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Archives for January 2020

Pirates Announce 11 Non-Roster Invitations

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The Pirates have announced a slew of non-roster invitations to Spring Training, including some new signings. Former big leaguers Tom Koehler and Nik Turley have evidently inked new deals with the Pittsburgh organization after qualifying for minor-league free agency at the end of the 2019 season.

Koehler spent last year with the Bucs, making some strides in his effort to return from shoulder surgery but not fully turning the corner. The 33-year-old is now two full seasons removed from the majors. In 784 1/3 innings at the game’s highest level, he carries a 4.39 ERA. Koehler obviously showed enough for the club to think there’s still a shot at a rebound.

As for the left-handed Turley, he hasn’t recorded any professional stats at all in the past two seasons owing to suspension and injury. He briefly made it to the majors in 2017 with the Twins but was knocked around in 17 2/3 innings.

Among the other players now slated to participate in MLB camp are Montana DuRapau, Luis Escobar, and Williams Jerez. All three were outrighted in one fell swoop at the outset of the offseason. Having cleared waivers, they remained with the Pittsburgh organization. The same occurred a few weeks earlier for James Marvel, who also gets an invite after debuting last year with the Bucs. Also receiving camp invitations are minor-leaguer catchers Christian Kelley and Jason Delay, hurlers Nick Mears and Blake Weiman, and outfielder Jared Oliva.

Astros To Interview Jeff Banister

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Former Rangers manager Jeff Banister could be returning to a dugout in Texas. The Astros will interview Banister for their managerial vacancy this week, Mark Berman of Fox 26 reports.

Houston represents familiar stomping grounds for the 56-year-old Banister, who attended the University of Houston. More recently, he managed the Rangers to a 325-313 record with two AL West championships and a pair of playoff berths from 2015-18. The Rangers went in another direction during the last of those seasons, in which they struggled to a 64-88 mark on Banister’s watch. But Banister stayed in the majors last year as a special assistant in Pittsburgh’s front office.

For the Astros, who have moved quickly to replace the fired A.J. Hinch, Banister’s the latest experienced manager to garner interest from the club. The Astros have already interviewed or will meet with Buck Showalter, Dusty Baker and John Gibbons. Cubs third base coach Will Venable and broadcaster Eduardo Perez have also drawn their attention.

Giants To Sign Jerry Blevins

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The Giants have inked a minors deal with lefty Jerry Blevins, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). It comes with an invitation to participate in MLB camp.

This move sends Blevins back out west for the first time since he wrapped up a lengthy stint with the Athletics. And it ends a tour of the NL East that began when he was dealt to the Nationals. He ultimately was shipped to the Mets in what became a four-year stint before spending 2019 with the Braves.

Blevins contributed 32 1/3 innings of 3.90 ERA ball last year to the division-champion Atlanta roster. He managed 10.3 K/9 on an 11.0% swinging-strike rate, which was closer to his prior ceiling than he had demonstrated in a down 2018 showing. But Blevins struggled as usual with the free pass, allowing 4.5 per nine. And though he was effective against lefties, he was battered by opposite-handed hitters to the tune of a .233/.347/.483 slash line.

It stands to reason that Blevins will have a solid shot at cracking the Giants’ bullpen in camp. The unit was a surprising success last year before a series of mid-season moves shook things up. The San Francisco org has churned through quite a few arms hunting for value but likely wouldn’t mind another veteran southpaw to go with the returning Tony Watson. All the better if Blevins performs well enough to feature as a mid-season trade candidate.

Nolan Arenado: “I Feel Disrespected” By Rockies

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On the same night that Rockies GM Jeff Bridich said that star third baseman Nolan Arenado wouldn’t be traded, the third baseman laid bare his less-than-positive feelings towards the organization. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post was on the story in both cases.

“I really don’t care what’s being said,” Arenado stated to Saunders. “I just know that I feel disrespected over there.” He offered similarly antagonistic words to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding, writing in a text that “there’s a lot of disrespect from people there that I don’t want to be a part of.”

Arenado declined to elaborate initially. But he noted in a follow-up statement to Harding (Twitter link) that he isn’t upset at being mentioned in trade chatter. Per Arenado: “I’m not mad at trade rumors. There’s more to it than that.”

The source of Arenado’s frustration still isn’t entirely clear. But there’s little doubt the Rockies’ downturn in 2019 features prominently. And his expression of anger coincides with — even if it doesn’t specifically relate to — the trade speculation that has hovered over his name this winter.

The star third baseman has no-trade rights, meaning he’d have to be involved at some point in any trade scenario. Whether and to what extent he has been in communication with the Rockies about trade scenarios is entirely unknown. There has been no public indication that he was specifically pressing the organization for a trade. Arenado’s pointed phrasing from late last season — “it feels like a rebuild” — drew attention, but seems to have been taken out of context.

Whether these new comments will have any practical impact remains to be seen. The sides remain bound by a seven-year deal, unless and until Arenado opts out (after 2021) or approves a swap orchestrated by the team. Bridich’s comments seemed designed to bring this month-long trade drama to a close. But now Arenado has given a tantalizing look into his thinking that’s sure to draw even greater scrutiny to his relationship and future with the Colorado organization.

Latest Notes On Orioles’ Offseason

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Unsurprisingly, it has been another rather quiet offseason for an Orioles organization that is still focused primarily on improving behind the scenes and building up its talent base for the future. There’s still no reason to anticipate anything approaching a blockbuster move this winter. But there could be some further additions before Spring Training opens. And O’s camp is now set to feature an especially intriguing piece of the future.

The latest from Baltimore:

  • In an update on the Orioles’ offseason efforts, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports that the club’s trade talks have gone “quiet.” That’s not terribly surprising. We haven’t seen much action on Trey Mancini or Mychal Givens, who are perhaps the club’s two most plausible trade pieces. In both cases, the club has multiple years of control remaining and needs not be in any rush to make a move. As ever, though, it’s possible that late-developing interest could spur some chatter.
  • Beyond that, Kubtako says that the O’s are only “willing to hand out one more major league contract this winter.” That limits the open-market possibilities — not that it ever seemed likely the team would do more at this stage. Buttressing the rotation and infield seemingly remain the two chief goals. Kubatko says the club has dabbled in both 40-man and non-roster deals at both positions.
  • While the Baltimore front office works to fill out its slate of candidates at the MLB level in 2020, it has also added a fun twist to the Spring Training festivities. Elite prospect Adley Rutschman has received an invitation to participate on the big league side of camp, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter). The exciting young backstop won’t be challenging for a job in the majors, obviously, but he will get a taste of the future at the outset of his first full year in the organization. When he was drafted with the top overall pick last summer, Rutschman was billed as both a highly talented and highly polished player. Just how fast he’ll move remains to be seen, but this decision tends to suggest the Orioles anticipate a relatively swift run through the farm.

Rockies GM Jeff Bridich Says Nolan Arenado Won’t Be Traded

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Rockies GM Jeff Bridich has all but shut the door on a potential offseason trade involving star third baseman Nolan Arenado, as Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports. Per Bridich, the Rockies “have listened to teams regarding Nolan and really nothing has come of it.”

Accordingly, he said, the club is “going to move forward pretty much as we expected — with Nolan in the purple and black and as our third baseman.” If there was any uncertainty in that phrasing, Bridich seemingly covered it with an additional statement (which doubles as an exhortation to the fans and media): “So we can put this to bed and collectively look forward to the upcoming season and work toward that.”

This is about as much finality as one can reasonably expect to hear from an executive regarding a run of trade rumors — though there is one rather memorable example that went a bit further. In theory, perhaps, the situation could yet change. Bridich indicates that the Rockies didn’t hear anything enticing from rival organizations, but it’s always possible the offers could increase.

Even if there’s some hypothetical possibility of a revival of offseason talks, it seems the bar is now raised rather substantially for a deal. The Rockies surely (and understandably) wish to avoid major uncertainty in the run-up to Spring Training. And now their top baseball executive has very nearly promised that the club’s biggest star will be in Colorado for 2020.

The Rangers, Cardinals, Braves, and others were connected to Arenado at various points in time. It was never clear that talks advanced beyond preliminary stages. While Bridich’s comments confirm that some discussions occurred, it’s fair to wonder whether the smoke really suited the fire.

On paper, it never seemed especially likely Arenado would be moved unless the Rox decided they simply had to move his contract off the books. He’s slated to earn $234MM over seven seasons, which is a fair rate for a player of his abilities and age. But Arenado will have an opt-out opportunity after two seasons, thus limiting the upside. There just isn’t a huge amount of anticipated surplus value in the contract. On the Rockies’ side, meanwhile, it would’ve been hard to part with such a central player unless significant talent came back in return — even given the obvious roster challenges facing the club this winter.

Yadier Molina Discusses Future

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As things stand, Cardinals fixture Yadier Molina is slated to enter the 2020 season as a contractual lame duck. But that could change in the coming months, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The 37-year-old Molina, who’ll again pair with Matt Wieters after the latter’s recent re-signing, says he has no intention of suiting up for another organization in the future. If the St. Louis org decides to move on before Molina has had his fill of playing, he says he’ll hang up his spikes.

But Molina doesn’t expect that time to come in the near future. He indicated to assembled reporters that he thinks he can keep catching for at least two more MLB campaigns. And Goold reports that both player and team expect to hold discussions in camp on a new contract that would keep Molina under contract for 2021 and include some sort of option for yet another campaign beyond that point.

There were some signs of decline in 2019. Molina turned in one of his weaker hitting performances, slashing just .270/.312/.399 in 452 plate appearances. Molina continues to shine at blocking errant pitches, but defensive grading systems paint him as a roughly average performer in the realms of framing, and controlling the running game.

That said, Molina has trended south with the bat before only to recover. Even in a down year, he was still an acceptable performer for a backstop. And it’s awfully difficult to say that the legendary veteran is merely an average presence behind the dish, even if that is true in terms of physical skills. Molina is not only considered a clubhouse leader with few peers, but plays a critical — and more or less unmeasurable — role in preparing and managing the Cards’ pitching staff.

It seems reasonably likely that the Cardinals will sort things out in a mutually satisfactory way with Molina, having done so already several times in the past. He has already spent 16 seasons in St. Louis and will mark his two thousandth game with the team early in the 2020 campaign. The sides have already hammered out three long-term deals. The most recent one was the most interesting, as it paid Molina a hefty $20MM annual salary over three seasons (ending in the upcoming season). It’ll be interesting to see where they settle on a new deal, if indeed one comes together.

Braves To Sign Felix Hernandez

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The Braves have inked former star hurler Felix Hernandez to a minor-league deal, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). It includes an invitation to MLB camp and a possible $1MM salary in the majors.

Once dubbed “King Felix,” the 33-year-old hurler was relieved of his crown in Seattle when the Mariners bid adieu after 15 memorable seasons. For most of those, Hernandez was somewhere between good and great. In seven seasons from 2009 through 2015, he notched six top-ten Cy Young appearances. He won the award in 2010.

Hernandez broke into the majors in his age-19 season, so it always seemed he’d have a chance at an exceedingly lengthy and productive career. The M’s gambled on just that premise with a then-record contract back in 2013. But his early thirties have not been kind. Since the start of the 2017 campaign, Hernandez has thrown 314 innings of 5.42 ERA ball. He’s averaging a pedestrian 7.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and 1.7 HR/9 in that span.

The struggles reached new heights in 2019, as Hernandez limped through 15 starts with a 6.40 ERA. He averaged only about 90 mph with his four and two-seam fastballs, while his long-vaunted changeup graded as a liability. Hernandez allowed a 91.4 mph average exit velocity, one of the worst marks in baseball, with opposing hitters turning in a hefty .378 wOBA that was supported by the quality of contact (.371 xwOBA).

So, is there anything left? The Braves aim to find out, though they haven’t staked a ton on the possibility. Hernandez will be given a shot at showing his form in camp, where he’ll join Sean Newcomb and a slew of other candidates doing battle for the fifth rotation slot. It’s still possible the Atlanta organization will make a trade that alters the dynamic. But if not, we’ll all be watching to see whether Hernandez can regain his royal standing — if not as monarch, then perhaps at least as some lesser duke.

Astros To Interview Eduardo Perez For Managerial Vacancy

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The Astros are interested in former big leaguer Eduardo Perez as they seek a new manager to replace the recently fired A.J. Hinch, reports Andy Martino of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Perez will interview tomorrow, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Perez, 50, should be plenty familiar with the organization after serving as former manager Bo Porter’s bench coach during the 2013 season. He was lined up to serve as Houston’s first base coach in 2014 but ultimately opted to step away from that role, citing a desire to spend more time with family. He also spent two years as the hitting coach in Miami (2011-12) and has managed in the Puerto Rican Winter League in addition to managing Team Colombia in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Beyond his coaching experience and his 13-year MLB career (1993-2006), Perez is of course well-known for his time as a host and analyst on ESPN and for MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. It’s been more than five years since he suited up in a big league dugout, although he’s been a popular managerial candidate over the past couple of offseasons. The Blue Jays interviewed Perez before hiring Charlie Montoyo last winter, and Perez was reportedly the runner-up when the Mets hired Carlos Beltran back in November. Like Hinch and Alex Cora, Beltran was ousted from a managerial job following his role in the 2017 sign-stealing scandal.

Among the other candidates for the Astros’ opening are veteran skippers Buck Showalter, John Gibbons and Dusty Baker. Cubs coach Will Venable, too, is reportedly set to interview.

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