Walt Weiss To Return As Rockies Manager In 2016
Walt Weiss will return to the Rockies as manager in 2016, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. There had been some uncertainty surrounding the situation, with Weiss himself even recently acknowledging the possibility that he could be dismissed at season’s end.
Weiss, who will be entering the final season of a three-year contract next season, has been managing the Rockies since 2013 but has yet to top 74 wins in a season and has finished with 68 and 66 wins, respectively, in each of the past two seasons. Of course, the Rockies have suffered through injuries to Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado and Corey Dickerson, among others, in each of the past two seasons and ultimately traded Tulowitzki to Toronto this past July. In addition to those injury woes, the Rockies have characteristically struggled with their pitching, as the front office has yet to compose a pitching staff that can master pitching at altitude.
It remains to be seen whether the rest of Weiss’ coaching staff will return next season, but the Rockies’ young core will have a familiar voice and clubhouse culture. Weiss could have some degree of say in the roster’s construction as well, as the manager told the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders back in February that he spent a good deal of time with GM Jeff Bridich and others in the front office over the course of the offseason. Bridich made clear in May that despite the team’s struggles, he didn’t blame Weiss for the lack of on-field results. “The manager and the coaches don’t step on the field and take a bat and step into the batter’s box, and they don’t take the ball to stand on the mound,” Bridich told the Post’s Nick Groke.
Twins Notes: Catchers, Hunter, Plouffe, Dozier, May, Offseason
Twins general manager Terry Ryan met with the media today to discuss the team’s upcoming offseason. Some highlights from his wrap-up and other notes on the Twins…
- As Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes, Ryan said he will be open to the idea of making an upgrade behind the plate. The GM noted that starting catcher Kurt Suzuki had a down season but also praised Suzuki for his durability. However, he wouldn’t commit to being satisfied with the team’s current catching situation in 2016. “Let’s not get into that,” Ryan said. “Let’s see what happens. If there’s a catcher available that we think can help this club, we’ll look at it. Kurt can improve, as can almost every offensive player we have.”
- Berardino adds within that report that the Twins made an effort to acquire A.J. Pierzynski from the Braves this summer but couldn’t strike a deal. He also reminds that the Twins tried to bring Pierzynski back to Minnesota on a two-year deal prior to signing Suzuki in the 2013-14 offseason. It stands to reason that the Twins will have some level of interest in Pierzynski again this winter.
- In a separate piece, Berardino tackles the issue of whether or not Torii Hunter will return next season. The 40-year-old Hunter has said previously that he wants to retire with the Twins, but he’s also expressed that he isn’t interested in a limited role. Ryan said today that he hopes to meet with Hunter sooner rather than later to discuss his future. “I don’t think the day after the season ends is the right time for him to make that conclusion,” said Ryan in reference to Hunter’s future and all of the factors that will weigh into it. Hunter said he planned to know by Thanksgiving whether or not he’ll play another year, writes Berardino, but Ryan understandably doesn’t want to wait that long and said he’ll discuss situation with Hunter “fairly soon.”
- MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger has a full rundown of Ryan’s comments from today, and within his write-up is Ryan’s reveal that second baseman Brian Dozier will have an MRI on his hip. Ryan didn’t believe there to be a serious injury with Dozier, but the 28-year-old followed up a .256/.328/.518 first half (which resulted in his first All-Star nod) with a .210/.280/.359 second half.
- Ryan doesn’t want Miguel Sano to get into the mindset of being solely a designated hitter, but he also stated that Trevor Plouffe is a third baseman only and wouldn’t play in the outfield at all to accommodate the impressive young Sano. Because of that, Bollinger notes that one option would be to trade Plouffe this offseason, though Ryan himself suggested no such notion. Still, it’s a situation worth monitoring; Joe Mauer‘s bat at first base has faded, but he has three years at $23MM per season remaining and has a full-no trade clause on his contract, so moving across the diamond isn’t an option for Plouffe, who is controlled through 2017 and has batted .251/.317/.429 with 36 homers and much-improved defense from 2014-15.
- Everyone on the coaching and training staff has been invited back for the 2016 season, though no new contracts have been finalized, per Bollinger.
- Trevor May, who was one of the team’s more effective starters early in the season but moved to the bullpen due to team need, has been told to prepare as a starter this offseason, Bollinger writes. Ryan said that no firm decision has been reached, but it’s easier to taper down from starter to reliever than vice versa. Sticking in the rotation would be preferable for May himself, Berardino wrote yesterday. May told Berardino he feels he can be a “go-to guy” for the Twins. “I don’t think I’ve achieved anywhere close to what I can achieve as a starter,” May told Berardino. “I’m excited to come in next year and kind of open some eyes.”
- Ryan said the team will look into upgrading both the rotation and bullpen this offseason, Bollinger writes. The GM also isn’t ruling out upgrades at catcher or shortstop, though he does feel that Eduardo Escobar has put himself into a good position heading into 2016. The 26-year-old hit .262/.309/.445 this season — a batting line that was bolstered by a .269/.330/.486 second half.
AL Central Notes: Royals, Albers, Sox, Allen, Indians
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On to some notes from the AL Central …
- Royals GM Dayton Moore discussed his team-building philosophies with MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. He cited a focus on defense and “usable speed” among position players. When asked about his remarkable hit rate on last year’s crop of free agents, Moore credited the organization’s culture: “I think it goes back to the type of the culture our coaches and our players are able to present to make it possible to be successful. It’s Ned [Yost] and his staff and the other players have created a culture in the clubhouse that makes it comfortable for new players to come in and play well and do well in. That allows them to do what they can do. Those players all have had success in the past, but will blossom, so to speak, in the right environment.” There’s plenty more of interest if you follow the link to the interview.
- White Sox righty Matt Albers did about everything he could to set up his free agent case down the stretch, as MLB.com’s Scott Merkin writes. The 32-year-old put up 22 1/3 scoreless frames over his last twenty appearances despite failing to crack 90 mph in average fastball velocity. He credits a new offspeed offering for the success: “I started throwing a different kind of changeup last year, and I think it has just been able to help me with left-handed hitters and being more consistent with my slider and the location of my fastball,” Albers said. “As long as I’m keeping it down and have them hitting it in the ground, hopefully guys make the plays behind you. It’s pretty much a simple approach, but I’m able to execute that.”
- There are plenty of questions facing the White Sox this winter, but ESPNChicago.com’s Doug Padilla says none is more important than shortstop. The club has to decide on its $10MM option over Alexei Ramirez, which could still make sense despite his poor season and advancing age. Otherwise, the club could look to use Tyler Saladino as a bridge to prospect Tim Anderson or it could enter a free agent market featuring Ian Desmond and several less promising options.
- Indians closer Cody Allen says he’s very open to an extension after a big year, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports. “I would absolutely love to,” he said in regards to talking over a multi-year deal. “I think anybody in this clubhouse would love to. We have a great staff here, a great group of guys, and the city of Cleveland has treated me very well. I would love to play here for a very, very long time. If that opportunity presents itself, I’d definitely be open to it.” Allen’s 2.99 ERA is not quite indicative of the quality season he put up, which featured 12.9 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 and sterling marks from many ERA estimators. MLBTR’s arbitration projections, courtesy of Matt Swartz, project Allen to reach a $3.5MM salary in his first year of eligibility — based largely, of course, on his save tallies.
- The Indians have many sure things but also many moving pieces on their future roster, as Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer explores. It’s likely that the club will part with Ryan Raburn (rather than exercising his $3MM option and keeping him) despite his strong batting line, with plans to utilize Chris Johnson (whose salary is largely unmovable) as a right-handed-hitting corner man. He could share time with Lonnie Chisenhall in right field, says Pluto. Likewise, it’s unlikely that Mike Aviles will be re-signed, as Jose Ramirez can fill his up-the-middle infield utility role.
Indians Promote Chris Antonetti, Mike Chernoff
3:53pm: Bastian tweets that from an operational standpoint, little will change with the Indians. The new titles reflect the way in which the team has operated for several years, per Antonetti.
11:06am: The Indians have announced a widely-anticipated series of front office promotions. Chris Antonetti will move into the newly-minted position of president of baseball operations, with Mike Chernoff stepping into the general manager role.
To an extent, the move was precipitated by the departure of former president Mark Shapiro. But Antonetti will remain atop the baseball operations department rather than stepping into Shapiro’s broader, business-oriented role, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian notes on Twitter.
Antonetti, 41, served as the Indians’ GM for five years after a lengthy stint as Shapiro’s right-hand man. Among his most notable achievements are a series of appealing extensions, many of them with high-performing players that the organization acquired at a discount. Under Antonetti’s leadership, Cleveland has locked up Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, Yan Gomes, and Carlos Santana on the position player side as well as Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco among its pitchers.
The club that Antonetti compiled this year fell somewhat shy of expectations. After a 2013 playoff berth and 85-win campaign last year, the team’s array of excellent starters made it a popular pick to reach the post-season. Instead, the club landed at 81-80, though it did manage a late run at Wild Card relevance.
There’s still plenty to like about the team’s young talent, even if it didn’t reach its ceiling this season. In addition to those noted above, players such as Francisco Lindor, Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer, and Cody Allen are all controlled for the foreseeable future.
Tasked with turning that impressive core into a consistent winner will be the 34-year-old Chernoff. The Princeton grad has been with the organization since 2003, but drew plenty of interest from other organizations that were seeking general managers. But he and the team rebuffed those overtures, preferring instead to structure this internal promotion.
Cleveland also announced that it would account for the upward movement of Chernoff with another internal move. Former director of baseball operations Derek Falvey will become the assistant GM in the new front office structure.
The front office combination has some flexibility to work with despite a generally meager spending capacity. The organization has yet to crack $90MM in Opening Day payroll, but has a decent bit of uncommitted potential cash over the next several seasons — even after committing future salary to the significant players listed above.
Duquette, Showalter On Pitching, Davis, Machado, Harvey
Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette and skipper Buck Showalter addressed the media together yesterday, as Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports. The pair is set to continue on for 2016, with Showalter explaining that both are committed to putting the club back in contention after a somewhat disappointing year.
Here are some more highlights;
- Duquette talked about the club’s needs heading into the offseason, saying that “we need to focus on a stronger pitching staff.” As for whether the club can afford to upgrade its rotation and bring back slugger Chris Davis, he made no promises but left open the possibility: “I don’t know what the final market’s gonna be for Chris Davis, but having looked at some of the other contracts, it’s gonna be a lot of money. And we’re gonna have to weigh the competitiveness of the team and the need of the team to staff a strong pitching staff. I don’t know where the money’s going to end up, but we have enough resources in this market to field a competitive team and our aim is to do that again in ’16.”
- Baltimore is assessing whether to make qualifying offers to Davis, Wei-Yin Chen, and Matt Wieters, per the report. “The qualifying offer is under consideration for all those players,” Duquette said. “The club has to decide that by the end of the World Series, so we’re currently working on that.” It still seems probable that all three will be recipients, though the backstop Wieters seems most likely to avoid the QO.
- In terms of pursuing offensive additions, Duquette said the focus would be in acquiring players with good on-base skills.
- While the Orioles would love to extend third baseman Manny Machado, Duquette says that pursuing a new deal with him is not atop the organization’s priority list, as Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports. “It is heartening that Manny wants to play here, we’ve got him for three more years and that’s something we can consider in the offseason but I’ve got to tell you, we got a lot more work to do,” Duquette said. “We’ve got a lot more work to do and the fact that Manny’s gonna be here for the next three years under his current arrangement, doesn’t mean that’s a back-burner item, but we have a lot more urgent things to look at.”
- Duquette also noted that he has had discussions with Machado’s reps in the past, but said that they “didn’t quite get to a deal.” It was wise of the O’s to try, because Machado’s combination of performance and age figure to make him exceedingly expensive to lock up, even after accounting for his somewhat worrying injury history.
- Meanwhile, Duquette said that highly-regarded pitching prospect Hunter Harvey will not require surgery, at least for the time being. “The doctors are recommending based upon the healing they’ve seen, they’re recommending he continue to pitch,” said the club’s top baseball decisionmaker. “If he does throw four to six weeks from now and still has an issue, we can do the surgery then. But we’ve sent him to see several doctors and they’re all recommending he continue to throw.”
MLBTR Chat: Desmond, QOs, Garcia, Freese, Leake, Strasburg
Click below to read a transcript of Tuesday’s live chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams. (Trade Rumors app users can check out the transcript here.)
Marlins Re-Sign Ichiro Suzuki
1:58pm: The deal also includes a $2MM option for 2017, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
12:20pm: The Marlins have announced the re-signing of outfielder Ichiro Suzuki today, as MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro first reported on Twitter. The John Boggs client will receive a $2MM guarantee, per Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
A reunion had largely been expected, and it seems that the sides chose to accomplish that by reaching agreement before the likely future Hall-of-Famer hit the open market. It’s not uncommon to see late-career veterans reach extension agreements of this kind when a mutually agreeable situation is at hand.
The club will probably look to give the 41-year-old somewhat less action in 2016 than he did this past season. With Giancarlo Stanton injured and Marcell Ozuna spending time in the minors, Ichiro ended up taking 438 plate appearances and playing in all but nine of the team’s games. That greater-than-anticipated usage did, however, allow the Japanese great to rack up some additional hits, leaving him just 65 shy of the 3,000-hit mark at season’s end.
Miami obviously likes Ichiro’s presence, and his milestone pursuit is not without its appeal. And he still rates as at least a league-average defender and baserunner. But things did not go so well on the offensive side of the equation, as he slashed an anemic .229/.282/.279 on the year for 2015.
That represents a drop off from an already-downward trend, as Ichiro has been consistently below average with the bat since the start of 2011. He was at least serviceable in 2014, earning him a one-year deal with a $2MM base guarantee and a variety of incentives. The Fish will hope that he can return to that level of offensive production (87 wRC+), though that could be the best-case scenario at this point.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Phillies Notes: GM, Giles, Asche, Biddle, Staff
The Phillies’ offseason needs begin with a new general manager, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes. President Andy MacPhail is running the search himself and giving little in the way of clues, though Salisbury cites Matt Klentak, Kim Ng, Thad Levine, and Ben Cherington as names that have arisen in industry chatter.
Here’s more from Philadelphia:
- While the Phillies won’t pursue top-end starters, they figure to add a few veteran arms, possibly of the mid-rotation variety, Salisbury adds. Otherwise, the offseason will presumably remain future-oriented. Nevertheless, Salisbury says that the team’s biggest remaining trade chip may be a relatively young player: closer Ken Giles. As CSN’s Corey Seidman wrote this summer, there’s real merit to the idea given the organization’s broader needs, the volatility of relievers, and Giles’s excellent early-career numbers. I’d certainly agree that the organization should be open to the concept. The pre-2012 Andrew Bailey trade, which netted the A’s Josh Reddick, is one example of such a deal that worked out for the sending team.
- Another at-least-theoretical trade candidate is Cody Asche. Per Salisbury, the 25-year-old drew interest from the Marlins and Brewers this summer. While his value isn’t exactly on the upswing, Asche might be worth more to another organization that could give him a longer look at third base.
- Lefty Jesse Biddle is heading in for Tommy John surgery, Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Long considered a top-100 prospect, Biddle has not performed well in the upper minors over the last two seasons. He’s averaged about five earned runs per nine at Double-A and Triple-A since the start of 2014, and continues to struggle to limit free passes even as his strikeout rate has fallen. Biddle struck out only 6.4 batters per nine in 2015, by far the lowest rate of his minor league career.
- Now-permanent manager Pete Mackanin will have a few staff changes heading into 2016, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports. The team will part ways with bullpen coach Rod Nichols and third base coach John Mizerock, though it will offer contract renewals to bench coach Larry Bowa, hitting coach Steve Henderson, pitching coach Bob McClure, and first-base coach Juan Samuel. Mackanin explained that the team is “going to look at a lot of candidates” in filling out its coaching ranks.
Dan Haren To Retire
OCTOBER 6: Haren has confirmed that he will, in fact, hang up his spikes, as ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers reports.
It is likely that the righty has already thrown his last pitch, though he said he would remain prepared in the event that the Cubs need him for the post-season. As Rogers notes, that seems unlikely barring an injury situation.
“If I don’t pitch in the postseason, that’s it,” Haren stated. “It’s been fun. Hopefully there’s a lot more games to go. … If my name is called, I’ll be ready.”
Even if he doesn’t get a playoff call, the veteran ended his career on a good note. Though he scuffled early upon his move to Chicago, Haren allowed just eight earned runs in 32 2/3 over his final six starts. All said, he tallied 187 1/3 innings of 3.60 ERA pitching on the year, making for a productive final campaign.
AUGUST 2: Newly-acquired Cubs righty Dan Haren is leaning towards ending his career once this season is over, Haren told reporters including MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat. Upon being dealt to Chicago, Haren tweeted that he would wearing jersey #50 as a Cub, which was his number when he first broke into the big leagues “and it’ll probably be my last.”
Expanding on that tweet, Haren left himself a bit of wiggle room but “I would say right now the chances are this will probably be it. I don’t want to say this is it and pull a Brett Favre. That’s why I said ‘probably’ [on Twitter]. At least I leave myself a little way out. Chances are this is it. After the season, I’ll relax and see where I’m at. I definitely want to make a push to get to where this team wants to go.”
The decision isn’t a surprise, given that Haren considered retiring last offseason after being traded from the Dodgers to the Marlins. Haren has spoke openly about the difficulty of being away from his wife and children and his home in southern California, so it may be that an offer from a team in that region may be the only thing that changes Haren’s mind about retirement.
If this is indeed it for Haren, he’ll go out with an impressive 13-year stint in the majors that saw him make three All-Star teams and earn just under $81.5MM. Haren, who turns 35 in September, posted a 3.77 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 4.07 K/BB rate from 2003-2014 with the Cardinals, A’s, Diamondbacks, Angels, Nationals and Dodgers. He’s still pitching effectively this year (a 3.42 ERA in 129 innings for Miami), which is why the Cubs pursued him at the deadline to bolster the back end of their rotation.
AL West Notes: A’s, Reddick, Pomeranz, Mariners, Astros, Angels
Athletics VP of baseball operations Billy Beane and GM David Forst sat down with the media today to round things up after the season. As Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to report, generally, the club is not planning to trade away young assets but also won’t rush them to the big leagues. That could suggest a sort of transition season at the major league level. The sense seems to be that pitching additions — at least one starter as well as some pen help — could be offseason targets. Slussers notes to keep an eye out for deals to address “poor clubhouse chemistry.”
Here’s more from Oakland and the rest of the AL West:
- Beane made clear that the Athletics see outfielder Josh Reddick as a keeper, noting the possibility of an extension before he hits the open market after 2016. “Josh is a good player and he’s still young,” Beane said. “We’ve always liked having him here. Talented guy, does everything well. … We’re all very pleased with the year Josh had.” Fellow outfielder Coco Crisp, meanwhile, still profiles as a starter — if, that is, he can return to health.
- Athletics lefty Drew Pomeranz is likely headed for AC joint surgery on his pitching shoulder, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group tweets. The 26-year-old, who’ll be arbitration eligible for the first time this winter, put up a 3.66 ERA in 86 innings while serving in a swingman capacity.
- The Mariners have begun turning over their front office after making a change at the top, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). With new GM Jerry Dipoto at the helm, the organization will part ways with special assistants to the GM Duane Shaffer and Joe McIlvaine, pro scouting supervisor Pete Vuckovich, and pro scout Joe Nigro.
- While the Astros are preparing for an exciting post-season trip, that doesn’t mean the club’s front office won’t see some change as well. As Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports, farm director Quinton McCracken and assistant director Allen Rowin could end up being reassigned within the organization if they stay in Houston. GM Jeff Luhnow has a “new vision,” apparently relating to player development, that has created some uncertainty, per the report.
- Luhnow recently discussed the Astros‘ trade deadline in retrospect, noting that some less-than-ideal performances didn’t change his evaluation. As Drellich reports, the Houston GM defended his approach this summer. “We made those trades for the right reason and I’m comfortable with the process that we went through and why we made those trades,” said Luhnow. “The players on this team that put us in a position to make those trades at end of July deserve the opportunity for us to add talent, and that’s what we did. It doesn’t always work out. I think we know that, we knew that going in. Fortunately for us, we have Fiers and Gomez next year, and we’re still in it.”
- Newly-appointed Angels GM Billy Eppler discussed the kinds of players he’ll be targeting with his new organization, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports on Twitter. Eppler noted the idea of finding baseball intelligence in his position players, with a preference for hitters “with a patiently aggressive approach.” In building a staff, he wants arms that not only have quality offerings, but “can set up a hitter [and] execute a game plan.”
- Angels owner Arte Moreno left no doubt that he will provide Eppler with the means of delivering a competitive club, as Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports (Twitter links). “Our plans are not to rebuild,” said the veteran owner. “We would like to become more competitive.” As for the topic of payroll, Moreno indicated that he would not allow the luxury tax threshold to get in the way of an appropriate acquisition. “If it’s the right player, in the right situation, we’ll do whatever is needed,” he said.