MLB Rumors: Could Josh Donaldson sign with the Milwaukee Brewers?
Veteran third baseman Josh Donaldson was placed on outright waivers by the New York Yankees earlier this week. Assuming Donaldson clears, the Milwaukee Brewers are reportedly interested in bringing him on as a power threat in their lineup.
Donaldson struggled to stay healthy in New York, and even when he could play, would go hot and cold. For the most part Donaldson was cold this season, hitting under the Mendoza line and receiving the wrath of fans in the Bronx.
As Ken Rosenthal notes, Milwaukee views Donaldson as a slight upgrade over Monasterio, which says a lot about the Brewers third base situation. The Brewers just lost two out of three games at Wrigley Field, cutting into their NL Central lead in the process. The Cubs are on the Brewers heels. Adding a player like Donaldson on a minimum deal can't really hurt matters. If he struggles, Milwaukee can cut him loose.
When the Yankees released Donaldson, there was a collective sigh of relief among Yankees fans. Brian Cashman, the team's general manager, had appeared so unwilling to eat Donaldson's remaining contract and admit defeat on a trade that really never had much of a chance at going the Yankees way. Manager Aaron Boone framed the decision as giving Donaldson the opportunity to sign elsewhere and get a fresh start.
"Basically just felt like it was the right thing to do," Boone said Tuesday. "Give him the option, or the possibility, of even catching on with someone. Just felt like it was the right thing to do that now as opposed to continuing to drag it out."
Perhaps the Brewers are the right team to take a flyer on Donaldson.
MLB Rumors: New York Mets shake things up
Mets owner Steve Cohen isn't one to applaud complacency. In the midst of a disappointing season, Cohen has ordered a front office shakeup, firing at least two high-level executives and potentially clearing the way for new leadership. Kevin Howard, director of player development has been fired as well as Jeff Lebow, Director of Pro Player Evaluation. It's unclear what this means for Billy Eppler's future.
It's odd the Mets opted to fire their director of player development given their strong farm system of late. However, this would signal that Cohen wants to bring in his own people, rather than sticking with the same old, same old of past Mets generations.
New York entered the season with the highest payrolls in baseball and a good farm system. While the system remains strong and the Mets have plenty of young talent on the big-league roster, the MLB product never could live up to its potential. Midseason trades of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, among others, signaled defeat for Cohen and Co., as they received top-100 prospects in return.
Entering the offseason, it's unclear what the Mets long-term direction is. There are rumors abound they could trade Pete Alonso, but that goes against Cohen's competitive spirit. Finding the right baseball people to keep Cohen in check could benefit the team in the long run, rather than signing aging pitchers on short-term deals.
MLB Rumors: Did the White Sox make the right hire?
The Chicago White Sox's organizational chaos may not be done just yet, as owner Jerry Reinsdorf opted to hire an in-house candidate for the GM role. When Rick Hahn was fired, many hoped the next president of baseball operations/GM would be from outside the organization. Instead, Chris Getz, a longtime White Sox executive, will get the opportunity.
"Chris brings a wealth of knowledge and experience within our organization to this role," owner Jerry Reinsdorf said Thursday in a statement within the press release announcing Getz's promotion. "Most importantly, he knows our players, both at the major league level and in our system, knows our staff and is familiar with all aspects of our baseball operations department. Chris has impressed me greatly over the past seven years.
Former players have criticized the organization for sticking with Getz. Namely Getz oversaw day-to-day operations of the minor-league system when Chicago chose to employ Omar Vizquel, who was accused of sexual harassment by a former bat boy when he managed the Double-A Birmingham Barons. Vizquel was previously promoted to that gig, and after an internal investigation was eventually let go.
Getz oversaw all of that, and had a shockingly tone-deaf statement when Vizquel was forced out.
"We felt that it was best for both sides to make a change. Listen, Omar, ultra-talented player, very good instructor, created a good environment for our players. We just felt with where things are at, our player development system, that it was time to go separate ways. But not only for himself, but for the organization as well and we wish Omar well. He was a positive influence while he was here," Getz said.
It's unclear what influence Getz will have as general manager, but it's astounding he was promoted to this role in the first place given his checkered past. The White Sox are rotting from within.
