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Padres Coaching Notes: Niebla, Fritz, Bench Coach

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San Diego landed on Craig Stammen as its new manager this week. The 41-year-old doesn’t have any prior coaching experience, but he’ll be able to lean on a familiar face for at least a couple of seasons. Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported that pitching coach Ruben Niebla has two years left on his contract. Lin also noted that Niebla was the other finalist for the skipper job.

Niebla has been the Padres’ pitching coach since 2022. Stammen was actually a member of Niebla’s first pitching staff. The pair crossed paths in the right-hander’s final season in the league. Niebla was one of three known finalists for the managerial position, along with Albert Pujols and Nick Hundley. Shortly after news broke of Stammen’s hiring, Alden González of ESPN reported that Niebla was expected to remain on the staff.

The revelation that Niebla is under contract for the next two seasons provides further confirmation that he’ll be around to help the inexperienced Stammen. He isn’t the only holdover that will be on the staff beyond 2026, either. Lin noted that while teams had expressed interest in bullpen coach Ben Fritz, he recently received a new multi-year deal. He has been on San Diego’s staff since 2020.

Retaining Fritz gives Stammen another former coach in his corner. Fritz was the bullpen coach for Stammen’s final three seasons in San Diego. He also briefly served as pitching coach, taking over for the fired Larry Rothschild to close the 2021 season, before returning to his bullpen coach role. Fritz has been in the organization since 2015.

Stammen will also have to deal with some departures. Hitting coach Victor Rodriguez is expected to go to the Astros. He’d served in the role with San Diego for the past two seasons. Third base coach Tim Leiper is expected to take the same position with the Mets. Leiper had also been in the position for the past two years.

The personnel on the roster may factor into future hiring decisions, as Lin noted that “some around the team believe the Padres need to add a coach who can naturally connect with Machado, Tatis and other Latin American players in the clubhouse.” Lin added that bringing on a bench coach who’s managed at the MLB level would also be valuable.

Image courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images.

Francona: Not Expecting A Hunter Greene Trade

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Manager Terry Francona is the latest member of Cincinnati’s organization to downplay the possibility of trading starting pitching. Francona said on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast that he wasn’t anticipating a Hunter Greene trade. “I don’t think those things are gonna (happen)…pitching is too hard for us to acquire through free agency…we gotta keep Hunter on the mound,” Francona said in a clip relayed by Chatterbox Sports.

President of baseball operations Nick Krall offered a similar sentiment last month, downplaying the idea that the Reds would move players on the pitching side. Led by Greene, Cincinnati’s starters ranked sixth in the National League in ERA and third in strikeouts. Only the Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Braves got more innings from their starting pitchers.

Greene battled a groin injury multiple times last season, but he was dominant when healthy. He set career-best marks in xFIP (3.27) and SIERA (3.06) while throwing harder than ever before. Greene’s heater averaged 99.5 mph in 2025, a 1.9 mph jump from 2024. Among pitchers who threw at least 100 innings, Greene ranked fourth in swinging-strike rate and sixth in K-BB%.

The most notable development for Greene last season was how often he was in the strike zone. He posted a strong 68.6% strike rate and a career-low 6.2% walk rate. Greene had never recorded a season with a strike rate above 65% or a walk rate below 9%. The improved command helped him maintain a lower pitch count and work deeper into games. He notched quality starts in 11 of 19 outings. Greene had 13 quality starts in 2024, but it took him 26 appearances to get there.

If the Reds were to put Greene on the market, he would certainly fetch a handsome return. The 27-year-old signed a six-year, $53MM extension in 2023. The deal includes a $21MM team option for 2029. Greene’s annual salary will rise in each of the next three seasons, but it’ll still be plenty affordable in the final year of the deal, even if the Reds (or another club) decline the team option.

Cincinnati has a stable of controllable starters beyond Greene. Andrew Abbott and Chase Burns have yet to reach arbitration. Nick Lodolo won’t hit free agency until 2028. Youngsters Rhett Lowder and Julian Aguiar only have a year of MLB service time apiece. Brady Singer is the only mainstay nearing free agency, as he’s in his final year of arbitration. The Reds can keep the majority of this group together for the foreseeable future if they want to.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images.

Pirates To Sign Joe La Sorsa

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The Pirates are expected to sign left-hander Joe La Sorsa, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network. It’s a minor league deal with an invite to MLB Spring Training.

La Sorsa has pitched in parts of three MLB seasons with three different teams. He debuted with the Rays in 2023. La Sorsa was most recently with Cincinnati. He made five appearances with the Reds last season.

Tampa Bay drafted La Sorsa in 2019. He tossed 36 1/3 innings at Low-A that same year. La Sorsa delivered a 3.60 ERA across 31 appearances in 2021, striking out nearly a batter per inning. He took a step forward the following season, with an elite 36.3% strikeout rate leading to a Double-A promotion. Minor leaguers hit just .191 against La Sorsa in 2022. He posted a 2.33 ERA across a career-high 73 1/3 innings.

La Sorsa was designated for assignment after just two games with the Rays in 2023. He was quickly scooped up by the Nationals via waiver claim. La Sorsa logged 23 appearances out of Washington’s bullpen that season. He limited walks and kept the ball in the yard, but finished with a 4.76 ERA. After a half-season with Triple-A Rochester, La Sorsa was back with the Nationals in August of 2024. He delivered similarly tepid results and was released in the offseason.

Cincinnati had La Sorsa traveling back and forth from Triple-A Louisville to Great American Ball Park all summer. He was recalled to the big-league club on four separate occasions, including three times in June. La Sorsa was knocked around for eight earned runs in 6 2/3 innings with the Reds. He allowed four home runs in his five outings with the team.

Padres Release Wes Benjamin

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The Padres released left-hander Wes Benjamin earlier this week, according to the minor league transactions log. He joined the organization in February on a minor league deal with a non-roster invite to MLB Spring Training. Benjamin spent his 2025 campaign with Triple-A El Paso.

Texas took Benjamin in the fifth round of the 2014 draft. He posted solid results as he moved through the Rangers’ system, recording a sub-4.00 ERA in each of his first four seasons. Benjamin reached Triple-A in 2019. He struggled to a 5.52 ERA, but set career highs in starts (25) and innings (135 1/3).

Benjamin debuted with the Rangers in the shortened 2020 season. He scuffled to a 4.84 ERA over eight appearances, though his xERA was more than a run lower. Benjamin got another look with the big-league club in 2021, but was blasted for 22 earned runs in 22 2/3 innings. He elected minor league free agency at the end of the season.

After a brief stint in the White Sox system, Benjamin would head abroad. He joined the KT Wiz of the KBO partway through the 2022 season. Benjamin produced solid results over three years with the Wiz, including a 15-win season in 2023. He wrapped up his time in Korea with a respectable 3.74 ERA over 406 innings.

Benjamin had an ugly 6.42 ERA with the Chihuahuas this past season. His xERA and xFIP were both above 5.50. He also lost time to injury.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images.

Nationals’ Mike DeBartolo To Serve In Assistant GM Role

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The Nationals parted ways with multiple front office members after bringing in new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, but Mike DeBartolo was reportedly staying in the organization. Toboni revealed DeBartolo’s new position to reporters earlier this week, including Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports. DeBartolo will be senior vice president and assistant GM, handling baseball operations.

Washington fired longtime president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo in July. DeBartolo was moved from his senior vice president position to interim general manager following Rizzo’s departure. It was reported that assistant general managers Eddie Longosz and Mark Scialabba would not be back next season, but that DeBartolo would be retained.

Washington hired DeBartolo as an intern in 2012. He worked his way up to an assistant GM position ahead of the 2019 season, which ended with the club winning a championship. DeBartolo was named vice president in 2021. The senior tag was added to his job title ahead of the 2024 season.

DeBartolo may be part of the previous regime, but being in his early 40s, he fits into the youth movement taking place in the organization’s top positions. Toboni is just 35 years old. He tabbed 33-year-old Blake Butera as the club’s next manager. Washington has the youngest front office leader and the youngest manager in the league.

Toboni and DeBartolo are joined in the front office by new additions Justin Horowitz and Devin Pearson. Both hires will be in assistant GM roles. Toboni told reporters that Horowitz will oversee player acquisitions, and Pearson will oversee player development. Horowitz was most recently the Pirates’ director of amateur scouting. Pearson had been Boston’s director of amateur scouting, succeeding Toboni himself in the role beginning in 2023.

 

Photo courtesy Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images. 

White Sox Release Blake Sabol

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The White Sox have released catcher Blake Sabol, according to the minor league transactions log. Chicago had acquired Sabol in a July trade with Boston. Sabol spent the duration of his brief White Sox tenure at Triple-A Charlotte.

The 27-year-old backstop was drafted by Pittsburgh in 2017. He hit the ground running as a professional, putting up above-average offensive performances in each of his three minor league seasons in the Pirates’ system. Sabol reached Triple-A in 2022, slashing .296/.426/.543 over a brief 25-game sample.

Sabol was selected by Cincinnati in the Rule 5 draft following the 2022 season. He was then traded to San Francisco. Sabol showed decent power in his first taste of big-league action, popping 13 home runs over 344 plate appearances in 2023. He made 46 starts behind the plate and 32 in left field. Plate discipline was the main concern. Sabol struck out 34% of the time while walking at a meager 7% clip.

The 2024 campaign saw Sabol spend the majority of the season at Triple-A Sacramento. He had a couple of brief stints with the Giants, totaling 38 plate appearances across 11 games. Sabol posted a strong 129 wRC+ in limited action.

San Francisco designated Sabol for assignment after the 2024 season. He was eventually traded to Boston for international bonus pool space. Sabol went 2-for-18 in eight games with the Red Sox.

With Chicago boasting young talents Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero, plus veteran Korey Lee, Sabol was a long shot to contribute at the MLB level this past season. He’ll now be on the search for another opportunity.

Photo courtesy Matt Marton, Imagn Images.

Royals Sign Connor Kaiser To Minor League Deal

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The Royals announced that Connor Kaiser has been signed to a minor league contract.  Kaiser was outrighted off the Diamondbacks’ 40-man roster two days ago and he then elected free agency, so it was a short stay on the open market for the infielder.

Kaiser is a local product who was born in nearby Overland Park and he played his high school ball in Stilwell, Kansas.  A contract with his hometown team is a nice early birthday gift for Kaiser (who turns 29 on November 20) and perhaps an opportunity to win a bench job in Spring Training.  His primary position of shortstop is obviously covered by Bobby Witt Jr., but Kaiser has experience at all four infield spots, and could work himself into the Royals’ uncertain second base picture.

A third-round pick for the Pirates in the 2018 draft, Kaiser’s MLB resume consists of three games with the Rockies in 2023, and 11 games with the Diamondbacks last season.  Arizona signed Kaiser to a minors contract last winter and he got some playing time in the Show after the D’Backs dealt away starters Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor at the trade deadline, and after Lourdes Gurriel Jr. suffered a torn ACL at the start of September.  Kaiser’s brief stint saw him record his first two career big league hits, but his career slash line over 23 plate appearances is only .091/.130/.136.

Over 1006 career PA at the Triple-A level, Kaiser has hit .230/.347/.378 with 21 homers and 23 steals (in 28 attempts).  These modest numbers are diminished a bit more given that most of Kaiser’s Triple-A career has been spent in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.  Known as a strong fielder, Kaiser’s defense and versatility may be the keys to whatever playing time he ends up earning with the Royals in 2026, though it helps that he has all three minor league options remaining.

Giants Part Ways With Coaches Garvin Alston, Damon Minor; Pat Burrell “Unlikely” To Return To MLB Staff

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The Giants’ coaching staff continues to be overhauled, as Shayna Rubin and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle report that assistant hitting coach Damon Minor and bullpen coach Garvin Alston won’t be part of the 2026 staff.  Hitting coach Pat Burrell is also “unlikely to be part of the major league staff” but he’ll remain in the organization in another capacity.

Alston has been the bullpen coach for the last two seasons, and was pitching coach for the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate from 2021-23.  Prior to arriving in San Francisco, Alston was the Twins’ pitching coach in 2018, a bullpen coach for the Diamondbacks in 2016 and the Athletics in 2017, and worked with the A’s in a variety of different minor league coaching and coordinator roles from 2005-15.

Minor will leave his role after just one season, but his time in the Giants’ organization stretches back a full decade due to nine years as the hitting coach at Triple-A Sacramento.  It isn’t known if Minor could also be retained in a different capacity, or if the Giants are moving on entirely.

Assistant hitting coach Oscar Bernard will be the only member of the hitting coach trio remaining if Burrell also departs.  “Pat The Bat” was the first overall pick of the 1998 draft, and his 12-year playing career concluded with two seasons with the Giants (and a championship ring as part of their 2010 World Series squad).  Post-retirement, he remained with the Giants as a special assignment scout and then as a hitting coach with A-level San Jose beginning in the 2020 season.

San Francisco batters hit a collective .235/.311/.386 in 2025, with a 97 wRC+ that ranked 17th of 30 big league teams.  The Giants similarly finished below the league average in all three slash line categories, as well as 19th in home runs (173).  While the challenges of hitting at Oracle Park are well-known, a lot more was expected from a Giants lineup that added Willy Adames last winter, and Rafael Devers at midseason.

Bottom-line numbers aren’t always the reason why a team might be inspired to make a coaching change, yet the Giants’ decision to part ways with Alston is unusual since the team’s bullpen was a strength in 2025.  Even after Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers were dealt at the trade deadline, San Francisco still finished the season with the fourth-best bullpen ERA (3.48) in baseball.  One weak point, however, was the bullpen’s lack of strikeouts, as the relief corps’ 21% strikeout rate ranked 25th in the league.  This isn’t necessarily a strike again Alston’s work, of course, and if anything it could be viewed as a positive that he was able to get strong results out of a pen that didn’t miss many bats.

A managerial change usually leads to changes on the coaching end, so it isn’t too surprising that a lot of new personnel will be joining Tony Vitello as fresh faces in the San Francisco dugout.  Burrell, Minor, and Alston join J.P. Martinez, Ryan Christenson, and Matt Williams as coaches departing the staff.  Martinez is going from the Giants’ pitching coach to a bullpen coach job with the Braves, and Christenson is going from being the Giants’ bench coach to becoming the Athletics’ new first base coach.  In terms of incoming coaches, Jayce Tingler is the only new coach known to be joining the Giants’ ranks to date, with Tingler’s role yet to be revealed.

Diamondbacks Sign Aramis Garcia To Minors Contract

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The Diamondbacks have re-signed catcher Aramis Garcia to a new minor league deal, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.  Presumably the new contract contains an invitation for Garcia to attend Arizona’s big league Spring Training camp, just like the previous minors deal Garcia signed with the D’Backs almost exactly one year ago.

Gabriel Moreno’s hand injury last June opened the door for Garcia to twice have his contract selected to the Diamondbacks’ active roster, though both of those promotions were soon followed by Garcia being designated for assignment and then outrighted off the 40-man roster.  Garcia had the right to elect free agency after either of those outrights but he chose to remain in the organization on both occasions.  He also was on track for minor league free agency once the season was over, but his time on the open market was pretty short, as he’ll now head back to the Diamondbacks.

Garcia’s time on the big league roster saw him appear in just two games in 2025, and he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his only four plate appearances.  Between not playing in the majors at all in 2023 and going hitless in seven PA (over three games) with the Phillies in 2024, it has now been over three years since Garcia’s last MLB hit, which speaks to his career path as a journeyman.  The catcher has hit .208/.245/.321 with 10 home runs over 331 career PA in the majors, suiting up with five different teams at the MLB level (and three more at the minor league level) since Garcia debuted during the 2018 season.

The D’Backs apparently liked what they saw from Garcia, both in his cups of coffee in the majors and in his more extended time at Triple-A Reno.  With the caveat that the Pacific Coast League is a very hitter-friendly environment, Garcia had an impressive .266/.385/.481 slash line in 296 PA for Reno in 2025.

As it stands right now, Moreno and Garcia are the only two catchers in Arizona’s organization with any big league playing experience, since James McCann is a free agent.  This makes Garcia the default as Moreno’s backup, but the Diamondbacks will surely add to their catching ranks between now and Spring Training, likely sending Garcia back to a Triple-A depth role once again.

Orioles Promote Brendan Fournie To Assistant GM

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The Orioles have promoted Brendan Fournie to an assistant general manager position, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports.  Fournie has been with the O’s for just under four years, working as the team’s senior director of baseball strategy and operations.  His new portfolio, as per Kubatko, will have Fournie “oversee baseball economics, advanced scouting and salary arbitration, and also provide roster and transaction support.”

Fournie becomes Mike Elias’ third assistant GM, joining Sig Mejdal and Eve Rosenbaum.  It hasn’t exactly been clear who (if anyone) Elias views as his chief lieutenant within Baltimore’s front office, though when news broke two months ago that Elias had been promoted to president of baseball operations prior to the start of the 2025 season, it came with the added item that the O’s were planning to hire a general manager to act as Elias’ number two.  That said, Elias has since downplayed the idea that a GM hire might come this offseason, so Fournie’s promotion may not be a hint that the team is any closer to finding a general manager.

Some other promotions and role changes are coming within the front office, largely within the player development and scouting departments.  Kubatko reports that Matt Blood will go from VP of player development/domestic scouting to a new role as the VP of player and staff development.  Blood will now be providing “executive support” to manager Craig Albernaz, the big league coaching staff, and the sports medicine and performance departments.

In addition to these new duties, Blood will still be the leader of Baltimore’s minor league player development department.  His old scouting responsibilities appear to be divvied up between a few other staffers getting promotions.  Will Robertson will become the new VP of domestic scouting and will now oversee the Orioles’ draft operations.  Chad Tatum (domestic scouting), Hendrik Herz (draft operations), and Kevin Carter (pro scouting) were also promoted to assistant director roles within their respective divisions.

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