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White Sox Hire Joel McKeithan As Assistant Hitting Coach

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The White Sox announced their finalized coaching staff on Monday afternoon. The only previously unreported addition was the hiring of Joel McKeithan as assistant hitting coach. The Sox also revealed that former interim manager Grady Sizemore is taking the title of offensive coordinator.

McKeithan, 32, spent two years as Cincinnati’s hitting coach. The Reds found more success in 2023 than they did this past season. Cincinnati battled some injuries to key players (i.e. Matt McLain and TJ Friedl) and navigated a PED suspension for infielder Noelvi Marte. The finished in the bottom third of MLB in overall offense. Incoming manager Terry Francona parted ways with McKeithan and assistant hitting instructors Terry Bradshaw and Tim LaMonte.

He and Sizemore will work on the offensive side along with returning hitting coach Marcus Thames. First-year skipper Will Venable tabbed Walker McKiven as his bench coach a few weeks ago. The Sox are otherwise retaining most of last year’s staff. Pitching coach Ethan Katz, first base coach Jason Bourgeois, third base coach Justin Jirschele, assistant pitching coach Matt Wise and catching coach Drew Butera are all back from last season.

White Sox Expected To Retain Most Of 2024 Coaching Staff

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The White Sox are expected to officially announce their 2025 coaching staff within the next week, but Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the club will be retaining most of its incumbent coaches.  In terms of new faces, first-time manager Will Venable will be joined by bench coach Walker McKinven (whose hiring was reported by Venable two weeks ago), director of hitting Ryan Fuller, and a new assistant hitting coach whose identity has yet to be revealed.

Hitting coach Marcus Thames, pitching coach Ethan Katz, assistant pitching coach Matt Wise, first base coach Jason Bourgeois, third base coach Justin Jirschele, and catching coach Drew Butera are all expected to return.  Grady Sizemore will also return to the coaching staff after serving as Chicago’s interim manager when Pedro Grifol was fired in early August.  Interim bench coach Doug Sisson and interim assistant hitting coach Mike Gellinger won’t be returning to those roles, but are expected to take other jobs in the organization.

While the White Sox didn’t feel the need to entirely revamp the coaching staff in the wake of a 121-loss season, it should be noted that many of these coaches were already relative newcomers to the organization.  Thames, Wise, Bourgeois, and Butera were all hired just last offseason, and Jirschele was installed last August when former third base coach Eddie Rodriguez was also fired along with Grifol and former bench coach Charlie Montoyo.

There’s really nowhere to go but up for the White Sox in the wake of the worst season in modern baseball history, though Venable and his staff will have another long year ahead of them as the Sox continue their rebuild.  Obviously wins aren’t expected for now, as Venable and the coaches face the broader challenge of helping develop the team’s younger players and changing what reportedly became a toxic clubhouse culture.

Latest On White Sox Managerial Search

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Reports from earlier today removed a couple of names from consideration as the next White Sox manager, though the team’s search continues to be seemingly pretty fluid.  Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz is a new name in the mix according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post (links to X), while interim manager Grady Sizemore is still in the running and Tigers bench coach George Lombard is also no longer a candidate.

Since the White Sox and Marlins are the only teams currently looking for a new skipper, many of the same candidates are appearing in both searches, with Albernaz’s name the latest crossover.  Albernaz has already interviewed in Miami and is considered one of the favorites for the position, as he has previous working relationships with both president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and assistant GM Gabe Kapler.

Like the White Sox, however, it isn’t yet entirely clear how close the Marlins might be to making an actual hire, or if any other candidates might still emerge.  Lombard and Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough both interviewed with Miami and are apparently still under consideration for that job, even if Chicago is moving in another direction.

Albernaz (who turns 42 later this week) just completed his first season in Cleveland, after working as the Giants’ bullpen/catching coach over the 2019-22 seasons.  This makes him a known quantity to White Sox pitching advisor Brian Bannister, who was San Francisco’s director of pitching for the last three of Albernaz’s seasons in the Bay Area.  The Giants job marked Albernaz’s first role on a big league coaching staff, as he spent the previous five seasons as a manager, coach, and coordinator in the Rays’ farm system.

The 2024 season was also Sizemore’s first time on a Major League staff, and his first pro coaching job at any level.  After Pedro Grifol was fired in August, Sizemore was something of a surprise choice as Chicago’s interim manager, and he led the team to a 13-32 record in the final stretch of what ended up as a singularly disastrous 121-loss season.  GM Chris Getz said Sizemore would continue to be a candidate within the team’s search for a full-time bench boss, but Sizemore’s coaching contract runs through the 2025 season, so he might well be back anyway in some capacity if he isn’t retained as manager.

The list of known candidates still in the running for the White Sox position include Sizemore, Albernaz, former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, former Angels manager Phil Nevin, Rangers associate manager Will Venable, Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann, and Cardinals bench coach Daniel Descalso.

White Sox Notes: Sizemore, Managerial Search, Crochet, Moncada

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When the White Sox fired manager Pedro Grifol (along with bench coach Charlie Montoyo, assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar and third base coach Eddie Rodriguez), they handed Grady Sizemore the unenviable task of steering the ship for the remainder of a historically inept season. The Sox are currently tied for the modern era record with 120 losses and figure to establish a new benchmark for futility in the coming days. At the time Sizemore was elevated to the top job in the dugout, general manager Chris Getz plainly stated that the Sox would conduct a managerial search and hire a new skipper from outside the organization after the season. It now seems that Sizemore will at least be considered for the permanent post, however.

“Grady’s in consideration,” Getz said this week (link via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times). “He has a lot of traits we’re looking for.”

The Sox will still conduct an extensive search for their next skipper, Getz emphasized. Sizemore will be one of many candidates from what the GM called a “deep pool” that they’ve cultivated since Grifol’s dismissal. (It’s not clear whether that pool will include Double-A manager and former Sox reliever Sergio Santos, but he’s publicly thrown his hat into the ring and voiced a desire to manage the club.) Still, Getz noted that Sizemore’s “temperament is exactly what we needed” for the remainder of the current season and praised his rookie manager’s communication skills with the players. Van Schouwen adds that Sizemore has another year remaining on his coaching contract, so it seems likely he’ll remain with the organization beyond the ’24 season in at least some capacity.

ESPN’s Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers report that Sizemore had never voiced a desire to manage prior to being promoted to his current post, but his strong relationship with the players made him the front office’s pick. Time will tell whether that leads to a more solid appointment following the season.

More broadly, Olney and Rogers explore the staggering levels of dysfunction that have permeated the White Sox organization this season. It’s a deep dive into the team’s many failures across virtually all levels, highlighting clubhouse rifts that date back to the 2023 season and questionable decisions from owner Jerry Reinsdorf, among many other fascinating aspects.

As has been suggested in the past, Rogers and Olney write that former general manager Rick Hahn appeared to have zeroed in on A.J. Hinch as the team’s new manager following the 2020 season when Reinsdorf went over his head and hired longtime friend and former White Sox skipper Tony La Russa. One club source told the ESPN pair that Grifol inherited “as negative a place as I’ve seen anywhere” in the game when he took over as manager. La Russa remains involved with the organization as an advisor and, notably, gave positive feedback about Getz when Reinsdorf fired longtime baseball operations leaders Hahn and Kenny Williams. That’s not to say Getz was promoted based solely on La Russa’s recommendation, but it’s a notable bit of context given that he was tabbed the new GM after just nine days and with no external search conducted.

There are countless other bits throughout the ESPN piece making it a must-read piece for fans not only of the White Sox but any club. Rogers and Olney delve into some specifics on the trade deadline, noting that the Sox targeted top Phillies prospect Andrew Painter when Philadelphia was in pursuit of Garrett Crochet — a price at which the Phillies balked. The Dodgers, per the report, believed they could make a compelling offer without including catcher Dalton Rushing, but that offer “never developed” in the end. They instead acquired Jack Flaherty from Detroit in exchange for another top catching prospect, Thayron Liranzo, and current Tigers shortstop Trey Sweeney.

Crochet stayed in Chicago, as Getz and his staff were intent on getting their price met or revisiting the trade market for Crochet this winter. That’ll surely be the case, and Crochet will enter the season as perhaps the top trade candidate in the sport. The asking price will again be astronomical, but there will also theoretically be more bidders for him — in addition to a lack of concern about his status for pitching in the postseason and/or his reported desire for a contract extension.

Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. will be the last vestiges of the core that propelled the White Sox to playoff berths in 2020 and 2021. The rest have either been traded or, like third baseman Yoan Moncada, will become free agents at season’s end. Moncada has a $25MM club option, but the Sox will pay a $5MM buyout on that option and send him into free agency for the first time in his career.

Moncada, still just 29 years old, tells Bruce Levine of 670 The Score that he plans to play winter ball this offseason in order to showcase his health for the other 29 teams in the game. He missed nearly the entire season due to an adductor strain and has scarcely played since being reinstated from the 60-day injured list earlier this month. Chicago has been committed too getting the younger Miguel Vargas — acquired at the deadline in the three-team Erick Fedde/Michael Kopech/Tommy Pham swap — regular playing time at the hot corner even as he struggles mightily at the plate.

That’s left Moncada with just one plate appearance this month, despite the fact that he was activated back on Sept. 16. He’s hitting .275/.356/.400 on the season in a tiny sample of 45 plate appearances. On the one hand, it’s confounding that the Sox would leave a talented and fairly productive veteran out of the lineup as they try to stave off their inevitable date with history. On the other, Moncada clearly isn’t in the team’s plans going forward, so there’s some sense to allocating those at-bats to younger players.

Moncada once ranked as the top prospect in the sport. He signed with the Red Sox after leaving Cuba, taking home a massive $31.5MM signing bonus (which cost Boston a 100% tax under the former international free agent system, bringing their total price to $63MM). He landed in Chicago alongside Kopech as one two headliners in the trade sending Chris Sale to Fenway Park. It took a couple years, but by 2019 Moncada looked on the cusp of stardom. He swatted 25 homers while batting .315/.367/.548 in just 559 plate appearances. That breakout contributed to Chicago extending Moncada on a five-year, $70MM deal covering the 2020-24 seasons.

The contract hasn’t aged well. Moncada gave the Sox one healthy, productive season in 2021 but has otherwise spent more time on the injured list than in the lineup. Even when healthy, he’s been below-average at the plate more often than not. He’s appeared in 404 of 703 possible games during that five-year period and slashed .244/.326/.395 along the way. That’s league-average production on the whole (101 wRC+), but the vast majority of that positive output came during the aforementioned ’21 season.

A healthy showing in winter ball would surely help Moncada’s stock this offseason. He’s likely looking at a low-cost one-year contract with incentives baked in to potentially boost his guarantee. There’s clearly a talented player beneath all the recent health troubles. Moncada has had seasons worth five wins above replacement (2019) and four WAR (2021). He’s still on the right side of 30. It wouldn’t be a total shock to see him return to form in ’25 — almost assuredly with a new club — and then cash in on a multi-year deal the following offseason.

White Sox Fire Pedro Grifol, Three Coaches; Grady Sizemore To Serve As Interim Manager

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11:45am: The White Sox expect to hire someone not currently in the organization as Grifol’s replacement, Getz announced to the Sox beat (X link via James Fegan of Sox Machine).

11:20am: A disastrous White Sox season reached a boiling point Thursday morning, as the team announced that manager Pedro Grifol, bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third base coach Eddie Rodriguez and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar have all been fired. Former big league outfielder Grady Sizemore, who joined the staff this past offseason with the broad and generic title of “major league coach,” will take over as interim manager through season’s end. The White Sox said their search for a full-time managerial replacement will begin immediately, and a decision will not be made until after the season.

Minor league field coordinator Doug Sisson, who’s previously served as a first base coach with the Royals (2011-12), will serve as Sizemore’s bench coach for the remainder of the season. Justin Jirschele, who’s been managing the White Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte, will step in as third base coach. Mike Gellinger, who has been a hitting coach with the Sox’ Rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona Complex League, will be the assistant hitting coach in place of Tosar.

“As we all recognize, our team’s performance this season has been disappointing on many levels,” general manager Chris Getz said in a statement within this morning’s press release. “Despite the on-field struggles and lack of success, we appreciate the effort and professionalism Pedro and the staff brought to the ballpark every day. These two seasons have been very challenging. Unfortunately, the results were not there, and a change is necessary as we look to our future and the development of a new energy around the team.”

In his own statement, shared with Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Grifol said: “Grateful to Jerry, Rick and Kenny for the opportunity. I have health and a loving family. I have a spiritual foundation that gives me incredible strength, peace and freedom. This won’t break me. As a matter of fact it only motivates me. The next thing I do in my life, I will do it for the love and passion I have for this game and for the sole purpose of serving others.”

Hired in the 2022-23 offseason, Grifol had a long track record as the bench coach for the division-rival Royals. He’d been a part of several managerial searches prior to landing the job in Chicago, and the expectation was that he’d bring a fresh, younger voice after the Sox’ short-lived reunion with Tony La Russa lasted less than two seasons.

Grifol indeed brought a new perspective, but it’s fair to say things didn’t work out at all as planned. After a 93-win season in 2021 and a .500 finish in 2022, the Sox entered the 2023 season hoping to compete for the AL Central title. Instead, by midseason the team’s results had been so miserable that GM Rick Hahn and executive vice president Ken Williams were both fired — the first real baseball operations turnover on Chicago’s South Side in more than two decades. Assistant GM Chris Getz was elevated to the GM’s chair and began on a teardown of a top-heavy roster full of injured and/or underperforming veterans.

The points about the GM shuffle and rebuild are worth emphasizing, because it’s only fair to point out that no manager could’ve realistically taken the product Grifol has been handed — particularly in 2024 — and turn out anything resembling a competitive team. That said, Grifol’s White Sox just endured an astonishing 21-game losing streak — tied for the second-longest in MLB history — and there’s been plenty of evidence that things weren’t running smoothly even before that almost unfathomable swoon.

Even last season, right-hander Keynan Middleton outwardly slammed the White Sox’ clubhouse culture after being traded to the Yankees, lamenting that there were “no rules” and “no consequences” despite claiming that there’d been “rookies sleeping in the bullpen during games” and other players missing team meetings and fielding drills. That doesn’t appear to be sour grapes from one player, either; veteran righty Lance Lynn was asked that same day about Middleton’s comments, and though he didn’t delve into specifics Lynn noted that he’d been with the Sox even longer and that Middleton was “not wrong” in his critiques of how things were run.

Matt Spiegel and Shane Riordan of 670 The Score in Chicago reported around the time of the trade deadline that the White Sox had a “fractured” clubhouse (video link). Spiegel indicated that an attempt from Grifol to motivate the players by emphasizing that they’d be remembered as being responsible for producing the worst team in MLB history was not well-received, with a few veterans talking to Grifol and raising issue with his messaging. Riordan heard similar stories and added that someone in the clubhouse told him: “It’s been really tough in there. Pedro is a really good guy, just not the man for the job.”

In his two seasons with the White Sox, Grifol has an 89-190 record. As Jon Greenberg of The Athletic observed prior to the trade deadline, Grifol was on pace to finish the season with the third-worst winning percentage in history among managers who’ve led at least 315 games (which Baseball-Reference deems a “qualified” manager to sit in the all-time record books). He’ll fall shy of that 315-game minimum, but Grifol’s .319 winning percentage would indeed sit as the third-lowest mark for any qualified skipper. The Sox have seen a losing streak hit 14 games on a two occasions this season, and their current 28-89 record has them on pace to break the 1962 Mets’ modern record of 120 losses in a single season.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers first reported that Montoyo had been fired. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times first reported that Rodriguez was being let go and that Sizemore was the interim manager.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

White Sox Notes: Robert, Trade Market, Anderson, Coaching Staff

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The White Sox head into the offseason looking to turn things around under a new general manager after a disastrous 2023 campaign. Chris Getz, promoted from his prior post as assistant GM after the summer dismissal of Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams, met with reporters yesterday at the GM Meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz. and discussed his team’s outlook. While the rookie baseball ops leader emphasized that there are winning pieces on the roster, he also acknowledged that on the whole, “I don’t like our team,” adding that it’s “not a well-rounded club” — a blunt recognition that broad changes are needed (link via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times).

While Getz didn’t delve into specifics as to how those changes would be realized, he took an open-minded approach when asked about trade possibilities, conceding that there “are no untouchables” on his roster. That’ll surely lead to a frenzy of fan speculation regarding talents like Dylan Cease and particularly Luis Robert Jr., although Getz also noted that he won’t be “proactive” in exploring Robert trade scenarios and called the center fielder the type of player a team should build around.

The general tone of Getz’s comments, plus Robert’s talent and extremely appealing contract — he’s signed through 2025 at a total of $29.5MM guaranteed, plus club options for the 2026-27 seasons — will lead to ample interest. Still just 26 years old, Robert is fresh off a .264/.315/.542 showing in 145 games and 595 plate appearances with the South Siders. He popped 38 homers, swiped 20 bases and played standout defense in center field. It’s an MVP-caliber package of tools, and the fact that he’d earn a total of $67.5MM through 2027 if both his club options are exercised creates considerable surplus value for both the Sox or potential trade partners.

To be clear, a trade of Robert seems decidedly unlikely. Getz didn’t expressly rule it out, but it’s exceedingly rare for a player with this type of team control and affordability to be moved. Additionally, the Sox don’t appear to be embarking on another full-fledged rebuild so much as an effort to retool the roster. Names like Cease and Michael Kopech seem more attainable, speculatively speaking, as both are entering their second arbitration year and are controlled “only” through the 2025 campaign. Slugger Eloy Jimenez and lefty reliever Aaron Bummer are signed through 2024 and both have club option for the 2025-26 seasons.

Whatever trades do eventually materialize — and it seems inevitable that some deals will come together — the changes in Chicago have already begun. Hahn and Williams are out after more than two decades, and the team has already declined its $14MM team option on longtime shortstop Tim Anderson. That would’ve seemed unthinkable this time last year, as Anderson was MLB’s batting average leader from 2019-22, putting together a robust .318/.347/.473 slash in more than 1600 plate appearances over that four-year span.

Anderson’s 2023 season was an unmitigated disaster, however. The 30-year-old hit just .245/.286/.296 with only one home run on the year. His power completely eroded both due to a dip in hard contact and exit velocity but more troublingly due to a mammoth spike in his ground-ball rate. Anderson has never been a pronounced fly-ball hitter, but this year’s 61.1% grounder rate was the highest of any qualified hitter in baseball by four percentage points. Even with the ban of the most aggressive infield shifts, it’s quite difficult for any hitter to be a plus at the plate when putting such a stark percentage of his batted balls on the ground.

Despite the dismal season, the Sox haven’t ruled out a reunion with Anderson — presumably at a lower rate. Bruce Levine of 670 AM The Score reports that the Sox would consider bringing Anderson back later this offseason after he’s fielded interest from other clubs. Given the looming presence of top shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery, that might require a move to the other side of the second base bag, but Anderson has already publicly shown a willingness to make such a switch. Given the dearth of quality infield options in free agency, another club might place a bigger bet on Anderson’s track record than the Sox are comfortable making, but it’s a potential scenario to keep in mind if Anderson lingers in free agency and sees his price tag drop.

It’s also been an active week for the Sox on the coaching front, with several reported new hirings and changes to the staff. The Sox confirmed all of those previously reported new hires yesterday in announcing their finalized coaching staff for the 2024 campaign. Pedro Grifol is back for a second year managing the club, as expected. Also returning are bench coach Charlie Montoyo, pitching coach Ethan Katz, assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar and third base/infield coach Eddie Rodriguez.

Chicago confirmed previously reported hires of bullpen coach Matt Wise, hitting coach Marcus Thames, and Grady Sizemore (who’s listed as a “Major League coach” but will focus on outfield and baserunning work with the team). Also joining the staff is former big league catcher Drew Butera, who was the Angels’ catching coordinator last year and will be the Major League catching coach with the ChiSox. He joins Wise and Thames as the third coach hired away from the Angels. The Sox are also bringing former big league outfielder Jason Bourgeois aboard as their new first base and outfield coach. The eight-year MLB veteran (2008-15) had been coaching in the minors with the Dodgers prior to this move, most recently serving as the organization’s outfield and baserunning coordinator.

White Sox To Add Grady Sizemore To Coaching Staff

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Grady Sizemore will join the White Sox next season as a part of manager Pedro Grifol’s coaching staff, reports Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. The two-time Gold Glove winner will take on a dual role as outfield and baserunning coach. Chicago did not have a dedicated coach for either job last season, so Sizemore isn’t necessarily replacing anyone currently on staff. However, Levine notes that the White Sox will not announce their full coaching staff for 2024 until later this week.

The All-Star center fielder was one of the brightest young stars in baseball during the mid-2000s, earning MVP votes in four straight seasons from age 22 to 25. In addition to his power and plate discipline, he was a gifted defender and a threat on the bases; during his brief peak, he was one of the most highly-regarded outfield gloves and baserunners in the game. Unfortunately, injuries began to take their toll in his age-26 campaign, and Sizemore was never the same. He played just 313 games from 2010-15, hitting for a .665 OPS and stealing just 13 bases in 21 attempts. Even his once-stellar glove became a liability, and he played his final game just two months after his 33rd birthday.

In 2017, Sizemore returned to baseball, joining Cleveland (his long-time team) as an advisor to the player development staff. However, his new job with the White Sox marks his official return to the dugout following the end of his playing career in 2015.

Indians Hire Grady Sizemore As Front Office Advisor

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The Indians have hired former Major League outfielder Grady Sizemore as an advisor to their player development staff, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. While there’s no specific mention of Sizemore formally retiring, Bastian does reference the the playing career of Sizemore, who was a superstar-caliber outfielder with Cleveland early in his career, in the past tense.

Per Bastian, the 34-year-old Sizemore reached out to Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti over the winter to gauge what type of opportunities were available with the team. That initial conversation led to Sizemore’s current role, where he’ll be with the team’s Major League squad and work with the outfielders early in Spring Training. After a couple of weeks, Bastian continues, Sizemore will transition over to the minor league camp and work with the team’s younger outfielders.

It seems that Sizemore’s ultimate role with the team is yet to be determined, as GM Mike Chernoff tells Bastian that the Indians are trying to “expose him to as much as we can.” Sizemore has participated in closed-door meetings between the front office and the coaching staff, during which each player is discussed and evaluated at length. “When you have a guy of that stature, he’s welcome to help wherever he can,” skipper Terry Francona told Bastian.

If Sizemore’s playing days are indeed behind him, he’ll wrap up his career with a .265/.349/.457 batting line, 150 homers and 143 steals through 1101 games and 4724 plate appearances. Those basic stats, however, don’t tell the full story of Sizemore, who was one of the must dynamic talents in all of Major League Baseball in his early 20s.

Acquired alongside Brandon Phillips and Cliff Lee in the 2002 blockbuster that sent Bartolo Colon to the Expos, Sizemore made his Major League debut as a 21-year-old in 2004 and never looked back. From 2005-08, he was on a short list of MLB’s best players, hitting .281/.372/.496 with three All-Star nominations, two Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger. During that meteoric rise to fame, Sizemore received MVP votes in four straight seasons and averaged 27 homers, 28 steals and 160 games played per season.

Unfortunately (not only for Sizemore but for baseball fans everywhere), an elbow injury cut short Sizemore’s 2009 campaign and ultimately required surgery. Upon returning in 2010, he incurred a knee injury that also required surgery and would cut into his 2011 playing time as well. The barrage of injuries didn’t stop there, as Sizemore had back surgery in March 2012 and missed both the 2012 and 2013 seasons in their entirety. Sizemore did return to the diamond in 2014-15, spending time with the Red Sox, Phillies and Rays. In those 209 games, though, his .242/.303/.366 batting line and diminished speed/power no longer resembled the output of his brief but brilliant peak.

Though injuries cut short a potentially sensational career, Sizemore’s natural ability and experience will undoubtedly give him plenty of insight and advice to pass on to Cleveland’s younger players in Spring Training and, potentially, throughout the year (depending on his ultimate role with the club). We at MLBTR wish Sizemore the very best in his new career track and whatever other opportunities he may pursue in the future.

Cafardo’s Latest: Hanley, Kemp, Braun, Hill, Panda

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Red Sox first baseman Hanley Ramirez, Padres right fielder Matt Kemp and Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun have all helped their respective trade values early this season, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Ramirez is the only one of the three whose offensive production was subpar in April, but Cafardo points to his hustle, enthusiasm and dedication to the team this year as reasons for his improved stock. The 31-year-old Kemp – signed through 2019 at $21.5MM annually – is the most available of the trio, per Cafardo, who adds that he could be a target of the Red Sox if Chris Young doesn’t start playing better. On the notion of acquiring any of them, a National League general manager told Cafardo, “Are they all $20 million-plus players? I’d say not. You’d have to be able to get them for $10 million-$15 million. There are different ways to reach that number through negotiation and the caliber of players you’d have to give up.”

Here’s more from Cafardo:

  • Athletics left-hander Rich Hill followed last season’s torrid September with a great April, during which he threw 26 innings of 2.42 ERA ball while striking out 12.81 batters per nine. Assuming he continues to serve as a quality rotation option, the 36-year-old will be a sought-after arm around the trade deadline, Cafardo reports. Hill is scheduled for free agency at year’s end, but the AL West doesn’t look like a division anyone will run away with and the A’s could be inclined to keep him if they remain in the hunt.
  • Dr. James Andrews’ Monday examination of Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval’s injured shoulder will be “huge” for both the player and the team, Cafardo writes. He doesn’t rule out a club, perhaps the Padres, having interest in Sandoval if the injury is minor. That certainly seems like a long shot, though, given that Sandoval will collect $75MM through 2020 – including a $5MM buyout – has been worth minus-2.2 fWAR in 129 games dating back to last season, and has a major weight problem.
  • Outfielder Grady Sizemore remains a free agent and has not retired, agent Joe Urban told Cafardo. The 33-year-old posted an .800-plus OPS during the second half of 2015, but he has been a minus player according to fWAR in each of the previous two seasons.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Beltre, Schwarber, Rickard, Sizemore

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A Beltre extension with the Rangers is challenging because there just aren’t many comparables, reports Ken Rosenthal in his latest video for FOX Sports. The Rangers consider Red Sox designated hitter to be similar, but Ortiz obviously doesn’t have Beltre’s elite third base defense. Ortiz has made around $13MM to $16MM in each of the last five seasons. His contracts have typically included complicated club options with a variety of vesting scenarios and amounts. If both sides agree to use Ortiz as a yard stick, they’ll still have to figure out how to balance offensive and defensive considerations along with what portions of the deal should be guaranteed.

Here’s more from Rosenthal:

  • Kyle Schwarber’s future at catcher is in question. The Cubs will react to how his rehab progresses, but he already had a short window to establish himself behind the plate. Catching prospect Willson Contreras will probably be major league ready sometime during this season, and he’s always rated as the better defender. Schwarber’s already a questionable outfielder. With Anthony Rizzo locked in at first base, Rosenthal wonders if Schwarber might not be destined to join an AL club.
  • The Rays had to make difficult choices when they exposed Tyler Goeddel and Joey Rickard to the Rule 5 draft. The team had a number of right-handed outfielders and pitchers to protect. They weren’t confident Rickard had a high enough ceiling to warrant an eventual everyday role. Outfielders are also hard to stash for a full season than pitchers, making it more likely the club could reacquire Rickard later in the year.
  • Former Indians star Grady Sizemore remains a free agent despite posting over an .800 OPS in the second half last year. Sizemore has received minor league offers, but he’s waiting for an opportunity to be a regular contributor. Sizemore doesn’t want to sign with a team just to provide depth. In my opinion, Sizemore may have to pick the best offer soon – perhaps with an opt-out if another club offers a major league contract. James Loney was the most recent player to sign a contract of that type.
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