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•  Monday: HOF second baseman Joe Morgan passed away. He was 77. Morgan is one of the greatest second basemen of all-time. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies. However, he is most known for his production on the Reds, and one of the best lineups of all-time known as “The Big Red Machine.” He won back-to-back MVP’s in 1975 and 1976, while leading the Reds to back-to-back World Series titles. He’s a 10-time All-Star and 5-time Gold Glove award winner. While known for his play on the field, Morgan was also excellent in the booth. He and Jon Miller called games for ESPN from 1990 to 2010. He will definitely be missed, and we at IBI give our deepest condolences to the Morgan family. 

• Tuesday: San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his right heel. There is currently no timetable for his return.

• Wednesday: Los Angeles Angels catcher Max Stassi underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. It will take 4-to-6 months to recover, which potentially has him ready at the start of the season. 

• Thursday: The San Diego Padres are still deciding on the $3MM club option  for infielder, Mitch Moreland. They could buy out the option for $500K, but no decision has been made. It’s not a financial decision, it’s more of NL teams still potentially have the DH in the lineup.

• Friday: Toronto Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins has not ruled out putting outfielder,Vladimir Guerrerro Jr.at third base for some games next season. The team sees it as a potential Edwin Encarnacion type move when he moved from the outfield to the infield, and put up good defensive statistics with not as much responsibility. 

• Saturday: Colorado Rockies veteran outfielder Matt Kemp still wants to play “four or five,” more years. He’s entering his 15th season at the age of 36. 

• Sunday: The Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers will play in the 2020 World Series, which begins tonight. 

News and Notes

• According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Miami Marlins moved on from president of baseball operations, Michael Hill. It ends an 18-year run for his position in the front office. CEO Derek Jeter is currently in search of his replacement. 

• Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald report thated Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter intends to exercise the $12.5MM  club option of outfielder, Starling Marte. The buyout would have been for $1MM. 

• Philadelphia Phillies pitching coach Bryan Price retired. He just signed with the team a year ago. He currently coached for the Mariners, Diamondbacks and Reds.