Pirates Fire Clint Hurdle
The Pirates have fired manager Clint Hurdle, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Hurdle had two years remaining on his current contract.
As Rosenthal notes, general manager Neal Huntington will retain his position spearheading the organization’s baseball operations. Meanwhile, the coaching staff will be determined by the incoming manager.
The move comes as something of a surprise, as just days earlier Hurdle himself asserted that the Pirates assured him that he’d keep his position as the club’s manager. However, later that day both Hurdle and Huntington were curiously noncommittal on the future of the skipper.
Hurdle, 62, was installed as the Pittsburgh manager prior to the 2011 season and finishes his Pirates career as the fourth-winningest manager in franchise history. He’s led his Pirates teams to an overall 735-720-1 record in his nine years at the helm, including three consecutive postseason appearances from 2013-2015. The team peaked with 94- and 98-win seasons in 2013 and 2015, though they were unable to make it out of the Division Series in that three-year stretch—and, in 2014 and 2015, they were eliminated in the one-game playoff.
Not far removed from that stretch of success, this season has been an especially trying one in Pittsburgh. After winning 82 games a year ago, the club has taken a step backwards and will have a final chance today to reach the 70-win plateau. Between a clubhouse altercation involving Kyle Crick and Felipe Vazquez, numerous on-field brawls, and a suspension to Keone Kela for a confrontation with a coach, it would seem that the clubhouse has escaped Hurdle’s control.
Whether he’s at fault for those off-field issues is questionable, but the on-field results haven’t done Hurdle any favors. His Pirates found themselves just a game under .500 at the All-Star break, but proceeded to hit a colossal cold spell en route to a 4-24 stretch into mid-August.
Pittsburgh will join the Giants, Padres, and Cubs among the teams now with a vacant manager position. It seems that wholesale changes to the coaching staff may be in order, with pitching coach Ray Searage among those with an uncertain future. Huntington issued the following statement regarding the decision:
Words cannot express how much respect and appreciation I have for Clint as a person and a leader … We will be forever grateful for his dedication to the Pirates organization on and off the field … As an organization, we believe it was time for a managerial change to introduce a new voice and new leadership inside the clubhouse.
Joe Maddon Out As Cubs Manager
The Cubs announced today that Joe Maddon will not return as manager in 2020. He and Cubs president Theo Epstein have agreed to part ways following the conclusion of Maddon’s contract.
Maddon, 65, has managed the Cubs each of the last five seasons, compiling an overall 471-338 record in Chicago. He’s led the team to a winning record in each of those years, including 90+ wins and a postseason berth in four of five seasons. Of course, his crowning achievement is the 2016 season, when he and the Cubs claimed a World Series title for the first time since 1908.
Despite that run of sustained success, it comes as little surprise that Maddon will not return to the Cubs. It seems that the organization has been moving towards this end since last season, with the front office and Maddon agreeing that it’s time for a change. After a languid performance in the 2018 Wild Card Game and a September collapse in 2019, it seems that the magic of 2016 has run out, with Theo Epstein and the front office seemingly drifting out of sync with Maddon’s leadership style.
That’s not to say that Maddon is entirely at fault for the Cubs’ disappointing performance in the last two seasons; rather, it’s merely a reminder that the relationship between a team and its manager can evolve, even during a period of great success. An apparent erosion of the bond between Maddon and the Cubs became apparent when the organization refused to commit to Maddon for the future after last season, leaving him as a lame-duck manager entering 2019.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today speculates that the Padres, Phillies, and Mets could all be potential landing spots for Maddon. Of course, the Padres are the only team in that group that currently has a managerial vacancy, though there has been no shortage of speculation that Gabe Kapler and Mickey Callaway will soon find themselves without a job. Per Jesse Rogers of ESPN, Maddon does intend to continue managing next year, and there should be a number of suitors interested in his services. Kansas City, San Francisco, and now Pittsburgh will also have openings in the dugout.
Maddon is the owner of a sterling track record in his 16-year managerial career, with his teams posting a 1252-1067 record overall. He managed the 2008 Rays team that won the American League pennant and has led his teams to 90 or more wins in nine different seasons. His forward-thinking attitude and ability to manage either a rebuilding team or a contender should make him an attractive candidate for a variety of teams, even in the face of an industry-wide proclivity for younger, cheaper managers.
As for the Cubs, it remains to be seen how they’ll approach their search for the club’s next skipper. The organization could target an experienced manager such as Joe Girardi or Mike Scioscia, or they could turn to lesser-known, inexperienced candidates. Of that latter group, many will mention Mark Loretta, the Cubs’ current bench coach, and beloved franchise icon David Ross. However, those names are all merely speculative, and the team has given no hint as to how they will navigate the hiring process.
Rays Designate Cole Sulser
The Rays have designated right-handed reliever Cole Sulser for assignment. His 40-man roster spot was needed for the activation of Yandy Díaz, which has become official. Sulser, 29, made his MLB debut September 6 and has given Tampa 7.1 scoreless relief innings since getting the call.
Originally a 25th-round draftee by Cleveland, Sulser put up such elite minor-league numbers to catch the attention of Tampa’s front office, who acquired him as a lesser-known piece in the three-team offseason trade that, ironically enough, also brought in Díaz. Sulser did more than warrant the Rays’ faith, tossing 66 sparkling innings for Triple-A Durham, continuing his track record of minor-league success. Add in Sulser’s strong early returns in the big leagues, and it’s clear he’s a victim of the Rays’ crowded roster rather than underperformance.
In his brief MLB time, Sulser’s shown a 93.4 MPH fastball, per Statcast, backed up by a slider and sparingly-used changeup. On the surface, it’s somewhat pedestrian stuff for an MLB reliever, perhaps explaining how Sulser has waited so long to get to the game’s highest level. That said, he has continued to get outs whenever he’s been asked, and his 32.6% strikeout rate in Triple-A is hardly that of a pitch-to-contact arm.
As with Kean Wong last week, it seems the Rays are somewhat victims of their own roster depth. Like Sulser, Wong wasn’t a top prospect but came with long-term control and a track record of high minors performance, and the Angels claimed him when the Rays cut him loose to activate Brandon Lowe. It would hardly be surprising to see another team do the same with Sulser.
Latest On Brewers’ Outfield Injuries
Sunday: Cain is indeed out of today’s lineup, a must-win if the Brewers are to have any hope of capturing their second consecutive NL Central title.
Saturday: The Brewers have already clinched at least a wild card berth, and they’ll head into the last day of the regular just a game behind the Cardinals for the NL Central lead. As the team continues to try and force a one-game playoff for the division crown, however, they continue to deal with some significant injury problems in their outfield.
In the top of the ninth inning on Saturday, Lorenzo Cain took a hard slide into Rockies catcher Drew Butera, as Cain was trying to score from first on a double. Cain was called out, and then replaced in center field prior to the bottom half of the inning. The Brewers announced that Cain suffered a left ankle sprain, and the outfielder told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters that he wasn’t sure if he could play on Sunday.
A similar injury forced Cain out of a game back on Sept. 20, though he didn’t end up missing any time. 2019 has been a tough season in general for Cain, who hasn’t spent any time on the injured list but has been dealing with a wide range of nagging problems to his oblique, wrist, and thumb all year. The result has been the worst full season (.260/.325/.372 over 643 PA) of Cain’s career, though he has hit much better in September to help carry the Brew Crew back into the postseason. Just on Saturday alone, Cain went 2-for-3 with a walk, and made an exceptional catch to prevent a Garrett Hampson home run.
It remains to be seen if Cain’s ankle problem could keep him out of a potential tiebreaker game with the Cardinals on Monday or the Brewers’ current postseason date, Tuesday’s National League wild card game against the Nationals. One player who does plan to be available beyond the regular season is Ryan Braun, as the outfielder told McCalvy and other media members that he is “very optimistic” that his mild left calf strain isn’t a major issue. Braun left Friday’s game with the injury, and it was already known that he would sit out Milwaukee’s final two regular season contests.
Braun has been no stranger to injuries in recent years, though his 144 games played this season represents his highest total since 2012. The 35-year-old has been both pretty durable and productive in his 13th MLB season, as Braun has hit .285/.343/.505 with 22 homers over 508 plate appearances.
With Cain and Braun nursing injuries and Christian Yelich already done for the season, the Brewers are in danger of being without their entire Opening Day outfield as they head into the playoffs. Ben Gamel is Milwaukee’s primary fourth outfielder, with utilityman Cory Spangenberg and rookies Trent Grisham and Tyrone Taylor also capable of filling in, while Eric Thames could potentially step into right field if he isn’t needed at first base.
Latest on Kolten Wong
Cardinals fans eagerly await the return of Kolten Wong, who went down with a Grade 2 hamstring strain ten days ago. Perhaps baseball’s best defensive second baseman, Wong has put up a career-best offensive season in 2018, slashing .285/.361/.423 (108 wRC+) and stealing 24 bases. Considering Wong’s well-rounded production, there’s a case to be made St. Louis has been without its most valuable position player for the past week and a half.
Wong is predictably urgent to return to the field with the NL Central still in flux on the season’s final day, but he’s wary of returning too quickly and suffering a more debilitating injury, he tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “It’s at a point right now where I don’t know where my hamstring is. I know it’s better. But is it 100%? Probably not,” Wong informed Goold yesterday.
While there may be an inclination on some fans’ part for Wong to chance it with the division on the line, it seems caution is the prudent move. Between this afternoon’s game against the Cubs and potential tiebreaker and Wild Card games with Milwaukee and Washington, the Cards have up to three chances to clinch a spot in an NL Division Series. (Of course, if the Rockies complete a sweep of the Brewers today, the Cardinals would sew up the Central even if they lose to Chicago). Having put themselves in a position to get multiple bites at the apple, St. Louis may prefer to wait as long as possible before putting Wong back on the diamond.
As Goold updates, Wong continues to make progress in all facets of the game but feels some soreness while running and fielding non-routine groundballs. That seems especially troublesome for a player who derives so much of his value from his defensive and baserunning prowess.
Cardinals manager Mike Shildt didn’t rule out Wong getting into today’s game in some capacity when speaking with Goold yesterday. Nevertheless, as expected, Matt Carpenter is getting the call at third with Tommy Edman sliding over to the keystone yet again to kick things off. They’ll take on Cubs’ opener Derek Holland, who will surely be followed by a cavalcade of relievers, having not gone more than three innings in an appearance since April.
AL Notes: Carrasco, Thornton, Castro, Trumbo
Carlos Carrasco’s health situation was one of MLB’s most-followed off-field storylines in 2019. Stunningly diagnosed with leukemia this summer, Carrasco made a heartwarming return to the mound September 1 in Tampa Bay and has made ten appearances out of Cleveland’s bullpen since. The 32 year-old father of five verbalized the ups-and-downs of the past five months in an emotional piece for the Players’ Tribune, emphasizing the importance of leaning on his wife Karelis, other family, and friends- inside and outside baseball- for support along the way. Encouragingly, the well-respected Carrasco says he’s “back to feeling 100%” and no doubt figures to be a foundational piece for both the Indians and the Cleveland community at large in the future. The moving and courageous piece, in which Carrasco discusses the gutwrenching decision he and Karelis confronted of whether to tell their children of his diagnosis, is worth a full read.
- Turning to strictly on-field matters across the American League, it seems Trent Thornton has pitched his way into the Blue Jays’ rotation plans for 2020, writes Kaitlyn McGrath of the Athletic. The rookie overcame a dreadful start to his MLB career to log a team-high 154.1 innings, working to a 4.84 ERA with pedestrian strikeout (22%) and walk (9%) rates. As McGrath notes, Thornton’s changeup has given him problems in the past and developing consistency with the offering will be among his offseason priorities. Thornton’s profile doesn’t scream future ace, but his durability and high-spin fastball and curveball make him a logical fit for a Toronto rotation that is lacking in certainty and rich in opportunity.
- Another rookie who could be positioned for playing time on a rebuilding team is Tigers infielder Willi Castro. A September call-up, Castro hasn’t gotten off to an especially rousing start to his MLB career. He has, though, impressed manager Ron Gardenhire, who tells Chris McCosky of the Detroit News Castro will have a chance to compete for the Tigers’ shortstop job in spring training. The 22 year-old, whom Detroit acquired from Cleveland in 2018 for Leonys Martín, ranks as Detroit’s #11 prospect, per Baseball America. He hit a solid .301/.366/.467 this season in his first extended action in Triple-A.
- On the opposite side of the service time spectrum is Orioles DH Mark Trumbo, who discussed the forthcoming end of his three-year contract with Baltimore Baseball’s Rich Dubroff. The 33 year-old tells Dubroff he’ll take some time off at the end of the season and gauge how his body feels before determining if he wishes to come back in 2020. So continues a pattern of noncommital responses on his future from Trumbo, who has been hampered by right knee problems for the last year-plus. That injury history means Trumbo will probably have to settle for a minor-league contract with a spring training invite if he does decide to give playing another go.
NL West Notes: Padres, Ahmed, Friedman, Tapia, Wallach
The Padres are expected have a busy offseason as the team tries to figure out the proper mixture for a contender. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune breaks down the Padres position-by-position as they look ahead to 2020, and the common refrain from many inside the organization is that perhaps only seven players (Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Chris Paddack, Eric Hosmer, Garrett Richards, Andres Munoz, and Kirby Yates) look like sure bets to be with the organization next season. Everyone else, even from seeming building blocks like Dinelson Lamet or Hunter Renfroe, could potentially be traded for more proven talents.
“They have roster problems. They have to move people,” one rival executive tells Acee, which gets to the heart of the challenge facing the Padres. The team still doesn’t totally know what they have in some players who have been inconsistent at the Major League level, yet a wave of prospects coming up and the organization increasingly impatient for a winning season, some tough choices may have to be made about who stays and who becomes a trade chip.
Some items from around the NL West…
- Nick Ahmed enjoys playing for the Diamondbacks, but when it comes to the possibility of a contract extension, the shortstop tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that “I want to sign a fair deal. I’ve played long enough to realize that. I want to be able to take advantage of what I’ve got to this point in my career.” A September slump has dropped Ahmed’s slash line to .255/.318/.442 over 621 PA this season, though his 93 wRC+ still represents the best offensive production of his six-year career, and his glovework has continued to be excellent. Ahmed has one year of arbitration remaining before he hits free agency in the 2020-21 offseason, and he’ll be 31 on Opening Day 2021. It makes for something of a tricky extension case, as Piecoro notes, since there aren’t many shortstop comps that would serve as a model for a potential multi-year contract. There also hasn’t been any word from the D’Backs if they’d be interested in extending Ahmed, though Piecoro observes that GM Mike Hazen “does not speculate on such topics.”
- There hasn’t yet been word about Andrew Friedman’s status with the Dodgers, as the president of baseball operations will reach the end of his contract when the Dodgers’ season ends. The involved parties didn’t provide any details about negotiations, though there seems to be general optimism that a deal will be reached, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times writes. Friedman said he wants to return, while team president Stan Kasten said he is “pretty confident” Friedman will be back, and “expect him to be here for a long time.” Manager Dave Roberts also feels Friedman will remain in L.A., saying “everything I hear is [a new contract] is imminent, that it will get done.”
- Raimel Tapia projects as an everyday left fielder for the Rockies in 2020, Nick Groke of the Athletic (subscription required) writes, which should help a player who seemed to get better with more regular playing time this season. As a highly-regarded prospect coming out of Colorado’s farm system, Tapia received only 239 MLB plate appearances from 2016-18 before getting more of an extended look this season. While Tapia has only a .276/.310/.418 slash line (74 wRC+) over 442 PA, he has also battled injuries and didn’t get many consistent starts until late July, Groke noted. Sticking with Tapia as the mostly everyday left fielder would reduce Ian Desmond to a backup role, though the highly-paid veteran hasn’t done enough to merit more at-bats over three disappointing years in Colorado. There’s also the possibility, however, that the Rockies could trade Tapia in the offseason to address other roster needs.
- Tim Wallach is leaving his job as the Marlins’ bench coach to be closer to his family in California, though one rival executive tells Ken Rosenthal (in his latest FOX Sports video) that Wallach could be a possible candidate for the Padres‘ managerial opening. It wouldn’t be the first time that Wallach has been linked to San Diego, as he interviewed for the last managerial vacancy before the club went with Andy Green. Wallach has over 12 years of MLB coaching experience and has also managed at the Triple-A level in the Dodgers’ organization, though he hasn’t been a big league skipper. In the wake of Green’s firing, Rosenthal wonders if the Padres could prefer someone with Major League managing experience rather hire than another first-timer.
Jerry Dipoto Discusses Mariners’ Offseason
It was four years ago today that Jerry Dipoto has hired as the Mariners’ general manager, and Dipoto has since become known for his trade-heavy style in his attempts to first build, and (in the last year) rebuild Seattle’s roster. If 2019 was marked by Dipoto’s desire to “re-imagine” his team, 2020 promises more stability, as Dipoto told MLB.com’s Greg Johns and other reporters that he expects a more “moderate” offseason in terms of trades and signings.
“This will be a little different offseason than you’ve seen from us, particularly last year’s,” Dipoto said. “But even years prior, 2016-18, we were so much about making peripheral moves to augment what we thought was a contending core. This is a different scenario. We’re growing a young core and we have to give them an opportunity to play.”
To that end, Dipoto felt it would be “very unlikely” that the team acquires any significant veterans this winter, as the Mariners intend to give plenty of playing time to their younger talents. J.P. Crawford, Shed Long, Kyle Lewis, and Dan Vogelbach are some of the new faces who began to emerge in 2019, and all project to be more or less everyday players next season. While Dipoto did say the M’s were “likely not to be very engaged in the trade market in more than a peripheral way,” that was in regards to the addition of new players, and he didn’t address the possibility of further trades of veterans (i.e. Domingo Santana or Dee Gordon) to create even more roster room.
In terms of what veterans could be added, both the pitching rotation and bullpen could get some lower-level veteran depth. More player additions in general could come via minor league signings and the Rule 5 Draft.
The Mariners’ roster already looks vastly different than it did just a year ago. Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, Jean Segura, James Paxton, Alex Colome, Mike Leake, and Juan Nicasio are just some of the bigger names who have departed the team in a variety of trades, resulting in a lot of additional minor league depth and a much lesser payroll (the M’s have just under $80MM on the books for 2020). Dipoto has hinted at 2021 as a soft deadline for the Mariners to begin turning back towards contention, though much will hinge on how their younger players develop next season.
MLBTR Chat Transcript: Padres, Betts, Giants, Rendon
Click here to read the transcript of tonight’s live baseball chat, moderated by MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk
Latest On Carlos Correa
TODAY: Correa told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and other reporters that he “woke up today feeling really good….It gave me a lot of confidence moving forward.” An official decision on his ALDS status won’t be known until he works out with the team next week, but “the way I woke up today, if the playoff started tomorrow, I’d probably be in the lineup,” Correa said.
YESTERDAY: The Astros shut down shortstop Carlos Correa for the rest of the regular season because of a back issue on Thursday. The hope then was that Correa would return for the start of the playoffs next week. That could still happen, but it doesn’t sound like a certainty at this point. Whether Correa will be ready for the American League Division Series will depend on how his back responds to workouts next week, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle writes.
“We’re going to have to see him do a lot of stuff between now and next Friday,” said general manager Jeff Luhnow, who noted it’s “hard to tell” if Correa’s back problems have worsened in the past week. Regardless, if the Astros aren’t confident in Correa’s health when the ALDS rolls around, they’ll “most likely” leave him off their roster, according to Luhnow.
The spot currently ticketed for Correa may end up going to rookie third baseman Abraham Toro, per Rome. And third baseman/AL MVP candidate Alex Bregman would perhaps handle shortstop, something he has had to do far more often than the Astros were hoping for this season. Correa’s regular season ended with just 75 games played on account of multiple injuries. The 25-year-old sat out from May 27 until July 26 with a fractured rib and then missed Aug. 20-Sept. 15 thanks to his back, which still won’t seem to heal.
The fact that the Astros will ultimately go without Correa 87 times during the regular season and possibly still finish with the majors’ best record is a testament to the overall strength of their roster. So, even if Correa’s not available come playoff time, Houston still figures to enter the proceedings with as good a chance as anyone to take home a World Series title. Obviously, though, a healthy Correa would only enhance the Astros’ odds of winning their second championship since 2017.