NL Notes: Reds, Phillies, Nationals
The Reds continue to run out a remarkable string of rookie starters, as Jonah Keri of Grantland explains. Cincinnati is testing that group out against major league hitters now due both to necessity and to take advantage of the opportunity to challenge its young arms. In the process, it’s set records for most consecutive rookie starts and most total rookie starts in a season. “When we went into this, we didn’t think about breaking any records,” said GM Walt Jocketty. “We’re just trying to finish off the season with our young starting pitchers of the future. [Going with all rookie starters] gives us a better idea of who those pitchers might be now, [compared to] what we had a couple years ago.”
Here are a few more notes from the National League:
- The Phillies will likely kick their GM search into high gear after the regular season is completed, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. Philadelphia could ramp up its interviews at that time, he suggests, though a complete hiring timeline remains unclear.
- Whoever takes over for the Phillies will, of course, have plenty of long-term decisions to make, but things will start with management of the team’s big league assets. Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer looks at every current member of the 40-man roster, breaking down some possible outcomes.
- The Nationals have parted ways with two front office members, as Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports. Director of international scouting Bill Singer and advance scout Bob Johnson have both been let go.
NL East Notes: Coppolella, Escobar, Thornton, Ruf
The Braves held a press conference today to announce the long-expected elevation of John Coppolella to the general manager’s seat. As MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports, top club executives John Schuerholz and John Hart both offered high praise for the younger Coppolella, who had already been performing many traditional GM functions under Hart’s oversight. “The fans of Atlanta should be very comfortable that there is not going to be any stone that is left unturned with [Coppolella] there,” said Hart. “Brightness and creativity is one thing. But his unrelenting work ethic is something that stands out as much as anything.”
Here’s more from the NL East:
- With the Nationals expected to shift Anthony Rendon back to third base next year, the club will face a decision on fellow infielder Yunel Escobar, as Mark Zuckerman of CSN Washington writes. Escobar could shift to second, where he was expected to play this season, return to his natural shortstop, or even be dealt. The Nats’ roster could be tweaked in any number of ways over the winter, but deciding upon a strategy up the middle is a clear need.
- Nationals lefty Matt Thornton just logged his tenth straight season of sixty-or-more appearances, as James Wagner of the Washington Post writes. Thornton has delivered excellent results since he was acquired via waiver claim last August. He turned 39 in the meantime, but says he has plenty of gas left in the tank. “Right now, I’m focused on finishing this year healthy and finishing strong here and looking forward to my opportunity next year and the years after that,” said Thornton. “I feel great right now. I really do. I look forward to continuing my major league career. I love this game. I love the ins and outs of it.”
- Phillies first baseman Darin Ruf has favorably impressed the organization with his play of late, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury reports. Manager Pete Mackanin indicated that the club was glad to be getting a look at Ruf in more regular duty, which he’s received since Ryan Howard went down. “He’s swinging the bat very well,” said Mackanin. “We’re trying to get him at-bats so we can make a decision on him for next year. He’s swinging the bat better now against right-handers and he’s just been dominant against left-handers. It’s good to see.” Ruf’s situation obviously is interwoven with that of Howard. As Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News writes, Mackanin says that the veteran slugger needs to get his legs healthy and improve his glovework at first base to command playing time next year.
Phillies Notes: Chernoff, GMs, Herrera
Here’s the latest from the City of Brotherly Love…
- The Phillies were one of multiple teams who asked the Indians for permission to interview assistant GM Mike Chernoff, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi report (Twitter links). Chernoff is staying in Cleveland, however, and sources tell Rosenthal/Morosi that he could become the Tribe’s next GM. Current general manager Chris Antonetti would be promoted to a president of baseball operations role.
- It’s likely the next Phillies GM will have some sort of sabermetric background, so Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News looks at some of the names who have thus far been rumored in connection to the job. Lawrence also includes the name of Kim Ng, who has yet to be mentioned as a possible candidate, though Andy MacPhail recently used a “he or she” modifier when referring to the new GM. As Lawrence notes, it could’ve been simple political correctness on MacPhail’s part.
- Odubel Herrera‘s breakout season is profiled by Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer, chronicling the outfielder’s rise from fairly obscure Rule 5 Draft pick to the Phillies’ best player (as judged by both fWAR and bWAR) in 2015. Herrera has a .287/.333/.407 slash line through 516 PA and has also provided excellent center field defense. Jorge Velandia, the former MLB infielder and now a member of the Phillies’ player personnel department, is credited with pushing the club to draft Herrera after managing him in the Venezuelan Winter League.
East Notes: Sandoval, Ramirez, Red Sox, Phillies,
We discussed the West earlier tonight. Here’s the latest from the East:
- Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval is expected to miss the rest of the season with pneumonia, writes John Tomase of WEEI.com. This comes just a couple days after fellow offseason signee Hanley Ramirez was shut down for the year with a shoulder injury. Sandoval hit .245/.292/.366 on the year with 43 runs scored and 47 RBI. Ramirez managed just .249/.291/.426 with 59 runs and 53 RBI. Advanced metrics labelled both players as terrible defenders this season (Sandoval at least has a history of solid defense). Undoubtedly, the pair was expected to produce about twice as many runs with passable defense. Had they performed to those expectations, Boston’s 6.5 game deficit in the Wild Card race could be a lead.
- Boston has three potential candidates to man first base in 2016, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. The club plans to train Ramirez at the position after he failed to adjust to the outfield. Undoubtedly, Red Sox personnel hope first base can help Ramirez to stay healthy. The other internal option is Travis Shaw. He’s done enough to earn another look after hitting .282/.348/.511 with 11 home runs over 210 plate appearances. Shaw, 25, was never a highly touted prospect. The team may prefer to use him as depth. If they’re uncomfortable with Ramirez and Shaw, they could always dig into the coffers for Chris Davis. Personally, I expect any big free agent investments to be in the rotation.
- The Phillies have their own first base conundrum to solve, writes Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer. They anticipate an influx of talent next season, but first base will probably remain a time share between Ryan Howard and Darin Ruf. Howard will be in the final guaranteed season of a five-year, $125MM extension. Previous attempts to swap him to the junior circuit have turned up zero trading partners. Howard still hits well against right-handed pitchers while Ruf handles southpaws with aplomb. The platoon has combined for about -1 WAR this season, but they’ve also bashed a combined 33 home runs with 78 runs and 108 RBI in 766 plate appearances. That’s roughly a third of the team’s run production. Clearly, they can have some value to the club so long as they avoid same-handed pitchers.
- Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond is frustrated with his 2015 season, he tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Desmond, 30, is by far the top shortstop entering free agency, but he’s coming off his first below average offense campaign since 2011. Desmond hit just .232/.286/.382 on the year. When asked if he would accept a qualifying offer, Desmond hinted it was possible.
Quick Hits: Tiebreakers, Lee, Diamondbacks, Padres
With less than two weeks left in the regular season, the NL playoff picture appears relatively stable, but there’s plenty left to be determined in the American League. That could result in any number of headache-inducing tiebreaker situations, as ESPN’s Jayson Stark explains. That includes the possibility that there could be a four-way tie between the Rangers, Astros, Angels and Twins for one spot atop the AL West and the last Wild Card spot. The number of possible scenarios are exhausting, but for the teams involved, the travel could be even more exhausting. For example, if the Astros and Twins were to tie for the final Wild Card and the Astros were to win, they’d potentially have to travel from Seattle to Phoenix to Minneapolis to New York to either Kansas City or Toronto, all in a span of about a week. Here’s more from around the league.
- Cliff Lee‘s tenure with the Phillies is about to officially reach its end, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes. This is the last year of the $120MM contract to which the Phillies signed Lee before the 2011 season, and the Phillies will surely pay Lee a $12.5MM buyout rather than exercising his 2016 option for $27.5MM. Lee missed much of the 2014 season and all of 2015 with elbow trouble. “He helped us make the World Series in ’09 and the postseason in ’11. He pitched very well in ’12 and ’13. It just didn’t work out,” says Phillies interim GM Scott Proefrock. “It was a situation last year where we were looking to trade him and obviously his injury short circuited that.” Zolecki notes that the Phillies insured Lee’s contract, so they’ll get back part of the $25MM they’ve paid him for 2015. Lee was, of course, a huge part of the 102-win 2011 Phillies, ranking among the best pitchers in a brilliant rotation that also featured Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. He also pitched 200-plus excellent innings in both 2012 and 2013.
- The Diamondbacks and Padres have both had underwhelming seasons, but they’re taking diverging paths, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. The Diamondbacks have plenty of good young players under team control, including Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, David Peralta and Ender Inciarte, Lin writes. The Padres, meanwhile, have a veteran team that would be expensive to try to keep together even if it weren’t already disappointing. The D-backs entered the season with modest expectations and may have already surpassed them, while the Padres began with great expectations and fell well short. “For us, we have a nice core of talent that’s come through the minor leagues together, and now they’re getting this opportunity,” says Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale. “We have to make the decision this winter of where do we spice in some of those veterans, whether it’s a position player or a couple starting pitchers.”
- The Padres’ situation is such that more wins this season might actually diminish their flexibility for the future, writes Jeff Sanders of the Union-Tribune. Not only does fewer wins mean a higher draft position for 2016, but a bottom-ten finish in wins means the Padres can pursue top-tier free agents this winter without risking losing their top draft pick due to the qualifying offer system. Currently, the Padres are tied with the Tigers for the eighth-worst record in the big leagues at 72-81, but they’re within striking distance of improving upon the records of several other teams, including the White Sox, Diamondbacks, Red Sox and Mariners.
NL Notes: Enberg, Bruce, Asher
Padres broadcaster Dick Enberg announced during Wednesday’s game that he would retire after the 2016 season, as MLB.com’s Corey Brock notes. Enberg has been the Friars’ play-by-play broadcaster for six years. Previously, Enberg had done play-by-play work for CBS on NFL, college basketball and tennis broadcasts. He had also previously worked for NBC. “In culminating 60 years of sports broadcasting, it has been a tremendous thrill to be the TV voice of my hometown San Diego Padres, and I’m tremendously excited that I will have a continuing TV role though the 2016 season, an All-Star Game year for San Diego,” said Enberg in a press release. Here are more quick notes from the National League.
- Reds outfielder Jay Bruce is “embarrassed” by his season, Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News writes. “There are a lot of different ways to be good and driving in runs is good,” says Bruce. “But I should have 100 RBI, easily, every year. I should hit 30 home runs, hit 40 doubles and I should hit for a respectable average. And I’m not doing it.” Bruce’s offensive issues, such as they are, stem from a low batting average (.229) and on-base percentage (.300). Still, he’s hit 26 home runs and has produced some value with his solid defense. Nonetheless, rumors near the trade deadline connected Bruce to the Mets, and he wouldn’t have had nearly the impact of the player they acquired instead, Yoenis Cespedes. “I don’t think about it and it looks as if the Mets made a good decision,” says Bruce. “Cespedes has done a great job for them.”
- Righty Alec Asher, one of the Phillies‘ acquisitions in the Cole Hamels trade, is making a bid to be included in the team’s plans for next season, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. He took the loss in his start against the Marlins Thursday, but pitched seven innings and only allowed one run. After allowing 21 runs and six homers in his first four MLB starts, Thursday’s start was a step in the right direction. Asher wasn’t the centerpiece of the trade — prospects Jake Thompson, Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro were all more highly regarded. But he and Jerad Eickhoff (another Hamels acquisition who’s currently in the Phillies’ rotation along with Asher) could provide the Phils with valuable rotation depth as they rebuild.
Francoeur, Phillies Have Mutual Interest In Return
Outfielder Jeff Francoeur says that both he and the Phillies have interest in a continued relationship beyond this season, as CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury reports. A reunion has long seemed a distinct possibility, particularly since the Phillies reportedly pulled him back after an August waiver claim.
There’s still some uncertainty, of course. Francoeur will return to the free agent market this winter, and he could field interest from other clubs. And the organization may wait to allow its new general manager — once hired — make a final call.
“There’s mutual interest in me coming back,” said Francoeur. “They’ve got a lot going on in the front office with the general manager search, with Pete (Mackanin) taking over as manager. Like anything else, there will be an appropriate time to address it, but there’s mutual interest.”
Francoeur has provided more in terms of pop than on-base ability from an offensive standpoint, slashing .257/.287/.427 with 12 home runs over 324 plate appearances. That line is good for only a 91 wRC+. And defensive metrics are not enamored of his work in the corner outfield, where he still possesses a good arm but has below-average range.
While Francoeur’s value is somewhat limited on the field, he did draw interest at the deadline and showed enough for at least one (thus-far unreported) team to put in a waiver claim. And as Salisbury writes, the 31-year-old seems to have impressed the rebuilding organization as a veteran presence in a changing clubhouse. As the Phils look to work in a variety of young outfielders, he could continue to function as a mentor and stabilizing force.
East Notes: Bogaerts, Parra, Howard, Samuel
22-year-old Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has emerged as a quality big leaguer this year, and that often means that it’s time to wonder whether and when extension talks will begin. While agent Scott Boras isn’t known for deals that keep his players off the open market, he tells WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford that he is always willing to listen, even for a player with Bogaerts’ pedigree. Boras, who recently met with Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski regarding several current Sox clients, explained: “Look, I always tell every team and every player, we’re an open door. Anything they want to look at and offer, and then the player just has to make his judgments, so we evaluate that.” He praised the organization for its work in helping Bogaerts make an impressive leap this year, though his (justifiably) high opinion of the young infielder also suggests that the price tag would be high. Bogaerts has slashed .325/.356/.429, with seven home runs and ten steals, over 602 plate appearances on the season and will be eligible for arbitration for the first time after 2016.
Here are some more links from around the game’s eastern divisions:
- The Nationals have pursued Orioles outfielder Gerardo Parra previously, including at this year’s trade deadline, and could make a run at him in free agency, James Wagner of the Washington Post writes. Washington ultimately lost the veteran to Baltimore, in part because the Nats wanted the Brewers to help cover his salary. But the team has a potential need for a left-handed-hitting outfielder who could spend time in center field, Wagner notes, and that could make Parra an offseason target. (For what it’s worth, I agree that Parra could be a good fit in D.C., though as I wrote recently, he might well command a significant contract this winter.) From his perspective, Parra says he is pleased to be with the O’s at present but noted that he maintains a high level of respect for Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo and manager Matt Williams, both of whom he knows from his days with the Diamondbacks.
- Phillies president Andy MacPhail says that he expects slugger Ryan Howard to be with the team next spring, as Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Despite trading other former core pieces, the club has yet to find a willing taker for enough of the aging slugger’s remaining $35MM in obligations to make a deal. “I don’t know what’s going to happen over the course of the winter, what opportunities may be available for us and for him,” said MacPhail. He continued to add: “But right now, he’s somebody that I think we have a vested interest in getting back healthy and getting him to Clearwater and getting that bat in our lineup that we don’t have without him.”
- The Phillies interviewed first base coach Juan Samuel as a managerial candidate before deciding to name Pete Mackanin the permanent skipper, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports. While Samuel says he’s more than open to returning to Philadelphia in a coaching capacity, Samuel indicated that he’d like to explore the possibility of finding a job running a club. “I’ve been cautious not trying to put my name out there because I just don’t want to [interview] for the sake of doing it,” he said. “If I feel like I have a shot and I think I could be the right guy then, of course, I would do it. I also think that I’m capable of doing it, I’m prepared and I’m ready to do it. I got a taste of it in Baltimore and I enjoyed it. It’s something that is my ultimate goal. Before I hang it up, I would like to get a shot, whether it’s here or somewhere else.”
Phillies Notes: GM Search, Offseason, Howard, Mackanin
The Phillies have officially begun their GM search, as Andy MacPhail told reporters, including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, that they’ve interviewed one candidate. MacPhail, unsurprisingly, declined to specify the candidate in question, though he said the goal is still to have a new GM in place by the team’s organizational meetings, which begin on Oct. 26.
A few more notes on the Phils…
- Via Zolecki, MacPhail also said the Phillies aren’t likely to spend on top-tier free agents this winter, though he didn’t completely shut the door. “[D]o you really want to commit after you’ve just been in that pool and suffered from it?” MacPhail asked rhetorically. “Do you really want to commit at this stage? The only caveat I give you is that if there’s a unique opportunity out there, I wouldn’t want to preclude it from happening … particularly when you consider that once we get to ’17 we are really pretty footloose and fancy free.” The Phillies have no contracts guaranteed beyond the 2017 season.
- That, of course, doesn’t mean the Phillies will sit on their hands. Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News was also on hand and offers additional quotes from MacPhail, who does believe the Phillies “absolutely” feel a need to be active, just not necessarily on top-of-the-market names. The veteran exec made it clear that he doesn’t feel obligated to spend simply because this year’s free agent crop of starting pitchers is deep. “I know everyone can say, oh, my God, next year’s class isn’t as good as this year’s class,” said MacPhail. “Let’s see a year from now. And it may come in the form of making a trade. You don’t know. But I think the important thing is to do it when that foundation is there that merits it and supports it.”
- MacPhail also said that he expects Ryan Howard to be with the team in Spring Training next season, per Lawrence. He left open the possibility that an opportunity could present itself which may benefit Howard and the Phillies, but stated that for now, Howard is “somebody we have a vested interest in getting back healthy and getting him to Clearwater.”
- The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jake Kaplan writes that Phillies players are excited by the news that manager Pete Mackanin was extended through the 2016 season. Kaplan offers quotes from a number of young players, including Ken Giles, Jerad Eickhoff, Aaron Nola and Cameron Rupp, who have thoroughly enjoyed playing for Mackanin, whose new contract also contains a club option for the 2017 campaign.
Phillies Extend Manager Pete Mackanin
The Phillies have extended the contract of manager Pete Mackanin through next season, according to a team announcement. Philadelphia will also add a club option for the 2017 campaign.
Mackanin stepped in mid-year for the basement-dwelling Phils amidst significant organizational turmoil. When then-skipper Ryne Sandberg resigned in late June, Mackanin was given dugout duties on an interim basis. Not long thereafter, Philadelphia brought in new president Andy MacPhail and ultimately fired GM Ruben Amaro Jr.
While the general manager’s seat remains open, the Phillies apparently decided that they had seen enough positive results from Mackanin to keep him as the top uniformed personnel member. Philly is just 30-46 under Mackanin’s leadership, which isn’t much better than they were with Sandberg, but the team was never expected to contend and has also dealt with the loss of several more key veterans.
Of course, Philadelphia is less concerned with immediate results than it is with development at this stage, and Mackanin has overseen a fairly promising arrival of younger players. Having already helped to welcome key names such as Maikel Franco and Aaron Nola to the big leagues, Mackanin will be responsible for overseeing their continued maturation and the ongoing introduction of youthful talent onto the big league roster.
“The Phillies are pleased that Pete has accepted the position of manager for the 2016 season,” MacPhail said in a statement. “We believe that Pete is the best fit for the role. Since assuming the interim manager position in June, Pete has developed an excellent rapport with our players and has also connected well with the media and our fans. Equally as important is his eagerness to take on the challenge of rebuilding the team and further developing our players. We look forward to his contributions.”
Mackanin is a veteran baseball man, but this will be his first non-interim managerial stint. He has previously spent time as a stop-gap skipper for the Pirates and Reds. Before his more recent turn as the Phillies’ third base coach, Mackanin was the team’s bench coach over 2009-12.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images