4:45pm: Williams has elected to become a free agent after being outrighted, as per a team announcement.
8:29am: This transaction is still “in the works” at the moment, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter), but it appears the result will indeed be an outright assignment of Williams.
6:41am: The Orioles have outrighted outfielder Mason Williams, according to the International League transactions page. That comes in addition to four other recently announced 40-man roster cuts.
Williams turned in a strong 2019 effort at Triple-A, where he slashed .308/.371/.477 (117 wRC+) over 494 plate appearances. The Orioles added him to the big-league roster late in the season, giving him a brief shot at stating his case for a role in 2020. But the 27-year-old didn’t do much damage in an eleven-game stint.
Once a highly regarded prospect, Williams has yet to gain any traction at the game’s highest level. He has appeared in each of the past five campaigns but carries only a .286/.325/.382 slash in 234 trips to the plate. Having previously been outrighted, Williams can elect free agency.
this guy can never catch a break
More like he can never catch up to a fastball!
Psh. I don’t get it. They are a rebuilding team and although his numbers aren’t amazing they aren’t exactly terrible. Giving his former high prospect status id find a little more time to let him figure it out. They are the O’s and they are somewhat rebuilding. They are the type of team that can afford this for now. It’s not like the Astros who need to only have roster space for players who can actually contribute… idk. Easy decision to go after this kid for a minor league deal for almost any team. Marlins make a lot of sense to grab him also
to be fair, the one position where they have enviable depth is in the Outfield. Diaz, Santander, Mancini, Hays, Stewart, DS, etc.
How is he? 28? I hope he finds a team who needs him, but he’s not in the Orioles future.
I think Gary Thorne called him the next Ted Williams
Well… Heyward was once called the next Hank Aaron.
I don’t get this one. He seems like the exact type of guy they are looking to bring in. Lots of other ways to open a spot on the 40
One of the reasons for lopping off certain players from a 40-man is your assessment of the player’s possibilities. Many, many organizations have a Mason Williams somewhere in their system. And given where the O’s are right now, Williams likely wouldn’t mind re-upping with them on a minor league deal.
You could do far worse for a 4th OF, I’m a bit surprised that he hasn’t gotten really a opportunity. Heck I’d lop off around five players who got 100 ABs last year with the Orioles before I would have Williams…
solid skill set, he’ll land somewhere hopefully with a decent chance at an MLB roster spot
Mason Williams, the only player in MLB history to be considered a ‘prospect’ for almost a decade.
I agree with @darkside830. He can never catch a break. In the past those numbers got you a rotational start and definitely a bench spot. He’s a victim of analytics. The reds signed some lame named jankowski today instead of mason Williams . No comparison in numbers either.
He probably will end up in San Francisco to make a good pair with Yaz
If he’s not a pitcher we don’t need him. How many chances is this guy gonna get? Either take advantage of the moment or move on. We have a lot of good hitters in our farm system anyway. I don’t see this as a bad move.
He has 220 ABS in his entire big league career. I’m not sure he’s ever gotten a real shot.
And he has a .286 average in those 220
Cardinals will sign him to a minor league contract. That’s the type of players John Mozeliak likes to sign for depth on their 40 man roster.