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Update On Mets’ Managerial Search

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Not long after reports of the A’s conducting their first managerial interview surfaced, the Mets have begun an interview carousel of their own. SNY’s Andy Martino reports that the Mets conducted their first managerial interview today, and expect to keep the process going Tuesday. Among the identified managerial candidates include a trio of bench coaches— Houston’s Joe Espada, Tampa Bay’s Matt Quatraro, and Pittsburgh’s Don Kelly— as well as two veteran managers, Buck Showalter and Brad Ausmus.

Martino notes that the current list of candidates still has room to grow, but throws cold water on the notion that beloved Mets alumni Curtis Granderson and David Wright will interview after their names surfaced in earlier discussions. Whoever makes the shortlist and earns a shot at interviewing will meet with newly-minted GM Billy Eppler and his staff. Owner Steve Cohen will meet with vetted candidates some time after the initial round of interviews.

The identity of today’s interviewed candidate was none other than Brad Ausmus, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Ausmus has quite a few things going for his candidacy that surely helped net him the first opportunity to meet with Mets decision-makers. One such factor working in Ausmus’s favor is his relationship to Eppler, as Ausmus served as a special assistant to Eppler before being promoted to dugout manager in 2019 while the two were with the Angels. In other networking news, Fansided’s Robert Murray also notes that Ausmus is a Dartmouth alum like Mets president Sandy Alderson and assistant GM Bryn Alderson.

Unlike some of the candidates who have yet to interview, Ausmus also has a track record as a Major League manager. Between his time with the Angels and Detroit, he has compiled a 386-412 record as a manager, including two winning seasons at the helm and a playoff appearance. It probably also doesn’t hurt Ausmus’s case that his best season in Detroit coincided with Max Scherzer’s last season in the AL. Scherzer, one of the Mets’ marquee pickups this offseason, owns one of the game’s more fiery personalities and is perhaps best handled by a dugout operator who’s familiar with his tempo.

If Quatraro’s name rings a bell it may be because he interviewed with the A’s within the past couple of days. That the Tampa Bay bench coach has landed interviews for 100% of this offseason’s managerial vacancies is no surprise. The Rays have proven their division’s winningest team during Quatraro’s time as bench coach, no small feat considering the powerhouses that reside within those same confines. Martino reports that Quatraro is in line for a Tuesday interview.

There aren’t many updates for the remaining candidates of Espada, Kelly, and Showalter, though they all remain highly credible options in the wake of MLBTR’s profile of their candidacies last week. Jon Heyman does note (via Twitter) that Espada and Eppler share a “strong link” dating back to their time in the Yankees organization, and calls Espada a “serious contender”.

Latest On Mets’ Managerial Search

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10:04 pm: Martino tweets that while Granderson’s name had come up in initial discussions, he is not expected to interview for the position.

9:49 pm: Robert Murray of FanSided reports (on Twitter) that longtime big league outfielder Curtis Granderson is also under consideration for the Mets. The 40-year-old announced his retirement from playing in 2020 following a 16-year big league career that included a trio of All-Star appearances and a Silver Slugger Award.

Granderson had emerged as a respected veteran presence in clubhouses over the course of his career. He currently serves as the president of the Players Alliance, a nonprofit organization aimed at increasing accessibility within the sport for Black athletes. Granderson played four seasons with the Mets during team president Sandy Alderson’s time as the club’s GM. Prior to that, he spent four years with the Yankees — a stint that overlapped with Eppler’s time in the club’s front office.

6:35 pm: The Mets declined an option to bring back skipper Luis Rojas shortly after the end of the 2021 season. Two months later, they remain without a manager. After spending a significant chunk of the early offseason in the search for a new GM that eventually landed Billy Eppler, the Mets turned their attention to the player market last week in advance of the lockout. With clubs barred from making major league transactions for the duration of the work stoppage, the Mets and the Athletics, the other team currently without a manager, figure to zero in on those respective searches in short order.

Andy Martino of SNY reports some preliminary candidates, naming Astros bench coach Joe Espada, Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro, Pirates bench coach Don Kelly and former MLB managers Buck Showalter and Brad Ausmus among those under early consideration. Martino cautions that’s not an exhaustive list, and it’s not clear whether everyone in that group will get an interview.

No one from that group registers as much of a surprise. None of Espada, Quatraro or Kelly has managed at the big league level, but they’ve all been rumored as part of searches elsewhere. Espada, 46, has been the bench coach in Houston for the past four seasons, working underneath both A.J. Hinch and Dusty Baker. He’s interviewed for a few different managerial openings in recent years and at one point even looked to be the favorite for the Giants job that eventually went to Gabe Kapler.

Quatraro’s name has come up a few times over the past couple offseasons. Kevin Cash’s top lieutenant over the last three years in Tampa Bay, the 48-year-old Quatraro has interviewed with the Giants, Pirates and Tigers in winters past and was reportedly a finalist for the Pittsburgh job that went to Derek Shelton. Kelly has worked underneath Shelton in the Steel City over the past two seasons. The 41-year-old interviewed with the Tigers and Red Sox last offseason and was reported to be among the top handful under consideration for the job that went to Alex Cora.

Showalter and Ausmus, meanwhile, come with significant managerial experience. The former has been one of the more accomplished skippers of the past couple decades. Showalter, now 65, landed his first big league managerial job with the Yankees in 1992. He spent four years in the Bronx, managed the D-Backs from 1998-2000, the Rangers from 2003-06 and the Orioles from 2010-18.

Over his career, Showalter won Manager of the Year Awards at three of those four stops. He’s overseen five playoff clubs (including three division winners), taking the 2014 Orioles to the AL Championship Series. Showalter hasn’t managed since being dismissed by Baltimore after the 2018 campaign, but he’s continued to express openness to a return to the dugout.

Ausmus, meanwhile, has managed at two separate stints. He spent the 2014-17 campaigns at the helm of the Tigers, then managed the Angels in 2019. That stint in Anaheim overlapped with Eppler’s tenure as Angels’ GM, fueling immediate speculation upon the latter’s hiring with the Mets that he could look to bring Ausmus to Queens.

Prior to that stint as skipper, Ausmus spent the 2018 season as a member of the Los Angeles front office. Eppler’s Angels fired Ausmus after just one season in the managerial chair, but it was reported at the time that call was made by owner Arte Moreno (perhaps not coincidentally just one day after it was announced Joe Maddon was leaving the Cubs).

Curtis Granderson Announces Retirement

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Long-time big-league slugger Curtis Granderson announced today in an Instagram post that he is wrapping up his playing career. The 38-year-old appeared in 16 MLB campaigns.

Granderson had hoped to keep playing, but wasn’t finding interest on the open market. He had struggled in what turned out to be his final season in the majors, slashing just .183/.281/.356 last year with the Marlins.

Plenty of great careers have come to a conclusion in similar fashion. What’s more remarkable is that Granderson was still quite a productive hitter in the season prior. He turned in 403 plate appearances of .242/.351/.431 hitting with 13 home runs in 2018 with the Blue Jays and Brewers.

Granderson turned in plenty of strong campaigns along the way. But more than that, he became one of the game’s most respected players, both inside and outside of the clubhouse. (See, for instance, here and here.)

On the field, the gregarious former third-round pick was an evolving but ever-present threat. It’s easy to forget just how good he was at his best. With the Tigers in 2007, his second full season in the bigs, Granderson launched 23 long balls, swiped 26 bags, and turned in other-worldly glovework and overall baserunning to post a 7.9 fWAR campaign.

Granderson was no longer as capable with the glove by the time he landed with the Yankees in a three-team stunner, but he still turned in a 6.9 fWAR effort in 2011. That year, Granderson hit more than forty homers for the first of two consecutive seasons, turned in a personal-best 146 wRC+, and continued to provide big value with his legs (including 25 steals).

When Granderson signed with the Mets in 2014, he was coming off of an injury-marred season. At 33 years of age, his four-year, $60MM contract came with some obvious risks. But Granderson turned in four rather productive seasons under the deal, including a star-level 2015 effort (131 wRC+, 5.3 fWAR), and easily justified the financial outlay.

Granderson enjoyed three fairly lengthy stints to begin his career, authoring productive, 500+ game runs with the Tigers, Yankees, Mets. An August 2017 trade to the Dodgers launched a journeyman stage that eventually took him through Toronto, Milwaukee, and Miami.

Add it all up, and Granderson tallied more than two thousand big-league games with seven organizations. Half of his 16 campaigns ended in postseason runs. Granderson slashed only .224/.317/.424 in 244 playoff plate appearances, but was at his best in the 2015 World Series (3 home runs, 1.060 OPS in 25 plate appearances). He is a lifetime .249/.337/.465 hitter with 344 home runs; he appeared in three All-Star games and accumulated 47.6 fWAR and 47.3 rWAR.

Quite an impressive run, all things considered — all the more when his charitable efforts are added to the equation. It’s not clear precisely what’s next for Granderson, but it seems sure we haven’t seen the last of him. As he notes in his announcement:

“As I close out this wonderful chapter in my life and step away from my days on the field, I know that my role in this game is only just getting started. I look forward to continuing my work helping to diversify the sport, paving the way for young kids to learn and grow.”

MLBTR offers its congratulations and best wishes to Grandy and his family.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

FA Rumors: Ozuna, Braves, J. Castro, Stammen, Peraza, Grandy

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The Braves are interested in free-agent outfielder Marcell Ozuna, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets. This isn’t the first connection between the sides, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported last month that the Braves were one of the clubs in on Ozuna. Now, though, it seems the Braves are willing to aggressively pursue the 29-year-old qualifying offer recipient. In the event third baseman Josh Donaldson leaves Atlanta for another team, the Braves would regard Ozuna as a viable fallback option, Morosi suggests. MLBTR predicts Ozuna will reel in a three-year, $45MM guarantee, and if he lands anywhere near that neighborhood, he should fall well short of Donaldson’s next contract. That said, replacing Donaldson’s bat with Ozuna’s would still leave a sizable hole at third base for the Braves.

Here’s the latest on several other free agents…

  • The Angels, Astros, and Rangers are among the organizations with interest in backstop Jason Castro, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). With Yasmani Grandal and Travis d’Arnaud off the market, the 32-year-old Castro could be the best catcher left on the board. The pitch-framing savant’s coming off a strong season in Minnesota, where he batted .232/.332/.435 in 275 plate appearances and earned positive grades in Baseball Prospectus’ Fielding Runs Above Average metric.
  • Several teams appear to be in the market for reliever Craig Stammen. The right-hander’s most recent team, the Padres, as well as the Astros, Diamondbacks, Reds, White Sox, Blue Jays and Cardinals have all expressed interest, per Morosi (Twitter links). Stammen, whom MLBTR projects for a two-year, $10MM guarantee, has put together a strong career divided between Washington and San Diego. The 35-year-old logged a 3.29 ERA with 8.01 K/9, 1.65 BB/9 and a 50.8 percent groundball rate in 82 innings last season as a Padre.
  • The Reds are one of the teams with interest in Japanese center fielder Shogo Akiyama, president of baseball operations Dick Williams revealed (via Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Clubs have until Dec. 19 to sign Akiyama, who had an impressive run with the Seibu Lions from 2011-19. It’s unclear what a potential Reds-Akiyama union would mean for Nick Senzel, their starting center fielder last season. Senzel could perhaps move to the corner outfield, which does look like a need area for the Reds.
  • The Cardinals are interested in re-signing backup catcher Matt Wieters, according to general manager Michael Girsch (via Goold). Whether it’s Wieters or someone else, the team seems intent on adding a veteran to play behind Yadier Molina. Wieters could wind up in Oakland if he doesn’t go back to St. Louis, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Athletics have shown interest in the 33-year-old to back up Sean Murphy. This is the second straight offseason in which Wieters has landed on the A’s radar.
  • The Orioles and Indians are two of the four teams that have shown interest in infielder Jose Peraza, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). The Reds non-tendered Peraza last week on the heels of an unproductive season, but he’s only a year removed from a respectable showing. The 25-year-old’s also controllable via arbitration through 2022.
  • Although he hopes to play next season, there has been little interest in outfielder Curtis Granderson, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. The soon-to-be 39-year-old Granderson is a revered clubhouse presence who has enjoyed an outstanding career, but he’s a free agent at an inopportune time. Granderson struggled to a .183/.281/.356 line with minus-1.4 fWAR in 363 plate trips with the Marlins last season.

Curtis Granderson Hopes To Continue Playing In 2020

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Marlins outfielder/pinch-hitter Curtis Granderson will turn 39 next March and is struggling through the worst offensive season of his career, but he tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com that he hopes to continue his career beyond the 2019 season. The veteran is open to a reunion with the Marlins, should the club have interest in re-signing him.

Granderson acknowledges that it’s not a “slam dunk” for a player of his age to find interest from any of the clubs in the league. This time last year, he was finishing up a season in which he hit .242/.351/.431 with 13 home runs between the Blue Jays and Brewers. Despite that solid production and his highly regarded clubhouse presence, Granderson had to settle for a minor league contract.

Now, Granderson will carry an eyesore of a batting line (.186/.286/.355 at present) into free agency. To his credit, the Grandy Man does have 11 home runs, 17 doubles and a triple under his belt this year. And his 26.9 percent strikeout rate, while higher than the league average, is only a modest increase from last season’s 26.3 percent clip. He’s still walking at an 11.6 percent rate, hasn’t seen his infield-fly rate jump and has slightly improved his hard-contact rate from 34.3 percent to 35 percent, per Statcast. Silver linings aside, it’s hard to hide from struggles of this magnitude. If Granderson lands back with the Marlins or with a new club, it seems likely that it’d be on another minor league pact with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

If there’s one thing working in Granderson’s favor, it could be that the standard Major League roster size is set to expand from 25 players to 26 players, beginning next season. Big league clubs will have an additional roster spot at their disposal, and it’s not out of the question that the Marlins (or perhaps another rebuilding club) would want to take advantage of that by rostering a veteran of 16 Major League seasons to help mentor emerging big leaguers.

To that end, the Marlins’ decision to extend manager Don Mattingly can’t hurt Granderson’s chance of suiting up for a second season in South Beach. Mattingly gushed praise for the veteran outfielder and the influence he’s had on the Marlins’ young players, calling him “one of the keys” to the Marlins’ clubhouse. “He is willing to give these guys advice, help a guy grow up,” Mattingly said.

NL East Notes: Phillies’ Outfield, Keuchel, Granderson

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The Phillies will soon face a decision with regard to their outfield when Roman Quinn returns from the injured list, writes Matt Breen of Philly.com. Quinn, who played nine innings in a rehab game yesterday, is out of minor league options and will need to be added to the active roster. Given his speed and ability to play all three outfield slots, the organization will retain the soon-to-be 26-year-old. That means either optioning Nick Williams to Triple-A Lehigh Valley or designating fellow out-of-options outfielder Aaron Altherr for assignment. Parting ways with Altherr is the “most likely scenario,” per Breen, though the organization seemingly would prefer to find a way to keep him. As Breen further notes, losing Altherr on waivers and the seeing Quinn go down with another injury would leave the Phils without a backup center fielder on the 40-man roster. Between non-roster journeyman Lane Adams starting the season in Triple-A for the Phils and the number of outfielders designated by other organizations over the course of a season, though, a short-term injury to Quinn could probably be patched over.

Some more from the division…

  • The Mets have continued to keep tabs on Dallas Keuchel’s market, SNY’s Andy Martino writes, though at this point it’s still more due diligence than anything else. Fifth starter Jason Vargas still has supporters within the organization, and any move to add a starter would require pushing him out of the rotation and possibly off the roster in the second season of a two-year, $16MM deal. Vargas posted a 4.50 ERA with a more solid 15-to-6 K/BB ratio in 18 spring innings. He allowed a pair of runs on eight hits and a walk with just two strikeouts across five innings in his season debut earlier this week.
  • It hasn’t taken long for young Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson to look to veteran Curtis Granderson as a mentor, as David Wilson of the Miami Herald explains. Coming out of Spring Training, Brinson requested that his locker in the Marlins’ clubhouse be adjacent to Granderson, and the two have quickly formed a bond. “I pick Curtis’ brain,” says Brinson. “I asked if I could be next to him in the locker room just so if I have a question on anything that crosses my mind, I can ask him and if he has anything to ask me, if he wants to go over anything with me we’re right next to each other.” The 38-year-old Granderson is among the game’s most respected and popular players, and beyond the fact that he remains a productive bat against right-handed pitching, the Marlins surely saw appeal in adding this exact type of leadership to a young, developing club when signing him.

Marlins Select Contract Of Curtis Granderson

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The Marlins announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of veteran outfielder Curtis Granderson while optioning fellow outfielder Austin Dean to Triple-A New Orleans. Three non-roster players — lefty Mike Kickham, righty Hector Noesi and catcher Rodrigo Vigil — were all reassigned to minor league camp, too. Miami now has a full 40-man roster.

Granderson, who turned 38 last week, split the 2018 season between the Blue Jays and the Brewers and posted a combined .242/.351/.431 batting line with 13 home runs, 22 doubles and a pair of triples in 403 plate appearances. He’s had a rough Spring Training, but Granderson was reportedly likely to make the club from the beginning of camp.

The Marlins surely value having a veteran with his level of experience working with what figures to be a very young outfield mix, but he won’t be an everyday option for them in the outfield. Granderson’s numbers against left-handed pitching have continually deteriorated, rendering him as a strict platoon and pinch-hitting option at this point in his career. Defensively, he’ll be limited to the outfield corners.

The exact composition of Miami’s outfield is beginning to come into focus now that Dean has somewhat surprisingly been optioned out. Lewis Brinson looks locked into the center field job on the heels of a torrid spring, while Garrett Cooper, Peter O’Brien and Rosell Herrera are all still outfield options on the 40-man roster who remain in camp and on the 40-man roster. Gabriel Guerrero is also still in camp as a non-roster player who could yet crack the Opening Day roster.

Marlins Notes: Granderson, Romo, Neidert

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Veteran outfielder Curtis Granderson, in camp with the Marlins on a minor league contract, is expected to break camp with the team, per SiriusXM’s Craig Mish (Twitter link). Granderson has a March 15 opt-out clause in his contract, Mish reports, adding that the Marlins “will add him” to the roster by that point. Granderson, who turns 38 the day after that opt-out provision, split the 2018 season between the Blue Jays and the Brewers and posted a combined .242/.351/.431 batting line with 13 home runs, 22 doubles and a pair of triples in 403 plate appearances. He’ll join some combination of Lewis Brinson, Magneuris Sierra, Austin Dean and Peter O’Brien in the outfield now that Brian Anderson is slated to return to third base. Fellow non-roster options for the Marlins include the likes of Isaac Galloway, Harold Ramirez and Gabriel Guerrero. Prospects Monte Harrison and Victor Victor Mesa, meanwhile, are ticketed for further development in the minors.

Here’s more on the Fish…

  • Miami has yet to determine how veteran righty Sergio Romo will be utilized this season, writes Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Romo is open to pitching in any role, and the Marlins aren’t closed off to the idea of using an “opener” in front of some of their younger rotation pieces, including Caleb Smith, Pablo Lopez and Trevor Richards, McPherson notes. Romo could also figure into high-leverage spots late in games, although McPherson notes that manager Don Mattingly has suggested the team may not utilize a traditional closer in 2019. The Rays bounced Romo between opening games, closing games and pitching in a setup role last season, and it seems the 36-year-old is in for more of the same this coming year.
  • Right-hander Nick Neidert is likely to open the 2019 season in Triple-A New Orleans, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes, but the 22-year-old stands out as a candidate for an early promotion to the Majors this season. Neidert, acquired from the Mariners in the Dee Gordon swap, has yet to even pitch in Triple-A but notched a 3.24 ERA with 9.1 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 45.9 percent ground-ball rate in 152 2/3 innings at the Double-A level last season. Though he doesn’t boast a power fastball, Neidert’s four-pitch mix, strong changeup and excellent control (career 1.7 BB/9 in the minors) help to make up for his lack of velocity. “Nick’s a guy who basically can hit all four quadrants, and he’s got different weapons for different guys,” said Mattingly of Neidert. At present, the Marlins have Jose Urena, Dan Straily, Wei-Yin Chen, Sandy Alcantara, Richards, Smith and Lopez as rotation options to open the season, though Smith is working his way back from surgery to repair a Grade 3 lat tear. Chen, meanwhile, has been clobbered thus far in camp after pitching to a 4.79 ERA in 133 1/3 innings last season. Given the level of uncertainty in the Miami rotation, Neidert (and others) could have ample opportunity to get a look in the Majors with a strong showing early in the year.

Marlins Sign Curtis Granderson

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The Marlins have announced a minor-league deal with outfielder Curtis Granderson. It includes an invitation to participate in MLB Spring Training. He’ll earn $1.75MM in the majors with $250K in possible incentives, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter).

Granderson turns 38 in March but can still get the job done at the plate. He ended the 2018 campaign with 403 plate appearances of .242/.351/.431 hitting, good for a 116 wRC+. That’s right at his career mark for overall productivity (117 wRC+), though the most recent iteration of Granderson relied a bit more on on-base percentage than the power that has traditionally driven his value.

There are certainly some major caveats here from an on-field perspective. Granderson was not trusted to face lefties last year, reflecting his longstanding struggles against same-handed pitching. And metrics have increasingly soured on his glovework in the outfield.

Still, it seems like a nice addition for the Marlins, who likely gave Granderson assurances that he’d have an inside track to a roster spot and semi-regular playing time. The team is likely headed for another rough season in the standings, but needs to maintain some fan interest and provide veteran leadership. Granderson, a widely respected clubhouse presence, is more a contemporary of Marlins CEO Derek Jeter (his former Yankees teammate) than of the many young players on the Miami roster. He’ll join recent signee Neil Walker in providing some affordable gravitas before potentially transforming into a mid-season trade chip.

Curtis Granderson Intends To Play In 2019

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Curtis Granderson is hardly alone as a veteran free agent about whom there have been very few rumors this winter, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that Granderson “fully intends to play another year.”

It’s been a year to the date since Granderson, 38 in March, agreed to a one-year contract with the Blue Jays that guaranteed him $5MM for the 2018 season. While he’s not the premier outfielder he once was, the Grandy Man remained a solid weapon against right-handed pitchers in 2018, hitting at a .247/.355/.444 clip in 375 plate appearances while holding the platoon advantage. Granderson connected on 13 homers, 20 doubles and a pair of triples in that time. Granderson’s defense has become a growing question mark, as he checked in at -5 Defensive Runs Saved, a -4.5 Ultimate Zone Rating and -6 Outs Above Average in just 607 2/3 innings of corner outfield work last season between the Jays and the Brewers.

At this point of his career, Granderson’s on-base abilities and pop against right-handed opponents is his primary appeal to clubs, though the 15-year MLB veteran is also revered for his leadership and clubhouse presence as well. It’s unlikely that he’d command a raise from last year’s $5MM salary, making him a potential fit for any club looking to add some part-time outfield help to the mix between now and Opening Day.

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