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Offseason In Review: Washington Nationals

By Jeff Todd | April 10, 2017 at 8:08pm CDT

This is the latest entry in MLBTR’s Offseason In Review series. The full index of Offseason In Review posts can be found here.

For the third time in five years, the 2016 Nats followed up on their NL East crown with a first-round departure from the postseason. And yet again, the club endeavored this winter to build around one of the game’s best core groups of talent.

Major League Signings

  • Matt Wieters, C: two years, $21MM (can opt out after 2017)
  • Joe Blanton, RP: one year, $4MM
  • Stephen Drew, IF: one year, $3.5MM
  • Adam Lind, 1B: one year, $1.5MM (includes $500K buyout on $5MM mutual option)
  • Chris Heisey, OF: one year, $1.4MM
  • Total spend: $31.4MM.

Trades And Claims

  • Acquired OF Adam Eaton from White Sox in exchange for SP Lucas Giolito, SP Reynaldo Lopez, SP Dane Dunning
  • Acquired C Derek Norris (later released) from Padres in exchange for SP Pedro Avila
  • Acquired RP Enny Romero from Rays in exchange for SP Jeffrey Rosa
  • Acquired SP Kyle McGowin and RP Austin Adams from Angels in exchange for IF Danny Espinosa
  • Acquired RP Jimmy Cordero from Phillies in exchange for PTBNL (RP Mario Sanchez)

Options Exercised

  • Gio Gonzalez, SP: one year, $12MM

Notable Minor League Signings

  • Matt Albers (released & re-signed), Aaron Barrett, Joey Butler, Tim Collins, Neal Cotts, Grant Green, Jeremy Guthrie, John Lannan, Josh Outman, Joe Nathan (released & re-signed), Jhonatan Solano, Jacob Turner, Vance Worley (released)

Notable Losses

  • Matt Belisle, Espinosa, Giolito, Lopez, Mark Melancon, Wilson Ramos, Ben Revere (non-tendered), Marc Rzepczynski

Nationals Roster; Nationals Payroll Information

Needs Addressed

Getting over the hump in the postseason is not a straightforward matter. The Nationals lost a tight NLDS series last year, much as they did in their two prior efforts. For top baseball exec Mike Rizzo and his staff, there was little reason to do more this winter than to keep adding around a talented core at the major league level.

While there was no glaring area that the team failed in last year, there were needs that opened as the offseason got underway. But the organization wasn’t just interested in filling holes; it came into the winter looking to add impact talent.

Thus it was that Washington pushed hard for a deal to land ace lefty Chris Sale from the White Sox, losing out in a classic Winter Meetings bidding war to the Red Sox. While starting pitching was hardly an area of need, plugging Sale into the already formidable staff would’ve added another high-end player. Missing on him, then, did not mean checking down to another rotation option.

Instead, when the Sale pursuit fell through, the club pivoted quickly to outfielder Adam Eaton. With the groundwork already laid with Chicago, a deal came together in short order. Three talented young hurlers — Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Dane Dunning — were shipped out to pick up five years of bargain-rate control over the 28-year-old Eaton. We’ll take a closer look at that swap in the “deal of note” section below.

Eaton will return to center in D.C. He’s best-suited to right, but ought to be at least an average defender in center. Plugging him there meant moving exciting youngster Trea Turner to his native shortstop, which in turn would’ve meant a return to the bench for Danny Espinosa. Instead, the Nats shipped him out to the Angels and went on to re-sign Stephen Drew to function as the primary reserve infielder. Prospect Wilmer Difo is also available should a need arise in the infield.

While pursuing Eaton, the Nationals reportedly also sought to grab veteran closer David Robertson from the Sox. The Nats had already failed to re-sign Mark Melancon — the 2016 deadline acquisition whose departure created an opening in the 9th — and would soon fall short in a bid to draw Kenley Jansen from the Dodgers.

The closer’s role thus became an ongoing saga over the course of the winter, perhaps drawing added attention owing to the team’s recent ups and downs at the position. It seemed at times that a match on Robertson was nearly inevitable, and some reports suggest that ownership nixed a deal. In the end, though, the Nationals held off on a big move, instead holding a competition in camp.

The club ultimately chose Blake Treinen and his power sinker over a roll of the dice on youngster Koda Glover. That seemed underwhelming to some, and constitutes a risk of sorts, particularly given Treinen’s sometimes-spotty command. But he certainly possesses a closer’s arsenal — a mid-to-upper nineties fastball with tons of movement, a wipeout slider, and a change that he can go to when needed — and could round into a quality closer. If not, Glover could earn a shot or yet another mid-season move could follow.

Washington didn’t end up holding pat entirely in the pen. The club made a late move to add Joe Blanton, who was a quality set-up man last year for the Dodgers and cost just $4MM. And Enny Romero, acquired in a minor trade earlier in the winter, represents another huge arm from the left side. He’ll step into the void created when Felipe Rivero was sent out to acquire Melancon, though whether he can harness his power stuff remains to be seen. The Nats also brought in a variety of veteran minor-league free agents to bolster the depth and provide some camp competition.

The other major question entering the winter was what the Nationals would do at the catching position. Wilson Ramos left without compensation — he wasn’t made a qualifying offer — after his breakout season was ended with a second ACL tear. The Nats moved quickly to add Derek Norris, but never seemed fully committed to pairing him with Jose Lobaton and weren’t quite ready to turn things over to light-hitting defensive star Pedro Severino.

At the same time, veteran receiver Matt Wieters languished on the market. Given the longstanding relationship between agent Scott Boras and the Nationals’ ownership group, it came as little surprise when the sides finally lined up. While the price seems fair enough despite Wieters’s underwhelming results of late, there was an argument to be made that the club would have been just as well off sticking with Norris. Instead, he was released, meaning the team paid him about one-sixth of his $4.2MM arb salary and parted with prospect Pedro Avila in order to carry Norris as an insurance policy over the spring.

"AprBrad Mills-USA TODAY Sports” width=”241″ height=”300″ />

There’s not a ton of upside in the Wieters deal, since he can opt out if he has a strong 2017 season and will not be eligible to receive a qualifying offer. But the Nationals obviously felt it was worth the premium to add the respected veteran; time will tell whether that was a wise choice.

The short-term veteran additions carried over to other areas as well. Adam Lind will take over for Clint Robinson as the lefty bench bat and reserve first baseman; he’d be a bargain with his $1.5MM guarantee if he can return to anything approaching his 2013-15 form. And Chris Heisey will return to reprise his role as an extra outfielder and righty pinch-hitting option.

Questions Remaining

As befits their status as a reigning division champ and favorite to return to the postseason in 2017, the Nationals don’t have any glaring holes on the roster. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some areas of potential concern.

Let’s start with the bullpen, which has fans wringing their hands already just a few games in. Treinen has had a few hiccups, as have Glover and others. It’s too soon to reach any judgments, of course, but the ninth inning will be watched closely and the trade deadline could seem far away if at least one member of that duo can’t consistently lock up games late.

Truth be told, the rest of the pen look solid on paper. But Shawn Kelley is being handled with care, especially after departing his last postseason outing with what seemed at the time to be a scary arm issue. Blanton is 36 years old and may have worn down late last year. From the left side, Sammy Solis has had his share of health issues, Romero has yet to show he has the command to pitch in the majors, and one wonders how long Oliver Perez can continue to beguile opposing hitters.

Jeremy Guthrie seemed likely to take a slot in the pen as a long man after making one start, but a disastrous outing led to a quick DFA. He has been replaced by Matt Albers for the time being. In terms of depth, there aren’t many proven commodities waiting at Triple-A, though there are some options. Trevor Gott still hasn’t produced results in D.C. despite his big fastball; other 40-man members include Rafael Martin, Austin Adams, Jimmy Cordero, and Matt Grace, while a few veterans such as Neal Cotts and Joe Nathan are also on hand if there’s a need.

The depth is perhaps of greater concern in the rotation, which looks to be a solid unit 1 through 5. Max Scherzer answered most of the questions about his health — he’s recovering from a finger fracture — with a strong first outing. But Stephen Strasburg remains a long-term health risk after missing time again with a forearm injury late in 2016. Gio Gonzalez is coming off of a down year and remains inconsistent, while Tanner Roark seems a solid starter who’s also a good bet to regress somewhat after a stellar campaign. And Joe Ross — who is in Triple-A to open the year but ought to be called upon soon — has experienced shoulder issues at times.

If any of those pitchers goes down, it’s an open question how the Nats will proceed. Guthrie had seemingly been slated to serve as a swingman, but it’s unclear whether he’ll remain in the organization. The next man up could be A.J. Cole, who was once seen as a top prospect but who has yet to show he can take the final step. Austin Voth has generated quality results in the upper minors, but it’s unclear whether he can do the same in the bigs. The Nats parted with minor-league signee Vance Worley late in camp, so reclamation project Jacob Turner is likely the top non-roster starter remaining.

There’s little doubt of the talent level in the lineup, which features established hitters at just about every position. But Bryce Harper needs to show that 2016 was a blip — he’s off to a promising start, and seems healthy after some strange questions about his shoulder — and Turner will try to show he can sustain his incredible performance from his rookie year. (The latter is now shelved with a hamstring strain, though the hope is it’s not a major issue.) Eaton’s ability to handle center is somewhat in question, though that’s not a huge concern and the team could utilize Michael Taylor or Brian Goodwin at times if there’s a need for more glove. Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy were outstanding last year, but the former has shown some fragility at times and the latter will be looking to sustain levels of production that greatly exceeded his career mean.

For the most part, it’s picking at nits at those positions. The Nats have greater concerns at the three remaining spots on the diamond. Left fielder Jayson Werth is closing in on his 38th birthday and hasn’t hit much in the past two seasons. The same is true of Zimmerman, whose production fell off a cliff (.218/.272/.370) in 2016. Both he and Werth have had their share of injury troubles over the years, and they’ll both need to stay healthy while increasing their output as they age for the team to reach its potential. While Lind is a nice piece as a reserve/platoon first baseman, he’ll be stretched if he’s asked to play the outfield or hit against left-handed pitching. And then there’s the catching position, where Wieters and Jose Lobaton look like a good-enough, but hardly overwhelming unit. Both are potential free agents at season’s end, so there’s plenty of incentive, and Severino is about as good a backup plan as any team has behind the dish.

Deal Of Note

The Nats’ acquisition of Eaton drew its share of negative attention, with many focusing on the fact that Eaton isn’t exactly a tools-laden superstar. But he’s a highly valuable player, particularly given his contract rights, and the deal lines up as a reasonably fair one on paper.

That’s not to say that it doesn’t hurt to lose the arms, of course, though it’s far from clear whether any member of the trio will be an impact major league starter. Giolito had solid numbers in the upper minors last year, but showed less velocity than expected and was hit hard in a brief big league stint. The Nats achieved tremendous value in nabbing him with the 16th pick of the 2012 draft, but seemingly soured on him. Clearly, he was no longer seen as the type of surefire ace that he had been characterized as this time last year.

Lopez came to the Nats with decidedly less fanfare as a low-key international signee, but turned himself into a top-flight prospect who arguably bypassed Giolito. He, too, showed well in his first stints at Double-A and Triple-A, but didn’t quite dominate upon ascending to the bigs. But he averaged 95.8 mph with his fastball in the majors and was trusted with a postseason roster spot. The question with Lopez has always been whether he’d stick in the rotation or turn into a late-inning power arm; that’ll be answered in Chicago at some point in the coming years.

It’d be a mistake to overlook Dunning, who was seen by many as a nice value after being overshadowed as a collegiate pitcher in a talented staff at the University of Florida. The 22-year-old showed well in his first foray into the professional ranks, though he’s a few years away from the big leagues.

Sacrificing those pitchers not only meant losing a lot of future control rights, but also changed the depth calculus for the 2017 season. Giolito and Lopez probably wouldn’t have cracked the Opening Day roster, but both would have been in contention for call-ups at any stage during the year after dipping their toes in the waters in 2016. As noted above, there are at least some questions regarding the Nats’ pitching depth; to be fair, though, the club also enjoys rather lengthy control rights over its existing starters.

Apr 5, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Adam Eaton (2) scores from first base on a double by right fielder Bryce Harper against the Miami Marlins during the fourth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

So, was it worth it? As ever, that’ll be evaluated over a long period of time, particularly given the fact that Eaton’s value is so wrapped up in his contract. In essence, he’s an established star who’s being paid more like an arb-eligible player. He’s guaranteed just $18.4MM over the next three campaigns and can be controlled for a total of $20MM (with $3MM in total buyouts) for two more years. That brings the possible tab to less than forty million bucks to control Eaton’s age-28 through age-32 campaigns.

Eaton doesn’t hit a lot of long balls and doesn’t swipe a lot of bags; he has landed in the teens in both counting stats in recent years. He walks only at an average rate. But he has been remarkably steady since establishing himself as a full-time player. Eaton has posted .362, .361, and .362 OBPs in his last three years while landing at identical .144 isolated slugging marks and popping 14 long balls apiece in the past two — establishing a new power benchmark after showing little pop previously. And he has been worth between four and five runs a year on the bases in his prior two campaigns, as well.

In a way, the major open question on Eaton is the glove — both in terms of general quality and his function to the Nats. Metrics split on his work in center in 2014 — DRS loved him (+11) while UZR was not a fan (-3.3) — but agreed he struggled there in the ensuing season. Then came a move to right, where Eaton rated as an elite defender — in terms of both his throwing arm and range — by measure of both major defensive ratings in 2016. The difference? In 2015, he rated as a three-to-four win player. Last year, he check in with about six WAR.

Clearly, the Nationals believe he’ll handle center capably enough, since that’s where he’s headed to open his tenure with his new club. But the fact that he has shown such capability in a corner spot also allows some flexibility moving forward. Werth’s contract is up this year, while Harper is slated for free agency after 2018. Importantly, the club managed to hang onto top prospect Victor Robles this winter; he could one day be a superstar in center, with Eaton lining up beside him.

They say you have to give value to get it, and that’s typically the case. Clearly, the Nationals did so here. But given the organization’s slate of quality veterans, it made sense to prioritize the near-term. And adding Eaton not only filled a need, but did so in a way that left the team with plenty of future value and won’t fill up much future payroll space — a heightened concern given the big guarantees made to Scherzer and Strasburg, the still-open question of Harper’s future, and the ongoing MASN television rights fees dispute that has forced the Nats to backload many of their major contracts.

Overview

There’s still a lot to like about the Nats as they try once again to break through with their long window of contention. But the questions never stop coming, and there’s a big one on the horizon with Harper. The team’s decision to make him a stunning arbitration raise hints that the pocketbooks could open up for a player who has been — and may be again — among the game’s best. As things stand, though, time’s a-wastin’ on winning while the phenom is in D.C., and the club will likely be aggressive in filling any needs that arise during the season.

So, how do you think the Nats handled the winter? (Link to poll for mobile app users.)

How would you grade the Nationals' offseason?
B 41.64% (777 votes)
C 31.99% (597 votes)
D 9.86% (184 votes)
A 8.68% (162 votes)
F 7.82% (146 votes)
Total Votes: 1,866

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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2016-17 Offseason In Review MLBTR Originals Washington Nationals

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Dodgers Acquire Joe Gunkel

By Jeff Todd | April 10, 2017 at 7:04pm CDT

The Dodgers have acquired righty Joe Gunkel from the Orioles, per a club announcement. Los Angeles will send cash or a player to be named later in return.

Gunkel was designated for assignment recently by Baltimore, after the club claimed young fireballer Miguel Castro. Now, he’ll became the latest hurler to make the move to the Dodgers, who are seemingly always gathering rotation depth.

The 25-year-old had a notable 2015 season. After moving from the Red Sox to the O’s via trade, Gunkel threw 104 1/3 innings of 2.59 ERA ball with 6.0 K/9 against only 1.3 BB/9. He continued to exhibit elite command last year, but gave up quite a few more hits and earned runs while working to a 4.02 ERA in 161 innings — most of them at Triple-A.

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David Wright Resumes Throwing

By Jeff Todd | April 10, 2017 at 5:44pm CDT

Mets third baseman David Wright has finally been cleared to pick up a baseball and resume throwing, as Mike Puma of the New York Post reports on Twitter. For now, he’s just throwing softly in an effort to slowly build up arm strength.

Last we checked in, about five weeks back, Wright was forced to stop throwing with no clear timeline to resume. Instead of taking part in baseball activities, the veteran said he’d work on strengthening his impinged shoulder. Wright had been able to swing the bat all spring, but was having issues with throwing as he attempted to move towards taking the field.

Of course, the shoulder issue is only the latest in a string of health problems for the 34-year-old Wright. Previously, a neck issue arose as he was working to return from a chronic back condition. In the aggregate, there remain many obstacles for Wright to clear before he’ll be introduced at Citi Field.

It’d be hard to say the Mets weren’t aware of the possibility of an absence from Wright entering last offseason; indeed, the team built in some depth to ensure such a loss wouldn’t be crippling. At this point, anything that Wright can contribute will be something of a bonus for New York, which can currently cover third base with a mix including Jose Reyes, Wilmer Flores, and T.J. Rivera.

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Phillies To Use Joaquin Benoit As Closer

By Steve Adams | April 10, 2017 at 3:44pm CDT

The Phillies have made a change in the ninth inning and will use veteran right-hander Joaquin Benoit to close out games “for the time being,” manager Pete Mackanin told reporters today (Twitter link via Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com).

[Related: Updated Phillies depth chart]

The change comes on the heels of a dreadful run for 2016 closer Jeanmar Gomez, who figures to slide into a lower-leverage role as he looks to bounce back. Dating back to last year’s All-Star break, Gomez has surrendered 30 runs on 47 hits and 13 walks in 30 innings of work. He’s managed a respectable 25 strikeouts and 47.7 percent ground-ball rate in that time, but he’s also been tagged for five homers en route to that ghastly 9.00 earned run average.

Benoit, 39, will bring some veteran experience to the ninth inning, as he’s logged 38 saves between the 2013-16 seasons. He’ll be used for now over younger and arguably higher-upside options like 27-year-old Hector Neris and 24-year-old Edubray Ramos, each of whom will continue to operate as a setup man to the new Philadelphia closer. While it’s probably not the primary motivator behind the decision, using Benoit in the ninth inning will limit the save opportunities for the Phillies’ younger arms, which could hold down their arbitration earnings a bit in a couple of years.

While many believe that it’s only a matter of time until Neris eventually steps into the ninth inning for Mackanin’s Phillies, that coronation may have to wait for another couple of months. It’s possible, though, that one of the Phillies’ quality young setup men could be racking up saves by season’s end, as Benoit is only signed to a one-year, $7.5MM deal and figures to be a prime trade candidate for the Phillies this summer if he’s pitching well. And, if he’s not pitching well, it stands to reason that he’d cede the ninth to one of the younger arms anyhow.

While Benoit got off to a dreadful start with the Mariners last season, he rebounded in emphatic fashion upon being traded to the Blue Jays. A 16-year MLB veteran, Benoit logged a 5.18 ERA in 24 1/3 innings with Seattle but turned in video game numbers in Toronto: a 0.38 ERA with 24 strikeouts against nine walks in 23 2/3 innings. The overall result was a 2.81 ERA with 9.8 K/9 against 4.5 BB/9 in 48 innings. That marked Benoit’s sixth sub-3.00 ERA in the past seven years, though a torn calf muscle suffered late in the year limited his overall workload.

In a poll conducted earlier this afternoon, 37 percent of MLBTR readers felt that Benoit was the right choice to step into the ninth inning, though just over 42 percent feel that the job should have gone to Neris. Fantasy players, as a reminder, you can follow @closernews on Twitter for daily updates on tenuous closer situations and ninth-inning performances.

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Blue Jays Claim Ty Kelly From Mets

By Steve Adams | April 10, 2017 at 3:24pm CDT

The Blue Jays announced that they’ve claimed infielder Ty Kelly off waivers from the Mets. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Jays transferred injured Rule 5 pick Glenn Sparkman from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL.

Kelly, 28, made his MLB debut with New York last year and batted .241/.352/.345 in 71 plate appearances. A former 13th-round pick by the Orioles (2009), Kelly has spent most of his minor league career playing second base and third base, though he does have more than 1000 innings of experience in left field as well. The switch-hitter has a lifetime .275/.382/.383 batting line in 397 games and 1586 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

The minor league veteran will serve as a depth option for the Blue Jays, who needn’t carry him on the Major League roster immediately, as he does have a minor league option remaining. Toronto second baseman Devon Travis has a history of injuries, and third baseman Josh Donaldson left Sunday’s game with a minor hamstring issue, though he’s already expressed confidence that he’ll be able to play in tomorrow’s game. Kelly nonetheless gives the Jays a bit of insurance against any significant injury around the infield and potentially in the corner outfield as well.

As for Sparkman, the 24-year-old suffered a broken thumb back in Spring Training during pitchers’ fielding practice and seemingly won’t be ready to get back on the mound before the onset of summer.

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Nats Place Trea Turner On 10-Day DL, Recall Michael Taylor

By Steve Adams | April 10, 2017 at 2:40pm CDT

The Nationals announced today that they’ve placed shortstop Trea Turner on the 10-day disabled list and recalled outfielder Michael Taylor from Triple-A Syracuse to take his spot on the active roster. Turner suffered a hamstring strain on Saturday, and while manager Dusty Baker initially downplayed the severity of the issue, the Nats are apparently concerned enough to shut their young star down for a bit more than a week.

[Related: Updated Washington Nationals Depth Chart]

Turner, 23, is off to a sluggish .158/.158/.211 start to his season, and he’s punched out in seven of his 19 plate appearances. He’s still contributed positive value on the basepaths, swiping three bags on the young season. Turner entered the 2017 campaign with extremely high expectations after hitting an incredible .342/.370/.567 across 344 plate appearances last year in his rookie season, though he’ll be looking to deliver on that hype at a new position. After spending the bulk of his time in 2017 in center field, Turner was penciled in as the everyday shortstop in D.C. this offseason, as offseason pickup Adam Eaton slotted in as Baker’s everyday center fielder.

There’s no indication that Turner will miss significant time due to the injury, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweets that the move merely allows the team to proceed with caution. Mark Zuckerman of tweets a similar sentiment, noting that Baker said MLB’s shift to a 10-day minimum stint on the disabled list contributed to the move; the team may not have wanted to wait 15 days, Zuckerman writes, but the 10-day term was more manageable.

In Turner’s absence, veteran Stephen Drew and fellow youngster Wilmer Difo are options to serve at shortstop. Taylor isn’t likely to see much in the way of regular action, though Baker and the Nats could take advantage of his presence to get Eaton a day of early in the season if they wish.

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Brewers Outright Michael Blazek

By Steve Adams | April 10, 2017 at 2:05pm CDT

Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Brewers announced that right-hander Michael Blazek, who was designated for assignment last week when they claimed Nick Franklin off waivers, has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A. The 28-year-old righty turned in a disappointing 5.66 ERA in 41 1/3 innings with the Brewers last year, but he’d previously been a reliable piece of the Milwaukee bullpen. In 55 2/3 innings for the Brew Crew in 2015, Blazek registered an excellent 2.43 ERA with 7.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 47.4 percent ground-ball rate. Blazek’s home-run, ground-ball and walk rates all went backward last season, but he did maintain a healthy 93 mph average on his velocity. Pitching in Triple-A Colorado Springs will hardly be a cakewalk, but he’ll look to get back on track in that hitter-friendly setting and work his way back into the Brewers’ big league plans.
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Poll: The Phillies’ Closer

By Steve Adams | April 10, 2017 at 1:34pm CDT

After Jeanmar Gomez suffered his second blown save of the season, the Phillies are already considering a change in the ninth inning, manager Pete Mackanin told reporters last night. To those who haven’t followed the situation closely, it may seem like a short leash for a player that save 37 games last season. But Gomez’s troubles date back considerably further than 2017 Opening Day; Gomez posted a dreadful 8.33 ERA following the All-Star break last season — including an even more unsightly 22 earned runs in his final 15 innings. Even when he was pitching effectively prior to that, the now-29-year-old Gomez’s 5.6 K/9 rate and 91.5 mph fastball weren’t the typical numbers one would expect from a high-leverage reliever.

Of course, it should be noted that in spite of those numbers, Gomez was a plenty serviceable ninth-inning option for the rebuilding Phillies in the first half last year. In 41 2/3 innings, he pitched to a 2.59 ERA, walked just 2.2 hitters per nine innings and logged a strong 53.1 percent ground-ball rate. And from 2013-15, Gomez posted a very nice 3.19 ERA in 217 1/3 innings in 143 appearances for the Phillies (including eight starts). Clearly, there’s a track record of success here, but the recent results are understandably concerning for the Phils.

If the Phillies do make a change, there are three reasonable alternatives already in the bullpen: right-handers Joaquin Benoit, Hector Neris and Edubray Ramos.

The 39-year-old Benoit has some experience pitching in the ninth, having collected 38 saves since the 2013 season began. Benoit has turned in six sub-3.00 ERA seasons in the past seven years while averaging an even 10 strikeouts per nine innings pitched in that time. Utilizing Benoit in the ninth inning would keep both Neris and Ramos from accruing saves early in their career as well, which could help to keep down their arbitration price tags. While it’s unlikely that that would be the sole factor in deciding to go with the most experienced option of the bunch, it could be perceived as an ancillary benefit for Phils decision-makers. Benoit is signed to a one-year deal, so the Phillies could use him in the ninth while a younger option gains a bit more experience, then look to trade Benoit this summer.

Neris might be the most logical option of the bunch, given his excellence in each of the past two seasons while serving in a late-inning role under Mackanin. The 27-year-old Neris has tallied 125 big league innings in his career to date, logging a collective 2.88 ERA with 10.7 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 40.6 percent ground-ball rate. His 11.4 K/9 rate and average 94.1 mph fastball from 2016 were both career-bests, and last year’s 16.3 percent swinging-strike rate checked in at a solid 33rd out of 180 qualified relievers (h/t: Fangraphs). Neris has yet to even reach two years of big league service time, so if he steps into the ninth inning successfully, he could theoretically be locking down games for the Phillies through 2021.

Ramos, too, could be a long-term option for the Phils, though he comes with far and away the least experience of the bunch. The 24-year-old has just 43 2/3 innings of Major League work under his belt to date, during which he’s logged a 3.50 ERA with a 44-to-12 K/BB ratio. Ramos, who has averaged 95.1 mph on his heater in his young career, was even more dominant in the minors last season, recording a 1.16 ERA with a 41-to-4 K/BB ratio in 38 2/3 frames between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s controllable through the 2022 campaign, so like Neris, he could be viewed as a long-term closing option for the rebuilding Phillies, even if he admittedly seems like a long shot at present.

Even if nothing transpires today, a move seems very possible in the near future, barring a very quick turnaround from Gomez. All of that said, I’ll turn it over to everyone to weigh in (link to poll for Trade Rumors mobile app users)…

Who should be closing games for the Phillies?
Joaquin Benoit -- he's a more reliable veteran option. 40.75% (1,840 votes)
Hector Neris -- he's the best young option they have. 39.47% (1,782 votes)
Jeanmar Gomez -- he earned a longer leash with his 37-save season. 11.65% (526 votes)
Edubray Ramos -- he's the best young option they have. 5.96% (269 votes)
Other (specify in comments if you're so inclined) 2.17% (98 votes)
Total Votes: 4,515
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MLBTR Polls Philadelphia Phillies

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AL East Notes: Machado, Price, Barnes, Rasmus

By Steve Adams | April 10, 2017 at 11:53am CDT

Manny Machado’s capability to play shortstop could impact the Orioles in both the short- and long-term picture, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 24-year-old Machado will hit the open market following the 2018 season, and he tells Rosenthal that he still thinks about playing his natural position of shortstop even though he’s spent the bulk of his career at third base (and become one of the best defensive third basemen in the game — if not of all-time). Asked about the thought of playing shortstop on a consistent basis, Machado replies: “I’m not going to lie. It’s always been there. … I played a little bit there (last year). That was fun. I trained this year to play there just in case anything happened.” Machado also acknowledges, though, that he’s experienced great success at third base, rhetorically asking, “So why change?”

As Rosenthal notes, the Orioles hold a $14MM option over J.J. Hardy at season’s end, and the ability to move Machado to short could impact their thinking. (Although the option would vest and become guaranteed if Hardy tallies 600 PAs.) Beyond that, though, Rosenthal wonders if Machado would be enticed by the opportunity to play shortstop on an everyday basis when he reaches free agency in the 2018-19 offseason, whether in Baltimore or elsewhere.

A few more notes pertaining to the AL East…

  • Red Sox left-hander David Price threw a 20-pitch bullpen session today and came away from the workout feeling good, he told reporters (via Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald). The key for the former AL Cy Young winner, however, will be seeing how he feels tomorrow. Price has yet to pitch for the Sox this season after a forearm issue led to a scare during Spring Training and, prior to today, hadn’t thrown off a mound since Feb. 28, Jennings notes. Farrell said that if Price feels strong tomorrow, another mound session would be lined up for Wednesday. There’s still no definitive timeline when it comes to Price’s return, but Jennings notes that he won’t pitch in the Majors until at least May.
  • In a Red Sox bullpen that has quite a bit of uncertainty throughout its ranks, right-hander Matt Barnes has emerged as the primary setup option for closer Craig Kimbrel, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. That could change, potentially, when Tyler Thornburg is ready to come off the disabled list, but Barnes’ early showing and the struggles of many of his teammates have him primed for a big role in the Boston ’pen. ““A guy that’s maybe a little bit more seasoned than some others in some of those big spots, he’s going to be a pivotal guy in our bullpen,” said Sox manager John Farrell to MacPherson. The 26-year-old Barnes averaged 9.6 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9 with a 45.6 percent ground-ball rate out of the bullpen last season, and he’s logged a 5-to-1 K/BB ratio through his first 3 2/3 shutout innings in 2017.
  • Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Colby Rasmus’ rehab assignment with the Rays’ Class-A Advanced affiliate in Charlotte is still on hold for a few more days, likely pushing the outfielder’s debut back until next week. Rasmus was involved in an outfield collision in Charlotte last Thursday, as Topkin reported, and while he remained in that game, the team is now proceeding rather cautiously. Topkin also suggests that speedster Mallex Smith will likely head to Triple-A Durham once Rasmus is healthy enough to rejoin the Major League roster. Rasmus, who signed a one-year, $5MM contract with Tampa Bay this winter, is recovering from offseason hip surgery.
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Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Tampa Bay Rays Colby Rasmus David Price Mallex Smith Manny Machado Matt Barnes

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Inside The Draft Room: The 2005 Red Sox

By Chuck Wasserstrom | April 10, 2017 at 10:38am CDT

Put on a scouting director hat and ask yourself this question: Do you want your team to do poorly so you can have the maximum number of opportunities to select a premium draft pick, or do you want your team to win – knowing all the supposed “top of the line” talent will already have been taken?

The question is purely rhetorical. For the person directing the draft and all the scouts out scouring for talent in the smallest of towns, the ring is the thing.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t win and have fun on the scouting side, too.

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox – down 3 games to 0 in the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees – rallied to win their final eight postseason games in eliminating the Yankees and sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals. In the process, they won their first World Series since 1918.

On paper, if no free agents switched clubs, the Red Sox would have picked 28th overall in the ensuing 2005 amateur draft – with a second pick coming in at No. 58. But baseball isn’t played on paper. After the annual free agent signing frenzy, the world champs lost Orlando Cabrera, Derek Lowe and Pedro Martinez, and now – thanks to compensation selections and supplemental picks – found themselves with six draft choices from No. 23 to No. 57.

So … to the victors did go the spoils.

Oh, there’s just one thing. They were about to restock with a first-time scouting director.

– – –

In November 2002, Theo Epstein – just 28 years of age at the time – was named general manager of the Red Sox. Earlier that year, he had joined the organization as the assistant GM after coming over from the San Diego Padres.

During his time in San Diego, Epstein struck up a friendship with Jason McLeod, a former minor league pitcher who began his Padres career as a Community Relations intern in 1994 – before moving over to Stadium Operations that winter and to the Baseball Operations Department in the fall of 1995 (Epstein had joined the team earlier that year). McLeod’s time with the Padres later included three years as a minor league coach, a return to the front office as the assistant director of scouting and player development, and two years as an area scout in Southern California.

Epstein brought McLeod to Boston as an associate scouting director in the fall of 2003, assisting David Chadd. After the Red Sox won the 2004 Fall Classic, Chadd moved on to Detroit to become the Tigers’ vice president of amateur scouting – and McLeod was promoted into the scouting leadership position. Epstein wasn’t concerned about inserting his former Padres cohort into that role despite McLeod’s relative lack of experience in the draft room.

“Jason and I grew up together in the Padres organization,” Epstein said in an email, “so I knew he could really evaluate and was a great leader.

“It was a seamless transition because Jason had worked with us in 2004. The entire organization was focused on the draft with all the picks we had, and Jason did a great job as always leading the department. We had a lot of fun all scouting season and in the draft meetings.”

McLeod acknowledges that he didn’t have a boatload of experience from a draft-day perspective when he took over.

“In ’04, I was instilling and re-doing the processes of it,” McLeod says. “David was absolutely the scouting director; he was pounding it out on the road. But from the front office side of things, we were kind of co-directing that department that year.

“During my time in San Diego, I had sat in on many draft meetings, but I hadn’t been in the director’s seat or calling the shots or instituting processes or things like that until I got to Boston.”

The Red Sox had broken the curse. Now, just a few months later at their January scouting meetings, McLeod was presiding over the group and putting a game plan into place.

“There was a lot of excitement, obviously, coming off the World Series year,” he says. “For those of us in amateur scouting, we were just as excited knowing that we had two first-round picks and three sandwich picks. We felt that we were going to get a couple impact players with the volume of picks that we had. And coming out of the prior summer – after scouting the Cape, scouting the Team USA juniors – we knew that it was going to be a really good draft.

“We told our guys, ‘Let’s get after it and go crush it and find as much impact and upside as we can.’”

– – –

The top tier of the 2005 draft was considered to be very deep, and the results continue to speak for themselves.

Eight of the first 12 selections have appeared in the All-Star Game. Five of the first seven – Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitzki – have career WAR above 25.0.

The Red Sox knew they had no chance of landing any of those five – or high school outfielders/future all-stars Andrew McCutchen and Jay Bruce, who went 11-12. But there was still a lot of talent out there to be had. Boston had the No. 23 and No. 26 selections in the first round – along with the Nos. 42, 45 and 47 slots in the supplemental round. The team’s second-round pick was No. 57 overall.

The key was to be prepared for anything and everything. Back in 2005, the draft was conducted via a conference call – and there was very little time between picks.

“At that time, we did a lot of mock drafts,” explains McLeod, who is now the Cubs’ senior vice president of scouting/player development. “We would run a mock draft where different scenarios were happening. I think at that time we maybe had 30 seconds before the next pick. So we ran a lot of simulations in the room. Theo liked to try to set up scenarios where … there were 12 of us in the room, and he’d set up scenarios and go worst case. I’m sitting there watching the board, and he’d set it up and say, ‘Now this guy and that guy are gone. Where are you going here?’ And he put you on a timeclock. We probably did that about five or six different times where we ran those simulations.

“We felt good about the information that we had. We felt good about the performance metrics we were looking at, and about how we had the board stacked. So at that point, let’s run the simulations. ‘Now, he’s gone. Now these two guys are gone.’ We also ran some where we knew there would be no way the board would fall that way, but if it all blew up, ‘Now where are you going? Why are you doing that?’ So you do those things prior to draft day. You trust the process and you trust the preparation.

“At the same time, just like every draft year … as the pick is getting close, there is some anxiety and anticipation that you feel. But again, you just trust your process. You do all the work to be prepared for every situation.”

– – –

By draft day, the Red Sox had narrowed their focus to three collegians for the No. 23 selection – Oregon State outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, Arizona outfielder Trevor Crowe and Texas A&M shortstop Cliff Pennington.

“We spent so much time talking about those three players in particular, because we were really hopeful that one of them got to us,” McLeod said. “We spent an inordinate amount of time in the weeks leading up to the draft meetings on them. We kept stacking them and stacking them and talking about their strengths and weaknesses.

Jacoby Ellsbury | Ron Vesely/Getty Images

“The funny thing about Jacoby … that year, he had such a great year, and I saw four or five of his games – and he probably had his worst games when I was there. I actually took Theo to a game at the University of Washington when the Red Sox were in Seattle. Of course, Jacoby’s first two at-bats, he was 0-for-2 – and Theo was like, ‘Jason, you’re not allowed to watch his next at-bat. You’re bad luck. Please, turn around or something.’ So I literally turned around and heard the crack of the bat; I turned back and the ball was in the gap. Theo and I are standing down the third-base line, and I remember watching this kid round second turning on the afterburners as he’s coming into third. It was just something. You watch a lot of games and see a lot of fast guys, but then you see stuff that makes you say ‘Wow.’ That was one of those moments, just watching this guy fly around the bases. So I knew I wasn’t totally bad luck. I was in the ballpark. I didn’t see the contact, but at least I heard it.

“I literally saw him go 2-for-15 in a year that he hit over .400 and had an on-base of almost .500. But our scouts were so convicted on him – from the area guy (John Booher) to the regional guy (West Coast cross-checker Fred Peterson) to our national cross-checker (Dave Finley). They were all like, ‘This is our guy. This is it.’

“He was already doing the things that we were looking for … the ability to get on base … the fact that he was an outstanding athlete who was going to play in center field … he had a low K (strikeout) rate. My question was just going to be the strength. I remember seeing him in the Cape, and I was worried a little bit about how the ball was going to come off the bat.

“But there’s a really good story from that year. Oregon State was down at the University of San Diego, and it was one of the only days in the history of the University of San Diego that they actually had a rainout. San Diego’s coach, Rich Hill – who we had a really good relationship with – was gracious enough to let us work out Jacoby. So a couple of our scouts got to see him hit in the cage. Then they took him up to the Jenny Craig Pavilion, and there’s Jacoby Ellsbury throwing down gorilla dunks for our scouts – showing them his explosiveness and his athleticism. I wasn’t at that workout, but our cross-checker just called me and was blown away with the explosiveness in Jacoby’s body. He was like, ‘You will not believe what Jacoby just did.’

“If you looked at his performance, all the makeup we got on him, the fact that we felt that he was going to be ultra-disruptive on the bases … we thought he was going to be a shutdown center fielder. All of that aligned with someone that we absolutely wanted to bring into the organization. That’s why we liked Pennington. That’s why we liked Crowe. They were all these dynamic athletes that played in the middle of the field.”

Crowe went No. 14 to Cleveland. Pennington was chosen at No. 21 by Oakland. The Marlins, drafting after the Athletics and before the Red Sox, selected high school second baseman Aaron Thompson – and Ellsbury was Boston-bound.

McLeod literally had about 30 seconds to breathe. Houston was on the clock (selecting Brian Bogusevic), then came Minnesota (Matt Garza). It was now time to make another decision.

Read more

– – –

In the days and weeks leading up to the draft, there had been a lot of discussion in the Red Sox draft room – oftentimes heated – about hard-throwing Angelina College right-hander Clay Buchholz.

“Clay was someone I had to have,” McLeod says. “I was just in love with the ability and the athleticism.”

As has been documented, Buchholz was pitching for a community college team in Lufkin, Texas, for a reason.

“It’s out there … when he was at McNeese State, he and his friend did a stupid thing. They broke into a school and stole some computers from a computer lab,” McLeod recalls. “Obviously, we had to dig deep into (A) what happened here and (B) is this something that’s going to be problematic going forward.

Clay Buchholz | Rich Gagnon/Getty Images

“Clay was very upfront when we talked to him about it. Jimmy Robinson, the area scout, did a tremendous job on the background and getting to the bottom of that story – and getting to know the player himself. I met with Clay in Texas. Theo and I had a big discussion with him in Boston at our pre-draft workout. We had a long conversation with him out in the bullpen during batting practice one day and talked about it. ‘What’s important to you? How do you want to be remembered by your family when you’re done playing this game?’ We hit him with some pretty personal questions.

“Let’s put it this way … I made it very evident that he was someone I had to have in that draft. There were some arguments in there. There was a time when Theo definitely challenged my conviction on the player, and we had a pretty heated debate about it in the room. Theo, in so many words, said ‘Jase, this is your first year running a draft as a scouting director solo. Are you going to put your name on this guy?’ I stood up and said, ‘Yes, I am.’

“At the end of the day, we were obviously aware of his past. It wasn’t ideal, but I personally felt confident enough to push for him in the first round. I can tell you we didn’t make his selection with any ‘Hold your breath, let’s hope this kid doesn’t get into trouble’ thoughts. We genuinely felt like he made a mistake and atoned for it.”

Ultimately, putting a first-round tag on Buchholz was a little too rich for Boston’s collective taste to select him at No. 26. That – and the fact that a reliever the team thought should have gone off the board much earlier was sliding.

St. John’s University closer Craig Hansen had dominated Big East Conference competition that spring, striking out 85 batters in 64 1/3 innings and recording 14 saves. McLeod thought a team that wanted a quick-to-the-majors reliever that could potentially pitch in the back end of games relatively soon would have jumped on him.

“We didn’t think Hansen was going to be there, because coming off the Cape that prior summer and going into the year, he was just so dominant,” McLeod said. “He wasn’t a priority type coverage guy for us, because we thought somebody else would grab him before pick 23.”

While Hansen was available, he was not an option for the Red Sox at No. 23; that pick was earmarked for a college hitter. The last-second conversation at No. 26 reverted to Buchholz.

“The bigger discussion for me on the Hansen selection was … we had done a lot of work on Buchholz, and I thought the Dodgers were going to take him at 40,” McLeod says. “I knew Logan White liked him. I knew he was there to see his last start. My fear was that we were going to miss him. I just had to leave that draft with Buchholz. He was the gut-feel guy who I really wanted.

“So there were some discussions about him at 26. That would have been a stretch for the rest of the room and for a lot of our guys, but that’s just how much conviction I had in Clay’s ability. And then the conversation obviously went back to Hansen – a big, college, ‘get there quick’ guy. We knew what he was and we knew he had power stuff. So the decision was made to take Craig. We took him – and he got to the big leagues later that year.”

Although he did pitch in four games for Boston that summer, Hansen struggled as a major leaguer, seeing action in 95 games for the Red Sox and Pirates. He saw his last minor league action in 2012. “Unfortunately for us and for Craig, he didn’t have the career that we all thought he would,” says McLeod. (Boston did still get some value from that selection, as Hansen was part of a three-team blockbuster that netted outfielder Jason Bay, who had one and a half outstanding seasons with the Sox.)

With Hansen on board, all McLeod could do was wait impatiently for Los Angeles to make its supplemental round selection.

“I sat there and held my breath,” he remembers fondly. “I know now, having talked to other teams over the years, it was basically us and the Dodgers that were in on Clay. Logan White is a good friend – and obviously his track record is pretty stellar with the draft, and we’ve had fun talking about Clay over the years. But we sent one cross-checker to this tournament in south Texas, and I think it was the opening day of the college conference tournaments – and Logan happened to be there. It says a lot when the scouting director, instead of being at the SEC tourney or day one of the Big 12, is seeing a junior college guy down in Nowhere, Texas.

“When the Dodgers were about to announce their pick, I literally was like, ‘They’re going to take Buchholz. They’re going to take Buchholz’ (laughing). And then they took Luke Hochevar.”

After Atlanta drafted high school left-hander Beau Jones at No. 41, McLeod got his guy.

“There was a big exhale … relief. Anyone who worked with me at the time would echo the sentiment,” he says. “As a scouting director, he was the guy I had to have in that draft.”

Fast forward to two years later, and Buchholz threw a no-hitter in his second major league start.

Rewind to draft day, and McLeod had about 60 seconds until his next pick at No. 45.

“We had stacked the board with some college hitters that we liked, so I was already feeling confident about our next pick,” recalls McLeod. “There were a few guys we really liked: Jed Lowrie (Stanford) … Stephen Head, a kid from Ole Miss … Chase Headley (Tennessee). I knew we were getting one of those guys.”

Sure enough, the Cardinals and Marlins picked pitchers.

“Jed Lowrie fell right into our laps – a guy who played the middle of the field with that kind of performance in college. Nowadays, he’d never get to No. 45. For us, it was a no-brainer. This kid was coming off a sophomore year where he almost won the Triple Crown in the Pac 10. He had a little bit of a down junior year, which allowed him to slide down into that selection for us.”

Then, two picks later, the Red Sox went the prep route, selecting Michael Bowden – a pitcher out of Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, Ill.

“Michael Bowden was a kid that we spent a lot of time with,” McLeod says. “He was one of those guys we got a lot of looks at. Our area scout was ultra-convinced on the makeup of the kid. We got to know him pretty well … the way he competed … blue collar … all of that.

“We really thought we got a mid-rotation guy with that selection. And the way his career started, we were really pumped. He was a workhorse, he threw a ton of strikes, and he had great stuff. After his first couple of years, we were like, ‘Wow, we got a really good pick here.’ In 2008 at Double-A, he sat on a low 2.30 ERA with a 25 percent punch rate. We thought this guy was going to sit in the middle of our rotation for a long time. He had a decent Triple-A year when we moved him up, he got to the big leagues, but he kind of plateaued out. He never had the career that we thought he would.”

Bowden saw action in parts of six big league seasons with the Red Sox and Cubs, appearing in 103 games from 2008-2013.

The flurry of activity concluded a little while later with Boston’s second-round pick – the No. 57 overall selection. And the rationale behind the player chosen – Jonathan Egan, a catcher out of Cross Creek (Ga.) High School – still bothers McLeod.

“I think every scouting director … if you would change things and do them over, we all would. This is one that sticks out with me,” McLeod admits. “We liked Jon Egan quite a bit. I was shooting for upside. We thought this kid had tremendous power. We thought he’d be able to catch. And when you went to watch him, it was a really beautiful swing.

“But what I regret here is that there was another college player sitting there right in our lap. There was a lot of discussion in the room that we should consider him, but my thought process was, ‘We just took Jed Lowrie. That was the safe college guy who performed. Let’s really shoot for some upside here.’ So we ended up passing on Chase Headley and took Egan. That’s one of those that I still to this day look back at. My reasoning did not go with the process. I was shooting for upside when we had Headley sitting right there for us on top of our board.”

Egan played three minor league seasons, peaking at Class-A Greenville in the South Atlantic League. Headley, who went to the Padres at No. 66, entered this year having been a major league starting third baseman since 2008.

While Headley was a miss for McLeod, Pedro Alvarez was the one who got away. A 14th-round pick out of Horace Mann High School in New York, Alvarez opted to bypass the Red Sox’s offer and go to Vanderbilt – and later was the second overall pick in the 2008 draft (by Pittsburgh).

“Missing out on him, we didn’t like that taste – especially seeing what he became,” McLeod says of Alvarez – who entered this year with 153 homers during his seven-year big league career. “It made us want to be even more aggressive going forward in trying to sign those types of players.

“We really loved the kid’s power. We loved the bat speed. He came to our workout that year and really put on a show. We made a serious run at him. I was on the phone a lot with the kid, trying to get him signed.

“Under the old system, the day they show up for class, they’re done. So I’m on the phone with him that morning, and I made a significant offer. Remember, this was the 14th round, and we already had spent a ton of money on the guys at the top. We had our last conversation, and he said, ‘Sorry, Mr. McLeod, I’m here at school now – and I’m getting ready to go to class.’ So we don’t sign him.”

McLeod later found out that Derek Johnson – who was Vanderbilt’s pitching coach at the time and now the Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching coach – was standing next to Alvarez when the prized freshman was having his final conversation with the Red Sox. Johnson was the Cubs’ minor league pitching coordinator in 2013-2015, and his boss was McLeod.

“We were swapping stories about Pedro Alvarez after (Johnson) joined the Cubs, and he says to me, ‘I walked him to class to make sure he got there and that no Red Sox employees were jumping out of the bushes trying to sign him.’”

Looking back at his first draft, McLeod talked about the need to be aggressive and wanting players who could provide impact and upside.

“We knew having all those picks early … we had the ability to diversify the portfolio, so to speak, where you could take some high-impact riskier high school kids, college performers that you felt really good about with athletic upside, and a junior college guy like Clay Buchholz,” McLeod says.

“As history has borne out, it’s probably one of the best drafts of all-time. I’m not talking about the Red Sox. That ’05 draft class was ridiculous in the first round.”

– – –

Chuck Wasserstrom spent 25 years in the Chicago Cubs’ front office – 16 in Media Relations and nine in Baseball Operations. Now a freelance writer, his behind-the-scenes stories of his time in a big league front office can be found on www.chuckblogerstrom.com.

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