Quick Hits: Walker, Cespedes, Gyorko
The Pirates may say goodbye to second baseman Neil Walker after the season, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittburgh Tribune-Review. He’s set to earn at least $10MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility. Due to a balky back and the availability of Jung-ho Kang, Jordy Mercer, and Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh may prefer to commit that money to another position. Of course, the Pirates will probably never reach the point of actually non-tendering Walker. Plenty of teams should be interested in a one-year flier on the 30-year-old. Biertempfel offers a fascinating look at Walker who is actually a Pittsburgh native. It’s well worth a read.
- Pittsburgh should actually extend Walker, opines Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Rossi refers to Walker as a fan favorite and lauds his clubhouse presence. Rossi suggests a four-year, $47MM contract as a reasonable compromise. Of course, the notoriously penurious club does have a wealth of affordable middle infield depth with Kang, Harrison, and Mercer on the roster. Prospect Alen Hanson is also close to major league ready. Presumably, Walker could return a decent player via trade too. While it’s tough to part with a hometown fan favorite, sometimes it’s the right thing to do.
- A hot October could lead Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to his desired six-year contract, writes Mark Townsend of Yahoo. While teams may be concerned about offering a big guarantee through his age 36 season, they may be willing to swallow the risk if they can bank on production early in the contract. Of course, no player is a sure thing to repeat past exploits. Postseason success would certainly go a long way towards assuaging any doubts. I said the same earlier tonight when examining the players who most improved their free agent stock.
- The Padres are pleased with Jedd Gyorko‘s development at shortstop, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. The Friars began the experiment to keep both Cory Spangenberg and Gyorko in the lineup. While there is obviously concern about his defense, his offense easily ranks among the best at the position. Advanced statistics like UZR aren’t a fan of his work, but a one month sample is way too small to form a judgment. He hasn’t committed an error and makes all the routine plays. A NL West scout even suggested that he looks more comfortable at short than second. If the club thinks he can continue to man the position in 2016, it could save them from scrounging through the free agent shortstop market.
Quick Hits: Belt, Mondesi, Padres
Brandon Belt will be out of the Giants‘ lineup for the time being after his second concussion in two seasons, Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com writes. His current issues stem from a slide against the Reds on Tuesday. He had difficulty concentrating during Friday’s game. “He showed symptoms last night and that’s what we’re treating him for,” says manager Bruce Bochy. Belt also missed about a quarter of last season due to a concussion. Buster Posey will take over for Belt at first base until Belt returns. Here are more quick notes from around the league.
- Manager Ned Yost says the Royals could promote another middle infielder, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com (Twitter links). Both Alcides Escobar and Omar Infante left Friday’s game with injuries. Escobar’s injury was merely a bruise, as Flanagan notes, but Escobar’s injury (an oblique strain) could be more serious. That could mean the promotion of top prospect Raul Mondesi Jr., Flanagan speculates. Mondesi has only hit .240/.279/.372 in 338 plate appearances for Double-A Northwest Arkansas this season, but he’s a strong defensive player and baserunner, so he could potentially be useful to the Royals in those capacities. He also only recently turned 20 and is about four years younger than the average player in the Texas League. In July, Baseball America ranked Mondesi the No. 25 prospect in the game. MLB.com currently ranks him 35th.
- The Padres have a tough task ahead of them this offseason, Jon Heyman says in a video for CBS Sports. They appear likely to lose Justin Upton, who will likely get a large contract elsewhere. Heyman says he hears the Padres will probably extend Ian Kennedy a qualifying offer after a strong second half, and Kennedy will likely refuse it. After a disappointing season, the Padres will have to decide this winter whether to attempt to contend again next year or whether to rebuild, trading players like Craig Kimbrel and Tyson Ross.
NL Notes: Lackey, D’Backs, Kimbrel, Colletti
MLBTR has learned the full details of the incentives clause negotiated last winter between the Cardinals and righty John Lackey. (Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has already reported major elements of the clause.) The provision calls for $400K payouts to Lackey for reaching each of five innings tallies. His first milestone was 100 innings, with successive markers every 25 innings thereafter. When Lackey reached 200 frames last night, he maxed out the bonus at a total of $2MM (on top of the league minimum salary that was already called for in his deal).
Here are some more notes from the National League:
- The Diamondbacks face several contract questions regarding pitchers even before considering outside additions, as Zach Buchanan of AZCentral Sports writes. Whether to tender Jeremy Hellickson and Jhoulys Chacin, exercise a club option over Josh Collmenter, and pursue a reunion with free agent-to-be David Hernandez are among the matters that Arizona will need to address. Chief baseball officer Tony La Russa discussed all four pitchers with Buchanan. Most interestingly, perhaps, is the situation regarding Chacin. La Russa says that he has “seen enough from Chacin” to know that he’d be “in the competition” for the club next year. The 27-year-old looked good at Triple-A this year and has put together three nice outings for Arizona. Because of his limited MLB time this year, he is arb-eligible. Chacin had agreed to a $5.5MM deal with the Rockies before he was released in the spring before signing successive minor league deals with the Indians and D’Backs. My guess would be that the club will look to work something out with him before the tender deadline.
- Padres closer Craig Kimbrel says it’s been a frustrating first season in San Diego, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Kimbrel says that he expects the club to improve next year, citing the assembly of new faces as one factor that may have slowed down the Pads this year. Of course, as Lin writes, it’s certainly plausible to imagine a scenario where Kimbrel is dealt elsewhere to address other areas of needs or re-build the farm system.
- Former Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, who now works with the organization as an adviser, is “right in the middle of everything, but nowhere near anything,” Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times writes. But as Plaschke points out, Colletti — who says it’s been “a different kind of year” — was responsible for bringing in many of the team’s key pieces. That includes not only players like Clayton Kershaw and Zach Grienke, but youngsters such as Joc Pederson and Corey Seager. All said, the piece suggests, Colletti’s nine-year tenure as the head of the organization’s baseball operations department was probably more successful than many have acknowledged.
Heyman’s Latest: Samardzija, GMs, Ozuna, Managers, Giants, Iwakuma
Despite a terrible second half following up what had been an already underwhelming season, multiple executives tell Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that they expect White Sox right-hander Jeff Samardzija to do just fine in free agency. As has been said on many occasions, scouts love Samardzija’s raw stuff and competitive nature, and as Heyman points out he’s a relatively low-mileage arm due to his days as a wide receiver and time spent in the bullpen early in his MLB career. Two execs told Heyman they expect Samardzija to top Ervin Santana‘s four-year, $55MM contract, with one saying he should “blow it away.” Unsurprisingly, Heyman hears that the Sox will extend a qualifying offer to Samardzija. I’ll join Heyman and the execs to whom he spoke in saying I’d be shocked to see Samardzija accept.
More from Heyman’s latest Inside Baseball column…
- Frank Wren is seen as a likely hire for Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, though Heyman notes that Wren may receive a role other than GM. Turning to other GM openings, Heyman lists Jerry Dipoto as the favorite for the Mariners‘ GM gig and calls current A’s assistant GM Dan Kantrovitz a favorite for the Brewers. Milwaukee is said to be seeking someone who is extremely analytical, and they’ve felt that some who have interviewed haven’t fit that description well enough. Billy Eppler is still the favorite for the Angels‘ slot, Heyman writes. He doesn’t list a favorite for the Phillies, though he again connects Angels AGM Matt Klentak and Royals AGM J.J. Picollo to the position. Also according to Heyman, Ben Cherington turned down an interview with the Mariners, as his current plan is to take some time away from the rigors of GM work.
- Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald recently wrote that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is very open to trading Marcell Ozuna, but president of baseball operations Michael Hill expressed a desire to keep the talented-but-struggling center fielder when speaking to Heyman. “He’s extremely talented and very much in our plans moving forward,” said Hill, although such a line is to be expected from an on-record executive anyway. Even if the intent is to shop Ozuna, Hill wouldn’t come out and say it.
- Nationals skipper Matt Williams is “all but assured of a pink slip” following the season barring a miraculous playoff surge, per Heyman. On the opposite end of the spectrum is interim Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, who looks like he’ll be given a chance to shed the “interim” portion of his title in 2016. Brad Ausmus is indeed expected to be let go by the Tigers following the season, he also writes, and Ausmus could find himself in the dugout for the Padres if that comes to pass.
- The Giants hope to add at least one, if not two starting pitchers this offseason, and a run at retaining Mike Leake appears to be one possible scenario. San Francisco is expected to work out a reunion with Tim Lincecum as well, he adds; the two-time Cy Young winner had hip surgery that ended his season earlier this month, though his surgeon strongly believes that the operation will help Lincecum restore some of his disappearing velocity.
- Mariners ownership and those remaining in the front office want Hisashi Iwakuma back, so much so that they told other clubs at the deadline that they wouldn’t even consider trading him, Heyman writes. Iwakuma is keen on returning to Seattle as well, he notes. Of course, a run at Iwakuma would have to align with the thinking of whichever new executive steps into the GM’s chair.
- Not that there should’ve been any doubt, but Heyman notes that the Blue Jays intend to pick up the club options on Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista. That’s hardly a surprise, as the respective $10MM and $14MM options on the right-handed sluggers are probably two of the easiest option decisions you’ll ever see.
- Joel Hanrahan isn’t in a rush to return from his second TJ surgery and may not attempt to pitch in the Majors again until 2017. Best of luck to Hanrahan, who has seen injuries destroy the past three seasons of his career.
Three Needs: San Diego Padres
As we continue working our way through the major needs of non-contenders with the offseason in sight, we’ll turn our attention to the Padres. San Diego entered the year with big expectations after a volatile winter under new GM A.J. Preller. Things haven’t worked out as planned, but the Friars nevertheless stood pat at the trade deadline. San Diego is as unpredictable as any organization in baseball right now, but here are a few areas the team might look to address:
1. Get the talent pipeline flowing. Preller came to San Diego with a reputation as a hard-working, discerning evaluator of talent who could dig up young players at good values. President/CEO Mike Dee explained the premise before the season: “But [Preller] said you don’t have to choose between one or the other. You can have both. You can have a strong pursuit of amateur and international talent and still add impact players. … I’m excited to see the second half of what he’s known for [in the international market].”
One year into Preller’s tenure, the club’s farm is lagging — even as the team struggles at the major league level. As things stand, the organization has just one top-100 prospect (Hunter Renfroe, #76 per MLB.com). The Padres didn’t have a first-round draft pick last year after sacrificing their first two choices in the James Shields signing and the Craig Kimbrel trade. And while the organization says it’s happy with its haul of July 2 prospects, it didn’t land Yoan Moncada, Yadier Alvarez, or any of the other most-hyped Latin American players on this year’s international market.
We’ve already seen Preller trade away a good portion of the upper-level talent he inherited. Now, he’ll need to show that he can successfully re-fill the system. The team appears to be headed for a top-ten draft pick, and can use qualifying offers to Justin Upton and (potentially) Ian Kennedy to add more selections and spending capacity. That’s a nice start, but more creative measures — such as trading a player like Kimbrel, searching the trade market for competitive balance picks and international signing pools, and/or looking for the next Touki Toussaint deal — may be needed.
2. Sort out the middle infield. Dating from the start of the 2011 season, the Padres rank dead last in major league baseball in middle infielder fWAR. The bulk of the positive wins above replacement from that stretch date to 2013, when Jedd Gyorko and Everth Cabrera both had solid campaigns. Other than that, San Diego has received basically replacement-level production from both the second base and shortstop positions for the last five years.
The organization is currently batting around some less-than-optimal possibilities as the offseason looms. Gyorko has looked re-born at the plate in recent months, and the team seems pleased with the initial returns on an experimental move to shortstop. But it would be brave to go into a full season on the assumption he’ll hold down that position, especially given the failed effort to use Wil Myers in center field this year. San Diego currently has the league’s worst defense, by measure of UZR/150 innings, and asking Gyorko (never a highly-regarded defender elsewhere in the infield) to step in at short seems a tall order.
That’s all the more true given that the organization isn’t exactly overflowing with talent elsewhere in the infield. Other players in the mix at second and third are Cory Spangenberg, Yangervis Solarte, and Will Middlebrooks. While some combination of that group should passably hold down those positions, it looks like a stretch for it to cover the four-through-six slots in a contending infield.
With this year’s Clint Barmes–Alexi Amarista pairing having fallen flat, and Trea Turner dealt away, an outside shortstop addition may well be necessary if expectations are to contend. San Diego can look to a trade market with several promising possibilities or pursue a group of free agents that includes some interesting-but-aging veterans who could be had on short-term deals.
3. Balance the lineup. Improving on the defensive side is one way that San Diego can add balance and situational flexibility to its roster, but even more pressing may be the need for left-right balance in the lineup. Aside from the switch-hitting Solarte, who has fairly even platoon splits over his two big league seasons, the team has a dearth of left-handed bats amongst its regulars.
There are some lefties in the mix, of course, but all appear to be part-time options at this stage. Spangenberg hits from the left side, as do Amarista and rookie Travis Jankowski — who could conceivably split time with Melvin Upton in center next year. Outfielder Alex Dickerson may get a long look to make the team as a fourth outfielder this spring, and Brett Wallace could be brought back after a surprising run (with a sample-size warning in full effect). There’s Yonder Alonso, but he’s yet to impress consistently and is out again with another injury. He may be displaced at first by Myers. Top youngsters Renfroe and Austin Hedges are righties, so it isn’t as if there is a big, left-handed bat waiting in the wings.
What can be done? As things stand, there isn’t a lot of room to spend: San Diego already has $75MM on the books, and that’s before acting on a $8MM option over Joaquin Benoit and paying arb raises to Myers, Alonso, Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner, and Derek Norris. While some budget bench signings are possible, the trade route looks more promising if the Padres look to add an everyday left-handed hitter or two.
Josh Johnson To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
2:06pm: Johnson will indeed attempt another comeback, agent Matt Sosnick tells ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitlonger). The veteran righty has known of the tear for about ten weeks, but attempted to pitch through it before deciding to have the procedure. Sosnick says that his client will also look into “cutting-edge” medical developments that could prove beneficial in addition to the TJ procedure.
10:19am: Padres righty Josh Johnson will go under the knife for his third Tommy John procedure, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. He will almost certainly miss the entirety of the 2016 season after having the surgery some time next week.
Johnson most recently had a UCL replacement in April of 2014. He had signed a one-year, $8MM deal with San Diego prior to that season, but never threw a major league pitch before succumbing to the surgery. The Friars brought him back on an incentive-laden, one-year, $1MM pact, but the 31-year-old was never quite able to make it back to MLB action.
The Padres’ investment has obviously not panned out as hoped, but it was a relatively meager sum to risk on the pitcher they hoped would re-emerge. Johnson had a rough 2013 season with the Blue Jays, allowing 56 earned runs in just 81 1/3 frames, but carried a career-best 9.2 K/9 rate and drew solid reviews from some ERA estimators.
While he’d had injuries before that point, Johnson also had racked up nearly a thousand innings of 3.15 ERA pitching heading into his short and disappointing tenure in Toronto. At times, he’s been among the very best pitchers in the game.
Given that he’s undergoing the procedure, it certainly seems that Johnson will give it at least one more shot. In all likelihood, he won’t even have a chance at throwing competitively until he has turned 33.
Quick Hits: Eppler, Anibal, Wilson, Kennedy
Angels owner Arte Moreno and president John Carpino were scheduled to meet with Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler tonight in New York, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. This is the latest indication that Eppler could be the favorite to become the Angels’ new general manager, though the Mariners are reportedly also interested in talking to him about their open GM position. Here’s more from around baseball…
- Anibal Sanchez told reporters (including MLive.com’s Chris Iott) that he’ll see a doctor about his shoulder issue, possibly Dr. James Andrews. The righty was scheduled to return from the DL and start for the Tigers on Wednesday, but those plans have now been scrapped. Sanchez has had a rocky season, posting a 4.99 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 2.82 K/BB rate over 157 innings and he hasn’t pitched since August 18 due to a rotator cuff strain in his throwing arm.
- In his latest subscriber-only piece, ESPN’s Buster Olney discusses some looming offseason decisions involving qualifying offers and team/player options with agents and talent evaluators. Some of the choices are pretty easy (i.e. the Blue Jays will surely pick up club options on Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion for 2016) while others are trickier. For instance, evaluators would be wary about their teams surrendering a draft pick to sign Ian Kennedy. If the qualifying offer would hurt Kennedy’s market to this extent, he could consider accepting the Padres‘ QO, leaving San Diego with roughly $81MM tied up in five players (Kennedy, Melvin Upton Jr., Craig Kimbrel, Matt Kemp, James Shields).
- Brian Wilson is aiming to return to the majors in 2016 and will soon begin throwing, Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown tweets. The Dodgers released Wilson last December and sat out the 2015 season after not catching on with any other teams. The former Giants closer missed most of 2012 and 2013 while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, and he posted a 4.66 ERA, 10.1 K/9 and a 1.86 K/BB rate over 48 1/3 IP with L.A. last season.
- Rich Hill recently threw seven shutout innings for the Red Sox in his first Major League start since 2009, and now the southpaw is considering pitching in winter ball in the hopes of landing a job in an MLB rotation next year, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford writes. If a Major League job can’t be found, Hill is already drawing interest from several Japanese teams.
Minor MLB Transactions: 9/14/15
Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- The Padres announced several roster moves, including the selection of right-hander Jay Jackson and infielder Cody Decker‘s contracts from Triple-A. Right-hander Casey Kelly and southpaw Robbie Erlin were also recalled from Triple-A, while Yonder Alonso was placed on the 60-day DL with a lower back strain. Jackson and Decker are both reaching the bigs for the first time after long pro careers. Jackson was a ninth-round pick for the Cubs in the 2008 draft and cracked Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list (at #98) prior to the 2010 season. The righty has a 4.31 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 2.63 K/BB rate over 857 2/3 IP in the minors with the Cubs, Marlins, Pirates, Brewers and Padres. Decker, a 22nd-round pick in 2009, has 154 homers and a .265/.348/.524 slash line over 2929 career PA in San Diego’s farm system.
- The Phillies announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Chase d’Arnaud from Triple-A. In a corresponding move, second baseman Cesar Hernandez was placed on the 60-day disabled list with a dislocated left thumb. D’Arnaud joined the Phillies on a minor league deal last winter and has hit .268/.317/.354 over 540 PA for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season, playing mostly third and short over his 120 games. D’Arnaud (the older brother of Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud) debuted in the Show by playing in 48 games for the Pirates in 2011 but has only appeared in 16 MLB contests since, and hasn’t recorded an official plate appearance since 2012.
- The Astros have selected the contract of infielder Matt Duffy from Triple-A. Duffy fills the 40-man roster spot left by Scott Feldman, who was moved to the 60-day DL due to his season-ending shoulder injury. Not to be confused with the Giants infielder of the same name, this Matt Duffy was Houston’s 20th-round pick in the 2011 draft and is reaching the majors for the first time in five pro seasons. Duffy hit .294/.366/.484 with 30 homers and 104 RBI in 557 Triple-A plate appearances this year and was named the Pacific Coast League’s MVP.
NL West Notes: Ziegler, Aoki, Maurer
Some news from around the NL West…
- Dave Stewart still has to discuss Brad Ziegler‘s $5.5MM 2016 option with upper management, but the Diamondbacks GM tells Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic that he’s in favor of retaining the veteran reliever. “Assuming he is healthy and he continues down the path he’s on right now, I don’t see why we would not pick up his option,” Stewart said. Ziegler’s $5.5MM club option has a $1MM buyout, so it’s a $4.5MM decision on a pitcher who is likely to return to a setup role given how the Snakes have been rumored to be looking for a major bullpen addition like Aroldis Chapman. Ziegler has a 2.37 ERA, 1.82 K/BB rate and 4.6 K/9 over 60 2/3 innings, plus 25 saves since taking over the closer’s job. For his part, the righty says he’s interested in returning to Arizona next season.
- Nori Aoki is also hoping his team picks up their club option on his 2016 services, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes. The Giants have a $5.5MM option on Aoki for next season, with a $700K buyout. Aoki was hitting .317/.383/.385 when he fractured his fibula in late June, and after a five-week DL stint, he’s struggled at the plate and with further injuries, including a concussion that may end his season. I would suspect that Aoki will indeed return to San Francisco next year given how well he was playing when healthy, though obviously it depends on when and if he he recovers from post-concussion syndrome.
- The Padres face an interesting decision on whether to keep Brandon Maurer in the bullpen or shift him back to starting pitching next year, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. Assistant GM Josh Stein said the club has discussed making Maurer a starter again, a move that could help keep the right-hander healthy. On the flip side, Maurer has pitched well in relief. The Padres look to have openings in both the rotation and bullpen in 2016 so their decision on Maurer could help shape their offseason plans (or vice versa).
Cafardo On Chapman, Ausmus, Red Sox
In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe looked at some potential options Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski can explore to help bolster the team’s bullpen. Among the many names listed is Craig Kimbrel, who might not be made available. San Diego didn’t deal Kimbrel at this year’s deadline, but the Padres likely want to reload with major league players, so Cafardo wonders aloud if the closer could be moved if it helps them at third base, in the outfield, or the rotation. Here’s more from today’s column..
- Will the Reds deal Aroldis Chapman this winter? If they do, it would require a blockbuster package, as Reds exec Kevin Towers tells Cafardo. Last month, Cafardo heard that the Reds were asking for an “incredibly unrealistic” return when the D’Backs and other clubs came calling for the closer at the deadline.
- If the Tigers dismiss manager Brad Ausmus, he might not be unemployed for long. Cafardo hears whispers in the industry that he would be a strong candidate to replace Padres‘ interim skipper Pat Murphy to take the position. Ausmus was a special assistant in San Diego before taking the Tigers job, so there’s certainly a familiarity there.
- Speaking of Detroit, Dombrowski has a history with Ausmus, so Cafardo throws out the Red Sox possibility. A report surfaced last week that the Tigers were planning on firing Ausmus, but GM Al Avila quickly issued a statement declaring that no decision would be made until the season was through. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suspects that Ausmus will be dismissed.
- Former Cubs manager Rick Renteria has had some “indirect feelers” from teams concerning managerial jobs, Cafardo writes. Renteria, of course, was displaced in Chicago last October when the club hired Joe Maddon. Renteria is well-regarded around the game and the Cubs were effusive with praise for him when they let officially let him go on Halloween of last year. The Tigers, Marlins, and Padres could all be possibilities for him, Cafardo writes.
- Towers tells Cafardo that he has only heard about possible interest in him “through back channels” and has no idea if he’ll have a GM job next year. “I’m 53 and would love to get back in, but if it doesn’t happen I’m perfectly happy here with Walt [Jocketty]. It’s been fun going through our organization and evaluating our young talent.” Cafardo speculates that Towers, an Oregon native, could be a candidate with the Mariners.