New York Mets' postseason hero Daniel Murphy is going to have an interesting free agent market this offseason.
In a recent column, I pegged Murphy to receive a four-year, $60 million contract this offseason. However, in Nick Cafardo's Sunday baseball column, it appears as if he could get more, even though Murphy will reportedly be receiving a $15.8 million qualifying offer from the Mets. "Obviously, he’s not going to be as hot as he’s been in the postseason, but he plays positions where his power plays well,” an American League GM told Cafardo. “There are teams like the Dodgers and Yankees who need a second baseman. Others, like the Angels, need a third baseman, where he also plays. He’s going to be sought-after and get a five-year deal at around $75MM. Maybe more.” Just a few weeks ago, Murphy may have not even received $50 million in free agency. He's a good, contact-hitting, versatile infielder that could be worth 2.5 fWAR per season over the life of his next deal. This season, Murphy hit .281/.322/.449 with a 110 wRC+ and 14 home runs and 56 runs batted in over 538 plate appearances. He was worth 2.5 fWAR, as a combination of his solid offense and above-average defense. Cafardo lists the Orioles, Astros, Padres, and Tigers as other possible fits for Murphy. --Devan Fink
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trThe Philadelphia Phillies will name Angels assistant GM Matt Klentak to their vacant general manager position, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports.
Klentak was mentioned as one of three finalists for the position yesterday by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. Chaim Bloom of the Rays and Dan Kantrovitz of the A's were the other two. The 35-year-old Klentak represents quite a change for the Phillies in the GM position. He will be replacing recently-fired Ruben Amaro Jr. at the helm, who is known as a non-believer in analytics. Klentak, however, is a graduate of Dartmouth College, getting a degree in economics, and is known as an analytically-friendly front office member. He should help to bring the team out of their current state of not using the statistics over scouting. The Phillies are operating under completely new leadership in the front office, with well-respected baseball executive Andy MacPhail taking over the President of Baseball Operations position at the end of the season. Klentak and MacPhail have already had their share of history together. Klentak and MacPhail both worked on the 2006 Collective Bargaining Agreement together with MLB's Labor Relations. Then, in 2008, MacPhail hired Klentak to be the Baltimore Orioles director of baseball operations. After the 2011 season, Klentak was hired by the Angels to become their assistant general manager, a position he has held since. He interviewed for the Angels' vacant GM position a few weeks ago, but was passed up by ownership. Klentak will have plenty of work to do, as the Phillies finished 63-99, their first time finishing with 90+ losses since 2000. --Devan Fink
The Seattle Mariners announced the hiring of Angels assistant general manager Scott Servais to be their manager. Mike DiGiovana of the Los Angeles Times first reported the move.
Seattle did not announce any further changes to the coaching staff, however, the Times reported that Angels special assistant Tim Bogar is expected to be named bench coach. Servais and Bogar, coming from the Angels, already have an existing connection with general manager Jerry Dipoto (who is the former Angels GM himself). "Through the course of the 20-plus years I've known Scott, I've come to see him as one of the most complete, well balanced and inclusive baseball people in the industry," Dipoto said in a press release. "I've been fortunate enough to call him a teammate as a player, while also having worked closely with him as an organizational leader in both Colorado and Los Angeles. He is a communicator with strong baseball acumen and leadership skills. I truly believe his strong character and career experiences as a player, coach and executive have prepared him for this opportunity." Servais played in the Major Leagues for 11 seasons, but has never coached or managed professionally. The 48-year-old Servais has been an Angels assistant GM since 2011 and interviewed to become the full-time GM earlier this year. He was passed up for the now-Angels GM Billy Eppler. "I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to manage the Seattle Mariners," Servais said in the press release. "It has long been my goal to manage a big league team and while I took a slightly different path than many, I am confident in my ability to lead. We have a terrific core of players and I'm looking forward to bringing in a coaching staff that will help me establish a winning culture here as we work toward putting a championship-caliber team on the field for the fans of the Northwest." Servais replaces Lloyd McClendon, who was fired from his post after Dipoto was given his position. He becomes the 17th manager in Mariners history and will attempt to lead the team to their first postseason appearance since 2001. --Devan Fink
The Los Angeles Dodgers and manager Don Mattingly have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced. The move was first reported byJon Heyman of CBS Sports.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that Mattingly was offered a contract extension this past weekend, but ultimately turned it down. However, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweeted that a contract extension was discussed conceptually, but a formal offer was never made. With Mattingly having one more year on his contract in 2016, the Dodgers will pay his salary next year, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times says. Mattingly has been serving as the Dodgers' manager since 2011 and led the team to a 446-363 record. Despite having success in the regular season, Mattingly was thought to be on the hot seat if the Dodgers could not get past the NLDS this postseason. While he has compiled a good record in the regular season, the Dodgers have not been able to go far into the postseason under his leadership. MLB.com's and Marlins.com's Joe Frisaro reported that the Marlins "definitely" have interest in hiring Mattingly to be their next manager. He is reportedly not done with managing himself, so Miami could end up being his next destination. As for the Dodgers, ex-player and current director of player development Gabe Kapler has become a serious front-runner to become the next manager, Buster Olney of ESPN.com hears. --Devan Fink
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The Chicago Cubs have signed Cuban outfielder Eddy Julio Martinez, reports Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
The deal includes a $3 million signing bonus. Martinez's free agency has spurred a lot of controversy. He had reportedly agreed to a deal in principle with the Giants for a bonus of $2.5 million, to the point where GM Bobby Evans even mentioned and acknowledged the deal. However, he backed out of the deal, looking for a $3 million bonus, which the Cubs swooped in and offered. The issue with Martinez is while he has official representation with Beverly Hills Sports Council's Rafa Nieves and others, he also employed multiple "buscones," or street agents, who also negotiated on his behalf. BHSC negotiated his deal with the Giants, while his street agents negotiated his deal with the Cubs. Major League Baseball investigated the Martinez saga, determining if his deal with the Giants had binding, meaning whether it was official or not. If that was the case, then he would have had to sign with San Francisco regardless. It appears that did not happen. Martinez is profiled here byJesse Sanchez of MLB.com, who notes that some scouts believe he could become an Andruw Jones-type player with his short, compact swing and athleticism. As for the Cubs, they get to add Martinez to an already large crop of impressive international talent. They spent $8.65 million on international prospects on July 2 alone, meaning that they will have to pay a 100 percent tax on Martinez's deal and will spend a total of $6 million between his bonus and the tax. --Devan Fink |
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