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Giants Place Logan Webb On 15-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | October 2, 2022 at 1:10pm CDT

Oct. 2: The Giants officially announced Webb’s IL placement, along with Junis being optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. Hjelle was recalled to take one active roster spot, with righty Luis Ortiz recalled to take the other.

Oct. 1: Logan Webb was scheduled to make his final start of the 2022 season on Sunday, but the Giants will instead be placing the right-hander on the 15-day injured list, manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic).  Webb is dealing with stiffness in his lower back, so the Giants will make the precautionary move and recall another pitcher for what will now be a bullpen game against the Diamondbacks.  Righty Sean Hjelle might get the quick recall, as Hjelle was just optioned to Triple-A today when Jarlin Garcia was activated off the paternity list.

The IL placement will end Webb’s season after 32 starts and 192 1/3 innings, with that innings total ranking 11th among all pitchers entering today’s action.  After emerging as a quality starter for San Francisco in 2021, Webb has continued that strong work this year, posting a 2.90 ERA, 56.7% grounder rate, and an above-average 6.2% walk rate.  While his strikeout numbers dropped off considerably (20.7%, after a 26.5 K& in 2021) and Webb continued to allow a lot of hard contact, he was able to avoid severe damage by keeping the ball on the ground.  Webb allowed only 11 home runs over his 192 1/3 frames, and had an impressive 5.5% barrel rate.

Webb doesn’t turn 26 years old until November, and he will be entering the arbitration process for the first time this offseason.  Though Webb is under control through the 2025 season, it stands to reason that the Giants’ front office might have some talks with Webb’s camp about a multi-year contract extension this winter, in order to officially lock him up as a key piece of the rotation both now and for the future.

In fact, Webb currently projects as the ace of the 2023 staff since Carlos Rodon is a free agent.  San Francisco has Webb, Alex Cobb, Jakob Junis, Anthony DeSclafani, and Alex Wood lined up as next year’s rotation, but at least one more arm figures to be added — DeSclafani missed almost the whole season due to ankle problems, while Wood struggled and missed the end of the season due to a shoulder injury.

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San Francisco Giants Transactions Logan Webb Sean Hjelle

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Mariners Promote Justin Hollander To General Manager

By Nick Deeds | October 2, 2022 at 12:42pm CDT

The Mariners announced today that Justin Hollander has been promoted to executive vice president & general manager of baseball operations. Hollander had previously been serving in the Mariners front office as vice president & assistant general manager of baseball operations, and has been with the organization since September 2016.  Prior to that, Hollander spent nine seasons as a member of the Angels front office. Hollander’s promotion comes a year after Jerry Dipoto was promoted from GM to president of baseball operations. Dipoto will continue to lead Seattle’s front office in that role.

With this promotion, Seattle has ensured that Hollander will remain with the organization going into next season. Front office executives don’t typically interview for lateral moves from one organization to the other, so the only way for an opposing club to pry Hollander away from the Mariners would be by offering him the opportunity to take the lead role in their organization’s baseball operations infrastructure. The Tigers, Royals, and Rangers have all fired high profile front office officials this season and could potentially be among the teams looking for external additions to their front office this offseason.

Hollander’s promotion comes at the end of a very successful 2022 regular season for Seattle. In addition to clinching a playoff berth and ending the longest postseason drought across the four major North American professional sports, the Mariners have signed likely 2022 AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez to an extension that should keep him in Seattle for most of his career and both traded for and extended All Star right-hander Luis Castillo.

The Mariners currently hold the second AL wild card spot and, if postseason positioning doesn’t shift in the coming days, will be playing the three-game wild card series in Toronto against the Blue Jays.

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Newsstand Seattle Mariners Justin Hollander

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Yankees Select Chi Chi González, Designate Jacob Barnes

By Darragh McDonald | October 2, 2022 at 10:50am CDT

The Yankees announced a series of roster moves prior to today’s game, selecting right-hander Chi Chi González to the active roster while designating fellow right-hander Jacob Barnes for assignment. Additionally, infielder/outfielder Matt Carpenter was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

González, 30, has bounced around quite a bit this year. He signed a minor league deal with the Twins in March and briefly cracked the big league roster. After getting designated for assignment, he was claimed by the Brewers and spent just under a month with them before getting designated again. He signed a minors deal with the Tigers but opted out of it without getting a call to the big leagues, then signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in late August. Through all of that, he’s thrown 18 1/3 innings at the big league level with a 6.87 ERA. He’s fared much better in the minors, throwing 80 1/3 innings with a 4.03 ERA, 20.8% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate.

As for Barnes, 32, he’s had a fairly similar season to González, getting brief tenures on various rosters around the league. He signed a minor league deal with the Tigers in the winter, cracking the Opening Day roster but getting designated in June. He then signed a minors deal with the Mariners and joined their roster but was designated again without making an appearance. He went back to the Tigers but was released and signed with the Yanks at the same time as González. He was selected to New York’s roster just yesterday and pitched 1 2/3 innings of mop-up duty while they were beating the Orioles 8-0. He’s thrown 22 1/3 total MLB innings this year with a 5.64 ERA but, similar to González, has been more impressive on the farm. In 18 minor league innings this year, he has an ERA of 2.00, along with a 32.9% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate. Since he’s out of options, the club had to designate him for assignment in order to get a fresh arm onto the roster.

As for Carpenter, this move is mostly a formality. He will be ineligible to return until 60 days from his initial IL placement, which was August 9, meaning he can return October 8. The Yanks already secured a bye through the first playoff round and will be playing in the ALDS beginning October 11. It was recently reported that the club plans to get him some at-bats with Double-A Somerset before returning to the big league club. Prior to fracturing his foot, he was having a comeback season for the ages, hitting 15 home runs in 47 games and slashing .305/.412/.727. The club will have the next week or so to decide if he’s healthy enough to earn a spot on their postseason roster.

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New York Yankees Transactions Chi Chi Gonzalez Jacob Barnes Matt Carpenter

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Central Notes: Cabrera, Hicks, Alzolay

By Darragh McDonald | October 2, 2022 at 10:19am CDT

Tigers veteran Miguel Cabrera will turn 40 years old in April, shortly after beginning the final guaranteed season of the mega extension he signed back in 2014. Though he’s not quite the hitter he was back then, he’s still going to be a part of Detroit’s plans next season. “We expect Miggy to be here,” manager A.J. Hinch tells Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. “We expect him to do his part in the offseason to prepare himself to be healthy and be productive and be the icon that he is.”

As noted by McCosky, Cabrera’s 2022 got off to a nice start, as he kept his batting average above .300 into July. However, he has slumped badly since then while dealing with various nagging injuries, currently sitting on a batting line of .251/.299/.315 for the year. That production amounts to a wRC+ of 76, or 24% below league average, which is well below Cabrera’s previous low of 92 from 2017.

Going into the season, it seemed as though Cabrera was on the verge of being nudged out of the club’s plans, as they spent aggressively in the offseason to try to compete in 2022. With the promotion of first base prospect Spencer Torkelson, it was fair to wonder if an awkward situation was approaching with the club trying to compete and Miggy standing in the way. Instead, Torkelson and the Tigers both fell way shy of expectations, with the youngster hitting just .197/.281/.301 so far this year and club sporting a record of 64-93.

The fact that Cabrera is still owed $32MM next year doesn’t mean he is immune from being cut from the team if he continues to underperform. Just last year, the Angels designated Albert Pujols for assignment in May while he was playing out the final year of his contract at a $30MM salary. Both Hinch and new president of baseball operations Scott Harris voiced their support for Cabrera being a part of the 2023 club, though how much of a role he gets to play is likely to be determined.

Some more notes from the Central divisions…

  • The Cardinals are planning to reinstate right-hander Jordan Hicks from the injured list for their final regular season series, which begins tomorrow in Pittsburgh, according to MLB.com. Hicks went on the IL on September 17, retroactive to September 15, due to right arm fatigue. He has long tantalized fans with his triple-digit velocity but also been frequently set back by command issues and injuries. This season, he’s made 34 appearances and has a 4.92 ERA, 24.4% strikeout rate, 57.5% ground ball rate but a 13.6% walk rate. The Cards have already clinched the NL Central and can use their final games to assess the condition of Hicks’s arm before they begin a series against whichever team winds up in the final Wild Card spot.
  • Cubs right-hander Adbert Alzolay seemed to be a potential rotation building block last year, appearing in 26 games with 21 of those being starts, logging 125 2/3 innings with a 4.58 ERA. However, this year, a shoulder strain landed him on the injured list to begin the season and he only made his season debut a couple of weeks ago. This mostly lost season has resulted in several pitchers surpassing him on the depth chart and perhaps leading to a move to the bullpen. Alzolay discussed this possibility with Patrick Mooney of The Athletic and seems fine with it. “If my role is best out of the bullpen, being a long guy, being a guy that can throw in the eighth or close a game or whatever, I feel like I have the weapons to do that,” Alzolay says. “You won’t have me every five days there, but you can have me every two or three days. I can go and throw three or four innings, or I can go and throw one inning late in the game. So I feel like there are a lot more options there, and then that allows the team to go and be aggressive during the offseason.” The Cubs’ 2023 rotation will likely consist of Marcus Stroman, Kyle Hendricks and Justin Steele, with Keegan Thompson, Hayden Wesneski, Javier Assad, Adrian Sampson and Caleb Kilian having put themselves into consideration to varying degrees. With all of those options, and perhaps some offseason additions, it makes sense for Alzolay and the team to consider new ways for him to be a contributing member of the staff.
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Chicago Cubs Detroit Tigers Notes St. Louis Cardinals Adbert Alzolay Jordan Hicks Miguel Cabrera

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Twins Promote Simeon Woods Richardson

By Anthony Franco | October 2, 2022 at 9:10am CDT

Oct. 2: The Twins have officially selected the contract of Woods Richardson, per Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. Right-hander Ronny Henriquez was optioned to open a spot on the active roster, while catcher Sandy Leon was transferred to the 60-day injured list to create room on the 40-man. Leon’s transfer is a mere formality, as it was previously announced that his season had been ended by knee surgery.

Sep. 30: The Twins are planning to promote pitching prospect Simeon Woods Richardson to the majors before the end of the season, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com). Minnesota added Woods Richardson to their taxi squad this afternoon. It’s unclear specifically when he’ll be activated, but Park points out the club has yet to name a starting pitcher for Sunday afternoon’s matchup with the Tigers.

Assuming he’s indeed added to the major league roster, the right-hander will get an opportunity to make his big league debut in the coming days. A second-round pick of the Mets out of a Texas high school in 2018, Woods Richardson has been a well-regarded young arm since entering the professional ranks. He spent around a year in the New York system before he was dealt to the Blue Jays alongside Anthony Kay in the 2019 trade that sent Marcus Stroman to Queens.

Woods Richardson finished that season with the Jays’ High-A affiliate, and he cracked the back half of Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list the ensuing winter. After not logging any game action in 2020 due to the cancelation of the minor leagues, he was assigned to Double-A to begin the ’21 campaign. Still seen by many evaluators as one of the better minor league arms in the game, Woods Richardson soon found himself involved in a huge trade for the second time in his career. At last year’s deadline, Toronto shipped him alongside infield prospect Austin Martin to Minnesota in exchange for José Berríos.

Amidst the pair of high-profile trades, Woods Richardson’s prospect stock has dipped a bit in recent years. He fell off BA’s top 100 entering the 2022 season, but he nevertheless entered the year ranked eighth in a solid Minnesota system. He checks in sixth in the organization on the outlet’s most recent update, with praise for a four-pitch arsenal headlined by a low-mid 90s fastball and a potential plus changeup.

Woods Richardson has generally had an impressive 2022 campaign. He began the year with Double-A Wichita, making 16 appearances before getting a bump to Triple-A St. Paul in mid-August. He started another seven games for the Saints and performed well at both stops. Between the top two affiliates, the 22-year-old pitched to a 2.77 ERA across 107 1/3 innings. He’s struck out an impressive 27% of opponents while limiting walks to a manageable 8.5% rate.

That solid showing against upper level hitters earns Woods Richardson a brief major league cameo. He’d have needed to be added to the 40-man roster at the end of the season regardless to keep him from being taken in the Rule 5 draft, and the Twins have a number of players who can simply move to the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man spot for the season’s final week.

Woods Richardson will be in the mix for a rotation spot next season. Minnesota is set to open the year with Tyler Mahle, Joe Ryan, Sonny Gray, a hopefully healthy Kenta Maeda and Bailey Ober in the starting five. With Chris Archer and Dylan Bundy each likely to depart in free agency, Woods Richardson should join Josh Winder, Louie Varland and any external additions in battling for additional looks.

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Minnesota Twins Transactions Simeon Woods Richardson

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Angels, Shohei Ohtani Avoid Arbitration With One-Year, $30MM Contract For 2023

By Mark Polishuk | October 1, 2022 at 10:06pm CDT

The Angels and Shohei Ohtani have avoided perhaps the most unique arbitration case in baseball history by agreeing to a one-year, $30MM pact for the 2023 season.  Ohtani is still scheduled to reach free agency following the 2023 campaign.  Ohtani is represented by CAA Sports.

The two-way star becomes the 20th player in baseball to receive a $30MM average annual value on a contract, and that $30MM figure also establishes two other notable thresholds.  Ohtani will now receive the largest salary ever for an arbitration-eligible player, and he also gets the biggest year-to-year raise for an arb-eligible player, after he earned $5.5MM this season.  That $5.5MM salary was established in an earlier extension that avoided arbitration, as Ohtani and the Angels agreed to a two-year, $8.5MM contract in February 2021 that covered the first two of his three arb-eligible years.

At the time of that deal, Ohtani has pitched only 1 2/3 total innings over the 2019-20 seasons, due to a Tommy John surgery and then a flexor strain.  He was also coming off a mediocre year at the plate, hitting only .190/.291/.366 over 175 plate appearances during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.  Though Ohtani was hardly the only player to struggle under the unusual circumstances of the 2020 campaign, there was speculation that his 2018 rookie season might have been his peak, and that Ohtani would be better served by choosing either hitting or pitching.

Instead, Ohtani bounced back with two of the most extraordinary seasons in baseball history.  Since Opening Day 2021, Ohtani has hit .267/.366/.560 with 80 home runs over 1282 plate appearances, while also posting a 2.72 ERA and an array of dazzling secondary metrics over 291 1/3 innings.  After winning AL MVP honors in 2021, it looks as if Ohtani will be at worst a second-place finisher in this year’s MVP race (due to Aaron Judge’s all-timer of a season), and he’ll also earn a good chunk of votes in the AL Cy Young Award race.

With this in mind, it can certainly be argued that $30MM is still a bargain from the Angels’ perspective, considering that Ohtani would earn hefty salaries if he was “only” an All-Star hitter or “only” an All-Star pitcher.  It would’ve been fascinating to see what arbitration figures the Angels and Ohtani’s camp would’ve submitted in this unprecedented scenario, but this agreement sidesteps that possibility.

Los Angeles now has three players earning at least $30MM in 2023, as Ohtani joins Mike Trout ($35.45MM) and Anthony Rendon ($38MM).  In practical terms, it doesn’t change much for the Angels’ payroll situation, as the team naturally figured it would be paying Ohtani some type of gigantic salary in his final arb-eligible year.  In pure dollars and cents, it doesn’t actually represent much different from the Angels’ 2022 payroll, as the since-released Justin Upton was earning $28MM in the final year of his contract with the club.

Ohtani’s future beyond 2023 remains a mystery, as he’ll be heading into free agency presumably still in his prime both on the mound and at the plate.  Though Ohtani turns 29 in July, his two-way ability might still land him the biggest contract in baseball history, topping the $365MM in new money given to Mookie Betts in his extension with the Dodgers prior to the 2020 season.

In reaching an agreement with Ohtani now, the Angels front office gets one big question mark settled heading into what might be one of the most uncertain offseasons in franchise history.  Owner Arte Moreno is looking into a possible sale, and with this situation lingering over the organization, it isn’t clear how aggressive GM Perry Minasian will be allowed to be in upgrading the roster.  The Halos are struggling through their seventh consecutive losing season, so while a teardown isn’t out of the question, it is also possible Moreno might order a final push to try and return to the postseason one final time under his ownership.

Until there’s more clarity with the potential sale, it is hard to gauge what will happen with Ohtani in Anaheim.  Given that Ohtani has already expressed his displeasure with losing, it seems hard to believe that he would agree to an extension unless he was satisfied that the team was heading in the right direction — even if a new owner does take over within 7-8 months, their influence might not be apparent in the short window of time before Ohtani can test the open market.  A new owner might bring a new willingness to exceed the luxury tax threshold, and thus it wouldn’t necessarily be an obstacle in adding a massive Ohtani deal worth more than $40MM (at least) in AAV on top of the long-term Trout and Rendon contracts.

A trade also can’t be ruled out, though it seems like the least likely scenario considering that Moreno vetoed any possibility that Ohtani would be swapped prior to the last trade deadline.  As noted by The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, establishing Ohtani’s 2023 price tag early gives any interested trade partners more time to plan offers, yet not having Ohtani on the roster could also impact purchasing interest for any potential new owners.  From a practical baseball sense, it is also hard to gauge what exactly an Ohtani trade would look like, considering his elite two-way talent but also just one remaining year of control.

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Los Angeles Angels Newsstand Transactions Shohei Ohtani

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AL Notes: Nevin, Angels, Strahm, Red Sox, Twins

By Mark Polishuk | October 1, 2022 at 9:29pm CDT

Angels interim manager Phil Nevin told reporters (including The Athletic’s Sam Blum) that he hasn’t yet had any talks with the front office about remaining in the job for the 2023 season.  Nevin moved from third base coach to the interim skipper’s role after Joe Maddon was fired in June, and the Angels have a 44-57 record under Nevin’s stewardship, though between injuries and some imperfect roster construction, it can be argued that Nevin hasn’t had much to work with in trying to get the Halos on track.

The manager’s job is one of many questions facing the Angels this offseason, with the franchise’s possible sale acting as the overhanging influence on every decision.  There has been some speculation that this uncertainty could benefit Nevin’s chances, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal has written that the Angels could prefer to just retain Nevin rather than sign another manager to a multi-year contract this winter (thus leaving a new owner with that deal on the books, when that owner might naturally prefer to make their own choice at skipper).  The front office’s lack of contact with Nevin might not necessarily be a sign that he isn’t a candidate, as GM Perry Minasian and owner Arte Moreno might just be waiting until the offseason to conduct a proper search.

More from around the American League…

  • Amidst a difficult Red Sox season, Matt Strahm has been a bright spot, posting a 3.92 ERA over 43 2/3 innings and filling a number of different roles in Boston’s bullpen.  After being non-tendered by the Padres last winter, Strahm signed a one-year, $3MM free agent deal with the Sox in March and he told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo that he “would love” a return to Boston in 2023.  Strahm also said he is open to returning to a relief role, but also wants to market himself as a starting pitcher.  Strahm made 16 starts for the Padres in 2019 but none since, as knee injuries limited the southpaw in any role in 2020-21.  However, Strahm said he is ready to resume a starter’s workload, as a consistent running program has made his knees “feel better than when I was drafted.”  Since the Red Sox have multiple starters slated for free agency this winter, re-signing Strahm and at least giving him a trial run as a starter would make some sense, as the Sox would then have the fallback of moving the left-hander back into the bullpen.  Cotillo reported that the Brewers, Royals, and Tigers were among the teams vying for Strahm last offseason, so any of that trio could conceivably still have interest in his next trip to the open market.
  • Max Kepler, Gio Urshela, and Emilio Pagan could all be trade candidates for the Twins this offseason, as The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman breaks down why Minnesota may be open to swapping any of these veterans.  Naturally, money is one factor — Kepler is guaranteed at least $9.5MM in 2023, while Urshela (paid $6.55MM in 2022) and Pagan ($2.3MM) are due raises in their final year of salary arbitration before free agency.  Kepler and Pagan are also coming off underwhelming seasons, while Gleeman figures the solid Urshela likely has the most trade value of the trio, should the Twins want to open third base for Jose Miranda.
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Boston Red Sox Los Angeles Angels Minnesota Twins Notes Emilio Pagan Giovanny Urshela Matt Strahm Max Kepler Phil Nevin

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Michael Kopech Undergoes Knee Surgery

By Mark Polishuk | October 1, 2022 at 7:56pm CDT

The White Sox announced that right-hander Michael Kopech underwent surgery on his right meniscus on Thursday, with The Athletic’s James Fegan reporting that Kopech suffered a tear.  According to the Sox, Kopech is expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training.

Kopech was already on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation, and he previously missed time in late August and early September due to a left knee strain.  His right knee was the issue this time, and Kopech made to make an early exit from a start in June due to soreness in that same knee, with Kopech saying that he felt a small twinge or popping sensation.  However, Kopech was on the mound seven days later, and while tests at the time didn’t reveal any structural problems, it is possible the tear developed as Kopech continued to pitch over the rest of the season.

Since Kopech already wasn’t expected to pitch again in 2022, it seems like the decision was made to get the meniscus surgery over with early, to give the righty as much time as possible to recover heading into next season.  The team’s statement specified that Kopech wasn’t expected to be facing any limitations when he gets onto the mound at Chicago’s spring camp in February.

Now that Kopech’s 2022 season is officially complete, he can look back on his first season as a starting pitcher as something of a mixed bag.  In terms of pure bottom-line results, Kopech had a 3.54 ERA, though he was greatly helped by a .229 BABIP.  This good fortune helped Kopech overcome one of the sport’s worst walk rates (11.5%), as well as below-average hard-hit ball and strikeout rates.

In the bigger picture, Kopech’s two IL stints and now this knee surgery add to a health history that is already rather lengthy.  He underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2019, and between that rehab and his decision to opt out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, Kopech went two full seasons without pitching.  The White Sox eased the former top prospect back into things by using him mostly as a reliever in 2021, before stretching him out for 119 1/3 innings as a starter this year.

Provided that none of his recent injuries result in any setbacks, Kopech should be set to build on that innings total as a member of Chicago’s rotation in 2023.  He’ll also enter salary arbitration for the first of three trips this winter, and Kopech is slated to enter free agency following the 2025 season.

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Chicago White Sox Michael Kopech

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NL East Notes: Alcantara, Marte, Strider

By Mark Polishuk | October 1, 2022 at 6:15pm CDT

Sandy Alcantara’s season is officially over, as Marlins manager Don Mattingly told reporters (including the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson) today that the star right-hander won’t be pitching in the Marlins’ season finale on Wednesday.  Alcantara pitched yesterday and would’ve been lined up to make his 33rd start in Wednesday’s game against the Braves, but Miami will instead close the book on what might end up as a Cy Young Award-winning campaign for the 27-year-old righty.

Over a league-high 228 2/3 innings, Alcantara has looked like an old-school workhorse in a sport increasingly dominated by pitch counts and bullpen usage.  Alcantara has a 2.28 ERA, 53.6% grounder rate, and 5.6% walk rate to go along with that big workload, and he earned his second All-Star nod.  While Miami is reportedly open to trading from its pitching depth this winter, Alcantara is known be off-limits, as his five-year, $56MM extension signed last November has made him a Marlins cornerstone.

More from the NL East….

  • Starling Marte is still recovering from his fractured right middle finger, as Mets manager Buck Showalter told Newsday’s Tim Healey and other reporters that Marte’s finger still hasn’t healed enough for the outfielder to start swinging or throwing.  Marte hasn’t played since September 6, but his attempts at making it back before the end of New York’s season have already resulted in one cessation of baseball activities, as Marte’s continued discomfort in his finger has prevented him from being able to properly ramp up his readiness.  With the regular season winding down, there must now be concern whether or not Marte will be ready when the Mets start the playoffs, whether that is on Friday (if the Mets are a wild card) or perhaps even on October 11 (if the Mets win the NL East).  Naturally, that latter date would give Marte more time to heal, but the Mets and Braves might be battling for the division title until the final day of the schedule.
  • The Braves are also missing a key figure from the pennant race, as Spencer Strider’s stint on the 15-day injured list will last until that 162nd and final game.  Strider has been dealing with an oblique strain, and manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that there isn’t any update on whether or not Strider will be able to return for that last game.  The rookie right-hander has been getting treatment and doing core exercises, but while Snitker said that has been some improvement, Strider hasn’t yet started throwing.
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Atlanta Braves Miami Marlins New York Mets Notes Sandy Alcantara Spencer Strider Starling Marte

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Latest On James Click, Dusty Baker

By Anthony Franco | October 1, 2022 at 5:18pm CDT

The Astros wrapped up the top seed in the American League last night, having already secured 102 wins. It’s Houston’s second straight AL West title and third playoff appearance in as many years under general manager James Click and skipper Dusty Baker. The Astros have advanced at least as far as the AL Championship Series in each of the past two seasons, and the AL road to the World Series will again run through Houston.

Given that immense success, it’d seem to go without saying that Houston was satisfied with the franchise’s trajectory. However, both Click and Baker are in the final year of their contracts, and some uncertainty about the organization’s leadership future looms. Click signed a three-year deal when he took over baseball operations in February 2020, while the club inked Baker to a one-year extension last offseason. Owner Jim Crane told Mark Berman of Fox 26 (Twitter link) last month he’s “aware both contracts are up and we’ll address them at the end of the season.”

While there’s no questioning the team’s on-field success, it does not seem a mere formality that both Click and Baker will be retained. During an appearance on the Houston Chronicle’s Texas Sports Nation podcast last weekend (Twitter link), Chandler Rome noted the contract status for Click and Baker “has been a topic that has been whispered about in the Astros organization, people both in and out of the clubhouse, since the beginning of the season.” Rome added that, particularly in Click’s case, “everybody that I talk to (emphasizes) that this is not just a rubber-stamp thing. This is not just, ’we’re going to extend him and everyone’s going to be happy and be merry.’ There is some real speculation, some real intrigue, that James Click is not going to be back with the Astros after this season.”

Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic examined the situation yesterday, writing that some friction between Crane and Click could explain the organization’s hesitance to hand him a long-term extension. According to Rosenthal, Crane has taken on a very active role in baseball operations and tends to favor more bold additions than Click, whose approach to the roster is generally more restrained. Rosenthal notes that Click and Baker sometimes differ on the extent to which analytics should be integrated into in-game decisions but suggests that’s not as notable as whatever divide there may be between Click and Crane.

Both Click and Baker were brought in under unexpected circumstances. After the extent of the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing operation was made public during the 2019-20 offseason, MLB handed down suspensions for then-GM Jeff Lunhow and manager A.J. Hinch. Houston promptly fired both after the league’s investigation. Crane tabbed Baker as Hinch’s replacement, then hired Click out of the Rays front office a few days later. It was a reversal of the typical course of action, in which the front office head plays a key role in deciding on the manager.

Crane has maintained he had no knowledge of the team’s sign-stealing operation. It’s not clear whether he’s subsequently taken on a more active role in baseball operations as a direct response to the fallout from that scheme. Either way, Rosenthal writes that “Crane does not trust Click the way he trusted Luhnow, with whom he worked for eight seasons.”

To be clear, neither Rome nor Rosenthal suggests Click’s or Baker’s time in the organization is definitively nearing its end. The two have adeptly led the team past the sign-stealing fallout with little drop-off in performance. They’re as well-positioned as any club (aside from perhaps the Dodgers) to make a deep postseason run in 2022. Both Rome and Rosenthal point out that it’d seem unlikely Crane makes any changes at the top if the Astros find playoff success this year, particularly if they win the World Series.

It’s nevertheless notable that questions persist given the consistent excellence the Astros have maintained for the past three years. If ownership does decide to tie Click’s and/or Baker’s future to the results of this year’s postseason, there’d be a lot riding on the extremely small sample of a playoff series. That’s not a great way to make decisions of this magnitude, but the reported tension in the Minute Maid Park offices will at least lead to some speculation about the franchise’s direction until Click’s and Baker’s situations are decided at year’s end.

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