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NL East Notes: Jennings, Gillick, Fernandez, Aardsma

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Having just begun to look for a new baseball operations leader, the Phillies have at least some interest in Marlins manager (and recent GM) Dan Jennings, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports (Twitter links). Philadelphia has yet to request permission to interview Jennings, who is not only still manning the dugout in Miami but reportedly has an offer on the table to step back into the GM role there. It’s a complicated situation already, but interest from the Phillies, who have quite an appealing GM opportunity up for grabs, would be an interesting wild card.

Here’s more from the NL East:

  • Outgoing Phillies president Pat Gillick says he’s not sure what he’ll pursue next, as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports. “At this point, I haven’t even thought about it,” said the long-time, 78-year-old executive. Gillick also acknowledged that he was not surprised that his replacement, Andy MacPhail, had decided to find a new GM rather than keeping Ruben Amaro Jr. “I don’t think … the public would really accept that,” said Gillick, who has long been a supporter of the deposed Amaro. “That wasn’t the reason the decision was made, but certainly the fans and the public play into every organization in the sports industry.”
  • The Marlins hope to avoid the recent Matt Harvey controversy with their own ace, Jose Fernandez, as Spencer writes. Both pitchers, of course, are in their first seasons back from Tommy John surgery. Fernandez himself says he does not foresee any difficulties in working out an approach before the season, noting that he expects the team will meet with his agent (Scott Boras, as with Harvey) and medical experts to arrive at an agreement. The young righty added that a plan was in place this year, had the Fish remained in contention, to help limit the strain on his recently-replaced UCL while maximizing his value to the club.
  • The Braves recently designated and then released right-hander David Aardsma, and he has penned an interesting piece on the subject at Baseball Essential. We cover an awful lot of DFAs here, and it’s easy to forget that there is a person involved who faces a potentially life-changing impact. Aardsma walks through the process from the awkward moment of hitting DFA limbo through the battle to stay prepared for another opportunity. It’s a great read and well worth your time.

Reactions To And Effects Of Ruben Amaro’s Dismissal

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The Phillies made a move that many felt to be inevitable yesterday when they announced that Ruben Amaro Jr.’s contract would not be extended, and assistant GM Scott Proefrock would become interim GM immediately as the team began its search for a new full-time general manager. Plenty has already been written about the decision and what it means for the Phillies’ future, and here are some early reactions and aftereffects in the wake of the fifth front-office shakeup we’ve seen in about two months’ time…

  • Amaro’s firing was “only a matter of time,” writes ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, but he did well to position his successor for a quick turnaround with recent trades of Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Chase Utley and others. Crasnick lists former Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, former Cubs GM Jim Hendry and current Royals assistant GM J.J. Picollo as potential candidates, also noting that former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington isn’t likely to pursue any GM opening at present, thus removing him from consideration. President-to-be Andy MacPhail told Crasnick that he isn’t limiting himself to targeting a specific “type” of GM (e.g. a young, analytically savvy candidate or a more traditional, scouting-based GM). Said MacPhail to Crasnick: “Let’s look at a wide spectrum of candidates. You might be surprised.”
  • MacPhail said at yesterday’s press conference (via MLB.com’s Paul Hagen) that while he will, of course, have a role in roster decisions and general baseball operations — “…let’s face it, I’m not here for my marketing acumen,” he joked — any GM he hires will have a good deal of power. “I’ve had GMs under me before,” said MacPhail. “If you talk to them, I think they feel like they had a fair amount of autonomy, which I think is important to them to be able to do their job. They can’t be in short pants running back to the president every time they have to make a decision. … They should keep me apprised, but that is a balance I’m going to have to strike.”
  • MacPhail feels that it would be ideal to have a new GM in place by the time the Phillies hold their organizational meetings on Oct. 26, writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, but he admitted that said timeline may be a bit “ambitious.” Hiring an outside-the-box thinker is key to the hire, whether he comes from an analytical background or scouting background, writes Salisbury, though if the selection is of the latter variety, MacPhail will look to add to his analytics department in other ways. Proefrock, who has worked for MacPhail in the past (with the Orioles) will receive some consideration for the full-time position, per Salisbury, but Angels assistant GM Matt Klentak could be the early favorite. Klentak, whose name has been mentioned in connection with the Phillies’ presumed GM vacancy in the past, was the Orioles’ director of baseball ops while MacPhail served as president. Also named by Salisbury are Dipoto, Picollo, Hendry, Yankees AGM Billy Eppler, Giants scouting director John Barr and Angels pro scouting director Hal Morris.
  • Partial owner John Middleton offered his take at yesterday’s presser as well, Salisbury notes, stating that he wants MacPhail to find a young version of himself. “And I say that because, 30 years ago, a very young Andy MacPhail was a general manager, a newly minted general manger at that,” said Middleton. “This guy was sitting in an office in Minneapolis and he was playing with mathematical, statistical, analytical tools. And he was using them to try to figure out how he could make better evaluations and therefore better personnel decisions. Andy was constantly pushing himself to get better.” (Salisbury has a second piece with further, more in-depth quotes from the press conference for those interested.)
  • Interim manager Pete Mackanin has a good chance at returning in 2016, sans the “interim” label, writes MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “I would encourage everybody not to make any assumptions about what’s happening today to have any domino impact on the manager,” said MacPhail. “…I know the tradition is that the GM picks his manager. I’ll just go full disclosure here, if that happens, and it takes you a while to find a GM and then he gets consumed the first month or two with a manager and coaching staff, look how much of the offseason we’ve lost. That’s a high price to pay.” MacPhail said the best way to measure a manager is by the energy, effort and enthusiasm he gets out of whatever talent is provided to him, and Mackanin has shined in that area thus far.
  • MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets that he expects to see Dan Jennings’ name connected to the Phillies’ GM opening if he does not return to his former post as Marlins general manager following the season.

Front Office Notes: Jennings, Brooks, Eppler, Nationals

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Dan Jennings has a standing offer from the Marlins to return to the GM seat, but has not yet informed the team whether he will accept, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Miami seemingly expects that Jennings will slot back in at that role, unless he is able to land a job elsewhere with more conclusive decisionmaking authority. As the Fish continue their front office maneuvering, the club has hired Marc DelPiano as VP of player development, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports on Twitter.

Here’s more on some front office and managerial situations around the league …

  • The Brewers are set to interview Pirates director of player personnel Tyrone Brooks for the open GM position in Milwaukee, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports on Twitter. We have heard some chatter about possible names to watch for the Brewers, but it appears that Brooks is the first reported candidate to receive an interview. Brooks has held his current role in Pittsburgh for about four years, overseeing an impressive delivery of young talent onto the big league roster. He gave an interesting interview with MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch back when he received that promotion, acknowledging at the time that he ultimately hoped to keep climbing the front office ladder.
  • Both the Mariners and Angels have been given permission to interview Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Eppler has long been considered a top general manager candidate, and interviewed with several teams in the past, so it’s no surprise to hear his name linked to multiple openings.
  • The Nationals have dropped two straight to the Mets in hard-to-believe fashion, squandering an opportunity to re-start the division race in the season’s final weeks. Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post encapsulates the situation well in his piece on the frustrating turn of events. Despite the obvious cause for disappointment, GM Mike Rizzo says there is no consideration to making a late-season change at manager. “Matt Williams is our manager,” said Rizzo, “and he’s going to lead us through this stretch. I’ve always supported him. We’re not going to talk about 2016 while 2015 is ongoing.” Rizzo himself is not believed to have any job security issues, says Svrluga, though he adds that the team’s ownership can be “opaque” in its decisionmaking.

NL East Links: Harvey, Ross, Marlins

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In a self-penned piece for The Players’ Tribune, Matt Harvey tried to settle the innings-limit controversy of the last few days by firmly stating that he intends to pitch in the postseason:

“As an athlete, when your surgeon explains to you the risks of exceeding a certain number of innings, it can be alarming. You listen. I love to play baseball and I love winning even more. I would not give that up for anything. I also know I want to be able to play and win for a long time. But there has never been a doubt in my mind: I will pitch in the playoffs. I will be healthy, active and ready to go.

I am communicating with my agent, my doctor, Sandy [Alderson] and the entire Mets organization. I can assure everyone that we’re all on the same page.

Together, we are coming up with a plan to reach an innings limit during the season. It will be a compromise between the doctors and the Mets organization to get me, and the team, to where we need to be for our postseason run.”

Here’s some more from around the NL East…

  • In other innings-limit news, Nationals manager Matt Williams told reporters (including Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post) that the team will consider shutting rookie right-hander Joe Ross down for the season.  Ross lasted just 4 1/3 innings in today’s start and both he and Williams admitted that fatigue may have played a role.  Ross has thrown 149 2/3 innings between the majors and minors this season, well beyond his previous professional season high of 122 1/3 IP in 2013.
  • Several Marlins players have expressed displeasure about team management to friends and within the clubhouse, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.  The Marlins’ decision to trade veterans for prospects, GM-turned-manager Dan Jennings’ in-game decisions and the overall belief that Miami “still prioritizes saving money over winning” are three of the players’ main issues.
  • Also from Jackson, he notes that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has been listening to assistant GM Mike Berger, director of pro scouting Jeff McAvoy and others more than he’s been listening to Jennings.  There has been a lot of speculation about what changes are coming to Miami’s baseball operations crew, including whether Jennings will return as GM, take another front office role or perhaps part ways with the team altogether.
  • A.J. Pierzynski has enjoyed playing for the Braves and hopes to return in 2016, he tells MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.  The veteran catcher will be a free agent this winter, and while Atlanta has Christian Bethancourt as its prospective catcher of the future, there have been signs that the club isn’t satisfied with Bethancourt’s development.  There were reports last month that the Braves were also interested in bringing Pierzynski back for another season.  Pierzynski signed a one-year, $2MM deal with Atlanta last winter and has already earned an extra $400K via playing-time bonuses, Bowman notes.

Front Office Notes: Angels, Eppler, Marlins, Jennings

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The front office rumblings are coming at a steady pace now. Needless to say, there are a lot of moving parts in the multiple front offices in the midst of turnover around the league. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs breaks down some of the names and considerations that will be in play over the coming months.

On to the latest news and rumors:

  • Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler seems to be an oft-spoken name early in the GM hiring season, and ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets that Eppler is “expected to be a strong frontrunner” for the Angels’ opening. While Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports added on Twitter that Los Angeles had yet to request permission from New York to speak with Eppler, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times later tweeted that the clubs have been in contact regarding that matter.
  • Eppler will have competition, of course, and DiGiovanna further tweets that the Angels have been in touch with other teams seeking permission to speak with their executives. It’s still unclear at present how many will get serious consideration for the role, he adds.
  • The Marlins’ lower-level front office changes continued today, as the team fired pro scout Mikey White, per Rosenthal (Twitter links). White was close with GM-turned-manager (and possible future GM) Dan Jennings, says Rosenthal, as was recently-reassigned VP of player personnel Craig Weissman.
  • It’s not clear that anything should be read into those tea leaves, as MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports that there were “strong indications” today that Jennings is likely heading back into the Marlins’ general manager position after the season. Jennings had a meeting yesterday regarding the organization’s future direction, though he declined to discuss it. He’s also been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Seattle opening.

Marlins Begin Making Front Office Changes

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There’s been plenty written about the looming change in the Marlins’ front office, and MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports the first wave of personnel shakeups in Miami. Per Frisaro, vice president of player development Marty Scott and vice president of player personnel Craig Weissmann were reassigned yesterday. Meanwhile, vice president of scouting Stan Meek was given an extension through the 2017 season, meaning he’ll continue overseeing the Marlins’ draft for the foreseeable future.

Frisaro, like many others, notes that manager Dan Jennings is expected to return to the front office following the season (Frisaro, the Miami Herald, FOX Sports and CBS Sports have all written on this recently). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports wrote late last night that a meeting of the team’s higher-ups was set for Thursday, at which point Jennings will be offered a role in the front office. However, the Herald’s Clark Spencer reported yesterday that the relationship between Jennings and owner Jeffrey Loria has become strained, so it’s not certain what type of role he’ll have waiting for him. In the event that Jennings doesn’t return to the GM chair, both Spencer and FOX’s Ken Rosenthal have noted that assistant GM Mike Berger could be a candidate to fill the void on a long-term basis. (Berger has already stepped up and taken on some of Jennings’ former GM duties.)

Beyond front office changes, Heyman writes that the Marlins are planning an “exhaustive” search to find an experienced manager to take over for Jennings. According to Heyman, Don Mattingly has long been of interest to Loria, though he, of course, is under contract with the Dodgers beyond 2015. A disappointing finish could have some impact on his standing with the organization, particularly due to the fact that he was a hire of the previous front office regime, but for the time being Mattingly isn’t available as an option for the Marlins. Heyman speculatively lists experienced names such as Dusty Baker, Ron Gardenhire, Bud Black, Larry Bowa, Jim Riggleman and Rick Renteria, among others, as candidates.

Frisaro and Spencer have both written recently that further changes are expected throughout the organization, with the scouting department among the areas that could be overhauled.

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