Justin Upton Re-Signs With Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Welcome to the first day of the Hot Stove League (also known as the time period between the end of the World Series and the day pitchers and catchers report). The California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels (they've used all of those geographic locations in their name, despite being in the same stadium the last half century) are the first team off the block, signing Justin Upton to a five-year extension for a reported $106 million over the next five years. The good news for the Angels is, according to the Los Angeles Times, there's some payroll flexibility early in the contract, as his salary will be $16 million next year and $18 million in 2019, which will give them the opportunity to find some help in the infield (where they need it). The bad news is he'll be paid a whopping $28 million in 2022, when he turns 35 years old and Angel fans will be wondering why they inked the deal. (Good news, Angel fans: by 2022 Albert Pujols' contact will have finally ended.)

Upton had a very good year in 2017, splitting time between the Angels and the Detroit Tigers (Detroit dealt him August 31 for Grayson Long and Elvin Rodriguez; both of them might make the deal work for the Tigers.) Baseball Reference had Upton at 5.2 WAR (wins over replacement player) overall last season, which was his best season since 2011 with the Arizona Diamondbacks (he put up a 6.1 WAR that year and finished fourth in the MVP voting). He's now been in the league for 11 seasons, having made his debut with the Diamondbacks at age 19. The only thing that would worry me from a fan's standpoint is he's been inconsistent - since that 2011 season he's averaged about 3.45 WAR per season, but he's been anywhere from 2.0 to 5.2 WAR during that time - is he going to age gracefully, or fall off a cliff?

Jeff Joiner at SB Nation's Halos Heaven blog wasn't expecting Upton back as of last week, and felt the money could be better used elsewhere, and I get his point - the Angels desperately need a second baseman, unless they think Kaleb Cowart is going to step up. There really aren't many great free agent options (do the Angels really want to spend a pile of money on another guy in his mid-30s?), and the trade options aren't much better, so maybe they'll try working from within.

They also might expect at least one of the guys returning at the three corners beside Upton (C.J. Cron, Luis Valbuena, Kole Calhoun) to move back up next year, as all three were over 60 OPS points below their 2016 levels. Most importantly, Mike Trout should play a full season next year (he missed 48 games in 2017), and remember, he'll still be just 26.

Joe Girardi's Next Stop

Okay, so Joe Girardi’s out as manager of the Yankees, for whatever reason. (I’ve read both that the Yankees wanted to get rid of him and he wanted out, so who knows?) But where does he go from here?

I see him getting hired soon. Coincidentally, I spent a few minutes talking with a manager at Culver’s last weekend, who got to know Girardi from his time in high school and college baseball, and said what a wonderful guy he was. However, CBS Sports also reported he may want to take a break for a while (he’s now 53 years old), and he did have a couple years of broadcasting experience with the Yankees.

Assuming he wants a new managerial job (unless ESPN or Fox swoops in to hire him), let’s have fun and look at him matching up with the other 29 teams. In some cases a change might seem obvious; in others it would be unlikely – on the other hand, the Cubs bounced a good one-season manager (Rich Renteria) in favor of Joe Maddon, and that worked out pretty well for them. The current manager is listed in parentheses.

Arizona Diamondbacks (Torey Lovullo) – No. The Diamondbacks made the playoffs this year in their first year under Lovullo, so I don’t see them pushing him aside.

Atlanta Braves (Brian Snitker) – Possible. Snitker was not supposed to be a sure thing to come back at the end of last year. I’m not sure whether the Braves are precisely on the right track in their rebuild, however, so we’ll have to see what happens.

Baltimore Orioles (Buck Showalter) – Sure. Showalter hasn’t been able to get the Orioles over the hump, and Peter Angelos has been known to make sudden managerial changes.

Boston Red Sox (Alex Cora) – No. They just hired Cora. (It would certainly tick off Yankee fans, however.)

Chicago Cubs (Joe Maddon) – Obviously not.

Chicago White Sox (Rich Renteria) – Poor Rich Renteria – could you imagine that happening to him twice? No, I don’t see the Sox making a move; they seem pretty happy with Renteria and the Sox haven’t hired a veteran manager in decades.

Cincinnati Reds (Bryan Price) – Absoutely; I’m surprised Price is still there. But I don’t get the sense the Reds are the best organization right now, so I’m not sure Girardi would want to go here.

Cleveland Indians (Terry Francona) – No chance. Francona is beloved in the organization.

Colorado Rockies (Bud Black) – No. Black had a great first season with the club, steering them to an unexpected wild card spot. Girardi did play here for a few years, however.

Detroit Tigers (Ron Gardenhire) – No. Gardenhire was just named manager, and the Tigers are at the beginning of a rebuild.

Houston Astros (A.J. Hinch) – No. They’re in the World Series now.

Kansas City Royals (Ned Yost) – Probably not. The Royals will need to do some rebuilding, and while Joe Girardi has one World Series win, so does Ned Yost.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Mike Scioscia) – Doubtful. They haven’t played well lately, but Scioscia appears to be buddies with owner Arte Moreno; several GMs have come and gone but Scioscia stays around.

Los Angeles Dodgers (Dave Roberts) – No. They’re in the World Series, too.

Miami Marlins (Don Mattingly) – Doubtful. Girardi managed here before he went to the Yankees, only to be canned by impulsive then-owner Jeffrey Loria. Also, how would Girardi adjust to having one of his former players (Derek Jeter) being his boss?

Minnesota Twins (Paul Molitor) – Probably not. Minnesota had a surprise wild card this year.

Milwaukee Brewers (Craig Counsell) – No. The Brewers exceeded expectations this year, and Counsell is well liked, plus he has a long history with the franchise.

New York Mets (Mickey Callaway) – No. Callaway was hired earlier this week. (Bad timing, Mets.)

Oakland Athletics (Bob Melvin) – Absolutely. Bob Melvin hasn’t shown much as manager so far. Not sure if Billy Beane could meet Girardi’s price tag, however.
Philadelphia Phillies (vacant) – Back up the Brinks truck. The Phillies have an up-and-coming team, and it wouldn’t be far for Girardi to move. I don’t think they’ll do it, but it’s the best match.
Pittsburgh Pirates (Clint Hurdle) – No. I think Hurdle just signed an extension; he seems to have a good relationship with GM Neal Huntington.

St. Louis Cardinals (Mike Matheny) – Yes. Matheny just signed an extension, but his in-game skills have been questioned over the years, and the Cardinals have been slipping the past few years despite having a pile of prospects. I wouldn’t be surprised if Girardi waits for this job, which is among baseball’s best.

San Diego Padres (Andy Green) – No. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Green.
San Francisco Giants (Bruce Bochy) – No. Girardi may have won a World Series, but Bochy has won three.

Seattle Mariners (Scott Servais) – Yes. The Mariners were a disappointment this year, and Servais hasn’t shown much in two years. This is another one that Girardi may wait on.

Tampa Bay Rays (Kevin Cash) – Unlikely. The Rays seem to like Cash, and the market’s kind of small, so I don’t think they could afford Girardi.
Texas Rangers (Jeff Banister) – Unlikely. Banister seems to be popular with Texas, and he brought them to an unexpected wild card in 2016.

Toronto Blue Jays (John Gibbons) – Possible. The Jays were a disappointment last year, which might be more the fault of the front office than Gibbons, but he could still take the fall.
Washington Nationals (vacant) – Absoutely, but… the Nationals are notorious cheapskates when it comes to hiring managers. They backed out of hiring Bud Black after he wouldn’t agree to being lowballed, and three of their last four managers were considered somewhat washed up (Jim Riggleman, Davey Johnson, Dusty Baker), with the other being Matt Williams, a rookie manager who didn’t work out. I can’t see Girardi coming here.