Quick Hits: Hawkins, Padres, Rockies
LaTroy Hawkins, 42, is the oldest active player in the game, but he nearly walked away before his career got started, writes Tracy Ringolsby of MLB.com. Hawkins is expected to retire after the season with the 10th most appearances in major league history – 1,042 regular season games. Hawkins was upset when the Twins sent him back to rookie ball to start the 1992 season, but his grandfather talked him out of quitting with a typical grandfatherly quote, “Where you going to stay? I don’t let quitters stay in my house.” Hawkins was also peeved after the club sent him back to Triple-A early in the 1995 season. Despite a 21 season career, Hawkins has yet to win a World Series. He’ll need the Blue Jays to recover from their two-game deficit in the ALDS.
- Padres GM A.J. Preller will need a new bag of tricks this offseason, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. Last year, Preller memorably traded many of San Diego’s top prospects for major league reinforcements like Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel, and Matt Kemp. The highly visible approach did not pay dividends, and now the club must retool (mostly) without the help of prospect chips. The team is likely to lose Upton and Ian Kennedy via free agency, but most of the core is under contract for 2016. Preller indicated that left-handed bats, left-handed pitching, and a true shortstop may be among the top priorities.
- The Rockies have a familiar problem to address this offseason – starting pitching. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports that the rotation was actually worse than the 2014 version. Rockies starters posted a league worst 5.27 ERA and 4.87 FIP this season. Last year, they were second worst with a 4.89 ERA although their 4.54 FIP was still ranked last. Colorado pitchers certainly work with a handicap (called Coors Field), but the club needs to eventually figure out a way to get better pitching. GM Jeff Bridich seems to be betting on the current staff, per Saunders. Agent Scott Boras offered his own opinion, saying “They have to find a top, veteran arm…They have good, young pitchers. But they have before, too. And they’re all three (years) and out.”
AL East Notes: Wieters, Orioles, Yankees, Hendriks
Only one World Series has ever ended on a caught stealing, and that rare event took place on this day in 1926. The would-be base thief? Of all people, it was Babe Ruth thrown out trying to steal second by Cardinals catcher Bob O’Farrell to end Game Seven and give the Cards their first World Series title. This was one of a whopping five World Series-deciding games the Yankees have played on October 10 — they clinched victories in 1937, 1951 and 1956, and came up short in 1926 and 1957.
Here’s the latest from the AL East…
- Will the Orioles issue a one-year, $15.8MM qualifying offer to Matt Wieters? The Baltimore Sun’s Eduardo A. Encina and MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski each examine that question in separate pieces, as Wieters’ health status and underwhelming 2015 numbers could make $15.8MM too large a price tag for the O’s to potentially pay. Wieters could take the QO in order to prove his value in 2016 and elevate his free agent stock for next offseason, though no player has yet accepted a qualifying offer (and it could be a particular surprise if a Scott Boras client like Wieters was the first to do so). If Wieters did accept the QO, Encina notes that he’d be taking up budget room that could prevent Baltimore from re-signing Chris Davis or making another big free agent splash. “Some in the industry believe the Orioles” are willing to go with a Caleb Joseph/Steve Clevenger catching tandem in 2016 rather than Wieters, Melewski writes, though in not making Wieters a QO, Baltimore would lose the chance at a first-round draft pick as compensation for Wieters signing elsewhere.
- In another piece from Melewski, he cites Marco Estrada, Doug Fister and Ian Kennedy as possible fits for the Orioles this winter since it’s unclear as to whether the O’s will shop at the top of the free agent pitching market.
- Brian Cashman will have to “get creative” to upgrade the Yankees given the number of big contracts already on the books, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News writes, such as how the GM added Didi Gregorius and Nathan Eovaldi last winter. Feinsand also suggests four more ways for the Yankees to improve next year, such as deciding on who plays second base, finding playing time for Greg Bird, signing Justin Upton and staying away from David Price.
- Liam Hendriks was a member of five different organizations between December 2013 and October 2014 but he has seemingly found some stability as an important member of the Blue Jays bullpen. The Australian righty talks to Fangraphs’ David Laurila about his move to relief pitching, his increased velocity and the stress of switching teams so often within that 11-month span.
Brett Cecil Suffers “Pretty Significant” Calf Tear
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said that left-handed reliever Brett Cecil suffered a “pretty significant” calf tear during today’s post-season action, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweets.
Cecil appeared to suffer the injury while participating in a run-down to record the third out of the eighth inning. While the team described the injury as calf tightness, an MRI apparently revealed the more significant issue.
It’s obviously too soon to know the prognosis, but Gibbons’ description did not seem optimistic in the short term. The 29-year-old would be a fairly significant loss for a Toronto club that needs to dig itself out of a huge hole in the American League Division Series.
Looking ahead, MLBTR’s arbitration projections like Cecil to take home a $3.4MM salary in his final season of eligibility. He was certainly worth that and more this year, as he recovered from an uneven start to finish with a 2.48 ERA with 11.6 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 over 54 1/3 innings.
AL East Notes: Yankees’ Needs, Blue Jays, Anthopoulos
The Yankees’ offseason officially kicks off today after getting bounced from the post-season last night. Here’s the latest out of New York and the rest of the AL East:
- GM Brian Cashman acknowledged the evident fact that the Yankees weren’t quite “good enough” this year, as Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com writes. While things turned out better than many expected, says Heyman, there’s still plenty that will need to get done heading into 2016. Adding a significant starter is at the top of that list, he writes, though the team could also stand to fill out its relief corps. Otherwise, New York needs to keep plugging away at developing its young talent and focus in on a solution at second base, in Heyman’s estimation.
- Also taking a look at the Yankees‘ offseason needs is Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider link). His priority list is somewhat different, especially at the top. For Bowden, adding a big, right-handed bat is the most important need.
- The Blue Jays are now the only AL East club left standing, but the offseason could only be days away if they fail to advance. Baseball teams are always looking ahead, of course, and Toronto is no different, as Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca writes. GM Alex Anthopoulos says he’s “already stressed out of [his] mind” dealing with playoff pressure, but has already begun working on possible winter moves. “We have a sense from July conversations of who might be available in trade, but there’ll be another wave of players that no one’s expecting as we talk to clubs that we’ll get a sense of. That can be exciting,” Anthopoulos said. “The off-season can come up fast on you, so you don’t end up shutting it down.”
- One notable factor in the Blue Jays‘ success this year was the durability of its pitching. As Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca writes, the organization changed its approach to handling arms after the 2013 season, switching out of an innings-based system. “Generally speaking, we try to watch our players, we don’t treat everybody the same, which is maybe what we did early on,” Anthopoulos explained. He went on to say that he is “pleased with the results” of the club’s experimentation, though he wasn’t too interested in sharing the details. As Davidi writes, subtle reductions of stress and careful monitoring of effort that goes beyond innings thrown appears to be at the base of the effort. There’s a ton of information in the piece, so you’ll want to give it a full read.
AL East Notes: Buehrle, Blue Jays, Red Sox
On Saturday night, Indians pitcher Corey Kluber gave the Red Sox a reminder of what they’re missing, Timothy Britton of The Providence Journal writes. The reigning AL Cy Young winner is the type of frontline pitcher that Boston will seek this winter and interim manager Torey Lovullo fully understands how important a strong ace is to a ball club.
“When a pitcher of his caliber starts working, getting in a rhythm, and has that special day going, it’s going to be a long day for the offense,” Lovullo said. “He was feeling very good and wasn’t throwing any pitch in the middle of the zone.”
Here’s more from the AL East..
- Mark Buehrle‘s short start against the Rays today could wind up being his last, an MLB source tells Bruce Levine of WSCR-AM (on Twitter). While the Blue Jays are advancing to the playoffs, Buehrle is not expected to be a part of the team’s postseason roster. Buehrle, 37 in March, tried to go two innings today in order to notch his 15th straight year of 200 innings pitched. However, a rough start and bad defensive play led to Buehrle getting the hook before the end of the first. Heading into today’s game, Buehrle owned a 3.82 ERA with 4.1 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9. Since August 1st, however, the veteran has posted a 4.92 ERA and a ghastly 5.67 ERA across his last five outings.
- Matt Silverman overhauled the Rays after taking over last year but he expects things to go a little bit differently this winter, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. “We are champing at the bit for a ‘normal’ offseason during which we can focus all our efforts on advancing the organization,” Silverman said. “One byproduct from last offseason was the emergence of many new thoughts and ideas, and now is the time to fully explore them.”
- John Farrell’s battle with cancer has forged an even stronger bond between him and Lovullo, as Gordon Edes of ESPN.com writes.
- On Sunday morning the Red Sox announced that Farrell will be back as manager in 2016. Lovullo, meanwhile, will return as bench coach for 2016 and will not pursue any managerial openings this winter.
Latest On Angels GM Search
11:37am: The Angels will only be hiring one GM, not a GM plus a senior baseball executive, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Eppler is the most likely choice for the job, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register hears.
8:58am: Internal candidates Hal Morris, Matt Klentak, and Scott Servais are no longer in the running for the Angels’ GM job, sources tell Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava has also been taken out of consideration.
Now that the field has been narrowed down, it appears that the shortlist is comprised of Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler and Dodgers exec Josh Byrnes, per DiGiovanna (link). The Yankees believe that Eppler will get the gig, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears rumblings that Byrnes could actually be installed as the president to work above Eppler.
It will be interesting to see what happens with the trio of Angels internal candidates who have apparently been ruled out, as well as LaCava. Klentak has been linked to high-profile GM jobs in the past, including the recent Red Sox and Phillies vacancies. Servais, a former major leaguer turned assistant GM, could be lured to Seattle by newly installed Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, according to Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. LaCava, meanwhile, has been strongly considered for GM openings in the past and he even (reportedly) turned down an offer to become the Orioles’ GM back in 2011.
AL East Notes: Anthopoulos, Samardzija, Farrell, Lovullo, Red Sox
Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos’ contract expires on October 31, but he doesn’t want his status to be a story, writes John Lott of the National Post. Both Anthopoulos and Rogers Communications have expressed a desire to continue working together. Given Toronto’s success this season, an extension seems like a formality. While Anthopoulos could potentially earn more via free agency, he says “money has never motivated me in the slightest bit.”
Here’s more from the AL East:
- Jeff Samardzija could be on the Yankees radar, writes Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. Kuty is referencing a previous report via CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. Kuty adds that GM Brian Cashman nearly acquired Samardzija from the Cubs in 2014, but he was outbid by the A’s. New York’s rotation will include Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Luis Severino, and Michael Pineda. Three of those names have battled various ailments while Severino has just 10 major league starts under his belt. Conservatively, the club should probably look to add two starters over the offseason.
- The Red Sox are in a difficult position regarding manager John Farrell and interim manager Torey Lovullo, writes Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe. Lovullo deserves to manage in the majors, but the club has committed to allowing Farrell to return once treatment for his lymphoma is complete. However, there is a chance Farrell may not be healthy enough to take over next year. Ideally, the Red Sox would love to have Lovullo available to step in. The club could opt to deny Lovullo the ability to interview with other clubs, but that’s an uncommon step in today’s game. Usually, off-field personnel are allowed to interview elsewhere if it involves a promotion.
- From Lovullo’s perspective, he hopes to manage again in 2016, writes Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald. He’s happy in Boston, but intends to pursue managerial opportunities elsewhere if necessary. The Red Sox have responded well under Lovullo’s stewardship which should make him a popular target with other clubs.
- The Red Sox have been one of the best teams in the second half of the season, but was it for real, wonders Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The club has a few excellent, young assets like Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts. Sherman highlights three big storylines to watch in Boston. Hanley Ramirez is being converted to first base, but he may be traded too. The situation with Farrell shouldn’t be left to linger too long. Lastly, the Red Sox are expected to finally acquire an ace – probably via free agency.
Injury Notes: Piscotty, Tulowitzki, Gomez, Drew
Here’s the latest on some significant members of playoff contenders who are battling injuries down the stretch…
- Stephen Piscotty has been diagnosed with a concussion following his scary outfield collision with Peter Bourjos on Monday. Still, he passed his initial set of neurological tests and there is now optimism that Piscotty will be able to play again before the season is over, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. The rookie outfielder has already been cleared to fly with the Cardinals to Atlanta for their final series of the year.
- Troy Tulowitzki could return to the Blue Jays lineup as early as Thursday’s game against the Orioles, the shortstop told reporters (including Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star). Tulowitzki hasn’t played since September 12, when he suffered a small crack in his left scapula after colliding with center fielder Kevin Pillar while chasing a pop fly.
- Carlos Gomez may return to the Astros lineup tonight, manager A.J. Hinch told Mike Ferrin and Jim Duquette on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (audio link). Hinch is “not convinced [Gomez] is completely 100 percent” recovered from his left intercostal strain, but “it’s a risk worth taking” since the Astros are battling for their postseason lives. Gomez played on Sunday and Monday as a pinch-runner and defensive sub, respectively, getting one plate appearance but laying down a sacrifice bunt. A return to the lineup would obviously involve taking full swings, which worries Hinch a bit given the threat of re-injury.
- Stephen Drew may have played his last game of 2015 after being hit with a deflected grounder earlier this month. Drew has been sidelined since Sept. 22 and he tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post that he may have suffered a concussion and also a recurrence of a past inner-ear problem. If Drew is indeed done for the year, it may also mark the end of his Yankees tenure, as the veteran infielder will be a free agent this winter.
Blue Jays Designate Donn Roach For Assignment
The Blue Jays have designated right-hander Donn Roach for assignment, the club announced. In a corresponding move, the Jays selected the contract of infielder Jonathan Diaz, who will join the team for the first game of their double-header today in Baltimore.
Roach has now been designated three times by as many different teams this season, as he was previously DFA’ed by the Cubs in July and the Reds in August. Toronto claimed the righty off waivers from Cincinnati following that last designation. The 25-year-old Roach has appeared in just one MLB game this season (with the Cubs) but has posted a 3.34 ERA, 2.04 K/BB rate and a 3.3 K/9 over 143 innings at the Triple-A level. Roach was originally a third-round pick of the Angels in the 2010 draft and he has a 5.35 ERA over 33 2/3 career innings in the majors.
This is Diaz’s second stint on the Jays roster this season, as he appeared in four games in April and May. The 30-year-old infielder hit .223/.328/.284 over 430 PA for Triple-A Buffalo this season, his 10th pro campaign. Diaz has played 32 career games at the Major League level, with Boston and Toronto in 2013-15.
Blue Jays Interested In Doug Fister
The Blue Jays are a long way from focusing on offseason plans just yet, though the club “will make a play for” free agent righty Doug Fister this winter, Sportsnet’s Jeff Blair reports. This wouldn’t be the first time that GM Alex Anthopoulos has shown interest in Fister, as the Jays explored a deal when Fister was still with the Tigers in the 2013-14 offseason prior to Fister’s eventual trade to Washington.
Of course, Fister’s stock was much higher two winters ago, as the right-hander is hitting the open market on the heels of his worst season in five years. Fister posted a 4.19 ERA, 2.63 K/BB rate and 5.5 K/9 over 103 innings for the Nationals, losing his starting rotation spot in the process. (Fister’s overall stat line was boosted by his stint in the bullpen, as he had a 2.12 ERA over 17 relief innings as opposed to a 4.60 ERA as a starter.)
It’s possible health could have played a role in Fister’s problems, as he spent a month on the DL with forearm tightness. Both before and after his injury, however, there were signs of struggle. Fister’s walk rate (2.10) and homer rate (12%) jumped to their highest levels since 2009, while his ground ball rate dropped to 44.6%, his lowest such number also since 2009. This was a notable decline for a pitcher who relies on grounders to offset his lack of strikeouts, and the Nats’ overall shaky infield defense also didn’t help in this regard.
Mark Buehrle is expected to retire and both David Price and Marco Estrada could leave in free agency, so the Jays could have multiple rotation openings behind Marcus Stroman, R.A. Dickey (whose club option is likely to be exercised) and Drew Hutchison, and Hutchison’s own spot is far from secure given his rough season. If Fister can get back to his 2011-14 form, the 31-year-old’s ground-ball tendencies would be a good fit at the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre, particularly with a better defensive infield backing him up.