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It’s formally the offseason. Time to fireside up these free-agent rumors, discover a surprisingly massive variety of managers and atone for a busy first weekend. I’m Levi Weaver, right here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to the Windup (coming to you twice every week, Mondays and Thursdays, all offseason)!
The offseason has begun
In the present day is the primary day that groups can signal members of a free-agent class that’s headlined by Shohei Ohtani. However do you know that there are additionally different free brokers?? We’ve a prime 40 free agent massive board right here, so pop that open, bookmark it, and make it your new web buddy for the following few months.
Earlier than gamers and groups may begin on the free company course of, nonetheless, there was some enterprise to clear up: participant and group (and mutual) choices, which permit a group or participant to train the ultimate yr of a contract or select to half methods.
Listed here are a number of the extra recognizable names who both made selections (or had selections made for them) over the weekend:
Crew choices
• Amongst these retained by their groups: OF Max Kepler (Twins, $10 million), 2B Jorge Polanco (Twins, $10.5 million), LHP Andrew Heaney (Rangers, $13 million), RHP Kyle Hendricks (Cubs, $16.5 million), and RHP José Leclerc (Rangers, $6.25 million).
• And listed here are some notable names whose choices have been declined, making them free brokers: SS Tim Anderson (White Sox, $1 million buyout), RHP Liam Hendriks ($15 million buyout, payable over 10 years, per CBS Sports activities), RHP Lance Lynn (Dodgers, $1 million buyout), 1B Joey Votto (Reds, $7 million buyout). Sure, for now, the Reds and Votto are not any extra.
Participant choices
• 1B Josh Bell (Marlins, $16.5 million) and RHP Ross Stripling (Giants, $12.5 million) will stick round for an additional go along with their groups.
• Amongst those that selected to check the waters in free company: OF Cody Bellinger ($5 million buyout), RHP Mike Clevinger (White Sox, $4 million buyout), RHP Seth Lugo (Padres), RHP Hector Neris (Astros), LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (Tigers), OF Jorge Soler (Marlins), RHP Marcus Stroman (Cubs), and DH Justin Turner (Crimson Sox, $6.7 million buyout)
Mutual choices
• The Padres declined choices on two gamers — RHP Nick Martinez and RHP Michael Wacha (Padres), triggering a participant choice at a decrease wage. Martinez has already declined, and Wacha is predicted to observe go well with.
• Likewise, the Blue Jays and 2B/OF Whit Merrifield ($500,000 buyout) each determined to half methods.
Oh, and we additionally had a commerce earlier than free company began: the Brewers despatched Mark Canha to the Tigers for minor-league pitcher Blake Holub. In the meantime, the GM conferences begin on Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz. Right here’s Ken with extra on that.
Ken’s Pocket book: Supervisor merry-go-round
Wait, didn’t we simply depart Arizona? Sure, and the Rangers’ celebration will barely have ended when the overall managers’ conferences start tomorrow.
The conferences are a springboard for offseason dialog, with executives laying the groundwork for future trades and free-agent signings. However 5 golf equipment — nearly one-fifth of the game — might be preoccupied with a extra urgent matter: Discovering a supervisor for 2024.
The Guardians would have made it six, however they introduced Monday morning that they’ve acquired their man. Two of the 5 remaining groups, the Mets and Brewers, are awaiting a call from Craig Counsell, the main managerial free agent. Two others, the Angels and Astros, appear more likely to act on the whims of their homeowners. And the ultimate membership with a emptiness, the Padres, might be hiring its sixth supervisor in 10 years beneath normal supervisor A.J. Preller.
A fast overview:
Mets: Assuming Counsell is the Mets’ best choice, the query is whether or not they may provide him sufficient cash to thwart any bid by the Brewers to retain him. Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza is also within the Mets’ combine, however would new president of baseball operations David Stearns go along with a first-timer after the group’s doubtful experiences with Mickey Callaway and Luis Rojas?
Brewers: Counsell needs to lift the bar on managerial salaries, and the Brewers usually are not precisely recognized for spending cash. However to maintain Counsell, proprietor Mark Attanasio ought to be tempted to do no matter it takes. Let’s say we’re speaking a couple of wage of $8 million per season. That’s roughly the going worth for a free-agent setup man. And with all due respect, Counsell is a heck of much more precious than Joe Jiménez.
Guardians: The group introduced Monday it’s hiring former major-league catcher Stephen Vogt, who simply accomplished his first season because the Mariners’ bullpen coach. Vogt was the front-runner for the job, in line with one rival government who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of he didn’t need to remark publicly on one other membership.
Padres: Bench coach Ryan Flaherty and senior advisor Mike Shildt are the main inner candidates, and former Angels supervisor Phil Nevin and Angels infield coach Benji Gil are additionally within the combine. Preller has run by way of first-timers Andy Inexperienced and Jayce Tingler, in addition to skilled managers Bud Black and Bob Melvin. Flaherty and Gil can be first-timers. Shildt and Nevin have earlier managerial expertise.
Astros. If the Astros have been selling the following in line, they might rent bench coach Joe Espada. If the selection belonged solely to normal supervisor Dana Brown, the job would possibly go to one in all his former coaches with the Braves, Walt Weiss or Eric Younger Sr. However proprietor Jim Crane nearly definitely may have a serious say, and one in all his advisors, former Astros nice Jeff Bagwell, would possibly push for his former teammate, former Tigers and Angels supervisor Brad Ausmus. Crane is well-acquainted with Ausmus, who was a runner-up to Brown for GM and a finalist for the managing job that went to Dusty Baker in 2020.
Angels. It’s Arte’s name, Arte being Angels proprietor Arte Moreno. In the future, Moreno would possibly get up and suppose, “Give me a giant identify. I need Buck Showalter.” One other day, he would possibly say, “Give me a member of the 2002 World Collection champion Angels — Benji Gil, Darin Erstad, Tim Salmon, any of the above!” Showalter didn’t do his finest job with the 2023 Mets, however can be a clever alternative for a group badly in want of stability and accountability.
Gold Gloves awarded
The outcomes are in: right here’s a full checklist of 2023 Gold Glove award winners. Some highlights:
• Anthony Volpe gained the AL shortstop award in his rookie season. As Chris Kirschner writes within the above hyperlink, Volpe’s long-term match with the Yankees may not even be at shortstop, as they’ve Oswald Peraza, who is taken into account a superior defender on the place.
• For the Rangers, Nathaniel Lowe completed lifeless final in Defensive Runs Saved amongst first basemen in 2022. This yr, after a winter spent working with Francisco Lindor and others, he’s a Gold Glove winner. Adolis García took house the award in proper area, and Jonah Heim acquired the gold at catcher, a yr after his former teammate Jose Trevino gained it with the Yankees.
• Two different groups additionally had three winners: the Toronto Blue Jays (3B Matt Chapman, CF Kevin Kiermaier and P José Berríos) and the Chicago Cubs (2B Nico Hoerner, SS Dansby Swanson and LF Ian Happ).
• And in San Diego, second baseman Ha-Seong Kim turned the first Asian-born infielder to win a Gold Glove.
Marlins rent head of baseball ops
Kim Ng departed the Marlins entrance workplace in mid-October, and now the Marlins have employed Peter Bendix, previously the GM of the Rays, to take over baseball operations in Miami.
It’s a brand new place that has been within the works for some time. It was reported that Ng left when Marlins proprietor Bruce Sherman knowledgeable her that he can be hiring a head of baseball operations who would slot in above her.
As Andy McCullough notes, Bendix is simply the most recent member of the Andrew Friedman crew to take over baseball operations elsewhere, following the lately fired Chaim Bloom in Boston, James Click on (who departed Houston after 2022), and Matt Arnold, who continues to be in Milwaukee. Friedman’s departure preceded theirs; he took over the Dodgers’ baseball operations after the 2014 season.
Bendix had been with the Rays since becoming a member of the group as an intern in 2009.
Handshakes and Excessive Fives
The Curse of the Bambino: attention-grabbing, however fairly simple. The Curse of the Billy Goat? OK now we’re getting someplace. However how in regards to the Curse of the KFC Colonel? Now that’s really bizarre, and Andrew Baggarly has all the small print on this story, explaining how a statue of Colonel Sanders was “accountable” for the Hanshin Tigers’ 38-year title drought. The group gained the Japan Collection this week for the primary time since 1985.
Chad Jennings has a fully superb interview with Geddy Lee of Rush, who’s promoting loads — however not all — of his assortment of baseball memorabilia. The scope of Lee’s assortment is staggering, however Jennings additionally tells the backstory of Lee’s baseball fandom.
Clayton Kershaw hopes to return to pitching in some unspecified time in the future in 2024 after present process shoulder surgical procedure.
In front-office information, Jen McCaffrey says the connection between Crimson Sox supervisor Alex Cora and new head of baseball operations Craig Breslow might be a giant focus this yr.
Rangers radio broadcaster Eric Nadel has been with the group since 1979. Final week, he lastly acquired the possibility to make a “bucket checklist” name — the final out of a Rangers World Collection win. Earlier that day, I sat down with Eric to speak about his life in broadcasting.
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(Prime picture of Tim Anderson: Quinn Harris / Getty Photos)
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