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Don Wakamatsu

Rangers Part Ways With Coaches Don Wakamatsu, Luis Ortiz

By Sean Bavazzano | October 5, 2021 at 5:47pm CDT

The Rangers have made some coaching changes this afternoon, informing bench coach Don Wakamatsu and hitting coach Luis Ortiz that they will not return to the Rangers dugout in 2022. Whether assistant hitting coach Callix Crabbe and run production coordinator Alex Burg return will be left to the discretion of the incoming hitting coach, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Other title changes may be on the horizon but invites have been extended to the rest of the current coaching staff.

Wakamatsu has spent the last four seasons serving as Texas’ bench coach and nine seasons overall in a coaching capacity, a tenure that remarkably saw four different managers take the helm. Ortiz meanwhile re-joined the organization as a hitting instructor when Chris Woodward was hired to take over the reigns as manager in 2019.

Change was inevitable for a Rangers team that netted just 60 wins this season and finished with the third-worst record in the sport. While the Wakamatsu release speaks to a desire for an organizational shakeup, the Ortiz release is perhaps more driven by the team’s 84 OPS+ and low offensive ranks. In 2021, the Rangers offense ranked last in the Majors in both OBP and OPS, producing a cumulative line of .232/.294/.375. They were near the back of the pack in most other offensive categories as well. These numbers were actually buoyed by Joey Gallo’s pre-deadline peformance and will no doubt look to be improved upon by whomever the front office tabs as Ortiz’s successor.

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Texas Rangers Don Wakamatsu

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Rangers Announce Five Members Of Coaching Staff

By Steve Adams | November 14, 2018 at 8:20pm CDT

The Rangers announced five members of their 2019 coaching staff Wednesday, including the hiring of Dodgers assistant hitting coach Luis Ortiz as their new hitting coach. In addition, Texas announced that bench coach Don Wakamatsu and third base coach Tony Beasley are returning to the staff in those roles next season. Bullpen coach Hector Ortiz will move to the role of first base coach, while 2018 first base coach Steve Buechele has been named a special assistant in the baseball operations department. Jayce Tingler, meanwhile, will return for a second stint with the coaching staff as the player development field coordinator.

Luis Ortiz, 48, served on the Dodgers’ coaching staff under newly hired manager Chris Woodward this past season. The new role with the Rangers represents a homecoming of sorts. While he’s not a native of Texas — Ortiz was born in the Dominican Republic — he began his coaching career in the Rangers system and spent the 2008-12 seasons as a hitting instructor/coordinator for the organization. Since that time, he’s been a field coordinator and hitting coordinator with the Padres and spent another two seasons as an assistant field coordinator in the Indians organization.

Tingler previously served as an outfield/baserunning coach in 2015-16 before spending the 2017-18 seasons as an assistant GM in the front office. He was a popular managerial candidate this offseason and connected to multiple vacancies, though he clearly remained with the Rangers organization. He has eight years of minor league managerial experience under his belt — all in the Rangers system.

The remaining decisions for the Rangers all center on the pitching side of the equation. With Hector Ortiz moving to first base coach, they’ll need to add a new bullpen coach. Texas also formally announced what was reported earlier this week by MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan — that pitching coach Doug Brocail will not have his contract renewed. Beyond that, the Rangers also announced that assistant pitching coach Dan Warthen will not be asked back for the 2019 season, either. Those decisions “will be announced in the near future,” per tonight’s release.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Texas Rangers Don Wakamatsu Jayce Tingler

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AL West Rumors: Athletics, Marwin, Gurriel, Grandal, Ramos, Wakamatsu

By Jeff Todd | November 7, 2018 at 4:46pm CDT

The Athletics will boost their payroll in 2019, but general manager David Forst tells John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that there’s no set number following meetings with ownership. Oakland needs to address its rotation, second base and catcher situations, but Forst cautions that the A’s aren’t “going to shock anyone with huge deals.” Shea writes that while deals for Patrick Corbin and Dallas Keuchel won’t come together for the A’s, they’ll still be active in searching for upgrades. As for second base and catcher, the latter of the two is a more pressing urge for Oakland. Forst explains that the presence of Franklin Barreto as an MLB-ready option creates less urgency at second base than at catcher, where Sean Murphy, a fellow well-regarded prospect, is a bit further from the Majors.

More from the division…

  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow discussed his team’s options for replacing utlityman Marwin Gonzalez, as MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart covers. Moving Yuli Gurriel around the diamond could help the club make up for the loss of flexibility. Perhaps notably, Luhnow specifically references a “post-Marwin world,” which could be telling with regard to how the organization feels about its chances to retain its most versatile player. Meanwhile, says Luhnow, he’s “looking at different options to add more to our offense.” Adding a big stick certainly seems to make sense under that roster alignment, as the club would have flexibility to get a new player into the lineup at DH, first base, or the corner outfield.
  • Speaking of the Astros, catching is another obvious area to address. The club has some level of interest in Yasmani Grandal, according to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter), with the Mets also showing early signs of intrigue. As the top catcher on the free-agent market, Grandal will garner interest from a wide slate of teams. At present, the Astros’ top internal option behind the dish is Max Stassi.
  • Veteran catcher Wilson Ramos is of interest to the Angels, according to Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times, with at least four other teams also in pursuit early. The fit for the bat-first backstop is perhaps not as clean in Los Angeles as it might be for some other clubs, as most of the Halos’ DH plate appearances seem already to be spoken for with Shohei Ohtani and Albert Pujols figuring to garner significant playing time in that capacity. Given Ramos’ durability issues, he’d be a more logical fit for an American League club with plenty of DH at-bats available, though he’ll certainly draw interest from clubs lacking in DH time and from National League clubs as well.
  • Don Wakamatsu, who spent the 2018 season as the Rangers’ bench coach before assuming the role of interim manager late in the season, will return to the organization in 2019, tweets T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Wakamatsu interviewed for the managerial opening that eventually went to Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward, but he’ll return to the 2019 staff despite being passed over for the job in the end.
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Houston Astros Los Angeles Angels New York Mets Oakland Athletics Texas Rangers Don Wakamatsu Franklin Barreto Marwin Gonzalez Wilson Ramos Yasmani Grandal

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The Rangers’ Managerial Search

By Jeff Todd and Steve Adams | November 1, 2018 at 5:40pm CDT

After parting ways with Jeff Banister late in the season, the Rangers are working to decide who’ll lead their dugout in 2019. GM Jon Daniels and company originally looked at a broad slate of possibilities, including late-season interim skipper Don Wakamatsu, but have now opened the search up to additional potential candidates.

We’re tracking developments in the hiring process in this post. The latest:

Latest Updates

  • Both Twins bench coach Derek Shelton and Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward have emerged as “strong” candidates in the Rangers’ managerial search, per Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of The Athletic (Twitter link). Rosenthal notes that Woodward, who interviewed earlier today, was “extremely” impressive in his interview.

Click below to review the prior updates to the search and additional remaining candidates …

Read more

New Candidates Under Consideration

  • Twins bench coach Derek Shelton was given permission to chat with the Rangers after he was bypassed for the Minnesota managerial opening, per reports from Dan Hayes of The Athletic (via Twitter) and La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune. He interviewed yesterday, Jeff Wilson of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram adds. Shelton has held his current position for one season after spending time with the Blue Jays, Rays, and Indians in quality control and hitting coach capacities.
  • The Rangers are still working to bring in additional candidates for chats, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News has covered of late. D-Backs VP of player development Mike Bell — the brother of prior candidate David Bell, who’s now the Reds manager — is said to be getting a look. Additionally, the Texas organization is believed to be scheduling a chat with Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward and perhaps also Red Sox bench coach Ron Roenicke, both of whom just finished up duties in the World Series.
  • Though there are already a number of candidates considered to be finalists, as noted below, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that the Rangers are holding a first meeting with Eric Chavez. The former All-Star third baseman began the year as a special assistant to Angels GM Billy Eppler and finished out the year as the Halos’ Triple-A manager. He was considered to be a prime candidate to take over the Angels’ managerial post, but they’ve since named Brad Ausmus their skipper. Now, it seems that Chavez could at least potentially jump ship to a division rival.
  • Wilson reports that the Rangers have also interviewed Cardinals’ Triple-A skipper Stubby Clapp over the phone multiple times. But Clapp was just named first base coach on the St. Louis MLB staff, which appears to indicate that he is going to remain with that organization.

Still Under Consideration (as of Oct. 21)

  • With Girardi and Bell out of the picture, Sullivan noted earlier Sunday that Wakamatsu, Tingler, Hyde, Wathan, Espada and Baldelli are the only known candidates left. Those are indeed the finalists from among the original slate of candidates, per the Star-Telegram’s Jeff Wilson. As of the date of this report, the club had not even had a face-to-face meeting with Espada yet.

Previously Considered

  • Don Wakamatsu, interim manager, Rangers. GM Jon Daniels announced that Wakamatsu would receive consideration for the post.
  • Jayce Tingler, assistant GM, Rangers. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram identified Tingler as a candidate; Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweeted that he has interviewed.
  • Brandon Hyde, bench coach, Cubs. Recently became one of the earliest outside candidates to interview, per Grant.
  • Joe Espada, bench coach, Astros. Interviewed via phone due to current duties, per Grant. First identified by Wilson as a candidate, Espada is in his first year as bench coach after taking over the post from current Red Sox manager Alex Cora.
  • Rocco Baldelli, field coordinator, Rays: Health problems derailed his promising major league career, but Baldelli has carved out a new path in the game. The 37-year-old has been on the Tampa Bay MLB coaching staff since 2014. MLB.com’s TR Sullivan tweeted that Baldelli had interviewed; he was originally tied to the Rangers by Grant.
  • Dusty Wathan, third base coach, Phillies: He’ll sit down with the Texas brass, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Wathan, a former Triple-A manager, was considered a leading candidate for the Phillies’ managerial post last winter and ended up joining the staff of Gabe Kapler.

Other Candidates

  • Sandy Alomar Jr., first base coach, Indians: The long-time MLB backstop, who has come up frequently in past managerial searches, is also expected to get a look, according to Wilson.
  • Grant lists Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward and Padres Triple-A manager (and former Rangers catcher) Rod Barajas as other possible candidates. The Rangers “have done significant due diligence” on each of Alomar, Espada, Woodward, Barajas and DeRosa, per Grant, though it’s not yet clear which of that bunch will sit down with the organization for a formal interview.
  • Having started with around forty potential candidates, per MLB.com’s TR Sullivan, the Texas organization evidently still has some paring to do. He names a host of other new possibilities, though it’s unclear whether any are going to receive an opportunity to interview. Rangers third base coach Tony Beasley is a possibility, as others have mentioned previously, as is Triple-A skipper Jason Wood. Other names of note include Omar Vizquel (White Sox minor-league manager), who is said to have “received initial consideration,” along with Gary DiSarcina (Mets third base coach), Jay Bell (Yankees minor-league manager), and Hensley Meulens (Giants bench coach).
  • Prior indications are that long-time Rangers second bagger Michael Young would be a strong candidate if he had interest in the position. To this point, though, there’s no indication that he does. As noted in that link and in another recent MLBTR post, a whole host of other names have been floated as possibilities. To this point, though, only those listed above have emerged as clear candidates. (And for those who are wondering, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan wrote in a recent Rangers Inbox column that Adrian Beltre “has expressed zero interest in managing.”)

Not Under Consideration

  • Former Yankees and Marlins manager Joe Girardi has been informed that he’s no longer in the running, as reported by Wilson as well as Fancred’s Jon Heyman.
  • The Rangers had interest in former big leaguer and current MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa, per Grant, but MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports that DeRosa is enjoying his current position and has declined the opportunity to interview (Twitter link).
  • Former Giants VP of player development David Bell interviewed for the position, per MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan, but he’s since been named the new manager of the Reds, with whom he signed a three-year contract.
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Texas Rangers Chris Woodward Don Wakamatsu Dusty Wathan Eric Chavez Jayce Tingler Joe Espada Joe Girardi Mark DeRosa Rocco Baldelli Rod Barajas Sandy Alomar Jr. Stubby Clapp

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Rangers Notes: Beltre, Bullpen, Wakamatsu, Beasley

By Steve Adams | September 28, 2018 at 9:42pm CDT

Adrian Beltre is expected to play in all three games of this weekend’s final series for the Rangers, writes Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, but beyond that there’s still no certainty about his future. Beltre did, however, indicate that he won’t make any sort of announcement on Sunday, nor will he drag the decision on for a significant chunk of the offseason. Whatever Beltre’s decision will be — retire, return to the Rangers, or sign a one-year deal with a contender — it appears that his mind is not yet made up just yet.

Here’s more out of Arlington…

  • Though the season has been a disastrous one for the Rangers, the club is seeing some encouraging signs out of some young relievers late in the year, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Jose Leclerc has been one of the best relievers on the planet over the past few months, allowing just two runs in a span of 32 2/3 innings dating back to June 20. In that time, the once-erratic Leclerc has turned in a phenomenal 51-to-11 K/BB ratio and allowed a mere 10 hits. There are some encouraging signs from 26-year-old Connor Sadzeck as well, despite a dismal 10 walks in 9 1/3 innings since being recalled from Triple-A. Sadzeck is averaging 97 mph on his fastball and has shown some mechanical improvements, interim skipper Don Wakamatsu explained to Grant. Namely, Sadzeck has been able to speed up his delivery while maintaining his premium velocity after previously struggling to work quickly with men on base in the minors. Leclerc, 25 in December, has solidified himself as the Texas closer heading into 2019 and is controlled all the way through 2022. Sadzeck, meanwhile, should get every opportunity to earn a spot after whiffing 53 hitters in 42 minor league innings.
  • Speaking of Wakamatsu, Wilson writes in another column that the Rangers’ interim manager is expected to remain with the team even if he is not ultimately hired as the new full-time manager. Wakamatsu is under contract through next season as the bench coach and tells Wilson he’d like to be with the team regardless of whether he’s selected as Jeff Banister’s replacement. GM Jon Daniels told reporters, including Wilson, that the organization is still “gathering information” and has yet to speak to any potential candidates about the managerial vacancy.
  • One familiar face for Rangers fans who’s hoping to be considered is third base coach Tony Beasley, reports MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. “I know the heartbeat of this team,” Beasley tells Sullivan. “I would love to be considered for it.” Although the 51-year-old has never managed at the MLB level, he does come with eight seasons of minor league managerial experience which, Sullivan adds, includes six postseason appearances and a Double-A Manager of the Year Award.
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Texas Rangers Adrian Beltre Connor Sadzeck Don Wakamatsu Jose Leclerc

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AL West Notes: Rangers, Felix, Cruz

By Jeff Todd | September 24, 2018 at 1:06pm CDT

Let’s check in on the latest out of the American League West …

  • As the Rangers prepare to find a new manager, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News explores the case for simply keeping interim skipper Don Wakamatsu. It’ll obviously be hard for Wakamatsu to move the needle on the team’s bottom line over his brief tenure, but he is in some respects in the midst of a live audition for the job. As Grant notes, the former Mariners manager not only “has a long history with the Rangers and, in particular, [GM Jon] Daniels,” but also arguably offers the right blend of “continuity” and change. Wakamatsu certainly has a broad array of experiences in different dugouts, as is well documented in the piece.
  • Longtime Mariners ace Felix Hernandez is slated to return from a hamstring injury to make one last start in the 2018 season, as MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports. The veteran hurler, who has fallen on hard times on the mound of late, says he “just want[s] to finish strong and show them I can still pitch.” From the club’s perspective, skipper Scott Servais says, they hope to send Hernandez “into the offseason with peace of mind” to he can know how best to “get ready for next year.” Of course, there’s also a line of thinking that both player and team could be best served by a clean break at the end of this season — as Bob Dutton recently discussed (but did not specifically advocate).
  • Meanwhile, Dutton tackles the case of veteran Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz in another post on the KLAY 1180 AM blog. Both sides are saying they are hopeful of a reunion, but they have yet to hold contract talks. It’s an interesting dynamic, as Dutton explains, because there’s an argument to be made that Seattle ought to utilize its resources in a different manner — particularly with Robinson Cano on hand as a potential part-time DH. Of course, as Dutton also rightly notes, there is still plenty of time left to chat before Cruz formally returns to the open market — and, of course, he could still return thereafter. It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out.
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AL West Notes: Fast, Correa, McCullers, Sipp, Simmons, Rangers

By Jeff Todd | September 22, 2018 at 12:21am CDT

Astros director of research and development Mike Fast has left the organization, as MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart was among those to cover (via Twitter). The former Baseball Prospectus scribe joined the organization well in advance of its rise to prominence, forming a key part of the front office team assembled by GM Jeff Luhnow. Fast tells Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (subscription link) that he’s hoping “to latch on with another team” in some capacity, though he did not otherwise offer any clues as to the reason for his departure or his expectations in pursuing a new opportunity.

It’ll be interesting to see both where Fast lands and how he’s replaced. Here’s more from Houston and some division rivals …

  • The postseason-bound Astros are getting ready for the ALDS, which means a focus on health. As Kaplan reports (Twitter links), star shortstop Carlos Correa will get some time off to rest his back before ramping back up next week. Meanwhile, Lance McCullers Jr. will throw from the pen upon returning to action early next week. Ensuring that Correa is at full strength is obviously of critical importance to the organization’s hopes of repeating as World Series champs. Though he hasn’t hit to his typical standards this year, Correa undeniably possesses the talent to be a force in October. Likewise, getting back McCullers, who has been sidelined with a forearm strain, would also be notable. Though it may not be likely that he’ll shoulder anything approaching a starter’s workload in the playoffs, McCullers would represent another high-quality arm on a staff that’s already loaded with them.
  • Astros southpaw Tony Sipp is flipping the script in 2018, as Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle writes. The veteran reliever discusses his tough moments over the last two seasons with candor. It came as a wake-up call, he suggests, when he found himself “having to answer questions about making a team when your contract is guaranteed,” as occurred this spring. As it turns out, the 35-yer-old has bounced back from a pair of homer-plagued seasons, posting a 2.06 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 over 35 frames in 2018. He’ll return to the open market this winter, but first will play an important role in the ’Stros postseason pitching mix.
  • The Angels have faced their share of disappointments this year, but have also watched as shortstop Andrelton Simmons has cemented himself as a premium all-around performer alongside the peerless Mike Trout. Indeed, the 29-year-old Simmons has again topped 5 fWAR with a blend of solid, contact-oriented hitting and otherworldly defense. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have designs on improvement, however. As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register explores, the game’s premier defender is hoping some added strength will lead to a power boost going forward.
  • While the Rangers have only just begun looking for a new skipper, after firing Jeff Banister today, that doesn’t mean it’s too soon to begin thinking of the possibilities. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News runs through some of the names he believes could be considered for the job, including interim skipper Don Wakamatsu. There are plenty of notable names contemplated in the post, so Texas fans will want to give it a full read and reach their own conclusions on the right path for the organization to take.
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Houston Astros Los Angeles Angels Texas Rangers Andrelton Simmons Carlos Correa Don Wakamatsu Lance McCullers Jr. Mike Trout Tony Sipp

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Rangers Fire Jeff Banister

By Steve Adams | September 21, 2018 at 1:00pm CDT

1:00pm: The Rangers have announced that Banister has been relieved of his duties. Wakamatsu will finish out the season as the interim manager.

12:42pm: The Rangers will not bring manager Jeff Banister back for a fifth season in 2019, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Banister is under contract for next season, but he’ll earn his reported $950K salary while someone else takes the helm for the Rangers, it seems. Grant notes that Banister will not finish out the season, and bench coach Don Wakamatsu will likely serve as the interim skipper.

It’s a jarring fall for Banister, the 2015 American League Manager of the Year. He guided the Rangers to a pair of winning records and a consecutive American League Division Series appearances in 2015-16 — his first two at the helm of a Major League organization. The 2017 Rangers disappointed but hung around in the race until September, ultimately finishing at 78-84. The Rangers have ensured a worse record than that in 2018 with 88 losses already in the books.

Certainly, it’d be unfair to place the entirety of the 2018 team’s failures on Banister’s shoulders. He was scarcely afforded a rotation to work with as the Rangers performed a series of half-measures last offseason, declining to enter a definitive rebuild but also paring back payroll and signing a series of stopgaps for the rotation. Texas came out of the gates strong with a three-year deal for Mike Minor to return to a starting role, but that was paired with low-cost additions of Doug Fister, Matt Moore and Bartolo Colon. Moore, perhaps, could’ve been considered an upside play, but pairing that unit with Minor and the returning Cole Hamels never looked like anywhere near enough to have a realistic shot at contending in 2018.

That said, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Jeff Wilson reported in a detailed column yesterday that Banister’s communication skills with his players had come under fire recently, with pitchers sometimes not knowing when their next start would be while some position players would find themselves in the lineup having previously been assured a day off. Texas also burned through several closers very quickly under Banister’s watch, with Shawn Tolleson flaming out in 2016 after being used on five consecutive days to close out the 2015 regular season. Sam Dyson, another bullpen workhorse under Banister, had dismal 2017 results after a heavy workload in 2016, though he’s since bounced back in San Francisco.

Wakamatsu, Grant further tweets, figures to become a candidate to take over the club on a full-time basis in 2019 and beyond. That said, the Rangers will surely interview candidates from outside the organization as they look for a developmentally-inclined skipper to help them through some degree of a rebuilding process. It’s not clear whether the Rangers will retain any of the current coaching staff, though the fact that Wakamatsu will be considered as a replacement bodes well for his chances of returning in some capacity.

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Newsstand Texas Rangers Don Wakamatsu Jeff Banister

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Rangers To Hire Don Wakamatsu As Bench Coach

By Jeff Todd | November 2, 2017 at 6:06pm CDT

The Rangers are slated to hire Don Wakamatsu to become their bench coach, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). He’ll join a reshuffled staff under manager Jeff Banister, who is looking to bounce back from his first losing season since taking over the Rangers dugout in 2015.

Wakamatsu, 54, has previously served as the bench coach in Texas, among his many other stops as a big league coach. He also skippered the Mariners in the 2009 and 2010 seasons and has been noted as a managerial candidate on several occasions since. Most recently, Wakamatsu was the bench coach for the Royals.

With the addition, the team will bump last year’s bench coach, Steve Buechele, to the first base coaching job. He had been the Rangers’ bench coach for each of the past three seasons.

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Texas Rangers Don Wakamatsu

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Quick Hits: Rockies, Brewers, Yankees, Mariners

By Connor Byrne | November 5, 2016 at 10:37pm CDT

Royals bench coach Don Wakamatsu is no longer in the running for the Rockies’ managerial job, reports Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. Both the Rockies and Diamondbacks interviewed Wakamatsu, whose previous experience as a manager came with Seattle from 2009-10. Arizona ended up hiring Torey Lovullo, leaving Colorado as the majors’ only skipper-less team.

Here’s more from around baseball:

  • Tampa Bay police arrested Brewers center fielder Keon Broxton on a misdemeanor trespass charge Friday morning, per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Broxton’s arrest came after the 26-year-old refused to leave the area of a fight. According to the police report, Broxton was “extremely intoxicated,” “hostile” and had “visible injuries to his face but declined medical attention.” Broxton got out of jail on $500 bond a few hours after his arrest and later issued a statement apologizing to the Brewers, their fans and law enforcement officials. “I will learn from this incident and I will certainly make better decisions moving forward,” he said (Twitter link via Haudricourt).
  • Yankees catcher Brian McCann could end up on the move via trade this offseason, but general manager Brian Cashman is bullish about keeping him as the team’s main insurance behind young star Gary Sanchez. “Based on his success the past season, Sanchez is the everyday catcher,’’ Cashman told George A. King III of the New York Post. “[McCann] can DH and catch a minimum of two games a week. We have two power-hitting catchers, one right and one left who hit 20 homers.’’ The Yankees highly value McCann, having reportedly asked the Braves for underrated center fielder Ender Inciarte or promising right-hander Mike Foltynewicz in return. Even if the Braves were amenable to giving up one of those players, McCann – who’s owed $34MM through 2018 – has a full no-trade clause and would have been able to veto the deal. “If we need to address something from the Yankees, they will let us know,’’ McCann’s agent, BB Abbott, told King via email. “Until then, we are allowing the club the space to run and build their club.’’
  • The Mariners concluded the 2016 season with a payroll near $150MM, a franchise record, and owner John Stanton told Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times he’s unsure if the club will spend more than that next year. However, Stanton would be open to a payroll increase if general manager Jerry Dipoto were to insist on one. “If Jerry came to us and said there was the one piece that I think we needed to be successful, I think we’d go out and get it,” said Stanton, who took over the Mariners in August. “I just hate to lose,” he added. The Mariners have now gone a league-worst 15 straight years without a playoff berth, though they did finish with a respectable 86-76 record this past season. Jason Martinez of MLBTR and Roster Resource estimates that the M’s have roughly $129MM committed toward next year’s team.
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The Mariners Need To Shake Up Their Offense

Twins Place Carlos Correa On Concussion IL

Diamondbacks Place Eduardo Rodríguez On IL With Shoulder Inflammation

Athletics Option Osvaldo Bido, Designate Jason Alexander For Assignment

Pirates Select Nick Solak

Rockies Select Carson Palmquist

Brewers Acquire Rob Zastryzny From Yankees

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