Tuesday: GM Meetings Updated Courtesy of MLBTR Trade Rumors

Astros to Promote Joe Espada to Manager

— The Astros announced the prob,moetion of bench coach Jose Espada to the role of general managers. The 48-year-old Espada has been the Astros’ bench coach since 2018. A former minor-league infielder, Espada started his coaching career in the Marlins’ system in 2006, making it to the majors for the first time as the Marlins’ third-base coach in 2010. Espada spent 2014–17 with the Yankees, first as a special assistant to general manager Brian Cashman, then as third-base and infield coach. A native of Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Espada’s managerial experience has thus far has been limited to the Puerto Rican winter league.

BayStars Officially Agree to Post Shota Imanaga

The Yokohama Bay Starts posted left-handed pitcher Shota Imanaga. “If someone has a dream he wants to realize, and we think he has the ability to achieve it, we want to support that,” said team executive Tatsuhiro Hagiwara. Imanga has not yet been officially posted, but he will have 45 days to negotiate a contract with a major-league team once he has. Imanaga, who turned 30 in early September, has a career 3.18 ERA and 3.65 strikeout-to-walk ratio in eight NPB seasons, including a 2.80 ERA, 7.25 K/BB, and 29.2-percent strikeout rate in 148 innings over 22 games this year.

GM Meetings End Early Due to Stomach Virus

The final day of last week’s General Manager Meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, was cancelled after roughly 10 percent of the attendees came down with a stomach virus, per Stephanie Apstein of SI.com, who nicknamed the meetings the “GI Meetings.” The illness was initially believed to be food poisoning. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ doctors were helping to track the outbreak. The 30 teams will next convene at the Winter Meetings in Nashville on December 3.

Contract News

  • Orioles signed LHP Tucker Davidson to a contract for the 2024 season, per the team. Davidson is a pre-arbitration player, so his contract is believed to be for a salary close to the league minimum.

  • Royals signed RHP Taylor Clarke to a contract for the 2024 season, per the team, which did not reveal the terms. Clarke was arbitration eligible this offseason.

Coaching and Front-Office News

  • Angels hired former Atlanta first base coach Eric Young Sr.. as their third base coach, per Alison Mastrangelo of WSB TV, and former infielder Ryan Goins as infield coach..

  • Giants announced the hiring of Ryan Christenson as bench coach, Matt Williams as third-base coach, and Pat Burrell as hitting coach. Burrell will share his title incumbent hitting coach wotj Justin Viele, while assistant hitting coach Pedro Guerrero will return, but fellow assistant hitting coach Dustin Lind will not. Mark Hallberg will move from third-base coach to first-base coach. Assistant pitching coach J.P. Martinez and assistant coaches Alyssa Nakken and Taria Uematsu will also remain on staff.

  • Guardians announced Craig Albernaz as major-league field coordinator. Albernaz spent the last four seasons as the Giants’ bullpen coach.

  • Nationals announced their 2024 coaching staff, including the new additions of bench coach Miguel Cairo, first base coach Gerardo Parra, and assistant hitting coach Chris Johnson. Johnson held the same position for the White Sox this past season. Incumbent run prevention coordinator Ricky Gutierrez will be the Nationals’ new third-base coach.

  • Phillies promoted Brian Barber to assistant general manager, amateur scouting, and Preston Mattingly to assistant GM, player development.

  • Rays promoted Michael Johns to major-league first-base coach and baserunning and outfield instructor. Johns managed Triple-A Durham this season. Tampa Bay also added retired lefty reliever Tony Watson to their player development department.

  • Tigers will add Joey Cora to their major-league coaching staff, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports that Cora will take over as third-base coach, with incumbent Gary Jones taking a new role with the team, and Triple-A manager Anthony Iapoce taking over as first-base coach. Corea has been the Mets’ third-base coach for the last two seasons.

Injury News

  • Pirates SS Oneil Cruz may play winter ball in the Dominican Republic after missing most of this season with a fractured left ankle, general manager Ben Cherington told reporters. Cruz, who was unable to return before the end of the regular season, has been participating in full baseball activities at the Pirates’ complex and will play games at the Pirates’ Dominican academy, even if he doesn’t play in the winter league.

Rumors

  • Free-agent DH/RHP Shohei Ohtani and his agents were all absent from last week’s general manager meetings, and most executives who did attend avoided giving direct answers about their teams’ interest in Ohtani. Various media sources have indicated they believe Ohtani will meet with the Dodgers, Angels, Padres, Yankees, Giants and Mets are in the mix.

  • USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that “several GMs” think the Cubs will be Ohtani’s most aggressive suitors and the Rangers are also a serious contender to sign him. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi trumpeted his payroll flexibility to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle last week.

  • Free-agent RHP Luis Severino is drawing interest from as many as eight teams, but his former club, the Yankees, are not believed to be among them. Severino, whose season was ended by an oblique strain, has recovered from that injury and resumed throwing.

  • Free-agent C Martin Maldonado has drawn interest from four to five teams, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. That group likely includes the Astros, whose interest in bringing Maldonado back as Yainer Diaz’s back up has already been established.

  • Angels have “strong interest” in Tim Anderson as a second baseman, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Anderson played second base for Team USA in this year’s World Baseball Classic.

  • Coaching rumors have begun to swirl in the wake of Ron Washington’s hiring as manager. Nightengale suggests Clint Hurdle (bench coach), Chili Davis (hitting coach), and Torii Hunter (first-base coach) could all join the staff. Eric Young Sr. has already been hired as third-base coach.

  • Brewers have interest in Padres senior advisor and former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt in their search for a new manager, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.

  • Cubs see free-agent 1B Rhys Hoskins as a “good fit for their roster,” per Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.

  • Marlins 2B Luis Arraze is open to an extension with the team. Arraez is under team control through 2025.

  • Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has little interest in trading Juan Soto, but that could change if the team signs free-agent DH/RHP Shohei Ohtani, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Padres senior advisor and former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and bench coach Ryan Flaherty are considered the top candidates to be San Diego’s next manager, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Other candidates include Angels infield coach Benji Gil, former Angels manager Phil Nevin, and former Cubs manager David Ross. Jon Morosi of the MLB Network reports that the Padres are expected to name their new manager by the middle of this week.

  • Phillies and free-agent RHP Aaron Nola have mutual interest in a reunion, but Jon Morosi of the MLB Network speculates that there’s a “better than 50/50” chance that Nola can find a better deal elsewhere, just due to the number of teams likely to be interested. The Phillies have “no intention” of trading RF Nick Castellanos, per Buster Olney of ESPN.

  • Rays have no plans to hire a new general manager in the wake of Peter Bendix joining the Marlins, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Assistant general managers Will Cousins, Chanda Lawdermilk, and Carlos Rodriguez, and senior advisor Jon Daniels are all expected to take on larger roles in the Rays’ front office as a result of Bendix’s departure.

  • Red Sox could reunite with free-agent DH/1B Justin Turner, as Turner told reporters he’d “love to be back” and wants to “know what it’s like to play in a playoff game for the Red Sox,” though he added that he has already drawn interest from more teams this offseason than last. Free-agent RHP Corey Kluber hasn’t committed to continuing his career, telling Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, “we’ll see.”

  • Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. told Jaylon Thompson of The Kansas City Star that there have been “some talks here and there” with the team about an extension, but “we’re just kind of waiting to see.” Both sides have reported interest in Witt signing a long-term deal with the Royals.

  • Twins are in the market for an outside addition at first base, perhaps to split time with incumbent Alex Kirilloff, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told The Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale.

  • Yankees reached out to former Cubs manager David Ross about their bench coach vacancy, but Ross told them that, if he returns to the dugout next year, he’d rather do it as a manager, per Ken Rosenthal and Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. The Brewers and Padres have yet to hire new managers. Alternate candidates for the Yankees’ bench coach job include third base coach and former Mets manager Luis Rojas, former Tigers and Angels manager Brad Ausmus, and Giants’ pitching coach Andrew Bailey. Bailey is actually a free agent right now and is also under consideration for the pitching coach jobs with the Orioles and Red Sox, per Rosenthal and Kuty. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner wrote about Aaron Judge’s increasing influence on the Yankees’ decision making.

Roster Moves:

Minor-League Transactions:

  • A’s re-signed C Yohel Pozo to a minor-league contract, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America.

  • Mariners signed RHP Tyson Miller to a minor-league contract, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America.

  • Padres re-signed RHP Drew Carlton to a minor-league contract.

  • Red Sox signed OF Mark Contretas to a minor-league contract, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America.

Tracy RingolsbyComment