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White Sox Expected To Hire Josh Barfield, Brian Bannister, Gene Watson To Front Office Roles

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Diamondbacks director of player development Josh Barfield is expected to leave the D’Backs for a new job in the White Sox front office, according to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin and Steve Gilbert (X link).  Barfield will step into the role of assistant general manager, under newly-hired Sox GM Chris Getz.

Barfield isn’t the only newcomer to Getz’s staff, as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via X) reports that the White Sox have also hired Brian Bannister for a role in pitching development and Gene Watson for a player development job.  Bannister has worked as the Giants’ director of pitching since December 2019, while Watson was an assistant GM and VP of Major League scouting with the Royals.

Fans may know the 40-year-old Barfield best from his playing career, as he appeared in 309 Major League games with San Diego and Cleveland from 2006-09.  He continued playing in the minors and in independent ball until 2013, and then started his post-playing career as a scout with the D’Backs in 2016, moving his way up the front office depth chart until assuming his current role during the 2019-20 offseason.

Bannister is another former player, tossing 667 1/3 innings with the Mets and Royals from 2006-10.  (Notably, Getz and Bannister were teammates in Kansas City in 2010.)  Since retiring, the 42-year-old Bannister worked from the Red Sox from 2015-19 in a variety of roles, ranging from scout, to assistant pitching coach, to a more analytical front office position as a director of pitching analysis and development.  This led to a similar position in San Francisco, as Bannister worked in a uniformed on-field role except in 2022, when league rules didn’t permit Bannister to participate in his coaching role because he wasn’t vaccinated.

Watson also has some past Kansas City ties to Getz and Bannister, as Watson has worked for the Royals for all but one season from 2006-23, as Watson worked for the Angels in 2021.  A longtime scout and evaluator, Watson has also worked with the Padres, Braves, and Marlins during a career that began back in 1997.  Watson has been interviewed for GM jobs in the past, including the Angels’ opening in 2021 that eventually went to Perry Minasian, though the Halos were impressed enough to still hire Watson away from K.C. for an advisory position.

The three hires bring some fresh voices into the White Sox front office, giving Getz (who has been working for Chicago since 2016) some different perspective as he embarks on his first stint running a baseball operations department.  Getz’s promotion continued the criticism that the Sox organization is too insular in its thinking, but today’s hires act as something of a counter to the idea that the White Sox are set in their ways.  Barfield and Bannister, like Getz, are younger executives with past playing experience who perhaps have a bit more of a modern analytical approach to player development, whereas Watson brings some old-school scouting knowledge into the fold.

D-backs Notes: Straily, Carroll, Lawlar, Barfield

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Newly signed Diamondbacks righty Dan Straily chatted with The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan at length about his decision to sign with Arizona and his goals of reestablishing himself as a quality big league starter after a strong two-year run in the Korea Baseball Organization. Straily indicated that he had multiple offers but chose to sign with the D-backs for several reasons, including a good opportunity to earn a roster spot out of the gate and relative proximity (a two-hour flight) to his family’s home in Oregon. He candidly acknowledged that he went to South Korea in need of major improvement — “I didn’t end up in Korea because I was ready to be in the major leagues at the time” — and discussed changes he’s made to his repertoire, including pitch grips, pitch shapes, and an entirely new pitch.

More broadly, fans will want to check out the whole Q&A to get a sense of Straily’s experiences pitching in a foreign league (and of being in the midst of KBO Spring Training when the pandemic broke out), his relationship with incoming pitching coach Brent Strom and the finer details of the work he’s put in to rebuild his career. Notably, Straily added that he considered waiting until the lockout ended to pursue a Major League contract but ultimately chose a minor league opportunity that allowed him to get rolling as quickly as possible. “We felt like it was time for me to get to work,” said Straily.

For those who missed it, Straily also chatted with MLBTR readers back in December. Within, Straily discussed the difference between pitching in the KBO and in MLB, recalled come key early-career advice from notable teammates, and shared plenty of memories from his time in the Majors and in South Korea.

A few more notes on the D-backs…

  • Buchanan also passes along a pair of updates on some of the system’s top prospects (Twitter link). Outfielder Corbin Carroll is back to 100 percent after last year’s season-ending shoulder surgery. The 21-year-old was the No. 16 overall pick in 2019 and is widely regarded as one of the sport’s top 50 overall prospects, even after his 2021 injury. Carroll sustained the injury on a swing that resulted in a home run in one of the just seven games he played with the Snakes’ High-A affiliate last season. He hasn’t had much of a look in the pros thanks to that surgery and the wiped-out 2020 minor league season, but Carroll owns a .316/.428/.542 batting line with four home runs, ten doubles, nine triples and 21 stolen bases (in 23 tries) through his first 215 professional plate appearances, dating back to 2019. He’s viewed as a possible long-term option in center field for the D-backs, though he has a good bit of development left after effectively missing two full years’ worth of reps in 2020-21.
  • Also on the mend from shoulder surgery is 2021 top draft selection Jordan Lawlar. The touted young shortstop and No. 6 overall pick sustained a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder not long after signing, limiting his professional debut to just two games with the D-backs’ Rookie-level affiliate. Lawlar, 19, is about a month behind Carroll in his rehab process, per Buchanan, and has not yet been cleared for batting practice. Like Carroll, Lawlar is a consensus top prospect, albeit one who has a bit more variance in terms of scouting reports on his future (which is perhaps to be expected given his lack of pro experience). Keith Law ranked Lawlar No. 31 among MLB prospects, noting that he had the “best package of tools” in the 2021 draft and adding that with Lawlar’s athleticism, speed, arm strength and power potential, he could be in the mix for the sport’s top overall prospect next year.
  • Josh Barfield spoke with Bill Ladson of MLB.com to discuss his journey from big league infielder, to scout, to his current role as Diamondbacks director of player development. Barfield “never saw [himself] getting into this side of the game” but now relishes his player development role and the challenges it presents. Citing mentors like former D-backs GM Dave Stewart, current GM Mike Hazen and his own predecessor Mike Bell, who tragically passed away last spring after a battle with kidney cancer, Barfield discussed how his love for player development and baseball operations has grown. His ultimate goal has now shifted from his early days as a scout, as he told Ladson he has his sights set on eventually becoming a general manager. While Barfield acknowledged that “there’s not too many of those jobs,” his interactions with Hazen and Stewart, as well as his “ultra-competitive” nature are now driving that ambition.

NL West Notes: Buster, Pagan, Padres, Barfield

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“I don’t see myself playing for any other team.  Not that going to another team would diminish what you did.  But personally, as a fan, I like to see guys stay with the same team.  So no, I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else,” longtime Giants catcher Buster Posey told The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly (subscription required) about his baseball future.  Posey has two guaranteed years remaining on his contract, plus San Francisco has a $22MM club option ($3MM buyout) for the 2022 season that is e exercised — 2022 will be Posey’s age-35 season and his production has declined over the last two years as Posey has dealt with hip surgery and the subsequent recovery process.  That said, Posey was able to engage in a full offseason workout regiment this winter and was on a hitting tear during Spring Training, so there’s certainly some optimism that he could at least approach his old form.

With at least two years to go before any sort of decision needs to be made, it remains to be seen if Posey could seek out a contract with a new team, retire at the end of his current pact, or perhaps re-sign with the Giants.  This latter option could see Posey in a backup catcher/veteran mentor role at that stage of his career, particularly since San Francisco has one of the game’s best prospect (Joey Bart) in line as their catcher of the future.  Interestingly, a move to first base for Posey doesn’t seem be an option at the moment, as the Giants aren’t planning to use Posey as a first baseman this season, to the point that Posey hasn’t been taking any grounders at first this spring.

More from the NL West…

  • The Padres agreed to terms with 24 pre-arbitration players on contracts for the 2020 season, though Emilio Pagan’s deal was renewed after the newly-acquired reliever didn’t come to terms with the team, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.  Pagan will earn $591K in 2020 before becoming reaching arbitration eligibility next winter.  Pagan becomes the latest notable player to have his contract renewed, a process Jeff Todd explored in a recent MLBTR YouTube video entry.
  • As part of a reader mailbag piece, MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell looked at how the Padres could manage their 26-man roster, such as the increasing possibility that the team will carry only four outfielders.  Cassavell figures that Wil Myers, Trent Grisham, and Tommy Pham have the starting jobs spoken for, while Franchy Cordero, Josh Naylor, and Abraham Almonte are competing for the fourth outfielder role.  This would leave room for San Diego to use its 26th roster spot on a utility player.  For added outfield depth, the likes of Greg Garcia, Francisco Mejia, or Jurickson Profar could all handle such a fill-in role if necessary.  That wouldn’t necessarily be how the Padres would like to optimize Profar, since the club was already intent on using him at primarily at second base, though since Cassavell notes that the Padres’ second base competition could stretch into the season, Profar will need somewhere to find playing time if Brian Dozier or Garcia earn more looks at the keystone.
  • Josh Barfield was promoted to the role of farm director for the Diamondbacks this offseason, as The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan (subscription required) looks at how the former big league infielder has quickly climbed the ladder during his five-plus years in Arizona’s front office.  Hired as a scout by former D’Backs general manager Dave Stewart in the 2014-15 offseason, Barfield has moved from assistant director of pro scouting to assistant farm director to his current position.  Barfield’s rising star hasn’t gone unnoticed around baseball, as current GM Mike Hazen told Buchanan that other teams have tried to hire Barfield away.  A future position as a “manager or GM might not be far behind” for the 37-year-old Barfield, Buchanan writes.

Phillies Hire Bryan Minniti From Diamondbacks; Arizona Hires Jared Porter From Cubs

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7:43pm: Minniti had a two-year offer to stay in Arizona, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter), but elected to seek a new opportunity elsewhere.

2:13pm: A pair of notable front office changes took place today, as the Phillies announced that they’ve hired D-backs assistant GM Bryan Minniti as a special assistant to general manager Matt Klentak. The Diamondbacks clearly already had a replacement for Minniti lined up, however, as they announced this afternoon that they’ve hired Cubs director of professional scouting Jared Porter and named him senior vice president and assistant general manager.

The moves come as just one in a flurry of promotions and hires for each team. Philadelphia has promoted Jorge Velendia to the same title as Minniti, hired a “Mental Skills” coach and made yet another add to its ever-growing analytics department, as PhillyVoice.com’s Ryan Lawrence explores in greater detail. The D-backs, meanwhile, announced that they’ve promoted director of player personnel Mike Bell to vice president of player development and named former Major League infielder Josh Barfield their new assistant director of pro scouting.

Minniti will bring the Phillies an executive with seven seasons as an assistant general manager under his belt. He comes from an analytical background, having double-majored in mathematics and statistics at the University of Pittsburgh and has been working in front offices since being hired as an intern by the Pirates back in 2001. The 36-year-old worked with the D-backs for the past two seasons and spent the previous five years with the Nationals, working on matters such as statistical analysis, budgeting and contract negotiations, per Arizona’s media guide.

The addition of Porter to the D-backs’ front office, meanwhile, gives the team another big-name executive with Red Sox roots to add to its leadership group. Porter was the Cubs’ scouting director this past season but is quite familiar with newly minted Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen and newly hired assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye from the time the trio spent together with the Red Sox. Porter spent a dozen years working in the Red Sox organization and was the team’s director of pro scouting from 2012-15.

Minor Moves: Galarraga, Montanez, Barfield

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Tonight's minor moves..

Minor Moves: Gonzalez, Hill, Barfield

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Today's minor moves..

Minor Moves: Phillies, Barfield, Dodgers, Smit

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A look at today's minor moves..

Minor Deals: Sborz, Huber, Royals, Ruiz

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We'll keep track of all of the day's minor deals right here:

  • Righty reliever Jay Sborz, 26 in January, signed a minor league deal with the Braves with a Spring Training invite, MLBTR has learned.  Sborz was outrighted by the Tigers on November 4th after posting a 4.74 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 4.9 BB/9, and 1.6 HR/9 with 19 saves in 43 2/3 Triple-A innings this year.
  • The Twins signed Justin Huber to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training, tweets Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.  Huber last played in the majors with Minnesota in 2009, and has a .580 OPS in 175 career plate appearances.
  • The Royals announced that four players have been designated for assignment: Jordan Parraz, Victor Marte, Gaby Hernandez and former #1 overall pick Bryan Bullington.
  • The Rays released first baseman Jose Ruiz, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter).
  • The Tigers announced that they signed Al Alburquerque to a major league deal for 2011. GM Dave Dombrowski says the team has been impressed with the right-hander's winter ball performance and expects him to compete for a bullpen job in Spring Training. The 24-year-old has struck out 191 batters in 174 1/3 minor league innings in the Cubs and Rockies organizations.
  • The Yankees have released Jonathan Albaladejo, who signed with a Japanese team, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
  • The Diamondbacks claimed right-hander Juan Jaime from the Nationals, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (on Twitter). The 23-year-old right-hander didn't pitch in 2010, but he has a 2.42 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9 in 111 2/3 minor league innings.
  • The Blue Jays signed Mike Hinckley, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The lefty posted a 1.93 ERA in 28 games with the Nationals from 2008-09. Last year he posted 6.8 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 46 2/3 innings in the upper minors.
  • Josh Barfield, Ryan Feierabend and Brandon Moss all got Spring Training invitations from the Phillies according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

Padres Sign Josh Barfield

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The Padres signed second baseman Josh Barfield to a minor league deal with no Spring Training invite, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock.  Barfield, 27, hit .252/.271/.331 in 319 appearances for the Indians' Triple A club in '09 and was outrighted in August.

Barfield came up with the Padres, posting a fine rookie season in '06.  Former GM Kevin Towers sold high on him, sending Barfield to Cleveland after the season for Kevin Kouzmanoff and Andrew Brown. 

Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Yankees, Young, Barfield

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Your Saturday night links, with more to come…

  • Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com takes a look at the Cardinals' third base race.  Brian Barden appears doubtful to win the job, however temporary it may be, despite a .344 spring record.
  • Yankees manager Joe Girardi could decide to start the season without a designated long reliever, according to Peter Abraham of The Journal News.  Alfredo Aceves, Dan Giese and Brett Tomko would be the casualties of that decision.
  • Dmitri Young told Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that he plans to be on the Nationals' 25-man roster when the team heads north.
  • Josh Barfield has claimed the Indians' final roster spot.  His versatility apparently won him the job.
  • Can't get enough of MLBTR?  Follow the action on Twitter.  And if you're feeling really adventurous, why not add me, your good friend Drew Silva?
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