Quick Hits: Twins, Manoah, Wright
The Twins fell to the Astros in Game 1 of the ALDS this afternoon, though that didn’t stop manager Rocco Baldelli for providing reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune) with fresh insights into the injury situations surrounding rookie Royce Lewis and outfielder Byron Buxton.
Regarding Lewis, there’s reason for optimism that the young slugger can return to the field in the near future. While he typically serves as the regular third baseman for the Twins, Lewis has been limited to DH-only duties throughout the playoffs to this point thanks to a hamstring strain he suffered in late September, with Jorge Polanco covering the hot corner in his stead. It sounds as though a potential return to third could be in Lewis’s future before the postseason is over, however, as Baldelli noted that Lewis was making progress, though he’s still currently at risk of re-aggravating his hamstring injury by returning to the diamond.
As for Buxton, the oft-injured center fielder was similarly limited to DH-only duties this year, never once taking the field on defense throughout the regular season. The injury also seemingly hampered Buxton at the plate, as he slashed just .207/.294/.438 in 85 games with the Twins this year. The club made the decision to leave Buxton off the ALDS roster, and Baldelli shed some light on that decision in what appears to be a worrisome update regarding Buxton’s ability to impact the club later in the postseason. Per Baldelli, Buxton has yet to progress to running the bases as he hopes to return to the club this postseason. With Buxton not yet running the bases, it’s hard to imagine him being healthy enough to return to defensive play in the outfield as the Twins make their push toward their first World Series championship since 1991, though the Twins have not yet ruled him out for the postseason.
More from around the major leagues…
- Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins provided an update on right-hander Alek Manoah during today’s end-of-season presser, as noted by ESPN. Manoah, clarifying some of the uncertainty that surrounded the right-hander’s status last month. Atkins noted that Manoah had received an injection to relieve discomfort in his throwing shoulder, though he added that no structural damage had been found after multiple tests. Atkins described the 2022 AL Cy Young award finalist as “motivated to get back to form,” adding that Manoah felt the injection was the best choice for a next step forward as he looks to prepare for the 2024 campaign. Manoah, 25, struggled badly in 19 starts with the Blue Jays this year, posting a 5.87 ERA and 6.02 FIP in 87 1/3 innings of work.
- Braves right-hander Kyle Wright is set to miss the 2024 campaign due to an impending shoulder surgery, as the club announced before today’s 3-0 loss to the Phillies in Game 1 of the NLDS. Following the game, Wright spoke to reporters, including Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, about his injury. Wright noted that an MRI revealed perforations on the capsule in his right shoulder, and that while the severity of the damage won’t be clear until the procedure begins, he’s certain to miss the entirety of the 2024 season. Prior to testing revealing the damage, Wright adds, the issue was something he attempted to pitch through in hopes of making Atlanta’s postseason roster.
Organization Notes: Counsell, Hazen, Guardians, Yankees
When the Brewers exited the postseason following a sweep at the hands of Arizona, it led to renewed speculation regarding the future of club manager Craig Counsell. Counsell has remained steadfast in his desire to wait out the 2023 campaign before discussing a potential contract extension in Milwaukee, despite owner Mark Attanasio making clear the club’s desire to retain him for 2024 and beyond. Previous reporting has indicated that Counsell figures to continue managing in 2024, though whether or not the Wisconsin-native will remain in Milwaukee is yet to be determined.
Now, it seems as though Counsell’s fate might take longer to decide than initially expected. According to Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post, the manager’s contract with the Brewers will not expire until October 31. Sanchez adds that it appears that any club who wishes to discuss a potential job in their organization with Counsell before the end of the month will need to seek permission from the Brewers to do so. As Sanchez notes, with plenty of managerial searches ongoing around baseball this offseason, any club that decides to wait on Counsell’s potential availability runs the risk of missing out on other preferred candidates who take a job elsewhere before the end of October.
Cleveland, San Francisco and Anaheim are all on the hunt for a new manager, though Counsell has been most frequently speculated as a possible manager for the Mets, who recently hired former Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns, who Counsell managed under from 2016 to 2022. For Stearns’s part, he’s previously indicated that the club plans to take its time with the hiring process and cast “a wide net” in their search for the next Mets manager.
More personnel news from around the league…
- The Guardians are in search of a new manager for the first time in over a decade thanks to Terry Francona’s retirement, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that one candidate for the role is Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza. Per Sherman, Cleveland has already contacted Mendoza in hopes of interviewing him for the role. It’s a process that Mendoza, 43, is familiar with; he’s interviewed for several managerial positions in the past, most recently with the White Sox last season. Mendoza joined the Yankees in 2009 as a member of their minor league coaching staff and eventually worked his way up to a role on the big league coaching staff in 2017 before becoming the bench coach for manager Aaron Boone following the 2019 season, a role he’s fulfilled ever since.
- Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen recently signed an extension with the club that will keep him in Arizona through 2028, with a club option for 2029. While Hazen was rumored as a potential candidate to take over in the Red Sox front office for Chaim Bloom, who the club fired just before the end of the 2023 campaign, Hazen made clear to team president Derrick Hall that he had no interest in leaving Arizona. As relayed by MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert, Hazen said that while he has family in Boston, he feels committed to the Diamondbacks, with an end goal of a deep playoff run and World Series championship. “That’s not done,” Hazen said, “We’re not even close to that yet.”
Organizational Notes: Angels, Nationals, Mets
The Angels and assistant general manager Alex Tamin are parting ways, report Alden González and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN (Twitter link). Tamin had spent the last three years in Orange County, following GM Perry Minasian from the Braves a week after the Halos hired Minasian out of the Atlanta front office.
Tamin had also spent three years as an AGM with the Braves. Prior to landing in Atlanta, he was a member of the Dodgers’ baseball operations department for six seasons. He was the Angels’ only AGM and served as Minasian’s top lieutenant. It’s the second notable departure for the Halos this week after the club let go of manager Phil Nevin on Monday.
Some other front office/ownership notes around the game:
- The Nationals will hire Danny Haas as scouting director, reports R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports (Twitter link). He’ll take charge of the franchise’s amateur drafts. That role had been held by Kris Kline, who was transferred from scouting director to a special assistant position last month. Haas, 47, has worked in the Diamondbacks’ scouting department for the last five seasons. A Louisville product, he played parts of five seasons in the minor leagues before beginning his scouting career a little over two decades ago.
- News of Billy Eppler’s resignation as Mets’ GM yesterday was met with surprise, as he had been expected to stay on as David Stearns’ #2 executive. The situation became more muddled with a report that MLB was looking into claims the Mets had improperly managed their injured list. Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily reports that owner Steve Cohen is not a target of the league’s investigation (Twitter link). It is still unclear the manner in which MLB suspects that Mets’ officials may have mishandled their IL situation. Whether the organization faces potential penalties remains to be seen.
AL West Notes: Brantley, Alvarez, Scherzer
While Michael Brantley‘s health has been a question all year for the Astros, the veteran told members of the media on Friday (including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com) that he will be “100% available” for the postseason with “no limitations.” That’s certainly positive news for Houston, although it doesn’t fully line up with comments GM Dana Brown and manager Dusty Baker made the day before. It’s unclear if Brantley has progressed over the past 24 hours, or if he is simply more optimistic about his health.
Brown told reporters on Thursday (including Chandler Rome of The Athletic) that Brantley felt “good enough to be on the roster,” and that the five-time All-Star would be “playable throughout the postseason.” Meanwhile, Baker was prepared to take anything he could get from Brantley, “Whether we get him for two games, one game, or whatever.”
While “playable” isn’t the same thing as “no limitations,” the ultimate takeaway is that Brantley feels healthy enough to merit a spot on the 26-man postseason roster. The left-fielder/DH missed the first five months of the season with a shoulder injury, and even after he returned, the pain had not entirely disappeared. He sat out for ten days in mid-September, appearing in only three of the Astros’ final 12 games. His numbers in 2023 were passable but uninspiring; he finished with a .724 OPS in 57 trips to the plate.
However, if he really is back to full strength, Brantley could be a difference-maker in the ALDS. The last time he was fully healthy, he slashed .288/.370/.416 with a 127 wRC+ over the first three months of the 2022 campaign. He has been especially dangerous against right-handed pitching throughout his career, and the Twins – Houston’s ALDS opponents – have an all right-handed starting rotation.
Here are some other updates from the postseason teams in the AL West:
- In more Astros news, Yordan Alvarez confirmed to reporters (including Ari Alexander of KPRC 2) that the elbow pain he was dealing with in September is no longer a concern. The slugger hit .293/.441/.620 during the final month of the season, earning AL Player of the Month honors for his efforts. However, he started in left field only twice over the final two weeks as he dealt with discomfort in his elbow. Evidently, that minor injury issue is a problem no more. While Alvarez isn’t a strong outfield defender, his ability to play the field gives Dusty Baker added flexibility when filling out the lineup card. For instance, the DH spot could give Brantley some time off his feet or backup catcher Yainer Diaz an opportunity to get in the lineup more frequently.
- Across the state, Rangers starter Max Scherzer continues taking steps toward a potential return this postseason. As GM Chris Young told Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, Scherzer could attempt to throw to live hitters today, which would be another promising sign of progress for the veteran. He threw a bullpen session on Wednesday, and it is encouraging that he feels strong enough to throw again two days later. Until quite recently, the chances of Scherzing pitching again in 2023 seemed slim. Over the past few weeks, however, the 39-year-old has advanced to a point where it doesn’t seem impossible he could play a role in the ALDS. Still, the Rangers continue to urge caution. “I’m not getting ahead of ourselves,” Young said. “We will see where he is tomorrow and go from there.”
AL Notes: Verdugo, Astros, Mariners
With the Red Sox front office seeing change at the top following the firing of chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, it’s hard to predict what sort of direction Boston might go in this offseason before they find a replacement for Bloom at the top of the club’s hierarchy. Still, there are some clues, most notably comments by team president and CEO Sam Kennedy that indicate the club hopes to sign some of their younger players to long-term extensions, with the likes of right-hander Brayan Bello, first baseman Triston Casas, and outfielders Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu earning particular mention.
While Duran had experience in the infield during his time in the minors, both he and Abreu are exclusively outfielders at the big league level. Between Boston’s apparent belief in both youngsters, the emergence of top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela as perhaps the club’s best defender in center field, and the presence of Masataka Yoshida on a long-term deal, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to see where outfielder Alex Verdugo fits in for the Red Sox. As noted by Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, however, Verdugo spoke glowingly of the organization on the final day of the regular season.
“Hopefully I stay here with the Red Sox,” Verdugo said, “I love this organization. I have made it clear to them.” At the same time, Verdugo acknowledged the uncertainty of his position headed into the offseason before saying, “You just have to work hard… If it’s not this team, there’s 29 other teams.”
A free agent after the 2024 campaign, Verdugo would be an interesting trade candidate if dangled by the Red Sox this offseason. Verdugo finished the 2023 campaign on a rough note, slashing just .225/.268/.367 in the second half. Prior to that, however, he was a borderline All Star with a .290/.360/.457 slash line that was in line with the very best performances of his career. Taken together, it makes for a roughly league average production (98 wRC+) in 142 games this year. Verdugo also contributed positively with the glove, registering +1 Outs Above Average after posting -5 marks in each of the previous two seasons. That combination of solid defense in right field and a league average or better lefty bat should be intriguing to outfield-needy clubs, particularly given a fairly soft free agent class at the position.
More from the American League…
- The Astros are set to begin their postseason push tomorrow with a five-game set against the Twins in the ALDS, but GM Dana Brown is already making plans for what comes next when the team’s season concludes. As noted by MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, Brown, who joined the Astros as GM back in January, has made clear that promotions are inbound for other members of the club’s front office, saying that he’s “found out they have a lot of good people here.” Brown noted that “at least six” promotions are expected within the front office. While the specific personnel and role changes being discussed aren’t yet clear, it’s sensible for the Astros to promote from within as front offices around baseball begin asking their fellow organizations for permission to interview club employees for positions in their own organization. As previously mentioned, the Red Sox are looking for a new head of their baseball operations department, while the Mets could look to replace GM Billy Eppler in the near future after he stepped down from his role as David Stearns’s second in command yesterday.
- With managerial vacancies in Anaheim, San Francisco, Cleveland, and Queens already announced, plenty of clubs are already making changes in the dugout this offseason. MLBNetwork’s Jon Morosi suggests that the Mariners could see several members of their coaching staff get significant attention for the open positions, listing bullpen coach Stephen Vogt, first base coach Kristopher Negron, and third base coach Manny Acta all as Seattle coaches who could be under consideration for one or more of the current vacancies. Acta is the only one of the three with previous managerial experience at the big league level; in addition to three years with the Nationals from 2007-2009, he stands as Cleveland’s most recent manager besides Terry Francona, who retired from managing following the 2023 campaign.
AL Notes: Red Sox, Showalter, Angels, Royals
Buck Showalter wants to keep managing, and is trying to get an interview with the Angels about their dugout vacancy, the New York Post’s Mike Puma reports (via X). It isn’t known if there is any mutual interest on the Halos’ side, though one would imagine the club would be open to at least having a chat with a veteran skipper with such a long and distinguished track record. Showalter’s managerial career has been marked by his ability to turn around struggling teams, which would seemingly have particular appeal to a Los Angeles club that has suffered through eight straight losing seasons. The position opened up earlier this week when the Angels officially parted ways with Phil Nevin — by coincidence, a former player of Showalter’s on the 2005-06 Rangers.
Showalter might have an extra edge if the Angels have trouble finding other top-tier candidates. “The job isn’t deemed attractive within the industry because GM Perry Minasian is entering the final year of his contract,” Puma writes, meaning that if a new general manager is hired next offseason, the incoming boss might want to make their own hire in the manager’s chair. However, there is also a significant connection between Showalter and Minasian, who worked for the Rangers from 2003-2009 as a scout and as Showalter’s staff assistant when skipper was managing in Texas.
More from around the American League….
- Red Sox president/CEO Sam Kennedy discussed several topics during an appearance on the Fenway Rundown podcast with MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam, including the team’s reneweed emphasis on trying to sign younger, pre-arbitration players to contract extensions. Brayan Bello, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, and Triston Casas were specifically mentioned by Kennedy as the types of young players the Sox would like to lock up, though the CEO naturally didn’t provide details on whether or not the club had already broached the topic of extensions with any of the quartet. Chaim Bloom’s four-year tenure in charge of Boston’s front office didn’t see many extensions in general, with the notable exceptions of Rafael Devers‘ mega-deal and one of those aforementioned pre-arb pacts with Garrett Whitlock. Cotillo also reports that Bloom tried to sign an unnamed Sox top prospect to an extension before the player had even started his Major League career.
- The Royals plan to retain their coaching staff for 2024, general manager J.J. Picollo told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters, though a couple of new faces could be added in new roles on an expanded staff. Though the Royals struggled through a miserable 106-loss season, they already underwent a significant coaching overhaul last winter after new manager Matt Quatraro was hired. K.C. apparently doesn’t want to make more changes just yet, though there could be some turnover if any coaches are approached for promotions on other teams.
NL East Notes: Castellanos, Marlins, Nationals
Miami native Nick Castellanos was heavily linked to the Marlins when he was a free agent during the 2021-22 offseason, and Castellanos told The Athletic’s Matt Gelb earlier this week that he very nearly agreed to join the team before the lockout halted winter business in early December 2021. “If I wasn’t advised to be patient and wait until after the lockout to sign, I would have been over there,” Castellanos said. Instead, the Marlins’ plans changed during the freeze, with some reports tying Derek Jeter‘s departure as club CEO to ownership’s decision to not expand the payroll quite so much once the lockout was settled. That meant Castellanos was now without his top suitor, until he signed with the Phillies for a five-year, $100MM deal.
Castellanos admitted that it took a while to get over the disappointment of not playing in his hometown, a “dream” scenario that would’ve allowed Castellanos to be near his son Liam at all times, and play for one of his baseball heroes in Jeter. This feeling may have contributed to Castellanos’ lackluster numbers for much of the 2022 season, but the Phillies’ run to the World Series reinvigorated him and the outfielder delivered a more productive season this year. “I can never sit and say I am unfortunate because I’m blessed and I get to play here,” he said. “I get to play for a great organization. I get to play with one of the most intense fan bases in the sports world. I have so much gratitude for all of that.”
More from around the NL East…
- The Marlins figure to be looking for catching upgrades this winter, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald looks at the free agent market to see what options the Fish might prefer to the Jacob Stallings/Nick Fortes combo. Jackson also feels the Marlins could consider trading prospects for a veteran backstop, but moving a proven pitcher “would be unwise” in Jackson’s view, due to Miami’s own concerns about its rotation depth. The Marlins got a combined -0.6 bWAR from their catchers in 2023, ranking 28th of 30 teams in catcher bWAR.
- The Nationals have continued to overhaul their front office and minor league staff personnel this week, most prominently parting ways with director of player development De Jon Watson, the Washington Post’s Andrew Golden (X links) reports. Watson has been the farm director for the last two seasons and a member of the Nationals’ organization since 2017. Before coming to D.C., Watson was an assistant GM with the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks’ senior VP of baseball operations, among other roles with Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Miami during a long career in scouting and player development roles. The Nats also made eight changes to their minor league coaching and coordinator ranks, with a particular focus on improving offensive development.
West Notes: Angels, Rockies, Neris
The Angels have operated with a six-man rotation for the past several years, though that could change in 2024, as noted by Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. GM Perry Minasian told reporters recently that the size of next year’s rotation is something they’ve “discussed at length” and that they’re comfortable with a five-man rotation next season, saying that the club feels “the arms we have in-house can handle it.”
Minasian’s comments would seem to imply that the club doesn’t expect to make any external additions in terms of starting pitchers this offseason. Of course, a five-man rotation is made possible by the absence of two-way star Shohei Ohtani, though as Fletcher notes the comments aren’t necessarily indicative of the Angels’ opinion on his likelihood to re-sign in Anaheim. After all, Ohtani isn’t expected to pitch until the 2025 season after undergoing elbow surgery.
If the Angels indeed rely on their current group of starters next year, the rotation figures to be fronted by lefties Patrick Sandoval and Reid Detmers, while righty Griffin Canning and veteran southpaw Tyler Anderson look to occupy the middle of the club’s rotation. The fifth (and, potentially, sixth) starter spots seem more unclear, with Chase Silseth, Jose Suarez, Jaime Barria, and Kenny Rosenberg among those to draw starts for the club this season who could get a look next year.
More from around MLB’s West Divisions…
- The Rockies have a bit of a logjam between first base, right field, and DH headed into next year, as noted by Luke Zahlmann of the Denver Gazette, as he listed each of Kris Bryant, Charlie Blackmon, Elehuris Montero, Sean Bouchard, and Michael Toglia as each vying for playing time at the three positions. Bryant and Blackmon figure to be regular players, though that would leave just one spot for the other three, a situation that Zahlmann ties to the club’s desire to add additional starting pitching depth this offseason. Dangling a player from that mix in trade talks could allow the Rockies to complement a rotation that currently figures to enter 2024 with plenty of question marks, and Zahlmann even notes that top prospects like Zac Veen and Jordan Beck could be dangled “in the right deal.” Of course, the 103-loss Rockies would surely require a quality starter with multiple years of control if they were to part with any of their top-100 prospects in a trade for pitching this offseason.
- Astros right-hander Hector Neris was fined by MLB for his role in a benches-clearing altercation between Houston and Seattle in late September, per GM Dana Brown (as relayed by The Athletic’s Chandler Rome), though Brown added that he does not believe Neris will be suspended for the incident. Neris shouted at and charged toward Rodriguez after striking him out during last week’s 8-3 win over the Mariners, causing both benches to clear. That Neris figures to avoid a suspension is great news for the Astros, as he’s been nothing short of dominant this year. The 34-year-old righty sports a 1.71 ERA and a 3.83 FIP across 71 appearances with the club this year. Neris figures to hold a $8.5MM player option for the 2024 campaign, so long as he passes a physical after the end of the season.
Blue Jays Notes: Belt, Ryu, Rivera
With the Blue Jays having been eliminated from the postseason last night at the hands of the Twins, Toronto is beginning to shift its focus toward the coming offseason. That includes left-handed slugger Brandon Belt, who yesterday expressed uncertainty regarding whether or not he’ll continue playing in 2024.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Belt told reporters (including Keegan Matheson of MLB.com) following the club’s defeat in Minnesota last night. “This could be the end for me… I just don’t know yet. It’s something I need to talk to my family about and see what their thoughts are on it and see how I feel about it in a couple of months, then go from there.”
Belt, a veteran of 13 major league seasons, debuted with the Giants back in 2011, won World Series rings with the club in both 2012 and 2014, and made his only career All Star appearance back in 2016. 2023 marked the first season of his career he spent outside the Giants organization after he signed a one-year, $9.3MM deal to join the Blue Jays this past offseason. While the 35-year-old has been effective as ever at the plate in recent years, with a .258/.369/.503 slash line since the start of the 2020 season that includes a 138 wRC+ effort this year, the veteran has dealt with injuries more and more frequently in recent years.
Belt has been limited to just 278 games thanks to injuries over the last three seasons, which saw him wind up on the IL a whopping seven times with issues ranging from a fractured thumb to knee and hamstring issues. While Belt’s effectiveness at the plate would surely draw interest from a variety of clubs, particularly given the lack of impact bats available in free agency, given his age and injuries it’s understandable that the slugger wants to ponder his future before committing to a return.
Other pending free agents also spoke to reporters yesterday (including Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet), with lefty veteran Hyun Jin Ryu among them. Ryu just wrapped up the final year of his four-year, $80MM pact with Toronto. After kicking off his time with the Blue Jays by finishing as a finalist in AL Cy Young award voting during the 2020 season, Ryu posted roughly average numbers (4.37 ERA, 4.02 FIP) in 2021 before missing most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons thanks to Tommy John surgery.
Overall, the 36-year-old southpaw posted a 3.97 ERA and 4.02 FIP in 315 innings of work with the Blue Jays, including a 3.46 ERA across eleven starts this season after returning from surgery. Ryu confirmed to reporters yesterday that he hopes to continue pitching in MLB in 2024, and even in a deep free agent class for starting pitching options, it seems reasonable to expect Ryu to find a big league deal somewhere. While the veteran’s injury history is fairly lengthy, he’s been effective when healthy since debuting with the Dodgers back in 2013, with a career 3.27 ERA and 3.53 FIP. That said, it would be reasonable to expect the veteran to be limited to one-year offers given his recent surgery and middling peripherals since returning back in August (4.91 FIP, 4.70 SIERA).
While the future of both Belt and Ryu in Toronto is currently up in the air, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi did reveal one member of the Blue Jays who won’t be returning for 2024: longtime third base coach Luis Rivera, who is retiring after 11 years in the role with Toronto. After playing in the majors for 11 seasons, Rivera managed in the minor leagues for both Toronto and Cleveland before settling into his role as third base coach of the Blue Jays.
Mets Notes: Alonso, Vogelbach, Ottavino
The future of Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has been a focus of speculation in recent months, given reports that the club discussed a trade with both the Brewers and Cubs ahead of this year’s trade deadline. Of course, later reporting indicated that the Mets didn’t plan to actively shop Alonso this offseason, while new president of baseball operations David Stearns himself threw some cold water on the rumors by indicating during his introductory press conference that he expects Alonso to be the club’s starting first baseman on Opening Day 2024.
A new wrinkle has emerged regarding Alonso’s future plans, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported this morning that Alonso has changed representation ahead of his final offseason under club control, moving from Apex Baseball to Boras Corporation, the agency run by high-profile agent Scott Boras.
The change in representation seems to lessen the odds of the Mets and Alonso coming to an agreement on a contract extension before he hits free agency next offseason, as it’s been relatively rare for high-profile Boras clients to sign extensions the offseason before hitting free agency. The deal between right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. and the Astros prior to the 2021 season and the pact between the Red Sox and shortstop Xander Bogaerts back in 2019 show that proclivity is hardly universal.
What’s more, Heyman notes the recent success the Mets have had in working with Boras, as the sides agreed to $100MM+ deals for veteran ace Max Scherzer and center fielder Brandon Nimmo in free agency the past two offseasons. Nimmo’s case is worth particular consideration, as the former 13th-overall pick made it to free agency last offseason after spending his whole career with the Mets, much as Alonso has, before ultimately re-signing with the club.
More from Queens…
- On the heels of manager Buck Showalter’s recent departure, Mike Puma of the New York Post discusses a major point of contention between Showalter and the front office over the summer: playing time for slugger Daniel Vogelbach. Showalter reportedly wanted to explore other options at DH against right-handed pitching early in the season, including cycling regulars through the position to get them a partial day off, thanks to Vogelbach’s lack of power production: he slashed just .219/.364/.314 over his first 43 games. Showalter met resistance from GM Billy Eppler regarding that desire, however, with Eppler insisting on Vogelbach remaining in the lineup. Vogelbach, 30, is headed into his final season of arbitration eligibility in 2024.
- Though right-hander Adam Ottavino recently indicated that he intends to return to the Mets next year by exercising his $6.75MM player option for the 2024 campaign, the 37-year-old veteran recently spoke with less certainty regarding his impending option decision, telling reporters (including Puma) that while he likes the Mets, he wants to see “how things shake out” in the early offseason before coming to a decision. Ottavino posted a solid season for the club, with a 3.21 ERA and 4.52 FIP in 66 appearances, though that performance was a considerable step back from the 2.06 ERA and 2.85 FIp he posted in 2022.