Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® FINALISTS! (Sponsored)
This is a sponsored post from Rawlings.
In case you missed it last week, Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., announced the finalists for the 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award®, honoring the best individual fielding performances at each position in the American League® and National League®.
The winners will be unveiled during a one-hour, special-edition “Baseball Tonight” broadcast on ESPN Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Background:
While the award originated in 1957, Rawlings first began highlighting the top-three defenders at each position as finalists in 2011. This season, the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals lead the AL with four finalists each, and the Arizona Diamondbacks top the NL with five finalists.
“The announcement of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists each year creates so much excitement for our brand and the sport of baseball, not to mention for the talented athletes that are selected as the top defenders at their respective positions,” said Mike Thompson, chief marketing officer of Rawlings. “We look forward to recognizing the winners of the highly coveted Rawlings Gold Glove Awards in a few weeks, but until then, we’ll enjoy the banter amongst fans as to who is most deserving at each position.”
How Finalists Are Selected:
To determine the winners of the 18 defensive position Awards, each team’s manager and up to six coaches on his staff vote from a pool of qualified players in their League and cannot vote for players from their own team. In 2013, Rawlings added the SABR Defensive Index™ (SDI) to the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process, which comprises approximately 25 percent of the overall selection total, with the managers’ and coaches’ votes continuing to carry the majority.
To identify the utility Award winners, Rawlings collaborated with SABR to create a specialized defensive formula separate from the traditional selection process for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award position winners. Utilizing the SABR formula and additional defensive statistics, Rawlings will select one utility winner from each League.
2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Finalists – American League
Pitcher
- Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals
- Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals
- Griffin Canning, Los Angeles Angels
Catcher
- Freddy Fermin, Kansas City Royals
- Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
- Jake Rogers, Detroit Tigers
First Base
- Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles
- Nathaniel Lowe, Texas Rangers
- Carlos Santana, Minnesota Twins
Second Base
- Nicky Lopez, Chicago White Sox
- Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers
- Andrés Giménez, Cleveland Guardians
Third Base
- Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays
- José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians
- Alex Bregman, Houston Astros
Shortstop
- Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
- Anthony Volpe, New York Yankees
- Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland Guardians
Left Field
- Alex Verdugo, New York Yankees
- Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles
- Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians
Center Field
- Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox
- Jake Meyers, Houston Astros
- Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays
Right Field
- Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox
- Juan Soto, New York Yankees
- Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels
Utility
- Mauricio Dubón, Houston Astros
- Willi Castro, Minnesota Twins
- Dylan Moore, Seattle Mariners
2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Finalists – National League
Pitcher
- Luis Severino, New York Mets
- Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
- Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves
Catcher
- Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants
- Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
First Base
- Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
- Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
- Christian Walker, Arizona Diamondbacks
Second Base
- Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers
- Bryson Stott, Philadelphia Phillies
Third Base
- Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
- Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies
- Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants
Shortstop
- Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals
- Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs
- Ezequiel Tovar, Colorado Rockies
Left Field
- Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Arizona Diamondbacks
- Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia Phillies
Center Field
- Jacob Young, Washington Nationals
- Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies
- Blake Perkins, Milwaukee Brewers
Right Field
- Jake McCarthy, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers
- Mike Yastrzemski, San Francisco Giants
Utility
- Kiké Hernández, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals
- Jared Triolo, Pittsburgh Pirates
The 2024 finalists include seven former Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners in the American League and ten former winners in the National League.
Following the Rawlings Gold Glove Award televised announcement special on ESPN, Sunday, Nov. 3, fans can vote for their favorite defensive player in each league to determine who will be named the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ winners. A combination of the national fan vote and the SDI will determine who takes home the honor.
Voting for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award presented by SABR will begin online at www.Rawlings.com on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 9:30 p.m. ET and will remain open until Thursday, Nov. 7, at 11:59 p.m. ET. The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners will be unveiled at the Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony in New York City, on Friday, Nov. 8.
About the Rawlings Gold Glove Award®
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award® is a registered trademark owned by Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. The award is correctly identified as the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. The name should not be shortened, abbreviated, or otherwise misused. Proper identification of this service mark using the registration symbol and the Rawlings name is important to protect the integrity of the program and perpetuate this worthy tradition. For more information, please visit www.Rawlings.com.
About Rawlings®
Established in 1887, Rawlings is an innovative leading global brand and manufacturer of premium baseball and softball equipment, including gloves, balls, and protective headwear. Rawlings’ unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings.
Rawlings is the official glove, baseball, helmet and faceguard, and base of Major League Baseball, the official baseball of Minor League Baseball and the official baseball and softball of the NCAA and NAIA, and the official softball of the NJCAA. For more information, please visit www.Rawlings.com.
NPB’s Chunichi Dragons To Post Shinnosuke Ogasawara
The Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball have granted left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara’s request to be posted for MLB teams, per a report from Yahoo Japan. He’ll be available to big league clubs in free agency this winter and is being represented by WME. A formal date for his posting has not yet been determined, but he’ll have 45 days to negotiate with MLB clubs once posted. If no deal is reached, Ogasawara will return to the Dragons for the 2025 season.
Ogasawara just turned 27 years old earlier this month. He’s already a veteran of parts of nine NPB seasons, having made his Central League debut as an 18-year-old back in 2016. Listed at 5’11” and 183 pounds, he’s of slighter frame than the typical big league starter but has started at least 23 games and topped 140 innings in each of the past four seasons. That includes a career-high 160 2/3 innings with the Dragons in 2023.
This past season, Ogasawara tossed 144 1/3 innings and notched a solid 3.12 ERA with an outstanding 3.7% walk rate — the best mark of his career. Unfortunately, that pinpoint command came with a career-worst 13.6% strikeout rate that will limit Ogasawara’s appeal. To his credit, Ogasawara has missed far more bats in the past, punching out 24% of opponents as recently as 2022 and fanning 20.1% of opponents in 2023. In both instances, he had higher but nevertheless strong walk rates (6.7% and 6.1%, respectively).
Video of Ogasawara reveals a pitcher who sits in the 91-93 mph range with his four-seamer, complementing the pitch with a low-80s changeup and a slow knuckle curve that sits in the low 70s. Neither Ogasawara’s frame nor velocity stand out, but both are relatively comparable to those of 5’10”, 175-pound Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga. Ogasawara’s camp may try to make that comparison, but Imanaga consistently posted lower earned run averages and far superior strikeout rates in NPB (29.5% in his final season with the BayStars). That said, Ogasawara is three years younger than Imanaga was at the time of posting. A multi-year deal seems plausible, though likely not at the same levels as Imanaga’s $53MM guarantee (which can grow to $79MM based on club/player options).
For those in need of a reminder or an introduction to the NPB/MLB posting system, NPB clubs are allowed to “post” players for MLB teams to bid on prior to those players reaching free agency for the first time (nine years of service, under NPB rules). Any major league team can negotiate with the player and his representatives to negotiate a contract for any amount — provided the player is at least 25 years old and has at least six seasons of professional experience. (Players under 25 and/or with fewer than six years of experience are deemed “amateurs” by MLB and restricted to minor league deals and hard-capped signing bonuses.)
The posting window lasts 45 days but can reach a conclusion earlier, depending on when the player in question strikes a deal to his liking. In addition to paying the player the agreed-upon guarantees in the contract, the MLB team will also be on the hook for a release fee to the player’s former team. That fee is equal to 20% of the contract’s first $25MM, 17.5% of the next $25MM and 15% of any dollars thereafter. Contractual factors like club options, incentives based on innings/plate appearances, awards bonuses, etc. are all subject to being included in the release fee as well, once those earnings are unlocked.
Paul Blackburn Undergoes Spinal Procedure
The Mets announced Tuesday that right-hander Paul Blackburn underwent a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak repair procedure on October 11. The typical timeframe to return to play from a procedure of this nature is four to five months, per the club.
A timetable of four to five months would put Blackburn on track to be ready early or midway through spring training, assuming all goes according to plan with his rehab. That said, it’s a notable enough procedure that it calls into question whether that spring opportunity will come with the Mets or another club. Blackburn is eligible for arbitration this winter and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn a $4.4MM salary for the 2025 campaign — his last one before free agency. That’s a reasonable enough price to pay for a fourth/fifth starter of Blackburn’s caliber, but the Mets are also expected to carry a weighty luxury tax bill. If they again return to the top penalty bracket, Blackburn could wind up costing them more like $9.25MM, given the team’s tax status.
Blackburn might’ve been a non-tender candidate anyhow and unfortunately now seems likelier to fall into that category. If nothing else, the Mets could explore the possibility of trading him to a team in need of back-of-the-rotation depth, though his murky health status would surely prove a sticking point in any such negotiations.
The Mets acquired Blackburn, 31 next month, prior to the trade deadline in a deal sending minor league righty Kade Morris (whom they’d selected in the third round of the 2023 draft) back to the A’s. He only made five starts with the Mets, however, three of them with excellent results (six innings, two or one earned run allowed) and two with disastrous results (combined 11 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings). On the whole, he pitched 24 1/3 innings with a 5.18 ERA during his time with the Mets. Blackburn was placed on the injured list in late August after taking a comebacker off his wrist. Prior to the postseason, the Mets placed Blackburn on the 60-day IL with a spinal fluid leak.
Starting pitching was always going to be one of the focal points of the Mets’ offseason (presumably, along with a pursuit of Juan Soto and an effort to re-sign Pete Alonso). Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana are all free agents following the World Series (or at least they will be, once Manaea declines a $13.5MM player option). Blackburn could’ve been a key depth arm — a potential fifth starter or swingman — but his health now calls that role into question and only furthers the Mets’ need to add both high-end pitching talent and quality big league depth.
Offseason Outlook: Chicago White Sox
On the heels of one of the worst seasons in baseball history, the White Sox must stockpile young talent while operating under a cloud of uncertainty about the future of the franchise.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Andrew Benintendi, LF: $47.5MM through 2027
- Luis Robert Jr., CF: $15MM through 2025, with a $20MM club option ($2MM buyout) for 2026 and the same club option for '27
Option Decisions
- Yoan Moncada, 3B: $25MM club option with a $5MM buyout
- Max Stassi, C: $7.5MM club option with a $500K buyout
Additional Obligations
- Owe $1.5MM buyout to released RHP John Brebbia
- Owe $250K buyout to released C Martin Maldonado
2025 financial commitments: $40.75MM
Total future commitments: $71.75MM
Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; salary projections via Matt Swartz)
- Nicky Lopez (5.139): $5.1MM
- Matt Foster (4.093): $900K
- Garrett Crochet (4.028): $2.9MM
- Enyel De Los Santos (4.015): $1.7MM
- Andrew Vaughn (4.000): $6.4MM
- Justin Anderson (3.122): $1.1MM
- Jimmy Lambert (3.108): $1.2MM
- Gavin Sheets (3.076): $2.6MM
- Steven Wilson (3.000): $1MM
- Non-tender candidates: Lopez, Foster, De Los Santos, Vaughn, Anderson, Lambert, Sheets, Wilson
Free Agents
While we knew this team would be bad, we didn't realize it would be historically bad. The 2024 White Sox set the modern record for total losses with 121, and it easily could have been worse had they not surged to win five of their last six games. Starting pitchers Garrett Crochet and Erick Fedde were the only glimmers of hope, but the latter was traded and the former seems on his way out.
The Sox fired manager Pedro Grifol on August 8th, with Grady Sizemore serving as interim manager for the remainder of the season. Sizemore is at least under consideration for the full-time job, but the list of known candidates has also included Donnie Ecker, Will Venable, Clayton McCullough, Danny Lehman, George Lombard, A.J. Ellis, Phil Nevin, Daniel Descalso, and Skip Schumaker. Grifol was Rick Hahn's hire, so the new manager will be the first chosen by senior vice president/GM Chris Getz.
Beyond the managerial change, existential issues loom over the White Sox. One is whether longtime owner Jerry Reinsdorf intends to sell the team. On October 16th, Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic reported that Reinsdorf is "open to selling" the team, and furthermore, "is in active discussions with a group led by former big leaguer Dave Stewart." Stewart's involvement has led to speculation about potentially moving the team to Nashville, given the former pitcher's efforts to bring an MLB team to that city.
The Stewart rumor follows January news of Reinsdorf's aim of getting a new stadium built in a (Chicago) South Loop area called "The 78." A relocation threat is one of the oldest in the new-stadium playbook, of course, and Reinsdorf successfully leveraged a potential move to St. Petersburg back in 1988 to get the current Guaranteed Rate Field built in Chicago. Back in 1995, Reinsdorf famously said in reference to his St. Petersburg play in a Cigar Aficionado interview, "A savvy negotiator creates leverage. People had to think we were going to leave Chicago."
Moving from Chicago to St. Petersburg hardly made sense in terms of market size, and the same is true of Nashville now.
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Astros To Hire Tony Perezchica As Third Base Coach
The Astros are hiring Tony Perezchica to serve as third base coach, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Perezchica has held the same role with the Diamondbacks for the last eight years. Piecoro notes that Perezchica had served as an infield instructor with Arizona and is expected to do the same in Houston while taking on an expanded role working with minor league infielders.
Perezchica, 58, briefly appeared in the majors between 1988-92. He has spent nearly three decades in the coaching ranks. The majority of that experience has come with the Diamondbacks. Perezchica took a managerial role with one of Arizona’s rookie ball affiliates back in 2003. He joined Torey Lovullo’s first coaching staff in the desert over the 2016-17 offseason.
The Astros decided not to renew the contract of previous third base coach Gary Pettis. Chandler Rome of the Athletic writes that the Astros don’t plan to go outside the organization for additional hires, though the staff hasn’t been finalized and it’s possible other teams express interest in hiring coaches away from Houston. If no one departs for a better opportunity, it seems the Astros will only make the one coaching change.
There’s more turnover in Phoenix. Arizona fired three pitching coaches (including former Astros staffer Brent Strom) a few weeks ago. They now have four vacancies to address.
The Opener: Coaching Hires, Dodgers, MLBTR Chat
With just a few days until the World Series continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on today:
1. Are more coaching hires on the horizon?
Yesterday saw a flurry of coaching hires announced as the Cardinals, Brewers, and Blue Jays all added new voices to their staffs. Will the current lull between playoff games spur even more movement on the coaching front? There’s certainly plenty of vacancies that need to be filled, including a complete overhaul of the coaching staff in Miami. The Marlins are surely going to wait to fill out their coaching staff until they have a new manager in place, but the Red Sox, Cubs, and Orioles are among the large number of teams with coaching vacancies that could be addressed in the coming days. And that’s before considering the possibility of coaches on short-term deals being locked up longer-term, as AJ Preller indicated yesterday he’d like to do for Padres manager Mike Shildt and certain members of his staff.
2. Dodgers media availability:
The Dodgers announced last night that they’ll make a handful of players available to the media later today. That includes first baseman Freddie Freeman, who was sidelined for Game 6 of the NLCS due to the sprained ankle that’s hobbled him since the end of the regular season. It’s possible we’ll learn more today about his availability for the World Series, and manager Dave Roberts also figures to be on tap to discuss the availability of shortstop Miguel Rojas, lefty Alex Vesia, and righty Brusdar Graterol. All three of them were left off the NLCS roster due to injuries but could be in the conversation for the World Series roster.
One other point of intrigue is that the Dodgers will likely announce their choice for Game 1 starter. The club’s entire pitching staff will be on full rest for the coming series, and it seems likely they’ll turn to either Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Jack Flaherty to start Game 1, as they did in both of their previous playoff series this October. Whoever the Dodgers select will be set to face off against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who has a 3.31 ERA across three postseason starts so far this year and a 2.98 playoff ERA in 120 2/3 career frames.
3. MLBTR Chat today:
With the World Series just a few days away, virtually the entire league has turned their attention towards the coming offseason at this point. If you have any questions about the upcoming winter, your team’s direction, or the impending clash between the Dodgers and Yankees, MLBTR’s Steve Adams is holding a live chat with readers at 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.
Nico Hoerner Undergoes Flexor Tendon Surgery
The Cubs announced that infielder Nico Hoerner underwent right flexor tendon surgery on October 11, with Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune among those to relay the news on X. The club hasn’t yet provided an estimated timeline for his recovery.
The news comes out of nowhere, as there was no prior indication there was anything wrong with Hoerner’s throwing arm. He didn’t go on the injured list at any point in 2024, playing in 151 games. He did miss a bit of time with hamstring tightness in May and he also suffered a hand fracture from a hit-by-pitch in June, but was back in the lineup after a few days off.
His arm strength has tailed off in recent years, however, which was perhaps a warning sign. In the 2020-22 seasons, he averaged between 81 and 83 miles per hour on his throws from second base. That dropped to 78.1 mph last year and 75.1 mph in 2024.
Hoerner is coming off his third straight season of fairly consistent production, with above-average contributions on offense, defense and on the basepaths. At the plate, he doesn’t provide a lot of power but is very tough to strike out and gets on-base enough to get above par overall. In each of the past three seasons, his home run total has finished between seven and ten while his wRC+ has been between 103 and 108.
In 2022, he stole 20 bases in 22 tries. That seems to have prompted a more aggressive approach, which led to a few more steals but also a few more outs. In 2023, he made 50 steal attempts, succeeding 43 times. In 2024, it was 31 steals in 37 tries.
Defensively, he has received strong grades at his primary position of second base, as well as filling in at shortstop. If it weren’t for the presence of Dansby Swanson on the roster, Hoerner likely could have provided strong glovework at short on a regular basis. FanGraphs has considered Hoerner to be worth between 3.9 and 4.6 wins above replacement in each of those three campaigns, reflecting his steady performance.
Prior to this news, there was a speculative case for the Cubs to make Hoerner available in trades. He and the Cubs signed an extension in 2023, a three-year pact that guaranteed him $35MM over the 2024-26 seasons. There are still two years remaining on that deal, with Hoerner to make $11.5MM next year and $12MM in 2026.
This winter’s shortstop free agent class is pretty thin. Willy Adames is the top guy and he was to be followed by Ha-Seong Kim, but Kim recently underwent shoulder surgery and it’s unclear if he will be ready for Opening Day 2025. For clubs that miss out on Adames, their best bets will be guys who are likely viewed as a tier below an everyday option, with names like Paul DeJong, Nick Ahmed and Kyle Farmer in this group.
There likely would have been some clubs interested in acquiring Hoerner and moving him back to shortstop. The Cubs could have entertained the idea since they have a strong farm system. The current top 100 list at MLB Pipeline features eight Cubs, including six that have reached the Triple-A level. Two of those are infielders Matt Shaw and James Triantos, both of whom are capable of playing second base.
There are only so many ways that the Cubs can open space for those prospects, as Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Swanson all have full no-trade protection. Hoerner doesn’t have such a clause. Making him available in trades could have allowed the Cubs to upgrade their pitching staff in a trade, with Shaw and/or Triantos filling the void.
Perhaps that plan will now be less viable with the news of this surgery, as clubs will naturally have some hesitation about acquiring Hoerner until his prognosis is more clear. If Hoerner ends up staying with the Cubs and missing some of the 2025 season, perhaps guys like Shaw or Triantos will have a path to Opening Day roles. Third baseman Isaac Paredes also has second base experience and could slide over, opening up the hot corner.
Preller Discusses Padres’ Shortstop Situation
The Padres find themselves in an unfamiliar position. San Diego could be on the lookout for a shortstop despite their affinity for collecting players with experience at the position. Most of those players (i.e. Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth) moved off shortstop. Ha-Seong Kim will be a free agent when he declines his end of a mutual option in favor of a $2MM buyout. Kim is among the most difficult free agents to project after his season was cut short by a labrum injury that required surgery.
San Diego baseball operations president A.J. Preller addressed the position as part of a conference call with reporters on Monday (links via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com and Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune). Preller said the Padres “would love to bring (Kim) back” but acknowledged the uncertain timeline on his injury.
The Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee wrote a few weeks ago that Kim was aiming for a return in April or May. Preller left the situation more open-ended. The executive noted that Kim isn’t slated to begin a throwing program until close to the start of the season. As for a return to game action, Preller loosely floated “May, June, July” as viable outcomes.
It’s clearly too early in the rehab process for the Padres to narrow down a specific target. That uncertainty should all but close the book on the chance of San Diego issuing Kim a qualifying offer. The 29-year-old infielder would probably accept a $21.05MM salary, which is too much for the Padres to risk with Kim looking very likely to at least begin the season on the injured list.
Preller and his staff also face notable free agent losses in the bullpen (Tanner Scott), left field (Jurickson Profar) and behind the plate (Kyle Higashioka). The relief group should be strong enough to weather Scott’s departure, but the Padres will need to address a few spots in the lineup while also finding a replacement for the injured Joe Musgrove in the rotation. That could make it difficult to retain Kim.
Even if the Padres were to bring him back, they’d need a short-term replacement while he completes his rehab. If he walks, they’ll need a permanent answer. Bogaerts moved back from second base for the stretch run. The Padres seem to prefer him at the keystone, though they might not have any better options at shortstop.
Machado and Cronenworth haven’t played there in years. Nor has Tatis, who has been a full-time right fielder since returning from the injuries and suspension that wiped out his 2022 season. Merrill developed as a shortstop prospect before learning center field on the fly. The 21-year-old immediately became one of the sport’s top all-around center fielders.
Preller didn’t seem keen on the idea of moving Tatis or Merrill back to the infield. “They’d probably love that possibility. They always joke around — ’Whatever’s needed,’” the baseball ops president said. “The great part of those guys is they’re talented athletes, they can play different spots. … But Tati winning the Platinum [Glove] two years ago, and Jackson doing a tremendous job in center field this year, we know that they’re really good at what they do in the outfield.”
There hasn’t been much serious discussion about Tatis moving back to shortstop. It’s a plausible scenario for Merrill, who only moved off shortstop in deference to Kim and seems as if he can comfortably adjust to whatever position the Padres ask of him. Yet as Preller noted, it’s tempting to leave Merrill in center field with how well he played this year. San Diego doesn’t have an obvious in-house candidate to take over in center if Merrill were to come back onto the infield. They’d probably need to acquire a center fielder and the free agent market at the position is extremely thin. It’s not much deeper at shortstop, where only Willy Adames and Kim, if healthy, profile as regulars.
Cardinals Adding Jon Jay To Coaching Staff
The Cardinals are hiring Jon Jay for a yet to be announced coaching role, as first reported by Katie Woo of the Athletic. Woo also reports that assistant coach Willie McGee has stepped down from the staff and will move into an advisory role with the front office.
Jay returns to the organization with which he spent the majority of his playing career. The former outfielder spent six seasons with the Cards, appearing in 757 games between 2010-15. Jay hit .287/.354/.384 over that stretch and was a key contributor on the 2011 World Series team. He moved into journeyman fashion after leaving St. Louis, playing for six teams before retiring in 2022.
A Miami native and University of Miami product, Jay started his coaching career with the Marlins during the 2022-23 offseason. He joined former teammate Skip Schumaker’s staff with his hometown team. Jay served as Miami’s first base coach for two seasons but was let go after Schumaker left the organization last month. Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase tweeted that the Marlins had interest in keeping Jay around, but the 39-year-old evidently preferred to look elsewhere rather than wait out Miami’s latest managerial hiring process.
Jay won’t work as a base coach in St. Louis. Woo reports that first base coach Stubby Clapp and third base coach Pop Warner will return to Oli Marmol’s staff. Bench coach Daniel Descalso, pitching coach Dusty Blake and assistant hitting coach Brandon Allen are also expected back, she writes. St. Louis moved on from hitting coach Turner Ward a couple weeks ago. That position is still unfilled, although it’s not clear if that’s the role which Jay will assume.
McGee, 65, has held the nebulous title of assistant coach on the St. Louis staff. The 1985 NL MVP has worked as a coach since the start of the 2018 season. He previously worked as a special assistant in the front office and has spent time coaching both MLB and minor league outfielders on defense. McGee is a member of the organization’s Hall of Fame.
