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Archives for August 2022

Tigers Select Luis Castillo

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The Tigers selected the contract of right-hander Luis Castillo, the team announced today. Not to be confused with the longtime Red (and new Mariner), the 27-year-old Castillo will be making his big-league debut whenever he enters a game. He’ll take the roster spot opened when the club optioned fellow righty Bryan Garcia to Triple-A Toledo following last night’s game against the Rays.

It’s been a long road to the big leagues for Castillo, who spent a full five seasons in rookie ball after signing with the Diamondbacks out of the Dominican Republic. He made it to Triple-A Reno in 2021 before joining the Tigers in the offseason and has put together an excellent 2022 campaign. Across 38 innings between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo, he’s logged a 1.42 ERA while striking out 23.2% of the batters he’s faced.

Garcia, who’s appeared for the Tigers in each of the past four seasons, struggled with control in his recent stint with the big club, walking a full 24.2% of batters faced, including six in yesterday’s start against the Rays. While he managed to limit the damage — he has a 2.35 ERA in 7 2/3 innings this year — his 6.37 FIP tells a different story. For his career, Garcia owns a 5.73 ERA (5.76 FIP) in 75 1/3 big-league innings.

Angels Select Mike Mayers

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The Angels selected the contract of right-hander Mike Mayers, the team announced today. To make room for Mayers on their 40-man roster, the club transferred right-hander Michael Lorenzen to the 60-day IL. A spot on the active roster had been cleared last night, when the team optioned righty Janson Junk to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Though he’s had some success in an Angels uniform, 2022 has been a struggle for Mayers. The 30-year-old logged a 5.40 ERA (5.81 FIP) in 16 2/3 innings before accepting an assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake after he went unclaimed following a late-May designation. Things didn’t go much better for him in the minors, though he was stretched out as a starter. The righty notched a 6.27 ERA in 33 innings across 8 Triple-A appearances (all starts).

While he’ll be given another chance to establish himself in the majors, Mayers remains a strong non-tender candidate in the offseason, as he’d be in line for a raise from this year’s $2.15MM salary. Regardless, he should get an opportunity to latch on somewhere, as he’s pitched quite effectively in the fairly recent past, including a combined 105 innings of 3.34 ERA ball between 2020 and 2021. Across parts of seven seasons between the Cardinals and Angels, Mayers has struck out 24.5%  and walked 8.4% of the batters he’s faced (both a tick better than league average) and owns a 4.98 ERA (4.30 FIP) in 202 1/3 innings.

Marlins Activate Elieser Hernandez, Designate Aneurys Zabala For Assignment

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The Marlins have activated right-hander Elieser Hernandez from the injured list and designated Aneurys Zabala for assignment, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).

Hernandez has long been thought of as a potential rotation stalwart for the Marlins, but the 27-year-old struggled mightily to start the year. After nine starts and five relief appearances, Hernandez holds a 6.11 ERA (6.81 FIP) across 53 frames on the year.

It isn’t clear what Hernandez’s role will be upon his return. He could be asked to step into a rotation currently missing both Trevor Rogers and recent debutant Max Meyer. Should manager Don Mattingly prefer to move forward with Jesus Lazardo, Braxton Garrett, and Edward Cabrera behind Pablo Lopez and Cy Young contender Sandy Alcantara, though, he may instead slot into a bullpen that recently lost both Zach Pop and Anthony Bass in a deadline trade with the Blue Jays.

Something of a minor-league journeyman, the 25-year-old Zabala made his big-league debut this season and allowed no earned runs in 2 2/3 innings of action. He’s logged a 5.58 ERA in parts of eight seasons in the minors between the Mariners’, Dodgers’, Reds’, Phillies’, and Marlins’ systems. Should he clear waivers, he’ll likely head back to Triple-A Jacksonville, where he pitched 11 2/3 innings 10.03 ERA ball early in the season.

Tyler Stephenson Likely To Miss Rest Of Season

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Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson will likely miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to stabilize a fractured clavicle, writes Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Stephenson was previously expected to be out at last until September, but it’s now clear that his 2022 season is probably over.

In the short term, this does little to impact Cincinnati’s stature, as the last-place Reds have little hope to enter the postseason picture this season. It does, however, cement some playing time for Stephenson’s understudies, Michael Papierski, Austin Romine, and Mark Kolozsvary, the latter of which is currently in Triple-A.

The Reds know what they have in Stephenson, and Romine, for that matter, an established veteran backup. But they can use the rest of this season to evaluate Papierski and Kolozsvary in their capacities as a future partner for Stephenson behind the plate. Aramis Garcia, who is second on the team after Stevenson in plate appearances on the year, is also on the injured list.

For now, Papierski, 26, looks like the most likely to see significant playing time in Stephenson’s stead. Papierski was acquired from the Giants earlier this season after appearing in just five games for San Francisco, with whom he made his Major League debut. With Cincinnati, Papierski has appeared in 24 games, slashing .158/.250/.158 across 65 plate appearances so far this season.

Mets Place Tommy Hunter On 15-Day Injured List

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The Mets have placed right-hander Tommy Hunter on the 15-day injured list with lower back tightness, per Tim Healey of Newsday Sports (via Twitter). In his place, David Peterson has been added to the active roster. Peterson will start the first game of today’s doubleheader, while reliever Yoan Lopez was added to serve as the 27th man for today’s twin bill.

The veteran Hunter has appeared in the bigs in every season since making his debut with the Rangers in the 2008 season. Hunter, now 36, has gone on to suit up for the Orioles, Cubs, Guardians, Rays, Phillies, and Mets. He made four appearances last year for New York, all scoreless. This year, he has made 11 appearances with a 2.51 ERA/4.02 FIP across 14 1/3 innings of work.

With the Mets rotation now intact, it’s likely this is a spot start for Peterson, though that could certainly change. The towering southpaw has been a solid rotation option for manager Buck Showalter this season, making 13 starts and another four appearances out of the bullpen. In total, Peterson has a 3.54 ERA/4.04 FIP across 73 2/3 innings with a strong 27.5 percent strikeout rate, 11.2 percent walk rate, and career-best 53.2 percent groundball percentage.

Lopez’s previous time in the Majors with the Mets was marked by a suspension he picked up for throwing for his perceived targeting of Kyle Schwarber on May 1st. He made just seven appearances with the team, giving up four earned runs across 10 2/3 innings on 10 hits and five walks while striking out 10 batters.

NL Notes: Diamondbacks, Nationals, Reds

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The Diamondbacks have removed Mark Melancon from the closer’s role, writes Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic. Melancon was signed in the offseason to a two-year, $14MM deal, and there’s still value to be extracted from that deal, even if Melancon doesn’t return to the ninth inning. After all, Melancon may still receive some save opportunities, but the Diamondbacks will explore a situation-based approach for the rest of the season. Let’s check around the league for other roster updates…

  • The Nationals have released southpaw Josh Rogers, who elected free agency after clearing outright waivers. Infielder/outfielder Dee Strange-Gordon has also been granted his release. Strange-Gordon was in his second stint with the Nationals this season, but he requested a release after not being called up to the Major League club, per Bobby Blanco of MASNsports.com. As for Rogers, the 28-year-old began the year in the Nats’ rotation, making three starts before a move to the bullpen. In all, Rogers posted a 5.13 ERA/6.42 FIP over 26 1/3 innings.
  • Kyle Farmer’s run of 192 consecutive starts at shortstop will end with a move to the hot corner, writes Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Youngster Jose Barrero is getting the call-up from Triple-A, and he’ll be given the rest of this season to showcase his ability to be a regular at the position. Farmer, meanwhile, will move to third base and, in the long term, probably back into more of the utility role that he played for most of his career before taking over as the Reds regular shortstop in 2021. Farmer was a substantial defensive upgrade over Eugenio Suarez at the time, but his defensive metrics (-4 OAA, -1 DRS) at shortstop suggest there’s still room to improve for the Reds as a franchise.

Twins Notes: Smith, Sanchez, Cotton

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The Twins have released reliever Joe Smith, per Betsy Halfand of the Pioneer Press (via Twitter). The 38-year-old side-slinger appeared in 34 games for the Twins this season, pitching to a palatable 4.61 ERA. His usage was fairly protected, however, compiling only 27 1/3 total innings in that time, and his peripheral numbers suggest a performance that doesn’t exactly fall in line with his prolific career. Smith’s 6.29 FIP was the worst such mark of his career, and his hard hit percentage rose to 42.1 percent, well-above the league average mark of 35.7 percent.

Still, it’s certainly possible that, by pedigree alone, Smith catches on somewhere to finish out the season. Smith has appeared in every season since 2007 (except for 2020, for which he opted out), taking turns with the Guardians, Mets, Angels, Blue Jays, Astros, Cubs, and Mariners before suiting up for the Twins. His most stable function came as a setup man for the Guardians from 2009 to 2013, but particularly the final three seasons of that stretch in which he averaged 71 appearances and just under 66 frames with a 2.42 ERA/3.33 FIP and almost 21 holds per campaign.

In addition, right-handers Aaron Sanchez and Jharel Cotton have both cleared waivers and accepted assignments to Triple-A St. Paul, per The Athletic’s Dan Hayes (via Twitter). The pair could serve as depth for the rest of the season as the Twins make a push for the playoffs.

Cotton, 30, made 25 appearances covering 30 innings for the Twins this season, posting a disjointed 2.83 ERA/5.48 FIP, 21.5 percent strikeout rate, 11.1 percent walk rate, and 29.5 percent groundball rate. Sanchez, 30, made one start for the Twins and previously made seven starts for the Nationals. In total, the veteran has registered a 7.68 ERA/4.93 FIP over 36 1/3 innings for the two clubs combined.

Frankly, the Twins have enough pitching depth in Triple-A right now with players like Devin Smeltzer, Josh Winder, and Jovani Moran – all of whom remain on the 40-man roster – that the greater possibility is that Sanchez and Cotton simply help cover the innings load in St. Paul for the rest of the season. Not to mention, Minnesota has a number of arms on the injured list that could still return to bolster the Major League crew.

How To Acquire Players After The Trade Deadline

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Not long ago, every August at MLBTR kicked off by reminding longtime MLB fans (or explaining to new fans) how the dizzying rules regarding August trade waivers worked. It was a convoluted process — one that saw nearly every player in the league placed on revocable trade waivers at some point (heavy emphasis on “revocable”) — but one that front offices increasingly used as creative means to pull off significant acquisitions after the supposed “deadline.”

In reality, under the old rules, the first “trade deadline” was never the actual deadline — it just wasn’t as catchy to use the full term, “non-waiver trade deadline.” As time progressed, the month of August increasingly served as a means of swapping out higher-priced talents in waiver trades that were still quite noteworthy. If you’re seeing Justin Verlander, Andrew McCutchen, Josh Donaldson and others change hands in late August, just before the deadline for postseason eligibility, then was July 31 (or, in the case of this year, Aug. 2) really the trade “deadline?” Not so much.

Back in 2019, Major League Baseball opted to quash the ever-growing process of August roster reconstruction. The league put an end to waiver trades that often served as a means of teams hitting the “eject” button on notable contracts and saw larger-payroll clubs take on those deals simply because they possessed the financial wherewithal to do so. MLB implemented a more concrete “true” trade deadline that prohibited players on Major League contracts — or any who had previously been on Major League contracts earlier in the season (i.e. since-outrighted players) — from being traded after the deadline.

Does that mean teams can no longer acquire new players or address injuries as they arise? No, but their avenues to do so are substantially narrower. Here’s a look at how Major League front offices can still augment their roster now that the “true” trade deadline has passed:

1. Trades!

Wait, what? I thought we just–

Yes, we did. But it turns out that the “true” trade deadline is really only the “true” trade deadline for Major League players! Fun how that works, right? In all likelihood, you’ll still see several players change hands this month, they just won’t be very exciting. But, veterans who’ve been playing the entire season on a minor league contract and haven’t at any point been added to the 40-man roster or been on the Major League injured list are still fair game to be traded.

Will you see any huge, blockbuster names flipped? No, but could you see the Rays trade Chase Anderson (4.38 ERA in 74 Triple-A innings this season) or the White Sox trade Dan Winkler (3.60 ERA, 39 strikeouts but also 19 walks in 30 Triple-A frames)? Yes! It just can’t be in exchange for anyone who’s been on the 40-man roster or Major League injured list at any point in 2022.

Last August’s slate of trades saw a handful of recognizable names dealt: Delino DeShields (twice!), Brad Peacock, Dustin Garneau, Mallex Smith, John Axford and Andrew Vasquez were all on the move for either marginal prospects or the ever-popular “cash considerations.”

Just to speculate a bit — and we haven’t really seen this in the past, but it’s technically possible  — teams technically can engineer minor league trades, so long as the players involved have not been on the 40-man roster at any point in a given season. It’s doubtful we’ll see any top prospects change hands in this regard, but it’s not expressly forbidden, either.

And, just to rain on your parade, no — teams cannot game the system using players to be named later. The rules pertaining to the “true” trade deadline made sure to include the following language:

“The Commissioner’s Office will prohibit any transaction (or series of transactions) that, in the judgment of the Commissioner’s Office, appears (or appear) designed to circumvent the prohibitions of Rule 9(b).”

Nice try, folks, but don’t get your hopes up.

Just remember, anyone acquired after Aug. 31 isn’t postseason-eligible with his new club, so minor swaps of any relative note will likely take place before the calendar flips to September. (MLBTR has confirmed with a source that despite Opening Day being pushed back and the trade deadline falling two days later than usual in 2022, the postseason eligibility deadline remains 11:59pm ET on Aug. 31.)

It won’t lead to any exciting trades, but we’ll still see some trades this month. You’ll just have to wait until the offseason for the Shohei Ohtani, Pablo Lopez, Sean Murphy, Bryan Reynolds, etc. rumors to fire up.

2. Outright and Release Waivers

Revocable trade waivers are no longer a thing, but regular old outright waivers and release waivers are alive and well. Any time a player is designated for assignment now, the team’s only recourse will be to place him on outright waivers or release waivers. At that point, the other 29 teams will have the opportunity to claim that player … and the entirety of his remaining contract. Of course, a team doesn’t need to announce a DFA or even announce that a player has been put on waivers. It’s fairly common for a team to just announce that a player cleared waivers and was outrighted to a minor league affiliate without ever publicly declaring a DFA.

An important reminder on waivers now that it’s the primary means of acquiring talent from another organization: waiver priority is determined based on overall record (worst record to best record) and, unlike the now-retired “revocable trade waivers,” is not league-specific. If the Nationals want Dinelson Lamet, whom the Brewers designated for assignment this week, they’ll have first crack at claiming him off waivers; if they pass, the A’s are up next. Then the Royals. And so on and so forth.

Teams who didn’t find sufficient interest in veteran players prior to the trade deadline and thus held onto them could eventually place those players on outright waivers in August, hoping another club will claim said player and simply spare the waiving team some cash. This is likelier to happen late in the month — when there’s less cash owed on those veteran contracts. We did see a handful of these moves just last year. The Giants claimed Jose Quintana from the Angels. The Reds claimed Asdrubal Cabrera from the D-backs. This could also be viewed as a means of granting a veteran player on a non-contender the opportunity to join a postseason race.

As with any minor league trades, players claimed off waivers will only be postseason-eligible with their new club if claimed before 11:59pm ET on Aug. 31.

3. Sign Free Agents

Same as ever. Anyone who gets released or rejects an outright assignment in favor of free agency will be able to sign with a new team and, so long as the deal is wrapped up prior to Sept. 1, they’ll be postseason-eligible with a new team. It’s certainly feasible that a once-productive veteran enjoys a hot streak with a new club or fills a useful part-time role. Some team with suspect outfield depth and/or defense is probably going to sign Jackie Bradley Jr. for his glove alone once he inevitably becomes a free agent in a few days (no one is claiming the remainder of his $9.5MM salary and the $8MM option buyout on his contract). Didi Gregorius was just cut loose by the Phillies. Others will follow suit.

One key name to consider: former Mets All-Star Michael Conforto. The 29-year-old didn’t sign a contract last offseason after rejecting a qualifying offer, and it was eventually revealed that a shoulder injury sustained during MLB’s lockout period ultimately required surgery. Now that the amateur draft has passed, a team would no longer need to forfeit any draft picks to sign him. Agent Scott Boras said back in May that there was a chance Conforto could be Major League-ready by September, and Boras said after the draft that he’d heard from four clubs regarding Conforto. Whether a team actually signs Conforto, of course, will be dependent on the state of that surgically repaired shoulder.

Outside of Conforto it might be unlikely that this avenue results in acquiring an impact playoff contributor — but it also can’t be ruled out. The Braves’ acquisition of Eddie Rosario at last year’s trade deadline isn’t directly analogous, but Rosario was effectively dumped in the Braves’ lap for salary relief after hitting .254/.296/.389 in Cleveland. He spent several weeks on the injured list, then returned with one of the most torrid heaters of his notoriously streaky career, culminating in NLCS MVP honors.  Yes, that’s a trade, but we’ll still see teams hoping to “salary dump” veterans in similar fashion.

Point being: just as Rosario did, a veteran hitter who has underwhelmed elsewhere can still play a key role in a postseason push and even in a playoff series. Cody Ross can probably still eat and drink for free in San Francisco for the rest of his life.

4. Scour the Independent Leagues

Roll your eyes all you want, but the Atlantic League, Frontier League and American Association (among other indie circuits) are all teeming with former big leaguers. Need a speedy fourth outfielder who can provide some late-game defense and baserunning during September roster expansion? A platoon bat off the bench? An extra southpaw to stash in the bullpen? There will be experienced names to consider.

Matt Adams has 21 homers in 306 plate appearances with the Kansas City Monarchs. His teammate, former Tigers/Red Sox lefty Matt Hall, has a 1.24 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 51 innings. Fellow lefty Tyler Webb has had similar success with the Long Island Ducks.

Granted, teams aren’t likely to find a true impact player on the indie scene, but then again, people cracked jokes when the 2015 Red Sox signed then-35-year-old Ducks lefty Rich Hill. Seven years, 737 Major League innings and nearly $70MM later, Hill has the last laugh.

5. Look to Foreign Leagues

We don’t often see players return from the KBO, NPB or CPBL to sign with big league clubs midseason, but there’s precedent for it happening. There are also quite a few former big leaguers playing down in the Mexican League, creating another area for front offices to scout as they mine for depth options. Interest won’t be limited solely to former big leaguers, either. Back in June, the Mariners signed lefty Brennan Bernardino after a strong nine-start run in Mexico, watched him dominate through 12 2/3 innings in Triple-A Tacoma, and selected him to the Major League roster by the end of July. He made his MLB debut with Seattle on July 31. You never know.

Braves Sign Taylor Motter To Minor League Deal

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In a move that slipped past MLBTR’s radar at the time, the Braves signed Taylor Motter to a minor league contract last week. The utilityman had been released from a minor league pact with the Reds in mid-July, according to his transactions log at MLB.com.

Motter, 32, has been assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett with Atlanta. He’s spent the bulk of the year with the Reds top affiliate in Louisville, hitting .250/.340/.462 with eight home runs in 39 games. He walked at a strong 12.4% clip there while striking out at a roughly league average rate. Motter briefly earned a call to the majors as a virus substitute when the Reds played a series in Toronto, appearing in two games and collecting a hit in six at-bats.

That marked the fifth year in which the righty-swinging Motter has picked up some MLB time. He’s tallied 446 career plate appearances, hitting .191/.262/.309 with ten longballs and 13 stolen bases. The Coastal Carolina product has a quality .264/.354/.479 line in parts of six Triple-A campaigns. Between his upper minors success and ability to play everywhere on the diamond other than catcher and center field, Motter has played his way to the majors with six different teams.

The Braves have one of the game’s top infields, with Matt Olson, Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley all having strong seasons. Ozzie Albies has missed an extended stretch after fracturing his foot but is expected back either late this month or in early September. The Braves have relied on Orlando Arcia at the keystone in Albies’ absence, and they acquired Ehire Adrianza in a minor trade with the division-rival Nationals to fortify the bench depth. Motter adds some upper-level experience without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.

Austin Adams Undergoes Flexor Tendon Surgery

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Padres reliever Austin Adams underwent surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his forearm this afternoon, reports Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). It marks a disappointing end to a season that has been wiped out by a forearm strain he suffered in April.

The timetable on Adams’ recovery isn’t clear, but it may cost him a chunk of next season as well. Sanders likens the procedure to the one teammate Drew Pomeranz underwent last August. He’s been out for almost a calendar year and just embarked on a minor league rehab assignment a couple weeks ago. One can’t just assume players’ recovery processes will be identical, of course, but it seems as if the 31-year-old Adams could lose the bulk of the 2023 campaign.

The right-hander made just two appearances this season. Adams got into 65 games a year ago, working to a 4.10 ERA with a huge 31.5% strikeout percentage through 52 2/3 innings. He paired that swing-and-miss stuff with extreme wildness, however, walking nearly 15% of opponents and bizarrely plunking 24 batters. Adams led MLB in opponents hit by pitch, six clear of second-place Joe Musgrove, despite being a single-inning reliever.

Control woes notwithstanding, Adams could’ve worked his way into medium or high-leverage innings on the strength of his wipeout slider had he been healthy this season. Unfortunately, he’s instead spent the vast majority of the year on the 60-day injured list. Adams will be paid his $925K salary and collect a full year of service time. He’ll eclipse the four-year service threshold and remains arbitration-eligible through 2024. He wouldn’t be in line for more than a marginal raise next season if the Pads tendered him a contract, but they could elect to non-tender him and reallocate his spot on the 40-man roster over the winter if they anticipate he’ll miss the majority of the 2023 campaign.

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