The Guardians have signed right-handers Jerad Eickhoff and Riley Smith to non-roster contracts, according to an announcement from GuardsInsider (Twitter links). Both pitchers have been assigned to Triple-A Columbus. Cleveland also indicated that left-hander Daniel Norris went unclaimed on outright waivers after being designated for assignment earlier in the week.
Eickhoff, 33 next month, returns to affiliated ball in search of an eighth big league season. A former Ranger draftee who was sent to the Phillies in the Cole Hamels trade, Eickhoff broke in as a decent back-of-the-rotation arm in Philadelphia. He struggled between 2017-19 and has only gotten brief looks in the last two seasons.
After making five appearances with the Mets in 2021, Eickhoff took a lone start for the Pirates last year. He was hit hard in those stints, surrendering 34 runs in his last 24 MLB innings. Eickhoff had spent most of last season in Triple-A with the Bucs, posting a 4.96 ERA with solid strikeout and walk numbers (22.5% and 6.3%, respectively) through 114 1/3 frames. He’d been pitching in the independent Atlantic League this year, allowing a 6.16 ERA over 49 2/3 innings.
Smith made 30 appearances for the Diamondbacks between 2020-21. He owns a 5.04 ERA over 85 2/3 MLB frames. The LSU product spent last season in the Rockies’ system. An assignment to Triple-A Albuquerque, a brutal environment for pitchers, didn’t go well. Smith allowed an 8.06 ERA through 92 2/3 innings.
Whether Norris will join Eickhoff and Smith in Columbus remains to be seen. The veteran has more than enough service time to decline the assignment in favor of free agency. Norris signed a minor league contract in Spring Training. He posted a 6.93 ERA with middling strikeout and walk rates in 14 outings (nine starts). The Guardians called him up for a two-inning big league appearance earlier this week but quickly took him back off the roster thereafter.
Pretty clear message the Guards need AAA starting depth, are going to continue to lean on Bibee, Allen, and Williams going forward, and McKenzie is done this year and maybe more. Hopefully Cal Quantrill really can bounce back, otherwise the rotation will be thin too soon even if they stay healthy. The rookies are going to reach their inning limits quickly without a sixth starter.
Apparently the farm is starting to thin out. These are the kind of pitchers they stretch out in AAA and bring up when an injury or a double header starter is needed. Then cut after the game.
They have a lot of interesting arms at AA like Tanner Burns and Doug Nikhazy. I think the calculation here is such:
1. They don’t have a stash of ready-to-go starters below A ball, especially now that AZL has started. So they can’t just promote a bunch of guys because there’s be a hole at A ball
2. If you need to sign free agents anyway, might as well sign guys close to the majors who can burn innings because:
3. Inning limits on Allen, Bibee, Williams, and Cantillo are already likely to further stress Columbus’ depth. Adding guys who also would be on innings limits like Nikhazy/Burns would be untenable. Getting a stretched out guy who you’re not afraid to burn innings with is helpful in keeping everyone (including the bullpen) rested.
It’s not ideal, but it’s the reality when you lose 3 MLB starters (McKenzie, Quantrill, Plesac who is in AZL working on things), your first AAA guy up (Battenfield), one of your depth arms to waivers (Pilkington), had to convert a starter to relief because of bullpen injuries (Curry), are down two of your AA starters to injury (Espino, Leftwich), and the guy you usually use as a swing man at any level is currently suspended (Jamie Arias-Bautista).
Smith’s first AAA start was pretty rough. Three innings with 8 hits and 7 walks for the rare 5.0000 WHIP. Ouch
Eickhoff has always been one of those pitchers who can look like a Cy Young candidate one outing and then gets lit up for 9 runs in 2 innings the next.