The Arizona Diamondbacks have fired General Manager Dave Stewart and Manager Chip Hale on Monday, according to a team announcement.
The swift movement of Diamondbacks’ management has been expected for some time now; it was widely believed a regime change would be put in place following a dismal 2016 season. Despite the firings of both Stewart and Hale, Diamondbacks’ Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa may still have a job in 2017, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports and other media reports. Arizona is reportedly undecided as to whether La Russa will be a part of the team’s future plans. The Diamondbacks promised a competitive 2016 season after the front office signed ace starting pitcher Zack Greinke to a six-year, $206.5 million deal and traded for Shelby Miller from the Atlanta Braves, among other moves. However, the team did not live up to hefty expectations, finishing 69-93, ranking fourth in the NL West. The Shelby Miller trade, in particular, is shaping up to be one of the most lopsided trades in recent memory. The Diamondbacks’ traded former No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson, along with other valuable pieces, in order to get Miller, who stumbled to a 6.15 ERA in 101 innings at the big league level (Miller was actually demoted to Triple-A during the season). There has been no word on possible replacements for Stewart and Hale, though Ray Montgomery and Phil Nevin could be fits, as Robert Murray of FanRag says.
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Three top prospects around the league were promoted to the Major Leagues on Sunday.
Astros promote Alex Bregman In a move that was expected to come for quite some time, the Astros officially promoted shortstop Alex Bregman after their game tonight. His MLB debut will come tomorrow against the Yankees. Bregman, 22, was the Astros' 1st round (2nd overall) pick in last year's MLB Draft out of LSU. He has absolutely crushed every pitching he faced in the minor leagues and has a .986 OPS this season with 20 home runs in 368 plate appearances at Double-A and Triple-A. With Houston, Bregman is expected to fill in at both the infield and the outfield, where he has gotten some in-game experience more recently. Diamondbacks promote Braden Shipley The Diamondbacks promoted right-handed pitching prospect Braden Shipley to start for them tomorrow against the Brewers. The 24-year-old Shipley was the Diamondbacks' 1st round pick (13th overall) in 2013 out of the University of Nevada-Reno. In 19 starts this season with Triple-A Reno (quite fittingly), Shipley has posted a 3.70 ERA and a 77 to 22 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 119 1/3 innings pitched. It's currently unknown if Shipley is expected to stay in the Majors for an extended period of time or make just tomorrow's start. Rockies promote David Dahl After a long road through the minor leagues that included having his spleen removed after an in-game injury, the Colorado Rockies will be promoting outfield prospect David Dahl before tomorrow's game, a source confirmed to Cover Those Bases. Dahl, who had to have a splenectomy in May 2015 due to an outfield collision, picked up right where he left off in 2016. Thus far, the Rockies' 2012 first round pick (10th overall) has a .963 OPS with 18 home runs in 400 plate appearances between Double- and Triple-A this season. In 16 games at the minors' highest level, Dahl has posted an outlandish 1.417 OPS with five home runs. It's not currently known how long Dahl's stay in the Majors will last, a source said. --Devan Fink
The Boston Red Sox acquired right-handed pitcher Brad Ziegler from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for two minor leaguers, righty Jose Almonte and infielder Luis Alejandro Basabe, they announced Saturday.
The Red Sox have been active to begin the trade season. They acquired infielder Aaron Hill just days ago to bolster their infield, and now they get Ziegler to bolster their bullpen. The 36-year-old Ziegler is 2-3 with a 2.82 ERA in 38 1/3 innings pitched this season, posting a 3.44 FIP and a 3.98 xFIP. As Diamondbacks' closer, Ziegler was 18-for-20 in save opportunities and 30 of 32 last year. With the Red Sox, Ziegler will not be the closer. The team has Craig Kimbrel to handle that role. However, Kimbrel injured his knee before Friday's game, forcing him to not play in the All-Star Game next week. Perhaps, this led to an increased urgency to add relief help by the Red Sox's brass. As a whole, the Red Sox's bullpen has been solid this season, ranking 10th in the Major Leagues (7th in the AL) in fWAR. Their 3.92 ERA (15th) is a bit more troubling but could be inflated. Their bullpen corps have the eighth-best FIP in MLB. Ziegler is a free agent at the end of the season, and FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Diamondbacks displayed interest in re-signing him as a free agent this offseason. They reportedly told Ziegler upon announcement of the trade that they would have a desire to do so. He in the last year of a three-year, $15 million extension with the Diamondbacks in the 2013-14 offseason. The Diamondbacks get two low-level prospects in return for Ziegler. First, they acquired right-hander Jose Almonte. The 20-year-old Almonte, a Dominican Republic native, is pitching with full season Class A Greenville this season, having posted a 3.91 ERA and a 45 to 13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 53 innings pitched coming over 10 starts. Almonte was not listed amongst the Red Sox's top 30 prospects on MLB.com. The other prospect that the Diamondbacks receive is 19-year-old Luis Alejandro Basabe, a Venezuelan native. Also at Class A Greenville, Basabe is hitting .310/.412/.467 with four home runs, 25 RBI and 14 stolen bases (20 attempts) in 275 plate appearances. --Devan Fink
The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed right-handed pitcher Tyler Clippard, they announced on Monday. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the move.
Clippard has signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal, according to Rosenthal. He will make $4.1 million in 2016, $4.15 million in 2017, and get a $4 million signing bonus. The Diamondbacks have been interested in Clippard for some time. Cover Those Bases wrote an article on Saturday detailing their interest, noting that they had been in contact with his representatives. The Diamondbacks bullpen was mediocre in 2015, and they added Clippard to help them attempt to contend in 2016. Their group did post a solid 3.56 ERA (good for 13th-lowest in the Majors), but sabermetrically-friendly stats, FIP and xFIP, suggest that the Diamondbacks' bullpen should have had an ERA of 3.91 (20th) or 3.97 (19th), respectively. Clippard has been an extremely reliable pitcher throughout his career but may have had a bit of a hiccup in 2015. This may have scared teams away from signing the Kentucky native. The soon-to-be 31-year-old Clippard went 5-4 with a 2.92 ERA in 71 innings last season with the Athletics and Mets. However, his 64 to 31 strikeout-to-walk ratio was the worst of his career (minimum 28 innings). This made Clippard's FIP 4.27. According to FanGraphs, Clippard posted an even worse 5.30 xFIP and was worth just 0.2 Wins Above Replacement. If Clippard wants to be able to succeed again in 2016, he will need to bring his strikeout rate back up or, at the very least, bring his walk rate down. The Diamondbacks are showing their faith in a bounce-back for Clippard. Joining Clippard in Arizona's projected 2016 bullpen are closer Brad Ziegler, Daniel Hudson, Andrew Chafin, Randall Delgado, Matt Reynolds, and Josh Collmenter. --Devan Fink
It is no secret that the Arizona Diamondbacks want to contend in 2016.
They went out and signed Zack Greinke to the largest contracts in Major League Baseball history on a per year basis. They acquired Shelby Miller for a former No. 1 overall pick. And they dealt for Jean Segura in hopes that he has a rebound campaign. Even as the offseason begins to dwindle, the Diamondbacks may not be done making upgrades. According to Jack Magruder of FanRagSports.com, the team has been in contact with the representatives for right-handed relief pitcher Tyler Clippard. He would add to an underwhelming bullpen that registered a fairly solid 3.56 ERA (13th-lowest in ML), but a below average 3.91 FIP (20th) and an even worse 3.97 xFIP (19th). The team was led by closer Brad Ziegler, who, in his first season of doing the job, was superb. He posted a 1.85 ERA (though a 3.44 FIP) and saved 30 games in 32 chances. Clippard would likely be a set-up man in Arizona. This is a spot where he has spent the majority of his career. Clippard, who turns 31 in less than a week, went 5-4 with a 2.92 ERA with the Oakland Athletics and New York Mets last season, posting a 64 to 31 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 71 innings pitched. Clippard's high walk rate was nothing new. His 3.9 BB/9 in 2015 was just 0.2 above his career average. When Clippard has kept his walk rate under three walks per nine, he is phenomenal. This was demonstrated in 2011, when Clippard posted a 1.83 ERA in the Washington Nationals' bullpen. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was 104-to-26 in 88 1/3 innings. He was named to the National League All-Star team. The other time he did that, 2014, Clippard was also named to the All-Star team. The Diamondbacks, if they strike a deal with the former 2003 9th round pick of the Yankees, would be getting a valuable pitcher to help deepen their bullpen. --Devan Fink |
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