Marlins Fire Manager Mike Redmond
10:49pm: Frisaro tweets that there are rumors within the industry that the Marlins could hire former star catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a hero for the Marlins’ 2003 World Series team, retired as a player in 2012.
10:10pm: The Marlins’ next manager will be someone currently in the organization, Frisaro tweets. It doesn’t appear it will be Butler or Conine, and a source tells Frisaro he’ll be “shocked” when he hears who it is. Frisaro speculates that it could be Andre Dawson or Tony Perez, both of whom are special assistants to president David Samson. Heyman adds (via Twitter) that the new hire will be someone “outside the box” who hasn’t been widely discussed tonight.
8:43pm: It also isn’t Ron Washington, tweets Heyman, who also tweets that it won’t be Bobby Valentine or Bo Porter.
6:24pm: Butler will not be the Marlins’ next manager, sources tell Frisaro (via Twitter).
6:20pm: The Marlins have not been in touch with former Giants and Reds skipper Dusty Baker, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets.
5:05pm: Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald reports the Marlins are eyeing candidates with previous MLB managerial experience and names former Astros manager and current Braves third base coach Bo Porter and Ron Roenicke, who was dismissed by the Brewers two weeks ago, as possibilities who fit the bill.
2:44pm: The Marlins have announced on Twitter they have fired manager Mike Redmond. Bench coach Rob Leary was also relieved of his duties. Redmond was in his third season and had a record of 155-207. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets a new manager will be named tomorow at a 10am CT news conference and third base coach Brett Butler is the leading internal candidate to replace Redmond, at least on an interim basis. The new manager will be the seventh for the franchise since 2009.
“Hopefully a new voice will spark and motivate our guys to play as capable as we know they are of playing,” said Marlins President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill (per the team’s official Twitter account).
The Marlins invested heavily this offseason by extending the face of the franchise Giancarlo Stanton and fellow outfielder Christian Yelich. Miami also acquired Dee Gordon (the MLB leader in batting average), Mat Latos, Dan Haren, Mike Morse, Martin Prado, and Ichiro Suzuki giving rise to playoff aspirations.
The firings came literally minutes after the Marlins were swept by the Braves at home and were nearly no-hit in doing so (Justin Bour ended Shelby Miller‘s bid with two outs in the bottom of the ninth). Nearly one month ago, rumors began circulating Redmond was on the hot seat after the team struggled to a 3-11 start.
In those reports, Mets’ Triple-A manager Wally Backman was named as one of the possible replacements. Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets the Marlins have not requested permission from the Mets to speak with Backman. The New York Post’s Mike Puma tweets the Marlins had informal talks with Backman last month through a third party.
The Marlins also have not contacted former Twins manager Ron Gardenshire, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. In separate tweets, Berardino floats the name of ex-Rangers skipper Ron Washington, who interviewed for the Marlins job a decade ago and lives in New Orleans which is ironically also home to the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal notes on Twitter owner Jeffrey Loria is now paying two managers not to manage: Redmond (who signed an extension through 2017 last September) and Ozzie Guillen (in the final year of a four-year, $10MM deal).
The Marlins, losers of ten of their last 14, are in fourth place in the NL East, six games behind the Mets. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets Loria may be hoping history repeats itself. The last time the Marlins fired a manager when the club’s record stood at 16-22 was 2003 when Jack McKeon (now 84 and serving as a special assistant to Loria) replaced Jeff Torborg and guided the team to a World Series title. The Marlins haven’t returned to the playoffs since.
AL Notes: Wolf, Marcum, Astros
Veteran starter Randy Wolf, who’s with the Blue Jays‘ Triple-A team in Buffalo, is grateful merely that the Jays gave him a chance, John Lott of the National Post writes. The 38-year-old Wolf offers an unusually candid look at the challenges a veteran can face near the end of his career. Wolf is a 15-year veteran and pitched for the Marlins just last season, but he says he had trouble even getting teams to take him seriously last offseason. “Teams would not even watch me throw,” says Wolf. “I had one team that agreed to watch me throw and they didn’t even show up.” Wolf has a 1.10 ERA in 41 innings with Buffalo so far, although with 5.7 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9. He says he’s just enjoying pitching, and not worrying about whether the Jays decide to call him up to the Majors. Here’s more from the American League.
- Shaun Marcum will start for the Indians on Wednesday in place of the recently-DFA’ed Bruce Chen, Paul Hoynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. That will require the Indians to give Marcum a spot on both their 40-man and 25-man rosters. The 33-year-old Marcum has posted a 1.36 ERA in 33 innings for Triple-A Columbus, although with a modest 6.0 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. He pitched five innings for the Indians earlier this season before they designated him for assignment in mid-April.
- The Astros are “at least going to have a conversation” about each of the top players available on this summer’s trade market, but they don’t plan to make a big move quite yet, GM Jeff Luhnow tells MLB Network Radio’s Jim Duquette and Jim Bowden (audio link). Luhnow adds that he feels the Astros’ collection of prospects makes the team a viable trade partner for organizations looking to trade star veterans. In the meantime, though, the Astros want to spend more time evaluating their own players, and particularly their starting pitchers behind Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh.
Next Marlins Manager Still Unknown
7:59pm: Conine will not, in fact, be the Marlins’ next manager, a front office source now tells Nightengale (via Twitter).
7:19pm: Jeff Conine “appears to be” the Marlins’ choice to replace Mike Redmond as manager, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. In a later tweet, Nightengale cautions that Conine’s choice is not official and that the “mystery continues” until the Marlins confirm his hiring. Conine currently works as a special assistant to Marlins president David Samson.
The Marlins are expected to formally announce their new manager tomorrow at 10am Central. Brett Butler, Bo Porter, Wally Backman and others had been connected to the job.
Conine played parts of 17 seasons with the Royals, Marlins, Orioles, Phillies, Reds and Mets and spent a big chunk of his career in Baltimore, but he’s best known for his play during the early years of the Florida franchise, which earned him the nickname “Mr. Marlin.” The Marlins picked him in the 1992 expansion draft, and he was among the better players on the Marlins’ inaugural 1993 team, finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year balloting. He made the All-Star team in his next two seasons in Florida and played on the Marlins’ World Series team in 1997, and, after being traded, rejoined the team months before they won the World Series again in 2003.
Since the end of his playing career in 2007, Conine has worked in broadcasting in addition to his duties with the Marlins front office. He has no managerial experience.
Redmond was fired earlier today after the Marlins made big commitments to Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich this offseason and acquired players like Mat Latos, Dee Gordon, Martin Prado, Dan Haren, Mike Morse and Ichiro Suzuki, only to start the year 16-22. Conine will inherit Stanton, Yelich, Gordon and a talented, though injury-wracked, young rotation.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:
- The AL Central was the topic of discussion between host Jeff Todd and MLBTR’s Steve Adams on the latest episode of MLB Trade Rumors Podcast. A new edition of MLB Trade Rumors Podcast drops every Thursday and can be accessed on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
- The Marlins’ bullpen has blown eight saves this season, a contributing factor to today’s firing of manager Mike Redmond. On Wednesday, Steve examined what closers could be available to Miami on the trade market.
- Two names Steve listed were Francisco Rodriguez and Jonathan Broxton, and those two were also part of Charlie Wilmoth’s analysis of the Brewers’ trade candidates.
- Jeff proferred his Free Agent Stock Watch of center fielders Denard Span (Nationals), Dexter Fowler (Cubs), and Austin Jackson (Mariners).
- Brad Johnson asked MLBTR readers where Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will finish 2015. More than 27% of you believe injuries will end Tulo’s season while nearly 26% of you see the Rockies swinging a trade with either New York team. Only 13.6% of you see the Rockies’ cornerstone remaining in Colorado.
- Zach Links gathered the best the baseball corner of the web had to offer in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- Steve hosted the weekly live chat.
Cafardo On Phillies, Lohse, Royals, Leake, Haren
Here are a few highlights from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe’s latest rumors roundup:
- The Phillies have scouted the Red Sox‘ Double-A Portland team the past six days, Cafardo writes. The Red Sox have, of course, repeatedly been connected to Cole Hamels, although the Phillies have several other veterans who could also be trade candidates. Portland isn’t a particularly prospect-rich team right now, with many of the Red Sox’ best minor-leaguers at Triple-A Pawtucket or Class A Greenville. So it’s hard to say who the Phillies might be scouting, and it’s likely they aren’t scouting a potential centerpiece for a Hamels deal.
- The Brewers are already prepared to trade starters Matt Garza and Kyle Lohse. At least one scout tells Cafardo that Lohse (who has allowed ten homers in his first 47 2/3 innings this season, although his strikeout and walk numbers have been fine) is in need of a “change of scenery.”
- The Royals‘ bullpen this year has been terrific, but their rotation hasn’t. The Royals are looking for cheap starting pitching to help ease the burden on their bullpen caused by short outings from their starters (although any acquisition they might make right now would likely be minor, since they aren’t yet willing to trade for a starter).
- Teams could see Reds starter Mike Leake as a very viable trade candidate. Leake is having a strong season so far, and it would likely be easier to sign him long-term than to sign his rotation-mate Johnny Cueto, so Leake could attract plenty of interest. Like Cueto, he’s eligible for free agency after the season.
- If the Marlins‘ season doesn’t improve, they could easily trade Dan Haren to a team on his preferred coast, Cafardo writes. Haren’s desire to play in California is well known. He’s in the midst of a good season (3.70 ERA, 6.1 K/9, 1.7 BB/9), and any number of teams out west could have interest.
Minor Moves: White Sox Outright Raul Fernandez
Here are Sunday’s minor moves from around MLB:
- The White Sox have outrighted right-hander Raul Fernandez to Double-A Birmingham, tweets Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com. The White Sox claimed Fernandez on waivers from the Rockies last July. The 24-year-old ranked as Colorado’s No. 22 prospect heading into 2014, according to Baseball America, touting the converted catcher’s power arm, including a fastball which touches 99 mph. Fernandez has struggled in his first crack at the Double-A level this season pitching to a 7.45 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 13 appearances out of the bullpen (19 1/3 innings). The outright creates an opening on the White Sox’s 40-man roster, which now stands at 39.
- Per MLBTR’s DFA Tracker, Erik Cordier (Giants), Kyuji Fujikawa (Rangers), Nick Masset (Marlins), Bruce Chen (Indians), Stolmy Pimentel (Pirates), and Kevin Gregg (Reds) remain in DFA limbo.
Giants Designate Erik Cordier For Assignment
The Giants have officially announced on Twitter they have designated right-hander Erik Cordier for assignment after reinstating him from the disabled list. Cordier opened the season on the DL with a right forearm strain and was sent out on a rehabilitation assignment April 25th. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, who first tweeted news of the DFA, notes the Giants were forced into the move because Cordier is out of options and his rehab assignment had finished.
The 29-year-old made his MLB debut last September with San Francisco after a decade toiling in the minors for the Giants, Pirates, Braves, and Royals (who made him their second round selection in the 2004 draft – one pick ahead of Hunter Pence and two before Dustin Pedroia). Cordier, whose fastball can reach triple-digits, made seven relief appearances during the Giants’ Wild Card run posting a 9-to-2 K/BB ratio while allowing one earned run in six innings. That September stint followed a strong Triple-A campaign in which he compiled a 3.59 ERA, 11.6 K/9, 5.3 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings of relief over 47 outings.
During his 12-game rehab assignment, Cordier was solid with a 20-to-8 K/BB ratio in 12 innings out the bullpen surrendering only two earned runs. Cordier came to the Giants in November 2013 signing a Major League contract with no MLB experience after becoming a six-year minor league free agent and was featured in a January 2014 post by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes examining that trend.
The Giants now have ten days to either trade, release, or outright Cordier to the minor leagues.
Rockies Notes: Tulowitzki, Bridich, Pitching
Here’s a look at the Rockies..
- Rockies GM Jeff Bridich seems to think that the trade speculation surrounding Troy Tulowitzki is a product of the team’s recent slide. “My hunch is that if we had a very different two weeks, and we had a record as we had in April, that we wouldn’t be talking about this at all, right now,” the GM said, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “Funny how none of this came up in April when we were playing very different baseball.” Bridich spoke with reporters on Friday and tried to make the case that the Tulo trade talk was a product of the media stirring things up. Of course, the ball got rolling when agent Paul Cohen spoke on the record with Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The Rockies have gotten even worse under Bridich, Woody Paige of The Denver Post opines. The Rockies have now gone 5-18 in the last month and Paige rolls his eyes at the notion put forth by Bridich that the Rockies have not played up to “expectations.” The rotation, he notes, was widely projected as one of the worst in the majors at the outset of the season. Now, they’re at or near the bottom in league ERA, strikeouts, and walks, which is more or less what Paige expected.
- It’s time for Bridich to move his star shortstop, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) opines. Bowden runs down the five best trade destinations for Tulowitzki, in order of fit, starting with the Mets. He suggests a package of left-hander Steven Matz, catcher Kevin Plawecki, and right-handed reliever Rafael Montero. One drawback for the Rockies is that such a haul would call for Colorado to eat $25-30MM of Tulo’s deal, in Bowden’s estimation.
AL East Notes: Ortiz, Porcello, Orioles
After a slow start to the season, many have wondered if it’s about time for Red Sox slugger David Ortiz to retire. Boston hitting coach Chili Davis doesn’t think that’s necessarily the case, however, as Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald writes. “Throughout my career, there were too many people that were ready to write me off way before I got to 39. And every time they did, I came back with a strong year, and they were like, ‘Well, this may be his last year.’ Nobody tells you when you’re done. You know when you’re done,” Davis said. “If you’re that kind of player — and David is that kind of player — he’ll know when he’s done.” Here’s more from the AL East..
- Red Sox offseason acquisition Rick Porcello is looking more like a complete pitcher and an ace with every start, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald writes. So far, Porcello is looking like the kind of pitcher Boston was hoping for when they inked him to a four-year, $82.5MM extension in April. Through eight starts this season, the 26-year-old has pitched to a 4.26 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
- The Orioles‘ farm system used to be pretty barren when it came to quality pitching choices. Now, there are multiple quality starting pitchers waiting in the wings for 2016, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes. Kubatko identifies Mike Wright, Tyler Wilson, and Zach Davies as rotation possibilities and adds that Steve Johnson could be a bullpen option down the road, provided that the O’s are alright with him being out of options.
- Catcher Stephen Vogt never got the chance to break out with the Rays but he’s doing it now as he’s behind the plate for the A’s, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Vogt was designated for assignment by Tampa Bay two years ago and traded to Oakland for cash considerations.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Miller, Yankees, Bogaerts
On this date in 2000, Rickey Henderson reached agreement on a deal with the Mariners, Leo Panetta of NationalPastime.com writes. Henderson, who was released earlier in the year by the Mets, hit a lead-off home run in his first at-bat for Seattle. Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..
- Baseball Essential took a closer look at Shelby Miller.
- Yankees Unscripted looked back at the Yankees’ offseason trades.
- Blue Jays Plus broke down a recent Aaron Sanchez–Xander Bogaerts match up.
- Camden Depot delves into the MASN dispute.
- Rays Colored Glasses examined the factors that led to surgery for two Rays pitchers.
- The Point of Pittsburgh analyzed whether the Pirate pitchers will be due for regression.
- AZ Snakepit examines the Diamondbacks’ infield and what they should do about it.
- Maniac Ball is looking ahead to the MLB draft.
- Outside Pitch celebrated Clayton Kershaw‘s 100th win.
- Astros County welcomes Lance McCullers Jr. to the bigs.
- Royals Blue says KC fans might just have to put up with Omar Infante.
- Rumbunter took a hard look at Jung Ho Kang.
Please send submissions to Zach at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.