2019-2020 MLB Offseason Thread

[buzzcut]

And the Mets are off to a strong start. They just fired Mickey Callaway as their manager.

[Crabcake]

Phillies get in on the fun by firing Gabe Kapler. 

[FiddySicks]

Both of those seem like bad moves. 

[Gary]

And yet after 116 losses Gardenhire is still the Manager of the Tigers . When can we get rid of this clown show of Al Alvila?

[TrueYankee26]

Mets plan to interview Joe Girardi, Carlos Beltran, Mike Bell: reports

 

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-manager-interviews-joe-girardi-carlos-beltran-mike-bell-20191009-zvczbdlrm5fshjs4z4lpwktmhi-story.html

[BBTV]

19 hours ago, Bucfan56 said:

Both of those seem like bad moves. 

gabe “jerk off with coconut oil” Kapler was not qualified to manage a team, and he proved it. The only problem was he was fired by the owner, in defiance of the president and GM, who he recently extended and won’t fire. So there’s a bit of a Jerry Jones thing going on there. 
 

edit: Gabe Kapler wasn’t the reason they didn’t win - he was dealt a bad hand with all the injuries - but he was lax on discipline, got taken advantage of, relied on numbers vs eyes too much, and absolutely cost them games with his baffling moves. He seems like the nicest and most interesting man in the world, just not a good manager. 
 

of course we said that about Francona when he was fired and he seemed to figure it out... so someone should hire Kapler immediately. 

[Maroon]

21 hours ago, TrueYankee26 said:

Mets plan to interview Joe Girardi, Carlos Beltran, Mike Bell: reports

 

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-manager-interviews-joe-girardi-carlos-beltran-mike-bell-20191009-zvczbdlrm5fshjs4z4lpwktmhi-story.html

 

In my limited opinion, Beltran would make a great manager for the Mets.

[pmoehrin]

A few thoughts on Managerial openings.

Angels: A little surprised the Angles pulled the plug so quickly on Brad Ausmus, but he was never a good fit in Anaheim. Quite frankly, I was surprised the Angels hired him, given how low his reputation was coming out of Detroit. But this is also the same team that tried to build a rotation around Matt Harvey, so maybe I shouldn't be all that surprised.

 

I think its almost a sure bet Joe Maddon will be the next Angels manager. His ties to the club goes back decades, and I don't think it's going to take a lot of coaxing to get Maddon or anyone out to Southern California to manage Mike Trout.

 

What I like the most about this potential hire is that Maddon has a great track record for dealing with pitchers, and the Angels have the worst pitching staff in baseball. Mike Trout was the only reason they didn't lose 100+ games last year.

 

Whatever the Angels are doing with developing or handling pitchers, its clearly not working. But one phone call to Jim Hickey could solve a lot of those issues, and Maddon is in the place to make that call.

 

Cubs: I feel like this one had a lot more to do with philosophical differences than anything on the field. Joe Maddon gave the Cubs something no other manager has in over 100 years. A World Series trophy.

The Cubs have had 8 90+ win seasons since 1970. Joe Maddon was the manager for half of those teams. I can't see how anyone could even argue against him being the greatest Cub manager since Charlie Grimm, and that goes back to the 1940s.

 

I don't see the Cubs being at a loss for potential replacements. I know they've spoken to David Ross, who strikes me a good candidate for a would-be rookie manager. I think Joe Girardi would be another good fit. I could see Gable Kapler being a good hire here as well.

 

Whoever the new hire is probably won't be as good as Maddon, but I don't see Theo screwing this up either. That core unit of Baez, Bryant, Rizzo, and Schwarber still have a lot of years left in them and I think anyone coming in will be in a good spot.

 

Giants: This might be the biggest wild card of the bunch, or it could be the most predictable. Normally I would expect potential candidates to be beating down the door for this job, but I don't know who much interest there is going to be. Of every team listed, this is probably the most likely team to go with an in-house hire. Ron Wotus has been coaching the Giants seemingly since the dawn of time, and Hensley Meulens has been mentioned more than once in managerial searches, but to no avail.

 

I think either or would make for a good short-term hire. This is a team that needs to take a long hard look in the mirror and figure out where they're going to go, because there doesn't seem much of a plan in place either long-term, or short-term. That should be more concerning than any potential new manager.

 

Mets: I don't think this one caught anyone by surprise. Anything short of a postseason birth, and Mickey was going to be gone. I was a little surprised they didn't fire him mid-season after the Mets got off to another dreadful start before showing signs once again of being a dominating team when everything is clicking. Even after two years, it's tough to say how good this Met team is.

 

I don't think the Mets will be at a loss for managerial candidates, but I would recommend they go with someone with experience. I think Joe Girardi would make sense, but looking around the league, I would want to put a call into both Dave Magadan and Joe McEwing. Magadan has been arguably the most accomplished hitting coach in baseball over the past decade, and McEwing has coached for the White Sox under two different staffs.

 

Tony DeFrancesco is another person I would be interested in talking too. He might be the best minor-league manager in baseball right now.

 

Callaway, for his part, will likely go back to being a pitching coach somewhere. Larry Rothschild was a disaster as a manager for the Rays but has earned the reputation as a pitching sage in recent years.

 

Padres: Of every job out there, this one might have the most appeal. Only 72-90 last year, but this is a team that's ready to kick some ass. I still think they are a year away from being serious contenders, but it would not shock me if the Padres are 2021 World Series champions. Everything is set up for this team to explode.

 

I know they just interviewed Brad Ausmus, which I think would be a terrible hire. They've also talked Mark Loretta, who I think would be a better choice, but I also hope they give some attention to Glenn Hoffman. I know he hasn't managed since '98, but he's also a holdover from  Bruce Bochy's staff. So why not go with the most loyal coach to head up a squad on the verge of breaking out?

 

I rather whiff on a hire like that than going with a retread from outside the organization, or a first-time manager.

 

Phillies: This one I found pretty shocking, and it's not a good sign that this move seemed to have more to do with philosophical differences within the origination than anything on the field.

 

I think the issue is ownership thinks the team is a lot closer to being a World Series contender than they really are. I thought the team made strides this year even though they won one more game, but there's still issues with this club. Priority one in the off season needs to be shutting down the idea of Maikel Franco being a starting third baseman. Four years and no progression means its time to move on.

 

They got exposed on their lack of outfield depth which also to be addressed. And they probably need to retool a lot of their pitching. Nola, Arieta, Eflin, and Velasquez is not enough to get the job done as the #1-#4 starters and that's been their rotation for three years now. They have to make at least one change to the rotation.

 

But the toughest pill to swallow may be the fact that the Phillies don't have a position player they can build a World Series team around. This is why I don't think they are that close. As much as the Phillips want Bryce Harper to be that guy, a good right fielder seems to be the ceiling for him. The end result is a team that's too good to justify a rebuild, but not good enough to where they can justify giving up prospects for short-term rentals.

 

I do think Gabe Kapler will get another chance elsewhere. It may not happen right away, but I found more to like than dislike, and I do think managers, for the most part, get better over time. So I'm pretty confident that he will be somewhere by 2021. If the Dodgers fire Dave Roberts, I think Kapler shoots right to the top of that managerial search list.

 

As for a potential Phillies hire, I think they will probably end up with a vet. I've heard Buck Showalter who I think would be a good fit. I've also heard Joe Espada who would probably be my pick if I was doing the hiring. You will hear his name come up again, and again for any managerial opening.

 

Pirates: Clint Hurdle’s retirement has created an opening for team that as far as I can tell, is in total free fall. Their best bet might be to hope someone like Buck Showalter falls into their lap. I think any first year manager is going to be set up to fail from day one, and I think the Pirates will likely be left going through the scrapheap of what's left. The one name I've heard if Jeff Bannister, who I don't think would be a great hire, but I don't think the Pirates are in a situation where they can be all that choosy either.

 

Royals: Similar to Pittsburgh, this is a job that has bad news written all over it. Again, I think any first-year manager would be in a set-up to fail situation, and I think the Royals will end up with whatever veteran manager they can get. The big rumor is Mike Matheny who I don't think is a good manager, but the Royals will be so bad for the next three years, I don't think its going to matter who their manager is.

[FiddySicks]

Holy :censored:, this Tyler Skaggs thing just took a whole new, sad turn.

 

 

[Shumway]

5 hours ago, Bucfan56 said:

Holy :censored:, this Tyler Skaggs thing just took a whole new, sad turn.

 

 

 

It's so sad...and I feel like the ugliness might just be beginning. It seems like either Kay or Mead isn't being 100% honest here, and it's possible that the team could've just turned a blind eye to Skaggs' addiction. Awful.

 

Also, they mentioned 5 former Angels also being involved in this...part of me wonders if one wasn't Tommy Hanson (who died of a drug overdose) or Josh Hamilton (who was basically kicked off the team due to relapsing).

[dont care]

7 minutes ago, Shumway said:

 

It's so sad...and I feel like the ugliness might just be beginning. It seems like either Kay or Mead isn't being 100% honest here, and it's possible that the team could've just turned a blind eye to Skaggs' addiction. Awful.

 

Also, they mentioned 5 former Angels also being involved in this...part of me wonders if one wasn't Tommy Hanson (who died of a drug overdose) or Josh Hamilton (who was basically kicked off the team due to relapsing).

Yep. The entire organization is going to be investigated top to bottom. But at the same time just hearing how he’d crush the pills and something else (probably cocaine) and snort lines of it just tells me this was an addiction he had before going pro. And the fact fentanyl was in his system tells me he got heroin from a local dealer and it was laced with that. Fentanyl is bad stuff that just from skin contact to kill you bc the chemical is small enough to work it’s way through your skin. 

[BBTV]

Quote

Phillies: This one I found pretty shocking, and it's not a good sign that this move seemed to have more to do with philosophical differences within the origination than anything on the field.

 

I don’t think there are philosophical differences at all. I just think the owner is a little more concerned about public perception and actual results than his GM/Pres are. I just think that if you public ally say that the GM and Pres wanted him back and that it was 100% the CEO’s call to fire him, then he also needs to let them go too rather than entrust them with another search that will ultimately be decided by the owner rather than his “baseball people”. philosophically they’re all-in on having a manager that works hand-in-hand with their analytics department and knows/trusts the numbers. I think the GM is a too-young jerkoff who’s played video games his whole life and never accomplished anything before getting the position from Andy McPhail... who I also don’t think has accomplished anything and just says stupid thing after stupid thing. 
 

 

[Digby]

I'm going to quit baseball if the Red Sox trade Mookie Betts. That's all I have to contribute at this time.

[AustinFromBoston]

5 hours ago, Digby said:

I'm going to quit baseball if the Red Sox trade Mookie Betts. That's all I have to contribute at this time.

I loathe to see it happen too, but if they want to get under the luxury tax, he has to be the 1st to go. 

 

I doubt he'll pull a Mike Trout & decide to stay. 

[Digby]

1 hour ago, AustinFomBoston said:

I loathe to see it happen too, but if they want to get under the luxury tax, he has to be the 1st to go. 

 

I doubt he'll pull a Mike Trout & decide to stay. 

 

John Henry has more money than God, I don’t give one single about the luxury tax. Pay the man. 

[TrueYankee26]

Joe Girardi is the new Phillies manager according to sources

 

https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/joe-girardi-phillies-manager-hire-gabe-kapler-yankees-20191024.html

[BBTV]

My gut says that this was the best possible candidate for this team once it was clear Maddon wasn’t available. 
 

the scary thing is that again, it was the owner making the call about who the candidates were and steering his GM and Pres toward Girardi, mostly (allegedly) to satisfy the fans who were fully revolting against Kapler. 

[pmoehrin]

Jayce Tingler to the Padres is our first head-scratcher hire of the offseason.

 

I want to think I'm pretty well-versed when it comes to coaches and managerial candidates around the league, and I even never heard of this guy until the Padres announced him as their next manager.

 

The other hires have gone as expected. I think Maddon to the Angels was a done deal even before he left the Cubs. Ross was talked about as a potential manager also before he retired, and he's maintained a steady relationship with the Cubs front office since retiring.

 

Every single person the Phillies interviewed was a veteran, and it was all but a guarantee that Joe Girardi was going to get a job somewhere. My guess is the Phillies were likely going to go with Dusty Baker, but once it became clear that Girardi wasn't going to Chicago as many, including me, thought, the calculus changed.

 

The big rumor right now is that the Mets are waiting until the World Series wraps up to name A.J. Hinch, their new manager. I think Hinch would be out of his mind to leave Houston, who will have their pick of the litter for a new manager if this happens. But the move does make sense once you understand that Brodie Van Wagenen was A.J. Hinch's former agent.

 

Hinch is signed through 2022, so the Mets will likely have to give up some compensation just to talk to Hinch, which is why I wouldn't recommend the hire, but Hinch would not be the first manager to leave a good situation because of a personal connection.

[Wings]

Just hope the Giants steer clear of Kapler. 

[pmoehrin]

14 minutes ago, Wings said:

Just hope the Giants steer clear of Kapler. 

 

I would say there's at least a 20% chance that Kapler will be the Giants next manager.

 

If they were going to go in-house with either Wotus or Meulens they would have announced it by now.

 

But I think the job is going to go to Joe Espada. Of every candidate without managerial experience, Espada has the most interest of anyone around the league. If he doesn't get a managerial job this year, he will have one next year, and the only other job I could see Espada accepting besides the Giants gig would be to take over the Mets.

 

However, if Espada says no, I think Kapler becomes your most likely candidate.