Phillies Rumors

Cafardo’s Latest: A-Rod, Nava, Robertson

By charliewilmoth | February 25, 2017 at 12:09pm CDT

Here’s the latest from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:

Alex Rodriguez recently said he is retired and does not intend to return to the game, but he tells Cafardo that his decision to leave the playing field behind was a bittersweet one. “It’s never ever out of you,” he says. “I love this game so much. When you’re out here on the grass with my uniform on, you’re always tempted to grab a bat, but I’m also happy with my life.”
Minor-league signee Daniel Nava has a reasonable chance to make the Phillies’ roster out of camp, according to GM Matt Klentak. “He can play the corner outfield spots, first base, and he’s a switch-hitter, so he’s got a shot,” Klentak says. The one-time Red Sox outfielder batted a modest .223/.297/.292 with the Angels and Royals last season. With Tommy Joseph at first and Howie Kendrick, Odubel Herrera and Michael Saunders around the outfield, Nava could compete with Aaron Altherr, Chris Coghlan and perhaps Tyler Goeddel for spots on the Phillies’ bench.
At last check, talks between the Nationals and White Sox regarding David Robertson were in “stalemate,” but Cafardo writes that there’s a chance they could be revived. He echoes earlier reports that the White Sox would have interest in Pedro Severino, the youngest member of the Nats’ current catcher logjam.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Wieters, Mets, Arano, MacPhail

By Steve Adams | February 23, 2017 at 8:50pm CDT

Nationals ace Max Scherzer has been recovering from a stress fracture in the knuckle of his right ring finger, and he’s on track to throw off a mound for the first time this spring on Saturday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports. If everything goes according to plan, he’ll progress to bullpen sessions and be game-ready in a couple of weeks, Zuckerman adds. While pitching coach Mike Maddux conceded that Scherzer could be “a start or two” behind the rest of the team’s rotation, the extra time in Spring Training (which was worked in due to the World Baseball Classic) will prove beneficial to Scherzer. Both Stephen Strasburg and Tanner Roark threw in an intrasquad game today as well, Zuckerman notes — a particularly important note for Strasburg. The 28-year-old righty saw his 2016 season end in early September due to a flexor mass strain but was able to throw his fastball, curveball and changeup in Thursday’s session.

NL Notes: Smith, Wieters, Drew, Franco

By Jeff Todd | February 22, 2017 at 11:29am CDT

Giants lefty Will Smith has been shut down for a week after experiencing inflammation in his pitching elbow, Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News was among those to report (Twitter links). Fortunately, an MRI has already returned clean, so it seems there’s no worry of a major injury. But while it’s still early, San Francisco’s plan to get Smith ready for Opening Day is already on a tight timeline, Baggarly notes. So long as he can progress after his rest, Smith will be given six spring appearances in preparation for the season.

Here’s more from the National League:

The Brewers, like the Rays, kept tabs on Matt Wieters up to his agreement with the Nationals, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Though Milwaukee GM David Stearns wouldn’t acknowledge whether an offer was made, he acknowledged that there was contact. “I would say we have regular contact with many agents, including Scott,” Stearns explained. “So Matt’s name came up, and we made sure we understood where the market was for him and what the potential fits were. But nothing really beyond that.”
Infielder Stephen Drew likely won’t see as much time with the Nationals as he could have elsewhere, but as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com writes, he nevertheless chose to reprise his role as a key reserve in D.C. His comfort with the team came into play, along with family considerations. Drew also discussed his bout of vertigo last year, which occurred due to an ear infection. He dealt with symptoms through the postseason and into the offseason, but seems to be back to normal as camp opens.
While Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco is entering only his second full season in the majors, there’s still plenty at stake, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes. Refining his approach at the plate and work in the field certainly seem to be on the agenda, and whether he can successfully turn his talent into consistent productivity could have a major impact on the organization’s plans. Salisbury suggests that a player such as Manny Machado could become a serious consideration for the team — he’ll be a free agent after 2018 — depending upon how Franco progresses. While it’s obviously too soon to factor in players such as Machado in any meaningful way, as Salisbury acknowledges, Philadelphia is no doubt already thinking about where Franco will end up in the long run. It does seem worth noting that, even if he isn’t able to lock down the job at third for the foreseeable future, he could ultimately be a candidate to shift across the diamond to first base.

East Notes: Wieters, Rays, Mets, Phillies, Orioles

By Connor Byrne | February 21, 2017 at 8:01pm CDT

The offer the Rays made to catcher Matt Wieters before he agreed to join the Nationals on Tuesday fell well short of Washington’s $21MM guaranteed proposal, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays were willing to hand Wieters $6MM in guarantees and give him a chance to exceed the $10MM mark via incentives on a one-year contract. While Tampa Bay would have been happy to reel in Wieters at that price, it’s not too broken up about losing out on his services, per Topkin. As the Rays await the return of injured free agent signing Wilson Ramos, they’ll be “very content” with Curt Casali, Luke Maile and Jesus Sucre as their top options at catcher, manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday.

East Notes: Bourn, Hellickson, Prado, Locke

By Jeff Todd | February 20, 2017 at 10:46pm CDT

Veteran outfielder Michael Bourn seems fairly likely to make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster, Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com writes. His chief attributes — speed and defense — are areas where the club is lacking, and Bourn could conceivably not only lead off against righties, but also spell Adam Jones in center from time to time. Of course, his presence makes it less likely both that last year’s Rule 5 pick, Joey Rickard, makes the MLB roster and that the team is able to keep this year’s Rule 5ers (outfielders Aneury Tavarez and Anthony Santander).

Here’s more from the game’s eastern divisions:

The Phillies seem inclined to hand the ball to righty Jeremy Hellickson when they start play this season, as Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “He’s probably got the best chance to be our Opening Day starter,” said manager Pete Mackanin. Hellickson, who took the organization’s $17.2MM qualifying offer rather than testing the open market, will be aiming to replicate a solid 2016 season and then test free agency without being saddled with draft compensation. (Under the new CBA, he won’t be eligible to receive a second qualifying offer.)
Another player who steered clear of the open market, Marlins third baseman Martin Prado, discussed his decision to take an extension last fall. As Tim Healey of the Sun-Sentinel reports, Prado wasn’t sure he wanted to consider a new deal with just a few weeks left in the season. But the terms (three years and $40MM) were favorable enough for him to consider it, and he says he ended up preferring to stay in place after bouncing around a fair bit in prior seasons. As Healey writes, Prado had reasons both personal and professional for remaining in Miami. “I know I could probably get more money somewhere else if I go to a different team,” said Prado, “but I truly believe in this group of guys. They have fun. They play hard. I feel comfortable.”
Meanwhile, Marlins lefty Jeff Locke is dealing with biceps tendinitis, as Healey further reports in the above-linked post. A few days’ rest is all that’s required at present, with Locke calling the brief shut-down a matter of taking a precaution early in camp. The southpaw struggled to a cumulative 4.90 ERA over the past two seasons, allowing the Marlins to grab him for $3.025MM on a one-year deal. While it seems reasonable to hope that the ailment won’t limit Locke, he already faces something of an uphill battle to win a rotation spot; Jason Martinez of MLBTR and RosterResource.com currently projects Locke to end up in the Miami pen to start the year.

NL East Notes: Alderson, Walker, Mets, Werth, Phillies

By Mark Polishuk | February 19, 2017 at 8:53pm CDT

Here’s the latest from the NL East…

The Mets aren’t engaged in trade talks about their outfielders, GM Sandy Alderson told reporters (including Newsday’s Marc Carig). Curtis Granderson, Michael Conforto, Juan Lagares and Jay Bruce have all been mentioned in trade rumors this winter, with Bruce generating the least buzz though he seems to be the player the Mets would be most eager to move.
Even with Bruce’s salary still on the books, the Mets were able to make moves to upgrade their bullpen later in the offseason. With the club’s 2017 payroll now estimated to be just under $154MM according to Roster Resource, the Mets have vastly increased spending since beginning the 2014 season with a payroll over less than $85MM. Alderson described the organization as being “all in” in pursuit of a championship, and he said he has the flexibility to add at the trade deadline if necessary.
Alderson told Mike Puma of the New York Post and other media that he spoke with Neil Walker’s representatives on Saturday and would soon be talking to Walker himself about a possible extension. According to reports earlier this week, the two sides have been in contact for much of the winter about an extension, potentially in the range of three years and $40MM.
Jayson Werth told reporters (including Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post) that he and the Nationals had yet to discuss continuing their relationship beyond this season, though “there’s always a possibility.” The 38-year-old Werth, perhaps half-jokingly, said he was hoping to play for five more seasons, though such a scenario would be easier playing for an American League team that could offer him DH at-bats. Werth has hit .267/.358/.437 with 99 homers over 3138 plate appearances in his six years in Washington, a tenure marked by several injuries but also some outstanding play when healthy, particularly excellent seasons in 2013-14. Rather than worry about his next contract, Werth is only focused on getting the Nats deep into the postseason. “I feel like I’ve got a lot to prove, and I still feel like I’ve got a lot in the tank,” he said.
Werth’s decision to leave the Phillies for a seven-year, $126MM free agent deal from the Nationals after the 2010 season generated a lot of controversy at the time, directed at both the Nats for seemingly overpaying and at Werth for leaving a contender to join a perennial also-ran. In hindsight, however, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer observes that Werth made the right choice in leaving the Phils just before their decline began, and just before the Nationals grew into an NL East power. “My focus was on winning, but at the time that’s not really what it looked like. Everybody was like, ’The Nats were crazy, Werth is money hungry’ and whatever else was said,” Werth said. “Honestly, I was in a position to pick and choose what I wanted to do. What I thought was cool about the Nats was that it was a total underdog situation, but they had good owners…and a core group of players with a high ceiling. It was a situation where I thought we could build something.”

NL East Notes: Nationals, Kelley, Gomez, Wheeler

By Steve Adams | February 16, 2017 at 1:22pm CDT

Nationals manager Dusty Baker doesn’t yet know who his closer will be in 2017, but he won’t be using a committee approach to the ninth inning, writes Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. The second-year Nats skipper flatly said that he doesn’t like the committee approach, “because when the phone rings I want guys to know, mentally, when they might be in the game.” Baker, though, expressed concerns over various internal candidates. Shawn Kelley has had two Tommy John surgeries under his belt, and Baker suggested that he was wary of damaging hard-throwing Blake Treinen’s confidence. “I’ve seen guys’ confidence get destroyed, too, and I’m going to call upon my past and what I’ve seen,” said the manager. More vaguely, he suggested that young righty Koda Glover, who is far less experienced than Treinen, could be “too bold” for the role, though he didn’t elaborate on. Baker is also intrigued by non-roster invite Joe Nathan, whom he managed 15 years ago with the Giants, though the Nationals need to see what they have in camp with the former All-Star, who has two TJ operations in his past as well (one quite recent).

A few more notes on the NL East…

Kelley is more than up for the challenge of closing games for the Nationals, the reliever tells Yahoo’s Tim Brown, though he’s willing to pitch in any role he’s asked. ““If we came into spring training and they said there’s this kid from A-ball who throws 115 miles an hour, he’s gonna be the closer, I’ll embrace him,” Kelley tells Brown. “If Dusty needs me, then I’ll be the guy right there to answer for it.” Kelley is very arguably the best in-house option for the Nats, having posted a 2.55 ERA with a 143-to-26 K/BB ratio (which includes six intentional walks) in 109 1/3 innings across the past two seasons. But, Kelley does have the previously mentioned pair of Tommy John surgeries in his rear-view mirror, and he only pitched on three consecutive days once in 2016.
Sticking with the NL East closer theme, Phillies skipper Pete Mackanin feels that right-hander Jeanmar Gomez “deserves” to be the team’s closer, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Mackanin acknowledged that Gomez had a dreadful drop-off in production late in the 2016 season but likened his faith in Gomez to the faith former manager Charlie Manuel showed in Brad Lidge back in 2009. “Charlie showed [Lidge] confidence and stayed with him,” Mackanin said, referencing a dismal season for Lidge (7.21 ERA in 58 1/3 innings). “I think it was the right thing to do.” Mackanin did acknowledge that both Hector Neris and Edubray Ramos have “shown closer’s stuff,” but he stressed that Gomez is the current closer. The 29-year-old Gomez carried a 2.97 ERA into the 2016 season’s final month before being shelled for 17 earned runs in his final eight innings.
The Mets have placed Zack Wheeler’s throwing program on hold after the right-hander experienced some “tenderness” in his elbow during a bullpen session this week, pitching coach Dan Warthen told reporters (via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo). The Mets don’t consider it a setback, as Wheeler’s initial physical revealed his elbow to be in seemingly fine condition. Rather, the current belief is that Wheeler’s mild discomfort comes from scar tissue and won’t be a longstanding issue. Warthen said the Mets are treating Wheeler “with kid gloves” after he missed each of the past two seasons following 2015 Tommy John surgery. Even if he is fully healthy, Wheeler will be limited to roughly 100 innings in 2017, DiComo writes.

Quick Hits: MacPhail, Biagini, Bumgarner, Bour

By Jeff Todd | February 13, 2017 at 9:25pm CDT

Phillies president Andy MacPhail shared his thoughts on the status of the organization’s rebuild with MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. Expressing his agreement with the offseason maneuverings of GM Matt Klentak, MacPhail emphasized that he’s expecting tangible progress, but won’t necessarily reduce his assessment to the team’s win-loss record. Notably, MacPhail suggested that the organization could be readying to further open its substantial pocketbook next winter. The organization’s fairly significant investment in short-term veterans this winter was driven by ownership’s determination to improve the on-field product, he indicated, and it seems that yet further spending is contemplated for the future. MacPhail acknowledged that the Phillies could “absolutely” boost their payroll into the top half or third of the league by the 2018 season.

Here are a few more notes from around the league:

The Blue Jays intend to stretch out righty Joe Biagini as a starter this spring, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca writes. A surprisingly productive Rule 5 reliever last year, the 26-year-old could even end up starting out in the Triple-A rotation when camp breaks — though GM Ross Atkins says that’s hardly a certainty. Biagini’s status may impact the composition of the bullpen, which Davidi examines further. Mike Bolsinger and Bo Schultz are two out-of-options arms who’ll be batting for the final slots with a variety of other pitchers, he notes.
A new deal for star Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner may need to wait until at least next year, owing to luxury tax considerations, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News writes. But the already fabled, still youthful southpaw says he’s not unhappy with the lack of contract movement as camp opens. As Baggarly notes, the team has suggested that it is ready to discuss a second extension whenever Bumgarner likes, but striking accord now would drive up the team’s tax bill because future years would be averaged in determining his CBA hit.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly says that Justin Bour will be a regular at first base, as Tim Healey of the Sun-Sentinel reports. Though Bour’s limited trips to the plate against left-handed pitching thus far haven’t been very promising, the organization seems intent on giving him a chance to show he can be more than a platoon player. “This is a guy who has an opportunity,” said Mattingly. “We think he’s getting better.”

East Notes: Top Prospects, Fernandez, Mackanin

By charliewilmoth | February 11, 2017 at 11:28am CDT

Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi is the best prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America’s new top 100 prospects list. Following Benintendi is Yoan Moncada, who would have given the Red Sox the top two prospects in baseball had he not been traded to the White Sox this offseason. In fact, what sticks out about Baseball America’s list and other recent top prospect lists is just how many top talents have been traded lately, including Moncada as well as the players at spots No. 3 (Dansby Swanson), No. 5 (Gleyber Torres), No. 21 (Anderson Espinoza), No. 24 (Manuel Margot) No. 25 (Lucas Giolito), No. 27 (Lewis Brinson) and No. 29 (Jose De Leon). Here’s more from the East divisions.

The families of Eduardo Rivero and Emilio Jesus Macias, who were killed in a boat wreck along with former Marlins ace Jose Fernandez last September, are suing Fernandez’s estate for $2MM each, Rafael Olmeda of the Sun Sentinel writes. Fernandez’s attorney says a settlement is “highly unlikely,” noting that he expects the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s pending investigation of the wreck to show that Fernandez was not driving the boat when it crashed. He also adds that there are indications Fernandez’s use of cocaine that night was “not voluntary” and that Fernandez might not have known he had the drug in his system.
Phillies manager Pete Mackanin’s contract runs through 2017 with a team option for 2018, but GM Matt Klentak remains mum on an extension or an exercise of Mackanin’s option, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury writes. “We have time to do that,” says Klentak. “Obviously last year we talked about his status in spring training and I’m sure the time will come when we’ll sit down and talk about it again.” The Phillies signed Mackanin to his current contract last March. Salisbury points out that there’s no danger of Mackanin losing his job at this time after the Phillies improved from 63 to 71 wins in 2016, so Mackanin’s contract now qualifies as a “low-priority item.”

Phillies, Chris Coghlan Agree To Minor League Deal

By Connor Byrne | February 7, 2017 at 1:03pm CDT

FEB. 7: Coghlan’s contract comes with a $3MM major league salary and $1MM in incentives, tweets FanRag’s Jon Heyman.

FEB. 2: The Phillies and utilityman Chris Coghlan have agreed to a minor league contract, reports Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (Twitter link). The deal includes an invitation to spring training.

Coghlan is settling for a minors pact on account of a subpar 2016 spent between the Athletics and Cubs, with whom he won the World Series. The 31-year-old hit a meager .188/.290/.318 across 300 plate appearances (and went hitless in eight postseason PAs), which represented a sharp decline from his output with the Cubs from 2014-15. Coghlan combined for a quality batting line of .265/.346/.447 and 5.7 fWAR over that two-year, 935-PA stretch.

Prior to his first of two stints with the Cubs, Coghlan spent the initial five years of his career as a member of the Marlins, who selected him in the first round of the 2006 draft. The lefty-swinging Coghlan won the National League Rookie of the Year with the Fish in 2009 on the strength of a .321/.390/.460 showing in 565 trips to the plate, though he never came close to replicating that success over his final four years in Miami.

Defensively, Coghlan has primarily been an outfielder during his career – mostly left field – but he does bring some infield experience. Despite his versatility, he’ll seemingly face an uphill climb in securing playing time with the Phillies. While Coghlan’s a more established option than reserve outfielders Aaron Altherr and Tyler Goeddel, the team is all set in center field with Odubel Herrera, and it has added a pair of somewhat pricey corner outfielders this offseason in Howie Kendrick and Michael Saunders. Philadelphia also has Maikel Franco and Cesar Hernandez locked in at third and second base, the two infield spots where Coghlan has most frequently lined up, and Andres Blanco as a backup infielder.

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