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Padres, Travis Bergen Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Padres have agreed to a minor league contract with lefty Travis Bergen, MLBTR has learned. He’ll head to Major League camp as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training.

Bergen, 28, posted a 1.69 ERA in 10 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays this past season, though he did so while walking more batters (eight) than he struck out (six). Bergen has seen time in the Majors in each of the past three seasons, totaling 38 2/3 innings of 3.96 ERA ball with a 21% strikeout rate but a 15.6% walk rate that’ll need to be improved upon if he’s to ultimately find some sustainable success in the Majors.

While Bergen has a shaky walk rate in the big leagues, command hasn’t been as much of a problem in the minors. In parts of six minor league campaigns, the southpaw has punched out an impressive 31.1% of his opponents against a much more palatable (albeit still higher than average) 9.6% walk rate. Bergen logged a 3.18 ERA in 22 2/3 innings with the Jays’ top minor league affiliate last year and, in a total of 129 1/3 minor league innings, he sports an excellent 1.95 ERA.

The larger problem for Bergen has simply been one of staying on the field. Despite being a 2015 draftee, he has just 168 professional innings between the big leagues and minors combined. Bergen suffered an elbow injury early in 2016 that eventually resulted in Tommy John surgery. He pitched just 23 1/3 innings between 2016-17 combined. Bergen returned with a terrific 2018 season in between Class-A Advanced and Double-A (0.95 ERA, 32% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate in 56 1/3 innings), which prompted the Giants to select him in the following year’s Rule 5 Draft.

As is often the case with Rule 5 relievers, Bergen was seldom used as the Giants tried to get through the season deploying him in low-leverage spots in an effort to retain his rights in future seasons. He tossed 19 2/3 innings in the Majors plus another 21 1/3 frames in the minors, where the Giants sent him for multiple rehab assignments while on the big league injured list. He made it two-thirds of the way through the big league season on the Giants’ roster before being returned to the Blue Jays.

In 2020, there was no minor league season, limiting Bergen to just 8 1/3 innings big league innings. Those came with the D-backs, who briefly acquired him in the trade that sent Robbie Ray from Arizona to Toronto. The Diamondbacks designated him for assignment the following spring and traded him back to Toronto for cash.

Assuming no further injuries pop up, Bergen will get his first crack at a healthy and (mostly) normal season since that 2018 campaign in the Jays’ system. The Padres are a sensible club to take a chance on his strikeout potential; Drew Pomeranz is on the mend from flexor surgery, leaving Tim Hill as the only lefty who’s currently assured a spot in new manager Bob Melvin’s bullpen.

Pirates Designate Eric Hanhold For Assignment

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The Pirates have designated right-hander Eric Hanhold for assignment, tweets Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The DFA opens a spot on the 40-man roster for righty Adonis Medina, whom the Pirates claimed off waivers from Philadelphia this week.

Hanhold himself was a waiver claim by the Bucs, coming over from the Orioles back on Nov. 3. The 28-year-old pitched in 10 games with Baltimore this past season and yielded nine runs (eight earned) on 13 hits and three walks with six strikeouts through 10 1/3 frames.

Hanhold had a solid showing between Double-A and Triple-A back in 2019, tossing 63 1/3 innings of 3.84 ERA ball. He did so with pedestrian strikeout and walk rates but a slightly above-average 48% grounder rate. His 2021 season was a struggle both in Baltimore and in Triple-A, though, as he pitched to a 5.19 ERA in 26 innings with Norfolk last year. Hanhold throws fairly hard (95.1 mph average heater in the Majors), and he’s generally done a nice job of keeping the ball on the ground and limiting walks in the minors. That hasn’t fully offset a career 19.2% strikeout rate, however. The Pirates will have a week to trade him, pass him through outright waivers or release him.

Red Sox Sign Travis Shaw, Deivy Grullon To Minor League Deals

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The Red Sox are bringing corner infielder Travis Shaw back to the organization on a minor league contract, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter). The Meister Sports is already in camp with the Sox and will compete for a roster spot in Spring Training. The Sox have since announced the signing, adding that catcher Deivy Grullon has also been invited to camp on a minor league deal.

Shaw, 32 next month, struggled through a second stint with the Brewers last season before setting out on another reunion — this one with the Red Sox following a waiver claim. After scuffling through 202 plate appearances with Milwaukee, he turned the corner and slashed .238/.319/.524 down the stretch with Boston, albeit in a tiny sample of 48 plate appearances.

A ninth-round pick by the Red Sox in 2011, Shaw enjoyed a productive four-year run to begin his big league career, hitting a combined .255/.333/.475 with 92 home runs, 101 doubles, three triples and 20 steals through 1971 plate appearances in Boston and in Milwaukee. It’s been a precipitous downturn since that point, though, evidenced by a .194/.289/.344 output in his past 700 trips to the plate.

The Red Sox are a primarily right-handed team at the plate, so Shaw will give them a veteran lefty to compete for a spot on the bench. There’s no true backup at first base in the event of a Bobby Dalbec injury — barring a promotion of top prospect Triston Casas — and Shaw gives the Sox a potential lefty bat to plug into the mix if Dalbec or designated hitter J.D. Martinez needs a breather.

As for the 26-year-old Grullon, he’s appeared in five big league games — four with the 2019 Phillies and one with the Red Sox in 2020. He’s gone just 2-for-12 in that tiny sample but owns a .260/.333/.482 slash 616 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. He’s probably fourth or even fifth on the organization’s catching depth chart, as each of Christian Vazquez, Kevin Plawecki, Connor Wong and Ronaldo Hernandez are on the 40-man roster already.

Padres Showing Interest In Luke Voit

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The Padres have cast a wide net searching for upgrades this offseason, coming up empty on a number of free agents and eyeing several who remain on the market. In his latest column, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic adds Yankees first baseman Luke Voit to the list of targets San Diego is considering. The Yankees are speaking with a number of clubs about Voit, though the identities of other teams and the odds of a deal coming together remain unknown.

Voit represents a unique trade chip for the Yankees, as he has batted a strong .271/.363/.520 (132 OPS+) since joining the club in 2018. Even last year Voit was able to produce at a .239/.328/.437 (109 OPS+) clip despite battling with knee problems and uneven playing time. A run of solid offensive production and three years of team control remaining (via arbitration) doesn’t change the impression that Voit appears to be a man without a home on a loaded Yankees roster, however.

Following their re-signing of first baseman Anthony Rizzo, the Yankees have an abundance of infielders, all of whom can lay claim to being more defensively valuable than Voit and his career -22 Outs Above Average mark. The 31-year old Voit also saw his strikeout rate spike to an untenable 30.7% mark last season that’s more than double apparent-replacement Rizzo’s 15.1% mark.

For New York, they may not have a specific aversion to Voit so much as they are looking to put more balls in play and back up their pitchers with more reliability. This is a team after all that had the sixth worst strikeout percentage, eighth worst batting average, and eighth worst team defense (per FanGraphs) in all of baseball last season. As a team with World Series aspirations it’s a defensible move to relocate a player that was a drain on all three team categories last season.

Enter the Padres. San Diego no doubt has the same World Series aspirations the Yankees do, but they also have a clearer path to playing time for an under-utilized Bronx bomber. Whereas New York has Giancarlo Stanton and a number of other slugging veterans filling their DH spot, the Padres are largely unequipped to fill theirs. Despite outscoring the Yankees last season, the Friars are in an optimal position to borrow some offense from the Yankees, with the added bonus of keeping their team defense intact.

A hypothetical Voit acquisition would strengthen a lineup that is thin on middle-of-the-order firepower after Fernando Tatis Jr.’s most recent injury. Projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $5.4MM in arbitration, Voit would also prove eminently affordable for a Padres club that’s about $10MM of payroll shy of incurring luxury tax-related penalties. That projected arbitration figure likely appeals to a handful of clubs, but for a San Diego team saddled with pricy contracts and limited free agent options, a displaced Voit may prove to be their best bet at improving team offense without emptying the farm or wallets.

Guardians, Ian Gibaut Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Guardians have agreed to a minor league contract with reliever Ian Gibaut, as announced by his reps at Fusion Sports Agency. The righty has suited up with three teams in as many seasons, including three appearances for the Twins last year. Outrighted off the Minnesota roster at the end of the season, he elected minor league free agency.

Gibaut, 28, has tossed 33 1/3 career innings in 27 appearances at the big league level. He’s pitched to a 5.40 ERA with a 22.5% strikeout rate and an alarming 13.9% walk percentage. However, Gibaut has averaged north of 95 MPH on his fastball in all three of his big league stints, and his 11.2% swinging strike rate isn’t far off the big league average for relievers.

The Tulane product was also a fairly well-regarded relief prospect as he climbed the minor league ladder in the Rays’ system. He has posted an ERA of 2.65 or lower at every level up through Double-A and owns a 4.31 mark over 117 career Triple-A frames. Gibaut has punched out nearly 30% of opposing hitters at the minors’ top level and he induced grounders on almost half the balls in play against him with the Twins’ top affiliate last year.

AL Central Notes: Twins, Royals, Greinke, Rosario,

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Zack Greinke is headed back to the Royals on a one-year deal worth $13MM, but Kansas City faced some competition from a division rival in securing his services. The Twins made a “strong push” to sign Greinke before he landed back in K.C., tweets Darren Wolfson of SKOR North radio. Wolfson speculates that in the end, the allure of returning to his original organization may have simply proven too strong for Minnesota or another organization to overcome once the Royals jumped into the bidding.

The Twins have been one of the most active clubs on the trade market since the lockout ended, but they’ve yet to make a serious move in free agency this offseason — either pre- or post-lockout. Minnesota has added Sonny Gray, Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez via trade and rolled the dice on an affordable Dylan Bundy flier ($5MM with a 2023 club option) in free agency, but there’s still work to be done in the rotation, at shortstop and in the bullpen. They’ve been talking to the A’s about lefty Sean Manaea and righty Frankie Montas, and they’ve also reportedly been in touch with Trevor Story about a potential deal.

Here’s more from the division…

  • Speaking of Greinke, the new Royals right-hander told reporters that he is not planning for the 2022 season to be his last, per Josh Vernier of 610 Sports Radio’s. It’s a welcome piece of news for fans of the enigmatic pitcher, who will gear up for his twentieth year in the Majors if he lands on an active roster in 2023. The longtime ace isn’t just looking to pad his Hall of Fame credentials either, as he’s coming off a season where he posted a useful 4.16 ERA in 171 innings. Though Greinke’s strikeout and home run rates trended in the wrong direction last year his ability to pound the strike zone and eat innings make up a skillset that will surely appeal to teams.
  • The Guardians have a huge need in the outfield and a massive stockpile of high-end middle infield talent on the cusp of MLB readiness, which has prompted a good bit of speculation about them trading for some outfield help. However, manager Terry Francona told reporters yesterday that he currently plans to have 2021 shortstop Amed Rosario split his time between short and left field, which could create some additional opportunities for that surplus of middle infield prospects (Twitter link via Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer). Rosario, 26, posted a .282/.321/.409 batting line in 588 plate appearances last season — spending the vast majority of his time at shortstop. He did see 123 innings in the outfield, mostly in center, with lackluster defensive ratings. It’s still possible that Cleveland will pick up some more established outfield help one way or another, but for now it looks like Myles Straw will reprise his role in center and be flanked by a combination of Rosario, Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado and top prospect Steven Kwan in the corners.

MLB, MLBPA Discussing Reinstating Extra Innings Ghost Runner Rule

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MARCH 17: The extra inning ghost runner is “trending back toward reality for the 2022 season” reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). Heyman adds that MLB has yet to make a call on reinstating the rule, but is listening to team managers who want to “avoid testing arms”, and thus would be in favor of the rule’s reinstatement, after a truncated spring camp.

MARCH 14: The extra innings ghost runner might be sticking around in Major League Baseball, report Jayson Stark and Matt Gelb of The Athletic.  Players, who “heavily support” this new feature from the last two seasons, tell the reporters they expect it to be enacted this week with the announcement of health and safety protocols.

Though the automatic runner on second base in extra innings was originally put in place as a COVID response, ultimately the players like it because it has mostly killed the marathon extra innings game.

Stark and Gelb note that the apparition may not necessarily appear in the 10th inning, but instead could surface in the 11th or 12th.  With the National League adopting the designated hitter this year, baseball traditionalists are doing plenty of grumbling this week.

Braves, Padres In Talks With Jorge Soler

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The Braves and Padres are “in talks” with free agent outfielder Jorge Soler, reports David O’Brien of The Athletic. These teams join the Rockies and Marlins as clubs who have had reported interest in Soler the past few days.

Atlanta doesn’t have a glaring need in its outfield after re-signing postseason hero and left fielder Eddie Rosario to a two-year contract yesterday. The birth of the universal DH however gives the team some wiggle room to reunite with another face from last year’s miraculous World Series run. Currently, non-roster invitee Alex Dickerson projects to be the team’s starting DH (per Jason Martinez of RosterResource), which shouldn’t prove too much of a roadblock for an earnest pursuit of Soler.

Complicating matters though may be the presence of recovering slugger Ronald Acuña Jr.. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulus told Jim Bowden of The Athletic today that the plan was for Acuña to work primarily as the team’s DH until garnering some outfield reps in late May. Given that the Braves outfield is currently full with Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall, and Marcell Ozuna, an Acuña-occupied DH spot may prevent talks with Soler from getting too far.

The Padres on the other hand have plenty of room for Soler on their roster. While their primary vacancy in the outfield is in left field, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to slide incumbent right fielder Wil Myers over to left and allow Soler to play in right field. More likely, however, is a plan in which Soler is plugged into the team’s DH position. In that event, non-roster invitee Nomar Mazara or the versatile Jurickson Profar could be in line for work in left field, barring further additions.

After failed pursuits of Freddie Freeman, Nelson Cruz, Seiya Suzuki, and the recent injury to Fernando Tatis Jr. the Padres are running out of ways to improve upon last year’s middling offense. With a luxury tax number near $219MM (per Roster Resource), San Diego may be hesitant to fork over a contract necessary to sign Soler however. Crossing the new luxury tax threshold of $230MM would incur additional penalties for a Padres team that crossed the threshold last season. MLB Trade Rumors pegged Soler for a three-year $36MM deal at the start of the offseason, a contract that would nudge the Padres right into penalty territory.

Turning to Soler, the right-handed hitter posted a middling .223/.316/.432 (97 OPS+) in 149 games between the Royals and Braves last season. Of course, the 30-year-old’s season turned around following his midseason trade to Atlanta, reminding many of his 48-homer campaign in 2019. In 242 plate appearances as a Brave, Soler posted a much sturdier .269/.358/.524 (128 OPS+), cranking that production up to .242/.342/.606 in 11 postseason games.

Soler’s superlatives largely begin and end with his bat, as his right field work continued to draw poor marks last season. Despite that, the dawn of league-wide designated hitting figures to land the reigning World Series MVP a solid contract from one of his suitors in the coming weeks.

Tigers Notes: Manaea, Montas, Greinke, Torkelson, Greene

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The Tigers have had an active offseason, acquiring Javier Báez, Eduardo Rodríguez, Andrew Chafin and Tucker Barnhart. They could still use some help at the back of the rotation, though, and they’ve been tied to a few starting pitchers in recent days.

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network tweeted last night that Detroit was among the teams in discussions with the A’s about Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea. It is widely believed Oakland will move one or both of those players, as the A’s have kicked off their long-rumored reboot since the lockout was lifted. Chris Bassitt, Matt Olson and Matt Chapman have already been shipped out. Manaea, entering his final year of club control, seems a lock to change teams. Montas has an additional year of control, but that was also true of Chapman and Olson.

Either would be a marked upgrade to the rotation, beyond a typical back-of-the-rotation acquisition. Manaea tossed 179 1/3 innings of 3.91 ERA/3.68 SIERA ball last season, his third sub-4.00 showing in four full seasons. Montas was even better, pitching to a 3.37 ERA in 187 frames with a strong 26.6% strikeout rate.

The A’s two starters may be the top two arms available to pitching-needy clubs. Every currently healthy starting pitcher who made MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents list entering the offseason has already signed. The Reds don’t intend to trade Luis Castillo or Tyler Mahle, leaving few obvious remaining trade candidates.

Detroit general manager Al Avila met with reporters (including Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press) this afternoon. He acknowledged that the market was “thinning out a little bit” but said the front office was “still trying to improve the team.” The Tigers were reportedly involved in the bidding for Zack Greinke before the six-time All-Star returned to the Royals on a $13MM deal. Avila confirmed as much today, saying “we were in the Greinke situation” but that the righty preferred to “(go) back to Kansas City and the place where he started.” Avila implied the Tigers were prepared to make an offer at least competitive with the Royals’ proposal but suggested Detroit was at a geographic disadvantage against their division rivals.

Asked about the possibility of acquiring one of the A’s hurlers, Avila said they’ve looked into making an impact acquisition via trade but expressed a desire “to be careful” in not parting with too much prospect talent. Montas, given his two years of control and superior numbers, would bring back more in return than would Manaea.

Speaking of top prospects, Avila addressed the status of Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene. Both young hitters are among Baseball America’s top five overall minor league talents, and each had excellent late-season showings with Triple-A Toledo last year. Whether either of Torkelson or Greene will make the Opening Day roster is one of the biggest questions for the organization.

Avila denied that service time considerations would play a role in whether to carry those players out of camp. “When a player is ready to come up, and the team is ready to go, there’s no reason to hold a player back. I was not taught that way,” the GM said, via Petzold. “I also believe I’m not arrogant enough to think that I could hold a guy back and we’re going to get by and we’re going to make the playoffs anyway. You got to go full bore from Day 1. Those few games at the beginning could mean everything at the end. That’s the way I was taught. Our decision is going to be to put the best team on the field where we can win and get to the playoffs.”

To be clear, that’s not a formal declaration that either of Greene or Torkelson will break camp. Avila said the front office will “know it when we see it” when asked about when those players will be ready for their debuts. There’d seem to be a real opportunity for either to open the year on the MLB roster. Putting Torkelson at first could allow Jonathan Schoop to kick back to second base, which might otherwise be manned by Willi Castro or Harold Castro. Greene could be an option for either left or center field, where he’d presumably be complemented by Akil Baddoo and Robbie Grossman, with Víctor Reyes moving into a fourth outfield role.

Angels Sign César Valdez To Minor League Deal

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The Angels have announced their signing of right-handed pitcher César Valdez to a minor league contract. The deal includes an invitation to Major League Spring Training camp.

Valdez heads to camp looking to land a job with a growingly deep Angels bullpen. This comes on the heels of back-to-back seasons in Baltimore, where he served as a force in 14 plus innings during the 2020 season. That year’s sharp 1.26 ERA came with an unsustainable zero home runs allowed however, and the right-hander’s ERA ballooned up to 5.87 in 46 innings (39 appearances) last season after serving up eight home runs. Valdez’s home run prevention abilities always figured to take a step back, particularly when he’s equipped with a fastball that averages just 85mph.

Valdez, who turns 37-years-old today, was designated for assignment by the Orioles at the end of last season and ultimately elected free agency. It makes sense that LA is taking a flier on the well-traveled Valdez, however. Despite last season’s rough bottom-line numbers, Valdez’s changeup ranked as one of the best in the game. Throwing his signature changeup 75% of the time, Valdez was a pro at getting opposing batters to swing at pitches outside of the zone, ranking in the 99th percentile of the league. Further, an uncharacteristically high .380 batting average on balls in play is likely to blame for some of the pitcher’s struggles. A 3.73 SIERA is the simplest metric to suggest that Valdez has plenty left in the tank.

The Angels are surely hoping for better batted ball luck this season, as Valdez can provide some extra innings in a bullpen that’s tasked with backing up one of the more fragile rotations in the league. Injury concerns and the delicate handling of reigning-MVP Shohei Ohtani should allow Valdez to soak up plenty of innings if he’s able to make the team’s Opening Day roster. Incredibly, Valdez has just north of two years of service time, meaning he can be controlled by the Angels for about as long as they’d like if they wind up catching lightning in a bottle with today’s pact.

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