Monthly Archives: December 2012

Today was my third day at the MLB Winter Meetings. It’s been a few days of a lot of transactions and a lot of news. Check out my recaps of the first two days. Without further ado, here are the rumblings I heard from Day Three at Opryland. Remember, everything below is from what the coaches and other sources told me.

2:06 PM CT – Jim Leyland, Tigers manager:

Leyland said that it would be tough to run a closer-by-committee for a full season, but it did work in the postseason for the Tigers. And since it worked in the postseason, Leyland said he’d be willing to try it out in the regular season. Ultimately, he’s willing to make whatever moves he has to move to win the game. At this point, the team is unlikely to re-sign Jose Valverde, especially as a closer. Leyeland did mention that the team has been put in a great place to succeed with owner Mitch Ilitch’s financial flexibility.

Leyland was asked about young outfielders Nick Castellanos and Avisail Garcia and potential playing time in the majors. He didn’t give any specific details on either player, but he did explain the process of how they will decide. He said first the team will decide if they’re ready to play in the majors, then if they’re ready to play every day or in a platoon split. Then, the team has to consider whether it’s more beneficial for the player to be playing every other day or get 500 at bats in the minors. He said the biggest key for Garcia will be how well he responds to adversity early on in the year.

One final note is that third base coach Gene Lamont will be moved to the bench coach for two reasons. For one, his knee has been acting up lately, and standing up for a whole season was going to be a bit of a help concern. Secondly, Lamont now really becomes Leyland’s second hand man, as he will spend the entire game at next to the manager.

2:19 – Clint Hurdle, Pirates manager:

Hurdle had a lot to say about James McDonald. For starters, he said that if McDonald pitched in the second half the way he did in the first half, he could be a lock down number three starter. I thought it was interesting that Hurdle chose to put his ceiling at just a number three starter. This season, Hurdle said, will be a fresh start for McDonald, who shouldn’t have to worry about if he is a first-half or second-half pitcher (he won’t half to worry about being a second half pitcher).

Last season, Hurdle thought McDonald made a lot of small improvements, but tried to bite off a bit more than he could chew. He really needs to work on three main things: throwing first pitch strikes, getting batters to chase and miss pitches, and not get too caught up in all four pitches. Hurdle said that McDonald sometimes forces all of his pitches, even when he only needs three to really pitch fine.

Hurdle was asked what he might do about his bullpen in Joel Hanrahan ends up traded, and he laughed at the notion of needing a proven closer. He said that most closers start out in a different role and end up in the ninth inning. More importantly, he’d rather have big arms that he can use.

The manager was asked a lot about his outfielders and reiterated that Andrew McCutchen was one of the best in the league. He wasn’t perfect in the second half, but of course, nobody has an OPS of .900 in every month of the season. He also said he was excited for Travis Snider, Starling Marte, and Gaby Sanchez to have a full season with the Pirates. He said that Snider was just starting to get in the groove before he had an injury. As for Sanchez, he said that the team saw him as an every day player. Hurdle also said that the team will soon discuss how much more Winter Ball Marte needs to play.

Hurdle mentioned that the team was looking to build around continuity, and that Russell Martin would be a great fit. He said the team needs to perform much better in the second half of the season. Additionally, he said that he wouldn’t stop players from competing in the World Baseball Classic, since he isn’t the person to dictate that. He did say, though, that he just wanted to hear why each player wanted to compete in the tournament.

Lastly, Hurdle said that he hadn’t talked with hitting coach Jay Bell about how to improve Pedro Alvarez’s ability to hit for average. However, he did say that he expected a boost in hitting to come from Alvarez soon, as 2013 would be his first full season with Pittsburgh. Hurdle also noted that Alvarez knows he can hit better for average, but that the team can take an on-base risk with a player that can hit so well for power.

2:40 – Yankees Source:

According to a source with the Yankees, Brian Cashman was very upset that the Russell Martin ended up signing with Pittsburgh. The source also said that Cashman thought the team would miss Martin a lot and that the team did not prioritize Martin highly enough.

2:42 – Terry Francona, Indians manager:

Tito said that if the Indians add another power bat, the team is going to run a lot less. However, if the team does not have the same power from the middle of the lineup, he will let the faster runners free.

Obviously, Francona got a lot of questions about the Red Sox. He said that Cleveland is far different from Boston, because in Boston it was ‘Win or go home.’ However, things are far more lax in Cleveland; the team is a lot younger, but they will still contend. He also said that he’s sad the way things ended in Boston, but that doesn’t change the great times he had with the team. Additionally, he said that he thought the 2008 team was the best team–Josh Beckett just wasn’t entirely healthy and the team ran into a buzzsaw in the Tampa Bay Rays. Jokingly, he did say that Boston’s biggest weakness was their manager.

Tito noted that building relationships with his players is key to a strong season, so he is going out of his way to meet as many of his new players as possible. He hasn’t met all of them yet, but he did say that the World Baseball Classic taking away some of his players will hurt the chemistry between his new staff and the team.

The manager also noted that he really did miss baseball last year, especially when spring training rolled around. As for his role, he said that his main job was to get the best out of his players. However, over a full season, he thought weaknesses in talent would show.

The last thing Tito said was that the team would look a lot better with Carlos Carrasco and Zach McAllister back healthy. The team needs all the pitching they can get.

2:57 – Mike Scioscia, Angels manager:

Most of the questions for Scioscia had to do with his outfielders. Scioscia announced that Mark Trumbo would be playing left field and Peter Bourjos would be playing left field. Trumbo only played left field last year because Torii Hunter was better suited for right field. He also noted that the roster right now is far from complete, so any other lineup situations would be purely hypothetical.

For now, Scioscia did say that there would be a rotation of outfielders playing the DH spot. Namely, those players would be Kendrys Morales, Vernon Wells, and the starting outfielders Bourjos, Mike Trout, and Trumbo. Scioscia sounded optimistic about Wells, saying that injuries have slowed him down the past two years and that his talent is far above his production level lately.

3:04 – Eric Wedge, Mariners manager:

One of the bigger things Wedge emphasized with his younger players was adding strength. He mentioned that Justin Smoak, Jesus Montero, and even Hisashi Iwakuma needed to add a bit more strength. He said that Smoak needed to get stronger while staying lean, and that his ability to hit breaking balls and to all field would be key to continue from the last five weeks of 2011. As for Montero, Wedge said that he wouldn’t be catching every day, but that Montero still needed to improve his technique and flexibility, along with his strength. Iwakuma really needed to get more confidence and acclimated to the American style of baseball, plus a little more arm strength.

With Montero not playing every day, Wedge noted that the team was looking to add another catcher.

For his two final notes, Wedge said that his DH would likely be a rotation of players, giving them a day off in the field. His philosophy is to use a rotation of players, unless the team has a thunderous bat, which the Mariners do not. Also, he said the Mariners moving the fences in would help out the team realistically and psychologically. Wedge said the ballpark would be fair now.

3:16 – Mike Redmond, Marlins manager:

Mike Redmond talked a lot about changing the culture in Miami, saying that the team would focus on the small things like execution and hustle. He also noted that the team would need a laser-like focus starting in Spring Training, and if they focused purely on baseball, the team would be fine.

As for his style of managing, Redmond said that he was aggressive in the minor leagues, and he would be aggressive in the majors, unless things changed. He said that he would be very flexible as a manger and wanted to study the players as much as possible, since information in the majors leagues is very deep, especially compared to the minor leagues.

Redmond didn’t have many exact things to say about his lineup, saying that he had about fifty different lineup scenarios, but he did say that he would have Giancarlo Stanton hitting fourth and newly acquired Adeiny Hechavarria hitting eighth.

Redmond did also say that he loved energetic players; he didn’t get how players couldn’t get excited playing a three hour game. His mantra is that he always wants to manage to win the game. He just likes to get fired up out there.

3:39 – Bud Black, Padres manager:

Black mentioned that last year was tough on the pitching staff because of several injuries. However, with Jason Marquis’ return and the potential addition of another pitcher on a one-year deal, the pitching staff would be better. The key for this team would be health.

Offensively, Black thought that this was one of the best teams to hit in San Diego in a very long time, and the same starting lineup will be around next year. The last three months were great for this team, and they should carry over into next season.

I was lucky enough to get a press pass for the MLB Winter Meetings this week, and it’s really been a great experience. I recapped Monday’s action in a post yesterday, and here’s the happenings from today.

3:37 CT – John Farrell, Red Sox Manager

A disproportionate amount of the questions aimed at Farrell had to do with the Blue Jays, asking things along the lines of if he coached any differently down the stretch with Toronto, how he felt about the Blue Jays making moves right after he left, if he thought about returning to Boston last season, etc. Farrell had the same basic answer for all the questions: he was fully committed to the Blue Jays and now he is fully committed to the Red Sox. He did have an interesting quote, where he said that he thought every job in the majors was a training job, and that managers aren’t really tied down to one organization.

As far as players appearing in the World Baseball Classic, Farrell said that the team has not been informed about which players will be participating in the World Baseball Classic, although he did allude to the fact that he expected both David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia to play.

In terms of free agent players, Farrell said the team is looking for strong reputations as far as being team players, something he saw in recently-signed Mike Napoli. As far as free agent pitchers, he said the team is not tied down to a certain style of pitcher, they’re more concerned about performance, the stamina to go late into games, and health.

He also noted that the team’s right fielder may not be your prototypical right fielder, since the team is looking for strong defense, another center fielder, as opposed to a major power bat. Additionally, Farrell said that the team was looking for a lefty bat, although they weren’t locked into anything. Fittingly, the Red Sox signed Shane Victorino exactly one hour later to play right field.

Talking about infielders, Farrell said that the team would not by playing Jarrod Saltalamacchia at first base. He also thought that Will Middlebrooks can eventually develop into a middle-of-the-order bat, but he’ll be in the back half of the lineup for now.

Farrell also talked for a while about pitchers. He said that John Lackey got back into the swing of things at instructionals last fall and is expected to start 28 to 30 games this season. If he were to convert any reliever to become a starter, Farrell said that Franklin Morales, not Alfredo Aceves, had been discussed internally as a potential starter. Aceves is likely to be used as a late inning reliever or possibly a long man, said the coach. Junichi Tazawa and Mark Melancon are expected to manage the later innings, and Andrew Bailey will remain the closer. Daniel Bard has a longer way to go, said Farrell. Farrell has faith that Bailey will return to form, saying that last year wasn’t the real Andrew Bailey, since he was injured and trying to rush to catch up.

Lastly, Farrell discussed two young pitchers, Rubby de la Rosa and Allen Webster. He said both will start the season as starting pitchers, since that’s where the team sees both pitchers’ futures. Each pitcher’s role with the major league team has yet to be determined.

3:58 – Kirk Gibson, Diamondbacks manager

Just as John Farrell got an overwhelming number of questions about the Blue Jays, Gibson received a bounteous supply of Justin Upton trade questions. He said that he doubts the team will get an offer they can’t refuse on Upton and that the Diamondbacks will not contend without him. It’s unclear, though, if those are just Gibson’s wishes or GM Kevin Towers’ wishes. Gibson did laugh off his final Upton question, saying that there are plenty of other players on his roster that have been rumored to be on the trading block for several years.

When asked about his young pitchers, Gibson didn’t really have one favorite between Patrick Corbin, Trevor Bauer, and Tyler Skaggs. He said the team is happy with all three’s progression and actually asked all of the reporters which pitcher they thought was the most polished.

Gibson also said that newly acquired Heath Bell will start the year pitching in the seventh inning. He called Bell “iron-armed,” saying that he though Bell would benefit from returning to the West, where he had success with the Padres. He said that as long as their starters could get the team through six innings, the team would be in good shape with J.J. Putz, David Hernandez, Brad Ziegler, and Bell.

4:09 – Mike Matheny, Cardinals manager

Matheny looked back at his first season as a manager, saying that that his “philosophy going into (the season) was to not get in the players’ way.” He’s learning more and more about managing, which is the nature of the job. He thought the season went well, but it could have been a lot better. After all, as he said, building a team is about building championships.

He did also mention that free agent decisions will likely be made sooner rather than later. Now that he is in his second year of managing, he said that GM John Mozeliak comes to him more often to speak about personnel decisions.

Matheny said that the back spots in the rotation along with the starting second base jobs are very much up for grabs. As for whether Kolten Wong has a chance at winning the spot, Matheny said he hadn’t seen enough of him in person, along with other prospects Oscar Taveras and Carlos Martinez. That trio should have a chance to get a lot more playing time this spring training because of the World Baseball Classic, whether that be with their own country or replacing Cardinals that are off playing in the WBC.

4:23 – Ron Gardenhire – Twins manager

Gardenhire opened up this interview session by saying that the reason the Twins played so poorly last season was because the couldn’t do the fundamentals: pitching, catching, and not making simple mistakes like walking a lot of batters. One of the bigger problems was defense, which wasn’t helped by the departure of Denard Span.

On the subject of pitching, Gardenhire tabbed Glen Perkins as the closer, saying he hoped he’d get to use Perkins in that late-inning role 50-60 times. He also said that he didn’t have an exact plan for Kyle Gibson, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, although team officials will sit down and discuss that soon, probably including some sort of inning limit.

Gardy was asked whether he was expecting any big improvements, and he said there’s never any assurances in baseball about roster improvements, but that GM Terry Ryan is working to improve the organization as a whole. He even said he wasn’t assured that he will coach again next year, although he is hoping for an extension and hoping to end his career with the Twins.

One of the more interesting notes Gardenhire shared was that the club was looking to collect more hard-throwing pitchers like Alex Meyer, recently acquired for Span. This is a big change because the Twins have historically collected softer-throwing pitchers with more of an emphasis on control and command.

Finally, the manager did add that you can’t stop players from playing in the World Baseball Classic because it’s important for them to represent their countries. Joe Mauer is one of two players to be named to the US team so far.

4:44 – Joe Girardi, Yankees manager

Unsurprisingly, most of the questions Girardi got had to do with A-Rod and his hip injury. Girardi said that the injury is especially concerning because this injury is to his left hip, and he’s already had work done on his right hip. The team’s budget, however will not change because of Rodriguez’ surgery (which should keep him out until at least May, perhaps into June), so don’t expect any extravagant spending on infielders. Eric Chavez remains centrally on the team’s free agent radar.

The MLB Winter Meetings are just getting underway at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, just 20 minutes from Vanderbilt campus. I got a press pass with the Vanderbilt Hustler and here are some of my updates from throughout the afternoon, which you can also follow on Twitter.

3:27 PM CT – Joe Torre on WBC:

Joe will be managing the US team at the World Baseball classic. He mentioned that he doesn’t want to overwork his pitchers, specifically that he will talk with each player’s manager and general manager to make sure that he doesn’t deviate from how his team would normally handle his workload.

When asked if he ever gets the itch to manage again, Torre sad that he did not anymore. He said that every game was a do-or-die of sorts and that the lows are too low after losses.

Torre was asked how important it is for the US to win the WBC as a sort of comparison to the Dream Team, but the first thing he mentioned was the importance of growing baseball internationally. He did stress that the team is set on winning, but that the competition would definitely be steep, especially from Latin America.

Torre discussed the rosters, which are not final, and said that about half the players would be pitchers. Additionally, there will probably be at least three catchers, since few catchers will likely be ready to play nine innings per game in March. He also mentioned the importance of role players in addition to stars.

Finally, Torre said he thought the key to winning would be pitching and defense. Plus the experience of managing near-All-Star Teams before would help, although it hurts that he doesn’t have a previous relationship with all of his players

3:55 – Mets and R.A. Dickey

The Mets are definitely open to moving Dickey, although the price will be steep. The asked the Red Sox in a meeting for both Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. Dickey is two years from free agency, but the Mets also ran a similar hard bargain two years ago when the tried to move free agent-to-be Carlos Beltran, ultimately netting Zach Wheeler.

The Red Sox reportedly do not want to include either prospect in the deal. It’s unclear if either prospect would be available at all.

4:17 – Dusty Baker, Reds Manager

Dusty was asked about Aroldis Chapman and if he thinks a pitcher needs three quality pitches to be a starting pitcher. Dusty said that he doesn’t think it is mandatory for a starter to have to throw three pitches well, but if they don’t they need pinpoint accuracy. He said that he thought Chapman’s slider was excellent, but the changeup still needed work, especially over longer outings.

Baker also brought up the potential need for a way to limit Chapman’s pitches, although he said they didn’t have one single plan in mind, should the Reds move him to the rotation. He suggested a few ideas, including possibly shutting him down early in the year, limiting his pitch counts, spacing out his starts longer, and other “creative solutions.”

Baker also had high praise for young shortstop Zach Cozart, saying that he loved the kid’s attitude. His arm and running, though needed improving, along with, obviously, his bat. The manager had high praise for his glove, which he said was “very steady for a young player,” and also added that he didn’t want to sacrifice defense at shortstop.

On the subject of instant replay, Dusty said that he would like to see replay expended, although he also wishes umpires would reach their conclusions faster. To sum up his thoughts, replay is fine “as long as they can do it in a timely fashion.”

4:27 – Ned Yost, Royals Manager

Yost mentioned that the Royals are still looking to add starting pitching, fitting in with the reports that the team was pursuing James Shield and Jon Lester, possibly in return for super-prospect Wil Myers. He said that Luis Mendoza would definitely get a shot to keep his rotation spot, but if he didn’t win it, he’d definitely still remain on the roster as a long reliever.

If Myers did get traded, though, Yost said the team would have to depend upon Jeff Francoeur to have a bounce-back season. For the time being, they would still like to add an outfield bat, perhaps on the non-tender list–whether or not they end up dealing Myers. For the future, though, Yost said he is very excited about Jorge Bonifacio, among other outfield prospects.

4:36 – John Gibbons, Blue Jays Manage

Gibbons was very excited to be back managing in the big leagues, saying there is more pressure than before, although there is always pressure coaching in the majors. There was a definite excitement in his voice about the strength of his new team. Among the new players, Gibbons said he expects Mark Buehrle to be a team leader, whether vocally or by example.

Gibbons did divulge a bit about his lineup, saying he will start out the lineup with Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion for sure. Otherwise, he said nothing was set. Additionally, Maicer Izturis was signed as the starting second baseman, but he could be moved around the diamond. At the same time, Emilio Bonifacio could play second or in the outfield.

On the subject of the bullpen, Gibbons pointed out that a strong pitching staff makes a strong bullpen. He said that a lot of the roles have yet to be determined and may not be finalized for most of the year, but the more firepower he has the better. As for the closer’s role, Gibbons said that, again, nothing was finalized between Casey Janssen and Sergio Santos, especially since both are coming off injuries.

Finally, Gibbons also talked about some of the faster players on the team, saying that he didn’t want to rein in any of his faster players stealing, although “there are players in the middle of the order paid to knock them in.”

4:55 – Terry Collins, Mets Manager

Collins was asked a lot about potential moves and players he might be interested, but he noted that he didn’t have much say in transaction. Although it’s not up to him, he did say the team is looking for another right-handed bat in the outfield. In terms of whether the team is trying to contend or rebuild, he did said “everybody wants to win now,” although it’s a bit unclear if “everyone” is the Mets or just teams in general.

As for minor league pitchers, Collins said that Jenrry Mejia will come into the season with a chance to start for the major league team out of spring training. If Jeurys Familia starts the year with the Mets, though, he would be pitching out of the bullpen. Collins stressed the importance of minor leauge pitchers starting, rather than relieving, even if their future is in the bullpen, hinting that Familia would start in AAA, should he not begin the year in the majors. On the subject of Zach Wheeler, Collins expects him to follow the path of Matt Harvey last year, although Wheeler will get a chance to break camp with the major league club. Finally, Darin Gorski, will also have an outside shot at starting the year in the majors.

Collins got a very large proportion of his questions about R.A. Dickey, but kept reiterating that he loves R.A., has no control over whether or not he is traded, and that “it’s a matter of movie forward with who we have.”

Lastly, Collins added that Justin Turner would not be an every day player, but rather he would be a super-utility player. He said that Turner would be taking reps in the outfield every day.

5:05 – Bob Melvin, Athletics Manager

Melvin said that the team has a lot of free agent decisions, but that the team is not in a particular rush. Jonny Gomes already signed with Boston, but Brandon McCarthy and Stephen Drew, among other players, remain un-signed. The A’s are reportedly courting both Drew and Hirojuki Nakajima, although Melvin said the team would be fine with the players they currently have at shortstop. He said their currently players aren’t very experienced and aren’t putting up much offensive numbers. He also noted that being in a relatively unattractive small market doesn’t help out.

With the addition of Chris Young, Melvin said the team will be rotating outfielders (Young, Yoenis Cespedes, Coco Crisp, Josh Reddick, and Seth Smith) through the DH position to give the players some extra rest. He also said that the A’s were not looking to trade any outfielders, especially Cespedes, whom he said has the sky as his limit.

As for other positional battles, Melvin said he was comfortable and optimistic about having a lefty/righty platoon with Chris Carter and Brandon Moss. Alternatively, he said Derek Norris is without a doubt the starting catcher, although George Kottaras will have a solid amount of playing time.

Melvin also stressed that the team doesn’t really need to add much more pitching with six solid young pitchers. He did say that there wouldn’t be the same group of five starting pitchers in the rotation all season.

Melvin also spoke at length about the team’s new addition, Chris Young, who Melvin coached during his time in Arizona. The coach said that the front office asked him about Young prior to his acquisition and that he really liked Young’s athleticism and versatility. He also suggested that Young would likely lead off against left-handed pitchers, although he could also hit cleanup.

5:42 – Keith Law!

I got the great opportunity to talk with the great Keith Law for a bit, definitely one of my personal highlights of the winter meetings. Some of the conversation wasn’t on the record, but he gave some great advice and was very nice to meet up with a random college sportswriter.

5:46 – Joe Maddon, Rays Manager

Maddon stressed that if the Rays are to win 90 games on a regular basis, they need to pitch well and defend well. He said that you cannot out-hit or out-spend other teams; “to be as pitching rich as possible is very attractive. Pitching and defense will continue to dominate.”

The glasses-clad manager also showed optimism in Jeremy Hellickson, who he said could be a 200-inning pitcher in the near future. As for other young pitchers, he said that Chris Archer and Alex Cobb are competitive MLB pitchers, although maybe not for a title contending team. He said that he didn’t want to stretch out the young pitchers beyond what is necessary for them, since development is essential for the future.

Maddon was also asked about instant replay, and Maddon was mostly in favor of adding more technology. He said that aside from balls and strikes, everything else should be up for discussion. The key for him, though, was keeping things simple, possibly by limiting the amount of replay done in each game.

When asked about the Yankees, Maddon said that injuries would certainly be an issue (A-Rod will miss some time and Jeter and Mariano Rivera will be coming off injuries), but he fully expects the Yankees to make the right moves and play very well.

8:12 – Jonah Keri and Kiley McDaniel!

I also ran across ESPN writers Jonah Keri and Kiley McDaniel right before I left Opryland. It’s great to meet coaches and front office people, but meeting some of my favorite writers is just as cool. They’re a lot more personable, too. Very funny.