Latest On Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins
Giancarlo Stanton discusses his future with the Marlins in a big new feature by Fan Rag’s Jon Heyman. Here are the highlights.
- Stanton isn’t interested in being around for a rebuild, should the Marlins go that route, as seems fairly likely, under new ownership. “I don’t want to rebuild,” he tells Heyman bluntly. “I’ve lost for seven years.” Stanton’s take on the Marlins’ situation is worth noting, since he has a full no-trade clause, plus an opt-out after 2020.
- “I’m sick of the negativity,” Stanton says. “Anything positive I’ve done, there’s still negativity. I’m doing this … but the owner’s doing that. I’m doing this, but the team’s doing that.” Stanton further notes that even upon the announcement of his record-setting contract, “most of the questions were negative.”
- Stanton describes his chase for 60-plus home runs as “a fun little obstacle,” but adds that “[i]f it doesn’t happen … oh well.”
- A rival executive tells Heyman that one potential issue with trading Stanton is that the Marlins would have to compensate for the backloading of the contract — Stanton has only made $30MM so far (meaning he’s been underpaid — by about a factor of three, Heyman figures), and $295MM is left on the deal.
- This isn’t directly Stanton-related, but Heyman notes as an aside that in the Marlins clubhouse, veterans are wondering out loud about where they might be traded over the winter. Some feel the Cardinals are a possibility. Heyman doesn’t name them, although the Cardinals have been connected to Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich in the past.
- Yelich and catcher J.T. Realmuto are the two players potential trading partners ask about most frequently, Heyman adds.
Indians Activate Michael Brantley
The Indians have activated outfielder Michael Brantley from the 10-day DL, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets. That means the team will have the option of placing Brantley on its ALDS roster. Manager Terry Francona had previously said the team intended to give Brantley “every chance possible,” although Bastian tweets that Brantley is not in tonight’s lineup.
Brantley had been on the DL since early August after suffering an ankle sprain. Before that, he was productive, batting .299/.358/.445 over 372 plate appearances while returning from a 2016 campaign that was ruined by a shoulder injury.
The Indians are currently going with an outfield mix of Austin Jackson, Jason Kipnis, Jay Bruce, Lonnie Chisenhall and others. Brantley would give them another option in left field, and possibly off the bench as well, in the playoffs. The team is also currently missing center fielder Bradley Zimmer, who’s out with a hand injury, and Brandon Guyer is currently active but struggling with a sore wrist.
Matt Garza Does Not Have 2018 Option, Will Become Free Agent
Contrary to what had previously been known about Matt Garza‘s contract, the Brewers no longer have a 2018 option on the right-hander, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets. The option was voided after he crossed a games pitched threshold. Without the option, Garza is set to hit free agency this winter as his four-year, $50MM contract comes to an end.
Garza’s contract had a vesting option for 2018 that would have automatically exercised at $13MM if he had 110 starts from 2014-17 and under certain other conditions. He had only started 93 games in that time frame, however. The vesting option would have become a $1M club option if Garza had spent over 130 days on the disabled list in any season from 2014 through 2017, but he did not. It was previously thought that, in the absence of the $13MM vesting option or the $1M team option, the Brewers would have a $5MM team option, but evidently that isn’t the case.
It didn’t appear especially likely that the Brewers would exercise Garza’s option even at the reduced $5MM price. Jimmy Nelson is already set to miss the start of the 2018 season, and not having an option on Garza further reduces the club’s flexibility, but it still appears likely that the Brewers would have looked elsewhere for starting pitching help or relied on other internal options even if they could have kept Garza at $5MM.
After a strong first season in Milwaukee, Garza has struggled, and this year he’s posted a 4.94 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 while missing time to groin and leg issues. He also struggled down the stretch and was removed from the Brewers’ rotation weeks ago. That’s not exactly a world-beating performance, particularly when considered in the broader context of a third straight underwhelming season — since 2015, Garza has a 5.10 ERA, 6.2 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 over 365 innings. The Brewers also might generally prefer to go with younger pitchers.
Latest On Marlins’ Front Office Changes
SATURDAY: The reason the Marlins fired their executives before Jeter’s group assumed ownership of the team is that their contracts will now have to be paid by outgoing owner Jeffrey Loria, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. Jeter’s group will save $5MM.
FRIDAY: The Marlins are continuing their front office housecleaning as the new ownership group prepares to take over, with Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reporting that assistant GM Mike Berger, VP of player development Marc DelPiano, VP of pitching development Jim Benedict and VP of player personnel Jeff McAvoy have all been let go. As with the firings of four Marlins special assistants last week, incoming co-owner and CEO Derek Jeter didn’t make these new dismissals himself. Instead, outgoing Marlins president David Samson was again asked to deliver the news to the now-former members of Miami’s baseball ops department.
It’s normal, of course, to see new owners make wholesale changes to a team’s pre-existing front office personnel. (The only unusual aspect seems to be the fact that Jeter is outsourcing this task to Samson rather than handle the firings personally.) It does raise some question about Michael Hill’s future role with the team; the president of baseball operations is reportedly being kept on by Jeter and Bruce Sherman, though likely in a different capacity since so many of his chief lieutenants have now been fired.
Several reports have tabbed two current Yankees executives as candidates to join the Marlins’ front office — VP of player development Gary Denbo and special assistant Jim Hendry. According to FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman, the Marlins have yet to contact the Yankees about Denbo or Hendry, though many within the Yankees organization believe Denbo is a sure thing to leave, possibly to become the Marlins’ new general manager.
Hendry, of course, is a former GM himself, running the Cubs’ front office from 2002-11. Heyman reports that Hendry has a good relationship with Jeter’s agent Casey Close, who himself has been mentioned in rumors about possibly taking on a front office role in Miami. Close has told people, however, that there are no plans for him to leave Excel, Heyman writes.
Two more names under consideration for front office jobs include Braves special assistant Gordon Blakeley and former Marlins VP of player development Jim Fleming, according to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro.
As for the on-field managerial role, Don Mattingly has yet to hear about his fate for 2018, Jackson reports, though he is widely expected to be staying. Jeter and Mattingly obviously are well-acquainted with each other from their days in New York. Mattingly only has a 154-166 record as he finishes his second year as Miami’s skipper, though it’s hard to attribute that lack of success to Mattingly given the off-the-field tumult of the team’s sale and the tragic death of Jose Fernandez.
5 Key Stories: Cain, Mackanin, Marlins, Mets, Rodon
Here are the top stories from the past seven days here at MLBTR.
Matt Cain to retire. Giants righty Matt Cain, once one of the National League’s top starters, told reporters this week that he’ll step away from baseball after making one last start today. Cain turns 33 tomorrow. “I think Saturday will be the last time I put on the Giants uniform, and I can’t see myself going to play somewhere else,” he says.
Phillies to find new manager as Pete Mackanin moves to front office. In a somewhat surprising move, the Phillies announced this week that Pete Mackanin would transition to a front office role, creating a managerial opening in Philadelphia. The Phillies had extended Mackanin through 2018 earlier this season. “We see our roster right now is littered with young players who look to have a very, very bright future. It’s time to look forward. That’s the message today: it’s time to look forward,” GM Matt Klentak told reporters.
MLB owners approve Marlins sale. MLB owners this week unanimously approved the sale of the Marlins to a group headed by Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman. The deal is expected to be finalized next week. The Marlins also fired a number of members of their front office this week.
Mets to tender Matt Harvey, likely to dismiss Terry Collins. The Mets prepared to make a pair of decisions that will affect their immediate future — they’re likely to retain starter Matt Harvey, but dismiss manager Terry Collins and pitching coach Dan Warthen. Mets owner Fred Wilpon reportedly prevented the team from parting ways with Collins in past seasons, but it doesn’t appear he’ll stand in the way this time. Rays third base coach Charlie Montoyo and various former Mets personnel have already emerged as potential replacements for Collins.
Carlos Rodon likely to miss six to eight months. White Sox starter Carlos Rodon had shoulder surgery for bursitis this week, likely meaning he’ll need six to eight months before he returns. It appears, then, that he could miss a chunk of the 2018 season. In other White Sox news, GM Rick Hahn spoke this week about the futures of Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia. It’s possible the team could extend either player, but both are currently eligible for free agency after the 2019 season, a time frame that doesn’t overlap well with the White Sox’ likely window of contention. Either one could therefore be traded this winter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NL Notes: Mets, Solarte, Ichiro
Former White Sox manager Robin Ventura and current Mets hitting coach Kevin Long are the favorites to replace Terry Collins as the Mets’ manager, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets. Collins, of course, still has the job, but is widely expected not to be retained when the season ends, and the Mets have reportedly already begun the process of reaching out to replacements. Ventura, Long, and other rumored candidates (including Alex Cora, Bob Geren and Chip Hale) have ties to the Mets. Rays third base coach Charlie Montoyo is another potential candidate. Here’s more from the NL.
- Infielder Yangervis Solarte acknowledges that the Padres could trade him, but says he wants to stay in San Diego, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. “If they want to trade me, what am I going to do? If I’m playing all these positions, I know there’s going to be teams that have interest in that versatility,” he says. “I want to stay here, I want to be here, but if they decide to trade me, I would just be thankful for the opportunity they’ve given me.” The 30-year-old Solarte has batted .255/.315/.419 while playing all four infield positions this season. He’s under contract for $4MM for 2018, and he has $750K buyouts on relatively cheap team options for both 2019 and 2020. His versatility, and the flexibility his team will have with his contract, could make him an attractive trade target this winter.
- Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki wants to play until he’s “at least 50,” he tells Tim Healey of the Sun Sentinel through an interpreter. Ichiro adds that he would like to play for the Marlins again next season. The team has a $2MM option on him for 2018. Ichiro will be 44 next month and struggled badly in April and May, but he recovered to post a .396 OBP in the second half and ended up with a .259/.322/.337 line over 212 plate appearances. With the Marlins having three very capable (and healthy) starting outfielders, Ichiro’s chances to play were somewhat limited this year, although manager Don Mattingly tells Healey that Ichiro could play more in 2018 — particularly, Healey notes, if trades clear more space in the outfield.
R.A. Dickey Considering Retiring After Season
Veteran knuckleballer R.A. Dickey is considering retiring at the end of the season, he tells David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’ll just be a family decision,” he says. “We have made no official decision at all, but we certainly have had conversations around both coming back or retiring.”
The Braves have an $8MM option or a $500K buyout on Dickey for 2018, but it appears Dickey’s decision will be somewhat independent of the Braves’ decision about whether to pick up that option. (The Braves’ plans aren’t yet clear, although 69% of MLBTR readers feel the Braves should exercise the option after a season in which Dickey ate 190 innings and was generally productive.) GM John Coppolella previously alluded to the fact that Dickey could retire despite the option, and Dickey tells O’Brien he could consider playing elsewhere if the Braves do not retain him (although it would have to be the “perfect spot,” naming Cincinnati and St. Louis as other cities that are reasonably close to his offseason home in Tennessee).
Dickey declined the opportunity to pitch for the Braves in their season finale tomorrow, which means he’ll finish the season with 400 career appearances and 300 career starts — good round numbers to finish his career on, he points out. He has a 4.04 career ERA with 120 wins and the 2012 NL Cy Young award to his credit. He’ll turn 43 next month.
Mets Have Already Reached Out To Potential Replacements For Terry Collins
That the Mets don’t plan to retain manager Terry Collins next season is baseball’s worst-kept secret. Today, Adam Rubin tweets a new wrinkle to the story — the team has already been in touch with potential replacements, he reports.
It’s unclear who the Mets have contacted, although there have already been reports linking them to Rays third base coach Charlie Montoyo, as well as former or current Mets Robin Ventura, Alex Cora, Kevin Long, Bob Geren, and Chip Hale. Mets COO Jeff Wilpon and GM Sandy Alderson have reportedly attempted to fire Collins at various points over his seven-year stint at the Mets’ manager, only to be blocked by owner Fred Wilpon. It now appears that Fred Wilpon will not intervene to save Collins’ job. Via Newsday’s Marc Carig, the Mets’ front office takes issue with Collins’ leadership style, as well as his use of relievers like Jeurys Familia, Jerry Blevins and Addison Reed to pitch on consecutive days.
Collins has managed the Mets for seven seasons, posting a 550-582 record in that period, including 69-91 this year. His contract expires at the end of this season. Despite frequent reports about the possibility the Mets will dismiss him, he has indicated he doesn’t plan to retire.
Quick Hits: Lackey, Lynn, Nicasio, Hundley
The Cubs‘ clubhouse celebration after clinching the NL Central included some telling comments from Jon Lester, who proclaimed that John Lackey had made “probably his last regular-season start. Here’s to one hell of a career!” before toasting his longtime teammate. (USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has the details.) This is the first open acknowledgement that Lackey is heading towards retirement after the season. Lackey’s two-year, $32MM contract is up once the Cubs conclude their postseason run, and he turns 39 in October. He struggled to a 4.56 ERA over 169 2/3 innings thanks in large part to problems with the long ball, as Lackey surrendered a league-high 36 homers and a career-high 18.3% home run rate. Still, Lackey has enjoyed a tremendous 15 seasons in the big leagues and, coming out of the Cubs bullpen in the playoffs, he’ll look to collect his fourth World Series ring.
Here’s more from around baseball as we head into the final weekend of the regular season…
- The Cardinals don’t expect extensions with any of their upcoming free agents before the season is over, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. This includes Lance Lynn, whose representatives haven’t had any in-depth talks with the club about a new deal. When asked if Thursday’s start could be his last with the Cardinals, Lynn said it “certainly looks that way.” Lynn looks to be one of the top pitchers available in this year’s free agent market, and it appears he’ll be departing a Cards rotation that will mostly be relying on promising younger arms in 2018.
- Also from Goold’s article, he reports that the Cardinals have been in touch with Juan Nicasio about a new deal. Nicasio came to St. Louis after a rather surprising series of transactions that saw the right-hander waived by the Pirates, claimed by the Phillies and then dealt to the Cards all within a week’s time at the end of August and in early September. No matter the uniform, Nicasio pitched well, posting a 2.65 ERA, 3.55 K/BB rate and 71 strikeouts over 71 1/3 innings for his three teams, making a league-high 75 appearances. The Cardinals have clearly liked what they’ve seen in their short time with Nicasio on the roster and may be trying to lock Nicasio up before he hits the open market.
- There is mutual interest between the Giants and Nick Hundley in a new contract, though Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle observes that it might hinge on how much playing time Hundley is able to find elsewhere from a catching-needy team. Obviously, anything more than a backup role isn’t an option in San Francisco with Buster Posey locked in as the regular catcher. Hundley hit .246/.276/.425 over 296 PA with the Giants while becoming a big voice in the team’s clubhouse.
Managerial Notes: Mets, Phillies, Klentak, Bochy, Guillen
David Wright and Jacob deGrom were two of several Mets players who weren’t pleased by the teammates who anonymously criticized manager Terry Collins in a recent piece by Newsday’s Marc Carig. “It was cowardly, in my opinion,” Wright told Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. “I have been very fortunate in my career. I haven’t had too many gripes, but when I did, I went and talked to Terry or whoever the manager is. His door has always been open and he’s always listened.” It seems a foregone conclusion that Collins won’t return to manage the Mets in 2018, and the manager himself didn’t want to comment on many of items in Carig’s piece, other than to take exception to the idea that his usage of Jeurys Familia contributed to the reliever’s surgery to address an arterial clot in his right shoulder.
Some more managerial notes from around baseball…
- “In my mind, we have reached a turning point in this rebuild,” Phillies GM Matt Klentak told reporters (including PhillyVoice.com’s Ryan Lawrence) about why Pete Mackanin was moved to a front office position rather than manage the Phils next season. “We see our roster right now is littered with young players who look to have a very, very bright future. It’s time to look forward. That’s the message today: it’s time to look forward.” In Lawrence’s view, Klentak’s answers were somewhat indirect, especially since Mackanin was just given a contract extension in May. Both Lawrence and Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer believe Klentak is now taking a larger role in the Phillies’ rebuild, given that several of the team’s top young talents were brought into the organization by previous (since fired) front office personnel. Brookover figures the new skipper will be younger and more analytically-minded, and he cites Dusty Wathan as “the smart choice” for the job since Wathan is so familiar with Philadelphia’s young players. Wathan has managed in the Phillies’ farm system for the last decade, including managing the Triple-A affiliate in 2017.
- Sources close to Giants manager Bruce Bochy believe he’ll certainly stay on until his contract is up after the 2019 season, CSNBayArea.com’s Alex Pavlovic writes. Despite the Giants’ dreadful season, there is no danger of Bochy being fired, and though the manager has undergone some health issues in recent years, Bochy is intent on righting the ship next year. “I want to leave the Giants organization better than when I came here and I want to get this team back on track. This is my passion,” Bochy said.
- Ozzie Guillen hasn’t received an interview request since being fired by Miami four years ago, but the former Marlins and White Sox manager is still hopeful of another chance at managing a big league team, he tells Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. Fenech believes Guillen would be an interesting candidate for the Tigers job as the club embarks on a rebuilding process, though it isn’t clear whether Guillen is one of the names under consideration for the job.