Quick Hits: Martin, Fowler, Phillies, Padres, D’Backs
It was on this day in 1948 that the Cleveland Indians clinched the World Series with a Game Six victory over the Boston Braves. This marks the Tribe’s last Series championship, the second-longest title drought in baseball behind only the Cubs (who still have a shot at breaking their curse this year). Here’s some news from around baseball as we head into another four-game day of postseason action on Monday…
- Leonys Martin has declined to report to the Rangers‘ instructional league team, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News reports. The club kept some players in training should they be needed for a postseason call-up, though GM Jon Daniels said that Martin “apparently was miffed” over being left off the playoff roster in the first place. Given how Martin struggled this season and lost the center field job to Delino DeShields, you wonder if this incident could lead to the Rangers non-tendering Martin; the outfielder is projected by MLBTR to earn $1.6MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility.
- Dexter Fowler is focused on the NLDS and isn’t thinking about his pending free agency, and Cubs GM Jed Hoyer agrees that “it’s not the right time to talk about it.” Still, Hoyer tells the Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan that “we’d love to have him (back). We’ve loved everything about his game and the way he has gone about his business for us.” Fowler hit .250/.346/.411 with 17 homers, 102 runs and 20 steals over 690 plate appearances for the Cubs in 2015, though his center field defense was below-average according to the UZR/150 (-1.9) and Defensive Runs Saved (-12) metrics.
- The seven players outrighted off the Phillies roster earlier this week aren’t necessarily out of the club’s plans, interim GM Scott Proefrock tells MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “I can’t tell you we would rule out resigning any of these guys,” Proefrock said. “We’re just trying to clear up space on the roster. These guys were the first group that we decided to take off.” Ken Roberts is the only one of the seven who will automatically remain in Philadelphia’s system; Jordan Danks, Chase d’Arnaud, Justin De Fratus, Erik Kratz, Adam Loewen and Jonathan Pettibone can all elect to become either Major League or minor league free agents.
- The Padres will add a left-handed bat this winter or else MLB.com’s Corey Brock “would be stunned” (Twitter link). San Diego’s lineup tilted heavily to the right last season and the paid for it, finishing at or near the bottom of several offensive categories against right-handed pitching.
- The Diamondbacks are expected to target a front-line starting pitcher and a back-end reliever this offseason, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert writes in a position-by-position look at the team. The club has to step carefully with regard to top-tier free agents like David Price due to budget concerns, but they have plenty of trade pieces available if they preferred dealing for an ace. (It has already been reported that Mike Leake could be a D’Backs target this winter.) Gilbert notes Patrick Corbin as the lone lock for a rotation spot but there are a lot of players competing for spots behind him.
- The Diamondbacks are happy with Brad Ziegler (who’s likely to see his club option exercised) in a late-inning role but they want more depth around him, Gilbert writes. A trade for Reds closer Aroldis Chapman remains a possibility for if the Snakes want to make a big upgrade to the bullpen.
MLBTR’s Brad Johnson also contributed to this post
AL Central Notes: Atkins, Picollo, Mauer, Tribe
The Royals’ backs are against the wall after losing Game Three of their ALDS matchup with the Astros today, and Houston now holds a 2-1 edge in the series. Dallas Keuchel continued his Minute Maid Park dominance by holding K.C. to one run (on five hits and three walks) over seven innings, striking out seven. Solo homers from Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon accounted for all of the Royals’ offense in the 4-2 defeat. Yordano Ventura will take the mound against Lance McCullers tomorrow as the Royals hope to force a fifth game on Wednesday back in Kansas City.
Some news from around the AL Central…
- Indians VP of player personnel Ross Atkins will interview for the Phillies GM job this week, Jon Heyman reports in his latest notes column (which contained several other interesting hot stove items). Atkins has worked in various capacities within Cleveland’s organization over the last 15 years, and he also interviewed for the Angels’ open GM position last month before the Halos hired Billy Eppler. Atkins is the third known candidate to interview for the job, along with Kim Ng and Larry Beinfest.
- Royals assistant GM J.J. Picollo has also been mentioned as a contender for the Phillies position, and one talent evaluator predicts to ESPN’s Buster Olney (Twitter link) that Picollo will indeed be Philadelphia’s next general manager. Picollo has worked with the Royals since 2006 and spent seven years in the Braves front office prior his arrival in Kansas City.
- The time has come for Joe Mauer to be moved as both as No. 3 hitter in the Twins‘ lineup and as an everyday first baseman, Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune opines. Souhan suggests that Mauer could best help the Twins in a super-sub role (rotating between first, third, left field, right field and DH in five starts per week) and his declining production is better suited for hitting seventh or perhaps occasionally at second since he still takes a lot of pitches. While I agree with Souhan that a drop in the batting order is probably needed at this point, I’m not sure the position switching is a good plan. It’s a lot to ask of a long-time catcher/first baseman who turns 33 in April to suddenly learn two new brand-new positions, and added versatility won’t help anyone if Mauer is a defensive liability.
- Indians backup catcher Roberto Perez could be an interesting piece to be shopped as part of a trade package this offseason, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. That said, Hoynes notes that Perez is well-liked by the Indians braintrust and “Perez is probably more valuable to the Indians than to any other team.” Perez had a solid .228/.348/.402 slash line and seven homers in 226 PA for Cleveland in 2015, seeing quite a bit of playing time with Yan Gomes on the DL.
- Also from Hoynes’ mailbag piece, he thinks the Indians will test Carlos Santana‘s trade value this winter. A deal may not be too likely given that the Tribe is already hurting for bats, however, and a better move might be to acquire a solid hitter to help complement Santana in the lineup.
AL West Notes: Chance, Gattis, Castro, Mariners
Former Cy Young Award winner Dean Chance passed away today at age 74. Chance began his career as a member of the inaugural Angels team in 1961 and went on to pitch six of his 11 Major League seasons with the Halos. Chance is best remembered for his outstanding 1964 season that saw him win the Cy Young (just one was awarded for all of baseball) after posting a league-leading 1.65 ERA, 278 1/3 innings and 11 shutouts. The right-hander also pitched for the Twins, Indians, Mets and Tigers in his career, notably winning 20 games and throwing a no-hitter for Minnesota in 1967. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register has a more thorough account of Chance’s career and personal life, and all of us at MLBTR pass on our condolences to Chance’s loved ones.
Some news from around the AL West…
- Could Evan Gattis be a non-tender candidate? ESPN’s Keith Law (Twitter link), believes it could happen since the Astros have prospect A.J. Reed and others who could replace Gattis’ production at a fraction of his next salary. MLBTR projects Gattis will earn $3.4MM in 2016 in his first year of arbitration eligibility. While the slugger posted 27 homers and 88 RBI over 604 plate appearances, he only slashed .246/.285/.463 and his lack of defensive value as a near full-time DH put Gattis at or near replacement-level value (0.5 rWAR, 0.0 fWAR). This means Gattis might not even have much trade value around the league, Law opines in response to a sub-tweeted question asking if Houston would look to deal Gattis rather than just not tender him a deal. I’m not sure I agree with Law about Gattis’ trade value; right-handed power is a valuable enough commodity that I’m sure the Astros could interest at least a few teams if Gattis was shopped.
- While Jason Castro is no longer much of a threat at the plate, his defensive ability and relationship with the pitchers makes him a valued member of the Astros roster, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle writes. Castro is Houston’s longest-tenured player and is projected to earn $4.6MM in his final year of arbitration this winter. He tells Drellich that he is just focusing on the present rather than consider his future with the Astros, as he will be a free agent after the 2016 season.
- The Mariners are replacing at least 10 minor league coaches and staff members, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. The list includes two Triple-A coaches (pitching coach Jaime Navarro and hitting coach Cory Snyder) and one Mariners insider called the firings “an absolute bloodletting.” Changes were expected under new GM Jerry Dipoto, especially since Seattle’s lackluster player development in recent years was a key reason his predecessor Jack Zduriencik was fired in the first place.
- Tim Bogar has been cited as the favorite to be the next Mariners manager, and the Seattle Times’ Larry Stone provides some background on the former player, coach and minor league manager and his ties to Dipoto. Bogar had been working as an Angels special assistant, and Stone notes that Bogar was considered to be Dipoto’s choice to replace Mike Scioscia had a change at manager been needed (possibly if Scioscia had opted out of his contract).
Pirates Notes: Happ, Alvarez, Walker
J.A. Happ will be a free agent for the first time this winter and the Pirates have indicated they will try to re-sign him. For his part, Happ says that he wouldn’t mind staying in Pittsburgh, as Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes.
“It’s a team I would definitely consider, absolutely,” Happ said. “Whatever happens, happens. I’m happy with where I’m at right now, and we’ll see what’s down the road.”
Happ pitched to a 4.64 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 21 starts for the Mariners. However, after being traded to the Pirates this summer, Happ turned things around, posting an eye-popping 1.85 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 across eleven starts.
Here’s more on the Bucs..
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington should move first baseman Pedro Alvarez to an American League team where the slugger can flourish as a DH, Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review opines. Alvarez regained his power in 2015 but his fielding woes continue and he’s not the right fit for Pittsburgh at first base, Rossi writes.
- Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wonders if Alvarez, Neil Walker and Mark Melancon will be retained by the Pirates given their likely arbitration raises. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects that Walker ($10.7MM), Melancon ($10MM), and Alvarez ($8.1MM) will all cost a pretty penny.
- We could see major changes in Pittsburgh this winter, MLB.com’s Tom Singer writes. The Bucs’ payroll will undoubtedly exceed $100MM in 2016, but there are still difficult decisions for Huntington to make.
East Notes: Rays, Yankees, Braves, Mets
The Rays experimented with an unusual pitching strategy this season, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. The club limited their young pitchers to just five or six innings per start and despite a lack of star-studded depth, the Rays’ 3.63 ERA for starters was the sixth best in the league. On the downside, the bullpen was overtaxed and had a 3.93 ERA – good for 11th worst in the bigs. President of Baseball Operations Matt Silverman says the plan needs some tweaking, and that could call for the rostering of more multi-inning relievers. Of course, the club will return four veterans next season in Chris Archer, Drew Smyly, Jake Odorizzi, and Matt Moore, so they may not employ the same strategy in 2016.
Here’s more from the AL and NL East..
- Billy Eppler is off to California to serve as the Angels’ new GM, but Yankees scouts Tim Naehring and Jay Darnell won’t be following him, GM Brian Cashman says. “That’s not true,’’ Cashman said, according to George A. King III of the New York Post. “They are under contract.’’ As for Eppler’s replacement, King lists former Yankees outfielder/director of pro scouting Kevin Reese and manager of professional scouting Steve Martone as a couple of strong possible in-house candidates.
- Teams with managerial openings are not considering Braves first base coach Terry Pendleton or bullpen coach Eddie Perez at this time, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. O’Brien personally feels that both Pendleton and Perez would make strong managerial candidates.
- Earlier today we learned that the Mets will promote middle infield prospect Matt Reynolds to the playoff roster. A 40-man move must be made in order to facilitate that move and Adam Rubin of ESPN.com (on Twitter) speculates that a pending free agent such as Eric O’Flaherty could get bounced.
Brad Johnson contributed to this post.
Mets To Promote Matt Reynolds
The Mets are set to promote middle infield prospect Matt Reynolds to the playoff roster, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN.com. Reynolds will take the place of Ruben Tejada who is done for the year with a broken leg.
If Reynolds sees the field in the postseason, he’ll have the rare distinction of making his major league debut in the playoffs. Rubin, citing Elias Sports Bureau, notes that he would become only the second player in the modern era to make his MLB debut in the postseason. In 2006, Mark Kiger of the A’s also debuted in the playoffs. Reynolds will not step into the starting shortstop role, of course, as that spot will be filled by Wilmer Flores.
Rubin adds that the Mets quietly had Reynolds come to Port St. Lucie, Florida last week to work out and stay in baseball shape, just in case of such an emergency. The 24-year-old (25 in December) hit for a .267/.319/.402 slash line with six homers in Triple-A this season while playing strong defense.
Following the 2014 season, Baseball America (subscription required) ranked Reynolds as the No. 12 prospect in the Mets’ system. BA praised Reynolds for his “hard-nosed, gamer approach” and his sure hands. While he projects as a solid defender all around the infield, BA noted that he could profile well as a second baseman at the big league level.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:
- Last week, MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz rolled out his projected arbitration salaries for 2016. You won’t find anything else like this on the Internet!
- Curious about how Matt comes up with his figures? Read all about it here.
- In the most recent edition of the MLBTR podcast, host Jeff Todd welcomed Matt to discuss the specific arbitration cases of Aroldis Chapman, Trevor Rosenthal, Josh Donaldson, and Jake Arrieta. A new episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is released every Thursday and can be accessed on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
- The Rays already have an excellent defense and a deep rotation, now they need to get enough bats to get back into the AL East hunt, as Mark Polishuk writes.
- There are lots of ways that the Indians could improve this winter, but they don’t need a major overhaul, Steve Adams writes. Cleveland has holes, but Steve feels that they have the trade chips and financial flexibility to address them.
- The first Red Sox offseason under Dave Dombrowski’s watch could be a busy one, Mark writes.
Cubs Designate Tsuyoshi Wada For Assignment
The Cubs announced that they have designated Tsuyoshi Wada for assignment, as Carrie Muskat of MLB.com tweets. The move will help create room for Taylor Teagarden on the 40-man roster.
Wada, 34 (35 in February), is set to hit the open market this offseason. Signed to a one-year, $4MM deal with Chicago in 2015, Wada only made seven starts and one relief appearance this past season. Overall, he posted a 3.62 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. In the year prior, the left-hander made 13 starts and pitched his way to a 3.25 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. Following a distinguished nine-year career in Japan, Wada signed a two-year, $8.15MM deal with the Orioles in December 2011, though he never threw as much as a pitch for the O’s thanks to Tommy John surgery.
Teagarden will not join the Cubs’ playoff roster, but he could be called upon in the event of an injury.
Cafardo On Cherington, Indians, Lackey
The game is getting younger, but we saw plenty of older players make a difference in 2015, as Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes. The list of impact vets starts off with Red Sox slugger David Ortiz who posted a .273/.360/.553 slash line with 37 homers, earning Cafardo’s “Old Guy of the Year” award. Twins outfielder Torii Hunter was another older player who made his mark this year, though he may have had a stronger impact on his team off the field rather than on it. That type of veteran leadership can be valuable for a younger team, Cafardo argues, and he hears from people within the Astros that they’ll be seeking a “older, Raul Ibanez type” in the winter.
Here’s more from today’s column..
- Despite some speculation to the contrary, former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington says that he has not interviewed for the Phillies‘ GM role. Cafardo writes that he seems “content to sit out the year and regroup. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recently noted that Cherington isn’t likely to try to get a GM job this offseason, but the Phillies job could be appealing to him, since he and Phillies owner John Middleton both went to Amherst. If Cherington does take a GM job, he’ll want it to be with people that he trusts.
- Cafardo hears that the Indians will continue to try and move a starting pitcher for a hitter this offseason. Cleveland seemed more willing to move Danny Salazar than Carlos Carrasco later in the season, Cafardo says, and The Boston Globe scribe identifies the 25-year-old as a potential trade chip.
- One major league source tells Cafardo that Cardinals pitcher John Lackey could be a fit for the Cubs next season as a free agent. After all, Theo Epstein signed Lackey as a free agent in Boston and the veteran hurler is close with Jon Lester. Lackey, who turns 37 in a few weeks, pitched to a 2.77 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 33 regular season starts.
- Cafardo cautions us not to expect Xander Bogaerts and the Red Sox to work out an extension this winter. Agent Scott Boras isn’t one to do team-friendly deals and Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski tends to wait later in the arbitration process to discuss new deals.
- D’Backs Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa offered up a strong endorsement of ex-Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, who is looking to repackage himself as a manager. “Ruben is a very smart baseball man,” La Russa said. “There’s no doubt in my mind he could be a very good major league manager. He’s an ex-player who understands the game.”
- Tim Naehring, one of the Yankees‘ top pro scouts, is a possibility to replace Billy Eppler as assistant GM in New York. Brian Cashman adviser Jim Hendry and former big league outfielder Kevin Reese are other potential candidates for the role.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Gibson, Padres, Fulmer
On this date in 2005, the Pirates hired Jim Tracy as manager to replace the recently-fired Lloyd McClendon, as Leo Panetta of NationalPastime.com writes. Of course, it was just days ago that McClendon was dismissed from his most recetn job with the Mariners.
Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..
- Redbird Rants interviewed Cardinals Hall of Famer Bob Gibson.
- Fueled By Sports has some ideas to remake the Padres again.
- Legends On Deck asks if Michael Fulmer is an elite pitching prospect.
- Blue Jays Plus spoke with former World Series hero Ed Sprague.
- Camden Depot explained how horizontal trajectory affects BABIP.
- Yankees Unscripted says the Bombers misused Adam Warren.
- Inside The ‘Zona discussed Archie Bradley.
- Kingdome Of Seattle Sports wrote about what new M’s GM Jerry Dipoto’s first priorities should be.
- Pinstriped Prospects ran down the farm hands that debuted for the Bombers.
- A’s Farm broke down Oakland’s contingent in the AFL.
- Outside Pitch discussed the importance of Yoenis Cespedes.
- Notes From The Sally scouted Ozzie Albies.
- When Sid Slid looked at the pros and cons of Atlanta’s strong finish.
- Baseball Hot Corner talked Jake Arrieta.
Please send submissions to Zach at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.