Raul Ibañez Archives - River Avenue Blues

Manager/Coaching Staff Search Updates: Woodward, Beltran, Rothschild, Ausmus, Flaherty, Ibanez

November 15, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

It has been two weeks and six days since the Yankees parted ways with Joe Girardi, and so far they have interviewed two managerial candidates (Rob Thomson, Eric Wedge) and have two more interviews scheduled (Aaron Boone, Hensley Meulens). Hal Steinbrenner told Bryan Hoch today that once the list of candidates is cut down, they’ll be brought to Tampa to meet the Steinbrenners for a second round of interviews. Here’s the latest on the manager and coaching staff searches.

Woodward a managerial candidate

Dodgers third base coach and former big league utility man Chris Woodward is a candidate for the manager’s job, report Mark Feinsand and Joel Sherman. An interview is not scheduled yet but is likely to happen. Sherman says the Yankees intend to cap their interviews at five or six candidates. Thomson, Wedge, Boone, and Muelens are four. Woodward would make it five.

Woodward, 41, was in camp with the Yankees as a non-roster player in 2008. He jumped right into coaching after his playing career ended in 2012. Woodward went from Mariners minor league infield coordinator in 2013 to Mariners infield coach in 2014 to Mariners infield and first base coach in 2015 to Dodgers third base coach from 2016-17. He’s said to be highly regarded within baseball and has been considered a future manager for a few years now. John Lott wrote a feature on Woodward last year.

Beltran wants to manage one day

Soon after announcing his retirement earlier this week, Carlos Beltran told Feinsand he would love to manage one day. “With the experience that I have in the game of baseball … I would love that opportunity, for sure,” he said. Feinsand asked Beltran specifically about managing the Yankees. His response:

“I would not discount anything; you’re talking about the New York Yankees. You’re not just talking about any team in baseball. Not taking anything away from any other organization, but the Yankees are a team that anyone would love to put on that uniform and manage that ballclub.”

Sherman says Beltran reached out to Brian Cashman to let him know he wants to manage — Cashman danced around the question when asked about Beltran as a managerial candidate the other day, telling Andrew Marchand, “I am aware of his interest in managing in the future. I’ll leave it at that for right now” — though it doesn’t sound like he’ll get an interview. I think Beltran would benefit from spending a few years as a coach just to see how the other half lives before diving into managing. He’ll manage one day though. For sure.

Rothschild will return in 2018

According to multiple reports, pitching coach Larry Rothschild will return next season no matter who the Yankees hire to be the next manager. A few weeks ago we heard the new manager will have a say in the coaching staff, but apparently that doesn’t apply to the pitching coach. This isn’t that unusual. Both Joe Torre (Willie Randolph, Tony Cloninger) and Girardi (Kevin Long, Tony Pena) inherited coaches when they joined the Yankees. Pitching coaches Don Cooper and Rick Honeycutt have been through multiple managers with the White Sox and Dodgers, respectively.

Rothschild, 63, has been New York’s pitching coach since 2011, and during that time Yankees pitchers rank third in ERA- (94), third in FIP- (93), and second in fWAR (+139.6). Sherman says the Yankees like Rothschild’s “ability to blend analytics with hands-on work with the staff,” plus he is widely respected around the game, so that’s why they’re keeping him. I’ve said this before and I’ll said it again: I think the impact of coaches is overstated. They’re important! But they’re not miracle workers. Rothschild has a great reputation within baseball and that’s enough for me.

Quick Notes

Got a couple quick notes on managerial and coaching candidates. Here’s a roundup:

The Yankees reached out to Brad Ausmus. Like every other team that reached out this offseason, they were told Ausmus is going to take a year off to spend time with his family. [Jon Heyman]
John Flaherty, who threw his hat into the managerial ring last week, has not heard back from the Yankees yet. Not even a callback? Ouch. [Anthony Rieber]
The Yankees did reach out to Raul Ibanez about managing, but he’s not ready for that big of a commitment and will remain with the Dodgers as a special advisor. [Ken Davidoff]
Jim Leyritz reached out to the Yankees about a coaching position. Cashman told him he didn’t have enough experience. [Rieber]
The Yankees have not reached out to Omar Vizquel. He was the Tigers’ first base coach under Ausmus the last few years. [Brendan Kuty]

Can’t say I blame Leyritz for trying, but yeah, that was never going to happen.

Manager & Coaching Staff Notes: Espada, Hairston, Ibanez

November 2, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

Espada and his new shortstop. (Elsa/Getty)

One week ago today we learned the Yankees had parted ways with Joe Girardi. And since then, we haven’t heard a peep about potential managerial candidates or interviews. Part of me wonders if we’re in for an out of nowhere hire. Know how Brian Cashman tends to make surprise trades with little to no rumors? What if the manager search happens in secret and one day they just announce a hire? That’d be something. Anyway, here’s the latest managerial and coaching staff news.

Espada joining the Astros

Yankees third base coach Joe Espada is now former Yankees third base coach Joe Espada. Espada will join the Astros as their new bench coach, reports Marly Rivera. Alex Cora, Houston’s former bench coach, is leaving to take over as Red Sox manager. Espada, whose contract expired earlier this week, also interviewed to be Cora’s bench coach in Boston.

Espada, 42, had been New York’s third base coach the last three years, and prior to that he worked in the front office as a special assistant to Cashman. It’s unclear whether the Yankees ever seriously considered Espada for their managerial opening. He’s young, he’s into analytics, he’s bilingual, and he’s already close to the young players in the organization. Seemed like a potential fit.

Hairston a managerial candidate

A few days ago it was reportedly Jerry Hairston Jr. is a potential managerial candidate for the Yankees, and now it is confirmed. Mark Feinsand reports Hairston is indeed in the mix. It’s no longer speculation or conjecture. Hairston played 16 seasons in the big leagues, including the second half of the 2009 season with the Yankees. He’s been working as a television analyst the last few years.

Hairston, now 41, has zero coaching or managerial experience. He grew up around the game — his father, grandfather, uncle, and brother all played in the big leagues — and he certainly spent enough time in the clubhouse as a player, though we know nothing about his skills as a manager. Is he a good communicator? How well-versed is he in analytics? How’s his feel for the game? The numbers may say one thing, but your eyes may tell you another. Is he adaptable? No one really knows.

Ibanez wants to stay with Dodgers

According Jon Heyman, the Yankees like Raul Ibanez as a managerial candidate, though word is he wants to stay with the Dodgers in his current front office role. Also, Heyman says the Yankees have a list of about 20-25 managerial candidates. Hooray for casting a wide net. Here’s my list of candidates, which runs 24 names deep.

The 45-year-old Ibanez has long been considered a future coach or manager because he’s a smart guy, he’s hard-working, and because he was such a strong leader and clubhouse presence during his playing days. Ken Davidoff wrote a good piece explaining Ibanez’s qualifications recently. At the same time, Ibanez has no coaching or managerial experience. I’m not sure I love the idea of bringing in a rookie skipper to work with this team.

Hal will discuss future plans with A-Rod

Now that the 2017 season over, so to is Alex Rodriguez’s monster ten-year, $275M contract. The Yankees of course released A-Rod last year, though his contract ran through this season, so the team still had to pay him his $21M salary in 2017. Rodriguez spent the year as a part-time instructor with the Yankees and worked specifically with their young players, at least when he wasn’t doing television work with FOX or hanging out with Jennifer Lopez.

Anyway, according to Dan Martin, Hal Steinbrenner plans to reach out to A-Rod to determine the next step in their relationship. “Haven’t talked to him yet about his plans for next year … I will though. He seems to really enjoy working with our young players,” said Hal. I’m not gonna lie, I assumed the only reason the Yankees kept A-Rod around as an instructor was because they were still paying him this year, and they wanted to get something back from that investment. Now that his contract his up, will they really keep this going? We’ll see.

King: Ibanez not interested in Yankees hitting coach job

November 22, 2014 by Mike 51 Comments

According to George King, Raul Ibanez is not interested in becoming the Yankees new hitting coach. Ibanez is one of three finalists for the Rays managerial opening, but King says Ibanez doesn’t want to coach at all if he doesn’t get the Tampa job. The Yankees planned to talk to Ibanez about their hitting coach gig a few weeks ago and at one point he was interested in hearing what they had to say.

The Yankees fired hitting coach Kevin Long more than five weeks ago now. Brian Cashman confirmed earlier this week that they have an interview lined up next week with a new candidate and that they’ve yet to bring anyone back for a second interview. We heard Chili Davis, Dave Magadan, and James Rowson were interviewed at some point. Davis joined the Red Sox and Magadan will remain with the Rangers. The Yankees also had interest in Cubs assistant hitting coach Eric Hinske, but he declined to interview.

At this point I really have no idea who the leading candidates are for the hitting coach position. Rowson has spent seven years as a hitting instructor in the team’s farm system and seems as likely a candidate as anyone. With the Rays bringing in a new manager, I wonder if their hitting coach Derek Shelton would an option for the Yankees. He managed in New York’s farm system from 2000-02 and is said to be close with Joe Girardi and new VP of Baseball Ops Gary Denbo.

Given their interest in Ibanez and Hinske, it’s clear the Yankees aren’t prioritizing experience in their search for a new hitting coach. Those two have no experience whatsoever in the role. It seems like whoever they bring in will be a surprise hire, kinda like when Larry Rothschild was named pitching coach a few years ago. There were no reports Rothschild even interviewed for the job, then bam, he was hired. I guess we’ll find out who the new hitting coach will be soon enough.

Update: Yankees, Ibanez have some mutual interest in hitting coach job

November 3, 2014 by Mike 142 Comments

Monday: King says Ibanez does have some interest in talking to the Yankees about their hitting coach job. He returned home to Seattle following Kansas City’s loss in Game Seven of the World Series last week, so if the two sides do decide to meet face-to-face, it probably won’t happen until later in the week.

Thursday: Via George King: The Yankees may have been waiting until the end of the World Series to contact Raul Ibanez and “gauge his interest in becoming their hitting coach.” Ibanez was not on the Royals’ World Series roster but he was still traveling with the team and stuff. They kept him around for his leadership.

Ibanez, 42, is more or less done as a player (61 wRC+ in 2014) and he’s long been considered a future coaching candidate because he’s very well-liked and a great communicator. He has zero coaching experience though — Ibanez has said he’d be open to coaching down the road — so who knows what kind of hitting coach he would be. The Yankees reportedly contacted Eric Hinske about the job as well, which shows they aren’t necessarily prioritizing experience at the position.

2013 Winter Meetings Day One Open Thread

December 9, 2013 by Mike 99 Comments

It’s hard to believe that after everything that happened last week, today is the first day of the Winter Meetings in Orlando. These next three days — the fourth day of the Winter Meetings is always slow because teams head home around noon-ish — might be a little slower than usual only because some of the very top free agents are always off the board. I still expect this week to be pretty busy, with lots of rumors and trades and signings with whatnot.

Robinson Cano is leaving for the Mariners and Curtis Granderson is going across town to the Mets, but the Yankees have already inked Jacoby Ellsbury (seven years, $153M), Brian McCann (five years, $85M), Carlos Beltran (three years, $45M), Hiroki Kuroda (one year, $16M), and Kelly Johnson (one year, $3M). They still need another infielder to help replace Cano as well as another starting pitcher — Yu Darvish was posted during the 2011 Winter Meetings, so hopefully we get some clarification about Masahiro Tanaka this week — and some bullpen help. General depth is always something to monitor as well.

Brian Cashman is not expected to arrive in Orlando until this afternoon according to Andy McCullough, but that’s pretty typical. A few clubs and executives are already there but most trickle in throughout Monday. We’re going to keep track of any Yankees-related news right here throughout the day, so make sure you check back often. All of the timestamps are ET.

10:58pm: The Yankees have not changed their stance on Gardner. They will listen to offers but aren’t overly motivated to trade him. [Jack Curry]
7:47pm: The asking price for Gardner is “through (the) roof” and the Giants don’t have much interest in Ichiro Suzuki. Not surprised on either count. [John Shea]
6:58pm: The Giants are intrigued by Gardner. One person involved in talks called a trade “not likely, but not impossible.” [Sherman]
6:38pm: The most likely return for Gardner would be a number four starter, according to rival executives. A number three would be a strong return. Just keep him in that case. [McCullough]
5:05pm: The Yankees are looking for relievers and they have stayed in contact with Boone Logan. He had a bone spur removed from his elbow after the season and is expected to start throwing this month. [McCullough]
5:01pm: Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz will be eligible to sign on February 19th after being suspended for falsifying his age. The Yankees had a “large presence” at the 23-year-old’s recent showcase events in Mexico. Some teams like him more as a second baseman. [Jeff Passan]
11:10am: The Yankees have not expressed interest in Johan Santana. He’s coming off his second torn shoulder capsule and the first is usually the kiss of death. [McCullough]
11:03am: Thinking about Roy Halladay? Forget it. He’s retiring. Halladay will sign a one-day contract with the Blue Jays and make the official announcement later today. [Jon Heyman]
The Yankees are one of the teams with interest in trading for Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija. I wrote about him around the trade deadline. [Bruce Levine]
9:00am: “That’s the last thing I’m worried about,” said Cashman when asked about acquiring a closer. He acknowledged they’re seeking another starter and bullpen help in general. “Listen, we have enough voids that you don’t have to prioritize any of it. You hope to run into something sooner than later that makes you better.” [Dan Martin]
The Yankees did look into a reunion with Raul Ibanez but he isn’t much of a fit now. The outfield is crowded and there’s no room for another DH-type. Ibanez is expected to sign this week. [Joel Sherman]
The Yankees still have interest in Omar Infante as a Cano replacement. They are not talking to Mark Ellis, however. [Ken Rosenthal]

Reminder: Your trade proposal sucks.

NYP: Yankees have interest in bringing back Raul Ibanez

November 19, 2013 by Mike 54 Comments

Via George King & Ken Davidoff: The Yankees have some interest in a reunion with Raul Ibanez. I assume he would come back in the same role he held last summer, meaning part-time DH and part-time outfielder. At least that was the plan before Brett Gardner’s injury forced into into the field on a nearly everyday basis. Obviously the Yankees know him well and are comfortable with what he brings to the table.

Ibanez, 41, hit .242/.307/.487 (117 wRC+) with 29 homers in 496 plate appearances for the Mariners this past season, though he was awesome in the first half (24 HR and 143 wRC+) and a disaster in the second half (5 HR and 79 wRC+). Raul whacked 19 homers with a 102 wRC+ for New York in 2012, but remember, he was pretty terrible before he started hitting all those insanely clutch homers in late-September and October. Despite his awful defense and complete inability to hit lefties, I do think Ibanez makes some sense for the current Yankees roster in a limited role. The question is whether he wants to stay close to his Seattle home.

Mailbag: Salty, Andrus, Cruz, Anderson, Perez

November 8, 2013 by Mike 10 Comments

Eleven, yes eleven questions this week. I combined two into one so there are only ten answers. Needless to say, I went rapid fire. The Submit A Tip box in the sidebar is the best way to send us stuff, mailbag questions or otherwise.

Dustin asks: With Jarrod Saltalamacchia not getting a qualifying offer, does he become a more attractive option for the Yankees over Brian McCann? Or does the fact that he only has one above-average season keep McCann in the lead?

It’s a combination of several things, really. The lack of track record and defensive shortcomings mostly. I do think there’s a strong case to be made that Salty at his price (three years, $36M?) is a better deal than McCann at his price (five years, $80M plus a pick?). Given where the Yankees are as a franchise, with some young catchers on the way and payroll coming down, a shorter term deal for a backstop makes more sense than going big on McCann. I would prefer Carlos Ruiz in that case — he is a far better defender than Saltalamacchia, plus he should come even cheaper — but I think McCann is elite relative to his position. Guys like that are hard to pass up.

Nick asks: So it seems that Texas would be willing to move Ian Kinsler or Elvis Andrus. What would it take to get either? Andrus isn’t as attractive now because of that contract, but still should be considered. And Kinsler is always hurt.

Kinsler makes sense only if Robinson Cano signs elsewhere this winter. I don’t buy him as a first baseman or corner outfielder. I was excited about Andrus a year or two ago and thought he made a ton of sense as a Derek Jeter replacement — his free agency lined up perfectly with the end of Jeter’s contract (after 2014) — but I also thought he would continue to get better, not have a career-worst season in 2013. He’s owed $124.475M through 2022 ($13.8M luxury tax hit), which is scary. Furthermore, I’m not sure the Yankees and Rangers match up well for a trade. Texas is presumably looking for a young outfielder or high-end starter, two things New York a) doesn’t have, and b) needs itself.

Aside: Wouldn’t it make sense for the Rangers to trade both Andrus and Kinsler, then sign Cano and play Jurickson Profar at shortstop? Dealing Andrus and Kinsler would surely net them that young outfielder and high-end starter.

Ryan asks: I haven’t heard any mention of the Yankees and Nelson Cruz. His name hasn’t been floated on here since the trade rumors last January. Whats the deal? I would have though he’d be a great addition to the lineup.

Grant Brisbee explained why Cruz is such a risk yesterday, so I’ll link you to that. Long story short: Cruz is basically Alfonso Soriano without the defense. His numbers against righties aren’t anything special (.249/.299/.465 since 2011) and while home/road splits usually get way overblown, it’s hard to ignore how much more productive Cruz has been at his hitter-friendly home ballpark (.279/.340/.546 since 2011) than on the road (.247/.299/.432). The Yankees already have one Soriano, no need to give up a draft pick (Cruz received a qualifying offer) to get another.

Kevin asks: Juan Oviedo and Eric O’Flaherty seem like natural fits for the Yankees next year given the payroll and need for bullpen arms.

Oviedo is the pitcher formerly known as Leo Nunez, the ex-Marlins closer. He’s missed the last two seasons due to elbow problems that eventually required Tommy John surgery. I would bring him in on a minor league deal no questions asked, but there’s no way I’d guarantee him anything after missing two years. He took a minor league deal (with the Rays) last year and will have to take one again. O’Flaherty missed most of 2013 after having his elbow rebuilt. He was one of the most dominant lefty relievers in baseball before the injury (held same-side hitters to a .195 wOBA from 2011-2012) and I think he’ll get a nice contract this winter despite coming off surgery. Would he take one year and $2M to rebuild value? I’m not sure the Yankees can afford to go higher than that for an injured pitcher who won’t be ready until June or so.

Bryan asks: How about a flyer on Brett Anderson? The A’s have rotation depth and the cost wouldn’t be super high (you’d think) right now. Or would they be better off with a guy like Josh Johnson (who only costs money) if they want to take a gamble?

Man I love Anderson, but he just can’t stay healthy. He’s thrown more than 115 innings just once (175.1 in 2009) and over the last two years he’s been limited to 79.2 innings total. Anderson has been pretty awesome whenever he’s stayed healthy for more than a month at a time, but he’s going to make $8M next season. That’s a huge chunk of change for an always hurt pitcher. I’m not sure the Yankees can afford a risk like that. Payroll is tight as it is, and that doesn’t even factor in the trade cost. If I’m going to bring in a reclamation project starter, I’d go with Johnson because he only costs money. I’d prefer neither, to be honest.

Biggie asks: If Curtis Granderson accepts his qualifying offer would there be a market to trade him? What type of return would you expect? I would love him to accept, move him for another piece and sign Carlos Beltran for two years and $28M.

I don’t think the Yankees would have any trouble finding a taker for Granderson if he accepts the $14.1M qualifying offer. Chances are they could get a better prospect in return than they’d be able to select with the compensation pick as well. A contender in need of a bat like the Cardinals (if Beltran bolts), Tigers (for vacant left field), and Reds (if they don’t think Billy Hamilton is ready) would presumably show interest in Granderson on a one-year deal, ditto non-contenders like the Phillies, Mets, White Sox, Giants, Mariners, and Rockies. They wouldn’t get an elite prospect in return, but a rock solid Grade-B prospect who is at Double-A or higher. That’s very fair value if not a bargain.

Mike asks: What about Kelly Johnson as a free agent? He can fill in around the infield except at short and play the corners in the outfield.

If Cano does leave as a free agent and the Yankees decide to pass over David Adams and Corban Joseph as internal replacements, Johnson is the guy I’d want them to bring him to play second base. He shouldn’t required a multi-year contract like Omar Infante nor would he require the general headache of trading for Brandon Phillips. Johnson is a Yankee Stadium friendly left-handed hitter who hits for power (16+ homers in four straight years), plus he’ll steal a decent amount of bases and play solid defense. As an added bonus, he can also play left field in a pinch. The trade-off is a low average and strikeouts, which aren’t the end of the world for a number eight or nine hole hitter. Even if the Yankees re-sign Cano, Johnson makes sense as a lefty bat off the bench. Definite fit.

Tucker asks: While the idea of the Yankees signing Brian Wilson has been floated out there, and it definitely has a lot of appeal, I just can’t imagine him being willing to go to the barber, even if it means forfeiting a couple million. Do you agree with this?

Wilson already turned down a million bucks to shave his beard, but maybe $6-7M will change his mind? Ultimately, I think Wilson will wind up signing with a non-Yankees team because they’ll offer more money and guarantee him the closer’s job, not because he wouldn’t have to shave his beard. That would suck, he’s a perfect fit in my opinion (as long as you look beyond the beard and seemingly intentionally insufferable personality).

Thomas asks: Is there any chance that the Yankees try and get another full-time DH this season? If so, if he doesn’t retire, is it possible we would get another taste of Raul Ibanez? I’m sure Yankees fans would like to see him again.

Zac asks: Jason Kubel is one year removed from a 30-HR season and should come cheap following a poor year in which he battled injury. Is he s fit for the Yankees?

Going to lump these two together since Ibanez and Kubel are nearly the same exact player. If the Yankees don’t sign Beltran — he’s pretty much the only big name outfielder I can see them realistically signing — either guy would make sense as a part-time right fielder and part-time DH. They could also serve as that lefty bat off the bench I always seem to be talking about. New York could find a spot for their power even if they sign Beltran, though I think Ibanez is the safer bet at this point. Supposedly he’s only considering retirement or a return to the Mariners (he lives in Seattle during the offseason). As long as they keep him or Kubel away from lefties and have a defensive replacement handy, they’d make some sense for the current roster. I still don’t like the idea of adding a full-time DH. They need to keep that spot open for various old guys.

Anthony asks: Hey Mike, Chris Perez was just released by the Indians. Being that the Yankees will look to add a piece or two to the bullpen this offseason, do you think the team should give him a look? While I don’t see him serving as the closer, perhaps he can provide some value in the 7th or 8th?

I wrote about Perez in a mailbag back in May and said I wanted to see how he performed the rest of the season before thinking about him as an option for 2014. Well, from that date forward, he pitched to a 5.21 ERA (4.65 FIP) in 38 innings while opposing batters hit .283/.351/.520 against him. He and his wife were also arrested for drug possession. So … yeah, things didn’t go so well. The Indians got so sick of him that they didn’t even wait until the non-tender deadline to release him. Perez has really nasty stuff, but he clearly has some things to work on. I’m not sure if the Yankees have enough bullpen depth (or payroll space) to take on a second project reliever in addition to Dellin Betances.