Dave Martinez Returns To Nationals
Sept. 20: The Nationals announced Friday that Martinez will return to the dugout for tonight’s game.
Sept. 17: Martinez has been released from the hospital and is resting at home, general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters Tuesday (Twitter link via Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post). He’s waiting to be cleared to travel and won’t join the club for its current series.
Sept. 16: Nationals manager Dave Martinez, who left yesterday’s game after experiencing chest discomfort, remains in Washington, D.C. for further testing, as MLB.com’s Jamal Collier was among those to report. MLBTR extends its best wishes to Martinez for an optimistic prognosis and speedy recovery.
It isn’t known how long Martinez will be out of action, but he did not travel with the team to St. Louis. Martinez, who was was hospitalized as a precautionary measure, underwent an exploratory cardiac catheterization procedure. He is continuing to receive medical evaluation.
For the most part, then, the Nationals are simply awaiting word from Martinez and his doctors. Bench coach Chip Hale, a former manager himself, will fill in while Martinez is sidelined.
With the Nats trying to close out a postseason appearance, the hope certainly seems to be that Martinez will return to uniform in relatively short order — though obviously his personal health will take priority. Hale says that he spoke with his colleague and found him to be in good spirits; indeed, Martinez texted a lineup to his temporary fill-in.
NL Central Notes: Cardinals, Taillon, Taylor
With Kolten Wong unlikely to play for at least “several days,” the Cardinals will turn to Tommy Edman at second base and return Matt Carpenter to regular duties at third base, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Wong is undergoing an MRI to determine the severity of a left hamstring strain he suffered in last night’s game, and his status for the remainder of the Cardinals’ season is up in the air at the moment. The 24-year-old Edman is the latest in a seemingly ceaseless parade of largely unheralded Cardinals prospects to immediately emerge as an impact contributor in St. Louis. A sixth-round pick in 2016, he’s never sniffed a Top 100 ranking, entering the season 12th among Cards prospects at Baseball America and 20th at Fangraphs. But Edman has hit at a .289/.325/.481 clip with 10 homers, 15 doubles, five triples, 13 steals and a 17.9 percent strikeout rate through his first 83 MLB games (302 plate appearances). He’d supplanted the struggling Carpenter as the Cards’ primary third baseman but will now slide over to second base, where he’s logged 857 minor league innings in his pro career.
More from the division…
- Pirates righty Jameson Taillon is taking as optimistic an approach to his second Tommy John surgery as possible, writes Adam Berry of MLB.com. The right-hander feels that he used the downtime from his first surgery in 2014 to improve other areas of his game and believes he can do the same this time around. “I’m seriously confident I’m going to find a way to get better from this one,” said Taillon. “Whether it’s mechanics, how can I take stress off my elbow, how can I get stronger, how can I age better, how can I dive into analytics and video.” Taillon acknowledged that he lost “a lot, a lot, a lot of money” because of the timing of the injury, which came on the heels of his first trip through arbitration and will wipe out his entire second year of arbitration. However, the 27-year-old also said he hopes to pitch for another seven or eight seasons upon returning from surgery and isn’t focusing on the more short-term financial ramifications.
- Brewers outfielder Tyrone Taylor had already gone home for the season and was in the process of applying for an offseason job with FedEx when he got the news that he’d instead be joining the MLB club, Robert Murray of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Taylor’s career has been filled with ups and downs, but after a series of injuries and poor performances, he put himself back on the map with a strong 2018 showing that landed him on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster. He’s been limited to a pinch-hitting role thus far but relishes the opportunity to not only be in the dugout for a playoff race but also to pick the brain of veterans players like Christian Yelich on a daily basis. “You want rookies feeling comfortable and welcome,” Yelich said of his talks with Taylor. “All of that is creating a culture – a winning culture.”
AL Central Notes: Twins, Falvey, A. Gordon, Yolmer
Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey has done impressive work atop the team’s front office since his hiring in 2016. Considering his success with the Twins and his Boston roots, he could land on the Red Sox‘s radar as they seek a replacement for fired president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. At this point, though, the Red Sox haven’t asked the Twins’ permission to interview Falvey, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic (subscription required). Falvey, for his part, is “very happy” with his current gig, Hayes hears. However, as Hayes writes, the excellence of the AL Central-leading Twins may be costly for the club in a sense. Other organizations could attempt to poach some members of their front office and coaching staff, with Hayes naming three of manager Rocco Baldelli’s top assistants – bench coach Derek Shelton, hitting coach James Rowson and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner – as well as farm director Jeremy Zoll as possible targets for rival teams. Falvey realizes it’s going to be difficult to bring the entire band back in 2020. “As much as I love everybody we’ve brought in, I’ve never been of a mind that you’re always going to retain people,” Falvey told Hayes, adding, “If we’re creating the right environment, we’re growing a lot of people in that room into roles that may not exist here.”
- Back in May, Royals left fielder Alex Gordon considered himself “at about 60-40” to play again in 2020. Four months later, though, Gordon might not be quite as sure. The 35-year-old Kansas City icon told Andy McCullough of The Athletic (subscription) that he wants to distance himself from a trying 2019 campaign before mapping out his future. “Losing 100 games, you’re tired, obviously, there’s going to be days when you’re like, ‘I don’t want to play next year,’” said Gordon, who expressed a desire “to take the grind out of the season before I make that decision.” Gordon has already said he’ll either remain a Royal or retire, while general manager Dayton Moore seems more than willing to bring him back. But sticking around will require Gordon and the team to draw up a new contract, as KC will decline his $23MM mutual option in favor of a $4MM buyout.
- As noted on Thursday, the White Sox would be wise to seek an upgrade at second base during the offseason. Current starter Yolmer Sanchez hasn’t been the answer at the position, having batted .250/.320/.317 with almost no power (two home runs, .067 ISO) in 519 plate appearances. Consequently, Sanchez’s days with the team could indeed be numbered, Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times observes. The 27-year-old’s slated to reach arbitration for the second-last time during the offseason, when he’ll seek a raise over his 2019 salary of $4.625MM, though the club may elect to move on from him instead. Sanchez doesn’t want that to happen, however, as the White Sox are the only organization he has known since he signed out of Venezuela in 2009. ‘‘When I was a little kid, I wanted to play baseball because I loved it,’’ Sanchez told Greenberg. ‘‘I still love it. I played for fun then, and I play for fun now. But I play for the Chicago White Sox. I’ve tried to enjoy every day I’ve spent here. I hope there are a lot more days.’’
Injury Notes: Cain, Segura, Hand, Betts, Upton
The latest on several notable injury situations from around the league…
- Lorenzo Cain was forced out of the Brewers‘ game Thursday afternoon due to left ankle discomfort, the team announced. Cain hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth, but was replaced by Trent Grisham in center field in the top of the fifth. Injuries have plagued Cain all season, as thumb, wrist, and oblique problems have contributed to his career-worst 76 wRC+ (from a .251/.316/.357 slash line and 10 homers) over 592 plate appearances. He’s “greatly wobbled,” per Tom Haudricourt of the Miilwaukee Journal, who adds that Cain could undergo more tests.
- Phillies shortstop Jean Segura exited the team’s loss to Atlanta with a left hamstring cramp, Matt Gelb of The Athletic relays. The severity’s unknown as of now, Gelb notes. One of many big-ticket offseason acquisitions for the Phillies, Segura has produced a respectable 2.6 fWAR in 593 plate appearances, but he hasn’t been as effective as he was with the Diamondbacks and Mariners from 2016-18.
- Indians closer Brad Hand threw a “really good” bullpen session Wednesday, manager Terry Francona said, though it’s still unclear when he’ll be able to return (via Mandy Bell of MLB.com). It was the first bullpen for Hand during his absence from a fatigued arm, which dates back to Sept. 8. Things have gone well to this point for the Hand-less Indians, as they’ve gone 7-2 since he last pitched and only needed saves in two of those wins (one apiece from Adam Cimber and Oliver Perez).
- There’s nothing meaningful left to play for this year for the Red Sox, though banged up right fielder Mookie Betts still doesn’t plan to shut it down, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes. The reigning AL MVP, who hasn’t played since Sept. 12 on account of left foot inflammation, is aiming to come back during a four-game series in Tampa Bay that begins Friday. Betts wouldn’t line up in the field during that set, though, as the Red Sox don’t want to risk running him out there on turf. Meanwhile, reliever Heath Hembree is progressing from elbow problems and could come off the IL next week. Hembree’s balky elbow has forced him to the shelf twice this year and stopped him from pitching since Aug. 1.
- Angels left fielder Justin Upton will undergo a platelet-rich plasma injection Friday, per Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The hope is that it’ll aid Upton in overcoming the pain in his right knee – a joint that has bothered him since spring training. The eliminated Angels shut Upton down for the season last week after injuries helped limit the normally terrific hitter to a .215/.309/.416 line with 12 home runs in 256 plate appearances.
East Notes: Red Sox, La Russa, Mets, Callaway, Bichette
Set to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2015, the Red Sox have already made a few changes to their front office. They let go of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski on Sept. 8, and then followed his firing with the dismissals of senior VP of baseball ops Frank Wren and special assignment scout Eddie Bane on Thursday. VP/special assistant Tony La Russa won’t walk the plank with them, though, as Jon Heyman of MLB Network first reported the Red Sox planned to retain the former big league manager. He’ll indeed come back for at at least another year, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. La Russa, soon to turn 75 years old, was a Dombrowski hire back in November 2017.
More from the East Coast…
- Don’t expect the Mets to trade outfielder Brandon Nimmo during the offseason, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets. After looking like a breakout star in 2018, Nimmo got off to a rough start this season before sitting out from late May until the start of this month because of neck problems. However, his torrid numbers over the past couple weeks have allayed any concerns Mets brass had over him earlier in the campaign, according to Puma. The 26-year-old has posted a video game-like September 1.183 OPS that has helped him to a .222/.377/.407 line in 213 plate appearances this season.
- While Nimmo looks like a good bet to stick with the Mets in 2020, the same might not be true for oft-maligned manager Mickey Callaway. The Mets won’t decide on whether to keep Callaway until after their season ends, multiple organizational sources have suggested to Puma. The club has rallied from an awful start to log a respectable 79-73 record; however, the Mets are still 3 1/2 games back of a wild-card spot, and they’re likely to fall short of the expectations the front office placed on the roster entering the year, Puma notes. That could lead to the firing of Callaway, who’s in his second year on the job and whose teams have gone 156-158.
- Standout Blue Jays rookie Bo Bichette left the team’s game against Baltimore on Thursday after getting hit in the helmet with a pitch. The Blue Jays removed Bichette for precautionary concussion testing, per Sportsnet’s Arash Madani, who adds that the club will reevaluate the 21-year-old shortstop Friday. Bichette has burst on the scene since his late-July promotion, having slashed .311/.358/.571 with 11 home runs in his first 212 major league PA. The Jays are way out of contention, but Bichette’s among the reasons they could return to relevance soon, so they’re certain to proceed with caution in regards to his health.
Kolten Wong Suffers Hamstring Strain
10:38pm: Wong has a mild hamstring strain, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. He’ll undergo an MRI on Friday.
8:29pm: The NL Central-leading Cardinals suffered a notable injury during their game against the Cubs on Thursday. Second baseman Kolten Wong departed with a left hamstring issue, as Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune was among those to report. He’s day-to-day. The Cardinals shifted third baseman Tommy Edman to second in place of Wong and plugged in Matt Carpenter at the hot corner.
The Cardinals, who lead the Cubs in their current matchup as of this writing, entered Thursday with a three-game advantage in the division. Their success has come thanks in part to Wong, who has racked up 3.7 fWAR and slashed .285/.361/.423 with 11 home runs and 24 stolen bases (28 attempts) across 549 plate appearances. He’s clearly not someone St. Louis wants to go without for any period of time as it attempts to earn its first division title since 2015.
If the Redbirds do lose Wong beyond Thursday, it seems they’ll continue with the hot-hitting rookie Edman at the keystone and Carpenter at third. Carpenter’s a longtime Cardinals star, but he has endured a surprisingly mediocre campaign in 2019 and fallen behind Edman on the team’s late-season depth chart at the hot corner.
Latest On Jose Ramirez
The Indians took a massive hit in late August when third baseman Jose Ramirez fractured the hamate bone in his right hand. Now, with the Indians fighting for a wild-card spot in the American League, Ramirez is working toward a regular-season return. There’s at least a possibility he’ll back for the team’s road series against the White Sox next week, Mandy Bell of MLB.com writes. That would give Ramirez a chance to play in the final six games on the Indians’ schedule.
The injury to Ramirez has been part of a long line of health issues for this year’s Indians, who look as if they will fail to take the AL Central for the first time since 2015. Ramirez’s aggregate production hasn’t come close to where it was from 2017-18, which is one reason they’re four games back of the Twins in their division, though he did recover from a brutally slow start this season before landing on the injured list. The 27-year-old switch-hitter owns a .254/.325/.463 line with 20 home runs, 24 stolen bases and 3.0 fWAR in 532 plate appearances, so he has certainly remained a quality player in 2019.
To its credit, Cleveland has more than hung in the AL playoff race sans Ramirez, having gone 13-9 dating back to his Aug. 24 injury. The Indians just defeated the Tigers, so they’ll be tied with the Rays for the AL’s last wild-card spot heading into Friday.
The Ramirez-less Indians have largely turned to Yu Chang at third base with Mike Freeman and Ryan Flaherty also seeing time at the position. Nobody from that trio comes with a ton of upside, though, and with the Indians having lost second baseman Jason Kipnis to a season-ending hamate fracture this week, it’s all the more important for their infield to get Ramirez back as soon as possible.
Rusney Castillo Won’t Opt Out Of Red Sox Contract
Caught in one of the more unusual contractual situations in recent baseball history, Rusney Castillo will remain with the Red Sox in 2020, as he tells Stephanie Apstein of Sports Illustrated that he won’t exercise his opt-out clause for the final year of his contract. As per the terms of that original seven-year, $72.5MM deal, Castillo has the ability to become a free agent after this season, though in declining the opt-out, he’ll earn the final $13.5MM owed to him in salary.
There was no expectation that Castillo would opt out, given that he hasn’t appeared in a Major League game since June 16, 2016. “You’re not going to cancel something when you don’t have anything else,” Castillo told Apstein. It’s hard to argue with the 32-year-old outfielder’s logic, as he would surely have to settle for a minor league contract if he did opt out, even if such a non-guaranteed deal might be the only realistic way he plays in a big league game in 2020. Still, Castillo has continued to live in a Boston apartment, Apstein writes, out of a belief that he will eventually return to the Red Sox and the majors, and he makes a daily commute to Rhode Island for every home game for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox.
Castillo was outrighted off Boston’s 40-man roster in June 2016, and under the terms of the current collective bargaining agreement (signed in the 2016-17 offseason), putting him back onto the 40-man at any point would have made his contract once again eligible to be counted for luxury tax calculations. This would have added an extra $10.357MM (the average annual value of Castillo’s deal) onto Boston’s tax bill for the remainder of Castillo’s contract, regardless of whether or not the Sox outrighted him again. As Apstein notes, even trading Castillo would have some luxury tax repercussions for the Red Sox, not that teams were exactly lining up to acquire Castillo and add his contract to their own books.
The end result is that Castillo has become a fixture at Triple-A Pawtucket, appearing in 389 games for the PawSox since being outrighted. He has continued to hit decently well (17 homers and a .278/.321/.448 slash line over 493 PA in 2019), but even with spectacular numbers, it’s unlikely Castillo would have been an option for a Red Sox club that was both facing major luxury tax concerns and also didn’t really have a need in the outfield with Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, and Jackie Bradley Jr. forming one of the game’s best trios on the grass.
Given that the new CBA also changed the nature of international signings, Castillo’s $72.5MM deal has remained the largest deal ever given to a player who defected from Cuba. Castillo arrived onto the MLB scene with a great deal of hype, though ultimately hit only .262/.301/.379 over 337 plate appearances with the Red Sox from 2014-16.
Three Needs: Chicago White Sox
We’re bringing back our “Three Needs” series, in which we take a look at the chief issues to be addressed for clubs that have fallen out of contention. We’ve already focused on the Mariners and the Tigers, and now we’ll turn our attention to a White Sox team that’s about to conclude its 11th straight season without a playoff berth. Led by general manager Rick Hahn, the Pale Hose figure to spend the offseason working toward putting a playoff team on the field in 2020. Here are a few things they need to address in order to make that a possibility…
1. Upgrade The Outfield
If we’re to believe fWAR, no team has been worse off in the grass than the White Sox, whose outfielders have combined for a league-low minus-0.3 in that category. Much-ballyhooed rookie left fielder Eloy Jimenez has been the lone bright spot, though he hasn’t been a defensive stalwart. Everyone else has been downright terrible at the plate. The good news is that the White Sox have yet another super prospect, 22-year-old Luis Robert, nearing the majors.
Even if Robert comes up from Triple-A Charlotte early next season and makes an immediate impact, the White Sox will still need at least one more solution in the outfield. The club knew the OF was an issue last offseason, when it made at least a perfunctory effort to sign Bryce Harper, and now that Chicago’s a year closer to ending its rebuild, it should again place significant emphasis on the area during the upcoming winter. While the White Sox went after Harper last offseason, they also reportedly pursued a trade for Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, who wound up staying put. He could again be a trade target in a couple months, though, with Marcell Ozuna, Corey Dickerson, Brett Gardner, Yasiel Puig and the defensively questionable Nicholas Castellanos serving as surefire upgrades who could be among the game’s free agents.
2. Improve The Starting Staff
Right-hander Lucas Giolito has turned into a bona fide front-line starter, which is arguably the best news the White Sox have received this season. Too bad they can’t clone him. Giolito aside, Chicago’s staff clearly needs more sure things heading into 2020. Reynaldo Lopez, although promising, has struggled for a large portion of this season. So has Ivan Nova, who paces the team in starts and innings, and is slated to become a free agent over the winter. Rookie Dylan Cease has a ton of potential, but he has endured a difficult start to his major league career. And both Carlos Rodon and Michael Kopech are recovering from recent Tommy John procedures. Rodon had surgery back in May, meaning he certainly won’t be back for the early portion of 2020. Kopech went under the knife a year ago, so the hyped prospect could be a factor toward the beginning of next season. However, Kopech’s resume includes a meager 14 1/3 major league innings.
Chicago’s not known for winning free-agent bidding wars, evidenced by the fact that Jose Abreu‘s six-year, $68MM contract from October 2013 still stands as the richest deal in franchise history. Maybe it’s time for the big-market club to buck that trend, though. There’s no reason the White Sox shouldn’t aggressively pursue the sport’s No. 1 soon-to-be free agent, Astros ace and potential AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, who could command more than $200MM on the open market. They should also be in on lesser (but still capable) free-agent arms such as Zack Wheeler and Jake Odorizzi, to name a couple.
3. Shore Up The Right Side Of The Infield
The left side of the White Sox’s infield looks to be in excellent shape. Third baseman Yoan Moncada has turned into the stud the team originally thought it was getting in its 2016 Chris Sale blockbuster with the Red Sox. Adjacent to Moncada, shortstop Tim Anderson may be on his way to a batting title.
Unfortunately for Chicago, the right side of its infield isn’t as well off. Primary second baseman Yolmer Sanchez hasn’t been the answer at his position, while Abreu is slated to hit free agency. In the case of the latter, it seems there’s a solid chance of a new deal coming together. The White Sox and Abreu have made their affinity for one another known on several occasions, and the 32-year-old’s late-season hot streak could further galvanize the team to re-sign him. If not, though, first (and probably designated hitter) will need to be on the White Sox’s to-do list via the free-agent and-or trade markets.
Even more concerns are in the offing at second, though the White Sox will struggle to find a long-term solution there in free agency. Thirty-somethings Howie Kendrick (who has been fantastic this year), Brian Dozier, Starlin Castro, Ben Zobrist, Brock Holt and Jason Kipnis could be short-term targets there. Maybe even Mike Moustakas, a longtime third baseman who has gotten his first MLB experience at the keystone this year. The fact that any of those players would just be a Band-Aid for the White Sox might not be the worst thing in the world, as 22-year-old Nick Madrigal (another of their enviable prospects) progressed to the Triple-A level this season and shouldn’t be far from a big league promotion.
Of course, if the White Sox really want to think outside the box, they could go after a third baseman – be it Anthony Rendon, the premier position player nearing free agency, Josh Donaldson or Moustakas – and move Moncada back to second. Moncada spent the first couple years of his career at the keystone before shifting to third this season.
Stan Kasten: “I Am Completely Certain” Andrew Friedman Returns To Dodgers In 2020
The contract status of Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has led to some speculation about the executive’s future in Los Angeles, though team president Stan Kasten left little doubt that he expects Friedman to stay with the team. When asked by Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register if Friedman would continue to run the team’s front office in 2020, Kasten said “I am completely certain of that, yes.”
More details weren’t forthcoming, as Kasten cited team policy against discussing executive contracts. Friedman has also declined to talk about the impending end of the original five-year deal he signed with the team in October 2014.
Despite the lack of public knowledge about any negotiations, as Plunkett put it, “Kasten sounds like a man who knows a contract extension will be negotiated and announced soon enough.” In fact, it wouldn’t even be surprising if a new deal has already been reached (or at least mostly worked out), and the club is simply waiting until the end of the season to hold a press conference. Some teams don’t even publicize front office extensions whatsoever, though given the high-profile nature of the expiration of Friedman’s deal, one would expect some type of formal announcement.
Under Friedman, the Dodgers have won five consecutive NL West titles, winning no fewer than 91 games in each of those seasons. The club has advanced to the World Series in each of the last two years, and while the championship remains elusive, the Dodgers remain one of the heavy favorites to finally capture the Commissioner’s Trophy this fall.
While Los Angeles was already on a run of success before Friedman’s arrival, he has continued the organization’s calling card of drafting and developing homegrown stars — Walker Buehler, Will D. Smith and Gavin Lux were all drafted during Friedman’s time with the team and are already contributing to the current roster. Friedman’s front office has also shown a penchant for finding unheralded players (such as Max Muncy and Chris Taylor) who have broken out as regulars in L.A.
These factors and a general reluctance to overbid on free agent talent has caused the Dodgers’ payroll to drop from record highs at the start of Friedman’s tenure to a 2018 payroll that got the team back under the luxury tax threshold. The Dodgers are still among the league’s biggest spenders and the club hasn’t been hesitant to re-sign key players (i.e. Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner) to hefty contracts, though Friedman has brought much greater efficiency to how the team allocates its many resources.
If Friedman did have a desire for a change of scenery, he would immediately garner a lot of interest from around baseball, even from teams who already have a GM or baseball ops president but are looking to make an upgrade. The Red Sox are the only team with an open GM position, and they’d stand out as a natural suitor, as they would undoubtedly be keen to see if Friedman could replicate his success in keeping another big-market team in contention while trimming payroll.