Click here to view the transcript for MLBTR Live Chat With Jason Martinez: November 2, 2016
Phillies Name Matt Stairs Hitting Coach
The Phillies announced today that they’ve hired former Major Leaguer Matt Stairs as their new hitting coach. Additionally, the team announced that bench coach Larry Bowa, pitching coach Bob McClure, first base coach Mickey Morandini and third base coach Juan Samuel will all reprise their roles next year. Additionally, 2016 bullpen coach Rick Kranitz will now be McClure’s assistant pitching coach, while 2016 catching coach John McLaren will take over as the bullpen coach.
Despite going undrafted and signing with the Expos as an amateur free agent in 1989, Stairs enjoyed a highly productive 19-year career in the Majors, during which he batted .262/.356/.477 with 265 home runs and 294 doubles. Stairs appeared with 12 organizations over the of his career and holds the all-time record for pinch-hit home runs at 23. Perhaps the best-remembered moment of his career came in one of his final years while playing for the team for which he’ll now coach. In Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS, Stairs teed off on a Jonathan Broxton fastball and hit a massive two-run homer that put the Phillies in front 7-5 and ultimately propelled them to a 3-1 series lead (video link). Philadelphia, of course, would go on to not only win the NLCS but also to top the Rays in the 2008 World Series.
Stairs has been working in broadcasting over the past several years, including the past three with the Phillies. While he doesn’t come with coaching experience, he did serve as a special guest instructor with the Phillies during Spring Training this past year, and between that and his work in the booth he should be familiar with the majority of the team’s young players. However, he’ll have a tall task on his hands in improving a Phillies offense that collectively batted .240/.301/.385 last season. All three of those ratios rated in the bottom three among Major League teams, and no club scored fewer runs in 2016 than Philadelphia’a 610.
Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer sat down with the Phils’ newest coach, with Stairs explaining that his work in the booth for the Phillies has prepared him for the job in a way. “Honestly, the last three years, by sitting in that booth, I can tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly of every swing,” said Stairs. “…I just love hitting. And I’m not tooting my own horn, but I know hitting. A lot of people might think, ‘He was the guy that swung from his heels to try and hit home runs.’ That was only later in my career. I can break down a swing.”
Rays To Acquire John Lamb
The Reds have agreed to a trade that’ll send lefty John Lamb to the Rays, tweets Zach Links of MLBTR and Pro Football Rumors. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports tweets that the Rays are sending cash back to the Reds in return.
The 26-year-old Lamb was one of three left-handers that the Reds acquired from the Royals in 2015’s Johnny Cueto blockbuster. Once touted as one of the top 20 prospects in all of baseball by both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, Lamb’s stock has dropped precipitously over the years due to multiple injuries. In addition to the two back surgeries to repair herniated disks, Lamb also underwent Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer and missed nearly two full seasons as a result. He’s pitched with the Reds in each of the past two seasons but has struggled in the Majors, posting a combined 6.17 ERA with 8.7 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 in 119 2/3 innings.
Lamb’s struggles were present in Triple-A Louisville this year as well, but he’s excelled in the minors as recently as 2015, when he pitched to a stellar 2.67 ERA with 9.5 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 111 1/3 innings. The former fifth-round pick is out of minor league options, so while he could potentially open the 2017 season on the Major League disabled list, they’ll need to make a quick decision on him when he’s ready to be activated (assuming, of course, that the Rays don’t try to sneak Lamb through waivers this winter).
Jeurys Familia’s Court Date Pushed Back
NOV. 2: Familia’s court date has been pushed back to Nov. 10, tweets Newsday’s Jim Baumbach.
NOV. 1, 9:42pm: Ken Davidoff and Kenneth Garger of the New York Post report that Familia’s wife, Bianca, is the previously unidentified victim, as her name was redacted from initial reports. Familia told Dominican reporter Hector Gomez: “Somebody is trying to damage my reputation with this info. I’m at peace with my family.” (Twitter link) However, The Post’s report cites the authorities and anonymous court officials in providing details of Familia’s arrest, including the fact that he was arraigned at the Fort Lee police station on Monday and released on $1,500 bail. Familia, according to Davidoff and Garger, is due back in court on Thursday.
2:11pm: Mets closer Jeurys Familia has been arrested and charged with simple assault in an alleged domestic violence incident, according to a report from Andrew Wyrich and Abbott Koloff of the Record.
Public judicial records suggest that the 27-year-old pitcher is alleged to have caused bodily injury to an unidentified person, with police officers stating in the filing that there was probable cause “to believe that domestic violence had occurred.” A “scratch to the chest and a bruise to the right cheek of the victim” are said to have been observed.
The incident in question occurred early Monday morning in Fort Lee, New Jersey, per the court documents. That is where Familia, 27, resides with his wife and young child, according to the report.
The Mets provided a statement to the Record on the subject, stating: “The matter was brought to our attention and we are monitoring the situation.” Major League Baseball says that it has opened an investigation into the matter, according to James Wagner of the New York Times (via Twitter).
It is certainly too soon to know where this matter may lead. Needless to say, the primary concern is with the victim and their loved ones.
Baseball (like other professional sports leagues) has struggled to deal with several high-profile domestic violence matters that have allegedly been perpetuated by its players. The league and player’s union agreed to a domestic violence protocol that vests significant power in the commissioner to assess and punish domestic violence offenders, whether or not they are arrested, charged, or convicted.
That policy was quickly put to the test by Jose Reyes, who was charged with assaulting his wife (though he never went to trial) and was ultimately suspended for 52 games. Aroldis Chapman also received a ban, in his case thirty games, though he was neither arrested nor charged in the incident in question. And Hector Olivera was punished with an 82-game suspension following an assault for which he was ultimately convicted.
Reyes later joined Familia with the Mets and is expected to stay with the team next year by operation of a club option. At the time, the organization suggested that Reyes “deserved a second chance,” in the words of GM Sandy Alderson. “I came away feeling that he had taken responsibility for this mistake on his part, that he was remorseful,” Alderson said of Reyes. “He obviously has paid a penalty for this, both financially and in terms of his career.”
As with Reyes, Familia’s situation has arisen in the offseason, meaning that the league will likely not need to utilize its powers to impose a paid administrative leave period pending investigation — at least initially. Reyes was later placed on administrative leave while the league awaited the results of the legal proceedings that had been initiated against him.
Looking ahead at hypothetical consequences, if Familia ultimately is suspended, he would not be entitled to his pay during the period of any ban. He is projected to earn $8.7MM in 2017, his second season of arbitration eligibility. It is not apparent whether Familia has gained U.S. citizenship, so it is also possible that any conviction could not only result in jail time but also carry consequences relating to his ability to continue working and residing in the United States.
Rays, Dana Eveland Agree To Minor League Deal
The Rays and left-hander Dana Eveland agreed to a new minor league contract, as was first noted on the MiLB Roster Tracker Twitter account. (MLBTR has confirmed the move.) The 33-year-old was outrighted off the 40-man roster following the season but told MLB.com’s Bill Chastain shortly thereafter that he was likely to return to Tampa Bay on a new minor league pact.
Eveland totaled 23 innings out of the Tampa Bay ’pen this season but was tagged for 23 runs on 32 hits and 19 walks in that time. He did manage 21 punchouts and a solid 47.4 percent ground-ball rate in that brief Major League stint as well. Furthermore, his minor league work was considerably more encouraging, as the veteran southpaw registered a pristine 0.30 ERA with 21 strikeouts against six walks in 29 2/3 innings of work. Eveland’s return will give the Rays a depth piece that has experience in parts of 11 MLB seasons dating back to 2005. In 446 1/3 innings in the Majors, Eveland has a 5.46 ERA with 308 strikeouts against 221 walks.
Mariners Announce Six Roster Moves
The Mariners announced on Wednesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Ryan Weber off waivers from the Braves and designated catcher Steven Baron for assignment. Additionally, the team has outrighted catcher Steve Clevenger, left-hander Charlie Furbush and right-hander Ryan Cook off the 40-man roster. Beyond that, the Mariners also announced that righty Adrian Sampson has been lost on waivers to the Rangers (who made their own announcement of the move shortly before Seattle’s press release was issued).
Weber, 26, is the lone addition to the Mariners’ roster and will join the organization on the heels of a 2016 campaign that saw him post a 5.45 ERA in 16 appearances (two starts) with the Braves. Weber totaled 36 1/3 innings and averaged 5.7 K/9 against 1.2 BB/9 to go along with very solid 50.8 percent ground-ball rate. His work in Triple-A Gwinnett was considerably more impressive, as he posted a 2.76 ERA with 6.0 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 in 62 innings there. Weber will give Seattle a depth piece for both the rotation and the bullpen and comes with a minor league option remaining, so there’s no need for him to break camp with the team next spring in order to remain in the organization (assuming he’s not trimmed off the 40-man roster later this winter).
Furbush, 30, is the most notable subtraction from the roster. He’s been a key cog in the Seattle bullpen since 2012 but missed the entire 2016 season due to shoulder troubles that ultimately resulted in surgery to repair a partial tear of his left rotator cuff in August. He’d likely have made the same $1.6MM that he made in 2016 if he remained on the roster and went through arbitration, so his outright, while noteworthy, isn’t much of a surprise, either. From 2012-15, Furbush logged a 3.23 ERA with 10.3 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9 in 175 1/3 innings with Seattle.
Clevenger, meanwhile, is another unsurprising roster cut. Acquired in the much-maligned swap that sent Mark Trumbo to the Orioles this past offseason, he batted .221/.303/.309 in just 76 plate appearances and missed time with injury before ending his season on a team-issued suspension following some offensive tweets. While Mariners fans rightly cringe at the trade in retrospect, the deal was largely regarded as a salary dump at the time, and trade interest in Trumbo around the league was tepid, at best (hence the limited return).
As for Cook, the former Athletics standout has seen his career stall in recent years due largely to injuries, and 2016 brought more of the same. The Mariners announced in their press release that the 29-year-old had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 20, so he figures to be out for the entire 2017 season as well after only pitching a single inning with Seattle’s Rookie ball affiliate in 2016. Cook notched a 2.60 ERA and averaged better than a strikeout per inning in 190 1/3 frames over the first three seasons of his career in Oakland, but injuries have limited him to just 8 2/3 innings in the Majors since that time.
Baron, 25, was the 33rd overall pick in the 2009 draft but clearly hasn’t lived up to that draft billing. He’s gone hitless in his only 11 Major League plate appearances and has received very limited time in Triple-A, slashing .277/.316/.391 in 197 plate appearances. Overall, he’s a .234/.291/.341 hitter in 544 minor league games.
Rangers Claim Adrian Sampson From Mariners
The Rangers announced on Wednesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Adrian Sampson off waivers from the Mariners. Sampson, who turned 25 in October, had elbow surgery this past June and is expected to open the 2017 season on an injury rehab program, per Rangers executive vice president of communications John Blake. At the time of the operation, Sampson explained to the Tacoma News Tribune’s Bob Dutton that he didn’t require Tommy John surgery but still had a Grade 3 strain in his flexor bundle that required surgical repair.
Sampson, a Seattle native, will leave his hometown organization after spending only a year there. He was acquired by the Mariners in July 2015 in the trade that sent J.A. Happ to Pittsburgh and showed well in his Triple-A time with the M’s this year, tossing 80 1/3 innings of 3.25 ERA ball with 6.8 K/9 against 1.3 BB/9. The Mariners likely hoped to be able to sneak him through waivers due to his injury in order to keep him in the organization while freeing up a 40-man roster spot, but the Rangers snagged him off waivers and will now need to carry him on their own 40-man roster throughout the offseason or attempt to pass Sampson through waivers themselves.
Mets Outright Jim Henderson, Eric Campbell
Right-hander Jim Henderson and corner infielder Eric Campbell have been outrighted off the Mets’ 40-man roster after clearing waivers, according to ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin. Both players can elect minor league free agency in lieu of their subtraction from the roster and seem likely to do so.
Henderson, who recently turned 34, made the Mets’ roster out of Spring Training after signing a minor league contract last winter. The former Brewers closer once again demonstrated his ability to miss bats, averaging 10.3 K/9, but he also struggled tremendously with the long ball. Henderson was among the game’s most fly-ball prone pitchers, and while he didn’t see an inordinate percentage of the fly-balls he yielded turn into homers (13.2 percent), the sheer volume of balls put in the air against him resulted in an average of 1.8 HR/9. In total, Henderson delivered 35 innings of 4.37 ERA ball for the Mets but also missed significant time due to tendinitis in his right biceps.
The 29-year-old Campbell (30 in April) has spent his entire professional career in the Mets organization and has been up and down between the Majors and minors over the past three seasons. He showed some promise in 2014 when he batted a respectable .263/.322/.358 in 211 plate appearances with New York, but his offensive output has deteriorated in each of the two subsequent seasons. All told, he’s a career .221/.312/.311 hitter in 505 big league plate appearances. Campbell has experience at both third base and first base and has also made cameos in each outfield corner over the course of his limited time with the Mets. He’s a career .322/.429/.488 hitter in parts of four Triple-A seasons — albeit in a wildly hitter-friendly Las Vegas/Pacific Coast League environment — and should be able to compete for a bench role in 2017, whether on a new minors pact with the Mets or with a new organization.
Mets Have Yet To Open Contract Talks With Yoenis Cespedes
The Mets have not opened contract talks with outfielder Yoenis Cespedes in advance of his opt-out decision, which is due on Saturday, according to ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin. Cespedes will reportedly turn down the two years and $47.5MM remaining on his contract and instead re-enter the open market.
While there are still a few days to try some last-minute bargaining, it seems that the club is resigned to allowing Cespedes to test the market. There is still interest in a return, but the Mets also seem to have a realistic appraisal of how the veteran’s own interests align with the team’s willingness to spend.
New York isn’t particularly interested in striking a lengthier deal, says Rubin, with the team not even inclined to go to four years to retain their best offensive producer. It seems that the Mets are still not convinced that Cespedes would provide the desired everyday effort if given that kind of deal.
It remains to be seen what the market will bear, but other teams were reportedly willing to guarantee Cespedes five years last winter. He’s a year older now, but also has another season of top-notch production under his belt. All told, Cespedes seems positioned to achieve at least five guaranteed seasons at a rather lofty salary as the best available free agent.
What’s most interesting about the Mets’ situation, perhaps, is the question of how the club will balance ongoing interest with Cespedes with the need to go in an alternative direction if that doesn’t come about. Presumably, New York will adopt a wait-and-see strategy as it did last winter. That approach led the team to sign Alejandro De Aza earlier in the market, and he ended up being a largely superfluous piece.
This time, the Mets will need to add a right-handed-hitting piece if Cespedes isn’t brought back, Rubin suggests. While the club hopes Lucas Duda will play more or less everyday at first, he says, a righty bat could be added to pair at first and provide an option in a corner outfield mix that is also dominated by lefties. Expectations are that any new addition would be relatively “modest,” per Rubin.
Interestingly, also, the Mets could also revisit the idea of utilizing Jose Reyes on the outfield grass. The switch-hitting infielder has never played there as a professional outside of a single appearance in Rookie ball at 17 years of age. But he could be utilized in a ranging utility role, per the report, at least so long as David Wright is able to take back over at third and Neil Walker (or some other player) is added to handle second.
Tigers Sell Contract Of Dean Green To Japan’s Yakult Swallows
The Tigers announced today that the contract of first baseman/DH Dean Green has been sold to the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Presumably, Green has negotiated a salary with his new organization for the 2017 season.
Green, 27, is a former 11th-round draft pick who has played in the upper minors in Detroit’s system over the last several seasons. He has not yet reached the majors, and would again have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft had he not been moved to Japan. In all likelihood, though, his major league prospects weren’t great. He has spent most of his time in the minors serving as a DH, and has never played any position in the field other than first base.
Still, there’s a lot to like about Green’s bat. He mashed at Double-A (as he had over the prior two seasons) and kept things up following a call-up to Triple-A last year, posting a cumulative .296/.356/.500 batting line with 23 home runs over 534 plate appearances.