TBNL: Boston's GM plans, Buster Posey's manager search, Masahiro Tanaka wins his 200th

Red Sox president of baseball operations Craig Breslow advised reporters in early September that Boston would look to hire a general manager this offseason. Assistant GM Paul Toboni was not only considered the heavy favorite for the role, but with him leaving to run the Nationals’ front office, it appears Boston is re-thinking their approach completely. According to The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey, Breslow plans to “take a step back to evaluate what they want to do” now that he is no longer an option.

The shift is a curious one. All indications pointed to Toboni being the clear choice, to the point where no other names had surfaced as potential candidates. Boston did not need to wait until after the season to speak with him. Yet, if Boston and Breslow were so intent on advancing him to the GM role, why was it taking so long? Why drag your feet and let another team swoop in and hire him out from under you, as the Nationals appear to have done? Only Breslow and owner John Henry can explain that one.

Toboni was heavily involved in Boston’s player development, both at the major and minor league levels. One of the first things Breslow will need to do is determine how to fill those responsibilities, though there are three other assistant GMs (Raquel Ferreira, Eddie Romero, and Mike Groopman) who could help shoulder some of that load. Ferreira and Romero, in particular, have already worked within the organization for decades and are extraordinarily well-respected. Ferreira, I even once argued, should have received more consideration for the GM job before Breslow was first hired.

Buster Posey appears to be focusing on former catchers as he searches for the next Giants manager, according to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser. Kurt Suzuki was supposed to meet with Posey and ownership on Friday. Slusser also suggests that Craig Albernaz, Curt Casali, and Nick Hundley could all get consideration.

Suzuki played for five teams during his 16-year career, winning the 2019 World Series with the Nationals. He was a .255/.314/.388 (90 OPS+) hitter in more than 6,000 PA.

Albernaz, the Guardians’ bench coach, never played above Triple-A during his 9-year career. He hit just .199/.276/.254 in 1,217 PA.

Casali, who quietly retired earlier this summer and accepted an unspecified role in the Reds’ front office, has ties to the Giants. He played there in 2021-22 and 2024, serving as Posey’s backup in 2021. Casali hit .218/.312/.369 (85 OPS+) in 1,579 PA during his 11-year career.

Hundley, who also spent time backing up Posey in San Francisco, is a special advisor with the Rangers. He hit .247/.299/.405 (91 OPS+) in 3,373 PA during his 12-year career.

Slusser doesn’t suggest any other potential candidates, but one has to wonder if former Cubs manager David Ross will receive consideration. Ross, another former catcher, managed the Cubs for four years, from 2020 to 2023, to a 262-284 record. He played for seven teams during his 15-year career, hitting .229/.316/.423 (94 OPS+) in 2,644 PA. Ross won the World Series in 2013 with the Red Sox and 2016 with the Cubs. Ross recently expressed an interest in getting back into managing.

Texas moved quickly to announce Skip Schumaker as its new manager after Bruce Bochy stepped down from the position following the season. Schumaker had been viewed as Bochy’s potential successor ever since he joined the Rangers as a special advisor before the season. There is hope that the team will retain its coaching staff under Schumaker, who is already familiar with the group.

Ownership has changed multiple times in the 84-year history of Baseball Digest, with the magazine appearing to be on the verge of shutting down completely on several occasions. Cal Raleigh (Player of the Year), Paul Skenes (Pitcher of the Year), and Aroldis Chapman (Relief Pitcher of the Year) were all announced as this year’s award winners.

Fun random fact: I wrote the Nationals season preview for the magazine in 2010 or 2011.

Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki became the first Japanese-born combo to earn the win and save in a postseason game on Saturday. Ohtani gave up three runs over six innings, with nine strikeouts. Sasaki pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out one.

The CTBC Brothers clinched the top record in the 6-team CPBL and secured a spot in the Taiwan Series. They will play for the championship against the winner of a best-of-five series between the Uni-President 7 Eleven Lions and Rakuten Monkeys. The Brothers beat the Lions in last year’s Taiwan Series to win their 10th title in league history.

Yu Darvish has become the winningest pitcher with substantial time in both the NPB and MLB. Darvish has won 209 games in his career, 93 in the NPB and 115 since his move to MLB.

Hideo Nomo won 206 games in his career (78 in NPB, 123 in MLB).

Hiroki Kuroda won 203 (124 NPB, 79 MLB).

Masahiro Tanaka joined the 200-win club on Tuesday (122 NPB, 78 MLB). pitching six innings of two-run ball against the Yakult Swallows. Tanaka had a rough second half to the season and had been dropped from the Yomiuri Giants rotation, but was given one more start once the team clinched a playoff spot.

(I incorrectly counted Tanaka at 202 in August.)

Negotiations are still ongoing between the MLBPA and the league over a new Winter League Agreement, which will then need to be approved by the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation. The MLBPA is the one holding up discussions while they seek to improve certain conditions, according to a report from ESPN Deportes’ Enrique Rojas.

It’s unclear what the lack of a new agreement would mean. Some MLB teams are reportedly willing to let players participate in the winter leagues regardless of the agreement’s status, but Rojas suggests others are less open. Part of the concern apparently centers on a portal used to communicate transactions within the leagues that isn’t functioning, leaving MLB teams without access to immediate information.

The Caribbean winter leagues (in Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela) are scheduled to begin their seasons in mid-October.

The LIDOM (Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League) and LBPRC (Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League; Puerto Rico) are scheduled to play an All-Star Game at New York’s Citi Field on November 15. Without a new agreement, that game will likely be canceled.