Injury Notes: Cespedes, Price, Rangers, Britton, Pederson
Yoenis Cespedes was out of the Mets’ lineup for the third straight game Sunday, leaving manager Terry Collins to acknowledge that the left fielder could head to the disabled list if his left hamstring issue doesn’t heal by Tuesday (via ESPN.com). “I think we’d need to take a look at that,” Collins said of a potential DL stint for Cespedes, who did tell the skipper he “felt a lot better” Sunday. Cespedes has mashed this season for the slow-starting Mets (.263/.377/.632 with six home runs in 69 plate appearances), but they’re nonetheless decently equipped to handle his short-term absence. Michael Conforto, Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson and Juan Lagares give the Cespedes-less club a full complement of major league-caliber outfielders. (Update: Cespedes expects to return Tuesday, tweets Matt Ehalt of The Record.)
- Red Sox left-hander David Price will throw a 45- to 50-pitch bullpen session Monday as he tries to work back from forearm trouble, per Ben Standing of MLB.com. Price still seems a ways off from making his 2017 debut, but a positive showing Monday would put him in position to face live hitters sometime soon. “Once we get through [Monday’s] work session and kind of begin to map out a little more of a structure on a calendar, I think we’re at that point [of facing batters],” said manager John Farrell. “Anytime you get to the number of pitches thrown that will be tomorrow, you can start to foresee a progression to hitters and ultimately to games, but we don’t have that in place right now.”
- The Rangers continue to play it safe with third baseman Adrian Beltre in his recovery from a right calf strain, meaning he probably won’t debut until May, relays Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. “I think we need to continue to rehab,” said manager Jeff Banister. “The conservative nature is probably in our best interest.” Meanwhile, after upper back spams slowed Tyson Ross‘ comeback from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, the expectation is that the right-hander will resume throwing from a mound by the end of the upcoming week, Banister told George.
- Orioles closer Zach Britton will see a hand specialist Monday, after which he could resume throwing, writes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Britton went on the disabled list last Sunday with a forearm strain – a scary injury for a pitcher – but an MRI came back clean on Friday. The Orioles believe sending the ace reliever to a specialist will help prevent a forearm strain from rearing its head again in the future, Ghiroli notes.
- Center fielder Joc Pederson left the Dodgers’ win over the Diamondbacks on Sunday with right groin tightness, and the likelihood is that he’ll miss some games, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. The Dodgers, already dealing with injuries to outfielders Andre Ethier and Franklin Gutierrez, will re-evaluate Pederson on Monday. A 25-plus-home run hitter in each of first two major league seasons, Pederson has gotten off to a sluggish start this year, with a .220/.322/.340 batting line and only one homer in 59 PAs.
NL West Notes: Greinke, Senzatela, Rockies/Dodgers Renewals
Diamondbacks righty Zack Greinke again showed less-than-ideal velocity in his latest spring outing, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. The veteran hurler did push over 90 at times, but fell back to the 86 to 88 mph range later in his start. Still, pitching coach Mike Butcher said Greinke is “right where he needs to be at this point,” suggesting that the heat could still build over camp. As Piecoro explains, there’s plenty more to Greinke’s game than velocity, though clearly more is generally better. Last year, Greinke averaged 91.3 mph with his four-seamer and 90.7 with his two-seam fastball, both of which were career lows, but only by a half of a mile per hour or so.
Here’s more from the NL West:
- The Rockies are giving a real look at young righty Antonio Senzatela in their suddenly wide-open rotation battle, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes. Though he only managed seven starts at Double-A last year, owing to a conservative course of care for shoulder soreness, Senzatela has impressed this spring. With Colorado seeking to fill two jobs, the 22-year-old could be in the running. While it seems likely he’ll have rather strict innings limits for the upcoming season, Senzatela could conceivably be of greater utility early on. Manager Bud Black praised his repeatable mechanics and ability to spot multiple pitches in the zone, which led to some “funny swings” in his most recent outing.
- Meanwhile, the Rockies have continued to decline to consider large raises for their pre-arb players, with Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reporting that the organization renewed several important youngsters. Shortstop Trevor Story, outfielder David Dahl, catcher Tom Murphy, and righties Chad Bettis and Jon Gray were all renewed after failing to agree with the team’s proposed numbers. Story and Gray each got marginal raises over the minimum, earning $540K apiece; it’s not clear what the remaining players will get. Colorado has long drawn the ire of agents for its approach to setting pre-arb salaries, though it’s entirely within the rules to handle things this way.
- It’s a similar situation with the Dodgers, though young stars Corey Seager and Joc Pederson will earn somewhat more than their peers in Colorado. As Heyman reports, both players were renewed after highly productive seasons, with Seager receiving $575K and Pederson checking in at $555K. Though the latter was nearly as productive offensively as the former, and is one service class ahead, the club likely saw fit to recognize Seager’s NL Rookie of the Year nod and third-place finish in the MVP voting. Meanwhile, exciting young southpaw Julio Urias was also renewed, per J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register. He’ll receive $540K during whatever portion of the season he ends up playing in the majors.
Dodgers Place Hyun-jin Ryu, Casey Fien On 15-Day DL
The Dodgers have announced that lefty Hyun-jin Ryu is headed back to the 15-day DL, this time with elbow soreness. Jon Heyman of Fan Rag had reported earlier that Ryu would miss his scheduled start tomorrow. He’ll be joined there by righty Casey Fien, with center fielder Joc Pederson and lefty Luis Avilan taking their respective places on the active roster.
[Related: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]
Ryu had only just returned from a lengthy absence caused by shoulder troubles. Now, it seems, he has a new area of concern. The team is labeling it tendinitis, though the DL placement suggests that Ryu could require a reasonably lengthy rest. On the other hand, it’s retroactive to July 9th, so Ryu will be eligible to return in short order.
It’s obviously far too soon to know how long Ryu will be out, but there are some positive signs. An MRI showed “no notable changes” from prior looks at the joint, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
Regardless of the near-term prognosis, though, it’s yet another troubling sign for a pitcher who has struggled to return to health. It also wasn’t promising to see Ryu scuffle through 4 2/3 innings in his lone outing of the year earlier this month, allowing six earned runs on eight hits.
Whether there’s any impact on L.A.’s deadline plans remains to be seen, but there are other options already on hand and filtering back to the major league mix. If anything, the move on Fien could be just as notable in regard to trade plans. The pen will now be without a pitcher who had contributed 22 innings of 4.09 ERA pitching (with 7.8 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9) since being claimed earlier this year.
Dodgers Place Kershaw, Pederson On DL; Designate Layne Somsen
The Dodgers announced a series of moves today, brought about by injuries to Clayton Kershaw and Joc Pederson. It had been expected already that Kershaw would hit the DL with a back issue, though Pederson’s outlook wasn’t yet clear since his recent shoulder injury.
Replacing that duo will be newly-acquired righty Bud Norris and outfielder Will Venable. Norris came over via trade just yesterday, while Venable had previously been outrighted after signing with the team as a free agent.
Venable’s addition required a 40-man spot, and Somsen took the fall. He has now resided in DFA limbo on three separate occasions this year, with organizations clearly enamored of the arm but finding it hard to keep him on their big league rosters.
[Related: Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]
It goes without saying, but both Kershaw and Pederson are of critical importance to Los Angeles. In the case of the former, manager Dave Roberts said today that a timeline remains unclear (via MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM; Twitter link). The skipper says that Kershaw will likely to be out for more than the 15-day minimum.
Pederson, meanwhile, has been diagnosed with a sprained A/C joint, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. It’s not yet clear how long he’s expected to miss, but obviously he’ll now be down for at least the next two weeks.
NL West Notes: Schumaker, Urias, Dodgers, Arroyo
The Padres have brought back Skip Schumaker … but he won’t be wearing a uniform. As MLB.com’s Carlos Collazo writes, the recently-retired utilityman will join the organization as an assistant to baseball operations and player development. Schumaker was in Spring Training with San Diego this season before he decided to call it a career midway through camp. Clearly, though, the longtime big leaguer made a positive impression on his final organization, leading to his new role with the team. Skipper Andy Green says that Schumaker will be “making his rounds in the organization, offering insight at different levels.”
A few more notes from the NL West…
- Julio Urias will likely stick in the Dodgers rotation through the All-Star break, manager Dave Roberts told reporters including MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (links to Twitter). With the club struggling to bridge the gap to its injured starters — particularly with Clayton Kershaw now questionable for his next outing — Roberts acknowledged that a near-term deal for a starter is a “possibility.” That seems to match with the earlier report suggesting a possible match with the Rays on Erasmo Ramirez.
- The Dodgers have placed infielder Enrique Hernandez on the DL with inflammation in his rib cage, as Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times writes. That opens a roster spot for the promotion of righty Brock Stewart — who Jason Martinez of MLBTR/Roster Resource recently profiled. Stewart battled through some early struggles but logged five innings in his debut outing. (You can check out the new-look depth chart for Los Angeles right here.) More troublesome for the Dodgers, however, is the fact that Joc Pederson may need to join Hernandez on the disabled list, per McCullough. Pederson injured his right shoulder when he crashed into the wall making a spectacular grab the other night, and while initial x-rays revealed no broken bones, the outfielder told the media that he could scarcely lift his arm yesterday, noting that he had difficulty even getting dressed or putting on deodorant due to the lack of mobility.
- Speaking of Stewart, Fangraphs’ David Laurila writes that he spoke to the infielder-turned-pitcher last summer about how pitching was never the avenue via which he expected to enter professional baseball. However, struggles at the plate during his junior season at Illinois State led a coach to suggest to him that his future may be on the mound, and his father (a pro scout for the Rays), agreed. Last summer, Stewart explained to Laurila that his velocity sat 90-92 and touched 94 mph, and described his slider rather timidly. Now, Laurila notes, Stewart tops out at 96 mph and has a much-improved slider, which have helped him reach the Majors with the Dodgers despite the fact that he opened the season at Class-A Advanced and had never pitched at a higher level.
- Those clamoring for the Giants to promote top prospect Christian Arroyo will have to wait, as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. “You won’t see Arroyo,” GM Bobby Evans said earlier when asked about the possibility of Arroyo replacing the injured Joe Panik, and indeed the club proceeded to add Ruben Tejada instead of the youngster. It certainly seems as if San Francisco doesn’t feel that the 21-year-old is fully prepared for the majors, as Super Two considerations aren’t an issue at his stage of the year. Arroyo is only now in his first stint at Double-A, and isn’t exactly dominating the level with a .279/.321/.390 slash. Arroyo entered the year rated as Baseball America’s No. 62 overall prospect and the No. 82 prospect over at MLB.com.
NL West Notes: Upton, Wood, Pederson, Dodgers, D-Backs
Padres outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. says he’s “tired of trying to live up to other people’s expectations” and intends to “work hard” and “have fun” in San Diego, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. As Sanders writes, the elder Upton brother has long been looked upon to deliver results befitting his talent, draft status, and contracts, and he’s obviously endured some rough years along the way. But he’s still only 31 years old and turned things around last year, posting a .259/.327/.429 slash in 228 plate appearances while profiling as a solid defender in center. While the $31.9MM left on his contract over the next two years, which the Friars took on in the Craig Kimbrel swap, still looks rather expensive, it’s certainly possible that Upton will continue that momentum and function as a valuable member of the roster.
Here are a few more notes from the NL West:
- Dodgers lefty Alex Wood missed his scheduled start today after experiencing forearm tightness, as Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. As things stand, though, the team is “optimistic” that the current issue is a minor one, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter links), and Wood himself says the soreness is “extremely mild.” Acquired last summer, Wood figures to be an important component of the club’s rotation depth as it deals with the extended absences of pitchers such as Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson, as well as the continued uncertainty surrounding Hyun-jin Ryu. It’s certainly too soon to know whether there’s cause for real concern regarding Wood, but he’s always been a player who has faced questions about his durability due to his unorthodox delivery and prior Tommy John surgery. Indeed, the statistical research of MLBTR contributor Bradley Woodrum suggested that Wood is at a heightened risk of a TJ procedure this year, as he checked in at 72% above the league average risk. While that shouldn’t be read to indicate that Wood is particularly likely to require a UCL replacement in the coming season, it does perhaps point towards cautious handling, and the club seems to be proceeding accordingly.
- The Dodgers intend to utilize Joc Pederson as the team’s regular center fielder, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports. While the team is giving an extended look to Trayce Thompson this spring, skipper Dave Roberts explains that the much-hyped Pederson “looks good, much more comfortable at the plate” now than he did down the stretch and remains “a plus defender in center field.”
- J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group examines the Dodgers‘ extensive recent history on the Cuban market in an interesting piece. The demand for Cuban talent jumped with Yasiel Puig‘s success, Hoornstra explains, but has begun to stabilize — in player assessment, if not overall spending levels — as more and more players from the island have made their way north. While Los Angeles has continued to invest in Cuban ballplayers, GM Farhan Zaidi also explains that the organization has done more to “create a stronger assimilation program” to help ensure they’ll succeed. “I think you sort of gain information from not just players you’ve signed from that market in the past, but who other teams have signed, what kind of players have succeeded. Why they’ve succeeded,” says Zaidi. “Not just their inherent talent level, but were they given the support system that I think these guys need to succeed?”
- Speaking at the SABR analytics conference, Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall explained the reasoning behind the organization’s decision to part with young talent in recent months, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. Arizona was prepared to deal with some criticism, and acknowledges that it hurt to give up some strong prospects to build for the present. He explained that the D-Backs will always focus on “building from within,” but nevertheless felt the time was right “to somewhat abandon that with a couple of moves that we made so that we can create that flexibility because we think we can win now.” That doesn’t mean the team will always operated that way going forward, though, he stressed. “It is a unique model and it’s not something we’re going to practice forever,” says Hall. “It’s not going to define us. We’re not always going to look that way.”
Reported Asking Prices For Jose Fernandez
TODAY: The Marlins “discussed a deal” with Arizona that would have brought back Corbin, Swanson, Inciarte, Blair, and infielder Brandon Drury, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald writes. That deal only “collapsed” when Arizona struck its trade with the Braves, he says, and the talks could illustrate a real willingness to trade Fernandez.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports adds (Twitter links) that at some point in the talks, Miami sought a six-player return that would’ve included Corbin and three other players who played in the majors last year for Arizona.
YESTERDAY: The asking price on Jose Fernandez is known to be sky-high, but reports tonight in the wake of the D-backs’ Shelby Miller blockbuster further illustrate the unlikely nature of a Fernandez trade. According to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, the Marlins were working on a trade with the Diamondbacks that would’ve included Patrick Corbin and Dansby Swanson in talks for Fernandez (Twitter link). Beyond that already-steep starting point, the Marlins asked that three other prospects be included in the deal, he adds.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Repbulic tweets that the package the D-backs sent to Atlanta to pry Miller away — Swanson, Ender Inciarte and Aaron Blair — “would not have come close” to what the team would’ve needed to acquire Fernandez from Miami, citing D-backs officials.
Similarly, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports (also on Twitter) that the Marlins asked the Dodgers to include not one or two but all three of Julio Urias, Joc Pederson and Corey Seager in addition to another pair of players. While reports earlier today indicated that L.A. was attempting to get a third team involved to find a creative means of acquiring Fernandez, that price tag seems like such a lofty starting point that it’s tough to even imagine talks becoming serious in nature.
Many will scoff at the reported asking prices listed here, but the Marlins have little incentive to trade Fernandez now without an offer that is impossible to refuse. We also don’t know whether other pieces were in play that would’ve gone from Miami to those clubs.
Realistic asks or not, the Marlins are placing an almost unmatchable asking price on Fernandez, it would seem, which lines up with most reports from the past few days. While he’s an oft-mentioned name, the most common refrain connected to Fernandez is that the Marlins aren’t trying to move but are instead simply open to being overwhelmed by an offer for their young ace. It’s easy to forget that Fernandez is still just 23 years old — younger than NL Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant. And, to this point in his career, Fernandez has pitched to a 2.40 ERA with 10.5 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 44.6 percent ground-ball rate.
Three years of affordable control over a 23-year-old starter with that track record of dominance ranks among the most valuable commodities in all of baseball, although one can only wonder how high the asking price would’ve been had the Marlins kept Fernandez in the minors for a couple of weeks to open the 2013 season. Because Fernandez was a 20-year-old that hadn’t pitched above Class-A Advanced at the time, no one would’ve questioned the move, and Miami could have subsequently delayed Fernandez’s free agency until after the 2019 season. Instead, Fernandez received a full year of service time in 2013 and is now on track to become a free agent after 2018.
Stark’s Latest: Cueto, Leake Miller, Indians, Rays
Here are the latest starting pitcher rumors in advance of the winter meetings, courtesy of ESPN’s Jayson Stark.
- Johnny Cueto is the top pitcher on the free agent market, but his earning potential remains unclear. Some insiders are surprised he turned down the six-year, $120MM offer previously extended by the Diamondbacks. As Stark points out, Cueto is sixth among active starters with a 3.30 ERA so he would seemingly justify a serious investment. However, concerns about his health and late-season struggles have executives worried. Per one source, “If you told me that, within 24 hours [of arriving at the meetings], all of the big free-agent starters would be signed except Cueto, I’d believe it.“
- Former Reds starter Mike Leake, 28, is in demand largely because he’s one of the youngest pitchers on the market. He has a history of durability, but that comes with league average production on the mound. However, Leake is also well-above average as a hitter, boosting his value to NL clubs. Stark expects a “stampede” in Leake’s direction during the Winter Meetings. One source believes Leake will be overpaid by an exuberant market.
- The Braves would jump on a Shelby Miller trade if they received the right controllable position player. To date, Atlanta has focused on particularly high value targets like Joc Pederson, A.J. Pollock, and Jorge Soler. As you might guess, few if any teams are eager to trade established, high quality young hitters for pitching. The Braves have shown no sign of backing down on their asking price.
- We’ve heard a lot about the Indians pitching depth – namely Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer. Stark and his sources think the club will stand pat this winter. “You’re just shifting around your problems,” said one contact in regard to a hypothetical pitcher-for-hitter swap. The team’s strength is built around their rotation. They may be best served by simply maximizing that advantage.
- With the exception of Chris Archer, the Rays are shopping all of their starting pitchers. That’s par for the course for the Rays who historically have been open to trading anybody to improve the long term outlook of the franchise. Stark specifically mentions Jake Odorizzi and Matt Moore as available, but we can probably presume that Erasmo Ramirez is being floated too.
- Stark offers plenty of more notes in his column including the latest on the Yankees, Padres, and the remaining buyers for pitching.
Braves Listening On Shelby Miller; Interested In A.J. Pollock, Jorge Soler
6:56pm: The Braves continue to ask the Diamondbacks for A.J. Pollock, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (links to Twitter). After the D-backs initially rejected Atlanta’s proposal of Miller for Pollock, the Braves came back with an offer of Miller and right-hander Arodys Vizcaino for Pollock and minor league right-hander Aaron Blair, which Arizona also rejected.
Clearly, while the Braves are in a state of rebuilding, there’s interest on their behalf in adding a piece that can help them in 2017, when much of the team’s young stable of pitching prospects will be emerging onto the Major League scene. Both Pollock and Soler (mentioned in the previous update) fit that bill, with Soler possessing even more club control than Pollock, who is a free agent after three seasons (the same as Miller).
6:40pm: Shelby Miller‘s name is one of the most popular on the rumor circuit at present, with recent reports indicating that as many as 20 teams have checked in on the Atlanta right-hander. Jon Heyman reported yesterday that the Yankees, Marlins, Giants, Dodgers and Diamondbacks are all among the teams to have expressed interest, and further details on the Miller market are beginning to emerge.
Today, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports that the Braves are highly interested in Cubs right fielder Jorge Soler, but right-hander Julio Teheran probably isn’t enough to pry Soler away from Chicago (links to Twitter). One person familiar with Atlanta’s thinking also told Crasnick that the Red Sox could be a match, though that tweet preceded tonight’s record-setting agreement with David Price.
Meanwhile, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Giants are the teams that appear to be the most interested in Miller, but the Braves might be waiting until Price’s deal becomes official and Zack Greinke makes a decision before ultimately determining whether or not they should move Miller. Greinke is said to be choosing between San Francisco and L.A., so it stands to reason that whichever club loses out on Greinke could show an increased willingness to part with talent to land Miller.
Heyman hears that one name that’s unlikely to be included in a Miller deal is Joc Pederson (Twitter link), The Dodgers have “made clear” that they’d prefer to deal from their deep well of prospects as opposed to part with Major League ready talent such as Pederson, whose name isn’t involved in trade discussions between the two sides at this time.
The 25-year-old Miller is set to hit arbitration for the first time this winter and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $4.9MM next season. He’s controllable for three more years and is coming off a fine 2015 campaign in which he recorded a 3.02 ERA with 7.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 47.7 ground-ball rate in 205 2/3 innings. The ERA, ground-ball rate and innings total each ranked as a career-high for the former first-round pick.
Quick Hits: Marlins, Parra, Pederson
Ichiro Suzuki earned $400K in bonus money for reaching the 300-plate appearance threshold last week. As per the terms of Suzuki’s one-year, $2MM deal with the Marlins, Suzuki will earn an additional $400K for every 50 PA past 300, up to 600 plate appearances. Between Marcell Ozuna‘s demotion and injuries to Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich, Suzuki has seen quite a bit more playing time than expected this season. With 332 PA after today’s action, Ichiro looks well on his way to adding at least another $800K to his 2015 salary, though he could lose some at-bats to younger outfielders once the rosters expand. Here’s more from around the league as we wrap up the weekend…
- The Marlins are considering lowering the walls and bringing in the fences at Marlins Park, team president David Samson tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The stadium has finished at or near the bottom of the Park Factor home run rankings since opening in 2012.
- The Reds placed Manny Parra on the DL today with bicep tendinitis in his left shoulder, the third time the southpaw has hit the DL this season. John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter) thought that Parra would be a good trade candidate for the Reds, but that’s now an impossibility with him on the DL until at least September 4th. Parra has been solid when healthy, posting a 3.24 ERA and 3-to-1 K/BB rate over 25 innings and pitching well against both left-handed and right-handed batters. He drew some trade interest prior to the July 31 deadline though that buzz was scuttled by an earlier DL stint.
- Joc Pederson has lost his job as the Dodgers‘ everyday center fielder, manager Don Mattingly told reporters (including ESPN’s Mark Saxon). Enrique Hernandez will take over in center for the time being. Pederson enjoyed a huge start to his rookie season but has been in a protracted slump since early June, hitting just .168/.328/.298 with six homers over his last 259 PA.
- In July of this year, Mike Morse went from the Marlins to the Dodgers to the Pirates. Morse admits that he was hoping for a return to the Giants, but he’s happy with how everything turned out, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. “If there was one place at the time I would have wanted to go, it was the Giants, not knowing that I’d get an opportunity here in Pittsburgh,” said Morse, who entered today with an .821 OPS over 25 PA as a Pirate. “Now that I see everything here, it’s awesome.”
- Ian Kinsler wasn’t thrilled at the time of the deal that sent him from the Rangers to the Tigers, but he now tells Katie Strang of ESPN.com that the change of scenery worked out for the best. “It’s a good place to be. There’s no hidden agenda,” Kinsler said. “The owner is all in, the [former] general manager, Dave Dombrowski, was all in. [Current] general manager Al [Avila] is the same way. There’s no difference between behind the scenes and in your face.”