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Rosenthal’s Latest: Ausmus, Gonzalez, Hendricks

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Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal, via a video for FOX Sports:

  • Departing Tigers manager Brad Ausmus says he would be open to managing a new team immediately, although he tells Rosenthal that there don’t seem likely to be many possibilities. Rosenthal, though, points out several, including the Phillies job as well as the Mets job, which is expected to open. The Braves could also be a possibility, and Rosenthal notes that if the Red Sox have a quick playoff exit and opt to part with John Farrell, Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski hired Ausmus while he was an executive in Detroit.
  • Fredi Gonzalez looks to have many qualifications that could be attractive to the Tigers, including past managerial experience with a rebuilding club (the Marlins) and connections to Tigers GM Al Avila (with whom he worked while both were in the Marlins organization). The Tigers will, however, consider any number of other candidates. One they might not consider too carefully is Giants third base coach Phil Nevin, who the Tigers fired as their Triple-A manager near the end of the 2013 season.
  • Astros utilityman Marwin Gonzalez could be a free agent to watch in the 2018-19 offseason, Rosenthal argues. Like Ben Zobrist, who received a $56MM deal two years ago, Gonzalez switch-hits and can play several positions in the infield and outfield. Gonzalez is also reaching the end of an outstanding .303/.375/.530 season. I might point out that Gonzalez doesn’t have Zobrist’s overall track record, but Rosenthal notes that Gonzalez will have only recently turned 30 at the start of the 2019 season, and that unlike Zobrist, he can play shortstop.
  • Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks’ first-year arbitration case this offseason will be an interesting one, says Rosenthal. Hendricks has a 2.94 ERA over 100 career games, a number that compares favorably to that of Clayton Kershaw in his first few seasons. that isn’t to say Hendricks and Kershaw are similar players, as Rosenthal points out, only that Hendricks’ first arbitration payday could be a hefty one.

Rockies To Interview Tim Wallach For Managerial Opening

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The Rockies will interview Marlins bench coach Tim Wallach for the team’s open managerial job, according to reports from Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter links) and MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). Miami has already granted permission for the sides to speak.

Wallach, 59, has long been the right-hand man of Marlins’ skipper Don Mattingly, dating back to when both led the Dodgers’ dugout. He served as the third base coach and then bench coach in Los Angeles before following Mattingly to Miami. Long before that, Wallach enjoyed a productive, 17-year MLB career as a corner infielder — most notably with the Expos.

Last we checked in on the Rockies’ managerial search, the team was continuing to expand its list of potential candidates. A wide variety of names have been mentioned, many with experience leading a dugout — or, if not, then plenty of time spent in senior coaching positions. GM Jeff Bridich is looking to hire a skipper for the first time after the team parted ways with Walt Weiss (who was hired by predecessor Dan O’Dowd) over the winter.

As things stand, the Rockies are competing only with the division-rival Diamondbacks on the managerial market. All other major league teams appear to be content with their current options.

Miami is already looking to add a third base coach after declining to renew the contract of Lenny Harris this offseason. Former Marlins and Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has been in talks with the Fish about that post for several weeks, and Frisaro reports that he’s now “a clear front-runner” to take the job.

NL East Notes: Fredi, Harper, Strasburg, Phillies, Washington

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The Marlins are in talks with former manager Fredi Gonzalez about their third base coach vacancy, reports MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. Gonzalez, who skippered both the Marlins and Braves (who fired him earlier this season), has had multiple conversations about the possibility with the team, per Frisaro’s report. Serving as a third base coach wouldn’t be anything new for Gonzalez, as he held that post with the Braves before being hired as the Marlins’ manager in 2007. Miami is also looking to find a replacement coach for hitting coach Barry Bonds, whose contract was not renewed, as well as bullpen coach Reed Cornelius. Frisaro writes that former big league third baseman Mike Pagliarulo, who played with Marlins manager Don Mattingly as a member of the Yankees, is under consideration for the hitting coach vacancy.

More from the division…

  • Scott Boras spoke with the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes about a pair of his clients that have been the subject of plenty of injury news and speculation: Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg. Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci has reported that Harper is playing through a shoulder injury despite denials from the team, but neither Harper nor Boras has been willing to comment on the matter, leading to some degree of uncertainty. “He’s obviously played with limitations at times this year, no question,” said Boras of Harper. “… It’s a very different year when you lead the league in walks and intentional walks, making the adjustment about how to handle how the league’s decided to take away what you normally have instead of challenging you.” Boras wouldn’t give a definitive comment about Harper’s injury or lack thereof, stating only, “[I]f there’s anyone pushing Bryce, it’s Bryce.” As far as Strasburg, Boras voiced praise for the Nationals’ communication on the matter and didn’t appear to express any significant concern over Strasburg’s recent bullpen session (which was cut short by some discomfort in his injured forearm) or the fact that his client is attempting to return from a fairly recent injury to pitch in October.
  • In his latest Inbox column, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki answers several questions about the Phillies’ offseason and their 2017 outlook. Notably, Zolecki believes Odubel Herrera to be the only definitive lock for next season’s outfield and adds that he expects the Phillies to acquire an outfielder this offseason as well, though not necessarily one that will require an expensive multi-year commitment. Zolecki also has difficulty envisioning a trade of Cameron Rupp due to the fact that there aren’t any other experienced catchers in the organization (although speaking purely speculatively, I’ll suggest that the Phils could deal Rupp and sign a veteran to a one-year deal as a bridge to Jorge Alfaro and/or Andrew Knapp).
  • David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution chatted with Braves GM John Coppolella about the hiring of Ron Washington as his new third base coach and explained that the former Rangers skipper was initially interviewing only for the managerial vacancy. However, Washington impressed the Braves, and Coppolella and other Braves decisionmakers reached out to the A’s, where Washington served as a third base coach in 2016, about possibly hiring him. “It just happened where, as we spoke to Oakland, credit to (Athletics executive vice president of baseball operations) Billy Beane and to (general manager) David Forst — these guys told us, ‘We just want Wash to be happy, we just want good things for Wash,'” said Coppolella. “When he wanted to go for this opportunity so he could be closer to home, so he could get on a new adventure, those guys (Beane and Forst) didn’t stand in his way. Those are two high-character guys who really did a selfless thing all the way around with Ron Washington.”
  • Meanwhile, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Athletics did make an attempt to retain Washington by offering to match the Braves’ offer, but Washington’s ultimate preference was to be closer to his family in New Orleans, so the A’s respectfully allowed him to move to another team. Beane offered high praise for his departing coach, issuing a statement in which he said that Washington’s “professionalism and enthusiasm have left an indelible mark on everyone in our organization.”

NL Notes: Mets, Cubs, Fowler, Marlins

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Mets left-hander Steven Matz underwent successful surgery to repair a “massive” bone spur in his elbow on Tuesday, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com was among those to report. Matz, who hasn’t pitched since Aug. 14, also received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his left shoulder. The 25-year-old should be at full health by spring training, according to the club. Despite dealing with injuries, Matz logged a 3.40 ERA, 8.77 K/9, 2.11 BB/9 and 51.1 percent ground-ball rate in 132 1/3 innings as a rookie.

More regarding New York and two other National League clubs:

  • Cubs president Theo Epstein revisited the team’s late-February re-signing of center fielder Dexter Fowler, telling Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, “It wasn’t like we swooped in at the last minute and stole him from Baltimore.” It appeared that way at first, as Fowler reportedly had a three-year, $33MM agreement in place with the Orioles. But Fowler told Sullivan, “I actually didn’t know where the report came from. That thing is still a mystery to me. But the right people knew what the deal was.” The Cubs actually kept in contact with Fowler all along, and Epstein even offered to call other teams to vouch for Fowler during his unemployed stint. “I wanted the best for Dexter,” said Epstein. “I kept getting updates, and then when we got into spring training, I told (agent Casey Close) ’No promises, but look, if it ends up he’s looking at any one-year scenario, stay in touch because we might be able to make a trade or do some things that would put him back in play for us.” After Fowler’s deal with the Orioles didn’t materialize, Epstein cleared $4.8MM in salary by trading fellow outfielder Chris Coghlan to the A’s (the Cubs re-acquired Coghlan in June). Epstein then brought back Fowler on a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2017. At $8MM ($13MM if either side declines the option), Fowler was a bargain for the Cubs during the regular season – he hit .276/.393/.447 with 13 homers and 13 steals and accounted for 4.8 fWAR in 551 plate appearances – and will now attempt to help the NL Central champions to their first World Series title since 1908.
  • Former Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez is a candidate to return to the team as its third base coach, tweets Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Gonzalez was previously the Marlins’ third base coach from 1999-2000, and he took over as their manager in 2007. The Marlins went 276-279 before Gonzalez’s ouster in June 2010 and finished over .500 in two of his three full seasons. Gonzalez then worked as the Braves’ manager from 2011 until his firing this past May. Atlanta compiled a 434-413 record under Gonzalez and made two playoff trips.
  • In further Mets injury news, first-round draft pick Anthony Kay underwent Tommy John surgery Tuesday, per MetsBlog. The left-hander from the University of Connecticut went 31st overall in this year’s draft and joined the Mets for a below-slot deal amid elbow concerns. The 21-year-old southpaw will now miss all of next season and could lose some of the 2018 campaign, too.

East Notes: Harvey, Werth, MASN Dispute, Travis, Yanks, Fredi

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Matt Harvey’s dreadful outing tonight has left the Mets uncertain as to whether he’ll be on the hill for his next scheduled start, which also comes against the division-rival Nationals. Skipper Terry Collins said after the game that he hadn’t yet decided whether to give the ball to Harvey in D.C., as Mike Puma of the New York Post was among those to report (Twitter links). “We will take a hard look at what the next move is going to be,” said Collins. Harvey’s earned run average has ballooned to an ugly 5.77 over his first 48 1/3 frames on the year. It does seem fair to note that the peripherals suggest Harvey has suffered from some bad luck, with ERA estimators crediting him with a sub-4.00 effort entering the day, though his effort this evening will hurt those figures and he’s lost just over a tick on his average fastball. Meanwhile, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post draws the inevitable comparisons between Harvey and Nats ace Stephen Strasburg, who had a strong showing to pick up the win.

Here’s more from the eastern divisions:

  • Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth agreed last fall to a new payout structure for his contract, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Under the agreement, Werth has deferred $10MM of his salary this year until 2018, at a 5% interest rate. That continues a pattern of postponed paydays in Washington’s player contracts, which is in some part a reflection of the team’s efforts to deal with an ongoing television-rights dispute with the Orioles and the Baltimore-controlled Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.
  • Commissioner Rob Manfred addressed that TV battle today, as Svrluga reports. As things stand, the parties are appealing a lower court’s refusal to enforce a determination by the league’s Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee, putting a hold on the Nationals’ efforts to recoup additional rights fees for past years and increase their future take. Manfred had harsh words for the Orioles’ actions in the matter. “It is important to bear in mind the fundamentals,” he said. “The fundamentals are that the Orioles agreed that the RSDC would set the rights fees for MASN and the Orioles every five years. The Orioles have engaged in a pattern of conduct designed to avoid that agreement being effectuated.” MASN issued a counter-statement saying that Manfred was ignoring “the fundamentals of the case” — namely, the court’s findings of a conflict of interest (based on the law firm that represented the Nationals) — and stating that the RSDC had failed to use an appropriate method for setting the rights fees. If you’re interested in the gory details, you can find a recap of the trial court decision here.
  • The departure of David Ortiz and reemergence of Hanley Ramirez leaves the Red Sox with both opportunity and uncertainty at first base. Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com suggests that youngster Sam Travis could keep the team from needing to add a major bat via free agency. The 2014 second-rounder has risen quickly, and is currently putting up a solid .281/.338/.438 batting line over his first 160 plate appearances at the Triple-A level at 22 years of age. Pawtucket hitting coach Rich Gedman credits Travis with being aggressive without seeking to hit the ball out of the park, suggesting that he’s a polished and well-rounded hitter.
  • Entering the day in last place in the AL East, the Yankees need to seriously consider prioritizing future improvements over their 2016 prospects, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney argues (Insider link). Olney ticks through a variety of ways — including allocation of playing time and weighing trades — that New York can and should shift its focus to 2017, suggesting a sort of realistic re-tooling rather than any kind of full rebuilding project.
  • Deposed Braves skipper Fredi Gonzalez tells MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM that he’s looking forward to other opportunities now that he’s lost his post in Atlanta. (Twitter link.) But he said that he isn’t necessarily looking for another job running a dugout. “I am looking forward to doing something in the game and it doesn’t have to be managing,” said Gonzalez.

Braves Fire Fredi Gonzalez; Brian Snitker Named Interim Manager

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6:23pm: O’Brien adds further details in a full column on the situation, most notably that Gonzalez’s dismissal took an awkward turn on Monday evening. O’Brien reports that Gonzalez actually learned of his firing last night when he received an email confirming a Tuesday afternoon flight from Pittsburgh to Atlanta, despite the fact that the the Braves’ four-game series with the Pirates runs through Thursday. The Braves weren’t planning on informing Gonzalez of the decision until Tuesday morning, when president of baseball operations John Hart had planned to fly to Pittsburgh to join GM John Coppolella to break the news go Gonzalez in person. Instead, Atlanta officials had to confirm to Gonzalez last night that the decision had been made.

11:45am: The Braves have brought an end to the speculation by officially firing manager Fredi Gonzalez, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was first to report (Twitter link). Gonzalez becomes the first skipper to lose his post this year.

Atlanta has named Brian Snitker as an interim skipper, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported via Twitter. He is expected to keep the position through the end of the 2016 season, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. Long the Braves’ third base coach, Snitker had been managing the club’s top affiliate, Triple-A Gwinnett, since 2014. Atlanta has also fired bench coach Carlos Tosca, Bowman adds on Twitter. Terry Pendleton will take over his duties, with Eddie Perez moving to the first base coach job and Marty Reed becoming bullpen coach.

May 6, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez (33) argues with umpire Cory Blaser (89) during the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Gonzalez has long been rumored to be on shaky ground, and the organization finally pulled the plug after last night’s loss to the Pirates. Atlanta never expected to contend in 2016, but the team also certainly expected better than its brutal 9-28 start to the season.

The 52-year-old skipper has seen good and bad times with the Braves, but it’s been much more of the latter of late. He was at the helm from 2011-13, racking up 279 regular season wins against 207 losses. Things went south from there, as the Braves fell shy of expectations in 2014 and haven’t sniffed .500 since.

Of course, even when the club was in position to contend, there were plenty of disappointments. While it bounced back from an epic collapse late in 2011, the 2012 team lost in controversial fashion in the Wild Card play-in game after the Nationals ran away with the division. The Gonzalez-led Braves rebounded to take the NL East in 2013, but were bounced by the Dodgers in the first round of the postseason. And a late-season collapse doomed the otherwise-competitive 2014 iteration, spurring greater organizational change.

Gonzalez previously managed the Marlins, but he was let go in the middle of 2010. He had risen through that organization as a coach and manager after never moving above the Double-A level as a player.

It appears that Atlanta will not undertake a search for a permanent replacement during the present season, instead rolling with Snitker for the time being. It seems likely, though, that the Braves will at least begin a soft hiring search sooner rather than later in order to get a jump on the market. That being said, it’s worth noting that the division-rival Phillies ended up installing their own mid-season interim replacement, Pete Mackanin, on a long-term basis.

It certainly doesn’t help the Braves that the Mackanin-led Phils are off to a surprisingly winning (albeit questionably sustainable) start to 2016. If anything, the hope was that Atlanta might overplay projections a bit, with the organization installing numerous bounce-back veterans and possessing numerous young pitchers at and near the majors. With a new park set to open next year, there was at least some possibility that a solid campaign could allow the team to ramp up toward contention as soon as 2017.

Instead, the Braves will keep pushing on with a tough rebuilding process that began in earnest with the firing of GM Frank Wren in September of 2014. John Hart took over as the club’s president of baseball operations, eventually passing on day-to-day general managing duties to young executive John Coppolella. That pair has engineered several bold trades, stockpiling youthful talent in exchange for veterans.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Braves Have Reportedly Discussed Managerial Change

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TODAY: The Braves have “become more receptive to” the idea of giving Gonzalez more time, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports.  Inciarte is now back and the Braves have a more favorable schedule coming up, so Gonzalez could get “at least a couple more weeks” to get the team on track.

THURSDAY: The Braves have gotten off to the worst start in baseball (7-20 record with a -54 run differential), and the club’s dismal performance has led Atlanta officials to discuss the possibility of dismissing manager Fredi Gonzalez, reports MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Were Gonzalez to be fired, the Braves would likely turn to bullpen coach Eddie Perez, at least on an interim basis, Bowman adds. Yestetrday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale listed third base coach Bo Porter and first base coach Terry Pendleton as options when discussing Atlanta’s potential managerial changes.

Of course, as Bowman notes, it’s more than fair to wonder whether any manager could have navigated this roster to a respectable performance. The Braves never fancied themselves contenders in the NL East heading into the 2016 season, but the front office stressed over the winter that it felt the team would improve upon the club’s 67 wins in 2015. Instead, the Braves have seen astonishingly poor performances from a number of players, including infielders Erick Aybar, Jace Peterson (who was recently demoted to Triple-A) and Adonis Garcia. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski has also been among the league’s least-productive hitters, and veteran relievers Jim Johnson, Eric O’Flaherty and Jason Grilli are each sporting ERAs of 5.40 or worse. Gonzalez, of course, can’t be faulted for the fact that Ender Inciarte has played just three games this season, while Daniel Winkler will miss the year following an elbow fracture. Hector Olivera, whom the front office had been counting on to take a step forward, is currently in limbo as the league investigates him in connection with some truly troubling domestic violence allegations.

Then again, a team’s manager is often the first to take the fall when a club underperforms. Such was the case around this time last year when the Brewers fired Ron Roenicke and the Marlins parted ways with Mike Redmond. There’s been some recent buzz about future managerial candidates in Atlanta, with FOX’s Ken Rosenthal writing last week that it was “difficult to imagine” Gonzalez surviving this eight-game road trip, and Nightengale tweeting just yesterday that Bud Black was a strong candidate to manage the team in 2017. That type of talk from well-reputed reporters isn’t often pulled out of thin air, so the discussions among the Atlanta brass have likely been ongoing for a fair amount of time.

Bowman writes that “all indications” point to Gonzalez entering this weekend’s upcoming series in Arizona as the club’s skipper, and recent wins over the Cubs, Red Sox and Mets have helped his case to some extent. Atlanta’s best player, first baseman Freddie Freeman, voiced support for Gonzalez when speaking to Bowman and said that the blame should be placed on the players, not the manager. “We’re the 25 guys [who have to] go out there and play every day,” said Freeman. “We’re obviously not playing to our capabilities. To say that’s Fredi’s fault is unfair in my opinion.” As Bowman notes, there’s an argument to be made that with the Braves’ rotation only just now coming together — Julio Teheran, Jhoulys Chacin, Aaron Blair and Matt Wisler have all delivered fairly encouraging results recently — and Inciarte just now returning, Gonzalez should be given a lengthier look.

The 52-year-old Gonzalez has served as Atlanta’s manager since 2011, and the team is a combined 432-405 during that time even in spite of the woeful results from 2015-16. Gonzalez’s Braves posted winning records for his first three seasons as skipper and won the NL East in 2014, but there’s been a growing number of Atlanta fans calling for change since a late collapse in 2014. That year, the Braves got off to a 52-43 start before limping to a 27-40 record following the All-Star break. Overall, the team is just 101-155 dating back to the second half of that 2014 campaign.

Braves Notes: Olivera, Gonzalez, Ballpark

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Major League Baseball has once again extended the paid administrative leave period of Braves outfielder Hector Olivera, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports on Twitter. The league has done so once already, and has yet to issue any final determination under the domestic violence policy since Olivera was arrested on April 13th. Along with Olivera, Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes has yet to learn the outcome of his own pending domestic abuse investigation despite the fact that his court case was brought to a close before the season started. While it isn’t surprising to see commissioner Rob Manfred proceeding cautiously while gathering facts, and there are no doubt behind-the-scenes discussions taking place, it’s surprising to see such lengthy periods of uncertainty.

Here’s more from Atlanta:

  • The Braves are weighing whether now is the time to part ways with manager Fredi Gonzalez, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. If Gonzalez is fired, he’d likely be replaced from within on an interim basis. But the organization could well look to veteran skipper Bud Black in the long run, Nightengale suggests.
  • While Gonzalez makes a rather easy target given the club’s start, Nightengale says that the club’s higher-ups don’t view him as somehow being solely responsible. Still, the sense is that things shouldn’t be as bad as they are. As Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, the Braves have already cycled through plenty of roster options in an effort to spark some improvement.
  • Atlanta’s ballpark machinations have extended back well beyond their current stadium-building efforts, Ira Boudway and Kate Smith of Bloomberg report. Per the report, the organization has engaged in political and financial maneuvering with several of its minor league affiliates, too, with taxpayers often carrying the burden for new buildings while the team-owned affiliates prosper.

Braves Notes: Gonzalez, Norris, Inciarte, Smith

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While the Braves were never expected to be a contender in 2016, the club’s 5-17 start is nonetheless a disappointment to a front office that expected to see some improvement over last year’s 67 wins, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. “We’re obviously disappointed in the way this season has gone,” GM John Coppolella tells Rosenthal. “We’re not going to make excuses. We know we need to play better.” Notably, Rosenthal writes that it’s “difficult to imagine” manager Fredi Gonzalez surviving the club’s upcoming eight-game road trip, though he notes that it’s unlikely that any other manager could extract positive results from the current roster, especially with Ender Inciarte on the shelf and Freddie Freeman struggling so greatly. Were Gonzalez to be dismissed, Rosenthal lists first base coach Terry Pendleton and bullpen coach Eddie Perez as candidates to replace him on an interim basis. The Braves extended Gonzalez and the rest of the coaching staff through the end of the 2016 season last July.

More out of Atlanta…

  • Right-hander Bud Norris could be dropped from the rotation before his next start, writes David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While Norris was solid in his first start of the season, he’s lasted a combined 15 2/3 innings over four subsequent turns, pitching to a 10.91 ERA in that span. O’Brien writes that manager Fredi Gonzalez was noncommittal when asked if Norris would take the hill upon his next scheduled trip.  “We’re still hashing through that and talking though that kind of stuff to see what’s best for him, and what’s best for us,” said Gonzalez of Norris, who inked a one-year, $2.5MM deal this winter. “But I think the No. 1 priority is to get him fixed.” O’Brien adds that right-hander Mike Foltynewicz could be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to step into the starting five in place of Norris. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, meanwhile, also lists right-hander Tyrell Jenkins as an option, noting that he’d be on just one extra day of rest were he to start in Norris’ place as opposed to the three extra days that Foltynewicz would require to align with that scheduling (links to Twitter). Both Bowman and O’Brien have tweeted that Norris is available out of the bullpen today, so it seems that his time in the rotation could indeed be over, for now.
  • The Braves are expecting Inciarte to return to the active roster no later than next week’s homestand and possibly as early as their series against the Mets in New York next week, tweets O’Brien. Inciarte has played in only three games for Atlanta this season due to a strained left hamstring.
  • Recently recalled outfield prospect Mallex Smith chatted with David Laurila of Fangraphs about his experience finding out that he was promoted to the Major Leagues and balancing the excitement with the recognition that a good deal of work remains. Smith notes that he grew up primarily playing football, as very few in his area played baseball as a child, and he also discusses his biggest strengths on the field. It’s been speculated that Smith could return to the minors when Inciarte is healthy, though as Bowman wrote last weekend, Gonzalez would like to see Smith remain with the big league club. The 22-year-old hasn’t hit much to date, though, batting just .188/.278/.292 in 54 plate appearances since being recalled to fill Inciarte’s spot on the roster.

NL East Notes: Papelbon, Braves, Harvey

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Jonathan Papelbon made his return to Philadelphia for the first time since being traded from the Phillies to the Nationals in July, and the outspoken closer didn’t pull any punches in criticizing his old team.  “I don’t know if I got a bad rep here or whatever, but I can promise you I was by far (not) the bad guy on this team.  I was one of the few that wanted to win.  I was one of the few who competed and posted up every day,” Papelbon told reporters, including Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News.  The closer’s issues extended well beyond the clubhouse, as “I think the blame goes all the way from the front office down to the bat boy.  When you don’t have an organization that wants to win, it’s pretty evident.  They go out and publicly say we’re not going to win.  What more – do you know what I mean?”

Here’s some more from around the NL East…

  • Fredi Gonzalez isn’t to blame for the Braves’ collapse, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes as part of a reader mailbag.  The fact that Atlanta extended Gonzalez and his coaching staff’s contracts in July just before the team started trading veteran players was a sign that the manager wasn’t going to be held responsible for how the purposely-weakened roster performed down the stretch.
  • Also from Bowman’s piece, he notes that the Braves will have roughly $25-$30MM in payroll space this winter and they’ll focus on upgrading the bullpen and perhaps adding a veteran arm to the rotation.  Such a starter would be of the mid-tier variety rather than an expensive ace, however.
  • The Braves would like to bring back A.J. Pierzynski as a backup catcher next year and Christian Bethancourt may be trade bait, though Bowman wonders if Atlanta would move Bethancourt when his value is at an all-time low.  Bowman suggests that free agent catching target like Chris Iannetta might be more realistic than a pricier option such as Matt Wieters.  The Braves would also have an interest in Jonathan Lucroy but there’s no sign the Brewers are making their catcher available in trade talks.
  • The Mets will be making a mistake if they trade Matt Harvey this winter, Joel Sherman of the New York Post opines.  Harvey is too valuable and too talented to move for anything less than an elite young talent, and since the odds are slim-to-none that the likes of Carlos Correa or Xander Bogaerts could be obtained in return, Sherman feels Harvey is still needed in New York since there’s no such thing as too much pitching depth.
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