fit as a center fielder but he did rebound from a tough 2019 to hit .273/.312/.481 with 12 homers (112 wRC+, 114 OPS+) over 231 PA this season, so that offensive production could attract some trade suitors.
Mike Clevinger Leaves Game 1 In Second Inning
Padres right-hander Mike Clevinger was removed from tonight’s game after throwing two pitches in the bottom of the second inning. After tossing 22 pitches in a scoreless first inning that included two walks and a wild pitch, Clevinger threw two balls to Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger before departing after a mound visit from manager Jayce Tingler and a team trainer.
It wasn’t clear until today whether San Diego would even include Clevinger on the NLDS roster, yet Clevinger was indeed on the hill to start Game 1. The righty hadn’t pitched since September 23 due to an elbow strain that forced him to sit out the Padres’ wild card series victory over the Cardinals.
There hasn’t been any word on Clevinger’s status, though Tingler speculated during an in-game interview (hat tip to MLB.com’s Adam Berry) that “I think what happened was that long half-inning there and it tightened up and never warmed back up on him.” The Padres sent six batters to the plate in the top of the second and forced Dodgers starter Walker Buehler to throw 33 pitches, which led to a lengthy wait for Clevinger.
While San Diego likely didn’t expect too long an outing for Clevinger given his return from injury, the Friars have now been forced into a makeshift bullpen game to begin their series with Los Angeles. It will test the depth of a Padres team that is already missing a key arm in Dinelson Lamet and now faces the possibility that Clevinger could be done for at least the rest of this series. As Berry noted, the Padres can make an injury replacement for Clevinger on the NLDS roster, but that would mean Clevinger is also not allowed to pitch should the Padres reach the NL Championship Series.
Hanwha Eagles Release Chad Bell
The KBO League’s Hanwha Eagles have placed left-hander Chad Bell on release waivers, according to Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency. Bell has spent the last two seasons pitching in South Korea, re-signing with the Eagles last November for a one-year, $900K contract.
Bell earned that new deal after a strong 2019 season that saw him post a 3.50 ERA, 2.13 K/BB rate, and 6.8 K/9 over 177 1/3 innings (29 starts). Bell had never pitched more than 142 1/3 innings in any of his previous nine pro seasons, and it’s possible that the additional workload last year could have led to his injury-plagued 2020 campaign. Forearm, shoulder, and elbow problems limited Bell’s effectiveness and eventually brought a premature end to his season after 77 innings and a 5.96 ERA.
Originally a 14th-round pick for the Rangers back in the 2009 draft, Bell spent eight seasons in the Texas, Atlanta, and Detroit farm systems before heading for the KBO following the 2018 season. The southpaw’s Major League resume consists of 69 2/3 innings with the Tigers in 2017-18, with Bell posting a 7.11 ERA, 1.94 K/BB, and 8.3 K/9.
Antonetti, Chernoff Discuss Indians’ Payroll, Francona, Lindor
Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff held their season-ending media event this afternoon, discussing numerous topics with The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes, MLB.com’s Mandy Bell, The Athletic’s Zack Meisel, and other reporters.
As has become a trend during these wrap-up events in 2020, there was much discussion about how the economic uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic will impact the Tribe’s payroll going forward. While Antonetti said “we don’t have a specific number for a payroll at this point,” no implication was given that the Indians would increase spending in such a “daunting” financial environment.
“The reality of the finances in baseball in 2020 is that the industry lost billions of dollars and as a team we lost tens of millions of dollars. That puts us in a really difficult financial position that will take us years to recover from,” Antonetti said.
Pre-pandemic, the Indians had a projected payroll of just under $100MM for the 2020 season and that number could drop significantly given the amount of money coming off the books. Cesar Hernandez, Oliver Perez, and Sandy Leon are all free agents, and Cleveland holds club options on Carlos Santana and Brad Hand for 2021. If all five of those players departed, the Tribe would save approximately $39.5MM in salary, though obviously the team would be left needing to fill multiple roster holes.
Francisco Lindor represents Cleveland’s biggest obligation, as the shortstop is arbitration-eligible for the third and final time and will earn a raise on his $17.5MM salary for 2020. Given his rising price tag, Lindor’s name has swirled in trade rumors for months, and this offseason could represent the Tribe’s last chance to get a significant trade return on his services.
While Antonetti said “I don’t think I ever take that view” that Lindor is a surefire trade candidate, the executive did say that there hadn’t been any more extension talks with Lindor’s camp since negotiations broke off during Spring Training. “What has happened with the pandemic has added an entirely unexpected layer of complexity as to what the future may look like. So we haven’t even started to wrap our head around what that may look like,” Antonetti said.
Perhaps more tellingly, Antonetti also made multiple comments about the approach the smaller-payroll Indians have taken to put a consistent winning team on the field. “I think we’ve made consistent decisions over the course of the past few seasons to infuse young talent to position us to sustain that competitiveness….And had we not made some of those decisions, we’d be in a much worse position right now heading into 2021,” Antonetti said.
“I think we can afford any individual player. It’s less about that. It’s about how do we build a team that’s capable of contending? And how do we allocate resources in a way that gives us the best chance to win as many games as possible?”
While Lindor’s Cleveland status may be up in the air, one person who is expected to return next season is manager Terry Francona. Due to both gastrointestinal problems and surgery to correct a blood-clotting problem, Francona missed 46 games during the regular and both of the Tribe’s playoff contests, with first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. stepping in as interim manager. It isn’t yet known if bench coach Brad Mills or hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo will also be back in 2021 — both coaches opted out of the 2020 season.
In other notable news, Antonetti implied that Jose Ramirez would remain as a third baseman, which creates a few ripple effects for the Tribe. For one, it will put the focus on acquiring a second baseman (whether re-signing Hernandez or adding someone else) this winter, rather than widening the search to third basemen and moving Ramirez back to the keystone.
It also means that top prospect Nolan Jones could move off third base and see time as a first baseman or corner outfielder. “We have talked to him a little bit about the possibility of adding some positional versatility,” Chernoff said. “He’s out at our fall programming in Arizona now and will mix in potentially at some other spots.”
Jones played shortstop in high school and shifted to third base in the minor leagues, though there have been long been whispers that first base or the outfield might be his eventual position. A second-round pick in the 2016 draft, Jones has hit .283/.409/448 over 1453 minor league plate appearances, reaching the Double-A level in 2019. The cancelled minor league season robbed Jones of his first taste of Triple-A ball, but he did work out at the Indians’ alternate training site all summer as part of the team’s 60-man player pool.
Rangers Part Ways With Pitching Coach Julio Rangel
Rangers pitching coach Julio Rangel and catching coordinator Hector Ortiz won’t be returning to their positions in 2021, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Rangel’s contract won’t be renewed, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram adds, and Ortiz has been offered another role in the organization but it isn’t yet known if he will accept.
During Rangel’s two seasons as pitching coach, Texas hurlers combined for a 5.09 ERA in 2019 (24th of 30 teams) and a 5.02 ERA in 2020 (23rd). While ERA isn’t the sole determining factor in a pitching staff’s effectiveness, and the Rangers hadn’t been getting consistent results from their arms for years prior to Rangel’s arrival, clearly the club felt a change was necessary.
The next pitching coach will likely be charged with developing some younger pitchers, as GM Jon Daniels is on record as saying the 2021 team will look to incorporate more “youth and energy on the field.” With this mindset and a lower payroll in mind, it appears as though the Rangers are viewing at least next season as something of a rebuilding year.
Prior to joining the Rangers, Rangel was a coach in the Indians organization from 2007-17 and then worked as the Giants’ minor league pitching coordinator. His first official big league job was technically with the Reds as their bullpen coach, though Rangel was hired by Cincinnati after the 2018 season but never actually suited up for the team, as the Rangers came calling with the pitching coach offer (Rangel had the blessing of Reds manager David Bell, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal detailed).
Ortiz’s final Major League games came in a Rangers uniform in 2002, and he has spent the last 15 seasons working in a variety of coaching and managerial roles at the major and minor league levels. 2020 was his first season as catching coordinator, after previously working on the big league staff as a first base coach and bullpen coach since 2015.
Dodgers Add Gavin Lux For NLDS
5:15pm: Rios suffered a groin injury during workouts, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times).
11:17am: The Dodgers have set their 28-man roster for this week’s NLDS matchup against baseball’s “it” team of 2020, the Padres. Here’s how the roster shakes out:
Right-Handed Pitchers
- Pedro Baéz
- Walker Buehler (Game 1 starter)
- Dylan Floro
- Tony Gonsolin
- Brusdar Graterol
- Kenley Jansen
- Joe Kelly
- Dustin May
- Blake Treinen
Left-Handed Pitchers
- Victor González
- Clayton Kershaw (Game 2 starter)
- Adam Kolarek
- Jake McGee
- Julio Urías
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
The Dodgers are going with a 14-man pitching staff against the Padres in the NLDS. In terms of notable changes, Floro joins the roster as the 14th man in the pen, while Lux slots into the infield mix. Third catcher Keibert Ruiz and infielder Edwin Ríos were removed. Ruiz was little more than a safety blanket for Smith and Barnes, but Rios’ removal from the roster comes as a bit of a surprise after getting the start at designated hitter in game one of the wild card round against the Brewers. Despite being a left-handed batter, Ríos has actually hit southpaws rather well in his career, slashing .304/.370/.783 in a small sample of 27 plate appearances (versus .250/.330/.600 against RHP), hence the start against the lefty Brent Suter. His power certainly is an asset, but Lux brings more to the table as a defender and baserunner. Gore remains on the roster as a pinch-runner.
Details Of Domestic Violence Allegations Surface Against Sam Dyson
Troubling allegations of domestic abuse have emerged surrounding free agent reliever Sam Dyson. In a piece from Katie Strang and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (subscription required), Dyson’s ex-girlfriend Alexis Blackburn reveals the details of her relationship with Dyson, whom Major League Baseball began investigating last November.
Blackburn’s path to seeking and finding help is particularly striking as she explains her experiences with law enforcement, MLB’s investigation, and her own uncertainties about how to best find resolution. Dyson’s status as an athlete made that process all the more difficult as the emotional toll of their tumultuous relationship was compounded by the weight of Dyson’s public profile.
Blackburn initially went public via two Instagram posts in November. At that point, MLB started looking into the case, though Dyson did not sit down with league investigators until last month. After an incident that resulted in police intervention in November, Blackburn and Dyson were both interviewed by police in Jupiter, Fla. Per Strang and Rosenthal, Dyson was quoted as saying that he and Blackburn were involved in a “verbally violent and toxic relationship.” Despite their statements and some physical evidence of abuse included in Blackburn’s account, the police investigators found no probable cause at that time. MLB has not yet reached a resolution in its investigation.
Dyson last appeared in the majors in 2019 when he split the season between the Giants and Twins. Over an eight-year career, Dyson played for the Blue Jays, Marlins, Rangers, Giants and Twins, totaling a 3.40 ERA/3.75 FIP in 376 appearances across 386 2/3 innings with 7.2 K/9 to 3.0 BB/9. Dyson is currently without a team, and it is not clear if he hopes to find a job in the league this winter. It’s difficult to imagine a team taking a chance on Dyson at this stage.
MLB Reinstates Domingo German
Major League Baseball has reinstated Yankees’ right-hander Domingo German from the restricted list, the team announced. German is on the Yankees 40-man roster, but no changes were needed to accommodate the move. He is not eligible for postseason play, so as has been stated previously, he will not appear in the majors this season.
German served an 81-game suspension this season after violating the league’s domestic violence policy. Prior to the suspension, German had made himself into a key cog of the Yankees’ 2019 rotation by posting a 4.03 ERA/4.72 FIP with 9.63 K/9 and 2.45 BB/9 across 143 innings. German could again play himself into competition for a rotation spot in 2021. He turns 29-years-old in August of next season.
The Yankees have Gerrit Cole stationed atop their next year’s rotation, but both James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka are scheduled to be free agents, while J.A. Happ has a $17MM mutual option. Deivi Garcia is set to take over one rotation spot, they’ll hope to get Luis Severino back to fill another, and Jordan Montgomery should warrant consideration as well. All that said, the Yankees know better than most about the importance of rotation depth.