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Cubs Expected To Keep Joe Maddon For 2019 Season

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Though the Cubs’ postseason run ended earlier than the team hoped, the loss in last night’s NL wild card game doesn’t seem like it will lead to a change in the dugout.  The Cubs are expected to retain manager Joe Maddon through the 2019 season, ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers reports.

Maddon is under contract through next year, in what will be the final season of the five-year, $25MM deal he signed to come to Chicago in October 2014.  MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reported earlier today, however, that a contract extension doesn’t appear to be coming in the near future, nor have Maddon’s representatives recently inquired about a new deal with Cubs management.

It’s hard to argue with Maddon’s track record since coming to Wrigleyville, as the Cubs have a 387-261 record and four postseason appearances in his four seasons as manager, highlighted by the curse-breaking 2016 World Series championship.  Despite all this success, there have been whispers that Maddon and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein “are not always on the same page,” as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal phrased it earlier today.  Some of Maddon’s in-game tactics led to some criticism from pundits and fans over the years, and Rosenthal’s subscription-only piece outlines some of the instances where Epstein could have found fault with Maddon’s decisions this year, such as possibly overusing Brandon Morrow.

While it seems as if Maddon could be entering the 2019 season as a “lame duck” manager, such a situation might not be unusual for either side.  Maddon said last winter that he doesn’t broach the subject of contract extensions, as “I believe if we take care of our own business properly, that’s the kind of stuff that takes care of itself.”  As Rosenthal noted, Epstein himself (plus GM Jed Hoyer and VP of scouting/player development Jason McLeod) was a lame duck for much of 2016, which was the last year of his initial five-year contract with the Cubs.  It wasn’t until September of that year that extensions were announced for all three parties, so it perhaps wouldn’t be a surprise if Epstein and Cubs ownership waited until later in the 2019 season to approach Maddon about a new contract.  Or, conversely, waiting could give both sides more time to decide if they want to continue their relationship.

Orioles Part Ways With Buck Showalter

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The Orioles won’t be retaining manager Buck Showalter, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports (Twitter link).  Showalter will be leaving the organization entirely, and not taking on any other role in the front office.

Showalter’s contract was set to officially expire this month, and it was widely expected that the O’s would be making a change in the dugout in the wake of their nightmarish 115-loss season.  There was some speculation that Showalter could be offered another job to remain in the organization, and while Showalter and O’s management had talks about that possibility in the past, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun tweets that “discussions never got to that point” in Showalter’s meeting with team ownership today.

Buck ShowalterThe Orioles’ hideous 2018 performance dragged Showalter’s record as the team’s manager under the .500 mark, ending his tenure at 669-684.  While the Showalter era ended on a very sour note, however, it was under his leadership that the Orioles enjoyed a big turnaround.  After taking over as manager partway through the 2010 season, Showalter stewarded the team through one more losing season in 2011, extending Baltimore’s stretch of sub-.500 seasons to fourteen.  That all changed in 2012, when the O’s made a surprise run to the AL Wild Card game and defeated the Rangers to earn a slot in the ALDS.

2012 was the first five straight non-losing seasons (the club went 81-81 in 2015) for the Orioles, a stretch that included another wild card appearance in 2016 and an AL East title in 2014.  That 2014 team was Showalter’s best, a squad that won 96 games and defeated the Tigers in the ALDS to notch Baltimore’s first postseason series victory since 1997.  All three of Showalter’s playoff teams in Baltimore outperformed their Pythagorean win-loss record, which is a good indicator of Showalter’s ability in managing a team that often seemed to catch opponents and pundits by surprise.  While the O’s had such talents as Manny Machado and Adam Jones anchoring the lineup, plus the likes of Nelson Cruz or Chris Davis contributing big seasons at the plate, Showalter navigated his team to success with a focus on slugging, defense, and a quality bullpen, despite a constant lack of stability in the starting rotation.

Showalter has now concluded four different managerial stints with as many different teams, having previously stewarded the Yankees from 1992-95, the Diamondbacks from 1998-2000, and the Rangers from 2003-06.  In each of those cases, Showalter helped take a struggling team (or, in Arizona’s case, an expansion team) to success, so he could stand out as a logical candidate for teams looking for a new manager this offseason.  The Reds, for instance, seem to be targeting experienced names as they look to take the next step in their rebuild, so Showalter could potentially end up on their radar screen.  The Blue Jays, Twins, Rangers, and Angels are the other clubs with managerial vacancies, plus more openings could still emerge.  Of course, this assumes that the 62-year-old Showalter is still interested in managing, as he has been rumored to have interest in front office positions in the past.

Recent reports have indicated that Dan Duquette could stay on as Baltimore’s executive VP of baseball operations, and since Showalter was already in place before Duquette was hired by the Orioles in November 2011, this could be Duquette’s first chance at hiring his own manager (which is no small thing, as there have long been rumors of friction between Duquette and Showalter).  It remains to be seen exactly what the Orioles braintrust of Duquette, Brady Anderson and the Angelos family will look for in a new manager, though with the O’s just entering what could be a lengthy rebuild, it seems likely that a new skipper will need to be experienced in developing and teaching young players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

GM Ross Atkins On Blue Jays’ Offseason, Manager Search

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Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins discussed some of his team’s offseason plans in an end-of-season chat with reporters (including the Athletic’s John Lott, and Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith) on Tuesday.  Some of the highlights…

  • The team has been in contact with a few managerial candidates already, though the Jays are still “gathering information” on their list of candidates, Atkins said.  Initial phone interviews with 10 or more candidates will begin within the week, with a final field of around five candidates then selected for in-person interviews with various members of the Jays organization.  The connection between the manager and the franchise as a whole is an important factor, as Atkins describes his ideal hire as possessing an “understanding what it takes for communication to keep not just [a] 25-man roster, but also the 40-man roster, the 200 minor-league players, the 100-plus scouts, the 100-plus coaches and medical staff people pulling in one direction and feeling connected.  That person has to be an organizational leader and spokesperson, not just a leader of the 25-man clubhouse.”
  • Bench coach DeMarlo Hale and Double-A manager John Schneider are two of the in-house candidates, and it seems as if the Blue Jays are leaning towards people with some type of managing or coaching background.  The new Jays manager “will have experience leading,” Atkins said.  “That is something extremely important for us.”  The new manager must also be adept at requesting and interpreting the available analytical information, with Atkins specifying that while the manager (and not the front office) will still handle all in-game decision-making.  Beyond these requirements, the Blue Jays will “cast as big a net as time and bandwidth can handle” in looking for a new manager, Atkins said.
  • The Jays will be open to re-signing Marco Estrada or possibly bringing back J.A. Happ, who was dealt to the Yankees at the trade deadline.  Atkins said that Toronto will first focus on the trade market before looking at free agents, however, and “We’d be looking for complementary pieces, and I think the focus would be slightly more short-term.”  This would seem to count out a pursuit of Happ, who wouldn’t require a long contract (he turns 36 later this month), but his solid performance will likely price him out of the Jays’ range.
  • There will be a focus on adding arms to the organization, with Atkins noting “we need to turn some of our position-player depth into pitching.  That doesn’t mean we won’t trade from our young core or guys that haven’t even gotten to the major leagues.”  Some of the names on the move could be prospects who are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, as the Jays have a 40-man roster crunch forthcoming and not everyone can be protected.  As it is, Atkins expects to lose at least one player in the Rule 5 Draft in December.
  • Beyond pitching, Atkins said Toronto will also prioritize improving the team’s poor defense and baserunning.
  • After Troy Tulowitzki spent the entire 2018 season on the disabled list, Atkins said that the veteran shortstop’s status for 2019 “starts with health.”  When asked if Tulowitzki can still be an everyday player amidst the Jays’ younger infield options, Atkins answered “If Tulo’s healthy and performing at a very high rate, then yes. If he’s healthy and his performance isn’t to the calibre that major-league environments demand, then no.”  Tulowitzki has been adamant about remaining at shortstop, though it remains to be seen if he can handle any position at all given his lengthy injury history over the years; in addition to missing 2018, Tulowitzki averaged just 98 games a season from 2012-17.  Obviously Tulowitzki has virtually no trade value in the wake of his lost year, so the Jays might have to consider releasing him and eating the $38MM still owed to him through 2020.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Showalter, Duquette, O’s, Brasier

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While many simply point to the Yankees’ payroll as the reason for their success, general manager Brian Cashman has spent over a decade quietly assembling an analytics department that rivals any in baseball, as Marc Carig and Eno Sarris detail in a fascinating piece for The Athletic (subscription required).  Current assistant GM Michael Fishman was hired as the Yankees’ first full-time analyst in 2005, and today, New York has an estimated 20 employees on their analytics team.  This ties them with the Dodgers as the largest such staff in baseball by Carig and Sarris’ count, though they note that teams are notoriously secretive in providing any details about their information-gathering practices.  The increased focus on analytical data has impacted all levels of the baseball operations and scouting departments, with the results apparent in how the Yankees have built their outstanding bullpen, all their pitchers’ high velocity and spin rate on their four-seam fastballs, and in the sheer number of current Major League players that the Yankees originally signed or drafted.

Here’s more from around the AL East…

  • We could know more about Buck Showalter’s future with the Orioles today, as The Athletic’s Dan Connolly (Twitter link) reports that the manager is expected to meet with ownership and the “sense is” Showalter will be offered some type of job to remain with the franchise.  It isn’t clear if that job would be a front office role or if Showalter could continue on as manager in the wake of Baltimore’s 115-loss season.
  • Questions also surround the job status of Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette, though Duquette didn’t give any hints about his situation, simply telling Dan Connolly (subscription-only piece) “that’s an appropriate question for ownership.”  Though Duquette’s contract is up at the end of October, he is still proceeding as if he’ll still be with the organization in 2019.  For instance, Duquette is considering joining at least five other Orioles talent evaluators in attending the showcase for top Cuban prospects Victor Victor Mesa, Victor Mesa Jr., and Sandy Gaston on Friday.  The O’s have been heavily linked to these youngsters due to the space in the team’s international bonus pool, which Connolly estimates as roughly $6MM available to be spent.
  • Hard-throwing Ryan Brasier has become a key contributor to the Red Sox bullpen, posting a 1.60 ERA, 4.14 K/BB rate and 7.8 K/9 over 33 2/3 frames for the AL East champs.  It has been quite the showing for the unheralded 31-year-old, who had just nine innings of MLB experience (with the Angels in 2013) prior to this season.  As The Athletic’s Chad Jennings (subscription required) writes, it was less than a year ago that a homesick Brasier was pitching in Japan and intent on returning to North America for the 2018 campaign.  He sent e-mails to all 30 MLB teams over the offseason in search of a job, finally landing a minor league deal with the Sox, and then excelling after his contract was selected in July.

Cubs Notes: Maddon, Hamels, Chavez

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The offseason introspection has already begun for the Cubs in the wake of last night’s 13-inning loss to the Rockies in the NL wild card game, and the team’s early exit from the postseason caught many inside and outside the Cubs organization by surprise.  Here is some of the initial aftermath of Chicago’s loss, and what questions the club will be facing this winter…

  • One of the more pressing matters could be Joe Maddon’s future, as the manager’s contract is up after the 2019 season.  According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required), “talk has persisted within the industry that [Theo] Epstein and Maddon are not always on the same page,” and the Cubs’ elimination could allow a reason for a change in the dugout.  As Rosenthal notes, however, Maddon did well to lead the Cubs to 95 wins despite a number of down years from several hitters and a lack of production (either due to injury or under-performance) from Yu Darvish, Tyler Chatwood, and Brandon Morrow — the front office’s three big signings from the 2017-18 offseason.
  • Maddon received votes of confidence from players such as Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras, Kris Bryant, and Javy Baez, who all praised the manager to reporters (including Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times).  Despite the Cubs’ issues this season, Rizzo said that “we still figured out a way to win.  That’s all credit to [Maddon].  Without his leadership here, guys aren’t playing the way they play.  [Rookie] David Bote is not coming up here and playing the way he plays without Joe’s leadership.”
  • Cole Hamels is hoping the Cubs pick up his $20MM option for 2019, telling The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney (Twitter link) and other reporters “Hopefully, I did everything I can to convince them that [exercising the option] would be something that would be valuable.”  Few trade deadline acquisitions had a bigger impact than Hamels this season, as the southpaw posted a 2.36 ERA, 8.7 K/9, and 3.22 K/BB rate over 76 1/3 IP after coming to Chicago in a deal with the Rangers.  The $20MM club option can be bought out for $6MM, leaving the Cubs with a $14MM decision on the veteran lefty’s services.  The Cubs already have over $70.5MM committed to Darvish, Chatwood, Jon Lester, and Jose Quintana (assuming Quintana’s own club option is exercised) next season, though even with that heavy investment in the rotation, one would think Chicago is leaning towards retaining Hamels given how well he pitched.
  • Another midseason trade acquisition was even more adamant about returning to the Cubs, as ESPN.com’s Marly Rivera reports (via Twitter) that Jesse Chavez was telling teammates “If I’m not wearing this [uniform] next year, I’m done.”  Chavez, also acquired from the Rangers in a separate July trade, was almost untouchable over 39 innings out of Chicago’s bullpen, posting an eye-popping 1.15 ERA and 8.4 K/BB rate, striking out 42 batters and issuing just five walks.  Chavez turned 35 last August, though it would be surprising to see him hang up his glove if a return to Chicago wasn’t in the cards, as one would imagine several teams would have interest in the impending free agent.  It could also be that Chavez was simply speaking in the heat of the moment, after the grueling elimination game.

Progress Report: Last Winter’s Richest Contracts

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The MLB playoffs are underway, which means we’re just a few weeks from seeing dozens of players reach free agency in search of significant paydays. Of the major leaguers who went to the open market last winter, only 11 signed contracts worth upward of $30MM in guaranteed money. It’s still too soon to fully pass judgment on those deals, but there are several that don’t look good through Year 1. While those players could rebound beginning next season, it’s undoubtedly troubling to see a big-money free agent struggle during the initial year of his contract, when he’s supposed to be providing the most value to his team. Here’s a look at how last winter’s upper-class free agents have fared thus far…

Eric Hosmer, 1B, Padres – eight years, $144MM: The Padres didn’t figure to contend this season even with the best version of Hosmer (they ended up 66-96), who wasn’t a bastion of consistency during his Royals tenure from 2011-17. This came off as a questionable signing from the start, then, and it looks downright bad through its first season. Hosmer had his high points as a Royal, including during a career-best 2017, but also posted a negative fWAR over multiple seasons in KC. He just completed his third such season, recording minus-0.1 fWAR in 677 plate appearances. The main problem? The 28-year-old didn’t pose much of a threat offensively, as his .253/.322/.398 line ranked 5 percent below league average, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric. Relative to other first basemen, Hosmer has never been a high-end power hitter, and that continued this season with 18 home runs and a .145 ISO. Hosmer will have a chance to opt out of his contract after its fifth season, but the way things look right now, he’ll be a Padre for the full eight-year span.

Yu Darvish, RHP, Cubs – six years, $126MM: One thing you can say for Hosmer, who played 157 games this season: He was available. That wasn’t the case with Darvish, whose first year in Chicago didn’t go according to plan. The 32-year-old went on the disabled list toward the end of May with arm issues and suffered multiple setbacks during his rehab, forcing the Cubs to shut him down for the season in late August. Darvish, who last pitched May 20, totaled just eight starts and 40 innings in 2018. He logged a career-worst ERA (4.95), FIP (4.86) and xFIP (4.23) and BB/9 (4.73) along the way, looking nothing like the front-end starter the Cubs thought they were getting. There’s still hope for the hard-throwing Darvish, who continued to strike out batters at a high clip this year (11.03 per nine), but there’s no doubt he’s off to an inauspicious start as a Cub. As of now, it doesn’t appear he’ll exercise his opt-out clause after next season. Doing so would mean leaving a four-year, $81MM guarantee on the table.

J.D. Martinez, OF/DH, Red Sox – five years, $110MM: As the Red Sox sought a game-changing bat last offseason, it seemed like a question of when – not if – they’d reel in Martinez. The two sides’ standoff took longer than expected, though, with the 31-year-old sitting on the unemployment line until late February. Now, Boston’s surely thrilled it won the Martinez sweepstakes.

An elite hitter since his stunning breakout with the Tigers in 2014, Martinez has joined Mookie Betts to comprise the sport’s foremost one-two offensive punch in 2018. Martinez concluded the regular season second in the majors in home runs (43), batting average (.330) and slugging percentage (.629); third in ISO (.299) and wRC+ (170); fifth in on-base percentage (.402); and 10th in fWAR (5.8). Thanks in large part to Martinez, the Red Sox finished with the majors’ best record (108-54) and its top offense. While the BoSox and Martinez are focused on winning a World Series this year, he’s only 13 months away from potentially hitting free agency again. Martinez has three opt-outs in his deal, including one after next season.

Lorenzo Cain, CF, Brewers – five years, $80MM: So far, the addition of Cain has been a major boon for the Brewers, the just-crowned NL Central champions. Cain was among the Brewers’ heroes during their division-deciding triumph over the Cubs on Monday, when he hit what proved to be the winning RBI single in the eighth inning of a tie game.  The Brewers’ second-best player behind NL MVP hopeful Christian Yelich – yet another huge pickup from last winter – Cain accrued 5.6 fWAR during the regular season. As he did during his Royals heyday, Cain has delivered his value this year by relying on his all-around excellence. He has frustrated opponents at the plate (.308/.395/.417 in 620 PA), on the bases (30 steals, 6.2 BsR) and in the field (20 Defensive Runs Saved, 17 Outs Above Average, 7.9 Ultimate Zone Rating), continuing his run as one of the majors’ most well-rounded stars.

Jake Arrieta, RHP, Phillies – three years, $75MM: Arrieta and agent Scott Boras fell well shy of their $100MM-plus goal last offseason, when the former’s stay on the market lasted into March. While Arrieta was a tremendous starter with the Cubs from 2014-17, some cracks began to show last season, helping lead to his long stay in free agency. Arrieta continued to go downhill this year, his age-32 season, though he did perform decently and amass at least 30 starts (31) for the fourth straight campaign. Across 172 2/3 innings, Arrieta pitched to a 3.96 ERA/4.26 FIP with 7.19 K/9, 2.97 BB/9 and a 51.6 percent groundball rate. That’s solid production, but it’s clear Arrieta’s not the Cy Young-caliber starter he was for part of his Cubs tenure. Arrieta’s yet another signing from last winter who will have a chance to opt out of his contract after next season, which would mean passing on a $20MM guarantee, though the Phillies could void that clause in favor of a two-year, $40MM team option.

Carlos Santana, 1B, Phillies – three years, $60MM: Like Arrieta, Santana was closer to average than spectacular for the Phillies in the first season of an expensive deal. The former Indian, 32, continued his long run of durability, appearing in a personal-high 161 games, but he only managed a 109 wRC+ in 679 PA. Encouragingly, the ever-patient Santana easily racked up more unintentional walks (110) than strikeouts (93), and his expected weighted on-base average (.364) left his real wOBA (.334) in the dust. Although Santana’s offense has long been his calling card, he’s also a capable defender at first. But there’s some question moving forward as to whether Santana will stay at first or shift to third, where he saw time late in the season.

Alex Cobb, RHP, Orioles – four years, $57MM: Cobb went unsigned until late March, making him one of the most notable stragglers on a slow-moving market. When the Orioles finally did sign him, it was clear they were of the belief they’d contend for a playoff spot. Ultimately, the O’s finished as the majors’ worst team (47-115), and they now find themselves in a full-blown rebuild. Given that he’s an expensive veteran on a bottom-feeding team, it would make sense for Baltimore to try to move Cobb in the offseason. Finding a taker would be challenging, though, because Cobb has only offered back-end production as a member of the Orioles – with whom the ex-Ray has recorded a 4.90 ERA/4.80 FIP in 152 1/3 innings. The good news is that Cobb was much more effective in the second half of the season. After heading to the All-Star break with a horrendous 6.41 ERA/5.12 FIP, he came back to notch a 2.56 ERA/4.28 FIP over the past couple months.

Wade Davis, RP, Rockies – three years, $52MM: Davis was a premier reliever with the Royals and Cubs from 2014-17, but that excellence hasn’t always been present in his first year with the Rockies. To his credit, Davis closed the regular season with a flourish, allowing one earned run over his last 18 innings, and then added another 1 1/3 scoreless frames in Tuesday’s NL wild-card game. Good thing, too, because the 33-year-old had been amid a horrific campaign during the summer, when his ERA ballooned to a season-high 5.51 on Aug. 6. Davis had totaled six losses and six blown saves at that point, but he didn’t add to either category from that point, and he ended the regular season converting 12 straight save opportunities. He wrapped up the campaign with 43, a franchise record for the Rockies, and a 4.13 ERA with 10.74 K/9, 3.58 BB/9 in 65 1/3 innings. That’s not the overall production Colorado wanted when it signed Davis, but his late-season resurgence did help the club earn a playoff berth.

Jay Bruce, OF/1B, Mets – three years, $39MM – The five-time 30-HR hitter put up a career-low nine in 2018, owing in part to a hip injury that shelved him for two-plus months over the summer. Bruce’s overall line of .223/.310/.370 (89 wRC+) looks ugly, but he did turn things around after coming off the disabled list in late August. That’s an encouraging development for the Mets heading into next year, when Bruce – a longtime corner outfielder – may be its starting first baseman. Regardless of where Bruce lines up in 2019, the Mets will hope the soon-to-be 32-year-old returns to his long-established ways as a quality offensive contributor. Thus far, though, the team’s decision to bring back Bruce last offseason looks regrettable.

Tyler Chatwood, RHP, Cubs – three years, $38MM – The Cubs thought they had a steal in Chatwood, who drew some hype going into last winter after back-to-back respectable seasons with the Rockies. But Chatwood was a dud in his first season in Chicago, with which he last took the mound Sept. 8. Control problems defined 2018 for the 28-year-old Chatwood, who posted a nightmarish walk rate (8.25 per nine) over 103 2/3 innings. Chatwood’s inability to find the zone helped lead to an atrocious 5.30 ERA/5.60 FIP and cost him his place in the Cubs’ rotation in late July.

Zack Cozart, INF, Angels – three years, $38MM: 2018 was a disappointing season in general for the Angels, and Cozart was among the reasons. One of their high-profile pickups in a winter packed with them, Cozart saw his season end in mid-June after undergoing shoulder surgery – a procedure which could also keep him out for some of spring training next year. When he was healthy enough to take the field this year, the substantial offensive gains he made as a Red in 2017 didn’t carry over. Cozart compiled an 83 wRC+ (down from 140 last season) and a .219/.296/.362 line in 253 trips to the plate.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NL Notes: Dodgers, Roberts, Mets, Marlins, Dietrich, Nats, Harper

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The Dodgers just won their third National League West title in as many years under Dave Roberts, though the manager’s future beyond this season still isn’t known yet. The deal Roberts signed when he took the helm in November 2015 includes an option for next season, which the club hasn’t exercised. The Dodgers could instead ink Roberts to a new pact if they’re interested in keeping him for the long haul, and Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports that the two sides have indeed begun contract talks. There’s mutual respect between Roberts and Dodgers management, Shaikin relays, and the 46-year-old has the confidence of chairman Mark Walter. Asked if the Dodgers would give Roberts long-term security, Walter said, “I don’t see any reason why not.” The results under Roberts are hard to argue with – in addition to their three division titles on his watch, the Dodgers have won an NL pennant (in 2017) and combined for a 287-200 regular-season record.

Now the latest from the NL East…

  • There are anywhere from 10 to 12 “serious candidates” for the Mets’ general manager opening, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets, adding that Kim Ng may be among the names. If the Mets hire Ng, Major League Baseball’s senior vice president for baseball operations, she’d become the first woman to hold a GM job in professional sports. Ng comes with plenty of front office experience and has drawn GM interest in the past, most recently from the Diamondbacks in 2016.
  • It “appears highly questionable” the Marlins will tender a contract to Derek Dietrich in the offseason, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Seeing Dietrich hit free agency early would be a surprise, considering he’s fresh off his third straight solid offensive season, capable of playing multiple positions and arbitration eligible for another two years (he’s set to earn a raise over his current salary of $2.9MM in 2019). The 29-year-old hit .265/.330/.421 (109 wRC+) with 16 home runs in 551 plate appearances this season, all while racking up significant time in left field and at first base. Dietrich has also garnered a fair amount of experience at second and third base since he debuted in 2013.
  • Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com provides a primer on Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper’s upcoming trip to free agency, listing several teams that could pursue the soon-to-be 26-year-old if he leaves the Nats. However, there’s real affection between the Nationals and Harper, notes Zuckerman, which could lead to a re-signing. Zuckerman wonders if Washington would be better off using the money it would allocate to Harper on multiple other areas of the roster, though, pointing out that the club would likely boast a quality outfield even without the six-time All-Star. Should Harper depart, the Nats wouldn’t receive much in the way of compensation, as Zuckerman writes. Assuming it stayed under the $197MM competitive-balance tax this year, Washington would get a compensatory pick before the third round of the 2019 draft. Otherwise, the team would land a selection after the fourth round.

MLB Places Addison Russell On Administrative Leave

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OCT. 2: MLB expects to reach a decision on Russell’s case “shortly,” perhaps before the end of the playoffs, commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday (via Patrick Mooney of The Athletic; subscription required). Interestingly, Mooney reports there’s a “sense around the team” that Russell has played his final game as a Cub.

SEPT. 28: In her first interview, Reidy discussed her experiences with Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. Explaining that she “wasn’t ready” to talk to investigators when first contacted last year, in the wake of her split with Russell, Reidy says she was also advised by counsel to hold off on telling her own story until she was fully prepared.

Ultimately, Reidy decided to wait until her divorce had been finalized before finally electing to publicize her experiences.

“It wasn’t sitting right with me,” she said of the fact that she had yet to speak out. “I took it upon myself to do what I needed to do regardless what could happen, financially. I know that I’m going to be OK … I shouldn’t have to feel like I can’t speak out to help someone else, in order to protect someone that hurt me.”

Russell’s administrative leave has been extended through to the end of the regular season, as Rosenthal recently reported on Twitter.

SEPT. 25: The league’s decision to place Russell on administrative leave was based not only on the recently released allegations, but on “additional credible information” that has been gathered, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription post). Since prior claims of domestic abuse by Russell arose last year, the league has interviewed Reidy as well as “numerous other witnesses,” Rosenthal adds.

Notably, too, Rosenthal reports that Russell does not intend to challenge the exercise of the administrative leave authority, though he is still not precluded from doing so.

SEPT. 21: Melisa Reidy, the ex-wife of Cubs shortstop Addison Russell, has released a detailed account of the events that led to the couple’s separation and eventual divorce, alleging that Russell abused her verbally, emotionally and physically over the course of a short and tumultuous marriage. In the wake of that statement, Major League Baseball announced that Russell has been placed on paid administrative leave, as is typical during investigations under the MLB-MLBPA Join Domestic Violence Policy.

It’s the second time that allegations have been brought forth against Russell. The first instance came when a friend of Reidy spoke out on Instagram; Reidy, in the process of separating and filing for divorce at the time, did not cooperate with MLB’s investigation. Now, it stands to reason that this latest account from the alleged victim herself will bring forth a second and more serious investigation from the league. It’s unclear whether the relevant law enforcement authorities are investigating the allegations and/or whether criminal charges could be pursued.

Reidy describes multiple instances of Russell becoming physically violent, alleging that he “[laid] his hands on [her]” and “physically mistreated” her. She also details a series of verbal and emotional abuse, including intimidation via the threat of physical force. Needless to say, the allegations against Russell are serious and disturbing. At the very least, they’ll fall under the purview of Major League Baseball’s domestic abuse agreement, which gives commissioner Rob Manfred the authority to issue punishment even in the absence of criminal proceedings. (Presently, it’s not clear if Reidy plans to press charges, though the allegations could carry criminal implications as well.)

The Cubs offered the following statement:

“We take allegations of domestic violence seriously and support the League’s decision to place Addison Russell on administrative leave given new details revealed today.  We will continue to cooperate with the League’s investigation so the appropriate action can be taken.”

Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein each addressed the matter in greater detail, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Tribune covers. Both expressed agreement with the league’s decision to place Russell on leave while indicating that he had denied the allegations to them in a meeting held this morning.

Russell has issued a statement through the MLB Players Association, asserting:

“These allegations are completely false. I made that clear to Major League Baseball last year and reiterated it to the Cubs today. I’m confident any full and fair investigation will fully exonerate me. The protection of my children is foremost in my mind so I will have no further comment.”

Notably, per Wittenmyer, the organization’s expectation is that Russell will not appear on the field again this season, though there has been no formal determination to that effect. It is common for such leave to be extended throughout the duration of an investigation, though we’ve not previously seen these type of allegations surface in such close proximity to the postseason. With that in mind, it’s worth noting that a regular-season suspension under the league’s domestic violence policy, in and of itself, does not preclude a player from participating in the postseason. (PED-related suspensions do preclude postseason participation, by rule.) It’s also worth bearing in mind, though, that league investigations are often lengthy endeavors; Roberto Osuna, for instance, was on administrative leave for roughly six weeks before Manfred and the league made a determination.

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Dipoto, Servais On Mariners’ Offseason

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The Mariners were one of the most talked-about teams in the first half of the 2018 season and finished with an impressive 89 victories on the year, but that total left them an improbably significant nine games back from even obtaining a Wild Card berth in an extremely top-heavy American League. The organization is in somewhat of a tough spot, with an aging roster, a crowded payroll and a thin farm system, but GM Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais made clear at their end-of-year press conference that there are no plans to embark on any sort of significant rebuild (links via TJ Cotterill of the Tacoma News Tribune and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times).

“The likelihood of ever truly considering a tear-it-down model, it doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Dipoto said. “…That doesn’t make sense because we have so many positive elements with where our teams is, guys like Mitch Haniger, Marco Gonzales and Edwin Diaz. There are the pieces you are trying to build around, not the pieces that you are trying to send away.”

Seattle does have its share of aging veterans and the subsequent payroll issues that one would expect with those aging veterans. Felix Hernandez is owed $27MM this coming season but will be off the books following the 2019 campaign. Robinson Cano is still owed $24MM annually through 2023, however, and Kyle Seager (who took a step back at the plate in 2018) is owed nearly $20MM in each of the next three seasons. Those issues, paired with a thin farm, are certainly problematic, but the Mariners have plenty of silver linings to give them optimism as well.

If there’s one veteran whose status is up in the air, it’s longtime designated hitter Nelson Cruz. The 38-year-old remained a prodigious slugger and a formidable threat in the heart of the Seattle lineup this season, hitting .256/.342/.509 with 37 home runs. But Cruz is a free agent and no longer capable of playing the outfield with any regularity, and the Mariners under Dipoto’s watch have tried to become more athletic and defensively versatile. Much has been made of a possible reunion, but Dipoto hinted that the team has not yet decided if it will have a dedicated designated hitter next season.

While Dipoto said he “never viewed Nelson as holding us back” because of his inability to play defense and noted that “Nelson Cruz is a winning player,”  the executive still doesn’t seem sold on re-signing him. Dipoto added: “But clearly if we were committed to going back to the DH-only player, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. We would have taken care of it much earlier this year,” suggesting the Mariners would’ve re-signed Cruz during the season if they were fully committed to bringing him back.

Even though he’s a one-dimensional player, Cruz was still part of the solution for the ’18 Mariners – as his 2.5 fWAR/2.9 rWAR indicates – and determining his future will be one of Dipoto’s key responsibilities during the offseason. Cruz is easily the most important pending free agent for a team which just extended its major league-high playoff drought to 17 years. Despite their ongoing struggles relative to the rest of the league, Dipoto seems encouraged by the overall performance of this year’s club. While Dipoto acknowledged that the Mariners “failed to reach the goal” of snapping their league-worst streak, he noted that “on paper we should feel good about” an 89-win season.

“To be honest, knowing that it would have required us to get to 98 wins to get to the playoffs probably helps you sleep a little bit better, because that’s not a particularly realistic goal,” continued Dipoto, referring to the 97-65 campaign the division-rival A’s posted en route the AL’s last playoff spot.

Both the A’s and the AL West-winning Astros figure to once again serve as major roadblocks for the Mariners in 2019. As such, Dipoto & Co. will have their work cut out for them this winter as they attempt to build a team good enough to break Seattle’s postseason drought next year.

AL Notes: Yanks, A’s, Twins, O’s, Davis, Rangers

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The Yankees and Athletics have named their starters for Wednesday’s American League wild-card game. New York will turn to right-hander Luis Severino, the team confirmed, while Oakland will open the game with reliever Liam Hendriks, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The fact that the A’s are counting on Hendriks in such an important role would’ve been a shock back in July, when they outrighted him, but the 29-year-old reemerged as an effective member of the team’s pitching staff in September. Severino, meanwhile, is in line to start his second straight AL wild-card contest. Last year’s showing was disastrous, as Severino allowed three earned runs and only recorded one out against the Twins before exiting what proved to be a comeback win for the Yankees. In an MLBTR poll over the weekend, the plurality of voters expressed that J.A. Happ should start the game over Severino. The Yankees disagree.

Here’s more on a few other AL clubs:

  • Surprisingly, Twins manager Paul Molitor lost his job on Tuesday. More changes appear to be coming to the team’s staff, too, as Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets that bullpen coach Eddie Guardado and third base coach Gene Glynn are “likely” to exit their posts. The club also announced that it has parted with both strength and conditioning coordinator Perry Castellano and strength and conditioning assistant Erik Beiser. As for Molitor, who may stay in the organization, the Twins have offered him a job in player development, Phil Miller of the Star Tribune relays. Molitor’s bench coach, Derek Shelton, is seen as the top in-house candidate to become the Twins’ next manager, Heyman reports.
  • Sticking with the Twins, chief baseball officer Derek Falvey said Tuesday that he expects to discuss both an on- and off-field job for franchise icon Joe Mauer for 2019, per Miller. The 35-year-old Mauer may have concluded his playing career this past Sunday, when he had what could go down as a memorable send-off. Mauer’s not under contract heading into 2019, so if the first baseman decides to play again, the Twins will need to re-sign him.
  • As of now, it appears first baseman Chris Davis will be back with the Orioles in 2019, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com hears. The soon-to-be 33-year-old owns one of the majors’ worst contracts, so the Orioles’ only chance to get rid of Davis would be by releasing him. It appears the rebuilding club will continue with Davis on its roster, however, even after he posted an all-time worst season in 2018. Formerly an elite slugger, Davis hit a shockingly terrible .168/.243/.296 with 16 home runs in 522 plate appearances. He easily finished last in the majors in fWAR (minus-3.1) and wRC+ (46).
  • As of last weekend, offseason thumb surgery looked like a possibility for Rangers outfielder Nomar Mazara. It turns out that he won’t need it, though, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram tweets. Mazara’s thumb was a problem during the second half of the season, when he spent roughly a month on the disabled list and saw his production decline to a notable extent upon his return. All told, the 23-year-old hit .258/.317/.436 (96 wRC+) with 20 HRs in 536 trips to the plate.

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