NL Notes: Brewers’ GM Search, Giants, Utley, Russell, Fernandez
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio outlined a composed and orderly search for his organization’s next general manager, as MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports. Attanasio says that he won’t be in a rush to make a decision, and will pursue a “corporate”-style process, though he hopes to install a new GM before the Winter Meetings. “The process needs to be exhaustive, so as a result, there is no timetable for the process,” he explained. Per Attanasio, the organization is likely to go with a “younger person” as its chief baseball decisionmaker, and he’ll consider candidates from inside and outside not only the organization but also the game of baseball. (He called it “unlikely, but possible” that the team would ultimately go with an “outside the box” choice.) The owner added that he is open minded about what kind of contention timeline the organization will pursue, saying he would “like to see it more in the two to three years” range but noting that “we don’t want to do something halfway.”
- Giants GM Bobby Evans talked about the team’s second base questions, as Carl Seward of the Bay Area News Group reports (links to Twitter). Joe Panik is at least a week away from beginning baseball activity, increasing the urgency of an addition. While Evans confirmed interest in Chase Utley of the Phillies, he indicated that the asking price remains above his comfort level. San Francisco is looking at multiple options to add depth up the middle, per the GM.
- The Cubs will utilize Addison Russell as the team’s primary shortstop, manager Joe Maddon told the press today, including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter links). Starlin Castro appears ticketed for more of a utility role and could line up at second against lefties. Looking ahead, Maddon said that Russell is “absolutely” the shortstop of the future. Of course, the 25-year-old Castro is under team control through 2020 (the final year through an option), and he’s lined up to be the subject of immense offseason trade speculation.
- The Marlins feel good about the health of young ace Jose Fernandez, as Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. The diagnosis of a biceps strain was “great news,” said Fernandez, who added that he has felt no pain since. He added that he has every hope and intention of returning to pitch again this season.
Placed On Revocable Waivers: 8/11/15
Here are today’s notes on players placed on revocable waivers:
- The Dodgers recently placed outfielder Yasiel Puig on waivers, but pulled him back after he was claimed by an unreported team, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports on Twitter. It’s obviously no surprise that Puig was claimed, even though he has not been produced as expected this year, or that the claiming team was unable to work out a deal with Los Angeles. The news does mean that Puig can no longer be traded this season, as any attempt to do so would require the Dodgers to expose him again to waivers without the right to claw back his rights.
Most players around the league are placed on revocable players during the month of August, though relatively few are reported. For more on the process, check out MLBTR’s August trade primer.
Padres Sign Bud Norris; Designate Dale Thayer, Taylor Lindsey
The Padres have signed righty Bud Norris, according to a team announcement. San Diego also selected the contract of righty Colin Rea and designated reliever Dale Thayer and infielder Taylor Lindsey for assignment to create roster space, according to Scott Miller of Bleacher Nation (via Twitter) and MLB.com’s Corey Brock (Twitter link).
Norris, 30, was recently designated and released by the Orioles. He owns a 7.05 ERA over 66 1/3 innings on the year, with 6.8 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9. Baltimore will pay the balance of Norris’s $8.8MM salary on the year, less a pro-rated portion of the league minimum for whatever time he spends on the Padres’ active roster.
Of course, the Friars will hope for more from Norris, who threw 342 frames over the past two seasons with much better results. Over that span, he permitted 3.92 earned runs per nine while averaging 7.5 K/9 versus 3.1 BB/9. He’ll look to regain some value before hitting free agency again after the season, but he’ll have to do so from the bullpen. Padres GM A.J. Preller confirmed that will be Norris’s role, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets, explaining: “We’re intrigued in a shorter role, to see how his stuff plays up for the rest of the year.”
San Diego will also see what it has in the 25-year-old Rea, who has steadily climbed the system after originally being selected in the 12th round. This year, he carries a 1.95 ERA across 101 2/3 innings in the upper minors, though he has not performed as well in his time at the Triple-A level (26 2/3 innings over six starts with 6.8 K/9 vs. 4.0 BB/9).
Thayer, 34, entered the season coming off of three straight strong campaigns in San Diego. Last year was his best: 65 1/3 innings with a 2.34 ERA and 8.5 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9. While Thayer outperformed the expectations of ERA estimators over that span, he seemed at worst to be a steady middle reliever.
But this season has been different. Over 37 2/3 innings, Thayer has posted a 4.06 ERA that actually seems somewhat lucky in light of his peripherals. He has seen his strikeout rate drop to less than six per nine while allowing over three-and-a-half batters to reach for every nine innings pitched.
As for Lindsey, he came to San Diego as a key part of last year’s Huston Street deal. The 23-year-old former first-round pick has scuffled in the upper minors since joining the Padres organization. Splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A this year, Lindsey owns a .197/.294/.298 slash with four home runs and four steals over 272 plate appearances.
Chase Utley Clears Waivers
Phillies second baseman Chase Utley has cleared waivers, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. That means that he can now be freely traded, subject only to Utley’s full no-trade clause.
While multiple clubs have shown interest in the veteran, it comes as no surprise that he went unclaimed on revocable waivers. Though Utley’s 2016 option is no longer likely to vest, he is still owed just over $4.5MM for the rest of the season.
Philadelphia has already moved many of its veteran players, but several still remain. In addition to Utley, the Phils still employ first baseman Ryan Howard, catcher Carlos Ruiz, righty Aaron Harang, and outfielder Jeff Francoeur. All have seen their names arise in trade rumors at some point in recent months.
Despite his struggles this year, Utley remains an interesting player for contenders to consider. The highly-respected veteran has been hitting well since returning from a lengthy DL stint, and the removal of the complication of the vesting option makes him a much more marketable asset. While his current slash line still stands at a meager .190/.262/.294, he’s produced at a solidly above-average clip (or better) for each of the past ten seasons.
Then, of course, there’s the fact that several teams are dealing with injuries or performance issues at the second base position. The Giants, Cubs, Angels, Dodgers, and Yankees have all been connected to the 36-year-old in some regard, and he’s shown a willingness to consider waiving his no-trade clause to facilitate a deal. While Philadelphia will obviously need to pay down some of his salary to make something happen, most of the roadblocks appear to have been cleared at this point.
Anthopoulos: Stroman Could Return In September
The Blue Jays’ deadline pickups of David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, Ben Revere, LaTroy Hawkins and Mark Lowe have provided a jolt to an already-strong roster, but there could be one more major addition on the way, as GM Alex Anthopoulos said on TSN 1040 radio in Vancouver today that there’s a possibility that Marcus Stroman could return to the rotation in September (audio link, with Stroman comments beginning near 11:50 mark).
“Right now, he’ll be stretched out to start,” said Anthpoulos. “We’ll see how many innings we can get out of him assuming no setbacks. Minor league season’s over on the seventh of September, and we’ll see how much he’s built up by then, and hopefully no setbacks at all. I know there’s been talk about reliever/starter. If he’s totally healthy, our plan is to bring him back as a starter.”
Clearly, that’s a very quick recovery from a serious injury — Stroman tore his ACL in Spring Training — but Stroman tweeted yesterday that Dr. James Andrews was “stunned” by the progress in his recovery, adding that he’s “shattering” his projected timetable to return. Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweeted earlier today that Stroman told him that he felt “unbelievable” during a mound session today.
Anthopoulos stressed that Stroman’s career comes first, and if there are any setbacks, the team will shut him down for the season. However, given the nature of expanded rosters in September, the team could continue to stretch out Stroman to get to the point where he could make a start and be backed by a larger-than-usual bullpen. “Is he up to four innings at that time? Five innings? Three innings?” Anthopoulos asked rhetorically when explaining that the specific plan is dependent on Stoman’s progress. “If he looks like the Marcus from a year ago, and his stuff’s good, his command is good, everything looks good … If he’s close, if he’s a 70-pitch outing or 80, he could make a start at the big league level.”
Anthopoulos does not specify whether or not Stroman would be an option for the Blue Jays in a theoretical playoff run, though one would imagine that if he’s healthy and looks to be one of the team’s best options, that could be in the cards.
The Blue Jays’ rotation has improved since the beginning of the season due not only to the addition of Price, but also to the brilliant work of Marco Estrada since transitioning from the bullpen and the dramatically improved performances of R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle in the summer months. Adding Stroman to the mix would not only deepen the unit down the stretch, but would introduce an interesting new element to the club’s hypothetical postseason staff.
Orioles Acquire Matt Buschmann, Jason Stoffel
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league…
- The Orioles have announced the Buschmann trade and, additionally, the team announced the acquisition of right-hander Jason Stoffel from the Astros in exchange for cash considerations. A fourth-round pick by the Giants back in 2009, Stoffel has worked to a 4.91 ERA in 44 relief innings this season at the Triple-A level. The 26-year-old’s overall track record in the minors and at Triple-A is better than that, however, as he owns a career 3.55 ERA with 9.3 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. Houston acquired Stoffel from the Giants in the 2011 trade that sent Jeff Keppinger to San Francisco. He previously ranked as high as 15th among Giants farmhands, though that was five years ago at this point.
Earlier Updates
- The Orioles have acquired right-hander Matt Buschmann from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations, reports Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The 31-year-old is a veteran of 10 minor league seasons and has split the 2015 campaign between the Reds and Rays organizations, pitching to a 4.03 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 131 2/3 innings. Buschmann has a 3.79 ERA over his past four minor league seasons and should serve as a depth piece for the O’s.
Doug Melvin To Assume Advisory Role; Brewers Begin Search For New GM
The Brewers announced today that longtime GM Doug Melvin will move to an advisory position within the organization, and the team will begin hunting for a new GM immediately (Twitter link). Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that it was Melvin’s decision to begin the transition now as opposed to after the season. MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports (on Twitter) that the Brewers have hired executive search firm Korn Ferry to organize the team’s pursuit of a new general manager. The priority, according to McCalvy, will be to target younger candidates with knowledge of analytics.
Melvin, 63, became Milwaukee’s general manager nearly 13 years ago and prior to that spent eight years as GM of the Rangers. He was the GM in Texas for the team’s first three postseason appearances and helped to construct a pair of playoff teams during his Brewers tenure as well, including a 96-win team that made it to Game 6 of the NLCS against the Cardinals in 2011
As one would expect with such a lengthy tenure at the top of the team’s baseball operations hierarchy, Melvin made a number of notable transactions in his time with the Brewers, including a handful of high-profile trades. In 2008, Melvin acquired CC Sabathia from the Indians in a rental deal that sent Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson to Cleveland. He swung another deal for an ace in the 2010-11 offseason, landing Zack Greinke from the Royals in exchange for Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress (who has, of course, made his way back to the Brewers).
Melvin ultimately traded Greinke away a season and a half later, acquiring Jean Segura, Johnny Hellweg and Ariel Pena in exchange. He’s also architected extensions for Carlos Gomez (three years, $24MM), Ryan Braun (eight years, $45MM, followed by an additional five years, $105MM), Jonathan Lucroy (five years, $11MM) and, in a less successful decision, Rickie Weeks (four years, $38.5MM).
Melvin’s recent transactions have been something of a mixed bag. The Adam Lind-for-Marco Estrada swap has benefited both parties, and the re-signing of Francisco Rodriguez has, to this point, been a solid move. Kyle Lohse made good on the first two years of his three-year, $33MM contract and justified the expenditure despite a poor 2015 season. However, the Matt Garza contract currently looks like a misstep, and recent seasons have seen Cain, Escobar and Odorizzi emerge as very valuable pieces.
This summer, Melvin drew praise for the return for Gomez and Mike Fiers — a four-player package that brought Brett Phillips, Josh Hader, Domingo Santana and Adrian Houser to Milwaukee. He also landed a nice piece from the Orioles when trading Gerardo Parra to Baltimore: right-hander Zach Davies.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nationals, Tony Campana Agree To Minor League Deal
12:04pm: Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports that Campana’s minor league deal runs through the 2016 season (Twitter link). Even if he doesn’t end up seeing time with the big league club this season, then, the Nats will get a look at him this summer and next year in Spring Training as well, when he’d have a chance to crack the roster. With Denard Span set to hit free agency this winter, Campana will provide the Nats with a depth piece beyond this season.
12:00pm: The Nationals have agreed to a deal with speedy center fielder Tony Campana, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter links). MLB.com’s Bill Ladson adds (also via Twitter) that it’s a minor league contract.
Campana, a client of Pro Star Sports Management, signed a minor league deal with the White Sox this past offseason but suffered a partially torn ACL in February. He’s rehabbed quickly from the injury, however and has already been performing baseball activities for a month, per Heyman.
The 29-year-old Campana has appeared in the Majors in each of the past four seasons, spending time with the Cubs, Diamondbacks and Angels. He’s batted .249/.296/.288 in 477 plate appearances, but his speed his calling card. As Heyman notes, if he gets back on track in time, Campana could be a September/October bench asset much in the same way that Terrence Gore was for the Royals in 2014. Campana is 66-for-75 in stolen base attempts in his Major League career, and he’s 211-for-279 in minor league attempts.
NL East Notes: Utley, Marlins, Mets, Fister
The Giants, Yankees and Cubs — three potential Chase Utley suitors — all had scouts in attendance at last night’s Phillies game, reports CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury. According to Salisbury, that’s the fourth straight game in which the Giants have kept tabs on Utley, who was in the game at first base as a possible means of showcasing him to trade partners. He also lists the Dodgers as a potential trade partner in the wake of Howie Kendrick‘s injury, although L.A. has called up top prospect Jose Peraza for the time being. Salisbury also notes that Utley has been hitting leadoff since returning to the lineup, possibly as a means to maximize his plate appearances in front of interested scouts.
Here’s more from the NL East…
- The Miami Herald’s Greg Cote urges the Marlins to end the Dan Jennings experiment in the dugout and allow the former GM to return to the front office role for which he is better suited. Cote opines that if the goal is to bring in an experienced manager to command respect in the clubhouse and signal a commitment to winning — as others have written — then the Marlins should act now rather than wait until the offseason, when other teams are offering competition for such types. If the Marlins are to hire someone like Ron Gardenhire or Bud Black, doing so now would allow the new manager time to assess his team and what he feels is needed this winter while also affording Jennings more time to prepare for the offseason alongside president of baseball ops Michael Hill.
- The Mets opted to keep Michael Conforto on the 25-man roster upon Michael Cuddyer‘s return from the DL (Eric Campbell was instead optioned to Triple-A), and as ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin writes, GM Sandy Alderson foreshadowed that decision to some extent in stressing the team’s current win-at-all-costs mentality. “Our mindset is we want the best 25 players we can put on the field,” said Alderson prior to the official announcement of the Conforto/Campbell decision. “Issues of development, etc., are secondary to whether anybody can help us now. That’s all relative based on who’s doing what and comparisons among players.”
- GammonsDaily.com’s David Golebiewski breaks down the reasons for Doug Fister‘s ill-timed and rapid decline. As Golebiweski notes, Fister’s gone from one of the game’s most underrated starting pitchers to a long reliever in short order and isn’t likely to receive another chance to start this season unless the Nationals incur an injury in the rotation. The timing couldn’t be worse, of course, as he’s now a few short months from free agency. Fister’s robust ground-ball rate has fallen below the league average, he’s throwing significantly slower and getting crushed up in the zone as a result of it, and his command of his secondary pitches has deteriorated, Golebiewski points out.
White Sox Still Looking To Add Pieces For 2015 And Beyond
Though the White Sox have followed up a seven-game winning streak in late July with a 3-8 showing, GM Rick Hahn hasn’t yet thrown in the towel on the season, writes Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. “As we get deeper into August and if things don’t improve that is something we’ll have to take seriously but at this point we’re still having the same approach of looking for long term fits that could help this year and beyond,” Hahn told Van Schouwen.
Hahn notes that the despite the discouraging results of late, the Sox do have quite a bit of schedule remaining against teams that are currently ahead of them in the Wild Card standings. The Sox topped the Angels last night and have two more games against them in the current series. They’ll then host the Cubs for three and travel to Anaheim for a four-game set. Following that, Chicago has 10 straight games against the struggling Red Sox and Mariners to close out the month, so it does seem that there’s some reason for optimism based on the schedule.
Nonetheless, a six-and-a-half-game deficit when there are seven teams in better Wild Card standing is a tough obstacle for the White Sox to face, and their immediate schedule is a difficult one. Hahn didn’t speak as a man who would cling to the current course of action at all costs: “As for us in the front office obviously we have to be cognizant of where we sit in the standings and how each loss makes that road to the playoffs a little more difficult to travel down. So we’re aware of the situation and we’re aware of what potentially needs to be done in the coming weeks.”
Should the next nine games against contending teams go particularly poorly, the Sox will have a number of pieces they can look to market to other teams. Jeff Samardzija probably wouldn’t clear waivers, but the Sox could certainly put him through the process and see if they’re able to strike a deal with a claiming team. The resurgent Alexei Ramirez (.289/.316/.533 with five homers, four steals in 23 second-half games) could be of interest to teams looking for shortstop help. Catcher Geovany Soto and righty Matt Albers are also short-term pieces that could draw interest. Candidates to clear waivers due to their salary include Ramirez, Adam LaRoche, Zach Duke, John Danks and Melky Cabrera, as each has had his struggles his year (Cabrera, like Ramirez, has come to life as of late but is still owed $32.9MM through 2017).
On the flipside, if they’re able to get back into the Wild Card hunt late this month, the Sox have received scarce production from second base, third base and designated hitter this season, and they could use some left-handed relief help as well.