Ha-Seong Kim To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
Padres manager Mike Shildt told reporters (including AJ Cassavell of MLB.com) this evening that shortstop Ha-Seong Kim‘s season is over. Kim later told reporters (including Cassavell) that he’s undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. The shortstop has been on the IL for over a month due to inflammation in his shoulder, and Shildt revealed yesterday that Kim might ultimately need to go under the knife to repair the labrum in his shoulder.
It’s a huge blow for a Padres club that has leaned heavily on the 28-year-old since he enjoyed a breakout season back in 2022. That year, Kim stepped in to replace troubled star Fernando Tatis Jr. at shortstop amid a lost season caused by off-the-field injuries and a PED suspension. He excelled in the role, hitting an above-average .251/.325/.383 (105 wRC+) in 150 games while playing strong defense at shortstop. Kim was pushed back to second base by the addition of Xander Bogaerts last year but took yet another step forward with the bat while playing slick defense across not only the keystone but also shortstop and third base as needed.
Last year, Kim slashed .260/.351/.398 with a wRC+ of 110 while swiping 38 bags in 47 attempts. That overall package was enough to earn Kim his first career Gold Glove award and even some downballot MVP votes. Coming off that strong season and a lackluster season defensively from Bogaerts, the Padres elected to switch the two entering this year to return Kim to shortstop. That seemingly set him up for what could be his third straight career year, but things didn’t play out quite that way as the infielder took a slight step back at the plate. In 121 games for the Padres this year, Kim posted a wRC+ of 101 while stealing 22 bases in 27 attempts. That down season has been further exacerbated by his shoulder woes, which have kept him from participating in the stretch run and now will remove him from San Diego’s postseason plans entirely.
Looking ahead for the Padres, it seems likely that the club will now stick with Bogaerts at shortstop headed into the postseason, as they’ve done since moving him back to the position earlier this month in response to Kim’s injury. It’s been a down season for Bogaerts overall as he’s been limited to just 110 games so far by injuries while posting a 94 wRC+ that’s his worst since 2014, but he’s managed to turn things around since returning from the injured list back in July with a solid .295/.336/.430 slash line across 259 plate appearances that’s good for a 116 wRC+. That’s opened second base up for regular starts from Jake Cronenworth, leaving first base available for a timeshare between Donovan Solano and Luis Arraez, the latter of whom also factors into the club’s DH mix alongside David Peralta on days he isn’t playing first base.
As for Kim himself, the shortstop will now head into free agency facing a new layer of uncertainty. While he’s still all but certain to decline his $8MM mutual option for next season in favor of a $2MM buyout, it’s possible that teams could be more hesitant to offer the versatile infielder a sizable multi-year deal this winter due to concerns about how his shoulder issues could impact him on both sides of the ball going forward. Kim appeared likely to be a consensus top infield option in free agency this winter behind Alex Bregman and Willy Adames, making it easy to imagine him landing a significant contract. Between his down 2024 season at the plate and now his impending surgery, however, Kim’s future seems a bit murkier than it did even a few days ago.
Red Sox Notes: Refsnyder, Whitlock, Pivetta
Back in August, Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder seemed uncertain about whether he wanted to continue his playing career in 2025 or begin working towards his post-playing goal of moving into a front office role somewhere in the sport. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported this evening, however, that Refsnyder now appears to have made up his mind to continue playing in 2025.
“I’ll be 34 in spring training. I could see myself playing for a couple more years honestly, if the situation is right,” Refsnyder said, as relayed by Cotillo. “Especially if I’m here.”
Refsnyder has made his desire to remain in Boston abundantly clear, and it seems all but certain his wish will be granted at least for next season. The Red Sox hold a $2MM club option of the 33-year-old for next year, a bargain price considering his excellent production with the club this season. In 307 trips to the plate across 93 games played this year, Refsnyder has slashed an excellent .283/.359/.471 (130 wRC+) in his part time role as a backup outfielder and platoon bat against left-handed pitching. Overall, Refsnyder has posted a solid .278/.367/.427 slash line (121 wRC+) with 18 homers and 10 steals in 727 plate appearances since he first donned a Red Sox uniform back in 2022.
Refsnyder’s likely return will place him in the midst of what is sure to be a very crowded outfield mix next season. While Tyler O’Neill figures to become a free agent this winter, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu both appear poised to return to the club. Meanwhile, Ceddanne Rafaela has split time between the outfield and infield this year but is best suited to playing center field, where he excels defensively. That leaves the club with a full outfield before even considering the fact that top prospect Roman Anthony is banging on the door to the majors and figures to be ready for big league action as soon as early 2025, and it’s even possible that the club could look to re-sign O’Neill or a similarly capable right-handed slugger this winter. The DH offers little help in breaking up the logjam in Boston either due to the presence of Masataka Yoshida, who remains under contract through the end of the 2027 season.
Given the glut of outfield talent available to the Red Sox for the moment, it would hardly be a shock to see the club pursue a trade this winter, perhaps leveraging that outfield depth in order to bolster the club’s pitching staff. The rotation in Boston has been quite good with a 3.77 ERA that ranks top five in the majors this year, but a bullpen that posted a lackluster 4.44 ERA this year and figures to lose both Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin in free agency is an obvious place for potential improvement. With that being said, it’s also possible the bullpen could get some internal reinforcements headed into next year.
Right-hander Garrett Whitlock underwent an internal brace surgery on his right elbow back in May and has been working his way back to the mound ever since, with Cotillo among those to note that he threw a baseball for the first time since going under the knife recently. As Whitlock works his way back in hopes of a healthier 2025 season, Cotillo notes that after years of both the righty and the Red Sox believing he was a long-term rotation piece for the club, Whitlock is now more focused on staying healthy.
“Honestly, I’ve told them, whatever can keep me healthy (is the best role),” Whitlock said yesterday, as relayed by Cotillo. “That’s where I’m at. We’re going to dive in with medical and see where that goes.”
If Boston brass and Whitlock believe that a move to the bullpen could help keep the righty healthier going forward, that would add a potential high-leverage arm to the club’s mix that could help them to make up for the impending losses of Jansen and Martin. The right-hander sports a strong 3.39 ERA overall for his career, but that figure plummets to a sparkling 2.65 when looking only at his 132 2/3 innings of work out of the bullpen. Combined with his 28.1% career strikeout rate out of the bullpen, it’s easy to imagine Whitlock becoming one of the game’s most fearsome relievers if he fully committed to the role.
A move to the bullpen for Whitlock would leave the club with a hole in the rotation, however, and that would only be further exacerbated by the impending departure of veteran righty Nick Pivetta. It’s been a solid year for the 31-year-old hurler, as he’s posted a 4.14 ERA with a 4.06 FIP in 145 2/3 innings of work that should make him an attractive option for clubs in need of help towards the back of their rotation this winter. That’s a description that fits the Red Sox, who currently have only Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, and Brayan Bello penciled into their rotation. Lucas Giolito figures to return from elbow surgery at some point next year, and the club has solid depth options like Quinn Priester, Richard Fitts, and Cooper Criswell available as well, but there’s plenty of room in the club’s starting mix another addition.
Even so, it’s unclear if a return to Boston is in the cards for Pivetta next year. The right-hander told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe recently that there have been no talks between he and the front office about extending their relationship beyond this season, though he did express an openness to returning to Boston next year. With that being said, after a disappointing season that’s seen the club finish in the vicinity of .500, it’s possible that the club could look to improve its rotation by signing a more impactful free agent than Pivetta. Former Red Sox hurler Nathan Eovaldi and left-hander Sean Manaea are among the mid-rotation arms that figure to be available this winter who would likely represent an upgrade over Pivetta for Boston.
Dipoto: No Plans To Deal From Mariners Rotation
Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto spoke to reporters (including Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times) prior to the club’s game against the Athletics today about the upcoming offseason and the club’s plans after coming up just short in the postseason race for the second season in a row. Of note is the fact that Dipoto told reporters that they club has no intention of dealing from its rotation this winter in order to upgrade other areas of the roster, with Divish quoting Dipoto as having referred to the notion as “Plan Z” for the club as they head into the offseason.
For all of Seattle’s faults this year, the rotation can’t be considered among them. Seattle starters led the league with a collective 3.39 ERA this year, ranked third with a 3.63 FIP, racked up the most strikeouts with 879, and with 931 2/3 innings of work provided more volume than any other MLB rotation this year. The team’s top quintet of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Luis Castillo, and Bryan Woo will finish the year having made 149 of the club’s 162 starts, with just one start made by a pitcher other than the aforementioned group and sixth starter Emerson Hancock.
It’s a remarkable level of both dominance and durability from the club’s top starters that entirely justified their decision to part ways with Marco Gonzales and Robbie Ray over the offseason, sacrificing rotation depth in order to increase flexibility to address other areas of the roster. Even so, it’s easy to understand why the club wouldn’t be interested in returning to such a strategy this winter. It would be reckless for Seattle to assume its top starters will again be able to take the mound for more than 90% of the club’s starts. If anything, the club is lacking in depth options for the rotation beside Hancock, with Jhonathan Diaz standing as the only other starter on the club’s 40-man roster.
Fortunately, it seems the club also expects less turnover on the positional side this winter, when compared to last year’s overhaul of the lineup. The 2023-24 offseason saw the Mariners part ways with Teoscar Hernandez, Eugenio Suarez, Jarred Kelenic, and Mike Ford with Ty France following them out the door during the 2024 season. After spending much of last winter looking to replace Kelenic and Hernandez’s production in the outfield, Jude relays that Dipoto believes the club’s outfield mix to be fairly set headed into 2025 with Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena, and Victor Robles as the club’s starting options.
It’s hard to argue with that assessment. Despite a second straight season where he started off sluggishly, Rodriguez is still the club’s $200MM+ player who provides a four-win floor when healthy with his stellar center field defense and offense that ranges from solid to spectacular. Meanwhile, Arozarena was the club’s top acquisition over the summer with a 120 wRC+ since joining the Mariners. Robles being assured of a starting job with Seattle next year would’ve been a shock a few months ago, but he’s looked like a different player than the one who struggled to live up to the hype as a former top prospect with the Nationals since joining the Mariners: In 75 games with his new club, he’s slashed .327/.395/.464 with 29 stolen bases in 30 attempts as the regular leadoff hitter in Seattle.
With that being said, Dipoto did leave the door open to acquisitions in other areas of the roster. As Jude notes, Dipoto suggested that the Mariners’ strong finish to the season (they’ve gone 19-13 since firing manager Scott Servais in late August) leads him to believe the club isn’t far from returning to the postseason, but they’ll explore upgrades to their infield mix this winter nonetheless. That should be fairly doable for a club that struggled to put up even league average numbers at second base, third base, and shortstop this year while relying on a position change for Luke Raley and a deadline rental in Justin Turner to shore up first base.
Between the steady production of Cal Raleigh and the looming presence of top prospect Harry Ford at Double-A, it’s hard to imagine the club looking to upgrade behind the plate this winter. It’s also easy to imagine the club staying internal at first base with a platoon of Raley and prospect Tyler Locklear, though that would likely be a step backwards from the production Turner provided down the stretch against lefties. Dylan Moore remains a solid utility option for the club off the bench, and it would be something of a surprise to see the club move on from shortstop J.P. Crawford with two guaranteed years left on his contract.
That leaves second and third base as the easiest places for the club to upgrade, with Jorge Polanco‘s $12MM club option unlikely to be picked up and Rojas fairly easy to move into a part-time role. Given the club’s general avoidance of significant contracts for position players in free agency under Dipoto, it’s hard to imagine them going big for a top infield option like Alex Bregman, or Willy Adames. Even so, there could be upgrades to be found in lower tiers of free agency or on the trade market. Brandon Lowe of the Rays and Nico Hoerner of the Cubs are among the infield options who could see their names come up in trade talks this winter, while Gleyber Torres or Ha-Seong Kim could be available to the Mariners in free agency, though they’d likely have to go outside of their typical comfort zone to land either player.
Latest On Twins’ Offseason Plans
What once seemed to be a promising season for the Twins is coming to a devastating end, as the club was officially eliminated from postseason contention last night after a free fall in the standings spurred on by their brutal 9-16 record so far this September. While Minnesota entered the month with a 91.7% chance to make the postseason according to Fangraphs, they’ll sit on the sidelines this October just one year after breaking a 20-year drought without a victory in the postseason.
With that being said, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic suggested in a report today that both president of baseball operations Derek Falvey and manager Rocco Baldelli (as well as team president Dave St. Peter, who handles business operations for the club) appear unlikely to be let go by the club as things stand. Falvey took the helm of baseball operations for the Twins prior to the 2017 season, and the team has generally been successful during his tenure with four postseason appearances and five seasons with an above .500 record during his eight years with the club’s front office. Meanwhile, Baldelli joined the club prior to the 2019 season and has led the club to three postseason appearances and four over .500 records in his six years in the Minnesota dugout.
That’s not to say no change is coming to the organization, however. According to Gleeman, it’s “expected” that changes will be made this winter that could impact high-ranking members of both the front office and coaching staff. Of note, Gleeman did not report on the status of GM Thad Levine. Levine has served as the #2 to Falvey throughout his tenure with the Twins and seemingly entered the year without a contract for the 2025 season. Speculatively speaking, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Levine depart the club if the Twins were to shake up their front office, particularly given the fact that Levine was a finalist for the top job in Boston last winter before the Red Sox ultimately hired Craig Breslow and could once again look to pursue a top job elsewhere this offseason.
Disappointing as the 2024 season was for Twins fans, it’s fair to point out that the club’s struggles can’t be blamed entirely on the front office or coaching staff. After all, club ownership slashed payroll by $30MM coming off the club’s successful 2023 season, not only forcing the club to enter 2024 without replacing 2023 AL Cy Young finalist Sonny Gray but also leaving them unable to make moves of significance to improve the roster beyond adding veteran first baseman Carlos Santana, a move that needed to be paired with a deal to ship out longtime infielder Jorge Polanco.
Unfortunately for fans in Minnesota, Gleeman suggests there’s little reason to believe payroll will increase headed into 2025. Instead, he notes that the club’s revenue has landed below expectations this year and could prompt even more cuts. That could leave the club needing to trade away veterans on guaranteed contracts over the winter in order to improve other areas of the roster, and Gleeman suggests that right-hander Chris Paddack and catcher Christian Vazquez could be the club’s most expendable pieces if such a situation were to come to pass.
Paddack, 28, returned to the club after Tommy John surgery wiped out nearly all of his 2023 season. He made 17 starts for the Twins this year but struggled with lackluster results, posting a 4.99 ERA despite a solid enough 4.18 FIP. It’s easy to see how Paddack could be an attractive trade piece for pitching-hungry clubs this winter, particularly those with budget constraints of their own. After all, he’s set to make just $7.5MM in 2025. Even back-of-the-rotation arms have typically garnered guarantees north of $10MM on the open market in recent years, so $7.5MM for Paddack could be viewed as a bargain even in spite of injury concerns thanks to the tantalizing upside he flashed during his time with the Padres.
Vazquez, on the other hand, appears unlikely to bring back much outside of salary relief for Minnesota. The 34-year-old veteran entered free agency following the 2022 season with a strong defensive reputation and a solid 95 wRC+ in four years since taking over as the primary catcher in Boston. Unfortunately, things haven’t worked out well since he signed with the Twins on a three-year deal prior to the 2023 season. In Minnesota, Vazquez has hit just .224/.267/.324 (64 wRC+) over the past two years while ceding the regular duties behind the plate to breakout youngster Ryan Jeffers. He still remains a stalwart defender behind the plate, but his lackluster offense and hefty $10MM salary for next year would make him unattractive as a trade candidate unless the Twins were to sweeten the deal with either cash or additional talent.
Quinn Priester Likely To Make Red Sox Debut Tomorrow
Right-hander Quinn Priester is expected to make his debut with the big league Red Sox tomorrow, according to a report from MassLive’s Christopher Smith. Smith notes that Priester is currently with the club’s taxi squad and could be promoted to the majors to start tomorrow’s season finale against the Rays.
Priester, 24, was acquired from the Pirates ahead of the trade deadline in exchange for infield prospect Nick Yorke. The pair of youngsters were in similar places in their careers as former top-100 prospects whose stars had lost a bit of shine in recent years but were knocking on the door of the big leagues. Priester already had 94 2/3 innings of work under his belt with Pittsburgh in the majors, while Yorke had not yet made his big league debut but had raked in 38 games at the Triple-A level with a promotion appearing to be imminent.
Since then, Yorke has made that debut with the Pirates and gone 7-for-31 with a home run, two steals, and two walks in his first nine-games as a big league hitter. Now Priester appears poised to make his own first appearance with his new club in the majors, with Alex Cora suggesting to reporters today that there’s “a good chance” he’ll make tomorrow’s start. In debuting with the Red Sox, Priester figures to flash improved velocity relative to his time with the Pirates as Smith notes he averaged a full tick higher on his fastball in his start at Triple-A last week as compared to his velocity with the Pirates earlier this year.
The Red Sox are surely hoping that the mechanical fixes coaches have made to Priester’s delivery that resulted in that jump in velocity will also show in his results at the big league level heading into 2025. After all, the righty struggled to a 5.04 ERA (84 ERA+) with a 4.82 ERA in his 44 2/3 innings of work with Pittsburgh this year after putting up even worse numbers in the majors back in 2023. Fortunately, Priester has seemingly settled in with the Red Sox organization after a disastrous first start with the club’s Triple-A affiliate to the point where he’s putting up solid results, as evidenced by his 3.75 ERA and 26.2% strikeout rate in his last eight starts.
It would be an exciting development for Boston if Priester were to work his way into the club’s 2025 rotation plans. The club’s 3.77 ERA in the rotation is a top-5 figure in the majors this year thanks in larger part to a breakout year for right-hander Tanner Houck, but veteran hurler Nick Pivetta is slated to reach free agency this offseason and leave the Red Sox with just Houck, Kutter Crawford, and Brayan Bello in the rotation headed into next year. Lucas Giolito and Garrett Whitlock are both expected back from the injured list in 2025 after lost seasons in 2024, but it’s not yet clear whether either hurler will be ready for Opening Day, leaving the Red Sox to potentially lean on depth options like Cooper Criswell, Richard Fitts, and Priester early in the season if they don’t bolster the rotation in free agency.
Sal Frelick Diagnosed With Bone Bruise In Hip
4:38pm: Frelick’s MRI revealed a bone bruise, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Per McCalvy, the Brewers are “optimistic” that Frelick avoided structural damage and will not make a roster move yet in case he recovers more quickly than expected. With that being said, it seems as though the Brewers currently expect the outfielder to miss at least the beginning of the playoffs.
10:14am: Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick will undergo an MRI today after he left Friday’s game with a left hip injury. While chasing a foul ball in the third inning of Milwaukee’s 8-4 win over the Mets, Frelick slammed into the wall down the right field line, specifically landing within a cutout area of the otherwise padded wall. Frelick was in a lot of discomfort as he gingerly left the field.
X-rays on Frelick’s hip “were inconclusive,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy told reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) following the game. An MRI has been scheduled for this morning to determine the extent of Frelick’s injury, or what his status could be as the Brewers prepare for the start of the NL wild card series on Tuesday.
The 15th overall pick of the 2021 draft, Frelick made his MLB debut last season and moved into an everyday role this year, primarily as the Brewers’ regular right fielder. Frelick has also logged 184 innings in left field and 168 innings in center, but his 776 innings in right field have cemented him as one of the better defensive outfielders in all of baseball. No matter the metric, Frelick’s work in right field has been lauded by Defensive Runs Saved (+16), UZR/150 (16.6) and Outs Above Average (+6).
This excellent glovework has kept Frelick in the lineup despite a lack of production at the plate. While Frelick makes a lot of contact, he is near the bottom of the league in hard contact and barrel rate, and he has only an 86 wRC+ from a slash line of .259/.320/.335 over 524 plate appearances. Stealing 18 bases in 21 attempts has boosted Frelick’s offensive value to some extent, and naturally it isn’t unusual for a second-year player to struggle in his first extended look at big league pitching.
Milwaukee claimed the NL Central title even without one major force in their outfield, as Christian Yelich underwent season-ending back surgery in August. Star rookie Jackson Chourio has settled into a groove as the everyday left fielder, so if Frelick is unavailable for the NLWCS, the likeliest scenario would see Chourio in left field, Blake Perkins in center, and Garrett Mitchell in right. Jake Bauers and utilitymen Andruw Monasterio and Isaac Collins provide some further depth, plus the likes of Brewer Hicklen or Vinny Capra could be called up from the minors.
NL West Notes: Gonsolin, Freeman, Bryant, Snell
Unless “something really unforeseen” happens, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Tony Gonsolin probably isn’t going to be part of the team’s postseason roster. Gonsolin underwent Tommy John surgery about 13 months ago and was considered a longshot to pitch any big league innings this season, though Gonsolin did return in time to pitch 7 2/3 innings over three Triple-A rehab appearances. As Roberts implied to the Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris and other reporters, however, Gonsolin is still viewed by the Dodgers as something of an emergency option, as it would be asking a lot of any pitcher who go from a year of inactivity right into the tension of important postseason relief innings.
While Gonsolin likely won’t factor into the L.A. playoff plans, Roberts was less concerned about Freddie Freeman‘s bad ankle, as the manager was very optimistic Freeman would be ready for the start of the NLDS a week from today. Freeman suffered a sprained ankle in the Dodgers’ 7-2 win over the Padres on Thursday, and was seen on crutches and in a walking boot later that night. X-rays were negative on the ankle, however, and Freeman benefits from some extra time off before the Dodgers play their first postseason game.
More from the NL West…
- With $104MM still owed to him over the 2025-28 seasons, it isn’t surprising that Kris Bryant isn’t at all considering retirement, as he told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Bryant went into detail about the back and arthritis issues that have plagued his tenure with the Rockies, and how he is already pursuing a new workout plan to strengthen his core and get his back in playing shape. Since signing his seven-year, $182MM free agent deal with the Rox in March 2022, Bryant has been limited to only 159 games, leaving him both “guilty” about his lack of production and determined to turn things around as he enters his age-33 season. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it, it’s been terrible. It’s been terrible on me, physically and emotionally,” Bryant said. “I feel like I’ve let a ton of people down. There is nobody who feels worse about this than me. There are a lot of nights when I’m upset, I’m depressed. I want to be out there with the guys. It sucks. I want to be on road trips, I want to play.”
- After facing a notoriously quiet free market last winter, Blake Snell figures suitors will “be more aggressive earlier” in their pitches this offseason, as Snell told NBC Sports’ Alex Pavlovic and other media. Traditionally a slow starter even with a standard offseason, Snell didn’t sign with the Giants until more than halfway through March, thus essentially erasing his Spring Training and leading to a disastrous first three months of the 2024 season. Since the start of July, however, Snell has been spectacular, thus reigniting the expectation that he’ll opt out of the final year of his contract with the Giants in search of a longer-term deal in free agency. A return to San Francisco certainly seems possible, as Snell said he plans to speak with ownership and the front office, and again stated how he enjoyed playing with the club in 2024.
Latest On Reds’ Managerial Search
Six days after firing David Bell, the Reds’ search for a new skipper might not take full flight until the season is over. The club has “been doing a lot of due diligence this week with a lot of different people,” president of baseball operations Nick Krall told the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Gordon Wittenmyer and other reporters, though “we haven’t set up anything formal with anybody.”
As per Wittenmyer, the names already linked to the early stages of the search include now former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, former Cubs manager David Ross, and current Reds interim manager and longtime bench coach Freddie Benavides. It would appear as though the Reds are looking primarily at candidates from outside the organization, as Wittenmyer writes that “Benavides is considered the lone in-house candidate.” Neither Schumaker or Ross are exactly strangers to Cincinnati either, as both played for the Reds during their on-field careers.
Within minutes of the announcement of Bell’s firing, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that Schumaker was “on the Reds’ radar” as the potential next skipper. Though Schumaker is technically still under contract with Miami, it has been widely known that the manager and the team were parting ways after this season, so presumably the Marlins gave permission for whatever contact has taken place between the Reds and Schumaker’s camp.
In a sign of just how quickly the ground can shift underneath a manager’s feet, at this time one year ago both Schumaker and Ross seemed to have plenty of job security with their teams. The Marlins made a surprise run at an NL wild card berth during Schumaker’s first season as manager, and Ross’ Cubs emerged from a two-year rebuild to finish with an 83-79 record.
The Cubs’ progress under Ross wasn’t enough for upper management, however, and Craig Counsell’s presence on the market led the team to stun the baseball world by swooping in to hire Counsell for a five-year, $40MM contract. Ross found himself suddenly looking for work, and while he was linked to the Padres’ managerial vacancy and the Yankees’ bench coach job, “Uncle Rossy” instead spent the 2024 season on the sidelines. In regards to the New York job, Ross was reportedly looking to get back into managing rather than coaching if he was to quickly pivot to another role after his unexpectedly late entry onto the open market.
Ross played with seven different teams at the MLB level during his 15-year playing career, including a stint with the Reds from 2006-08. After capturing a World Series ring as member of the curse-breaking 2016 Cubs, Ross retired from playing and transitioned into a special assistant’s position within the front office. Ross was then hired as manager following the 2019 season, and delivered a 262-284 record over four seasons in Chicago’s dugout. The Cubs reached the playoffs in 2020 but Theo Epstein’s departure as president of baseball operations then led to a two-year step backwards for the organization, before the 2023 team posted a winning record.
Schumaker has already faced a lot of tumult over his two seasons as a big league manager. Hired for Miami’s top job after a five-year stretch on the Padres’ and Cardinals coaching staff, Schumaker’s work in leading the Marlins to the playoffs led him to the 2023 NL Manager of the Year award. However, on the heels of that successful debut year, owner Bruce Sherman wanted the Marlins to build a better minor league foundation, and looked to install a new president of baseball operations to oversee general manager Kim Ng. Rather than accept a demotion, Ng declined her end of a mutual option for the 2024 season, and Miami then went into rebuild mode under new PBO Peter Bendix.
This left Schumaker in something of a limbo state, and when the Marlins voided their 2025 club option on his contract back in April, it was pretty apparent that 2024 was going to be Schumaker’s last year in South Beach. Given how little he had to work with, Schumaker hasn’t been assigned any blame for the Marlins’ woeful 60-100 record this year, and he’ll head into the open market as perhaps the top managerial candidate available. The White Sox are also known to have interest in Schumaker’s services, but as Wittenmyer observes, managing a Reds team with a lot of young breakout talent might well have more appeal to Schumaker than overseeing what is likely to be a pretty lengthy rebuild on the South Side of Chicago.
Orioles Select Tucker Davidson
The Orioles announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Tucker Davidson from Triple-A Norfolk. Righty Bryan Baker was optioned to the team’s Spring Training complex in the corresponding move.
Davidson has a 5.98 ERA over 125 career MLB innings with the Braves, Angels, and Royals from 2020-23, and he came to Baltimore via a waiver claim off Kansas City’s roster last October. Davidson has spent the entire season at Triple-A, posting a 3.89 ERA, 20.7% strikeout rate, and 9.1% walk rate in 115 2/3 innings of work.
Pitching mostly as a reliever in the first part of the year, Davidson has started his last 11 Triple-A with Norfolk, returning to the rotation role he enjoyed for most of his three big league campaigns before he was almost entirely utilized out of the bullpen with L.A. and K.C. in 2023. It seems possible that the Orioles will have Davidson start tomorrow’s regular-season finale against the Twins, or at least chew up a lot of innings in order to save other pitchers’ arms for the playoffs. Baltimore is locked into the top AL wild card seed, so the Orioles’ last two games will be all about staying healthy in advance of their first postseason game on Tuesday.
Baker’s option means that he won’t be eligible to be part of the roster for the Wild Card Series or Division Series, should the O’s advance. With a 5.01 ERA in 23 1/3 relief innings this season, it didn’t seem like Baker was going to be part of a playoff roster anyways, even if his ERA was skewed by a very low 57% strand rate.
Pirates Call Up Mike Burrows For MLB Debut
The Pirates announced that right-hander Mike Burrows was called up to the active roster, while Jared Jones was optioned to the team’s Florida Complex League affiliate. Jones’ demotion is purely an on-paper move, as he made his last start of the 2024 season yesterday and has already amassed a full season of MLB service time in his rookie year.
Burrows was already on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster, and the 24-year-old now figures to make his big league debut in one of the Pirates’ two remaining games. An 11th-round pick in the 2018 draft, Burrows was making steady progress up the minor league ladder before a Tommy John surgery derailed his career in April 2023.
Starting a rehab assignment in June of this year, Burrows has a 5.26 ERA over 51 1/3 innings split across three minor league levels. The most relevant set of numbers are his 4.06 ERA, 26.6% strikeout rate, and 8.9% walk rate in 37 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level, with Burrows starting nine of his 10 games for Indianapolis. Burrows has only twice made it into the fifth inning in any of his outings since the Pirates have been limiting his workload, but he tossed 91 pitches in his last Triple-A start on September 22.
An appearance today or Sunday will officially make Burrows a Major League player, achieving one big milestone in his pro career. Heading into 2025, the Pirates have Jones, Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, and Bailey Falter lined up as the top four members of the rotation, leaving Burrows as one of several candidates battling for the fifth starter’s job or (perhaps more realistically) as a depth starter in Triple-A or as a swingman in the big league bullpen. Offseason signings or trades could further shake up the equation, like the trade deadline move that saw the Pirates swap righty Quinn Priester to the Red Sox for infielder Nick Yorke.