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AL Central Notes: Atkins, Picollo, Mauer, Tribe

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The Royals’ backs are against the wall after losing Game Three of their ALDS matchup with the Astros today, and Houston now holds a 2-1 edge in the series.  Dallas Keuchel continued his Minute Maid Park dominance by holding K.C. to one run (on five hits and three walks) over seven innings, striking out seven.  Solo homers from Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon accounted for all of the Royals’ offense in the 4-2 defeat.  Yordano Ventura will take the mound against Lance McCullers tomorrow as the Royals hope to force a fifth game on Wednesday back in Kansas City.

Some news from around the AL Central…

  • Indians VP of player personnel Ross Atkins will interview for the Phillies GM job this week, Jon Heyman reports in his latest notes column (which contained several other interesting hot stove items).  Atkins has worked in various capacities within Cleveland’s organization over the last 15 years, and he also interviewed for the Angels’ open GM position last month before the Halos hired Billy Eppler.  Atkins is the third known candidate to interview for the job, along with Kim Ng and Larry Beinfest.
  • Royals assistant GM J.J. Picollo has also been mentioned as a contender for the Phillies position, and one talent evaluator predicts to ESPN’s Buster Olney (Twitter link) that Picollo will indeed be Philadelphia’s next general manager.  Picollo has worked with the Royals since 2006 and spent seven years in the Braves front office prior his arrival in Kansas City.
  • The time has come for Joe Mauer to be moved as both as No. 3 hitter in the Twins’ lineup and as an everyday first baseman, Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune opines.  Souhan suggests that Mauer could best help the Twins in a super-sub role (rotating between first, third, left field, right field and DH in five starts per week) and his declining production is better suited for hitting seventh or perhaps occasionally at second since he still takes a lot of pitches.  While I agree with Souhan that a drop in the batting order is probably needed at this point, I’m not sure the position switching is a good plan.  It’s a lot to ask of a long-time catcher/first baseman who turns 33 in April to suddenly learn two new brand-new positions, and added versatility won’t help anyone if Mauer is a defensive liability.
  • Indians backup catcher Roberto Perez could be an interesting piece to be shopped as part of a trade package this offseason, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes.  That said, Hoynes notes that Perez is well-liked by the Indians braintrust and “Perez is probably more valuable to the Indians than to any other team.”  Perez had a solid .228/.348/.402 slash line and seven homers in 226 PA for Cleveland in 2015, seeing quite a bit of playing time with Yan Gomes on the DL.
  • Also from Hoynes’ mailbag piece, he thinks the Indians will test Carlos Santana’s trade value this winter.  A deal may not be too likely given that the Tribe is already hurting for bats, however, and a better move might be to acquire a solid hitter to help complement Santana in the lineup.

Cafardo On Cherington, Indians, Lackey

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The game is getting younger, but we saw plenty of older players make a difference in 2015, as Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes.  The list of impact vets starts off with Red Sox slugger David Ortiz who posted a .273/.360/.553 slash line with 37 homers, earning Cafardo’s “Old Guy of the Year” award.  Twins outfielder Torii Hunter was another older player who made his mark this year, though he may have had a stronger impact on his team off the field rather than on it.  That type of veteran leadership can be valuable for a younger team, Cafardo argues, and he hears from people within the Astros that they’ll be seeking a “older, Raul Ibanez type” in the winter.

Here’s more from today’s column..

  • Despite some speculation to the contrary, former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington says that he has not interviewed for the Phillies’ GM role.  Cafardo writes that he seems “content to sit out the year and regroup.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recently noted that Cherington isn’t likely to try to get a GM job this offseason, but the Phillies job could be appealing to him, since he and Phillies owner John Middleton both went to Amherst.  If Cherington does take a GM job, he’ll want it to be with people that he trusts.
  • Cafardo hears that the Indians will continue to try and move a starting pitcher for a hitter this offseason.  Cleveland seemed more willing to move Danny Salazar than Carlos Carrasco later in the season, Cafardo says, and The Boston Globe scribe identifies the 25-year-old as a potential trade chip.
  • One major league source tells Cafardo that Cardinals pitcher John Lackey could be a fit for the Cubs next season as a free agent.  After all, Theo Epstein signed Lackey as a free agent in Boston and the veteran hurler is close with Jon Lester.  Lackey, who turns 37 in a few weeks, pitched to a 2.77 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 33 regular season starts.
  • Cafardo cautions us not to expect Xander Bogaerts and the Red Sox to work out an extension this winter.  Agent Scott Boras isn’t one to do team-friendly deals and Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski tends to wait later in the arbitration process to discuss new deals.
  • D’Backs Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa offered up a strong endorsement of ex-Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, who is looking to repackage himself as a manager. “Ruben is a very smart baseball man,” La Russa said. “There’s no doubt in my mind he could be a very good major league manager. He’s an ex-player who understands the game.”
  • Tim Naehring, one of the Yankees’ top pro scouts, is a possibility to replace Billy Eppler as assistant GM in New York.  Brian Cashman adviser Jim Hendry and former big league outfielder Kevin Reese are other potential candidates for the role.

NL East Notes: Phillies, Janssen, Papelbon, Storen, Murphy

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The Phillies last lost 99 games in 1969, writes Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer. It took seven more seasons for the club to return to the postseason, but it only takes a couple lucky moves to set the ball rolling. In the 1971 draft, Philadelphia gambled that they could snag Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt with their second round pick (30th overall). It worked out. Even better, they traded pitcher Rick Wise during the next offseason for another Hall of Famer – Steve Carlton. Today’s Phillies have better odds of returning to the postseason quickly – now one-third of teams reach the playoffs. They’ll still need to find a few diamonds in the rough in the interim.

  • The Nationals aren’t expected to pick up Casey Janssen’s $7MM club option, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com in an analysis of the Washington roster. Janssen appeared in 48 games for Washington, throwing 40 innings of 4.95 ERA ball with 6.08 K/9 and 1.80 BB/9. The fly ball pitcher is best known for his command. He was the Blue Jays closer for parts of three seasons prior to joining the Nationals.
  • Closer Jonathan Papelbon is “all but gone,” per Ladson. Papelbon was embroiled in the late-season scuffle with franchise star Bryce Harper. While it’s hard to get a read on the situation from the outside, it’s not surprising that the club could prefer to end the story for good. Ladson also views fellow closer Drew Storen as a change of scenery candidate. Storen pitched to a 6.75 ERA after Papelbon was acquired. If both relievers are traded (or cut in the case of Papelbon), the Nationals will need to acquire a new closer.
  • Daniel Murphy’s days with the Mets are almost certainly over, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. However, it would be a mistake if the club didn’t extend a qualifying offer. Based on input from agents and executives, Sherman thinks Murphy will sign a three-year deal in the $30MM to $40MM range. Sherman also has a “strong sense” that the Mets won’t extend a qualifying offer. New York has developed a reputation for penny pinching despite playing in a huge market.  The biggest risk is that they pay Murphy $15.8MM for one season. Per Sherman, it’s a rate that a New York club should be able to easily afford, especially when the alternative is a still unproven youngster like Wilmer Flores or Dilson Herrera. Murphy was worth over $20MM this season according to FanGraphs.

De Fratus, Parmelee, Marcum Elect Free Agency

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Several players with significant big league service time have elected free agency since the conclusion of the regular season. Per baseball’s collective bargaining agreement, players with more than three years of Major League service time that have been outrighted off a 40-man roster have the right to elect free agency at season’s end.

This list — not to be confused with our full list of 2015-16 free agents (which has been updated to include these names) — represents some of the players that would’ve been arbitration eligible following the season and were regular or fairly regular contributors recently but now find themselves on the open market after being outrighted…

  • First baseman and outfielder Chris Parmelee has elected free agency, tweets Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. Parmelee spent the 2015 season in the Orioles organization and made 102 plate appearances with the big league club. He hit a modest .216/.255/.433, but he was much better at Triple-A. The 27-year-old is a career .245/.311/.396 hitter in 1,003 plate appearances. He spent his entire career with the Twins prior to joining Baltimore this year.
  • Veteran pitcher Shaun Marcum is also a free agent, per the same tweet from Cotillo. Marcum, 33, is a well-traveled veteran of eight seasons (he didn’t pitch in the majors in 2009 or 2014). He’s tossed 1,030 innings with 167 starts, 28 relief appearances, and a 3.93 ERA. More recently, he struggled at the major league level. He has a 5.34 ERA since 2013 in 113 innings. This season with the Indians, Marcum continued to post a decent strikeout (7.71 K/9) and walk (2.83 BB/9) rate, but he allowed nine home runs in just 33 innings. The fly ball pitcher throws just 85 mph.
  • Justin De Fratus has elected to become a free agent, the right-hander announced via his Instagram page (hat tip to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer).  De Fratus praised the Phillies organization and thanked it for giving him his start as a professional ballplayer “but it’s time for me to start a new chapter in my life and career.”  The Phillies outrighted De Fratus off their 40-man roster on Wednesday.  The righty was originally drafted by the Phils in the 11th round of the 2007 draft and he’d posted solid career numbers out of Philadelphia’s bullpen (3.08 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 2.27 K/BB rate over 114 IP) prior to this season.  Over 80 innings in 2015, De Fratus posted a 5.51 ERA, 7.7 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.  Indicators such as xFIP and SIERA suggest that De Fratus was a bit unlucky to post that 5.51 ERA as he was hurt by a .335 BABIP and 66.2% strand rate.  De Fratus, who turns 28 later this month, is entering his first year of arbitration eligibility and MLBTR projects him to earn a $700K salary in 2016.

Heyman’s Latest: Ng, Ziegler, Wieters, Arrieta, Angels, Kershaw, Gordon, Aoki

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Kim Ng, the senior vice president of baseball operations at MLB’s central offices, will interview for the Phillies’ GM vacancy, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports in his latest Inside Baseball column. Ng, who has previously interviewed with the Dodgers, Angels, Mariners and Padres, still hopes to become the first female general manager of a team. (She has previously worked in several front offices as well.) Her pursuit of the Phillies’ job brings up the issue of diversity among front office execs and managers, Heyman notes, and commissioner Rob Manfred discussed with Heyman some steps the league could take to increase the hiring of minority candidates for such roles. Manfred places a good deal of blame on his own office, telling Heyman, “I am concerned that we at Central Baseball have to do a better job.” Manfred emphasized a need to better prepare minority candidates and to encourage the hiring of such candidates for entry-level positions, so as to deepen the pool of minority candidates from which MLB clubs can select.

Some highlights from Heyman’s weekly piece…

  • The Diamondbacks plan to exercise Brad Ziegler’s $5.5MM option — an expected outcome considering questions throughout the team’s bullpen and the strong numbers that the side-arming Ziegler posted this season. Arizona will focus on adding starting pitching this offseason, though young arms Robbie Ray and Rubby De La Rosa have positioned themselves well to join Patrick Corbin in the rotation.
  • The Braves will be eyeing pitching upgrades and catching help this winter, and re-signing A.J. Pierzynski will be one option. Heyman also lists a run at Georgia native Matt Wieters as a possibility. I’d expect Wieters to receive and reject a qualifying offer, though Heyman notes that no decision has been made on Wieters’ QO situation just yet.
  • The Cubs are expected to pursue top starting pitchers such as David Price and Jordan Zimmermann, but they’ll also attempt to work out a long-term deal with Jake Arrieta, whose dominant second half and Wild Card performance have thrust him into the national spotlight. As a Scott Boras client, however, it could be difficult for the two sides to come to any sort of agreement. Arrieta is controlled through 2017.
  • A big left-handed bat will be a priority for the Angels this winter, and they’ll be hoping to add at second base and third base, specifically. As for David Murphy’s $7MM club option, Heyman notes that the team might want to put those resources toward a more impactful bat.
  • Clayton Kershaw turned down a $300MM contract offer a few months before signing his seven-year, $215MM extension that featured an opt-out clause after the fifth season, per Heyman. While that’s a shocking number to reject, we also don’t know the length of said deal or the amount of deferred money it contained. Sticking with the Dodgers, the CBS scribe adds that Zack Greinke will exercise his own opt-out clause this winter. That was a foregone conclusion, though Heyman notes that Greinke is said to have enjoyed the L.A. clubhouse much more this season, so his chances of re-signing may be better than previously expected.
  • Once they hire a manager to replace Dan Jennings, the Marlins’ first order of business will be to pursue an extension with All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon. The 27-year-old led the Majors in hits and stolen bases in his first year with the Marlins. A client of the Beverly Hills Spots Council, Gordon is currently controlled through the 2018 season. He earned $2.5MM in 2015 after avoiding arbitration for the first time as a Super Two player last offseason.
  • The Giants are planning on picking up Nori Aoki’s $5.5MM club option. Considering the $700K buyout attached to the deal, it’s essentially a $4.8MM decision for the Giants, making it seem like a fairly easy call. San Francisco also plans to pursue top-of-the-market arms like Price and Greinke.

Dan Jennings To Return As Marlins’ GM

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OCT. 9: Jennings will return to his previous role as general manager, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. An announcement could come anytime between Sunday and Tuesday of the coming week, he adds. Jennings is under contract with the Marlins for three more seasons.

OCT. 6: The Marlins have announced that Jennings will not return as the manager, as Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports (all links to Twitter).

Club president David Samson explained that Jennings is the general manager as he is a “signed member” of the front office. Though president of baseball ops Michael Hill seemingly indicated that Jennings had yet to decide whether to continue that arrangement, Samson said that “there’s no decision for him to make.”

OCt. 4, 8:28pm: A pair of tweets from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale suggests Jennings might return to the Marlins’ front office, but not in the GM position. The Marlins could make Berger GM, with Jeff McAvoy as assistant GM, Arnold as player personnel director and David Keller as pro scouting director. Jennings would then occupy some other position. Frisaro, meanwhile, writes (via Twitter) that the Marlins are planning to establish an analytics department and that Arnold could head it.

8:08pm: The Phillies have granted the Marlins permission to interview bench coach Larry Bowa for their manager position, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes. Bowa is expected to interview on Monday, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. Bo Porter and Manny Acta have already interviewed for the job. In addition, Frisaro reports that Dan Jennings, who posted a 55-69 record as the team’s manager following the firing of Mike Redmond earlier this season, is expected to return to the Marlins’ GM job.

As of yesterday, Jennings was still deciding whether to accept a return to the Marlins’ front office. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reported that the team’s front office would undergo changes, with assistant GM Mike Berger taking over something resembling a GM position. The Marlins also recently interviewed Rays director of player personnel Matt Arnold about a front office position. It has lately appeared that Jennings’ power in the organization was somewhat diminished. If Jennings does return to the GM position, it’s not clear how the Marlins will manage their decision-making process given the presence Jennings, Berger and other front-office voices.

Bowa, 69, was previously the manager of the Padres and Phillies. He led the Phillies to a 337-308 record from 2001 through 2004 and won the NL Manager of the Year award in 2001. He also served as a base coach for the Yankees and Dodgers and as an analyst for ESPN and the MLB Network before rejoining the Phillies organization in 2014.

Outrighted: De Fratus, Pettibone, Kratz, Green

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • The Phillies announced that they’ve outrighted seven players from the 40-man roster. Right-hander Justin De Fratus, catcher Erik Kratz, infielder Chase d’Arnaud, outfielder Jordan Danks and lefties Adam Loewen and Ken Roberts were all outrighted off the roster. Additionally, right-hander Jonathan Pettibone was activated from the 60-day DL and outrighted. The 27-year-old De Fratus has been a regular member of the Philadelphia bullpen for the past three seasons but struggled to a 5.51 ERA in 80 innings this season. Pettibone, 25, tossed 100 1/3 solid innings for the Phils in 2013 but has struggled to recover from shoulder surgery. He threw just three innings last year and didn’t pitch in the Majors in 2015.
  • The Angels announced today that infielder Grant Green has cleared outright waivers and will be assigned to Triple-A. Green, 28, was designated for assignment just before the end of the regular season. He was once a prized young player, and continues to perform in the upper minors, but has slashed just .249/.283/.335 over an even 300 career plate appearances. Notably, the move does not necessarily mean that Los Angeles will be able to stash Green in the minors. Now that he’s off of the 40-man, he’ll be eligible for minor league free agency.

Phillies Notes: GM, Giles, Asche, Biddle, Staff

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The Phillies’ offseason needs begin with a new general manager, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes. President Andy MacPhail is running the search himself and giving little in the way of clues, though Salisbury cites Matt Klentak, Kim Ng, Thad Levine, and Ben Cherington as names that have arisen in industry chatter.

Here’s more from Philadelphia:

  • While the Phillies won’t pursue top-end starters, they figure to add a few veteran arms, possibly of the mid-rotation variety, Salisbury adds. Otherwise, the offseason will presumably remain future-oriented. Nevertheless, Salisbury says that the team’s biggest remaining trade chip may be a relatively young player: closer Ken Giles. As CSN’s Corey Seidman wrote this summer, there’s real merit to the idea given the organization’s broader needs, the volatility of relievers, and Giles’s excellent early-career numbers. I’d certainly agree that the organization should be open to the concept. The pre-2012 Andrew Bailey trade, which netted the A’s Josh Reddick, is one example of such a deal that worked out for the sending team.
  • Another at-least-theoretical trade candidate is Cody Asche. Per Salisbury, the 25-year-old drew interest from the Marlins and Brewers this summer. While his value isn’t exactly on the upswing, Asche might be worth more to another organization that could give him a longer look at third base.
  • Lefty Jesse Biddle is heading in for Tommy John surgery, Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Long considered a top-100 prospect, Biddle has not performed well in the upper minors over the last two seasons. He’s averaged about five earned runs per nine at Double-A and Triple-A since the start of 2014, and continues to struggle to limit free passes even as his strikeout rate has fallen. Biddle struck out only 6.4 batters per nine in 2015, by far the lowest rate of his minor league career.
  • Now-permanent manager Pete Mackanin will have a few staff changes heading into 2016, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports. The team will part ways with bullpen coach Rod Nichols and third base coach John Mizerock, though it will offer contract renewals to bench coach Larry Bowa, hitting coach Steve Henderson, pitching coach Bob McClure, and first-base coach Juan Samuel. Mackanin explained that the team is “going to look at a lot of candidates” in filling out its coaching ranks.

NL East Notes: Phillies, Biddle, Nats, Williams

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The Phillies haven’t won much in 2015, but they have won the race to the bottom, as Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.  For the first time since 1998, the Phillies will pick No. 1 in the amateur draft and while there isn’t a slam-dunk top choice, it never hurts to have the top pick.  The Phillies will also get the largest bonus pool in the international signing period, which will aid them in the long term.

Kaplan notes that this will be the first No. 1 pick for incoming Phillies president Andy MacPhail. The highest he ever drafted was No. 2 when he was with the Cubs in 2001 – he used that selection to take right-hander Mark Prior.

Here’s more out of the NL East..

  • Phillies interim GM Scott Proefrock announced that former top prospect Jesse Biddle has suffered a torn UCL, as Kaplan tweets.  The left-hander will undergo Tommy John surgery on October 14th.  Biddle was rated as the No. 71 prospect in the country by Baseball America prior to the 2014 season, but his struggles through multiple levels of the Phillies’ farm system knocked him out of the top 100.  Things weren’t much better this year for the 23-year-old (soon-to-be 24), as he pitched to a 4.95 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 24 outings between Double-A and Triple-A.
  • Despite talk that he’ll be ousted as Nationals manager, Matt Williams says that no one in the front office has talked to him about his job status, as Bill Ladson of MLB.com writes.  Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com recently reported that Williams is all but certain to be fired after the season while a source says that GM/president of baseball ops Mike Rizzo is safe.
  • Rizzo says that the front office will meet tomorrow and that decisions will be made “sooner rather than later,” as Mark Zuckerman of CSNmidatlantic.com tweets.  The GM added that he doesn’t “want anybody twisting in the wind.”

NL East Notes: Scherzer, Harang, Pierzynski, Matz, Ichiro

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Nationals ace Max Scherzer has completed his second no-hitter of the season. The Mets fell victim to an utterly dominating outing. Scherzer fanned 17 hitters. The only base runner reached via error. The win actually has some postseason implications too. The Dodgers are now just one win away from securing home field advantage against New York. Scherzer no-hit the Pirates earlier this year. He struck out 10 in that contest. This was also the second time the Mets were no-hit (Chris Heston).

  • Phillies starter Aaron Harang has yet to decide if he’ll play in 2016, tweets Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Harang, 37, posted a 4.86 ERA with 5.72 K/9 and 2.70 BB/9 over 166 and 2/3 innings. Through his first 11 starts, he had a 2.02 ERA and 3.10 FIP, but injuries soon sapped his production. Harang will consult with his family in San Diego before making a decision.
  • Newly minted Phillies president Andy MacPhail is part of a long baseball tradition, writes Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer. His father, former baseball executive Lee MacPhail once described his son as decisive, adding “he never second-guesses himself.” The Phillies will hope that decisiveness results in a rapid turnaround after a miserable season. If you’re looking to learn more about the MacPhail dynasty, Fitzpatrick provides a thorough background.
  • Against all odds, Nationals infielder Dan Uggla won a roster spot in Spring Training and never gave it up, writes Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Uggla didn’t earn much playing time with the Nationals. Including two plate appearances today, he’s hit .183/.298/.300 in 141 plate appearances. Uggla believes his vision and health are back to where they were in his Marlins days. While it’s unclear if Uggla will find a guaranteed contract this offseason, multiple sources with Washington praised his clubhouse presence.
  • The Braves hope to re-sign catcher A.J. Pierzynski, reports David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The soon-to-be 39-year-old had a remarkably productive season after signing a one-year, $2MM contract over the offseason. He’s hit .300/.339/.430 with nine home runs. Pierzynski figures to receive some attention in free agency, but teams may be wary of his age and reputation.
  • Mets starter Steven Matz is starting to build a reputation as injury prone, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Personally, it seems too soon to worry over seemingly minor injuries – even if they are poorly timed. However, one rival executive wondered “is he one of those guys where there is always going to be an issue?” For now, the Mets have to decide if and how they want to use him in the postseason. However, it’s possible the club could use him as trade bait over the offseason given their rotation strength. His trade value will be at a low point if rival clubs view him as an injury risk.
  • Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki aims to play 10 more years, writes David Waldstein of the New York Times. The former Mariners star has played in 150 games for Miami due to a serious of injuries in the outfield. He’s posted a .233/.286/.284 line over 431 plate appearances. Advanced defensive measures look favorably upon his performance in the outfield. While another 10 years feels like a stretch, Ichiro should receive ample opportunity to reach 3,000 hits. He’s currently 65 shy.
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