Inside Baseball: Nationals to let Williams go, and more MLB moves – CBSSports.com

Embattled Nationals manager Matt Williams’ firing was a certainty even before he missed, then mishandled a dugout choking incident that became national news. He’s a nice man and he tried hard, but he probably was miscast as a first-time manager with a team toting huge expectations.

Meanwhile, the team’s general manager Mike Rizzo, who assembled an impressive array of talent, though apparently not a great team, “isn’t going anywhere,” according to someone familiar with the situation. That’s surely fair, as he assembled an impressive group, won a lot of games over the last decade and oversees a fertile farm system. However, his decision to bring in explosive reliever Jonathan Papelbon will go down as a bad trade deadline gamble, and now he will be charged with figuring out how to undo that big gamble that didn’t work.

The Nationals head into play this weekend with a record of 81-78 and sit eight games behind the Mets in second place in the NL East.

Williams, who will indeed be given his pink slip following the year, bizarrely left his closer Papelbon in a game after Papelbon attempted to strangle the team’s franchise player Bryce Harper between innings, as we all saw — well, all except Williams himself. While it’s possible Williams may actually have missed the unprecedented, embarrassing dugout choke job, as he claimed, it’s almost as damning that he was in the dark.

In the end though, it’s a lost clubhouse and too many lost games that will cost Williams his first managing job. This is a roster that should be playoff bound, and it didn’t come anywhere close to that goal. It’s a team that won a National League-best 96 games last year under Williams, when he won NL Manager of the Year, and there’s no good reason that they couldn’t return to that success after a productive winter of work. The signing of Max Scherzer was a big plus, and deals for Yunel Escobar plus Joe Ross and Trea Turner were wise, so it’s obviously just time for a climate change in Washington.

Papelbon’s pugilism probably didn’t change things in regard to Williams’ status; he wasn’t going to overcome this sort of underperformance and make it back. It simply shined a light on clubhouse issues that have kept a talented team down. Injuries to a host of key position players — Jayson Werth, Denard Span, Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman all missed significant time after also missing spring training in some cases — exacerbated their woes, and it’s believed the Nationals suffered more lineup blows than anyone. But the reality is that the team never gelled, nor did it come close to playing to its potential.

There seems to be a leadership vacuum in the clubhouse. It’s a mostly quiet group (until Papelbon became the bull in the china shop), but there’s an interesting mix of personalities and egos, and it’s probably not too easy to blend and balance things when the best player is a 22-year-old kid who acted like he knew he was a star the day he arrived. Williams, a superb ballplayer in his day, was an interesting choice to manage the team. He is the opposite of low-key and ultra experienced as his septuagenarian predecessor Davey Johnson; he’s super intense and never before managed at the big-league level.

If that inexperience showed in his bullpen decision-making, which tended toward 1990s style (when he starred), it was even more evident off the diamond, when he had difficulty knowing when to defer to the biggest stars. The call to start Stephen Strasburg over Jordan Zimmermann in Game 1 of the NLDS last year seemed to be a make-up for the Strasburg shutdown, the one to slap Harper after the mega star was attacked looked suspiciously like a nod to the rest of the clubhouse.

Following the stunning dugout attack, the next day’s press conference brought more surprises for the talented team that’s been full of them. Upon announcing Papelbon’s deserved four-game team ban for the choke job, Williams also announced that Harper would be sitting out the next game as punishment for “his part in it.”

Thus, in the Nationals’ very interesting, surprisingly violent week, they became perhaps the first team ever to punish a choking victim.

While the punishment was literally nothing (Harper already had a scheduled day off, anyway), it was the announced as something, thus needlessly annoying the victim — yes, their franchise player.

The Nats considered the Papelbon punishment “severe” (they also asked him to drop the appeal on his previous three-game ban), but it looked like a slap after a choke from here.

Anyway, few were satisfied, and it’s been that kind of year for the Nats, a prohibitive favorite turned trainwreck.

Williams didn’t say what he meant by explaining Harper’s rebuke for being “part of it,” whether the punishment was handed down because Harper didn’t run immediately out of the batter’s box, because he answered back to the brawling bullpen guy, because he left the dugout with an inning to go or simply because his teammates might have preferred it that way. So we were left to wonder whether Harper’s crime was making his neck too accessible to Papelbon’s paws.

In any case, those aforementioned transgressions by Harper seem like misdemeanors when compared to the two obvious mistakes that got the Nats to this place: 1) attempting to choke one’s teammate, and 2) yes, even acquiring Papelbon in the first place.

While Harper’s one-day punishment really was no punishment, the problem was more about the principle of being attached to the perpetrator as a wrong-doer. No shocker, Harper, who had a bit of sore neck the day after (no surprise there, either), is said to have noticed this bit of ridiculousness, perhaps eliminating Williams’ lone important supporter in a clubhouse full of non-supporters.

One person familiar with the case suggested that by publicly proclaiming Harper was being punished, too, Williams has “lost his life preserver.”

While not even Harper’s support could possibly save Williams’ job now — for now the Nationals have only said they are evaluating all jobs at season’s end — it certainly was at least a plus for Williams that the Nats’ most important player was the one who noticeably stood up for him throughout the team’s disastrous season. Harper recently interrupted a stream of negativity to tell Nats reporters he supported Williams, and even made a point of venturing over to hug Williams after a recent home run.

Perhaps Williams felt a need to punish Harper due to clubhouse pressure, as some suggest there’s a segment that sees Harper, the presumptive NL MVP, as a young kid (read as: cocky), but he didn’t say (and Nats people deny that was a factor). In any case, the lack of support for the manager may be unanimous now.

Though, one Nats player contacted did offer a bit of faint praise: “He’s a nice guy away from the game.”

Williams is indeed a nice fellow, and a hard-working one at that, but he lost the clubhouse weeks ago, as was first mentioned in this space six weeks ago.

And, as was written here as well, the Nats-owning Lerners were taking polls way back in that period about whether to fire Williams weeks ago. At this point, no surveys are needed. In the spirit of the political season, he’s polling close to zero now.

As far as the Paplebon choking incident, at least the Nats did right by picking the exact number of games (four) that ensured no one would have to see him this year, though it says here Papelbon got off light. If he had a normal job, he’d have been fired for trying to injure his own star teammate after throwing up and in at an opposing star a couple days earlier.

It was very likely those two beanballs at the head of Orioles‘ Manny Machado that laid the groundwork for the made-for-TV choke attack. Papelbon appeared to be laying in wait for Harper after Harper publicly called the two beanballs a “tired” response to Machado’s game-winning heroics, and opined that it might put him in jeopardy by an opposing Orioles pitcher.

Little did Harper know it was going to be his own pitcher that put him in peril.

Though, by all rights, the Nats should have known. It’s their fault for not knowing, and for bringing a well-known clubhouse problem onto their talent-laden team. That certainly is not Harper’s fault.

Rizzo, an experienced and by-the-record excellent dealer, said at the time of the Papelbon pickup that triggered ridicule that they had done their “due diligence.” And word is they actually polled a long list of well-respected members of Papelbon’s championship team in Boston, including David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Mike Lowell, and apparently not a one raised a red flag.

Rizzo came to view Papelbon as “high energy” and a “high wire act” that worked, and when Papelbon dropped his no-trade provision, deferred monies to ’16 and compromised on next year’s pay, that sealed the deal.

Most other teams weren’t touching Papelbon, including some who were reported to be heavily in the mix. The Cubs and Blue Jays were the other teams to have talked to the Phillies at the deadline when Philly was desperate to be rid of Papelbon, whose reputation as a hot-headed malcontent preceded him by many years. But the Jays were mostly just listening, leaving only one other team with legit interest. And, if the Cubs were intrigued at that time, the Nats can save that dime now. “That ship has sailed,” according to someone familiar with that team’s thinking.

The Nats should have known Papelbon was more trouble than he was worth because almost everyone else did, thanks to his well-earned reputation as a loose cannon and possessor of poor table manners (the crotch grabbing, for example). And now, the Nats will finally find out exactly how unpopular he is, as they try to unload Papelbon. As with the dugout scuffle, they appeared to have been in the dark.

Word is, the Lerners, who still back Rizzo and spent liberally to enhance a World Series favorite this winter, are lamenting the Papelbion deal. And perhaps they are learning there needs to be a greater value put on clubhouse chemistry.

In this case, a set-up man or set-up men should have been the trade target, not a closer on the downside who’s always the loudest guy in the room. But Rizzo instead made it his goal to replace competent closer Drew Storen, who had a terrific first half that included more one-run saves than anyone else in the league. But while Storen was motoring along, Rizzo, who drafted Storen and loves him personally, simply felt he could not keep him in the closer’s role considering a few previous October blowups.

After the Lerners okayed a high $160-million season-entering payroll, the order came down not to add to that at the deadline. That scuttled any chance at what were Rizzo’s two intended targets, according to sources: ex-Nats reliever Tyler Clippard and outfielder Gerardo Parra, who Rizzo drafted when he was scouting director in Arizona and could be used to relieve some of the outfielders with injuries. Rizzo still tried at some point to put together a package for star closers such as Aroldis Chapman and Craig Kimbrel to supplant Storen, and either of those moves would have been a lot more understandable than acquiring Papelbon, whose stuff isn’t as good as Storen’s, beyond all the other obvious issues.

The Papelbon deal, which also included a new guaranteed second year for Papelbon at $11 million to appease him (you certainly wouldn’t want Papelbon angry at the start of things), smacked of desperation. And it understandably killed Storen, who was in effect being demoted after a near-All-Star first half. Rizzo agreed to meet with Storen at the team hotel, and that meeting turned out to be extremely uncomfortable, mirroring the team’s entire second half, which should have been much better considering it saw the returns of Werth, Rendon and Zimmerman.

Since the deal, Storen lost his mojo and got smoked as the set-up man (and eventually broke his thumb in a fit following a home run by Yoenis Cespedes, the key acquisition of the Nats-conquering division champion Mets), then the Nats fell apart and Papelbon turned them into a national laughingstock, at least for the moment.

It’s all pretty messy, with Papelbon now having to be traded if anyone will take him (and Storen, too). But Rizzo, who’s made some exceptional trades in addition to taking advantage of having the No. 1 overall picks the right two years, fairly will be given the luxury not accorded Storen. He gets to stay to clean it all up.

A roundup of openings, potential openings and candidates …

1. Nationals

Cal Ripken Jr. talked to the Nats last time about the managing job, and you wonder whether they may need that sort of leader, but one person sees a drawback to Ripken, which is interesting: How do you fire Cal Ripken? Rizzo’s other Arizona connections included Bryan Price and Jay Bell, but they are currently the manager and coach for a team doing even worse (the Reds).

2. Angels

Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler, the runner-up to Jerry Dipoto four years ago, is said to be likely to receive an offer to be the general manager, though there seems to be some possibility they envision Eppler as part of a two-man crew. The Angels also have given multiple interviews to Dodgers exec Josh Byrnes, the former Padres and Diamondbacks GM who could fill a baseball president role in that scenario. (Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com first mentioned Byrnes’ name.) Eppler is said not to be intimidated by the prospect of working alongside the strong-minded Mike Scioscia, making that a potential fit. Eppler was a candidate in Seattle, but the Southern California product may actually prefer this job. The Angels have interviewed a trio of in-house candidates and keep adding to the candidate list. But anything other than Eppler, Byrnes or an Eppler-Byrnes combination would surprise.

3. Marlins

Fill-in manager Dan Jennings, whose team is playing extremely hard and winning lately despite the absence of Giancarlo Stanton, Adeiny Hechavarria and sometimes Martin Prado, is expected to eventually accept an offer to rejoin the front office. Although there’s been some tension over the team’s record and the popular Jennings hasn’t embraced that offer yet — Jennings, a team man who was drafted for the managing job, may wonder about the prospect of a reduced role — that still seems to be the most likely scenario since his seven-figure-a-year contract goes through 2018. Mike Berger, who’s filled in while Jennings has been managing, seems to be gaining influence. As for manager, owner Jeffrey Loria seeks an experienced hand in what promises to be an extensive search, and is known to have interviewed Manny Acta and Bo Porter so far. If New York icon Don Mattingly is let go in LA, though, he could be the one.

4. Padres

Interim manager Pat Murphy wasn’t going to be judged entirely on the record, but speaking of that, it isn’t even as good as the long-fired Bud Black’s 32-33 mark, so a change could well be in the offing. They haven’t spoken to Murphy about a new deal yet so that could be a bad sign. Torey Lovullo is a name to keep in mind. He’s done a terrific job as the interim guy in Boston while John Farrell fights lymphoma, and Padres people are said to have taken notice. Padres president Mike Dee came from the Red Sox, so there’s a connection there.

5. Mariners

New GM Dipoto correctly praised manager Lloyd McClendon as a great person, and said he will use the next several days to evaluate the manager. But it would shock folks if McClendon is retained. As one Mariners person put, “If he thinks Mike Scioscia is old-school, that is nothing compared to Lloyd.” McClendon is in position where he’d have to listen (unlike Scioscia), but unless Dipoto doesn’t have the right guy available, it seems like a long shot. Word is, Tim Bogar could be near the top of a potential list. Dipoto hired Bogar for an Angels post after Bogar was passed over in Texas. He’s seen as new school, solid and tough. Joe McEwing and Alex Cora, who are both terrific, also are seen as possibilities. Bud Black would seem to be a guy who’s adapted nicely to the new school, but one of Black’s best friends in baseball is Mike Scioscia.

6. Reds

With a 12-game losing streak in which they’ve been outscored 83-28 it would seem to be logical to change managers, and probably GMs, too. But GM Walt Jocketty is longtime friends with owner Bob Castellini, and while it seems possible Jocketty could be bumped up, there’s no suggestion he’ll be out entirely. Castellini may be convinced that injuries to shortstop Zack Cozart, catcher Devin Mesoraco and starter Homer Bailey did them in. Ken Rosenthal recently suggested Price has a chance to keep his job, and it certainly would be interesting to see a Reds manager stay after winning about 30 fewer games two years after Dusty Baker was fired after winning 94 games. That certainly sends an odd message about prioirities. No firings are ever recommended in this space by rule, but one question begs to be answered: How does status quo help the Reds?

7. Rockies

Manager Walt Weiss, who was hired by the previous regime, wouldn’t seem to be on especially firm ground. Not that it’s necessarily his fault, but the Rockies remained a consistent disappointment in 2015.

8. White Sox

Owner Jerry Reinsdorf has remained among the most loyal men in sports, so it’s hard to see him firing Robin Ventura. The team showed virtually no spark, and Ventura isn’t a guy who needs the job, but there’s no obvious sign he’s about to walk away. If he does, McEwing would be an obvious candidate.

9. Dodgers

Don Mattingly deserves to be secure after a team-record third straight division title, but when there’s a new regime, a hunger for a World Series crown after none since 1988, plus a $300-million payroll, there are expectations. Mattingly is well-respected in a clubhouse full of egos, but the expectation now is that he may need to get out of the first round, at the least.

10. Red Sox

Interim manager Lovullo could not have done any better, but seeing as how he defers to manager John Farrell and won’t even use his office out of respect, it’s hard to see him taking his job, presuming Farrell’s health is good for next year. Lovullo (28-17 at the helm) will be a strong candidate elsewhere though.

11. Phillies

The suspicion has been that new club president Andy MacPhail will go the young, analytic route to balance a front office that’s long on experience. Matt Klentak, a Angels assistant, is a MacPhail favorite from Baltimore.

12. Orioles

There’s said to be tension at the top of the hierarchy, and it’s easy to see why. Stories have begun appearing suggesting manager Buck Showalter might take GM Dan Duquette’s job. While that seems far-fetched (Duquette was the Executive of the Year in 2014, and in different deals owner Peter Angelos requested Jeff Hoffman and Daniel Norris for him to go to Toronto as president, players that later brought the Jays Troy Tulowitzki and David Price), there appears to be some disconnect. It certainly doesn’t look good when there are stories out there about Showalter possibly becoming the GM. Showalter is one of the better managers in baseball, but this team has become unglued; they are a historic footnote after being shut out by three straight lefties at Fenway Park, and Wednesday they had a rare four-error game. In any case, these two longtime baseball people are both signed long-term (through 2018), and they worked as a team previously, so they need to work it out. It’s something to keep an eye on, though.

13. Braves

If Showalter does somehow get out of Baltimore, one interesting scenario could be a reunion with old friend John Hart, the Braves’ honcho. Fredi Gonzalez is said to be safe for now following the latest collapse, however. John Coppolella, bumped up Thursday to GM after receiving a call of interest from at least the Mariners, made his mark this year by being able to unload the onerous contract of Melvin Upton Jr., (B.J. at the time) and also acquiring about a dozen young pitchers, including Shelby Miller lot of young pitching.

14. Indians

Assistant GM Mike Chernoff could be promoted to GM (and Chris Antonetti to baseball president) following the latest interest, also believed to be from Seattle, as Rosenthal reported. Both loyal young men are said by sources to be staying in Cleveland.

15. Athletics

GM Billy Beane and his assistant David Forst have been expected to be bumped up to president and GM for quite some time, as was first reported by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. No reason to think that won’t happen, eventually.

16. Blue Jays

GM Alex Anthopoulos, who’s due to be a free agent, will be extended by new club president Mark Shapiro, as was reported in this space last week. The Jays may do it quietly, however (i.e. without an announcement).

The World Series matchups I’d love to see …

1. Yankees vs. Cubs

Who wouldn’t want to see this one? One big drawback: No room in the press box.

2. Cubs vs. anyone

“Back to the Future” had it right, while the rest of us underrated the Cubs (which is true, even if they don’t make the World Series this year). Too bad we just lost Mr. Cub Ernie Banks. Billy Williams and Ferguson Jenkins can throw out the first ball (assuming Bartman remains under wraps).

3. Royals vs. Cardinals

An encore of the great 1985 World Series. Don Denkinger throws out the first ball at Game 6.

4. Dodgers vs. Angels

The Freeway Series would be awesome (for writers and scouts especially). Scioscia gets to go against the team of youth. Caitlyn Jenner or Kim Kardashian throws out the first ball.

5. Cardinals vs. Astros

The computer chips will be flying (and maybe the accusations, as well). Noted computer hacker Jonathan James throws out the first ball.

6. Mets vs. Blue Jays

The offensive fireworks would be something else. John Olerud throws out the first ball.

7. Dodgers vs Twins

I missed seeing the 1965 World Series, which went seven. Sandy Koufax throws out the first ball.

8. Rangers vs. Cardinals

Potential payback time for Texas. Hard to forget being a strike away. Lance Berkman throws out the first ball (with protesters in attendance).

9. Dodgers vs. Yankees

What’s not to love about a reprise of the 1955, ’77, ’78 and ’81 Series? Tommy Lasorda throws out the first ball.

10. Pirates vs. Twins

Sometimes I just like to see the suits sweat. Bud Selig, representing small markets, throws out the first ball.

11. Yankees vs. Mets

A second Subway Series would be interesting. Derek Jeter throws out the first ball.

12. Cardinals vs. Twins

St. Louis gets its chance for revenge on the 1987 Homerdome series. Bill Baker, engineer at SOM, the renowned architectural firm that built the Metrodome (that wasn’t their best work, but it was key to the series), throws out the first ball.

13. Cardinals vs. Yankees

Baseball’s two winningest teams meet for the first time since 1964. Bob Gibson, MVP of the ’64 Series, throws out the first ball.

Around the Majors…

	Boston Red Sox News
Boston has to feel much better about things after its excellent finish. The Red Sox look like they have their outfield of the future and their shortstop, they feel good about their catching situation and Dustin Pedroia and especially David Ortiz remain productive. So they need to have a bounce-back year from Pablo Sandoval, find out if Hanley Ramirez can play first base and figure out their pitching staff. In the pitching department, rookies Eduardo Rodriguez and Henry Owens looked decent at times. But they still need an ace, or two. When considering the route they go, new baseball president Dave Dombrowski prefers hard throwers … Lovullo has become a hot item. Lovullo was a candidate to manage the Tigers when Dombrowski went with Brad Ausmus two years ago, and he’s showing what he can do.
	Chicago Cubs News
Jake Arrieta has made a race of the Cy Young, and it looks like a practically a coin flip between him and Dodgers star Zack Greinke at this point. Arrieta’s finish is as good as anyone’s in history. Credit goes to the Cubs development people and pitching coach Chris Bosio for making minor adjustments that brought out Arrieta’s extreme talent. The 55-percent ground-ball rate is shockingly high … One thing to wonder about is whether having Starlin Castro at shortstop most of the season cost Arrieta a few runs. Addison Russell has been much better (though Castro has been solid at second since moving over there) … Could the Cubs revisit Jeff Samardzija in the winter? David Price is expected to be their top pitching target due partly to the obvious Joe Maddon/Rays connection, but could Samardzija be a fallback guy? They offered him in the “low $80s (millions)” a few years back, and made multiple offers (though they included option years); that deal still looks reasonable considering his surprising struggles this year. Plus, he pitched best for them.
	Chicago White Sox News
There are questions at third base, second base and catcher, which isn’t too different from the way it was heading into this season … Shortstop is an interesting proposition, as Alexei Ramirez has a $10-million option, and $1-million buyout. He had a terrible .645 OPS but was better in the second half. Recommended one competing GM, “Buy him out.”
	Cincinnati Reds News
The miraculous Joey Votto has reached base 47 straight games and has a .543 on-base percentage in that time. He now leads the NL with a .463 OBP overall … The Reds have employed a rookie to start 61 straight games through Thursday and plan to end the season with 64 straight and 110 overall. Rasiel Iglesias and Anthony DeSclafani have looked the best among the rookie starters.
	Cleveland Indians News
The Indians will look at third base and perhaps right field and center field in the winter. Dexter Fowler, Austin Jackson and Denard Span are probably the top three free-agent center fielders … Francisco Lindor, who wasn’t called up until mid-June, is making an impressive run at the AL Rookie of the Year award. Carlos Correa is probably still a slight favorite, but Lindor has outplayed him over the last 50 games, when Lindor has a .382/.430/.602 slash line, compared to .267/. 350/.497 for Correa. The Twins’ Miguel Sano is also in the mix. Lindor is also the only MLB player with at least 10 sacrifice hits who has even homered once. He has 11 homers. And for good measure he is the first AL rookie to have 10 SBs, 10 HRs, 20 2Bs, 100 hits and a .300 average since Mike Trout in 2012, via Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian). Plus, in the stat of WAR per game, Lindor trails only Harper, Josh Donaldson and Trout… A nice under-the-radar performance was turned in by reliever Jeff Manship, who has an ERA under 1.
	Colorado Rockies News
Rockies people like their young pitching, but it seems years away in many cases. They’ve had a lot of rough breaks but one was picking behind the Cubs in 2012, and seeing Kris Bryant go one spot before they took Jon Gray. They do have Chad Bettis, Jeff Hoffman, Miguel Castro, Kyle Freeland, Mike Nikorak, Eddie Butler and Jesus Tinoco. GM Jeff Bridich is said to be a supporter of Eddie Butler, while others aren’t as sure … Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez became the first pair of 40-homer hitters on a team since Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye did the trick for the White Sox in 2006.
	Detroit Tigers News
Detroit, which needs to remake it bullpen and will be especially targeting a closer and set-up man, could take a look at Reds closer extraordinaire Aroldis Chapman, who could be on the market again after Cincinnati decided to hold onto him at the deadline. Detroit, which is also expected to seek multiple starting pitchers, has been heard to be linked to free agents Scott Kazmir, Samardzija and Ian Kennedy. Samardizija’s brother Sam, incidentally, works at a Detroit firm. Sam Samardzija is highly involved in Jeff’s career and is expected to join Wasserman, the agency that just won the pitcher’s services … Detroit could also look to trade for pitching, as it stocked up on prospects at the deadline. The two just-acquired prospects they most want to hold onto are said to be pitchers Daniel Norris and Michael Fulmer. Norris came in the Price deal and Fulmer in the Yoenis Cespedes deal … There was some discussion among some in the Tigers hierarchy about whether to let go Brad Ausmus, but word is GM Al Avila, who along with ex-GM Dave Dombrowski hired Ausmus in the first place, made the call to keep him. While it was an unpopular decision in Detroit (a tough town, like Philly; remember they were down on Jim Leyland at times), Avila understood that injuries probably did them in. He also likes Ausmus’ hands-on approach and interest in analytics (remember, Avila announced they’d be doing more of that). It may not have hurt Ausmus, too, that he started to be mentioned as a candidate in San Diego and elsewhere once word came out that he could be in trouble … Tigers people are pleased with the improvement of third baseman Nick Castellanos. They saw defensive improvement, though there’s still work to be done (as Chris McCosky of the Detroit News pointed out, he went from a negative-30 in runs allowed to a negative-10). Improved footwork would help. Time is on his side, as he’s still only 23.
	Houston Astros News
Houston is obviously much improved, but one area they may be lacking compared to the young Cubs, for example, is veteran leadership. Their tailspin has been rough, and they have a tough assignment in the final weekend at Arizona … For all the criticism Jon Singleton took for signing a $10-million, five-year deal early, it appears he made the right call, as Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle recently pointed out while citing a regretful Astros executive. Houston is actually lucky third baseman Matt Dominguez and Robbie Grossman also didn’t sign early deals when offered. The Astros have some great ideas, but trying to lock up non-stars early wasn’t one of them … The intercostal injury that prevents Carlos Gomez from being 100 percent has been a killer. The Mets, you’ll recall, canceled that trade over a hip concern, not anything related to the intercostals. In any case, it’s the most fortuitous call of the year … Dallas Keuchel‘s 15-0 record at home is a record. No surprise there. That’s a player the Astros should try to lock up, but it won’t be easy, as he’s already guaranteed to get close to $12 million via arbitration (about $6 million through arb next year, and at a minimum of close to that the following year even if he should get hurt) … AL Manager of the Year should be a Texas two-step, between Houston’s A.J. Hinch and Texas’ Jeff Banister, depending on how things finish.
	Kansas City Royals News
The Royals worked out Cuban center fielder Eddy Julio Martinez this week, and Martinez had two homers, a double and single in the game they saw. The Dodgers and Giants are among teams known to be in on Martinez … Johnny Cueto showed immediate improvement with the very simple adjustment of asking catcher Salvador Perez to make his target lower. Cueto preferred having shorter catchers, and was having trouble initially with the 6-foot-3 Perez’s target. That may explain Cueto’s early difficulties. The velocity readings should also allay any thought there’s anything going on with his elbow … Closer Greg Holland undergoes Tommy John surgery Friday in Los Angeles. The noted Neal ElAttrache performs the operation.
	Los Angeles Angels News
The Angels’ pickups have been of the non-impact variety, yet they still managed to win seven straight to put themselves right in the thick of things. This do-nothing style has been the way of Bill Stoneman, the interim GM. Hey, it worked in 2002, when the Angels won their only World Series. Maybe he wouldn’t have felt right about giving up much as the interim GM, but it’s always been his style to go the laissez-faire route. The pickups were David Murphy, Shane Victorino and now Mat Latos … David Freese (.933 OPS in September) is heating up as free agency approaches.
	Los Angeles Dodgers News
Infield phenom Corey Seager, who’s reached base in 21 straight games, has to play somewhere in the playoffs, and manager Don Mattingly has a sensitive dilemma on his hands, with Justin Turner, Jimmy Rollins, Howie Kendrick, Chase Utley and Kiké Hernandez now mostly healthy. Kendrick is likely to get the bulk of the work at second base over Utley, but the rest of it is a puzzle … Though Matt Kemp wound up having a brilliant second half once again, while Yasmani Grandal struggled, Dodgers people are pleased with that trade considering age and payroll (yes, even payroll) … A.J. Ellis adjusted beautifully to the backup role, and is worth every penny of his $5-million salary for the work he does with ace Clayton Kershaw alone … One consideration in support of Greinke’s (and Kershaw’s, for that matter) Cy Young candidacy is that the NL West contains the league’s three top offenses: Colorado, Arizona and San Francisco … Kershaw’s one-hitter with 13 strikeouts against the rival Giants was the most dominant performance in a clincher since Mike Scott no-hit the Giants to clinch for the Astros in 1986 … No surprise, the Dodgers have had multiple scouts on the Mets forever. Limitless budget, you know.
	Miami Marlins News
While the managerial job was offered to someone outside the organization before team player Dan Jennings accepted it in May, the suggestion out there that it was Ozzie Guillen is not believed by people with ties to the Marlins. “No way” would they have considered bringing back Guillen, is the word … Jose Fernandez is now 17-0 at home … Dee Gordon is three hits away from 200, as he’s managed to have a brilliant season while everyone around him is getting hurt or underperforming. He’s a Floridian (from the Orlando area) so perhaps that enhances their chances to sign him long-term this winter … Giancarlo Stanton’s special helmet worked this year, but this is the second year his season ended prematurely due to a hit by pitch, and you have to wonder whether he’s become a target. What’s next for him, a suit of armor?
	Minnesota Twins News
For those waiting for the Twins to fade (myself included), well, it never happened. Hats off to Paul Molitor, who’s proving that Hall of Fame players can manage.
	Milwaukee Brewers News
The Brewers will look at pitching help, and Ian Kennedy could be a possibility for them, as well … New GM David Stearns has to be pleased that the Astros, when Stearns was an assistant GM there, sent four good prospects to Milwaukee for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers. Domingo Santana is in the majors now, but Brett Phillips should be a good one in center field for years … Orlando Arcia, shortstop prospect extraordinaire, won a Gold Glove in the minors. Scouts say he is better than Jean Segura, so Milwaukee should try to gauge the Segura market this winter.
	New York Mets News
The regular-season plan was thought to be for Matt Harvey to throw 75 pitches two straight starts, then finish with a 50-pitch outing. But Harvey, perhaps giving in to the pressure of the organization (Sandy Alderson, Terry Collins and teammates all have acted annoyed about Harvey’s innings limit), threw caution to the wind in the game clincher. He went nearly 100 pitches in that game vs. the Reds, which wasn’t the plan discussed by surgeon James Andrews, agent Scott Boras and Alderson. It’s been a give-and-take, but the reality is that he’s already five innings past the career-high 178 innings he had the year before Tommy John surgery … Daniel Murphy has been a big part of this great Mets run, but with him a free agent, it’s possible they could let Murphy leave, permanently move Wilmer Flores to second base and find another shortstop.
	New York Yankees News
Jeff Samardzija could be an interesting target, with ex-Cubs GM Jim Hendry ensconsed in the Yankees front office. Samardzija was at his best while pitching for the Cubs. At 30, he has more bullets left since he started out as a reliever following his Notre Dame receiving days. Plus Hendry always has been a fan of his. Samardzija, the ex-Fighting Irish star, also is known to love the big stage … Yankees people are concerned about how Brett Gardner, who plays all out all the time, tends to wear down over a season. No explanation needed as to why Alex Rodriguez is showing fatigue finally. He is 40.
	Oakland A’s News
Jarrod Parker is throwing again in another comeback attempt following the fractured elbow injury that derailed his return from a second Tommy John surgery, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He’s expecting to be ready for next spring. Would be a great story … Mike Aldrete, who’s coached, worked or played under Tony La Russa, Billy Beane, Bob Melvin and Joe Torre, could make a fine managerial candidate.
	Philadelphia Phillies News
The Phillies, who’ve done more to improve their system than anyone but the Braves this year, also will be adding the No. 1 pick in the draft after finally settling in with MLB’s worst record. My draft guru has the best players at this point as: Kansas prep RHP Riley Pint, N.J. prep LHP Jason Groome, U. of Fla. OF Buddy Reed, Louisville OF Corey Ray, Mercer U. OF Kyle Lewis., U. of Ga. RHP Robert Tyler, U. of Okla. RHP Alec Hansen and U. of Fla. LHP A.J. Puk.
	Pittsburgh Pirates News
Francisco Cervelli, to the surprise of most, is eighth in the NL in on-base percentage (.375). Interestingly, Russell Martin had the big on-base percentage (.404) last year to earn the big free-agent contract.
	St. Louis Cardinals News
Yadier Molina, who has a ligament tear in his thumb after tagging out Anthony Rizzo at home, is “pushing to be playoff ready,” according to a friend. It’s still not known whether he can be ready for the Division Series, but if he can make it back, that would be huge for St. Louis, which missed him at the end last October … They think they caught Carlos Martinez‘s shoulder issue in time, and he’ll rest until November, then begin rehabbing in Jupiter, Fla. … Credit to Adam Wainwright for miraculously making it back from an early-season Achilles tear. Pretty amazing … Stephen Piscotty had a heart-lifting and quick recovery after his scary outfield collision. The Cardinals needs some positive injury news. It’s been a productive — albeit rough — season.
	San Diego Padres News
If the Padres go the rebuild route, there will be a huge market for Craig Kimbrel. The D-Backs, Nats, Tigers, Cubs, Rangers, Yankees and possibly his old Braves team could be among those in play … Lovullo is on their managerial radar. Lovullo’s work as an interim in Boston has been nothing short of fantastic. Jason Varitek has been seen as another possibility, also from Boston … Ian Kennedy has been struggling but the Padres are still leaning toward giving him a qualifying offer, which is expected to be about $16 million for 2016 … Matt Kemp’s slugging percentage in the second half is .528, compared to .382 in the first half … Not all their deals worked, but play-by-play man Don Orsillo, the longtime Red Sox guy, is a great pickup for the Padres.
	San Francisco Giants News
Tim Lincecum is said to be ahead of schedule after hip surgery and is expected to have his crutches off in a few days with a throwing program thought to be about six weeks away. Lincecum has hired his own personal physical therapist to enhance his comeback … Marlon Byrd needs only a few more at-bats for his $8-million option to vest next year. So it makes sense they have stuck him on the bench. Now that they are eliminated, no sense ensuring an overpayment for 2016 … Congrats to good guy Jeremy Affeldt on his retirement, as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported. He was actually key to the Giants’ great Octobers. A nice lefty otherwise, he turned into a bear in the postseason. He finished with a 0.86 postseason ERA, including 0.00 over the 2012 and ’14 World Series runs (22 innings).
	Seattle Mariners News
With the Mariners making clear that they favored a candidate with GM experience, once the final threesome of ex-Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, the Yankees’ Eppler and Blue Jays exec Dana Brown was set, it was pretty clear the job was Dipoto’s to lose since he not only was a successful GM in LA/Anaheim but also had been interim GM in Arizona. The one issue Mariners people had to deal with, according to sources, was Dipoto’s decision to quit the Angels GM job, but that was said to be a small hurdle as most around baseball understand the job between Scioscia and Arte Moreno isn’t the easiest one around. While Brown didn’t get the job, he was said to have made a very favorable impression … Dipoto mentioned his interest in having an athletic outfield in big Safeco Field, and that makes sense, but it also raises the question of whether Mark Trumbo (who Dipoto traded when in LAA) could be on the move again. Trumbo could also move to first base, his best position … After his brutal first half, Robinson Cano wound up having close to his typical season. He became the sixth second baseman ever to post six 20-homer seasons, and he did this one at Safeco. Cano, who is hobbled, has a .332 average and .928 OPS in the second half after a terrible first half.
	Texas Rangers News
Adrian Beltre has been playing through a severe thumb sprain, and playing well at that, but he will need to have his thumb surgically repaired at year’s end … Beltre has become the clear leader of this surprising team, and his signing, for $96 million over six years, which was criticized at the time, is one of the very best of the free agent era. The second- and third-place finishers were the AL West-rival Angels and A’s. … Mike Napoli has been a very nice addition, and the converted catcher has become a very good defensive first baseman. He has the top defensive rating, in fact, based on metrics … Rougned Odor has an .890 OPS since his mid-June recall … Shin-Soo Choo hit .404 in September … Sam Dyson and Jake Diekman are two of the better under-the-radar pickups.
	Washington Nationals News
While Ian Desmond was noncommittal when asked by Nats writers about the possibility of accepting the qualifying offer — the Nats presumably offered it despite Trea Turner expecting to take over — there is no chance he’d accept the one-year QO that’s expected to be in the neighborhood of $16 million. While he’ll be hard-pressed to get a nine-figure deal after his off year with the bat and glove, Desmond should still do exceedingly well as a free agent. The Padres have been linked to him, and the Mariners, White Sox, Mets and others may also be in the shortstop market … The Nats probably can’t chance a qualifying offer for Denard Span, though, following his year of injuries. Would be a major gamble.
	Major League Baseball News
Pete Rose met with commissioner Ron Manfred this week in what promises to be an uphill battle to win reinstatement. The position here is that while he’s a scoundrel and a long-time liar, 26 years is plenty, and no one’s hiring him as manager at this point anyway, so let him in, especially since there are PED guys with jobs. However, baseball looks upon gambling as far worse than PEDs, so if Pete wants to make any money on this, he should probably bet against … Josh Donaldson, Greinke and Harper are in the running for Player of the Year in the players’ union awards, so that may be a sign who the players favor for the BBWAA awards.