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Chase Utley Won’t Serve Further Suspension For Slide

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Dodgers infielder Chase Utley will not have to serve a suspension for his controversial slide into Ruben Tejada in last season’s NLDS,  a source tells Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).  Utley was supposed to sit out two more games to round out his suspension.

During the seventh inning of Game 2 of the NLDS, Utley’s hard slide broke up a double play and broke Tejada’s fibula.  In the end, the Mets bested the Dodgers and went on to the World Series, but they were subsequently without the services of their starting shortstop.

MLB’s Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre determined that Utley made a “rolling block … away from the base” when he took out Tejada.  However, there was no rule against such a slide until this winter.

The 36-year-old Utley joined the Dodgers after an August trade with the Phillies and hit just .202/.291/.363, numbers that don’t come close to his All-Star years.  In December, the Dodgers and Utley reached agreement on a new one-year, $7MM deal.  This year, the Dodgers might be hoping he improves somewhat offensively, making him a valuable player when coupled with his defensive abilities.

When asked for his reaction to today’s news, Mets GM Sandy Alderson said he’s just glad the sliding rule has been changed, as Adam Rubin of ESPN.com writes.

Cafardo On Orioles, Bruce, Red Sox, Maeda

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In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders where James Loney might fit in with the Rays this year.  The veteran is currently behind the platoon of Steve Pearce and Logan Morrison at first and he’s also blocked at DH and left field by Corey Dickerson and Desmond Jennings, respectively.  With a salary of $8MM, the Rays have been unable to find a taker for Loney via trade, though they are willing to eat some of that money to facilitate a deal.

Here’s more from today’s column:

  • The Orioles are still considering a deal for Reds outfielder Jay Bruce as they try to bolster their lineup in March.  The O’s are also considering Austin Jackson, but Bruce could be considered the better fit thanks to his power.  Bruce will make $12.5MM in 2016, plus a $1MM buyout or a $13MM option in 2017, which isn’t exactly chump change.  Also, even though Bruce has some excellent campaigns on his resume, his play over the past two seasons hasn’t been all that strong.
  • One NL exec says a few teams have ID’d Red Sox catcher Ryan Hanigan as a possible trade target this summer.  Red Sox officials have said that it’s unlikely they would part with Hanigan due to the inexperience of Blake Swihart and fellow youngster Christian Vazquez.  However, rival officials aren’t sold on that and believe that Hanigan could be more available than Boston is letting on.  Hanigan has a $3.7MM salary for 2016 with an option for 2017.
  • Can new Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda be effective in his first MLB season?  One scout who watched him throw in Japan isn’t so sure.  “His stuff isn’t as good as [Masahiro] Tanaka and he’s more a middle to end of the rotation type of guy,” said the scout. “I don’t know how his fastball plays in the big leagues. I think he’s got the secondary pitches, but the quality of hitters he’ll face may be a challenge at first.”  The Dodgers will be without Brett Anderson for the next three to five months, so they are certainly hoping that Maeda can hit the ground running.
  • Agent Randy Rowley tells Cafardo that Justin Masterson will throw a bullpen session for several teams towards the end of March.
  • The trade sending John Ryan Murphy to the Twins in exchange for outfielder Aaron Hicks was “the best pure baseball deal of the offseason,” in the opinion of one official who spoke with Cafardo.  That official, Cafardo notes, was not involved in the swap in any way.  Hicks, a defensive specialist, posted a .256/.323/.398 batting line in 2015 and added 13 steals, numbers that made him a little more attractive to the Bombers.  The Twins, meanwhile, got themselves an upgrade behind the plate in the wake of Kurt Suzuki’s struggles.
  • Free agent outfielder Grady Sizemore hasn’t received much interest to date.  The veteran spent the second half of last season with the Rays.

Swisher Recognizes Reasons For Trade To Braves

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When the Indians signed Nick Swisher to a four-year, $56MM deal prior to the 2013 season, they didn’t anticipate his knees giving him serious trouble just one year in.  By 2015, the deal looked to be a bad one for the Indians and they were more than motivated to unload the money owed to him.  The Tribe found a taker in August, sending Swisher, Michael Bourn’s bad contract, and $15MM to Atlanta for third baseman Chris Johnson.   Swisher says he completely understands the Indians’ reasons for dealing him.

Nick Swisher (vertical)

“It was a business move and I don’t blame [the Indians] for doing that,” Swisher told MLBTR prior to Friday’s Spring Training game against the Phillies. “I got hurt in the second year of a five-year deal [his deal includes an option] and my production was down.  I was hired to do a job and I didn’t get it done, so I don’t blame them.  It made a lot of sense as a business move.”

Now more than 18 months removed from double arthroscopic surgery on his knees, Swisher says that he “feels great” and is eager to show what he can do on the field.  After first undergoing surgery in 2014, Swisher turned in a weak .208/.278/.331 line and followed that up with an even worse .198/.261/.297 batting line in 30 games in 2015.  Now, he believes that he can inch closer to the form he displayed in the previous eight seasons, when he slashed .257/.362/.464 and averaged 26 homers per season.

If Swisher shows in Spring Training that he can hit reasonably well, he might not be in Atlanta for long.  In January, it was reported that the Braves would like to trade Swisher and/or Bourn before Opening Day.  The talk will heat up if Swisher starts raking in March, but don’t expect the 35-year-old to be scanning the web for the latest mentions of his name.

“There’s too much stuff going on to pay attention to that.  I’ve kind of been doing this for a little bit and in the offseason, people write stuff that has no truth to it.  I think, for me, I’ve been doing it long enough to know that it’s all B.S.  Until something does happen, that’s when you can really believe things,” Swisher said.

Swisher finds himself on a team that is designed to compete in 2017, not 2016.  The veteran understands the team’s plan but he is not necessarily crazy about the prospect of spending the year in the cellar.

“It’s different.  It’s something I’m not used to.  Where I’m at in my life and my career, I want to win and I want to win now.  I don’t know how many years I got left,” said Swisher.  “I just know that I want to keep going out there and keep enjoying this piece of grass every day that I keep coming out to.  I’m just so fortunate in my career and I’ve been able to do a lot of great things.  I just want to ride this thing until the wheels fall off and I want to make my mark on this game, somehow.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Phillies’ Jake Thompson On Being Traded Twice

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It can be tough for a player adjust to a new organization, and Phillies prospect Jake Thompson has already had to make that change twice in his young career thanks to his inclusion in a pair of significant trades.  The first time around, Thompson was shipped from the Tigers to the Rangers as a part of the Joakim Soria deal.  One year later, he went from Texas to Philly in the Cole Hamels deal.  After his Spring Training start on Thursday, Thompson explained that going through deal No. 1 helped him transition better after deal No. 2.

Jake Thompson (vertical)

“I tried to overdo everything [after the first trade].  I tried to throw every fastball max velocity, and I wasn’t really utilizing all the strengths of my game like the movement on my fastball,” Thompson told reporters in Clearwater, Fla. after allowing three hits over two innings with one walk and one strikeout.  “I was trying to do things that I wasn’t capable of.  So, this time around I decided to be myself and see how that turns out.  I’ve tried to get a whole lot more contact since I’ve been with the Phillies and the last part of [Double-A] Reading that really panned out for me and as my command gets better here I’m going to try to keep doing that.  I’m going to keep trying to get more ground balls.”

As he adjusts to the Phillies organization, Thompson says that he is leaning on veteran leadership for advice and support.  Of course, there aren’t many veterans left in the Phillies clubhouse with 28-year-old Jeremy Hellickson qualifying as a grizzled veteran in the team’s babyfaced rotation.  Thompson, 22, cited Charlie Morton and Carlos Ruiz as two of his mentors here in Clearwater.

Thompson was also more at ease after the Hamels deal because he came to his new club with fellow pitching prospects Alec Asher and Jerad Eickhoff, catching prospect Jorge Alfaro, and outfield prospect Nick Williams.

“That’s one thing that is a little bit different from the first time I was traded.  I came here with a few teammates and I actually played with all of them except for Matt Harrison, so that made things a lot easier.  I had some familiar faces with me,” Thompson explained.

The trade talk buzzed around Hamels in Philadelphia for years and reached a fever pitch leading up to July 2015.  Even though the Rangers were often mentioned as a likely landing spot for the ace, Thompson says that he ignored the trade talk.  When the trade did go down, Thompson admitted that he was flattered to be a key piece of a deal for one of the league’s biggest names.

“There’s a huge honor in that.  Cole Hamels is Cole Hamels, he’s undeniably good.  For me, I just try not to get super wrapped up in it. Every day I’m trying to become a Major League pitcher, and I just try to keep getting better.”

Thompson may not have to wait too long to realize that goal.  Though he just turned 22 in January, he reached Double-A at the age of 20 and spent the entire 2015 season, his age-21 campaign, at that level.  Thompson recorded a 3.73 ERA with 7.6 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in 132 2/3 innings last year despite being nearly four years younger than the league average.  That performance and his raw stuff prompted Baseball America to rank him third among Phillies farmhands and 75th in all of baseball.  Similarly, MLB.com listed him second among Phillies prospects and 55th in baseball, while ESPN’s Keith Law rated Thompson second in the organization and 63rd in all of baseball.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Doug Fister Looks To Rebound With Astros

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This winter, Doug Fister’s free agency lasted longer than most.  The right-hander was linked to a number of teams but, after waiting things out, he inked a one-year, $7MM deal with the Astros which could reach $12MM through incentives.  After an exceptionally strong 2014, Fister followed up with a disappointing 2015 which saw him relegated to the bullpen in Washington.  At the outset of free agency, observers really weren’t sure about what kind of deal Fister would land.  The pitcher says he had no idea, either.

Doug Fister (vertical)

“No, I really didn’t know what kind of contract I would get.  I kind of took the mindset that would all take care of itself,” Fister said after tossing a pair of scoreless innings in his 2016 Spring Training debut.  “I have a great agent [Page Odle, PSI Sports Management] and I leaned on him…I realized that I’ll just be where I’m going to be and I’m truly blessed to be a part of this clubhouse.  We’ve got a great team.  I can’t stress that enough.”

Fister drew varying degrees of interest from teams like the Mariners, Yankees, Marlins, Tigers, and even today’s opponent — the Phillies.  The Astros came to Fister with the right contract, and they also sold him hard on spending a year in Houston.

“I spent some time on the phone with [manager] A.J. [Hinch] and [GM] Jeff [Luhnow],” Fister explained.  “I got to know them more on a personal level, and it was almost like a job interview, really.  But they have that desire to win.  They have that fire.  The guys here got a taste of the playoffs last year, and they want to get back there.  They have that fire, that desire, and that’s what we play this game for.”

Last season was surely frustrating for Fister, but he termed the rocky year as a “learning experience.”  Ultimately, though, he refuses to complain and he says that he is embracing the challenge of reasserting himself as a starter this year.

After several strong years in Detroit, he enjoyed one of his best seasons with the Nationals in 2014.  Unfortunately, injury issues slowed him down at the outset of the season, but he performed better when he was moved to the bullpen.  The 32-year-old has a singular focus on getting back to the starting five, but after last year’s experience, he knows that he can pitch in relief again if he is ever asked to do so.

“Every starter has a routine, and I had to kind of break that up and tell myself that I have to pitch every day,” said Fister.  “I told myself that if the time comes later in my career where I have to pitch out of the bullpen, I know that I can do that.  At the same time, I know that starting is in my heart and that’s where I wanted to be this offseason.  It’s only two weeks into the spring but I’m definitely where I want to be.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Charlie Manuel On Phillies’ Rebuilding Process

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The rebuilding Phillies have just two players left from their 2008 World Series Championship team — Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz.  They’re not the only members of the organization that were in the dugout then, however; former manager Charlie Manuel is now serving as a senior advisor to the General Manager — a job that keeps him involved and plugged in as the team looks to continue its rebuilding process.  The overhaul has left the Phillies with an exceptionally young club, but that’s not unfamiliar territory for Manuel. Charlie Manuel (vertical)

“When I was with the Twins in 1986 and ’87 we had some young players.  We had [Kent] Hrbek, [Gary] Gaetti, [Kirby] Puckett, and all these young guys that turned out to be real good players.  This group of guys is something similar to them,” Manuel told MLBTR in a one-on-one interview in Clearwater, Florida.  “When you look at this group, we’ve got a lot of talent.  These players have a lot of tools.  We can go first to third, we can go second to home, but we still have to develop ourselves as hitters to be able to be regular players at the Major League level.  And, when it comes to young pitchers, we got so many that some of them have to be good.”

Manuel is particularly impressed with the team’s young pitching and pointed to Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, and Jake Thompson as “big arm” pitchers that can be future stars for the club.  Part of Manuel’s new role with the team will be to help identify the next crop of amateur pitchers that can blossom into impact players.

“During the season, I go to all of our minor league teams and help evaluate players,” the World Series winning manager explained.  “Also, when Spring Training is over, I’ll get involved in the amateur draft and I’ll check out some of the top guys, guys that are going in the first through fifth rounds.  After the summer, I’ll pick up some Major League scouting and key in on some free agents.  I’ll also be in Philadelphia up in our box as a part of our own in-house evaluations.”

In 2008, Manuel’s Phillies won 92 games on their way to an National League East crown and, of course, a World Series title.  This year’s Phillies aren’t a popular pick for the postseason, but the 72-year-old ex-manager doesn’t think it’ll be long before we see the Phillies in the postseason again.

“I think a few years from now, you’ll see us where the Astros are,” Manuel said as he gestured towards the visiting dugout. “They backed up and made a lot of good draft choices and look at how good they are now.  That’s what we’re hoping to do.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Peter Bourjos Eager For Fresh Start With Phillies

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In December, the Phillies added to an already stacked outfield mix when they claimed Peter Bourjos off waivers from the Cardinals.  The outfielder’s time in St. Louis was not terribly memorable and many pointed to his lingering hip injury as the culprit for his struggles.  However, Bourjos says it was something else keeping him from playing his best with the Cards. Peter Bourjos (vertical)

“I think it was more just being in and out of the lineup.  It was tough getting into a rhythm,” Bourjos told MLBTR in Clearwater, Florida on Thursday. “That’s the role I was in, that was the role I accepted, and you just try to do your best with it.  It’s tough coming in and facing the set-up guy or the closer in pinch hit at-bats.  It’s tough to get something going.”

Because of his inconsistent playing time, it was no surprise to Bourjos when he was exposed to waivers in the offseason.

“I didn’t really think I’d be back there, just because of how things played out down the stretch.  I think I had three or four starts in the second half of the year.  I didn’t really have a lot of at-bats.  You can just kind of see the writing on the wall, that they had a lot of good young outfielders coming and it probably just wasn’t going to be a good fit,” said Bourjos.

Realizing that he wouldn’t be back with the Cardinals, Bourjos and agent Curtis Dishman huddled up to discuss potential landing spots and which teams would make the best fit for him.  With the potential for significant and consistent playing time, the Phillies were “at the top” of his personal wish list.  General Manager Matt Klentak told MLBTR back in December that his familiarity with Bourjos from their shared Angels days played a role in acquiring him, but the outfielder says that the Phillies have actually had interest in him for years, dating back to the Ruben Amaro-led front office.

It’s easy to see why the Phillies would have coveted Bourjos for so long.  In 2011, the defensive wizard made a name for himself in baseball when he slashed .271/.327/.438.  Now on his third big league team, Bourjos is determined to make the most of his fresh start.

“Whenever I’ve had consistent at-bats, I’ve played pretty well, and that goes back to 2013.  The at-bats were consistent, but I got hurt.  I was playing pretty well up until that point.  It’s about getting out there and being consistent in the lineup.  It kind of goes both ways, I have to prove that I can do that.  I can’t get off to a bad start, I have to prove that I belong out there.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Brad Ausmus On Tigers’ Offseason

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After four consecutive AL Central titles, the Tigers’ streak came to an end in 2015.  Eager to get back to the business of hoisting championship banners, Detroit got to work in the winter and landed some serious upgrades on the open market.  From signing Jordan Zimmermann to a five-year, $110MM deal in November to landing Justin Upton on a six-year, $132.75MM commitment in January, the Tigers went all out to ensure that they would be in position to return to the postseason once again. Brad Ausmus (vertical)

If the Tigers’ major additions took you somewhat by surprise this offseason, then you weren’t alone.  Detroit manager Brad Ausmus didn’t necessarily expect things to work out this way, either.

“I knew what the plan was.  It’s a lot easier to make a plan than it is to execute a plan,” Ausmus told MLBTR and other reporters on Tuesday morning at Joker Marchant Stadium.  “I knew that we were going to be aggressive in terms of trying to sign free agents, but we were probably much more successful in doing it than I would have anticipated.  It’s easy to talk about, it’s much more difficult to follow through on.  But, it worked well.”

Ausmus addressed reporters outside of the clubhouse where players were having a private union meeting.  With the MLBPA on-hand, the Collective Bargaining Agreement was fresh on everyone’s minds.  One of the key issues in the next round of CBA talks is expected to be the Qualifying Offer system and the union is expected to fight for an overhaul given how it has negatively impacted several notable players.

During his playing days, Ausmus served as a union representative, but he could not recall what year he was serving in that capacity or whether he added much in MLBPA meetings.  The former catcher says he was mostly an observer in “the back of the room” during some of the more substantive discussions taking place in the early 90s.  In 2016, six years removed from playing in the majors, he’s not terribly interested in offering up his opinion on the QO.  Still, he had to concede that the oft-criticized system helped lead one of the offseason’s top position players to Detroit.

“It might have helped us in the sense that [Justin Upton] was still out there in late January.  Without the [draft pick] compensation system, I guess there may have been more teams that would have been involved earlier.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Nate Schierholtz: Big In Japan, Back In MLB

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After eight straight years in the majors, outfielder Nate Schierholtz found himself in an unfamiliar situation last spring.  The veteran outfielder inked a minor league deal with the Rangers in February 2015 and, roughly seven weeks later, he opted out of the pact when he learned that he would not make the cut.  When baseball’s game of musical chairs left Schierholtz without a quality MLB opportunity, the veteran decided to go out of his comfort zone and hemisphere by signing with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Nate Schierholtz (vertical)

“It was definitely an interesting experience and I learned a lot.  I enjoyed living with the Japanese culture and learning some of their ways and values.  The fans are very kind to the American foreign players and it was a great experience,” Schierholtz told MLBTR in Lakeland, Florida before the Tigers’ contest against the Pirates.

Schierholtz didn’t know much about the NPB before heading over there, but he quickly discovered that the Hiroshima Carp enjoy rockstar status in Japan.

“We were a very popular team, we sold out with 35,000 people every day that season.  Our support was like no other team’s there, even during road games.  It was neat to see fans stand up and cheer for three hours straight without sitting down.  They had a couple of chants for every player too.  Mine was ’Nate-O,’ because that’s what they called me.  The whole stadium would chant ’Home Run Nate-O!’ every time I was at bat because that’s all they want to see from the American players,” the outfielder said.

Schierholtz, of course, isn’t a huge home run hitter, but he did oblige the fans’ request on ten occasions.  In 248 plate appearances, Schierholtz slashed .250/.298/.435 while playing hard-nosed defense in the outfield.  After re-establishing himself, the veteran had multiple non-guaranteed MLB opportunities for the 2016 season.  This time around, he knew that his best bet was to sign early on in the offseason.

“I had a little bit of a different strategy from last offseason.  I waited and waited and waited and I kind of got in a bad situation last Spring Training [with the Rangers] as far as opportunity goes, so I just wanted to sign with a team that wanted me there.  I felt like [the Tigers’] track record of being a successful team really appealed to me.  I think, at my age, my goal is to get back to the playoffs. I had so much fun back in San Francisco winning that World Series, that’s kind of what motivates me now.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NL Central Notes: Russell, Cubs, Weaver, Reds

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The Cubs are convinced that young Addison Russell will thrive at shortstop, as ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick writes.  Russell is just four years removed from anchoring the Pace High School Patriots’ starting infield, but they believe that he is mature beyond his years.”He’s got a good head on his shoulders,” Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said of the 22-year-old. “He’s our youngest player, but he might be the one we worry about the least.” Russell was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Athletics and figured to be a big part of their future until he was shipped to Chicago in the Jeff Samardzija trade.  In his first big league season, Russell slashed .242/.307/.389 as he adjusted to major league pitching. This year, the Cubs are hoping that the shortstop will provide them with a line closer to the combined .295/.350/.508 he posted at the Class A+ and Double-A levels in 2014.

Here’s more out of the NL Central:

  • The Cubs are stacked with position players and they have great trade chips if they want to go out and add a pitcher, MLB.com’s Phil Rogers writes.  After signing Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist this witer, the Cubs have a bit of a logjam as they try to get playing time for Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler, and Javier Baez.  On top of that, the team has even more young hitters in the pipeline, so they can afford to work from their surplus.
  • Cardinals prospect Luke Weaver is impressing early in Spring Training, as Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com writes.  Weaver, ranked as one of St. Louis’ top prospects in 2016, projects to open this season at Double-A Springfield. Weaver has been working with veteran right-handers Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn, Langosch notes, picking up tips on his curveball and release point. “We always try and figure out how to put some of the young players with guys they can watch and emulate a little bit,” Matheny explained to Langosch. “We just thought Luke would be one of the guys who would benefit from not just the spoken, but the watching the habits that have become second nature for Adam.”
  • Reds Rule 5 picks Chris O’Grady and Jake Cave are eager to show what they can do in camp, as Mark Sheldon of MLB.com writes. It’s been nine years since the Reds last successfully carried a Rule 5 pick all season, Sheldon notes, when the club had a pair of excellent Rule 5 pickups in right-hander Jared Burton and outfielder Josh Hamilton. Cave, selected out of the Yankees organization, spoke to Sheldon about the importance of maximizing an opportunity with Cincinnati, as the Yankees have a fairly notable logjam in the outfield, whereas the Reds have a clearer path to at-bats. Manager Bryan Price spoke to Sheldon about each player’s chances, noting that video alone of O’Grady on the mound has impressed him, while Cave faces a challenge going from an everyday role in the minors to either a platoon situation or a reserve that would move all over the outfield.

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