Yankees Outright Duke Ellis
The Yankees announced that outfielder Duke Ellis went unclaimed on waivers. He neither has the requisite service time nor the previous outright necessary to become a minor league free agent.
Ellis, a Texas product, is a speedster who bounced around as a depth option. He played with the White Sox and Yankees this season and also spent time in the Seattle and Mets systems. Ellis got into 11 regular seasons games, mostly as a pinch runner. He collected his first big league hit in five at-bats. The Yankees gave him one more pinch-running appearance in October.
The 26-year-old will remain with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and should be in camp next spring as a non-roster invitee. Ellis has a middling .237/.323/.337 batting line in his minor league career, but his speed and ability to play all three outfield spots give him a chance to crack the roster as a fifth outfielder.
Mariners Select Blas Castano
The Mariners announced they’ve added righty Blas Castano to their 40-man roster. As a player with parts of seven seasons in the minors, he would’ve otherwise qualified for minor league free agency.
Castano gets a 40-man spot for the first time in his career at age 26. The Dominican Republic native spent six seasons in the Yankee system before joining the Mariners on a minor league deal in August ’23. Seattle can keep him in the minors for the foreseeable future, as Castano has a full slate of option years. They’d need to run him through waivers to take him back off the 40-man roster.
Seattle was impressed enough with Castano’s 2024 season to not allow him to get away. The 5’10” righty split the year between the top two minor league levels. He threw 125 1/3 innings of 4.38 ERA ball, striking out 20% of opponents against an 8% walk rate. They’re not dominant numbers, though he fared better in Double-A before moving up to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Tigers Decline Option On Casey Mize, Retain Club Control Via Arbitration
The Tigers declined their $3.1MM option on Casey Mize. That’s a procedural transaction, as Mize does not have the requisite six years of service to become a free agent. He remains under arbitration control and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $2MM salary. Detroit also outrighted Bligh Madris, Ryan Vilade and Bryan Sammons off the 40-man roster.
Mize took the ball 22 times this past season. The former first overall pick still hasn’t developed as hoped. He turned in a 4.49 ERA with a middling 17.3% strikeout rate. That limited his earning potential in arbitration. The modest $2MM projection means the Tigers will very likely bring Mize back to compete for a spot at the back of the rotation. He’ll be eligible for arbitration one more time before reaching free agency in the 2026-27 offseason.
Madris, Vilade and Sammons all played small roles for the Tigers in 2024. Madris and Vilade made a handful of appearances off the bench. Sammons, a rookie left-hander, pitched 27 1/3 innings of 3.62 ERA ball as a bulk pitcher. All three players can become minor league free agents.
Phillies Acquire Devin Sweet, Claim John McMillon
The Phillies announced they acquired reliever Devin Sweet from the Tigers and added him to the 40-man roster. Philadelphia also claimed reliever John McMillon off waivers from the Marlins and selected righty Alan Rangel onto the 40-man. The Phils dropped Kolby Allard, Yunior Marté, Freddy Tarnok, Luis Ortiz and Rodolfo Castro from the roster by running them through outright waivers.
Sweet had not been on Detroit’s 40-man roster. He was set to reach minor league free agency today. While Detroit evidently wasn’t going to select his contract, the Phils were intrigued enough to carry him on the roster. The 28-year-old righty posted big numbers for the Tigers’ top affiliate in Toledo. Sweet struck out almost 34% of Triple-A hitters and posted a 3.91 ERA through 76 innings. He has limited MLB experience, allowing 10 runs in 8 2/3 innings between two teams in 2023.
McMillon changes hands via waivers for the second time in a few months. Miami grabbed the 6’3″ righty from Kansas City in early August. McMillon pitched well over 10 appearances for the Fish but ended the year on the injured list with elbow tightness. The Texas Tech product has an earned run average approaching 5.00 over four seasons in the minors. He averages north of 95 MPH on his fastball, so it’s a low-risk flier on a pitcher with a decent arm and two minor league options remaining.
Rangel, 27, signed a minor league deal with Philadelphia in July. The Mexican-born righty tossed 29 1/3 innings of 4.30 ERA ball in a swing role in Triple-A. He didn’t miss many bats but showed solid control. Rangel, who has yet to make his big league debut, would have been eligible for minor league free agency again this winter.
Of the players coming off the roster, Allard and Marté had the biggest roles this year. The former worked as a depth starter and posted an even 5.00 earned run average through 27 innings. The latter was hit hard to the tune of a 6.92 ERA across 26 frames in a middle relief role. Ortiz made one appearance but missed the majority of the year to ankle and shoulder problems. Castro played in Triple-A, where he tore a thumb ligament in August. Tarnok didn’t pitch in the majors after the Phillies claimed him from the A’s in June.
Red Sox Issue Qualifying Offer To Nick Pivetta
The Red Sox issued a qualifying offer to Nick Pivetta, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (X link). MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, who first suggested a Pivetta QO was possible, added that Tyler O’Neill will not receive the QO. Pivetta and his representatives at CAA have until November 19 to decide whether to accept.
Boston’s decision comes as at least a moderate surprise. Pivetta has been a consistent source of innings but has never quite managed high-end results. He doesn’t have a single season with an earned run average under 4.00. Pivetta consistently posts fantastic strikeout and walk numbers, but a propensity for hard contact and the home run ball deals a hit to his overall results.
The Sox have yet to quite unlock Pivetta’s full upside. They’re willing to make a significant one-year commitment to take another shot. If Pivetta accepts the offer, he’d rejoin a rotation that’ll also include Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck and potentially Kutter Crawford and Richard Fitts. The Sox should welcome Lucas Giolito back from injury in the season’s first half. There’s a decent amount of depth, particularly if Pivetta returns, though the group is still lacking a true #1 arm.
Boston neither paid the luxury tax nor received revenue sharing this past season. That puts them in the middle tier of QO compensation. If Pivetta walks, the Sox would receive a pick between the end of Competitive Balance Round B and the third round in the 2025 draft.
Pirates Decline Option On Marco Gonzales
The Pirates declined their option on starter Marco Gonzales. There’s no buyout and it would have cost $15MM to keep him around. He’ll miss most or all of next season after undergoing flexor surgery in his throwing elbow. The Bucs also outrighted Ben Heller, Isaac Mattson and Daulton Jefferies off the 40-man roster.
Pittsburgh acquired Gonzales from the Braves in a move that amounted to a small salary dump for Atlanta. The southpaw made three decent starts to begin the year before it was tanked by injury. A forearm strain shelved him between mid-April and the All-Star Break. Gonzales only made four starts to close the month before going back on the injured list — this time with the injury that required surgery.
Gonzales closed the season with a 4.54 earned run average through 33 2/3 innings. He was limited to 10 starts and 50 innings by a forearm strain in 2023 as well. He’s probably looking at minor league offers this winter. The hope is that he’ll be able to recapture the solid back-of-the-rotation form he showed with the Mariners between 2018-22.
Heller, Mattson and Jefferies each made a handful of appearances for the Bucs this year. They all worked in low-leverage relief. None of them found much success in small samples. All three pitchers can elect free agency.
Mets To Issue Qualifying Offers To Severino, Manaea
The Mets are issuing the $21.05MM qualifying offer to both Luis Severino and Sean Manaea, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post (X links). There’s no surprise in Manaea’s case, though Severino was more of a borderline call. The pitchers will have until November 19 to determine whether to lock in that salary. That’ll give their representatives just over two weeks to gauge the market.
Manaea is coming off one of the better platform years of anyone in the rotation class. He turned in a 3.47 earned run average while striking out a quarter of opponents through a career-high 181 2/3 innings. The southpaw had an excellent second half that coincided with a dip in his arm angle and an increased use of his sinker. He’ll probably be limited to three-year offers as he enters his age-33 season, though those could come at a comparable annual value to the QO price. He shouldn’t give much consideration to accepting.
Severino could have a more interesting decision. The hard-throwing righty worked to a 3.91 ERA across 182 frames spanning 31 starts. It was a nice rebound from his terrible final season with the Yankees. Severino improved his ground-ball rate to 46% but didn’t find the kind of bat-missing ability that made him a high-end starter during his early days in the Bronx. He fanned 21.2% of batters faced while getting swinging strikes at a well below-average 9.4% clip.
The lack of whiffs could lead to trepidation from some teams. Severino has plus velocity and good control, though, and he proved capable of shouldering a full workload for the first time since 2018. With Manaea virtually certain to decline the QO, the Mets were willing to risk bringing Severino back on a decent one-year salary. They’re likely to find themselves in the top tier of luxury tax penalization next season. That’d entail paying a 110% tax, potentially putting them on the hook for more than $44MM.
If Severino declines the offer in search of a three- or four-year deal, the Mets would be in line for modest draft compensation. As luxury tax payors, New York receives the lowest form of compensation for losing qualified free agents. They’d get compensatory picks after the fourth round if Manaea and/or Severino sign elsewhere. The prospect value of those picks is minimal, but it’d tack on a few hundred thousand dollars to next year’s amateur signing bonus pool.
Image courtesy of Imagn.
Reds Issue Qualifying Offer To Nick Martinez
The Reds have issued a qualifying offer to Nick Martinez, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The QO is valued at $21.05MM. The right-hander declined a $12MM player option over the weekend to hit free agency for a fourth straight winter.
Wittenmyer reports that the Reds and Martinez have discussed a multi-year extension but haven’t gained much traction. Rather than risk losing him for nothing, Cincinnati made the surprising call to issue the QO. Martinez and his representatives at the Boras Corporation have until November 19 to explore the market before deciding whether to lock in what would easily be the highest salary of his career.
Martinez had an excellent first season in Cincinnati. The Reds signed him to a two-year, $26MM free agent deal. Martinez had pitched well over two seasons in a swing role with the Padres. He pitched in the same capacity for the Reds, starting 16 of 42 appearances. He logged a career-best 142 1/3 innings with a 3.10 earned run average. He has allowed fewer than 3.50 earned runs per nine in all three seasons since returning from Japan during the 2021-22 offseason. Martinez showed pristine control (3.2% walk percentage) and did a fantastic job avoiding hard contact. That mitigated concerns about how he’d adjust to hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.
Strong as that production was, the QO is a gamble for a team that doesn’t run huge payrolls. Martinez is headed into his age-34 season and would likely be limited to a three-year deal even if he weren’t attached to draft compensation. There looks to be a good chance he accepts the offer. The Reds spent around $90MM on player payroll this past season. If they end up a similar range in 2025, Martinez’s salary would account for upwards of a fifth of their spending.
That’s a lot to commit to a swingman, though it’d be more reasonable if the Reds wanted to give Martinez a full-time rotation job. He has been better out of the bullpen, as one would expect, though he was quite good in either role. Martinez posted a 3.84 ERA with a 19.1% strikeout rate out of the rotation. He turned in a sparkling 1.86 mark while fanning 22.5% of opponents across 53 1/3 relief innings.
The QO qualifies as a major league free agent contract. Article XX(b) free agents like Martinez gain full no-trade rights until June 15 of the following season, so the Reds couldn’t deal him this offseason without his consent if he accepts the offer. Cincinnati wouldn’t have made the offer if they weren’t prepared to welcome him back at that price.
If Martinez finds a robust market and is still able to land a notable multi-year contract, the Reds position themselves to land draft compensation. In the unexpected event that Martinez lands a $50MM+ deal elsewhere, Cincinnati would get a pick after the end of the first round in 2025. The likelier outcome is that a contract would be for less than $50MM, entitling the Reds to a pick between the end of Competitive Balance Round B and the start of the third round. Another team would forfeit draft pick(s) and potentially international signing bonus space to add Martinez. The penalties vary depending on the signing team’s revenue sharing status.
Image courtesy of Imagn.
A’s Claim Anthony Maldonado, Justin Sterner
The A’s announced they’ve claimed righty relievers Anthony Maldonado from the Marlins and Justin Sterner from the Rays. Both players had quietly landed on waivers last week.
Maldonado and Sterner each made their debuts this past season. Maldonado, 27 in February, has slightly more experience. He pitched in 16 games for Miami and allowed 12 runs across 19 innings. He struck out 11 while issuing seven walks. Maldonado showed better strikeout stuff in the minors, fanning 26.1% of batters faced over 46 1/3 Triple-A frames. While that came with a slightly elevated 10.8% walk rate and a middling 4.66 ERA, the A’s are evidently intrigued by his arsenal. Maldonado leaned most heavily on his mid-80s slider.
Sterner, 28, has all of two games of MLB experience. The BYU product tossed four innings of two-run ball with four strikeouts. He had a strong year with the Rays’ top affiliate in Durham. Sterner turned in a 3.28 earned run average over 46 2/3 innings. He punched out more than 31% of batters faced against an 8.9% walk percentage. Sterner used a fastball-cutter combination during his limited MLB look. Both he and Maldonado sat in the 93-94 MPH range with their heaters.
This was the first option year for both pitchers. The A’s can keep them in Triple-A for the foreseeable future if they stick on the 40-man roster.
Orioles Claim Rene Pinto, Thaddeus Ward
The Orioles have made a few tweaks at the back of the roster to start the offseason. Baltimore announced a pair of waiver claims: catcher Rene Pinto from the division rival Rays and right-hander Thaddeus Ward from the Nationals. Baltimore also sent veteran reliever Matt Bowman through outright waivers; he elected free agency. Finally, the O’s selected the contract of lefty reliever Luis González. That series of moves leaves them with 37 players on the 40-man roster.
Pinto opened this past season as Tampa Bay’s starting catcher. It didn’t take long before he lost that job. He only made 19 appearances before being optioned to Triple-A Durham. Pinto spent the bulk of the year in the minors and slumped to a .191/.257/.373 line over 230 trips to the plate. His broader minor league track record is quite a bit better. The Venezuelan-born backstop is a .253/.303/.487 hitter in his Triple-A career. He owns a .231/.263/.404 slash in 237 plate appearances against big league pitching. He joins Blake Hunt on the 40-man roster as options to back up Adley Rutschman, though an external acquisition still seems likely.
Ward, 27, pitched in 26 games for the Nats last year. Washington took him out of the Boston system in the Rule 5 draft. Like many Rule 5 picks, he struggled in his debut campaign. The UCF product posted a 6.37 ERA with nearly as many walks as strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings. Washington kept him on optional assignment to Triple-A for the entire ’24 season. Ward started 28 games but allowed a 5.64 ERA over 119 2/3 frames. He walked an untenable 17% of batters faced.
Bowman bounced around the league via waivers before finishing the year in Baltimore. The sinkerballer posted a 4.40 earned run average through 30 2/3 innings between four teams. He had a strong year in Triple-A and should have no trouble landing another minor league deal this winter.
As for González, he earns a long-awaited selection to a 40-man roster. He turns 33 in January and has yet to pitch in the majors. The Dominican Republic native has pitched in Japan, Mexico and even Italy during his winding career arc. He worked his way to the Orioles on a minor league deal and tossed 60 innings of 4.50 ERA ball with Triple-A Norfolk this past season. González punched out nearly 29% of batters faced while walking fewer than 5% of opponents.
Those underlying numbers evidently impressed the Baltimore front office. Rather than allow González to hit minor league free agency, they’ll give him a spot on the 40-man for now. If he holds that all winter, there’s a good chance he’ll make his major league debut next year.