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Dodgers Acquire Miguel Rojas

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The Dodgers bolstered their infield depth Wednesday evening, announcing agreement with the Marlins on a deal that brings in veteran infielder Miguel Rojas. Miami receives infield prospect Jacob Amaya in a one-for-one swap.

Rojas, 34 in February, actually made his MLB debut for the Dodgers in 2014 but was one of the seven players involved in a trade that December that saw him head to Miami. He served in a utility role for a few years but gradually took over the everyday shortstop job for the Marlins.

He hasn’t hit much in the majors, having only gone over the fence 39 times in his nine seasons. However, he has proven tough to strike out, only going down on strikes in 12.6% of his career plate appearances. For reference, the league average last year was 22.4%, so Rojas has been punched out at a rate barely half of that. The overall result is a career batting line of .260/.314/.358 and a wRC+ of 85, indicating he’s been about 15% below league average.

What really makes Rojas appealing is his glove. Last year, he got strong marks from all three of Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average. His 15 DRS was second among shortstops last year with only Jeremy Peña ahead of him. His 4.9 UZR was fourth-best in the league and his 10 OAA had him tied for fifth. He also finished second at the position in the Fielding Bible voting, trailing only Jorge Mateo. His sprint speed is only in the 29th percentile but he was still able to swipe 22 bags over the past two seasons. Despite the subpar batting, he’s been worth 1.2 wins above replacement or higher in each of the past six seasons, according to the calculations of FanGraphs.

Rojas had previously been connected to the Red Sox in the offseason but instead returns to Los Angeles. The Dodgers lost their incumbent shortstop when Trea Turner reached free agency and signed with the Phillies earlier this offseason. The club is expected to give Gavin Lux a chance to move from second to short and become the long-term solution there, but having Rojas on hand gives them a veteran fallback who can also potentially impart his veteran wisdom to the younger player.

Despite the attributes of Rojas, the Marlins have moved on. They’ve been known to be looking for more offense for quite some time given their struggles in that department. The team-wide batting line last year was .230/.294/.363 for a wRC+ of 88, placing them ahead of just five other teams in the league in that regard. The Fish tried to add a bit more pop to the lineup recently when they signed Jean Segura. It was speculated by some at that point that they would then move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to shortstop and install Segura at the keystone. Subsequent reports suggest the club actually planned to have Segura at third, while it appears Joey Wendle will get first crack at shortstop.

It’s possible the other player in this deal will be a factor at the shortstop position in Miami before long. Amaya, 24, was drafted by the Dodgers in 2017 and has been considered one of their more interesting prospects since then. Prospect evaluators have generally considered him to be an excellent defender but there are questions about his bat. In 2021, he spent the year in Double-A, getting into 113 games at that level. While he walked in 10.9% of his plate appearances, he hit just .216/.303/.343 for a wRC+ of 75. Despite that tepid showing, he was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November of that year to protect him from selection in the Rule 5 draft.

Last year, seemed to get the hang of Double-A, hitting .264/.370/.500 for a wRC+ of 120 in 49 games. He was sent up to Triple-A but hit another speed bump. He walked in 14.9% of his trips to the plate but his .259/.368/.381 line was only good enough for a 94 wRC+ in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He still has a couple of option years remaining, which would allow the Marlins to keep him in the minors to continue developing as a hitter. But since he’s already played in 84 games at the Triple-A level, it doesn’t seem like a major league audition should be too far off.

It seems the win-now Dodgers have placed a higher value on the immediate impact of Rojas than the future value of Amaya. The Marlins, meanwhile, have a longer path towards contention and would appear to have a stronger interest in Amaya’s ability to help them for years to come.

The Dodgers are reportedly assuming the entirety of Rojas’ $5MM contract for the 2023 season. They’re tacking on a matching number to their competitive balance tax calculation with Rojas in the final season of his two-year deal. That latter point is more important, since the payroll is well below the club’s spending over the past few years.

There has been some suggestion the Dodgers would like to get under the tax threshold this year in order to reset their status. The CBT features escalating penalties for paying it in consecutive seasons but the Dodgers could theoretically stay under the $233MM line this year and go into 2024 as “first-time” payors. They have been right around that border of late, at least per the unofficial calculations of Roster Resource. They’re now firmly over the line, projected around $237MM. If the club is indeed hoping to duck under the line, they would likely have to subtract another contract from their ledger between now and season’s end.

Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic was first to report the Dodgers were “deep in talks” with Miami about a Rojas deal. Craig Mish of SportsGrid was first to report the Marlins would receive Amaya in return. Jon Heyman of the New York Post confirmed the sides were in agreement. Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase was first to report Los Angeles was taking on Rojas’ entire $5MM salary.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Padres To Re-Sign Craig Stammen To Minor League Deal

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The Padres are in agreement with veteran reliever Craig Stammen on a minor league contract, reports Dennis Lin of the Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Stammen would lock in a $1.5MM base salary if he cracks the MLB roster, and the deal contains another $2MM in potential incentives.

It’ll be a seventh straight season in the organization for Stammen, who turns 39 before Opening Day. After spending his first seven years as a member of the Nationals, he spent the 2016 campaign in the minors with Cleveland. After that season, Stammen landed with the Padres on a minor league contract. That proved the start of a fruitful relationship, as he’s effectively soaked up a number of innings out of the bullpen over the last six years.

The righty pitched 80 1/3 innings of 3.14 ERA ball for the Friars during his first season. That earned him a two-year deal the following offseason. Stammen posted similar numbers over the course of that contract, throwing 161 combined frames with a 3.02 ERA for a total cost of $4.5MM. San Diego retained him on another two-year pact thereafter, this time with a $9MM guarantee and a $4MM club option covering the 2022 campaign.

Stammen struggled during the abbreviated 2020 season but rebounded with a 3.06 ERA over 88 1/3 innings the next year. San Diego exercised their option and brought the Dayton product back. Stammen ran into some uncharacteristic struggles last year, particularly thanks to the home run ball. He surrendered nearly two homers per nine innings and posted a 4.43 ERA over 40 2/3 frames. He missed a couple months in the second half thanks to inflammation in his throwing shoulder before returning to health in early September.

A ground-ball specialist, Stammen thrives on command and movement rather than overpowering velocity. He leans heavily on a low-90s sinker and upper-80s cutter to keep the ball on the ground. He induced worm-burners a bit more than half the time last year while only walking 5.6% of opponents. His 19.8% strikeout rate was a few points below league average, down more than three percentage points relative to his 2021 mark.

The non-roster pact means Stammen will have to earn his way back for a 14th big league campaign. He’ll get a chance to do so in Spring Training and presumably has a good shot at cracking the roster given his familiarity to the front office and coaching staff.

Red Sox, Greg Allen Agree To Minor League Contract

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7:15pm: Allen would receive a $1.4MM base salary if he makes the major league roster, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive (on Twitter).

6:43pm: The Red Sox and outfielder Greg Allen have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Kiley McDaniel of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee.

Allen, 30 in March, has appeared in the big leagues in each of the past six seasons. Initially a Cleveland draftee, he spent the 2017-19 campaigns there as a depth outfielder before being dealt to the Padres in the 2020 trade that sent Mike Clevinger to San Diego for a six-player package including Cal Quantrill, Austin Hedges and Josh Naylor. Allen would only appear in one game with the Padres and was designated for assignment the following offseason.

Traded to the Yankees, he spent most of the year in Triple-A after going unclaimed on waivers. The switch-hitter had a big season at the top minor league level to earn a brief MLB look, in which he hit .270/.417/.432 in 15 games. That was enough for the Pirates to take a flier when he hit waivers last offseason and the Bucs gave him his most extended major league run in three years.

Allen couldn’t maintain his 2021 form over a larger sample, hitting .186/.260/.271 with a lofty 31.3% strikeout percentage through 134 trips to the plate. Pittsburgh ran the former 6th-round draftee through waivers late last season. He cleared and elected minor league free agency at year’s end.

In exactly 800 MLB plate appearances, Allen is a .232/.299/.336 hitter. He’s hit 10 home runs with a below-average 5.6% walk rate. The speedster has been very effective on the basepaths, though, swiping 45 bases in 53 career attempts. That’s an excellent 85% success rate, including an 8-10 showing in 46 games with the Bucs last year.

Allen’s speed gives him the ability to cover all three outfield positions. Advanced metrics have been mixed on his work in center field. Defensive Runs Saved has pegged him 12 runs below average in a little less than 1000 innings at the outfield’s most demanding spot. Statcast, on the other hand, has rated him three runs above par in center. He’s drawn unanimously strong marks in the corners, particularly in left field.

Boston doesn’t have much upper level outfield depth, with Allen presumably battling Jarren Duran and potentially a future acquisition or two for a depth role behind Masataka Yoshida, Alex Verdugo and Enrique Hernández (who could also be thrust into a heavier infield workload thanks to the Trevor Story injury). Allen is out of minor league option years, meaning he’d have to stick on the active roster or be offered to other teams if he earns an MLB promotion at any point.

Red Sox Notes: Middle Infield, Rotation

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The Red Sox were dealt a brutal blow this week with the news that infielder Trevor Story, who’d been preparing for a move from second base to shortstop in the wake of Xander Bogaerts’ free-agent departure, required an internal brace procedure to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Story felt discomfort late last month when ramping up his throwing program, and subsequent testing revealed enough damage that surgery was required.

Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom met with reporters following the announcement yesterday, ominously declining to put a timeline on the injury while noting that a return in 2023, while not something that can be ruled out, is “not something, at this stage, that we want to bank on” (link via Julian McWilliams and Alex Speier of the Boston Globe). The prospect of losing Story for the entire 2023 season only further serves to create urgency for the Red Sox to strengthen their up-the-middle core.

Bloom acknowledged that even before Story’s injury, he’d been in the market for at least one up-the-middle player. The versatility afforded by both Story (who can play either middle infield position) and Enrique Hernandez (who can play second base and center field) left Bloom free to explore a variety of options. Now, likely needing a pair of external additions, it’d seem likely the Sox can cast an even wider net. Bloom, in fact, suggested that the search for up-the-middle additions “doesn’t even need to be limited to two” players, Speier tweets.

The center field market has been thin all offseason, which at least on paper would make a pair of infield additions an easier course to chart. The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey points out that Bloom implied that the preference may be for right-handed bats, given the glut of lefties already on the roster (e.g. Rafael Devers, Masataka Yoshida, Alex Verdugo, Triston Casas, Reese McGuire). That said, the free-agent market has already been largely picked over, so Boston won’t necessarily be able to be as selective as the front office might prefer.

There are still some right-handed-hitting middle infield options available in free agency, with Elvis Andrus, Josh Harrison, Donovan Solano and Jose Iglesias topping the list. On the trade front both Miami’s Miguel Rojas and Colorado’s Brendan Rodgers have at least been mentioned on the rumor circuit this offseason, though Rodgers only in connection with the Marlins’ bevy of MLB-ready young pitching.

Things are more sparse in center field, where the options are generally limited to veterans who could be available on minor league deals (e.g. Kevin Pillar, old friend Jackie Bradley Jr.). Bryan Reynolds, of course, headlines a thin trade market for outfielders. It should be further noted that the Sox aren’t likely to exclusively focus on righty bats, any such preferences notwithstanding. They’ve previously been linked to Marlins infielder Joey Wendle, for instance, and given the diminished state of the trade and free-agent markets, an openness to adding at least one other lefty bat gives them more flexibility.

Middle infield and center field aren’t the lone areas of focus for the Sox, either, as Bloom voiced a continued desire to acquire “impact” starting pitching — particularly arms who can be controlled for several years (Twitter link via Speier). That’s sensible, given that the current rotation — Chris Sale, James Paxton, Nick Pivetta, Corey Kluber and Garrett Whitlock — is teeming with uncertainty, even with a touted arm like Brayan Bello waiting in the wings.

The slate of middle-infield and controllable pitching needs does make the Marlins a natural fit in trade talks, though all indications have been that the Sox are reluctant to part with top prospects like Casas, Bello and Marcelo Mayer. That doesn’t close the door on a trade entirely, of course, but it certainly complicates matters. Other speculative trade partners with ample infield and/or rotation depth include the Brewers, Royals and Guardians.

Whatever path the Red Sox explore, they’re in a difficult situation. Needing a pair of up-the-middle position players at this stage of the offseason, with a thin set of options in both free agency and trade, is challenging enough. But the organization’s best trade chips are young, near-MLB-ready talents they’d prefer not to move, and payroll projections from Roster Resource put them only about $22MM shy of reaching the luxury threshold for a second straight season. Add in an ongoing search for controllable rotation help, and it’ll be challenging, to say the least, for the Sox to check all of their preferred boxes (controllable starter, multiple infield/center field options, hang onto top prospects, avoid repeat offense of luxury tax). Even if they’re able to do so, it’ll be a tough battle for them in a competitive AL East.

Diamondbacks Designate J.B. Bukauskas For Assignment

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The Diamdonbacks announced they’ve designated righty J.B. Bukauskas for assignment. The move creates a 40-man roster spot for Zach Davies, who has officially signed his one-year free agent guarantee to return to the desert. According to the team, Davies’ deal also contains a mutual option for the 2024 campaign.

Bukauskas was a first-round pick of the Astros in 2017 and appeared among Baseball America’s top 100 overall prospects the following spring. The University of North Carolina product was credited by scouts with a promising three-pitch mix that included a sinker, slider and high-quality changeup. Evaluators raised questions about how consistently he’d throw strikes thanks to a high-effort delivery, though, with many projecting a future move to the bullpen.

While Bukauskas worked as a starter up through Double-A, he’s indeed moved to relief in recent years. At the 2019 trade deadline, Houston sent him to Arizona alongside Josh Rojas, Seth Beer and Corbin Martin in the Zack Greinke blockbuster. Bukauskas made two Double-A starts the rest of the year and didn’t pitch in 2020 because of the cancelation of the minor league season.

After the 2020 campaign, Arizona added him to the 40-man roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He was called up for his major league debut that April and wound up pitching 21 times out of Torey Lovullo’s bullpen. He allowed 19 runs in his first 17 1/3 innings, thanks largely to the four longballs he served up. Bukauskas struck out 14, walked seven and missed bats on a slightly above-average 12.2% of his offerings.

Unfortunately, injuries have thrown off his attempts to carve out a permanent spot in the Arizona relief corps. Bukauskas missed roughly six weeks in 2021 thanks to a strain in his throwing elbow. More notably, he began last season on the 60-day injured list after suffering a Grade 2 strain in the teres major muscle in his shoulder. That kept him out of action until mid-July, when he was reinstated and optioned to Triple-A Reno. He pitched quite well in that hitter-friendly environment, working to a 2.66 ERA with a solid 23.8% strikeout rate and an excellent 5% walk percentage over 20 1/3 relief innings.

Despite that performance, Arizona never gave him a look in a floundering MLB bullpen in 2022. He’s now been squeezed off the 40-man entirely, with the Snakes having a week to trade him or try to run him through waivers. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bukauskas land elsewhere given his prospect pedigree and Triple-A performance last year. He still has a minor league option year remaining, so another team could keep him in Triple-A for a season if they’re willing to devote him a 40-man roster spot.

White Sox, Hanser Alberto Agree To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox have agreed to a minor league contract with free-agent infielder Hanser Alberto, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The CAA client will be in Major League camp as a non-roster player this spring.

Alberto, 30, spent the 2022 season with the Dodgers and batted .244/.256/.365 with a pair of homers, nine doubles and a pair of triples in 159 trips to the plate. The Dodgers declined a $2MM club option on the well-traveled veteran, instead choosing a $250K buyout and sending Alberto back to the free-agent market.

The 2022 season was the least productive of Alberto’s career, but he’s not far removed from a more respectable .292/.315/.411 showing in 1036 plate appearances split between the Orioles and Royals from 2019-21. Thanks to plus bat-to-ball skills (career 12.2% strikeout rate) but also one of the freest-swinging approaches (career 2.3% walk rate) of any hitter in baseball, Alberto can regularly be counted on for respectable batting averages with middling OBP marks. He’s lacking in terms of extra-base pop, which has also contributed to negating some of the value derived from his penchant for putting the ball in play.

Still, as far as bench infielders go, a career .272/.294/.380 is decent — and it should be pointed out that Alberto carries a much stronger .323/.341/.449 slash in his career against left-handed pitching. He’s able to play second base, shortstop and third base, and Defensive Runs Saved pegs him as above-average at all three spots. (Statcast’s Outs Above Average likes his left-side defense but has panned his work at second base.)

The White Sox are still in search of a clear everyday second baseman, with current in-house options including Leury Garcia, Romy Gonzalez and Lenyn Sosa. Alberto will add some depth and could win a spot on the bench to help out against left-handed pitching. It’s unlikely he’d slide into a strict platoon with the switch-hitting Garcia, though, as Garcia’s career numbers are better against left-handed pitching than against right-handed pitching himself. Both Gonzalez and Sosa, meanwhile, are right-handed hitters as well. That arguably creates some redundancy, but a quality, versatile defender who can put the ball in play isn’t a bad depth option to stash on the bench or in the upper minors.

Rockies, Austin Gomber Avoid Arbitration

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The Rockies and left-hander Austin Gomber have agreed to a $1.65MM salary for 2023 and thus avoided arbitration, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. This comes in just under the $1.8MM figure that was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. The Rockies subsequently announced that they have indeed signed Gomber to a one-year deal.

Gomber, 29, was a Cardinals draftee but he came over to the Rockies prior to the 2021 season as part of the Nolan Arenado trade. His first season with Colorado went well, as he made 23 starts and tossed 115 1/3 innings. He posted an ERA of 4.53 in that time along with a 23.2% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and 44.3% ground ball rate.

Last year, however, he wasn’t able to be quite as effective. By the middle of June, he was sitting on a 6.43 ERA through 12 starts. He spent more time in the bullpen from that point on, making five further starts and 16 relief appearances. He had better results in the second half and pushed his season down but it still settled at a high level of 5.56.

Disappointing results aside, Gomber crossed the three-year service mark and qualified for arbitration for the first time. He’ll get a modest raise this year and will be in line for two further trips through arbitration after that before reaching free agency. It’s possible he may get a shot to retake a rotation job since the club has been fairly quiet in that department this offseason. Antonio Senzatela suffered a torn ACL last year and will likely miss the beginning of the season. Until he returns, the rotation projects to be Germán Márquez, Kyle Freeland and José Ureña, with Gomber, Ryan Feltner, Peter Lambert and Noah Davis the candidates for the back end.

Phillies Outright Francisco Morales

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The Phillies announced that right-hander Francisco Morales has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He had been designated for assignment last week when the club signed Craig Kimbrel.

Morales, 23, was working in the lower levels of the Phillies’ system before the pandemic. His walks were on the high side but he showed plenty of promise down there nonetheless. Baseball America has considered him one of the top 30 Philly farmhands since back in 2018, and he even jumped up to the #4 slot in 2020.

The Phillies added him to their 40-man roster in November of 2020 to protect him from selection in the Rule 5 draft. Unfortunately, his command issues have gotten worse in the upper levels of the minors. In 2021, he split his time between Double-A and Triple-A but walked 15.5% of batters he faced and posted a 6.28 ERA. The club tried converting him to a full-time relief role last year but it didn’t help. He posted a 19.7% walk rate in the minors and also an incredible 28.6% rate in the majors. That latter number was in a small sample of just three appearances but still highlights the ongoing issue.

Morales will now stick in the system but without occupying a roster spot. Since this is his first outright and he has less than three years of MLB service time, he doesn’t have the ability to reject the assignment and become a free agent. He’ll start the year in the minors and try to better harness his stuff to get back onto the roster.

Trevor Kelley Elects Free Agency

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The Brewers announced that right-hander Trevor Kelley cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Nashville, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Kelley had been designated for assignment last week when the club acquired Bryse Wilson. Kelley has rejected the assignment and elected free agency, which was his right as a player with a previous career outright.

Kelley, 30, was drafted by the Red Sox in 2015 and worked his way up to the majors in 2019. He got into 10 games for Boston that year but posted an ERA of 8.64. The Sox put him on waivers and Kelley was claimed by the Phillies. He got another four appearances in 2020 but was shelled again with a 10.80 ERA in that short time and was outrighted at season’s end.

The Brewers signed him to a minors deal for 2022 and he was able to crack the club’s roster. He spent the season getting frequently optioned between the majors and minors. He posted a 2.36 ERA in 34 1/3 innings for Nashville with a 30% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate and 43.9% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, all those rate stats were a bit worse in his 23 2/3 major league innings, leading to a 6.08 ERA.

Kelley evidently didn’t find a club willing to give him a 40-man roster spot, but those solid results in Nashville could get him a minor league deal. Now that he’s a free agent, he can seek out the best opportunity for himself. If he eventually signs elsewhere and makes it back onto a roster someday, he’ll still have one option season and less than a year of MLB service time.

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