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Cardinals Notes: Outfield, Tuivailala, Pitching Staff

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Outfielder Randal Grichuk ended not only his 2017 season but possibly his Cardinals career with a solo home run on Sunday, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cards have an oft-discussed glut of outfielders with Grichuk, Dexter Fowler, Stephen Piscotty, Tommy Pham, Harrison Bader and Magneuris Sierra all on the big league roster, plus prospect Tyler O’Neill in Triple-A Memphis. St. Louis will look to reduce its redundancies on the roster this winter, and Goold points out that the arbitration-eligible Grichuk carries a similar profile to the powerful-but-strikeout-prone O’Neill. Controllable through 2020, the 26-year-old Grichuk brings significant power (career .239 ISO) and a center-field-capable glove to the table but has also continually struggled to make contact. Through 1386 MLB plate appearances, Grichuk has a 29.9 percent strikeout rate. In 442 PAs in 2017, he hit .238/.285/.473 with 22 long balls and a 30.1 percent strikeout rate.

More out of St. Louis…

  • Right-hander Sam Tuivailala will be out of options in 2018, and his strong finish to the season looks to have earned him a spot in next year’s bullpen, writes Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch. “He’s continued to move his way up in how we viewed him,” said manager Mike Matheny. The 24-year-old Tuivailala was optioned to the minors on three different occasions in 2017, his final option year, but wound up totaling 42 1/3 innings with a 2.55 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, a 48.8 percent ground-ball rate and a strong 23.4 percent weak-contact rate. President of baseball ops John Mozeliak tells Hummel that he’s long been excited about “Tui,” but the righty simply hasn’t had consistent opportunities until late in the year. “I think he finished strong, and I think he helped himself,” said Mozeliak.
  • While the Cardinals’ bullpen gets much of the blame for the team missing the postseason, Bernie Miklasz of ESPN 101 points out that St. Louis relievers ranked well in both ERA and Win Probability Added — even late in the year after the loss of Trevor Rosenthal. However, the starting rotation faltered significantly, Miklasz writes, failing to make it to the fifth inning in six of the team’s final 13 games and posting an ERA just shy of 5.00 over the Cardinals’ final 42 games of the year. While there’s undoubtedly work to be done in the ’pen this winter, the rotation indeed looks like an area in need of reinforcements as well. Lance Lynn is set to hit the open market, and Adam Wainwright is undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery tomorrow — further creating uncertainty on the starting staff.

Phillies Notes: Galvis, Hernandez, Bowa, Mackanin

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Freddy Galvis’ pinch-hit double for the Phillies on Sunday may very well have been his final plate appearance with the team, writes CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury. Top prospect J.P. Crawford arrived in the Majors in September, and while he hardly set the world on fire with the bat (.214/.356/.300 in 87 plate appearances), he still could land the team’s Opening Day shortstop job next year. It’s likely that general manager Matt Klentak will shop both Galvis and second baseman Cesar Hernandez this winter, writes Salisbury, as the team will want to get a look at its potential middle infield of the future — Crawford and top second base prospect Scott Kingery — in 2018.

Galvis, 27, posted an uninspiring .255/.309/.382 batting line in 2017 but played in all 162 games and has generally received strong marks for his glovework at short. He’ll be due a raise on this year’s $4.35MM salary and is controlled through 2018. Hernandez, meanwhile, posted a .294 average that is identical to his 2016 mark with a .373 OBP (up marginally from .371) with improved power output. After slugging .393 last year, the 27-year-old slugged .421 with 26 doubles, six triples and nine homers in 2017. A solid defender himself, Hernandez is controlled through 2020 and will be arb-eligible for the first time this winter.

More on the Phils…

  • The Phillies have informed bench coach Larry Bowa that they want him to remain in the organization next year, reports Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. However, it doesn’t seem likely that it’d be in the same role, as the team has also informed the coaching staff that whoever is hired as Pete Mackanin’s replacement in the dugout will have the ability to name his own staff. Bowa could be retained as an instructor at multiple minor league levels next year, per Brookover, though he’s yet to make a decision and likely won’t do so until he meets with the team later this week. Bowa could certainly have value in that capacity; Galvis told Salisbury in the previously linked column that Bowa played a significant role in honing his own defensive skills.
  • Recently dismissed manager Pete Mackanin spoke to MLB.com’s Ben Harris about his new role in the Phillies’ front office as a special assistant to Klentak. In his new role, Mackanin will evaluate players both in the Phillies organization and on other teams to help the front office in trade decisions, and he more generally stated that he’ll be an advisor to Klentak and his staff on a variety of baseball operations issues. As Mackanin points out, he’s played, coached and managed in both the minors and Majors in addition to previous work as a big league scout, so he’ll have plenty of experience to offer the Phillies. Mackanin revealed that he’s been given permission to pursue other opportunities with other teams if presented, but the 66-year-old also suggested that he doesn’t have plans to do so. “I would truly like to be here when this team wins,” he said.

Quick Hits: Otani, Rangers, Rays, Cozart, Paulino

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Little is known about Shohei Otani’s preferred destination if he makes the jump to Major League Baseball this offseason, though in a profile of the two-way star, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times wonders if Otani’s reputation as a “yakyu shonen” (as Hernandez puts it, “basically, a kid who lives, eats and breathes baseball”) could provide some hints.  Otani is believed to be intent on coming to MLB for competitive reasons given his outward lack of interest in money.  For this same reason, Otani may not necessarily be swayed by a wealthy team like the Dodgers or Yankees, according to Hiroshi Sasaki, Otani’s former high school coach.  When choosing schools, Otani chose to play for a lower-profile high school closer to home rather than accept offers from larger programs.

Here’s more from around baseball as we head into the postseason…

  • The Rangers seem like one of the four or five teams most likely to sign Otani, and possibly the favorite “if it comes down to the dollars available and a college-recruiting like pitch,” Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes as part of a reader chat.  Still, Grant doesn’t believe any team has more than a 15-18% chance of signing Otani, since any number of factors could influence his choice.
  • Perhaps with this in mind, the Rays are also “sincere” about their interest in Otani, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  The Rays usually don’t have the financial resources to compete for blue-chip international talent, though Otani’s situation presents a unique opportunity.  The Rays can offer Otani a chance to both pitch and hit, and they can point to their willingness to let fourth overall pick Brendan McKay be a two-way player as an example of their flexibility.
  • The Nationals have shown interest in Zack Cozart in the past and could be a fit for the free agent shortstop this winter, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe opines.  It may hinge on whether or not the Reds issue Cozart a qualifying offer, though if the Nats did make a move, Cozart would take over at short and Trea Turner could shift to center field.  (This would also move Adam Eaton to left field to replace free agent Jayson Werth.)  Defensive metrics indicate that Turner’s glovework is better as a shortstop than as a center fielder, though it may still be too early in Turner’s young career to make that call one way or the other.  Cozart, of course, is one of the game’s better defenders and is coming off an outstanding season at the plate.
  • Astros righty David Paulino recently underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his throwing elbow but is expected to be ready for Spring Training, the team announced (MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart has the details).  Paulino was placed on the 60-day DL just as he was eligible to be activated following an 80-game PED suspension.  The 23-year-old was cited on top-100 prospect lists from Baseball America (51st), MLB.com (54th) and Baseball Prospectus (83rd) prior to the season and he has gotten cups of coffee in each of Houston’s last two seasons, with a 6.25 ERA over 36 big-league innings.

Mets Notes: Alderson, Warthen, Payroll

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The latest from Citi Field…

  • Sandy Alderson said he’ll be back with the Mets next season, the general manager told Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News and other reporters.  It has been widely expected that Alderson would return to the front office in 2018 even though his contract is up at the end of this season.  (There have been no details about an extension, and one may not yet exist, other than perhaps a handshake deal between Alderson and Mets ownership.)  There is some question as to whether or not Alderson will continue as GM, as there have been rumors that assistant general manager John Rizzo could take a larger role in the baseball operations department.  “I am very happy with the [front office] personnel we have.  The question is do we have the right organization structure, do we have all the right things that a season like this would cause us to take a look at.”
  • Noah Syndergaard gave pitching coach Dan Warthen a strong vote of confidence, telling Ackert and other reporters that “in my opinion, I think he is what’s best for our pitching staff and I want him to be my pitching coach for the remainder of my career.”  With a managerial change in the offing, there has naturally been speculation about the Mets’ coaching staff, with Warthen potentially on the way out after nine and a half years as the pitching coach.
  • Better health (especially with the starting rotation) is the biggest roster concern facing the Mets, Alderson said, via James Wagner of the New York Times.  The Mets’ offseason shopping list includes one or two hitters and Alderson likes the “foundation of the bullpen,” which could imply that New York will be looking for complementary arms to build around AJ Ramos, Jeurys Familia and Jerry Blevins.
  • The Mets are likely to cut salaries for next season, with Joel Sherman of the New York Post hearing that the payroll would drop as much as $20MM from their Opening Day 2017 payroll of just under $155MM.  Sherman lists five offseason moves the Mets could make while spending modestly, including getting mid-tier relievers or innings-eatings starters, addressing second and third base (including exercising Asdrubal Cabrera’s club option) and installing Juan Lagares as the regular center fielder to upgrade the outfield defense.

Central Notes: Jaso, Montoyo, Tigers, Carpenter, White Sox

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John Jaso may have played his last big league game, he told reporters (including Elizabeth Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and MLB.com’s Adam Berry) following the Pirates’ season-ender today.  “Honestly, this is probably it for me, as far as baseball goes,” the veteran utilityman said, though he stopped short of entirely confirming his retirement.  “We’ll see. I mean I can’t say anything for sure. I can’t really tell you what the future holds or whatever. But if I left now, it would be a really good feeling to leave right now, if I did. These last couple of years with the Pirates were good. It’s just taking that step and being brave enough to do it. For most of us, this is all we know. There’s a lot of those ’what ifs’ and ’buts’ and everything like that. That stuff kind of scares you when you have to make a decision like this. There’s a lot of excitement out there that I’m looking forward to. I feel ready to make that step.”

If this is it for Jaso, the 34-year-old will be hanging up the spikes after 2591 career PA over parts of nine seasons with the Rays, Mariners, A’s and (for the last two seasons) Pirates.  Injuries and struggles against left-handed pitching limited Jaso’s usage as an everyday player, though he was very productive in various part-time capacities.  Jaso posted good career splits against right-handed pitching and was an above-average run producer overall in six of his eight full seasons, finishing with a 115 wRC+ for his career.  If this it for Jaso, we wish him congratulations on a fine career and we tip our hats to his most immediate postseason endeavor — helping with relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

Here’s the latest from both the NL and AL Central…

  • The Tigers have asked the Rays about third base coach Charlie Montoyo, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (Twitter links).  It’s hard to know where Montoyo sits on the Tigers’ list of managerial candidates due to the sheer number of names in their search; according to Heyman, Detroit began the process with around 50 names under consideration.  Montoyo, who has also drawn interest from the Mets, has been Tampa’s third base coach for three seasons and a manager at all rungs of their minor league system from 1997-2014.
  • Matt Carpenter won’t require surgery on his right shoulder, he tells MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch (Twitter link).  An MRI revealed only inflammation in the shoulder, which has been a nagging concern for the Cardinals infielder.  Possibly due to the injury, Carpenter saw drops in his batting average and slugging percentage from his previous two seasons, though he was still quite productive, hitting .241/.384/.451 with 23 home runs over 622 plate appearances for St. Louis.
  • The rebuilding process for the White Sox has gone according to plan thus far, though as CSN Chicago’s Dan Hayes writes, the team has another long year ahead of it next season.  “We know we might be entering a slightly more difficult phase of this rebuild, and that is the phase where we have to allow this talent the time and patience to develop….We’re going to have to remain diligent and realize that this isn’t about any individual player or any individual season, this is about building something for the long term,” GM Rick Hahn said.  “For this next phase, that’s going to require player development to play its important role and for us to have patience in Chicago that would allow that to unfold.”
  • Earlier today on MLBTR, we checked in with more notes from both Central divisions, including items on the Royals, Indians, Cardinals and Tigers.

Twins Notes: Sano, Colon, Perkins

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A players-only meeting in the aftermath of the trade deadline may have been the turning point in the Twins’ season, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes.  A July slump led the club’s front office to deal Brandon Kintzler and Jaime Garcia at the deadline, leaving the clubhouse feeling “angry,” in the words of Byron Buxton.  The meeting, led by Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier, lasted only 10-15 minutes and “I think the biggest thing in the meeting was to direct that anger or whatever feeling in a positive way,” Mauer said.  The message certainly seemed to sink in, as the Twins turned things around in a big way and are now headed to the AL Wild Card game.

Here’s more from Target Field…

  • Miguel Sano is “still having discomfort” in his ailing left shin, manager Paul Molitor told Berardino and other reporters today.  The slugger felt some soreness while lightly running out a grounder in the fifth inning today and didn’t return to the game.  It is still very much up in the air as to whether or not Sano will be activated for the Wild Card game, as GM Thad Levine said that the club may use every minute until the 9am CT deadline on Tuesday to finalize their roster for the game against the Yankees.  Sano has gone 1-for-8 since returning from the DL, and as Berardino notes, “has yet to hit a ball in the air.”
  • To honor a promise to his late mother, Bartolo Colon intends to pitch in 2018, the right-hander told reporters, including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger and Michael Clair.  “That’s the goal.  That’s what I promised my old lady and that’s what I want to do,” Colon said.  Colon earned the 240th victory of his 20-year career today, and he received a standing ovation from Twins fans when he was removed from the game in the seventh inning just in case this is the end of the road for the 44-year-old.  After several effective years that belied his age, Colon finally showed signs of declining this season, posting a 6.48 ERA over 143 innings with the Twins and Braves.
  • Glen Perkins was emotional after what may have been his final big league game on Saturday, as MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger writes that Perkins has said that he’d consider retiring if he can’t return to the Twins next season.  The St. Paul-born Perkins has spent his entire career with his hometown team, and only just returned to the mound in August after missing over 16 months due to shoulder surgery.  The Twins will surely buy Perkins out for $700K rather than exercise their $6.5MM club option on his services for 2018, though there’s a chance he could return on a minor league contract.

First-Round Order For 2018 MLB Draft

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With the regular season now complete, we now know the order for the first round of the 2018 amateur draft.  As always, the draft order is determined by the reverse order of the standings.  When two or more teams share the same record, the team that had the lesser record in the 2016 season gets the higher pick in the 2018 draft.

This is why the Tigers will pick first overall in June, even though Detroit and San Francisco both finished with identical 64-98 records — the Tigers were 86-75 to the Giants’ 87-75 in 2016.  This will be the second time in franchise history that Detroit has held the 1-1 selection.  Back in 1997, Detroit took hard-throwing right-hander Matt Anderson first overall, a pick that ultimately proved to be a bust as Anderson struggled with injuries and control problems.

Here is the full draft order for all 30 teams…

1. Tigers (64-98)
2. Giants (64-98)
3. Phillies (66-96)
4. White Sox (67-95)
5. Reds (68-94)
6. Mets (70-92)
7. Padres (71-91)
8. Braves (72-90)
9. Athletics (75-87)
10. Pirates (75-87)
11. Orioles (75-87)
12. Blue Jays (76-86)
13. Marlins (77-85)
14. Mariners (78-84)
15. Rangers (78-84)
16. Rays (80-82)
17. Angels (80-82)
18. Royals (80-82)
19. Cardinals (83-79)
20. Twins (85-77)
21. Brewers (86-76)
22. Rockies (87-75)
23. Yankees (91-71)
24. Cubs (92-70)
25. Diamondbacks (93-69)
26. Red Sox (93-69)
27. Nationals (97-65)
28. Astros (101-61)
29. Indians (102-60)
30. Dodgers (104-58)

In past years, teams that signed a qualifying offer-rejecting free agent would have to give up their first-round pick as compensation.  Under the new collective bargaining agreement, however, first rounders are now automatically protected.  The highest draft pick that a team could have to surrender in order to sign a QO free agent would be its second-highest selection (so either a first-round sandwich pick given as compensation for losing a QO free agent, or an actual second-rounder).

The full draft order won’t be known under all of the qualifying offer free agents have been signed.  The 16 teams who qualify for revenue-sharing can obtain a compensatory draft pick after the first round if any of their free agents rejects the QO and then signs elsewhere for $50MM or more in guaranteed money.  The Royals look like the most notable team to watch in this regard, with as many as three compensation picks potentially headed their way — Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas are all lined up to receive (and reject) qualifying offers and then get lucrative contracts on the open market.

NL Notes: Brewers, Scherzer, McCutchen, Cards, Dodgers

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The Brewers’ impending free agents – infielders Neil Walker and Eric Sogard, reliever Anthony Swarzak and starter Matt Garza – spoke about their futures Sunday with Adam McCalvy of MLB.com and other reporters. Walker, the most noteworthy of the bunch, suggested that he’s keen on testing the open market in the offseason, though the August trade acquisitions did note that Milwaukee “is the type of team I’m going to be looking at. One that’s ready to win now and one that I can help.” Sogard and Swarzak made it clear they’d like to return to the Brewers, meanwhile, with the latter saying: “There’s still room to get better, and hopefully everybody in Brewers Nation gets to see a better Anthony Swarzak next year, because I want to stay here. I want to make another push here.”

While there’s clearly more baseball ahead of Walker, Sogard and Swarzak, the elder statesman of the group, Garza, admitted that his career could be at an end. The soon-to-be 34-year-old Garza acknowledged that he has struggled over the past couple seasons and said he’s “not expecting much” in the way of offers during the winter. Garza is wrapping up the four-year, $50MM contract he inked with the Brewers prior to the 2014 campaign. The righty made 96 appearances (93 starts) as a Brewer and logged a 4.65 ERA/4.38 FIP with the team.

More from the National League:

  • The MRI that Nationals ace Max Scherzer underwent on his right hamstring after he exited Saturday’s start only showed a minor tweak, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post was among those to report (Twitter links). The Cy Young hopeful is unsure if he’ll be able to take the ball for Game 1 of the NLDS against the Cubs on Friday, but he looked “normal” when playing catch before the Nationals’ game Sunday, Janes observes.
  • Andrew McCutchen will remain in center field if he’s still on the Pirates next year, general manager Neal Huntington told Adam Berry of MLB.com and other media Sunday. From 2009-16, McCutchen lined up exclusively in center field, but after an especially poor showing in the grass last year, the Pirates shifted him to right in favor of Starling Marte. McCutchen took over again in center after Major League Baseball gave Marte an 80-game suspension in April for using performance-enhancing drugs and never relinquished the position. For the fourth year in a row, advanced metrics gave unfavorable reviews to McCutchen’s work in center (minus-14 Defensive Runs Saved, minus-4.4 Ultimate Zone Rating), but he did have a bounce-back season at the plate after a down 2016. Looking ahead to the offseason, picking up McCutchen’s $14.5MM club option for 2018, his final year of team control, should be a no-brainer for the Pirates. However, it’s possible they’ll shop him again after doing so last winter.
  • Cardinals righty Adam Wainwright will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his pitching elbow on Tuesday, per Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The procedure won’t jeopardize Wainwright’s spring training availability or his spot in the Redbirds’ rotation next year, according to manager Mike Matheny. Wainwright went on the disabled list with an elbow impingement Aug. 18 and only pitched one more time in 2017, on Sept. 23. The former ace finished the season with a career-worst ERA and walk rate (5.11 and 3.28, respectively) over 123 1/3 innings.
  • The Dodgers won’t have left-handed reliever Luis Avilan for their NLDS matchup with the Diamondbacks or Rockies, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets. Avilan has been shelved since Sept. 21 with a sore shoulder. He contributed 46 innings of 2.61 ERA ball and posted 10.17 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9, with a 53.8 percent groundball rate, during the regular season. Avilan was particularly tough on same-handed hitters, holding them to a .195/.290/.280 line.

Terry Collins To Step Down As Mets’ Manager, Move To Front Office

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Terry Collins will resign as the Mets’ manager after Sunday’s game and shift to the team’s front office, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (on Twitter).

Terry Collins

Collins’ exit from the Mets’ dugout comes as no surprise, as the expectation was that the team would part with him on the heels of a tumultuous, injury-laden season. The 68-year-old has overseen a 70-91 club this season, one that entered 2017 with championship aspirations. Along the way, Collins reportedly lost the favor of some of the Mets’ front office decision makers and players.

While this will go down as a Murphy’s Law season for Collins and the Mets, his tenure as the team’s manager was successful overall. The Mets hired Collins and general manager Sandy Alderson after the 2010 season and have since posted a sub-.500 record (550-582), but they went to the playoffs twice in a row in 2015-16 for just the second time in franchise history. The high point of the Collins era was the Mets’ NL pennant-winning season in 2015, when the Royals upended them in five games to claim a World Series title.

Before taking the reins in New York, Collins managed the Astros from 1994-96 and the Angels between 1997-99. He mustered a plus-.500 record in Houston (224-197), the only place he achieved that feat. All told, Collins entered Sunday with a 995-1,016 mark across 13 seasons as a big league manager.

As is the case with Collins, Alderson is in a contract year. He’s expected to remain in his post, though, and will oversee the hiring of the Mets’ next manager. New York has already reached out to potential Collins replacements, and there have been reports linking the club to Rays third base coach Charlie Montoyo and former or current Mets Robin Ventura, Alex Cora, Kevin Long, Bob Geren, and Chip Hale.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AL Notes: Orioles, Donaldson, Molitor, Tigers

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Speaking with reporters Sunday, Orioles general manager Dan Duquette confirmed that the team will attempt to return to contention, not rebuild, in 2018. That means neither third baseman Manny Machado nor reliever Zach Britton will be  on the trade market in the offseason. Both players are scheduled to become free agents after next season, but Duquette unsurprisingly revealed that the Orioles will consider trying to extend Machado over the winter. Given that Machado’s a year from potentially collecting a record contract on the open market, it’s difficult to imagine the 25-year-old re-signing in the coming months. From a team standpoint, the positive contributions of Machado and other position players largely went to waste this year on account of poor pitching. With that in mind, Duquette said that the Orioles will focus on improving their rotation in the offseason, adding that they’ll have the ability to upgrade via free agency (Twitter links via Rich Dubroff of PressBoxOnline.com, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com and Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun).

More from around the American League:

  • Machado isn’t the only superstar third baseman in the AL East who has one year left on his contract. The Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson is in the same situation, but if the soon-to-be 32-year-old gets his way, he’ll remain in Toronto for the long haul. Donaldson said Sunday that he’d “be tickled pink” to finish his career as a Jay, per Hazel Mae of Sportsnet (Twitter link). He also revealed, via Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, that he met with GM Ross Atkins to “let him know where I stand and where I stand is I want to be a Blue Jay.” There were no contract negotiations during the meeting, according to Donaldson, and Atkins was reluctant to share details of their discussion. “I can tell you I love Josh Donaldson as a player, he’s been a great teammate, really smart, interesting person, dynamic personality, he’s been great for this organization,” said Atkins. Check out Davidi’s piece for more quotes from Donaldson and Atkins.
  • The Twins have surprised this year en route to a playoff berth, but Paul Molitor still doesn’t know if he’ll be the team’s manager in 2018, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press writes. Molitor is unsigned past this season, and his fate will rest with the decision-making duo of chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine. Those two were not at the helm when the Twins hired Molitor prior to the 2015 season. That was ex-GM Terry Ryan, who’s now an employee of a Philadelphia team that happens to be looking for a manager, as Berardino notes.
  • The Tigers have conducted interviews for their vacant managerial post this weekend with hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, first base coach Omar Vizquel and third base coach Dave Clark, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports (on Twitter). General manager Al Avila will begin interviewing outside candidates next week, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com tweets.

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