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Claimed RHP Vance Worley off waivers from the Pirates; designated RHP Jorge Rondon for assignment. [10/20]
A sensible get for the Orioles. Worley was lost in a numbers game in Pittsburgh, and perhaps league-wide, since he slipped through waivers back in August. Still, he's shown the ability in the past to work as a back-end starter and he comes relatively cheap—even with an arbitration-triggered raise on his $2.45 million salary, he'll make a good deal less than his free-agent equivalent. Dan Duquette has plenty of other holes to fill—thanks to the pending free agencies of Chris Davis, Matt Wieters, and Wei-Yin Chen—and while Worley isn't likely to replace Chen on his own, he could be part of the fix.
Claimed RHP Cody Martin off waivers from the Athletics. [10/19]
Martin joins his third team of the year, having been traded to the A's in July in exchange for an international bonus slot. That he's now in demand (to some extent) is a little surprising, given everyone passed on him in last winter's Rule 5 draft. Anyway, Martin has starting and relieving experience, dating back to his days as Gonzaga's closer. His fringe-to-average arsenal means his most likely role involves pitching in low-leverage situations—be it as a swingman, middle reliever, whatever. He has multiple option years remaining, so he'll probably spend most of 2016 in the minors as rotation depth.
Claimed SHP Pat Venditte off waivers from the Athletics; designated 2B-R Darwin Barney for assignment. [10/19]
Everyone's favorite ambidextrous pitcher heads north of the border. Predictably, Venditte's minor-league numbers failed to translate in whole to the majors, leading the A's to lose interest after 26 appearances. Now that he's past the novelty act phase of his career, you wonder if a team might read too far into his small-sample platoon splits and ask him to focus on throwing left-handed—the side where his substandard stuff is closer to passable. Whatever happens in Toronto, odds are this won't be the last time Venditte is claimed off waivers before the end of next season.
Announced manager Don Mattingly wouldn't return in 2016. [10/22]
The surprise is not that Mattingly is out as Dodgers manager, it's that he lasted a year into the post-Colletti era.
Everyone suspected Mattingly's days were numbered once Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi took over the front office for the same reason. Mattingly isn't perceived as a fit for what analytically inclined executives want from a manager. Comparing him to his mentor Joe Torre is lazy and predictable and, perhaps above all, apt. Both excelled in forging interpersonal relationships, not serving as tactical masterminds—a managerial profile that seems to become more antiquated with each year.
That isn't to say Mattingly is without use in the modern era. The Dodgers leveraged his attributes time and again throughout his tenure by handing him a clubhouse full of strong and, at times, clashing personalities and expecting him to make it all work. He did that for the most part. Plus, to his credit, he showed more flexibility than might be expected when it came to trusting and incorporating young players for the sake of bettering the team. As such, it seems like a certainty that another team—likely an old-school type, like the Marlins—will offer Mattingly a second crack at managing in the coming weeks—provided, that is, he wants to jump back into the fire so soon.
As for the Dodgers, the hot name is Gabe Kapler. True to the recent trend of managerial rookies, Kapler has limited experience as a skipper. He has, however, worked with Friedman in two front offices and has displayed a curious and open mind. If the Dodgers go that route, they would be wise to pair Kapler with an experienced bench coach—for the obvious reasons, and because Kapler seems like the managerial candidate most likely to be arrested for indecent exposure.
Otherwise, expect the Dodgers to be connected with the usual suspects: Bud Black, Ron Roenicke (who is on their coaching staff already), and so on. There are obvious drawbacks to the job—sky-high expectations, a wild clubhouse, and presumably a front office that will want more input than normal—but the roster is talented, the checkbook is open, and the front office is smart and aggressive. Add in nice weather and the chance to meet famous people, and you can understand if every candidate has the Dodgers' job on top of their wishlist.
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Transaction Analysis: ... (10/12)
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