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East Notes: Staub, O’Day, Hanley

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Former MLB star Rusty Staub suffered a medical emergency on a recent flight home from Ireland, the Mets have announced (via ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin on Twitter). That emergency was a heart attack, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets. The flight was diverted back to Ireland, and Staub is currently in a hospital there. His prognosis is good. Staub, an outfielder and first baseman also known as “Le Grand Orange,” was a key figure in the early years of both the Expos and Mets. After spending his first several years in the big leagues with the Houston Colt .45’s / Astros, he was traded to the Expos in time for their first season in 1969, and he became the franchise’s first star, hitting 29 homers in his first season in Montreal. The Expos later traded him to New York, where he was a key figure on the Mets’ early-’70s teams. He then played several seasons in Detroit before heading briefly back to Montreal and on to Texas before returning to the Mets for his last several years in the league. In 23 seasons, Staub won six All-Star berths and hit 292 homers. Here’s more from the East divisions.

  • Reliever and impending free agent Darren O’Day says he would like to re-sign with the Orioles, CSNmidatlantic.com’s Rich Dubroff tweets. The team has reportedly expressed interest in a reunion as well. O’Day will be 33 later this month, perhaps somewhat limiting his earnings potential on the open market, but he’s had a string of excellent seasons for the Orioles and is now finishing what’s been arguably his best year in the bigs — he currently has a 1.54 ERA, 11.3 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 64 1/3 innings. In a recent Free Agent Stock Watch piece on O’Day, MLBTR’s Jeff Todd noted that O’Day could well command a three-year contract this offseason, perhaps similar to Luke Gregerson’s deal with the Astros.
  • Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski hopes Hanley Ramirez will return for 2016 as a more “athletic” player, MLB.com’s Ian Browne writes. Ramirez was bigger than usual in 2015 and was trying to hit for more power. “I did hear that he came in bigger just for the simple fact he was thinking, ’I’m going to be a left fielder or maybe a power guy,'” says Dombrowski. “Sometimes that extra weight doesn’t always translate into what you’re trying to accomplish.” Even though Ramirez will play next season at first base, Dombrowski says the Red Sox aren’t concerned about his home run totals. Ramirez’s first year in Boston was, of course, a very poor one — he hit 19 home runs but produced just a .291 OBP, and he struggled horribly with the transition from the infield to left field. He’s been out since August 26 due to shoulder trouble.

Quick Hits: Nationals, Ripken, Red Sox, Deadline

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Nationals fans may not want to re-live the pain quite so soon, but Barry Svrluga recapped the Nats’ tumultuous 2015 season in a three-part series for the Washington Post.  The first entry focuses on the early-season hype as World Series favorites that was only slightly dimmed by several injuries and Ian Desmond’s struggles, while the second part looks at Bryce Harper’s superstar year and Stephen Strasburg’s frustration.  The third and final installment is perhaps the juiciest in terms of behind-the-scenes information, as Svrluga tracks the discord of the last two months (including the disastrous Jonathan Papelbon trade and the Nationals’ fall out of contention) and reports on a clubhouse confrontation between Jayson Werth and Matt Williams.  The entire series is a must-read look at how a seemingly can’t-miss team fell to pieces, to put it mildly.

Here’s some more from around the baseball world…

  • The Nationals’ drama has helped take some of the Beltway media focus off of a disappointing Orioles season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes, as rumors continue to hint at tension between Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter.  There has been speculation that Showalter could take over the baseball operations department and Cal Ripken Jr. could become the new manager, but both Showalter and a Ripken spokesperson deny the rumor.  Sherman also hears from an Orioles employee that owner Peter Angelos wouldn’t want to hire Ripken since it could create an awkward future situation if Angelos had to fire the franchise icon.
  • The Red Sox have quietly been one of baseball’s best teams in the second half of the season, a hot stretch that gives the franchise a lot of hope for 2016, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes.  Speier recaps some of the key events of the last two months and focuses on how many of Boston’s young stars took a step forward in recent weeks.
  • This hot streak may have also had something to do with Hanley Ramirez playing less and less before eventually being shut down for the season, as Speier reports on tension between Ramirez and the coaching staff.  A source says that Ramirez was “ostracized” from his teammates partly due to this conflict stemming from Ramirez’s unwillingness to work on his left field defense.
  • Some major names with big contracts could potentially be dealt this offseason, former Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd writes in a piece for MLB.com.  Of the five names O’Dowd lists (including Joey Votto, Robinson Cano, Matt Kemp and Werth), I would guess his old outfielder Carlos Gonzalez is the most likely trade candidate.
  • The Blue Jays were the big winners at the trade deadline, Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper writes in his recap of which teams helped themselves most on or prior to July 31st.  Most of Cooper’s “helped themselves” picks are playoff contenders, unsurprisingly, though it’s worth noting that the NL West-winning Dodgers lead the “not helping” category, having gained a negative bWAR from their deadline acquisitions.

AL East Notes: Rays, O’s, E-Rod, Porcello, Hanley

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Though the Rays are on pace for their second straight losing season, the team’s pitching depth gives them hope for a turn-around in 2016, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi will be joined in the rotation by the now-healthy Matt Moore and Drew Smyly.  The fifth spot will be contested between Erasmo Ramirez, Nate Karns or top prospect Blake Snell, with Alex Colome and Matt Andriese on hand as further depth options.  That’s not even counting Alex Cobb, who will be back from Tommy John surgery late next season.  While Tampa certainly may want to hang onto its pitching depth given the team’s recent injury issues, I would think the Rays may also considering dangling an arm or two as trade bait this winter to add some offensive help.

Here’s some more from around the AL East…

  • Adam Jones plans to speak to owner Peter Angelos about the Orioles’ offseason plans, the outfielder tells the Baltimore Sun’s Dan Connolly.  It will be a challenging winter for the O’s with eight free agents, though Jones feels most of them would come back for the right offer since “it’s a great place to play.  I know they all like being here.”  If some leave, Jones notes that the silver lining is freed-up payroll space.  “It’s going to be exciting to see what goes on this offseason because I know when you have a lot of free agents that means you have a lot of money to spend,” Jones said.  “And so, hopefully, I can influence some officials to spend a little bit of that money.”
  • Last winter saw the Orioles also lose Nelson Cruz, Andrew Miller and Nick Markakis to free agency, and another free agent exodus could threaten this competitive chapter in O’s history, as closer Zach Britton notes to Connolly.  “If you look at it, our window was a three- to four-year window that everyone was talking about. ’OK, if we’re going to do it, now is the time.’ So, yeah, if we lose every single guy [to free agency], it’s going to be a real challenge to have to replace them,” Britton said.  “You have to do it through the draft, you’ve got to do it through trades or do it through signing free agents. We’ve got to do it somehow.”
  • Two of those free agents say they want to return to the Orioles.  Steve Pearce tells Connolly that “I’d love to be back. I’d love for everybody to be back,” while Matt Wieters tells MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski that he knows this could be his last few days in a Baltimore uniform.  “I’m trying to embrace it and enjoy this last bit of the season,” Wieters said. “I’ve been very fortunate being able to to be here as long as I have and would love to stay here. But that is all stuff that will be controlled and talked about in the offseason.”
  • There is “healthy skepticism” around baseball that the Red Sox will fully explore having Hanley Ramirez as a full-time first baseman next year, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports.  This and the hefty $66MM still owed to Ramirez will make it difficult for the Sox to get any kind of decent return if they want to trade him.
  • Eduardo Rodriguez isn’t technically a homegrown prospect (the Red Sox acquired him from the Orioles last summer in the Andrew Miller trade), though CSNNE.com’s Sean McAdam believes the young southpaw can be the first front-of-the-rotation arm produced from Boston’s farm system since Clay Buchholz.  Rodriguez, 22, has posted a 3.85 ERA, 2.65 K/BB rate and 7.2 K/9 over 121 2/3 IP for the Sox in his rookie season.
  • It’s been a trying year overall for Rick Porcello, but the right-hander tells WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford that he’s learned some lessons from his first year with the Red Sox and is going into 2016 on a high note.  Porcello signed a four-year, $80MM contract with Boston prior to the season and became a target of fan ire after his early struggles, though he’s pitched well since coming back from a DL stint in August.

AL East Notes: Hanley, Ellsbury, Orioles, Moore

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Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

  • The Red Sox have given Hanley Ramirez permission to begin his offseason rehab process at his home in Fort Lauderdale, which ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes feels is a curious and perhaps telling move from the team.  While Ramirez has been shut down for 2015 due to a shoulder injury, Edes notes that the likes of Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa all remained with the club despite being shut down with past and current injuries in order to keep supporting their teammates.  It could just be a case of bad optics, or it could be a hint that the Red Sox don’t have Ramirez in their future plans and will try to trade him this winter.
  • The Red Sox aren’t missing Jacoby Ellsbury given the wealth of young outfield talent on the roster, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald writes.  “Ellsbury was not viewed by the Red Sox as a must-sign,” Silverman said, as the outfielder went on to sign a seven-year, $153MM free agent deal with the Yankees.  Given how Ellsbury has struggled this year, it’s no surprise the Sox would prefer to look to the future with Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Rusney Castillo.
  • Some teams are already inquiring if Orioles pitching coach Dave Wallace will be available this winter, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports.  Wallace and the rest of the O’s coaching staff are still without contracts for 2016, though executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette recently told Kubatko that the club was in “the process” of getting those deals worked out.  The highly-regarded Wallace has been Baltimore’s pitching coach for two seasons and Kubatko speculates that if he were to leave, bullpen coach Dom Chiti could leave as well since the two are good friends.
  • Matt Moore tells Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he feels he’s turned a bit of a corner in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and should be fully back to normal by Spring Training.  Moore badly struggled in his first six starts back and was demoted to the minors, though since returning to the Rays he has pitched better, posting a 3.86 ERA and a 22-to-5 K/BB rate over his last 23 1/3 innings.
  • The Yankees will replace Dave Miley as the manager of their Triple-A affiliate, George A. King III of the New York Post reports.  Miley, who managed the Reds from 2003-05, just completed his 10th season managing the Yankees’ Triple-A team.

AL East Notes: Ramirez, Red Sox, Rays

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New Red Sox GM Mike Hazen joined MLB Network Radio (Twitter link) to talk about a wide range of topics, including the divvying up of responsibilities in the revamped front office.  Hazen explained that he’ll be more based in the office while senior VP Frank Wren will have a heavier hand in the evaluation of players.  Unsurprisingly, he says (link) that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will be making the “final decision” on all personnel matters.

Here’s more from the AL East..

  • Hazen (link) says that the Red Sox are tentatively planning to look at Hanley Ramirez as a first baseman in spring training.  Ramirez was recently shut down for the year with a shoulder injury.  He hit just .249/.291/.426 at the plate while advanced metrics labeled him as a weak defender.
  • This offseason, Dombrowski will have to figure out what he’ll do with is trio of major league-caliber catchers, Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal writes. Boston could use one of its backstops in a package to land a frontline starting pitcher, but Christian Vazquez’s health might throw that plan into flux.  In order to trade Blake Swihart, the Red Sox would have to have confidence in Vazquez’s recovery from surgery, but his situation could still be murky come December or January.
  • Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times took a position-by-position look at how the Rays look heading into 2016.  At first base, the Rays have James Loney signed at an $8MM salary, but Topkin wonders if they might be better off trading him, even if they have to eat some of his contract.  Tampa Bay, he writes, could give themselves additional flexibility while opening a spot for Richie Shaffer, who would need to be paired with a lefty hitter.
  • Rich Hill has been excellent this month for the Red Sox and he could be carving out a spot for himself in the rotation in 2016, as Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe writes.  However, the 35-year-old says that he’s not thinking that far ahead.  “I don’t want to even go there, really,” he said. “Just really kind of focus in on tomorrow and get ready for that next start. You want to get to the finish line and worry about [next year] when it comes around.”  Hill, who previously owned a 4.72 ERA over parts of ten big league seasons, has a 1.17 ERA over three starts with 30 strikeouts and just two walks.

East Notes: Sandoval, Ramirez, Red Sox, Phillies,

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We discussed the West earlier tonight. Here’s the latest from the East:

  • Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval is expected to miss the rest of the season with pneumonia, writes John Tomase of WEEI.com. This comes just a couple days after fellow offseason signee Hanley Ramirez was shut down for the year with a shoulder injury. Sandoval hit .245/.292/.366 on the year with 43 runs scored and 47 RBI. Ramirez managed just .249/.291/.426 with 59 runs and 53 RBI. Advanced metrics labelled both players as terrible defenders this season (Sandoval at least has a history of solid defense). Undoubtedly, the pair was expected to produce about twice as many runs with passable defense. Had they performed to those expectations, Boston’s 6.5 game deficit in the Wild Card race could be a lead.
  • Boston has three potential candidates to man first base in 2016, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. The club plans to train Ramirez at the position after he failed to adjust to the outfield. Undoubtedly, Red Sox personnel hope first base can help Ramirez to stay healthy. The other internal option is Travis Shaw. He’s done enough to earn another look after hitting .282/.348/.511 with 11 home runs over 210 plate appearances. Shaw, 25, was never a highly touted prospect. The team may prefer to use him as depth. If they’re uncomfortable with Ramirez and Shaw, they could always dig into the coffers for Chris Davis. Personally, I expect any big free agent investments to be in the rotation.
  • The Phillies have their own first base conundrum to solve, writes Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer. They anticipate an influx of talent next season, but first base will probably remain a time share between Ryan Howard and Darin Ruf. Howard will be in the final guaranteed season of a five-year, $125MM extension. Previous attempts to swap him to the junior circuit have turned up zero trading partners. Howard still hits well against right-handed pitchers while Ruf handles southpaws with aplomb. The platoon has combined for about -1 WAR this season, but they’ve also bashed a combined 33 home runs with 78 runs and 108 RBI in 766 plate appearances. That’s roughly a third of the team’s run production. Clearly, they can have some value to the club so long as they avoid same-handed pitchers.
  • Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond is frustrated with his 2015 season, he tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Desmond, 30, is by far the top shortstop entering free agency, but he’s coming off his first below average offense campaign since 2011. Desmond hit just .232/.286/.382 on the year. When asked if he would accept a qualifying offer, Desmond hinted it was possible.

Reactions To And Details On Red Sox’ Promotion Of Mike Hazen

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Roughly six weeks after the Red Sox hired Dave Dombrowski to serve as their new president of baseball operations, prompting GM Ben Cherington to resign, the Red Sox named Cherington’s top lieutenant — assistant GM Mike Hazen — as their new general manager. Hazen’s promotion was officially announced at a press conference yesterday. Here are some takeaways from the conference as well as reactions to the Sox’ decision to stay in house as opposed to selecting someone outside the organization…

  • Via the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier (Twitter link), Dombrowski said yesterday that a list of about 30 general manager candidates was compiled early in the search. However, somewhat surprisingly, only two candidates — Hazen and Astros director of player development Quinton McCracken — were formally interviewed.
  • In a full column, Speier writes that Hazen had the opportunity to pursue advancement with another organization six years ago but elected to remain with the Red Sox. When Jed Hoyer left Boston to become GM of the Padres, he offered Hazen, who was then Boston’s director of player development, the opportunity to be an assistant GM in San Diego. Hazen, a Massachusetts native, spoke yesterday about the decision to remain in Boston due to a passion for the Red Sox. The ability to impact a team for which he grew up cheering trumped the notion of climbing the front-office ladder in a new organization.
  • Speier also spoke to Hazen’s Princeton baseball coach, Scott Bradley, at length about the way in which Hazen broke into the front office game; Bradley introduced Hazen to Peter Gammons after Hazen’s minor league career ended, and after doing some work scouting the Cape Cod League, an impressed Gammons put him in touch with Indians GM Mark Shapiro, encouraging Shapiro to hire him as an intern. Shapiro made the hire, and within a month contacted Bradley and Gammons to profess what a special career he believed Hazen to have in front of him.
  • Gammons recalls the story from his own end (Twitter links from Gammons), explaining that Bradley initially called him seeking an opportunity for Hazen, whom he described as the best leader he’d ever coached. Gammons set up the scouting internship and promised to send Hazen’s reports to GMs around the league, and Shapiro “immediately hired Mike” after being impressed by his work. Gammons considers Hazen one of the most honest people in the game and adds that Dombrowski won’t ever get anything other than what Hazen truly believes in terms of feedback.
  • The promotion of Hazen is a vote of continuity for the Red Sox, writes the Providence Journal’s Tim Britton. Twenty-two members of the current front office piled in the back of yesterday’s press conference to applaud Hazen, and as Britton notes, his ascension to GM all but ensures that there won’t be a mass exodus of front office talent from the pre-existing regime. Dombrowski is quoted as speaking highly of Hazen and the baseball ops staff that he inherited upon being hired. Hazen will have Dombrowski’s ear on all baseball ops decisions, especially early on as Dombrowski familiarizes himself with the system. Britton reports that Hazen interviewed for the Angels’ GM opening last week as well, and Speier noted in the above-linked piece that the Brewers had sought permission to interview him also.
  • Though McCracken wasn’t hired as Boston’s GM, Dombrowski told reporters that he was thoroughly impressed with his interview. Per the Houston Chronicle’s Evan Drellich, Dombrowski sees a bright future for McCracken: “Quinton McCracken is going to be a general manager. There is no doubt in my mind. He’s got a lot of great qualities.” Dombrowski also cited his experience in the game and the fact that many GM candidates seek final authority over baseball operations decisions — something the Sox wouldn’t be offering, given Dombrowski’s role as president — as reasons that only two candidates were interviewed.
  • Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald writes that Hazen’s honesty and personality make him well-suited to fill the sometimes-difficult role of being a GM that works underneath a president. Hazen’s former Princeton coach spoke to Lauber as well, explaining why that’s the case. “I think Mike will be his own person, but he’s also such a team guy that he will work really, really well with Dave in that regard,” said Bradley. “Too many people in those types of (GM) positions in baseball avoid really difficult conversations. I think that’s Mike’s strength. That’s who he is.”
  • Dombrowski will be faced with an offseason of trying to clean up some missteps by the Red Sox — most notably the signings of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, writes ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes. Ramirez, as was announced yesterday, won’t play again this offseason due to a shoulder injury, of which the origin is unknown. Edes points out that in a way, Dombrowski and Hazen wouldn’t be in this spot were it not for those signings, as Cherington’s job probably wouldn’t have been in danger had neither player been signed to his ill-fated contract. Dombrowski gave a diplomatic answer when asked about Ramirez, as Edes notes, stating that he’d be the team’s first baseman in 2016. That could, clearly, change depending on the course of the offseason.
  • Cherington texted the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato and expressed praise and congratulations for his former assistant (Twitter link). “Mike is very deserving and ready to be a GM and I think the Red Sox made a smart choice,” said Cherington.

East Notes: Gordon, Red Sox, Hanley, Harvey

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Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald highlights the charitable efforts of Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon, whose work in the domestic violence arena was motivated by personal tragedy. Gordon has started a program to help children who have lost parents as a result of a domestic incident, and is the spokesperson for the club’s domestic violence prevention night this week. While Miami has had its share of on-field disappointment this year, Gordon has been a clear bright spot, improving upon his breakout 2014. It will be interesting to see whether and when the team looks into an attempt at a contract extension with Gordon, who can be controlled through 2018.

Here are some more notes from the east to start the day:

  • Whatever else may come of this season for the Red Sox, the development of young starters Eduardo Rodriguez and Henry Owens has been promising, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. After seeing a previous group of prospects falter in their efforts to make the final step, Boston has reason to feel good about where both of its high-upside lefties are headed after their debut years.
  • The Red Sox’ trial of Hanley Ramirez at first base may begin in short order, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes. The infield-turned-outfielder is set to meet with the coaching staff today to discuss an activation date. There isn’t much time for Ramirez to showcase his potential at the position, let alone to adapt and improve, but the early returns could be important as new president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski charts an offseason strategy.
  • The Mets’ handling of Matt Harvey continues to draw discussion and intrigue, especially after the team collapsed following Harvey’s early exit from his most recent outing. Ken Davidoff of the New York Post and Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News break down the latest, including GM Sandy Alderson’s comments on his recent conversations with surgeon James Andrews. According to the Mets’ GM, Andrews did not cite the 180-inning cap that had previously been attributed to him. The situation remains fluid, per Alderson, and the team will continue to monitor Harvey’s workload on a start-to-start basis.

Injury Notes: Braun, Nelson, Eovaldi, Folty, Hanley

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Here’s the latest on several injury situations around the league:

  • Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun will undergo back surgery after the season, he told reporters including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. It’s not immediately clear what procedure he’ll need, but Braun indicated that he expects to be able to work through a short rehab and be ready in time for a full Spring Training. “We have to make sure we don’t allow [a setback] to happen,” said the 31-year-old. “We’ve known for a while that I’m going to have to have surgery, so we’ve been trying to battle through it. The danger is that if it gets worse, then the recovery time with the surgery could get a lot longer.”
  • The Brewers have decided to shut down righty Jimmy Nelson after he was struck in the head by a line drive in his most recent outing, per a club announcement. Skipper Craig Counsell told reporters today that Nelson’s neurologist felt there was too much risk to allow him to return to the mound at this point, as club play-by-play man Joe Block tweets. Hopefully, of course, rest and recuperation will put the 26-year-old back on track for a normal spring.
  • Things are not progressing well for Yankees righty Nathan Eovaldi, as Brendan Kuty of NJ.com reports. Eovaldi is still experiencing soreness in his pitching elbow despite a two-week layoff. At this point, Eovaldi may not have much chance of being ready for the start of the postseason and could ultimately be shut down entirely, GM Brian Cashman indicated.
  • The Braves announced that righty Mike Foltynewicz underwent surgery to remove “the anterior half of his first rib.” Foltynewicz had been on the DL with rib inflammation and was then hospitalized yesterday after experiencing blood clots in his right arm. Atlanta assistant GM John Coppolella explained that, “our first and foremost thoughts are just for his health and that he is okay,” as Kevin McAlpin of Braves Radio Net reports (links to Twitter). The two issues are unrelated, per Coppolella, who indicated that the club is still trying to get its arms around the situation. It seems a safe be that Foltynewicz, a key part of last year’s Evan Gattis trade, will not pitch again this year, though there are no indications that he’ll have any lingering issues.
  • Hanley Ramirez will wait until he’s completely pain free to be activated by the Red Sox, as MLB.com’s Ian Browne writes. The club has made clear that it won’t utilize Ramirez at the plate until he is ready and able to play the field. Boston is set to begin the experiment of moving the pricey veteran to first base. While a late-season return won’t have much bearing on the standings, getting a look at Ramirez at another new position could have ramifications for Boston’s offseason plans.

AL Notes: Andrus, Ramirez, Rays

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After trying a number of ways of reaching underachieving shortstop Elvis Andrus, including threats of benchings and a trade, the Rangers finally got to him with a simple message, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes. Following this year’s All-Star break, Rangers third base coach Tony Beasley asked Andrus who his role models were, and Andrus said they were Omar Vizquel and Derek Jeter. In response, Beasley said, “You are not a very good shortstop right now.” Beasley says he challenged Andrus to improve. In the second half this season, Andrus has hit .304/.333/.423, compared to .242/.301/.323 in the first. As Grant points out, it probably isn’t as simple as Andrus having a conversation with Beasley and then automatically improving, but whatever the cause, it appears possible Andrus is back on the right track. That could be crucial for the Rangers, who made a huge investment when they signed him to a $120MM extension in 2013. That deal just kicked in this year, so the Rangers are currently on the hook for significant salaries for Andrus all the way through 2022. Here’s more from the American League.

  • The Red Sox announced today that they’ve placed outfielder-turned-first-baseman Hanley Ramirez on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. The move is retroactive to August 27. On the surface, it’s a strange bit of roster manipulation, given that placing Ramirez on the 15-day DL doesn’t clear a 40-man roster spot and that active rosters have already expanded to 40 anyway. Via Tim Britton of the Providence Journal (on Twitter), though, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says the team placed Ramirez on the DL to “protect us from ourselves.” The move is designed, then, to keep them from inserting Ramirez into game action before he’s ready. When he does come back, it appears Ramirez will play at first base. Allen Craig played that position for the Red Sox yesterday, making his only big-league start at first since April.
  • Rays owner Stuart Sternberg hasn’t set the team’s 2016 payroll yet, but he would prefer it to be similar to that of this season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Via Cot’s Contracts, the 2015 Rays had an Opening Day payroll of about $76MM. That total includes relatively expensive deals a few vets who are either already gone or whose contracts will expire, including Grant Balfour, Asdrubal Cabrera and David DeJesus. With a payroll in the $76MM range, though, it appears, unsurprisingly, that the Rays won’t be big spenders on the free agent market this offseason.
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