Sandoval made his major-league debut last season going 0-4 across 10 appearances (9 starts). His first start of the season came last week in a 10-2 Angels win over the Mariners. Sandoval didn’t get the win as he lasted only 4 innings, though he more than did his part in contributing to the win. Sandoval threw 62 pitches – 40 for strikes – notching 4 strikeouts, walking one, and giving up 2 runs (though only 1 was earned). The 23-year-old southpaw entered the year as the Angels’ #7-ranked prospect per MLB.com, #6 by Fangraphs. The Angels certainly hope/expect the lefty and his 55-grade curveball will establish himself as a rotation mainstay – a role they’ve struggled to consistently fill over the years.

Sandoval made his second start of the season tonight, going six strong innings while allowing two runs. He’s quickly becoming a favorite of manager Joe Maddon. While the plan was for Sandoval to throw between 70-80 pitches, Maddon allowed him to hang around for 94. Sandoval continues to develop nicely after the Angels acquired him from Houston for Martin Maldonado just before the 2018 trade deadline.

Bard, 29, is looking to establish himself as a righty out of Maddon’s pen. Across 32 appearances last season, Bard logged 49 innings with a 4.78 ERA/4.81 FIP, showing off his ability to hold the line for multiple innings at a time if need be. He has just one inning so far this season – it was scoreless. In all likelihood, he’ll find himself back in the Angels’ pen before too long.

• The Dodgers have their eyes fixed on “roughly” a dozen acquisitions, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Pedro Moura of The Athetic and other reporters Monday. What’s more, Friedman indicated the already loaded Dodgers are primarily looking at elite talent. The rotation and third base have been rumored areas of interest for the Dodgers, and both spots do feature top-tier free agents (Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon and Josh Donaldson, for instance). Great free-agent relievers are harder to find, but upgrading there is a focus for the Dodgers. That’s their only “omnipresent” need area, Friedman observes (via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). As of now, though, Friedman does expect Kenley Jansen to continue as the Dodgers’ closer in 2020. Formerly automatic, Jansen had a difficult year (by his standards) last season.
• The rotation-needy Giants expect to sign at least one starter to a major league contract, possibly before the Winter Meetings conclude, per Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group. They at least appear to still be in the mix for their No. 1 free agent, Madison Bumgarner, whom they’ll sit down with during the meetings. While pitching’s a priority for the club, they don’t seem to be focused on picking up a backup catcher to take over for Stephen Vogt (now with the Diamondbacks), Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area suggests. Vogt’s replacement could be Aramis Garcia, to whom they’d like to give a chance, Pavlovic reports. They also have standout prospect Joey Bart waiting in the wings as the potential heir apparent to Buster Posey.
• Josh Bard will serve as the Dodgers’ bullpen coach next season, Gurnick tweets. Bard worked in that role from 2016-17 before leaving to join the Yankees’ staff as their bench coach. The Yankees and Bard parted ways after last season. The Dodgers’ previous bullpen coach was Mark Prior, who’s now their pitching coach.

In other news involving the staff under manager Aaron Boone, the Yankees are expected to bring on Matt Blake as pitching coach and Tanner Swanson as catching coach. Both hirings were previously reported; ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reported Blake’s addition (Twitter link), as we previously covered, while Brandon Warne of Zone Coverage tweeted that Swanson was hired away from the Twins.

Mendoza had worked in his prior role for the past two seasons and obviously impressed the organization. The 39-year-old never cracked the majors as a player but now seems in line for a lengthier tenure as a coach. Bard initially stepped into the bench coach role at the same time Mendoza and Boone first joined the Yankees. The former big-league backstop previously spent time with the Dodgers organization, including one campaign as bullpen coach, after the end of his playing career.

The rest of the staff will remain in the same positions, it seems. Mike Harkey will return as bullpen coach, Phil Nevin and Reggie Willits stay on as third and first base coach, respectively, while Marcus Thames will come back as hitting coach (reports Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). It isn’t clear if the organization will bring in a new infield instructor to take over the role vacated by Mendoza.

Here’s a couple other notes from around the MLB…

• The Diamondbacks are replacing their natural playing surface with artificial turf in advance of the 2019 season. Arizona’s baseball operations staff conducted in-depth research, finding their new dual-fiber surface provides performance and health benefits previously unavailable. The retractable roof at Chase Field made it increasingly difficult to maintain consistent growing conditions for their natural surface. Arizona will join Tampa Bay and Toronto as the only franchises to utilize an artificial turf, though the Rangers are reportedly considering a similar surface for their new stadium. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that Texas has yet to make a decision on the playing surface for the stadium set to open in 2020, but decision-makers within the organization will be closely monitoring the situation in Arizona.
• Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun writes that there’s symbolic value to the Orioles’ attempts to woo top Cuban prospect Victor Victor Mesa, even if they can’t close the deal. Considering the Marlins’ recent push to collect international spending pool money and their cultural ties to Cuba, Miami is now widely considered the favorites to sign Victor Victor Mesa, though Mesa’s intentions are as of now unclear.
• In a separate tweet, Meoli suggests that the Orioles summer trade of starting pitcher Kevin Gausman to the Braves was motivated by financial considerations. Though not initially presented as a primary concern, the trade cleared Gausman and Darren O’Day’s contracts from the Baltimore ledger in 2019 and beyond. Gausman has two more seasons of arbitration eligibility remaining after making $5.6MM in 2018. Darren O’Day has yet to pitch for the Braves, though he’ll likely have a role in their bullpen next season as he’s under contract for $9MM in 2019.

Here’s more from around the AL East…

• Evan Longoria tells Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that the Rays have yet to speak to their longtime third baseman about their offseason plans.  The Rays will certainly be moving some expensive veterans this winter, and if they shift into full-on rebuild mode, that could very well include a trade of Longoria, their highest-paid player and franchise cornerstone.  “I think they have made it pretty clear that they want to cut salary, so I guess that leaves me somewhere in limbo,” Longoria said.  “I think I’ve been pretty up front about wanting to be in Tampa (Bay) for my whole career, but I realize that my window is getting smaller to win a championship.  If they decide to rebuild completely and give everyone up, then I suppose my family and I will adjust.”
• In another piece from Topkin, he ranks the Rays players most likely to be traded this offseason, perhaps as soon as this week’s Winter Meetings.  Closer Alex Colome sits atop the list, followed by Jake Odorizzi and Longoria.  Chris Archer is a “2A” candidate after Odorizzi, as Archer would be Tampa’s most valuable trade chip if the club did embark on a rebuild.  Topkin writes that the Rays would demand “twice the return of Odorizzi” for Archer, and even more than the five-prospect package the team received from the Cubs in the 2011 Matt Garza trade.
• The Yankees will hire Josh Bard as their new bench coach, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported (Twitter link).  The New York Post’s Ken Davidoff reported earlier today that Bard stood “a good chance of” being hired after an interview for the position last week.  A former ten-year big league veteran, Bard’s post-playing career includes jobs as a scout and special assistant in the Dodgers organization and, for the last two seasons, the team’s bullpen coach.  Bard and new Yankees manager Aaron Boone were briefly teammates with the 2005 Indians.
• Now that Giancarlo Stanton is a Yankee, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald proposes a bold counter-move for the Red Sox — sign both J.D. Martinez and Eric Hosmer in free agency.  This would come at a big financial cost for the Sox, of course, though Silverman argues that since the team will likely be over the luxury tax threshold anyway, the Red Sox will face a slightly lesser financial penalty now than they would in exceeding it next offseason with another year of overages on its record.  Silverman believes Boston should strike now rather than hope for landing one of next winter’s big free agents, plus Martinez and Hosmer would help replace the clubhouse leadership gap left by the retired David Ortiz.

• The Dodgers are out on Torii Hunter, according to Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. The Braves, Rangers and Tigers all still have interest in Hunter, who appears to prefer an AL team.
• GM Ned Colletti told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Dodgers are prioritizing the international market again under the team’s new ownership. “One area we really needed to accent immediately was international operations,” Colletti said. “We couldn’t wait another year to get involved there.” The Dodgers recently won the negotiating rights to Korean left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu with a bid of $25.7MM. 
• The Dodgers announced that they signed six international scouts, including Patrick Guerrero. The team also announced that they hired former MLB catcher Josh Bard as a special assistant.
• Ken Davidoff of the New York Post wonders which top free agent will sign next. Zack Greinke and Hiroki Kuroda seem like candidates to sign in the relatively near future, according to Davidoff, who believes that the Dodgers will bring Kuroda back to Los Angeles.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

• The Dodgers released Cory Sullivan and catcher Josh Bard, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  The pair both signed minor league deals with L.A. in December.
• The Yankees have signed Steve Pearce to a minor league contract, reports Josh Norris of the Trentonian (Twitter link).  Pearce, a former well-regarded prospect with the Pirates, signed a minor league deal with the Twins in December but was released on Tuesday.
• The Nationals released outfielder Jason Michaels, the team announced. The Nationals signed the 11-year veteran to a minor league contract in December.
• The Brewers signed catcher Jason Jaramillo to a minor league deal, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. The Cubs released the backstop a couple of days ago after signing him to a minor league deal in January.
• The Red Sox released catcher Max St. Pierre, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter). SoxProspects.com first reported the transaction.
• The Brewers released Corey Patterson then re-signed him to another minor league contract, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports (Twitter links). Patterson, who signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee in January, will start the season at Triple-A.
• The Indians announced that they acquired right-hander Jairo Asencio from the Braves for cash. The right-handed reliever led the International League in saves in 2009 and 2011 and posted a 1.81 ERA with 11.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 54 2/3 innings at Triple-A last year. Asencio is out of options.
• The Mets have signed infielder Josh Rodriguez to a minor league deal, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. The Pirates selected the 27-year-old in last year's Rule 5 draft, returned him to the Indians in April, and traded for him in June. Rodriguez, who played in seven MLB games last year, posted a .258/.323/.349 line in 330 plate appearances in the upper minors.

Bard, 33, had 86 plate appearances for the Mariners this year and another 250 in Triple-A.  His signing was first rumored last week at the Winter Meetings.  Ledezma, 30, briefly appeared in the Majors with Toronto this year.  He struck out 64 batters in 48 Triple-A innings as well.  Castillo, a 36-year-old Cuban, tossed 11 2/3 innings for the Diamondbacks and a strong 42 1/3 frames at Triple-A.  His near-deal was first reported last week.

Ascanio, 26, appeared briefly in the bigs with the Pirates this year and also whiffed 50 in 44 Triple-A innings.  He was part of the July '09 John Grabow-Tom Gorzelanny trade with the Cubs, but he had labrum surgery in October of that year.  Tucker, 25, is a former first-round pick of the Marlins who pitched five innings with the Rangers this year and 68 1/3 more in Triple-A.  Guzman, Sullivan, Nieve, Chico, Baisley, Zawadzki, and Cruz have also spent time in the Majors.  Guzman, notably, was a successful setup man for the Cubs in '09.

10:43pm: The Dodgers have agreed to sign Josh Bard to a one-year deal worth about $750K, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times hears that it's a minor league contract (Twitter link).

Bard, 33, has a career OPS of .705 in parts of ten big league seasons, but his production has slipped in recent years. Since 2008, he has hit .217/.282/.332 in 711 plate appearances. He spent the last two seasons as the backup catcher in Seattle on one-year deals.

The Dodgers have been very active on the free agent market this offseason, as MLBTR's free agent tracker shows. The team has already signed six big league free agents, including another catcher, Matt Treanor, who inked a one-year deal with a 2013 option.

• Catcher Miguel Olivo's two year contract includes a team option for 2013.  The veteran will make $2.75 this season, $3.5MM in 2012, and will receive a $750K buyout if his option is not picked up, bringing his guaranteed total to $7MM.  If the M's pick up his option in '13, Olivo will earn a base of $3MM that could rise to as much as $3.75MM based on how much he plays in '11 and '12.
• Infielder Adam Kennedy will make $750K if he makes the big league roster.  The 35-year-old's contract includes playing-time bonuses that start kicking in at $50K for 350 plate appearances.  He could as much as $450K if he reaches 600 plate appearances.
• Catcher Josh Bard will also earn $750K if he makes the major league squad.  Bard's bonuses begin at 300 plate appearances and could reach $250K for 500 plate appearances.
• Both Bard and Kennedy can exercise an out clause if they're not on the major league roster by the end of March.

The 32-year-old hit .214/.276/.357 in 126 plate appearances with Seattle in 2010, though he did throw out six of 18 would-be base stealers. He also missed some time with a calf strain. Bard is a .256/.323/.387 career hitter, but the last three years haven't been pretty: .218/.285/.332 in 625 plate appearances split between the M's, Nationals, and Padres. 

• In part due to the multitude of injuries that befell the club, Epstein admitted that the team's pitching and defense (the offseason focus on which led to the signings of John Lackey and Mike Cameron) were actually Boston's biggest weaknesses in 2010.
• The Red Sox will "have to completely fix the bullpen" in the winter.  Epstein said that he pursued several midseason trades for relievers: "We were aggressive with our prospect proposals, and those guys weren’t moved. So, yeah, I would have loved to have made a trade for a reliever. I feel bad, I feel like we didn’t get it done."
• In regards to three specific bullpen targets (Matt Capps, Brian Fuentes and Kerry Wood), Epstein said that Washington wanted Daniel Bard for Capps, the Twins were able to make a move for Fuentes first due to a higher waiver position, and the Yankees "were willing to take on just a little bit more of [Wood's] salary."
• Epstein admitted that the team can improve the flow of communication between the medical staff and the players.  He didn't comment on whether or not the Red Sox were looking to make some changes to their training staff in the wake of their injury-filled season.

TUESDAY: The Mariners will designate Eliezer Alfonzo for assignment to create roster space for Josh Bard, according to Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune (via Twitter). Alfonzo, 31, did not hit well in 41 plate appearances this year, striking out ten times and collecting two extra base hits without drawing a walk. To his credit, he threw out two of the four runners who attempted to steal on him.

Bard was hitting well in limited major league playing time before a calf injury sent him to the disabled list at the end of May. The 32-year-old has a .718 OPS in his nine-year MLB career. Rob Johnson, who is hitting just .198, has been doing most of the catching for the Mariners, who hoped for more production from Adam Moore going into the season. However, the young backstop has been sidelined with heel and hamstring injuries.

Bard, 32 in March, hit .230/.293/.361 in 301 plate appearances for the Nationals this year, catching 630.6 innings.  He battled a groin strain at times.  Bard has flashed the ability to draw a walk in years past.  Since Kenji Johjima left for Japan, the Mariners have an opportunity for a veteran catcher.  Bard had also drawn interest from the Rockies.

Cordero, 28 in March, is attempting to recover from July '08 labrum surgery.  He tossed 14.3 innings in the minors for the Ms this year after signing in March.

"Rizzo pledged confidence in the current tandem of Wil Nieves and Josh Bard," writes Berman.  "Plus, Flores remains the Nationals' long-term catcher, and it would not be worth sacrificing a prospect for a stopgap during a season that has already gone awry."