November 23, 2015
Mike Bates is still beating the wrong drum...
Mike Bates has been very concerned about the recently decreasing number of non-white Field Managers in baseball. Specifically, he's been very concerned that the increasing trend of General Managers hiring young, analytic-minded managers over experienced, old-school managers means (and I really resent the insinuation here) that non-white managers will be subject too an increasing disadvantage at getting hired as Field Managers.
Did you catch that? Non-white managers don't do all that thinky stuff. Only white people. So non-white managers won't be able to get a job in the new, white-thinky world order in baseball. Disgusting.
Of course, this is all based on the Dan Jennings experiment in Florida, where the press lambasted the installation of non-baseball-playing Jennings as the interim manager; and Jerry Dipoto's hiring of catcher-turned-front-office talent evaluator Scott Servais for manager in Seattle. (The latter was offensive because, by all appearances, Dipoto didn't actually make much of an effort to interview or even consider anyone other than the all-white Servais.)
There is one area where Bates *does* have a point: non-whites are under-represented at the top echelon jobs of Team Owner, Team President, Vice President/President of Baseball Operations, and General/Assistant General Managers. If the trend of GMs hiring other Front Office guys to be Field Managers continues...well, there aren't very many non-white people available. Never mind that more non-white's may start appearing in the front office: It's been pretty clear that what most General Managers are looking for are an adherence to advanced analysis and a background in player development. That's not a white thing, that's a *young* thing. And it's why some of the premier Manager and front office candidates the past few years have been Dave Martinez, Alex Cora, Fredi Gonzalez and Dave Roberts.
The Dave Roberts who, Bates notes with relief, has been hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers as Manager to replace noted white man Don Mattingly.
Mike Bates is thankful that the Dodgers didn't rush to a decision, allowing the hiring process to matriculate the best candidate for the job.
Well, no...not actually. Bates is thankful that the Dodgers made sure they didn't "just hand [the reins] over to the nearest white guy the GM is comfortable with (like the Marinersand the Brewers did)." Bates explicitly leaves out the part about hiring the best person for the job. Thankfully, everything I know about Roberts suggests he's going to be a great manager and partner with Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi (another noted white man). Roberts is reported to be analytically-minded, and has spent the last several years working for various front offices as an assistant.
Mike Bates seems desperate to try to demonstrate a new era of racism is dawning in Major League Baseball. Instead, maybe he should focus on how "the youth movement" going on right now isn't all about the players on the field.
Did you catch that? Non-white managers don't do all that thinky stuff. Only white people. So non-white managers won't be able to get a job in the new, white-thinky world order in baseball. Disgusting.
Of course, this is all based on the Dan Jennings experiment in Florida, where the press lambasted the installation of non-baseball-playing Jennings as the interim manager; and Jerry Dipoto's hiring of catcher-turned-front-office talent evaluator Scott Servais for manager in Seattle. (The latter was offensive because, by all appearances, Dipoto didn't actually make much of an effort to interview or even consider anyone other than the all-white Servais.)
There is one area where Bates *does* have a point: non-whites are under-represented at the top echelon jobs of Team Owner, Team President, Vice President/President of Baseball Operations, and General/Assistant General Managers. If the trend of GMs hiring other Front Office guys to be Field Managers continues...well, there aren't very many non-white people available. Never mind that more non-white's may start appearing in the front office: It's been pretty clear that what most General Managers are looking for are an adherence to advanced analysis and a background in player development. That's not a white thing, that's a *young* thing. And it's why some of the premier Manager and front office candidates the past few years have been Dave Martinez, Alex Cora, Fredi Gonzalez and Dave Roberts.
The Dave Roberts who, Bates notes with relief, has been hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers as Manager to replace noted white man Don Mattingly.
Mike Bates is thankful that the Dodgers didn't rush to a decision, allowing the hiring process to matriculate the best candidate for the job.
Well, no...not actually. Bates is thankful that the Dodgers made sure they didn't "just hand [the reins] over to the nearest white guy the GM is comfortable with (like the Marinersand the Brewers did)." Bates explicitly leaves out the part about hiring the best person for the job. Thankfully, everything I know about Roberts suggests he's going to be a great manager and partner with Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi (another noted white man). Roberts is reported to be analytically-minded, and has spent the last several years working for various front offices as an assistant.
Mike Bates seems desperate to try to demonstrate a new era of racism is dawning in Major League Baseball. Instead, maybe he should focus on how "the youth movement" going on right now isn't all about the players on the field.
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November 16, 2015
Leonys traded...
Leonys Martin has been traded to the Seattle Mariners, along with middle reliever/long man/spot starter Anthony Bass for reliever Tom Wilhelmsen, speedy outfielder James Jones, and a player to be named later.
Wilhelmsen is a solid late-inning reliever with two years of control left. Adam Morris at Lone Star Ball speculates that this move is mostly about the acquisition of Wilhelmsen as a hedge against a rumored Shawn Tolleson trade or fear of injury to Keone Kela's elbow.
Personally, I think that was about getting rid of a player that likely didn't fit in Jeff Banister's clubhouse, and putting together a deal that brings value back. The Texas front office and Banister expressed quite a bit of disappointment in Leonys Martin in 2015 regarding lack of effort, un-coachability, and his snit that occurred when he didn't make the post-season roster. Normally, you disregard personality-based disagreements, and you certainly never draw attention to anything that affects players' contracts. The Players Union doesn't like that. Baseball Players are individual professionals that you try to get to perform as a team, but as far as getting the job done goes, Leonys Martin is paid to show up and do his job. Of course, he didn't do that...except that he wasn't contractually obligated to.
However, my bet is that Texas and Leonys were in an uncomfortable situation, at least in the clubhouse. When you've got Prince Fielder willingly relinquishing 1B duties in order to make the club better, throwing a fit about not making the roster after a down offensive year looks really bad. I've already pointed out that Leonys has more than enough talent to have earned reconciliation and a shot to regain the starting CF job, but it's also true that Texas had four outfielders on the 25 man roster without getting into a couple of AAA candidates who not only could hopefully man an everyday position (Ryan Rua) but also play a depth position.
The bottom line is, in my opinion this trade is about dumping Leonys. And since I don't believe dumping a talented player is something smart MLB teams do unless it makes them better or rectifies a *serious* problem. Wilhelmsen is a good get...he's not a spare piece or a depth piece; he's a guy who sit's right next to Diekman, Dyson and Kela. Two years of control, just like Leonys. A mediocre fourth outfielder for Anthony Bass is probably parity. Players To Be Named Later are usually minor league depth or lottery tickets. If the PTBNL is a lottery ticket, I'd call the trade value for value.
EDIT: And there it is:
Edits and updates at the bottom.
------
Wilhelmsen is a solid late-inning reliever with two years of control left. Adam Morris at Lone Star Ball speculates that this move is mostly about the acquisition of Wilhelmsen as a hedge against a rumored Shawn Tolleson trade or fear of injury to Keone Kela's elbow.
Personally, I think that was about getting rid of a player that likely didn't fit in Jeff Banister's clubhouse, and putting together a deal that brings value back. The Texas front office and Banister expressed quite a bit of disappointment in Leonys Martin in 2015 regarding lack of effort, un-coachability, and his snit that occurred when he didn't make the post-season roster. Normally, you disregard personality-based disagreements, and you certainly never draw attention to anything that affects players' contracts. The Players Union doesn't like that. Baseball Players are individual professionals that you try to get to perform as a team, but as far as getting the job done goes, Leonys Martin is paid to show up and do his job. Of course, he didn't do that...except that he wasn't contractually obligated to.
However, my bet is that Texas and Leonys were in an uncomfortable situation, at least in the clubhouse. When you've got Prince Fielder willingly relinquishing 1B duties in order to make the club better, throwing a fit about not making the roster after a down offensive year looks really bad. I've already pointed out that Leonys has more than enough talent to have earned reconciliation and a shot to regain the starting CF job, but it's also true that Texas had four outfielders on the 25 man roster without getting into a couple of AAA candidates who not only could hopefully man an everyday position (Ryan Rua) but also play a depth position.
The bottom line is, in my opinion this trade is about dumping Leonys. And since I don't believe dumping a talented player is something smart MLB teams do unless it makes them better or rectifies a *serious* problem. Wilhelmsen is a good get...he's not a spare piece or a depth piece; he's a guy who sit's right next to Diekman, Dyson and Kela. Two years of control, just like Leonys. A mediocre fourth outfielder for Anthony Bass is probably parity. Players To Be Named Later are usually minor league depth or lottery tickets. If the PTBNL is a lottery ticket, I'd call the trade value for value.
EDIT: And there it is:
Jon Daniels says the player to be named is 'actually a pretty important part' of the deal. Interesting - I didn't expect that.
— Or Moyal (@OrMoyal) November 16, 2015
Daniels said the trade won't be official until after the winter meetings, which most likely means the PTBNL is Rule 5 eligible. Rule 5 eligible players are guys with five years of service time (five years out of the seven years of automatic club control over the contract) that are not on the major league club's 40 man roster. The rationale being that after five years in the minor leagues, it's possible their shot at playing major league ball might be blocked on their current team by another player. As an example, let's presume Joey Gallo had just completed his fifth year of minor league ball (instead of his third). He's not going to play 3B for Texas next year, but at his talent level Texas doesn't want to lose him. He'll be put on the 40 man roster, and won't come off until he's either playing for the Rangers, gets traded, or declines so far they don't care anymore. Of course, that's one 40 man roster slot that can't be used for someone else, so you have to manage them carefully.
The point is, if you're a guy that the big league club doesn't think is vital to the teams future success or possibly doesn't want to invest the time and money they think it will still take to get you there; or if they think other teams won't value you highly enough to claim you on waivers, they'll leave you off the 40 man and expose you to waivers. For (relatively) nominal fee, other MLB clubs can claim you and put you on THEIR 40 man roster. The caveat is you have to stay on it all year, or you go back to the original team.
The Rangers got Delino DeShields, Jr. from Houston through the Rule 5 draft last year, and DeShields not only stuck on the roster, his impressive On Base Percentage was a major factor in driving the Rangers' offense. However, the Rangers also lost a Rule 5 eligible player, Odubel Herrera. Herrera had seemingly hit a wall at AA for Texas, playing up the middle where he was also blocked by several other talented middle infielders. Philadelphia took him in the Rule 5 draft and made him their Center Fielder, where he surprisingly thrived; generating not only his best offensive campaign ever but also plus defense at a difficult position that he had never played before. Completely unpredictable.
Anyway, the point of all this is that the player Texas wants is likely someone in the upper levels of the minor league system that neither Seattle nor Texas actually want on their 40 man roster. So, Seattle will leave him off the roster and hope he makes it through the draft unclaimed. If he does, Texas will then complete the Leonys trade and add the Rule 5 player to their minor league roster. I've been trying to find a list of Rule 5 eligible players in the Seattle system, but have been unsuccessful so far.
The point is, if you're a guy that the big league club doesn't think is vital to the teams future success or possibly doesn't want to invest the time and money they think it will still take to get you there; or if they think other teams won't value you highly enough to claim you on waivers, they'll leave you off the 40 man and expose you to waivers. For (relatively) nominal fee, other MLB clubs can claim you and put you on THEIR 40 man roster. The caveat is you have to stay on it all year, or you go back to the original team.
The Rangers got Delino DeShields, Jr. from Houston through the Rule 5 draft last year, and DeShields not only stuck on the roster, his impressive On Base Percentage was a major factor in driving the Rangers' offense. However, the Rangers also lost a Rule 5 eligible player, Odubel Herrera. Herrera had seemingly hit a wall at AA for Texas, playing up the middle where he was also blocked by several other talented middle infielders. Philadelphia took him in the Rule 5 draft and made him their Center Fielder, where he surprisingly thrived; generating not only his best offensive campaign ever but also plus defense at a difficult position that he had never played before. Completely unpredictable.
Anyway, the point of all this is that the player Texas wants is likely someone in the upper levels of the minor league system that neither Seattle nor Texas actually want on their 40 man roster. So, Seattle will leave him off the roster and hope he makes it through the draft unclaimed. If he does, Texas will then complete the Leonys trade and add the Rule 5 player to their minor league roster. I've been trying to find a list of Rule 5 eligible players in the Seattle system, but have been unsuccessful so far.
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November 15, 2015
Serious baseball question (about the HOF...so not that serious)
Baseball writers are upset that the Hall of Fame didn't expand ballots. Writers wanted the ballots expanded because there is a huge backlog right now on the ballots, and the current voting rules mean that a lot of probably qualified players are going to fall off the ballot before they're elected to the HOF.
However, the main reason there is a backlog is because the majority of baseball writers refused for a long time to give votes to (almost) anyone connected to heavy steroid usage in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's.
So, isn't this backlog, fair or not, on the writers' heads as well? I know most of them use the rationale that they're only playing by the HOF's rules...but it's also pretty clear that the writers are willing to buck hard against the rules when they don't like them.
Now, having said all that, HOF election criteria are a joke anyway, so this whole discussion is partially moot.
However, the main reason there is a backlog is because the majority of baseball writers refused for a long time to give votes to (almost) anyone connected to heavy steroid usage in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's.
So, isn't this backlog, fair or not, on the writers' heads as well? I know most of them use the rationale that they're only playing by the HOF's rules...but it's also pretty clear that the writers are willing to buck hard against the rules when they don't like them.
Now, having said all that, HOF election criteria are a joke anyway, so this whole discussion is partially moot.
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November 13, 2015
History, and what is expected...
Colby Rasmus will make history today when he, allegedly, will accept the qualifying offer made to him by the Houston Astros. Rasmus had two good years with the Cardinals, then had one all-star year with the Jays in the midst of some poor to mediocre years plagued by injury. He turned in his best year since 2013 with Houston last season, and looked a lot more like his early days with St. Louis. Rasmus is projected to regress next year, which would make the qualifying offer an overpay, but if he repeats his performance or even splits the difference he would be well worth the money. Rasmus was reportedly leaning toward accepting the QO anyway, as he has actually been considering retiring soon. He also reportedly turned down a better, multi-year contract offer to resign for one year with Houston.
As expected, Yovani Gallardo will turn down the qualifying offer from the Texas Rangers today, according to Jon Heyman. Gallardo will likely receive a multi-year contract for a larger guaranteed salary, even if the yearly value will likely be lower than the $15.8m QO. The Rangers are unlikely to be the club that signs him, unless they make no progress with bringing Colby Lewis back for another year or two.
As expected, L.A.A. has emptied the very shallow pool of talent remaining in their farm system to trade for SS Andrelton Simmons. The Angels didn't need a new shortstop, and Simmons does nothing to address their offensive shortcomings. This is another move that screams "Art Moreno", demonstrating that Billy Eppler, the new GM is still the low man of the decision-making totem pole.
UPDATE: Brett Anderson of the Dodgers and Matt Wieters of the Orioles both accepted qualifying offers. Anderson was once a decent prospect with the Athletics until he got a shot at a full-time rotation position. Since then he's been a depth pitcher, until 2015 when he put together a campaign good enough to stick in the middle of the Dodgers rotation. In other words, teams would be seriously looking at him as a back-end pitcher, and looking to spend well under $15m per year. Chavez Canyon is a good location for a mediocre pitcher to establish a market, so if Anderson can put together another decent season in 2016, he would be looking at a four or five year deal worth $10 - $15m per year.
Wieters has been hurt for the past two years and hasn't yet shown he'll return to his all-star form since coming off the D.L. Likely every team looking at Wieters, including Texas, was looking at a two or three year contract worth close to $15m per year...but if Wieters can re-establish even a sign of a return to pre-injury form, he'll command something much greater than that next year.
Anderson is the case that shows how agents are looking differently at the Q.O. this year. The past two years saw several marginal-players lose half a year before being signed. The draft pick loss attached to signing a Q.O.'d player has turned into a significant deterrent, making the Q.O. decision on marginal or questionable players much more difficult.
Marco Estrada is also off the free-agent market; signing a two-year contract extension worth $23m with Toronto.
As expected, Yovani Gallardo will turn down the qualifying offer from the Texas Rangers today, according to Jon Heyman. Gallardo will likely receive a multi-year contract for a larger guaranteed salary, even if the yearly value will likely be lower than the $15.8m QO. The Rangers are unlikely to be the club that signs him, unless they make no progress with bringing Colby Lewis back for another year or two.
As expected, L.A.A. has emptied the very shallow pool of talent remaining in their farm system to trade for SS Andrelton Simmons. The Angels didn't need a new shortstop, and Simmons does nothing to address their offensive shortcomings. This is another move that screams "Art Moreno", demonstrating that Billy Eppler, the new GM is still the low man of the decision-making totem pole.
UPDATE: Brett Anderson of the Dodgers and Matt Wieters of the Orioles both accepted qualifying offers. Anderson was once a decent prospect with the Athletics until he got a shot at a full-time rotation position. Since then he's been a depth pitcher, until 2015 when he put together a campaign good enough to stick in the middle of the Dodgers rotation. In other words, teams would be seriously looking at him as a back-end pitcher, and looking to spend well under $15m per year. Chavez Canyon is a good location for a mediocre pitcher to establish a market, so if Anderson can put together another decent season in 2016, he would be looking at a four or five year deal worth $10 - $15m per year.
Wieters has been hurt for the past two years and hasn't yet shown he'll return to his all-star form since coming off the D.L. Likely every team looking at Wieters, including Texas, was looking at a two or three year contract worth close to $15m per year...but if Wieters can re-establish even a sign of a return to pre-injury form, he'll command something much greater than that next year.
Anderson is the case that shows how agents are looking differently at the Q.O. this year. The past two years saw several marginal-players lose half a year before being signed. The draft pick loss attached to signing a Q.O.'d player has turned into a significant deterrent, making the Q.O. decision on marginal or questionable players much more difficult.
Marco Estrada is also off the free-agent market; signing a two-year contract extension worth $23m with Toronto.
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November 09, 2015
Where is Byung-ho Park going?
As Park is the greatest lottery ticket buy since Tanaka*, I'll update news here.
It's tenuously down to six five four one clubs: Phillies, Brewers, Reds, Cubs, White Sox, and Twins.
*Not the greatest "win". That would be the Pirates winning bid for Jung-ho Kang. For a five million dollar bid and $11 million over four years, they got a guy who could have won rookie of the year at shortshop. In a year that included Correa and Sano and Lindor debuting.
UPDATE: One report out of Korea is claiming the winning bidder is Minnesota. I'm not marking off the others until this is confirmed. This has now been confirmed by multiple national writers. The Twins weren't considered likely candidates, as the combination of Mauer at 1B and Plouffe at 3B is already displacing top rookie Miguel Sano, a 3B, to DH. As with the Rangers, the addition of Park will likely necessitate one or more trades.
It's tenuously down to six five four one clubs: Phillies, Brewers, Reds, Cubs, White Sox, and Twins.
*Not the greatest "win". That would be the Pirates winning bid for Jung-ho Kang. For a five million dollar bid and $11 million over four years, they got a guy who could have won rookie of the year at shortshop. In a year that included Correa and Sano and Lindor debuting.
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November 07, 2015
The wildest speculation...
No, it's not about Texas trading another top prospect, mlb controllable pitching and a couple of lottery tickets for Sonny Gray or Chris Sale. Those are pie-in-sky deals anyway. Here's one that might actually make sense.
Let's suppose the Texas Rangers won the bid to negotiate with Byung-ho Park. The posting process is designed to heavily incentivize getting a deal done, so we can then further speculate that Park will be signed to a major league contract. It could be a minor-league contract, but you usually only see that with South and Central American players.
So, we're going to say that if that happens, then the Rangers are planning for Park to be the starting 1B in 2016. That means that Mitch Moreland and Prince Fielder both face reduced playing time. For now, let's assume that Texas believes he'll be an every day player. That means that Moreland is the default bench 1B/DH, while Fielder plays DH most days.
HOWEVER, Mitch Moreland is an attractive trade offer for the Rangers. He's in his last year of arbitration and made $3 million last year. Moreland is a good bet to generate right at 1 fWAR of value, but is also coming off his best major league season. He generated 2.1 fWAR, hit 23 HR for the second time in his career, and was healthy the entire year for the first time ever. The Rangers could get a legitimate minor prospect and some depth trading him this Winter. That gives you Park as your every day 1B, Prince Fielder as a backup 1B and full-time DH.
HOWEVER, Jeff Banister has stated repeatedly that he favors multi-tool players (not multi-position players, to be clear). He wants guys who know how to be an asset on the bases regardless of their speed. He wants smart defenders. He wants guys who can hit strategically. Fielder made some major adjustments to his batting game this year, leading to a guy who can hit for specific outcomes and not just power. However, his defense and baserunning are both at the bottom of the league rankings. That means Prince Fielder's only real job is to be the #3 hitter. When fully healthy, he's probably still an elite hitter for all that, but maybe the Rangers are better overall with a healthy Josh Hamilton in that position. And, of course, Texas isn't exactly enamored with Prince's contract.
Texas would have to eat a lot of that contract to move Fielder. Someone would love to have Fielder at $10 - $12 million per year, even for five more years. Heck, Texas would love to have Fielder for five years at $10 - $12 million per year. But that's not an option. Prince makes $24 million per year over the next five years. Detroit pays $6 million per year starting next year, taking the contract down to $18 million per year. So let's say Texas passes on the $6 million per year from Detroit to a new team, and adds their own $6 million per year over five years. The important part of that is that Texas gets back $12 million per year, which likely pays Park's salary. And possibly his posting fee.
End result: Texas gets a RH power bat and good defensive 1B, a minor prospect, some minor league depth and a lottery ticket without affecting the major league salary. The Rangers may not be able to literally replace Fielder's bat in the three hole, but they can easily replace his 1.6 fWAR.
Biggest negative: Prince has, by all accounts, been an awesome presence in the dugout and the clubhouse. Despite the neck injury that ended his season early in 2014 and possibly affected his second-half performance in 2015, his has been a fun comeback story with the Rangers. A big part of me really doesn't want to send him packing after only two years. And to be honest, I don't think Texas *will* send him packing. I suspect Moreland is traded this Winter, with Texas viewing his strong 2015 as an outlier; predicting future performance as a decreasingly effective 1B and a bat that works better in a platoon. Add to that the possibility of getting even one prospect added to the system, and I think it's too attractive a deal to pass up.
UPDATE: One Rangers reporter is reporting now that the Rangers did not have the winning bid to negotiate with Byung-ho Park. So I move on to plan B: would the Rangers consider moving both Moreland or Fielder for a couple of years of Mike Napoli at 1B? Napoli's defense at first is comparable to Moreland's, but Napoli's bat has suffered vs. RHP. Napoli was used mostly in a platoon with Moreland after he re-joined the Rangers, and a Moreland/Napoli platoon could potentially create a 2 - 3 WAR 1B for cheap. Of course, there's that roster spot for the third player on the roster limited to 1B/DH...
Let's suppose the Texas Rangers won the bid to negotiate with Byung-ho Park. The posting process is designed to heavily incentivize getting a deal done, so we can then further speculate that Park will be signed to a major league contract. It could be a minor-league contract, but you usually only see that with South and Central American players.
So, we're going to say that if that happens, then the Rangers are planning for Park to be the starting 1B in 2016. That means that Mitch Moreland and Prince Fielder both face reduced playing time. For now, let's assume that Texas believes he'll be an every day player. That means that Moreland is the default bench 1B/DH, while Fielder plays DH most days.
HOWEVER, Mitch Moreland is an attractive trade offer for the Rangers. He's in his last year of arbitration and made $3 million last year. Moreland is a good bet to generate right at 1 fWAR of value, but is also coming off his best major league season. He generated 2.1 fWAR, hit 23 HR for the second time in his career, and was healthy the entire year for the first time ever. The Rangers could get a legitimate minor prospect and some depth trading him this Winter. That gives you Park as your every day 1B, Prince Fielder as a backup 1B and full-time DH.
HOWEVER, Jeff Banister has stated repeatedly that he favors multi-tool players (not multi-position players, to be clear). He wants guys who know how to be an asset on the bases regardless of their speed. He wants smart defenders. He wants guys who can hit strategically. Fielder made some major adjustments to his batting game this year, leading to a guy who can hit for specific outcomes and not just power. However, his defense and baserunning are both at the bottom of the league rankings. That means Prince Fielder's only real job is to be the #3 hitter. When fully healthy, he's probably still an elite hitter for all that, but maybe the Rangers are better overall with a healthy Josh Hamilton in that position. And, of course, Texas isn't exactly enamored with Prince's contract.
Texas would have to eat a lot of that contract to move Fielder. Someone would love to have Fielder at $10 - $12 million per year, even for five more years. Heck, Texas would love to have Fielder for five years at $10 - $12 million per year. But that's not an option. Prince makes $24 million per year over the next five years. Detroit pays $6 million per year starting next year, taking the contract down to $18 million per year. So let's say Texas passes on the $6 million per year from Detroit to a new team, and adds their own $6 million per year over five years. The important part of that is that Texas gets back $12 million per year, which likely pays Park's salary. And possibly his posting fee.
End result: Texas gets a RH power bat and good defensive 1B, a minor prospect, some minor league depth and a lottery ticket without affecting the major league salary. The Rangers may not be able to literally replace Fielder's bat in the three hole, but they can easily replace his 1.6 fWAR.
Biggest negative: Prince has, by all accounts, been an awesome presence in the dugout and the clubhouse. Despite the neck injury that ended his season early in 2014 and possibly affected his second-half performance in 2015, his has been a fun comeback story with the Rangers. A big part of me really doesn't want to send him packing after only two years. And to be honest, I don't think Texas *will* send him packing. I suspect Moreland is traded this Winter, with Texas viewing his strong 2015 as an outlier; predicting future performance as a decreasingly effective 1B and a bat that works better in a platoon. Add to that the possibility of getting even one prospect added to the system, and I think it's too attractive a deal to pass up.
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November 05, 2015
Rangers hire Iapoce away from Cubs...
The Texas Rangers finalized their coaching staff with some new hires from outside the organization and some promotions and moves within.
As expected, the club announced today that Doug Brocail will replace Mike Maddux as pitching coach while Brad Holman (the Rangers AAA pitching coach) will replace Andy Hawkins in the bullpen.
Also announced was the hiring of Chicago Cubs minor league hitting coordinator Anthony Iapoce to replace the "looking for a job closer to home (i.e. "go home and look for a new job") Dave Magadan. Iapoce has a lackluster record as a lifetime minor league player, but impressive credentials as a coach of young hitters. Texas seems committed to the idea of devoting all of their coaching resources to being "player development" focused.
Assistant hitting instructor Bobby Jones will move to the replay room, but will continue coaching before and after the game. Justin Mashore, the AA hitting coach credited with getting Rougned Odor's swing back on-line, will replace Jones as the Assistant Hitting Coach.
Tony Beasley remains on-staff as 3B Coach and Infield Instructor, Hector Ortiz, Jr. remains as 1B Coach and Catching Instructor, Jayce Tingler will continue as Outfield Coach and Coordinator, and Steve Buechele will continue to occupy the Bench and call Defensive shifts and plays.
Evan Grant has a story on Jeff Banister's coaching team philosophy.
As expected, the club announced today that Doug Brocail will replace Mike Maddux as pitching coach while Brad Holman (the Rangers AAA pitching coach) will replace Andy Hawkins in the bullpen.
Also announced was the hiring of Chicago Cubs minor league hitting coordinator Anthony Iapoce to replace the "looking for a job closer to home (i.e. "go home and look for a new job") Dave Magadan. Iapoce has a lackluster record as a lifetime minor league player, but impressive credentials as a coach of young hitters. Texas seems committed to the idea of devoting all of their coaching resources to being "player development" focused.
Assistant hitting instructor Bobby Jones will move to the replay room, but will continue coaching before and after the game. Justin Mashore, the AA hitting coach credited with getting Rougned Odor's swing back on-line, will replace Jones as the Assistant Hitting Coach.
Tony Beasley remains on-staff as 3B Coach and Infield Instructor, Hector Ortiz, Jr. remains as 1B Coach and Catching Instructor, Jayce Tingler will continue as Outfield Coach and Coordinator, and Steve Buechele will continue to occupy the Bench and call Defensive shifts and plays.
Evan Grant has a story on Jeff Banister's coaching team philosophy.
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November 04, 2015
Pitching staff may be finalized...
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News is reporting that the Texas Rangers have offered the position of Pitching Coach to former Ranger and current Corpus Christi Hooks Pitching Coach Doug Brocail. Brocail retired with the Houston Astros and worked his way through their organization quickly, spending 2011 and 2012 as the club's Pitching Coach before the hiring of Bo Porter as manager precipitated a new coaching staff. Brocail spent 2013 and '14 advising Jeff Luhnow on organizational pitching goals and coaching strategies, and was put in charge of Houston's crop of young arms in 2015. Brocail has confirmed that his agent is currently negotiating a contract with Texas.
Grant also reports that Texas has offered the Bullpen Coach position to AAA pitching coach Brad Holman. Considering one of Holman's chief duties the past year has been to convert minor league starters to MLB relievers, including what will probably be half the bullpen next year, that's probably a good choice.
Grant also reports that Texas has offered the Bullpen Coach position to AAA pitching coach Brad Holman. Considering one of Holman's chief duties the past year has been to convert minor league starters to MLB relievers, including what will probably be half the bullpen next year, that's probably a good choice.
Posted by: Ben at
12:16 PM
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November 03, 2015
Summary update on the Mike Maddux departure...
Rather than modify the previous post for the 20th time, I'll just sum up what G.M. Jon Daniels said in a recent interview:
After negotiating over the contract offer the Rangers made to Maddux, he asked to table talks while he fielded offers from other clubs. The front office felt after a few days that Maddux was likely going to leave for another team, and began preliminary interviews and reviews to see what direction the team would go after Maddux left. During this process the interview team, which included Daniels and Banister and other front office people and player consultants, were surprised to discover that they felt replacing Maddux might actually be a better solution. They subsequently informed Mike Maddux that Texas was ending contract negotiations and going another direction.
Now, how much of that you believe is literal truth is up to you.
After negotiating over the contract offer the Rangers made to Maddux, he asked to table talks while he fielded offers from other clubs. The front office felt after a few days that Maddux was likely going to leave for another team, and began preliminary interviews and reviews to see what direction the team would go after Maddux left. During this process the interview team, which included Daniels and Banister and other front office people and player consultants, were surprised to discover that they felt replacing Maddux might actually be a better solution. They subsequently informed Mike Maddux that Texas was ending contract negotiations and going another direction.
Now, how much of that you believe is literal truth is up to you.
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09:06 AM
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November 02, 2015
Oooooo....juicy...
Dave Cameron, who I have savaged with tiny fists for years over his winning projections that seem to be based on fairy wishes, is still a smart guy. Being a smart guy, he has a new essay up at Fangraphs analyzing what parts of the Royals success this year, and in the post-season especially, can be replicated by other teams.
While I think most baseball observers will stand by the opinion that Kansas City is a good team that earned their playoff spot; I think it's pretty clear that the Royals benefited from a massive amount of luck in the championship series and the world series. Incredible "clutch" hitting is not only *not* a reproducible skill, it's not even statistically identifiable. However, maintaining a bullpen full of high-output relievers IS a quantifiable strategy.
Bottom line is, it's a good article, and later I'm going to go through it in a post and see what the Rangers are doing in relation.
Bottom line is, it's a good article, and later I'm going to go through it in a post and see what the Rangers are doing in relation.
Posted by: Ben at
11:33 AM
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