Heyman’s Latest: CBA, Orioles, Rangers, Jays, Rockies
Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed optimism about negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement earlier this month, and players’ association executive director Tony Clark did the same Saturday, according to FanRag’s Jon Heyman. “I’ve always been a glass half-full guy. We continue to work. We continue to go through the issues,” said Clark, who didn’t reveal if the draft-pick compensation attached to the qualifying offer will remain the same in the next CBA. In the current agreement that’s set to expire in December, a team receives a first-round pick if it issues a QO to an impending free agent and he then signs elsewhere.
More from Heyman:
- The Orioles are still mulling whether to qualify catcher Matt Wieters, relays Heyman, who notes that the next CBA could affect their decision. Baltimore tendered a QO last year to Wieters, who accepted it and remained with the team on a $15.8MM salary. Wieters then had arguably the worst season of his career, hitting .243/.302/.409 in 464 plate appearances and grading poorly as a defender. In the event the Orioles qualify Wieters again and he accepts, he’ll be on their books for $17.2MM in 2017 – his age-31 season.
- The Rangers are interested in re-signing outfielder Carlos Gomez, reports Heyman. It’s already known that team president and GM Jon Daniels is prioritizing center field, so bringing back Gomez wouldn’t be surprising. The Astros released Gomez in August after a dismal showing dating back to 2015, but he was resurgent down the stretch for a Rangers club that plucked him off the scrapheap. Serving as primarily a corner outfielder while Ian Desmond manned center, Gomez hit .284/.362/.543 with eight home runs in 130 PAs to rebuild some of his stock before free agency. Desmond is also slated to hit the open market, and Daniels observed that he and Gomez “have kind of a similar profile.”
- Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders is another qualifying offer candidate, but it could be “tough” for the team to issue him one, Heyman opines. General manager Ross Atkins said earlier this week the Jays were “still working” on what to do with Saunders, whose 2016 was a tale of two halves. Saunders, 30 in November, slashed .298/.372/.551 in 305 PAs before the All-Star break and posted an ugly second-half line of .178/.282/.357 in 185 trips to the plate.
- Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez and Indians first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. seem likely to interview for the Rockies’ managerial opening after the World Series, per Heyman, who also names a few previously reported candidates in Marlins bench coach Tim Wallach, former Padres manager Bud Black, ex-Astros skipper Brad Mills and Rockies Triple-A manager Glenallen Hill.
Bo Porter Among Additional Possible Rockies Managerial Candidates
Former Astros skipper and current Braves special assistant Bo Porter is receiving at least some consideration for the Rockies’ open managerial position, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. The report identifies a number of other possibilities on a growing list of names who appear to be on Colorado’s radar.
Another former Astros’ manager, current Indians bench coach Brad Mills, has also come up. His Cleveland staff mate, first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., is another name to watch. Obviously, neither of those possible candidates can be pursued in earnest at present, with the Indians just opening play in the ALCS.
Two other bench coaches who could draw interest from the Rockies are Dave Martinez of the Cubs, who also is busy with his current position, and Ron Wotus of the Giants. We heard earlier today that Wotus had received contact from a team with a managerial opening. Given that the Diamondbacks — the other team with an opening — haven’t yet resolved their front office situation, it seems reasonable to suspect that it was the Rockies who came calling.
Today’s report significantly expands the group of names tied in some way to the Rockies’ top dugout post. Last we checked in, the scuttlebutt was that former Brewers skipper Ron Roenicke (most recently of the Angels), former Padres manager Bud Black (ditto), Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo, Braves first base coach Eddie Perez, and Rockies Triple-A skipper Glenallen Hill had some form of connection to the gig — though in some cases, the reporting involved interest on their behalf rather than the team’s.
All told, that slate largely represents a “who’s who” of skippers-to-be around the game. Those that haven’t yet taken managerial jobs at the major league level have at least interviewed for jobs with other organizations.
Still, the Rockies aren’t just looking to plug in an experienced hand. According to Harding, Colorado hopes to find someone “who will apply statistics and other research into managing and coaching, and who are adept at various methods for creating team chemistry.” In that regard, certainly, the organization seems to be participating in a near-universal trend leaguewide.
AL Notes: Jays, Astros, Red Sox, Yanks
In the wake of the 80-game PED suspension handed to Blue Jays first baseman/designated hitter Chris Colabello on Friday, teammate Kevin Pillar had some choice words for Major League Baseball (Twitter link via Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet Magazine). “This is a guy that got caught up in a flawed system,” the outfielder said of Colabello. “He fell victim to a technicality in the system. And I think that the drug testing policy and Major League Baseball are going to have some soul searching to do and they’re going to have to figure it out.” Pillar didn’t elaborate on the “technicality” that he believes victimized Colabello. The 32-year-old tested positive in March for the banned substance dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, an anabolic steroid that’s designed to increase the user’s speed and strength. Colabello did pass four drug tests last year, though, tweets John Lott of VICE Sports.
More from Toronto and a couple other American League cities:
- The Blue Jays aren’t yet considering going outside the organization to replace Colabello, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link). Justin Smoak is first in line to pick up the slack, per Rosenthal, who points out that the team also has Matt Dominguez in Triple-A Buffalo. Rosenthal didn’t mention Jesus Montero, who’s with Dominguez in Buffalo. The former elite prospect has recorded a respectable .292/.341/.429 line in in 315 career plate appearances against left-handed pitchers.
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow said Friday that Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo and Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez (then the Rays’ bench coach) were the main runners-up to A.J. Hinch in Houston’s 2014 managerial search, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald writes. “I think he’s going to be a major league manager in the future, and a good one,” Luhnow said of Lovullo. “He has a great balance of instincts and wisdom from all of his coaching experience, and understanding and appreciation for all of the other elements that are involved.” Lovullo garnered some major league managerial experience last season when he filled in for John Farrell, who was undergoing treatment for lymphoma, and led the Red Sox to a 28-21 record. Hinch, meanwhile, helped the Astros to a playoff berth and finished second in the AL manager of the year voting. This year isn’t going nearly as well so far, however, as the Astros have gone a surprisingly poor 5-12.
- Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks will undergo an MRI after leaving the team’s win Friday with a jammed non-throwing (left) shoulder, reports Ryan Hatch of NJ Advance Media. “We told him: see how you feel when you wake up,” said manager Joe Girardi. “If you’re really sore, we’re going to send you for an MRI. And that’s what happened.” Hicks, whom the Yankees acquired from the Twins during the offseason, has appeared in 14 of 15 games this year and totaled just two singles and two walks in 24 plate appearances.