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Phil Bickford

Cubs Sign Ryan Jensen To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs have signed right-hander Ryan Jensen to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been in the Twins’ system but was released a little over a week ago. The Cubs also released right-hander Phil Bickford, according to his tracker.

Jensen, 27, was a first-round pick of the Cubs back in 2019. On his way up the minor league ladder, significant control problems seemed to get in his way. From 2019 to 2022, he tossed 151 2/3 minor league innings with a 4.04 earned run average. He struck out 26.3% of batters faced and got ground balls on more than half the balls in play he allowed but he also gave out walks at a 13.1% pace.

Despite the control problems, the Cubs gave him a 40-man spot in November of 2022, not wanting him to be plucked in the Rule 5 draft. Less than a year later, he was on the waiver wire, getting claimed by the Mariners. He would subsequently go to the Marlins and Twins, also on waiver claims, until the Twins passed him through waivers in February of last year.

Along the way, the control problems haven’t improved. From the start of 2023 to the present, he has thrown 149 2/3 minor league innings with a 5.35 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate and plenty of ground balls but an 18.3% walk rate. The Twins have apparently given up but his original organization will take a flier and see what happens.

Bickford, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in the offseason. He may have triggered an opt-out in that deal because he has been dominant this year. He has thrown 27 2/3 innings for Triple-A Iowa with a 2.60 ERA, 34% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate.

He also has some good major league work on his track record. Over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he tossed 112 1/3 innings in the big leagues with a 3.85 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate. In 2023, he was still getting punchouts but his walk rate spiked to 12.8%. Last year, he only got a brief MLB look, which didn’t go well. He tossed 8 1/3 innings for the Yankees with an 8.64 ERA.

Photo courtesy of Chris Tilley, Imagn Images

Cubs, Phil Bickford Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs are in agreement with reliever Phil Bickford on a minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (X link). The Rep 1 Baseball client qualified for minor league free agency at the start of the offseason.

Bickford only made eight appearances at the big league level this year. He pitched 8 1/3 innings across two stints with the Yankees, allowing nine runs on 10 hits. The 29-year-old righty turned in solid numbers in Triple-A. Bickford worked to a 3.40 ERA with an excellent 30% strikeout percentage while limiting his walks to a 7.7% clip. While that didn’t translate in his brief big league look, the former first-rounder has shown the ability to miss bats at the MLB level.

Over parts of five big league seasons, Bickford sports an above-average 26.1% strikeout rate. He punched out a quarter of opponents across a career-high 67 1/3 innings between the Dodgers and Mets in 2023. That came with a personal-worst 12.8% walk percentage, though, and he allowed nearly five earned runs per nine that season.

The Cubs have an inexperienced bullpen with a handful of roster spots up for grabs. Nate Pearson, Porter Hodge, Eli Morgan, Tyson Miller and Keegan Thompson probably have Opening Day jobs secured. Chicago tendered a contract to Julian Merryweather, who is out of options. That gives him the inside track on a middle relief job if he’s healthy. That’d still leave two spots available. The Cubs will surely make additional moves to deepen the relief group over the winter, but it’s a solid landing spot for Bickford as he tries to pitch his way back to the big leagues.

34 Players Elect Free Agency

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As the offseason nears, a number of players elect minor league free agency each week. These players are separate from six-year MLB free agents, who’ll reach the open market five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Eligible minor leaguers can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season wraps up. These players were all outrighted off a team’s 40-man roster during the year and have the requisite service time and/or multiple career outrights necessary to reach free agency since they weren’t added back to teams’ rosters.

Electing free agency is the anticipated outcome for these players. There’ll surely be more to test the market in the coming weeks. We’ll offer periodic updates at MLBTR. These transactions are all reflected on the MiLB.com log.

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Yankees Outright Nick Burdi, Phil Bickford

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The Yankees have outrighted relievers Nick Burdi and Phil Bickford, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. Both right-handers were designated for assignment over the weekend when the Yanks reinstated Ian Hamilton and Clarke Schmidt from the 60-day injured list.

Burdi, 31, pitched 9 2/3 innings for the Yankees and allowed only two runs (1.86 ERA), but he also walked nine of his 45 opponents and plunked another pair. Put another way, he allowed 24.4% of his opponents to reach base without putting the ball in play, which obviously made that small-sample ERA feel rather unsustainable. The flamethrowing righty and former top prospect still sits 97.7 mph with his four-seamer, but Burdi’s career has been devastated by injuries and this year hasn’t been an exception. He was twice placed on the 15-day IL due to a right hip injury, eventually moving to the 60-day IL after the second of those two placements.

Burdi was the No. 46 overall draft pick in 2014, going to the Twins after a standout career as Louisville’s closer. Multiple arm injuries, including a pair of Tommy John procedures, have derailed him. He’s appeared in 31 big league games and tallied only 25 MLB innings, pitching to a 6.48 ERA with a big 32.5% strikeout rate but also a glaring 16.4% walk rate in that time.

Bickford, 29, pitched in an even smaller slate of 8 1/3 innings for the Yankees this year. He was tagged for nine runs (eight earned) on 10 hits and one walk with six strikeouts in that time. Another former top pick — No. 18 overall to the Giants in 2015 — Bickford had a big season with the 2021 Dodgers when he pitched 50 1/3 innings of 2.50 ERA ball out of the Los Angeles bullpen.

He’s been unable to replicate that success in the three seasons since, however, working to a combined 5.07 ERA in 136 1/3 innings while his fastball his dipped by a mile per hour and while his walk and strikeout rates have trended in the wrong direction. Bickford has a lifetime 4.62 ERA in 189 big league frames, but the entirety of his success has been confined to that excellent 2021 showing.

Both Burdi and Bickford can reject their outright assignments in favor of free agency. Even if they accept, they’ll be able to become minor league free agents at season’s end.

Yankees Reinstate Clarke Schmidt, Ian Hamilton; Designate Phil Bickford, Nick Burdi

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The Yankees announced that right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Ian Hamilton have both been reinstated from the 60-day injured list prior to today’s game with the Cubs, and Schmidt will take the ball as the game’s starting pitcher.  To create roster space, New York has designated right-hander Phil Bickford and Nick Burdi for assignment.

Schmidt was off to a tremendous start in 2024, as the former first-rounder and top-100 prospect had a 2.52 ERA over his first 60 2/3 innings of the season.  Unfortunately, that initial success was then cut short by a lat strain, and Schmidt hasn’t pitched in the majors since the end of May.  His work during a minor league rehab assignment (3.18 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings) hints that Schmidt has continued to stay in good form, but naturally the real test will come now that Schmidt is once again facing big league hitters.

With Schmidt returning today and Luis Gil throwing six shutout innings in his own return from the IL yesterday, the Yankees’ rotation is getting healthier for the stretch run.  The club’s plan is to move to a six-man rotation in order to both ease Schmidt and Gil back into action, and to give Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, and Nestor Cortes some extra rest.

In Cortes’ case, he will likely work behind Schmidt today in a piggyback capacity, and the next week or so could act as an unofficial competition between Cortes, Schmidt, and possibly Gil to see who retains a starting job once the Yankees return to a standard five-man pitching staff.  Obviously further injuries or under-performance from another starter might alter this plan for September and into the playoffs, but simply having more healthy arms available for now gives the Bronx Bombers some flexibility in figuring things out.

Hamilton’s recovery also impacts the bullpen picture, as the right-hander has been out since mid-June with a lat strain of his own.  Hamilton posted a 2.64 ERA over 58 innings in 2023 to seemingly cement himself as an important piece of the relief corps, but he ran into a few more stumbles with a 4.55 ERA across 29 2/3 frames this season.  It is worth noting that Hamilton allowed eight earned runs over his first 25 2/3 innings this year and then seven ER in his last four innings and four appearances before his IL placement, so it is fair to wonder if Hamilton was hampered by trying to pitch through injury.

Since Clay Holmes’ hold on the closer’s job is no longer stable, Hamilton could potentially get some high-leverage work if he returns in good form.  While Hamilton only has two career saves and it might be asking a lot for a pitcher to become a closer after such a long injury layoff, the Yankees figure to explore all options if Holmes can’t stabilize his performance.  Manager Aaron Boone also hinted that even Schmidt or Gil might get consideration as a late-inning reliever.

Burdi has also been through an injury-marred season, as recurring hip problems led to stints on both the 15-day and 60-day injured lists, limiting him to 9 2/3 MLB innings and 13 1/3 innings at Triple-A.  In essence, it has been more of the same for a hard-throwing pitcher whose career has been defined by a lot of strikeouts, inconsistent control, and unfortunately a lot of injuries — Burdi’s health record includes two Tommy John surgeries and a thoracic outlet syndrome surgery.

For Bickford, this is the second time New York has DFA’ed the veteran righty in the last three months, and he elected free agency after clearing waivers.  Bickford then re-signed with the Yankees on a new Major League contract and rejoined the active roster a couple of weeks ago.  One disastrous outing against the Blue Jays (five earned runs in two-thirds of an inning) on June 29 accounted for much of the 8.64 ERA Bickford has posted across 8 1/3 innings in the majors this year, and he has looked much sharper in the minors with a 3.00 ERA in 45 frames for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

If Burdi and Bickford each clear waivers, they have the ability to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A in favor of free agency, as both pitchers have previously been outrighted in their careers.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see either just re-sign with the Yankees on a new minor league contract, similar to how Bickford previously rejoined the club after his earlier DFA.

Yankees Sign Phil Bickford, Designate Michael Tonkin

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The Yankees announced that Phil Bickford has rejoined the team on a new Major League contract, and the veteran righty has been selected to the club’s active roster.  In the corresponding move, right-hander Michael Tonkin was designated for assignment.

Bickford first joined the Yankees on a minor league deal back in April, and after that contract was selected to the big league roster in late June, Bickford posted an ungainly 14.40 ERA in five innings over five appearances before New York designated him for assignment.  Upon clearing waivers in July, Bickford opted for free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A, and he’ll now head back to the Bronx after a little less than eight weeks on the open market.

A veteran of five Major League seasons, Bickford’s high point was the 2.81 ERA he posted over 51 1/3 relief innings for the Brewers and Dodger in 2021.  Since that season, Bickford has a 5.20 ERA in 133 1/3 innings with the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees, along with a 25.3% strikeout rate and 9.3% walk rate.

There isn’t much to like about Bickford’s recent MLB track record, but he did pitch quite well at the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate this season, so the club had enough comfort in Bickford to sign him to a guaranteed deal.  Bickford is out of minor league options, and thus would have to be designated for assignment if New York wanted to move him down to Triple-A again.

On the surface, replacing Tonkin with Bickford seems like a curious move since Tonkin has a 3.38 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate, and 9.1% walk rate in 56 relief innings for the New York bullpen this season.  While the overall numbers are solid, however, Tonkin has a 9.39 ERA in his last 7 2/3 innings, and has been charged with multiple runs in three of his last five appearances.  This includes two runs allowed over 1 2/3 innings in yesterday’s 9-2 Yankees loss to the Rockies, so today’s transaction could be a way to get Bickford’s fresher arm into the bullpen.

Tonkin is also out of minor league options, which relates to the transactional carousel that has largely defined his 2024 season.  He signed a $1MM split contract with the Mets in the offsesason, then went to the Twins (his original MLB team) after being DFA’ed in April, but was claimed back by the Mets shortly thereafter when Minnesota also designated Tonkin.  He hit the waiver wire yet again less than a week later and was claimed by the Yankees, and Tonkin then achieved some stability with an extended stretch of time in the Bronx bullpen before now again entering DFA limbo.  If he clears waivers, Tonkin can elect free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A, but he would have to give up the remainder of his guaranteed salary.

Phil Bickford Elects Free Agency Following DFA By Yankees

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Reliever Phil Bickford elected free agency in lieu of an outright assignment by the Yankees, according to a team announcement. New York had designated the right-hander for assignment on Sunday. He evidently cleared waivers.

Bickford only spent a little more than a week on the MLB roster. He signed a minor league pact in early April after being released by the Mets at the end of camp. The former first-rounder pitched to a 2.93 ERA across 27 2/3 innings with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He struck out almost 30% of opposing hitters against a 10.3% walk rate. That’s a few more free passes than ideal but isn’t unmanageable.

It was an impressive enough minor league showing to get Bickford a brief look in the Bronx. He couldn’t carry that over against MLB competition. Bickford worked five innings, allowing nine runs (eight earned) on eight hits and a walk. Bickford tossed scoreless outings in his first two appearances before allowing runs in each of his final three games. That included a five-run outing against the Blue Jays on Saturday in which Bickford only logged two outs.

The 28-year-old (29 next week) topped 50 MLB innings in every season from 2021-23. Bickford managed a 2.81 ERA between the Brewers and Dodgers three years ago. He allowed nearly five earned runs per nine in the next two seasons, albeit with solid strikeout and swinging strike numbers. Bickford will likely sign another minor league deal in the next few days. The Yankees could look to bring him back, as it’s not uncommon for players to re-sign with their prior organization after declining an outright assignment.

Yankees Designate Phil Bickford, Select Josh Maciejewski

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The Yankees announced that right-hander Phil Bickford has been designated for assignment.  The move opens a roster space for left-hander Josh Maciejewski, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A.

Bickford’s own minor league contract was selected to New York’s roster just on June 21, and the veteran righty allowed eight earned runs over five innings (in five appearances) for an ugly 14.40 ERA.  The majority of that damage took place in Saturday’s game, as Bickford was charged for five runs in just two-thirds of an inning of relief work in the Yankees’ 9-3 loss to the Blue Jays.

Today’s move brings a fresh arm into the Yankees bullpen, and returns Bickford to the DFA wire for the third time in his career.  Bickford’s previous designations resulted in a change of uniform — the Dodgers claimed him off waivers from the Brewers in May 2021, and the Mets acquired Bickford as part of a deadline day trade last August.  Since Bickford is out of minor league options, the Yankees had to designate him and risk losing him on waivers before the club is free to outright him off the 40-man roster.

Maciejewski was designated and outrighted himself back in April, shortly after he made his Major League debut in the form of a single inning of relief work in New York’s 7-0 win over the Marlins on April 8.  A 10th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2018 draft, Maciejewski is more of a pitch-to-contract type of hurler than a strikeout artist, and he has a 4.95 ERA over 83 2/3 career Triple-A innings.  His second trip to the majors will see Maciejewski join Caleb Ferguson and Tim Hill as the left-handed options in New York’s relief corps.

Yankees Designate Victor González For Assignment

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The Yankees announced today that they have selected the contract of right-hander Phil Bickford, with left-hander Victor González designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Right-hander Yoendrys Gómez was also recalled, with a roster spot having been opened for him when right-hander Ron Marinaccio was optioned last night.

González losing his roster spot might come as a surprise, since his 3.86 earned run average on the year seems perfectly acceptable. But digging a little deeper, the numbers aren’t nearly as nice. He has issued 13 walks on the year compared to just 11 strikeouts, leading to respective rates of 13.4% and 11.3% that are both significantly worse than average.

His 55.1% ground ball rate is strong but his .149 batting average on balls in play is unsustainably lucky. His 5.93 FIP and 5.59 SIERA suggest that regression is coming, so perhaps the Yanks decided to quit while they’re ahead.

They will now have a week to trade González or pass him through waivers. Though his work this year has been fairly unimpressive, he could garner interest based on his past performance. He made 93 appearances for the Dodgers from 2020 to 2023, missing the 2022 campaign due to an elbow injury that required an arthroscopic debridement procedure. But in his time with the Dodgers, he had a 3.22 ERA, 23.2% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and 58.1% ground ball rate.

He exhausted his final option year in 2023, which likely motivated the Dodgers to flip him to the Bronx in the offseason alongside Jorbit Vivas for Trey Sweeney. That inability to send him to the minors will limit interest from other clubs, but he can be controlled through 2026, which may tempt some club to give him a shot. Since his service time count is between three and five years, he would have the right to reject an outright assignment if he clears waivers, but doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of his $860K salary.

His roster spot will go to another former Dodger in Bickford. The 28-year-old has had a strange offseason. Acquired by the Mets from the Dodgers in August of last year, he qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player.

He and the Mets didn’t agree to a salary, going to a hearing over a tiny difference. He and his reps filed at $900K while the club filed at $815K. He technically won that hearing but it wasn’t a real victory. Under the current CBA, arbitration salaries are guaranteed if the sides agree but not if there’s a hearing. The Mets would only owe him 45 days’ termination pay if they released him prior to Opening Day and they did just that.

That led to a minor league deal with the Yankees in early April, with a $1.1MM base salary in the majors, likely prorated based on when he was selected to the roster. Since signing that deal, he has tossed 27 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 2.93 ERA and 29.9% strikeout rate. His 10.3% walk rate is a tad high but the punchouts are clearly intriguing enough to get him back to the majors.

Those numbers are fairly comparable to his big league numbers in 2021 and 2022. Over those two seasons, he had a 3.85 ERA in 112 1/3 innings, striking out 27.8% of batters faced while walking just 7.3%. Last year, his strikeout and walk rates both moved in the wrong direction a bit to 25% and 12.8%, which led to his aforementioned transactions.

He is out of options and can’t be sent back down to the minors without first being exposed to waivers. But if he manages to stick on the roster, he can be controlled for three more seasons beyond this one.

Yankees Sign Phil Bickford To Minors Contract

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The Yankees signed right-hander Phil Bickford to a minor league deal, as announced by the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  Jon Heyman of the New York Post (X link) reports that Bickford will earn $1.1MM if he makes New York’s active roster.

Bickford is moving from one Big Apple borough to another, as the Mets just released the right-hander last week.  Bickford won an arbitration case (for a $900K salary in 2024) with the Mets in February, but as per the terms of the CBA, going to a hearing meant that the salary wasn’t fully guaranteed until Opening Day.  As a result, the Mets only owed Bickford around $217K, representing 45 days’ worth of termination pay.  The $1.1MM salary linked to his minors deal could be prorated based on the amount of time (if any) Bickford actually spends on the Yankees’ roster, yet between the Yankees’ money and the termination pay, Bickford might now be in line to make more than the $900K he was slated to receive if he’d just made the Mets’ active roster.

After making two MLB appearances with the Brewers, a trade to the Dodgers in 2021 seemed to inspire a breakout, as Bickford posted a 2.50 ERA, 29.5% strikeout rate, and nine percent walk rate over 50 1/3 innings out of the Los Angeles bullpen.  However, Bickford benefited from some BABIP and strand rate-related good fortune that year, and reality seemed to set in when he posted a 4.84 ERA in 128 1/3 innings with the Dodgers and Mets over the 2022-23 seasons.  L.A. dealt him to the Mets at last year’s trade deadline, and the Mets ultimately deemed Bickford expendable amongst the many other relief options they acquired this past offseason.

The Yankees are forever on the lookout for bullpen arms, and the team’s recent ability to get good results from multiple unheralded or off-the-radar relievers perhaps bodes well for Bickford’s chances at success if he makes the 26-man roster.  For now he’ll bide his time at Triple-A as depth in the event of an injury, or if the Bronx Bombers shuffle up their bullpen to move fresh arms back and forth from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

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