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Roberto Osuna, Chris Devenski, Dustin Garneau, Chase De Jong Elect Free Agency

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Astros Roberto Osuna, Chris Devenski, Dustin Garneau and Chase De Jong have elected free agency after clearing waivers, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

The most notable addition to the open market here is Osuna, whom the Astros outrighted earlier this week. Osuna has been excellent since he debuted with the Blue Jays in 2015, but he’s forever marred because of a domestic violence suspension in 2018. The Astros still traded for him that year, however, and they did benefit from his on-the-mound presence after that. But the 25-year-old’s future is now uncertain because of a right elbow injury that cost him almost all of 2020 and could force him to undergo Tommy John surgery.

The righty Devenski was a lights-out bullpen workhorse for the Astros in his first two seasons, including during their World Series-winning year in 2017, but the 29-year-old has since fallen on hard times. Not only has Devenski’s production taken a severe turn for the worse, but he threw only 3 2/3 innings in 2020 and is just over a month removed from undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow. He’s not expected to recover from that procedure until sometime in the winter.

The well-traveled Garneau, 33, signed with the Astros last winter and ended up seeing time as their backup catcher. Garneau hit a meager .158/.273/.289 with one home run in 46 plate appearances, though.

De Jong began the year in independent ball before the Astros acquired him from the Sugarland Skeeters on Aug. 3. That move didn’t prove successful for Houston, as the right-handed De Jong went on to allow a whopping 12 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings.

White Sox Decline Options For Edwin Encarnacion, Gio Gonzalez; Exercise Leury Garcia’s Option

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The White Sox have declined their club options for designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion and left-hander Gio Gonzalez, per a team announcement. The club has picked up infielder/outfielder Leury Garcia’s $3.5MM option.

Retaining Encarnacion would have cost the White Sox $12MM, but they’ll move on from him without having to pay a buyout. Conversely, Gonzalez will receive a $500K buyout in lieu of the $7MM salary he could have earned next season. These are hardly surprising decisions by Chicago, as both Encarnacion and Gonzalez disappointed after joining the White Sox in free agency last offseason.

While Encarnacion is one of the most prolific sluggers in recent memory, having totaled eight straight 30-home run seasons before 2020, this year was a nightmare for him. He continued to show above-average power (10 home runs, .220 ISO), but Encarnacion limped to a .157/.250/.377 line across 181 plate appearances. Considering he brings no defensive value to the table and will turn 38 before next season, it was surely an easy call to cut the cord for the White Sox.

Like Encarnacion, Gonzalez fell well short of his career-long track record as a member of the Sox. The 35-year-old has eight seasons of 30-plus starts under his belt, but he spent most of this campaign in the bullpen. Gonzalez wound up with four starts in 12 appearances and a 4.83 ERA/5.50 FIP with 9.66 K/9 against 5.4 BB/9 over 31 2/3 innings.

The White Sox could have bought out Garcia for $250K, but they’ll instead keep the versatile 29-year-old. While Garcia had an abbreviated season because of a thumb injury, he did slash a respectable .271/.317/.441 with three homers and a 14.3 percent strikeout rate in 63 trips to the plate.

Latest On Phillies’ Front Office, J.T. Realmuto

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Phillies president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail met with media members (including Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic, Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com) on Friday to discuss some of the key issues surrounding the club. For one, MacPhail had to address his own future with the franchise. The longtime executive confirmed that 2021 will be his last year in the majors, adding that it’s possible he’ll step down before the season ends.

For now, MacPhail is part of the Phillies’ search for a new front office leader. He doesn’t object to hiring a different president of baseball ops, though it may be quite some time before the Phillies bring in a new general manager to replace the reassigned Matt Klentak. In fact, it’s “likely” that interim GM Ned Rice will remain in the role in 2021, Zolecki relays.

No matter who holds the GM spot next year, Phillies fans surely want to see improvement after a ninth straight season without a playoff berth. They may be able to bolster their roster this winter via the open market, but MacPhail indicated that “he doesn’t expect any big moves in free agency until later in the process,” Lauber tweets. That could bode poorly for the Phillies’ chances of re-signing their No. 1 free agent, catcher J.T. Realmuto, who’s arguably the best position player available and someone who could sign one of the richest deals ever for someone at his position. Philadelphia does still have interest in bringing back, as you’d expect, though it seems unlikely to happen should the team avoid an aggressive offseason.

Cam Bedrosian Elects Free Agency; Mets Claim Jacob Barnes From Angels

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The Angels announced that they have outrighted righty Cam Bedrosian, catcher Jose Briceno and infielder Elliot Soto to Triple-A. Bedrosian has elected free agency in lieu of accepting the assignment. The team also lost righty Jacob Barnes to the Mets via waivers and reinstated fellow RHP Justin Anderson from the 60-day injured list.

Bedrosian, whom the Angels drafted 29th overall in 2010, debuted in 2014 and has been rather successful at times, evidenced by his 3.70 ERA/3.60 FIP across 277 2/3 innings. But the 29-year-old has seen his velocity tumble from the mid-90s to the lower 90s in recent years, including a career-worst 92.3 mph in 2020. Bedrosian still managed a 2.45 ERA/2.92 FIP this season, but he only threw 14 1/3 innings and logged the worst K/9 (6.75) and groundball rate (34.1 percent) of his career. The Angels would have owed Bedrosian a projected $2.8MM to $3MM in arbitration for 2021, his last year of team control.

Barnes is the first acquisition for the Mets since new owner Steve Cohen was approved Friday. The 30-year-old was a fairly effective reliever with the Brewers from 2016-18, but his run prevention numbers have gone off the rails with the Brew Crew, Royals and Angels since then. Dating back to 2019, Barnes has pitched to a 6.75 ERA and walked 4.62 batters per nine over 50 1/3 innings. He did, however, post a 24:4 K:BB ratio and average upward of 95 mph on his fastball in 18 frames in 2020.

Tigers Likely To Hire A.J. Hinch As Manager

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OCTOBER 30: All signs are pointing to Hinch becoming the next manager in Detroit. The parties are nearing an agreement on a three-year deal, report Lynn Henning and Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, one which could be finalized as soon as today. Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link) also hears that Hinch “is the choice” for the position.

OCTOBER 29, 9:51pm: There has been “substantial progress” toward a deal, reports Morosi, who adds that Hinch is in line to become the Tigers’ next manager.

OCTOBER 29, 8:23pm: The Tigers and Hinch are progressing toward an agreement, Buster Olney of ESPN tweets.

OCTOBER 29, 6:34pm: Hinch is the favorite for the job, per Morosi and Beck.

OCTOBER 29, 5:10pm: The Tigers interviewed A.J. Hinch for their vacant managerial position on Thursday, Jon Morosi and Jason Beck of MLB.com report. Hinch is one of several candidates known to have spoken with the Tigers as they seek a replacement for the retired Ron Gardenhire.

Hinch, a former major league catcher, gained major league managerial experience in the past with the Diamondbacks and Astros. His resume includes a terrific 570-452 record, three 100-win seasons and a World Series title with the Astros in 2017. However, a sign-stealing scandal has called into question Hinch’s accomplishments in Houston. The league suspended him for all of 2020 as a result of the Astros’ violations, and the team fired him shortly after that.

Hinch’s ban expired after this year’s World Series, so he is now eligible to return in a prominent role if a team is willing to hire him. The 46-year-old previously garnered interest from the White Sox as they sought a new manager, but they elected to hire Tony La Russa on Thursday. That leaves the Tigers and Red Sox as the only teams looking for managers, though Boston hasn’t shown any reported interest in Hinch so far.

Minor MLB Transactions: 10/29/20

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Rockies have outrighted RHP Joe Harvey, per a team announcement. This is the second offseason in a row that Colorado has outrighted Harvey, whom the club acquired from the Yankees prior to the 2019 trade deadline. The 28-year-old owns a 2.93 ERA with 11.0 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9 over 89 innings in Triple-A ball, but he hasn’t seen a significant amount of action in the majors so far. Through 21 1/3 innings as a Yankee and Rockie, Harvey has notched a 4.22 ERA/5.51 FIP with 8.02 K/9, 5.48 BB/9 and a 44.4 percent groundball rate. Harvey threw just three innings in 2020, though he didn’t allow a run or a walk in that stretch.

Orioles Outright 4 Players

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The Orioles have outrighted three hurlers –  David Hess, Branden Kline and Kohl Stewart – as well as infielder/outfielder Andrew Velazquez to Triple-A Norfolk, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to report. The right-handed Hess is now a  free agent, per Kubatko. Kline and Stewart have also elected free agency, the team announced.

Hess, an Oriole since they chose him in the 2014 draft, reached the majors in 2018 and wound up combining for 183 1/3 big league innings between then and the next season. However, Hess struggled to a 5.84 ERA/6.44 FIP with 6.97 K/9, 3.29 BB/9 and a paltry 33.7 percent groundball rate during that 44-appearance, 33-start span. Hess was barely a factor for this year’s Orioles, with whom he tossed seven innings of five-run ball.

The hard-throwing, right-handed Kline was a second-rounder of the Orioles in 2012, though he has only logged 46 innings and a 5.48 ERA/5.47 FIP in the bigs so far.

Stewart, the fourth overall pick of the Twins in 2013, saw his time in Minnesota slowed by injuries. The righty did combine for 62 innings of 4.79 ERA/4.80 FIP pitching as a Twin from 2018-19, but he struck out fewer than five batters per nine along the way. Stewart signed with the O’s last winter, though the Type 1 diabetic opted out of pitching in 2020 because of concerns over the coronavirus.

Velazquez, the lone position player in this group, became an Oriole when they claimed him from the Indians on waivers during the offseason. Although Velazquez did receive 77 plate appearances with Baltimore, he only mustered a .159/.274/.206 line and failed to hit a home run.

Brewers Decline Ryan Braun’s Option

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8:06pm: The Brewers have declined the option, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays.

7:57pm: Longtime Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun is now a free agent, according to the MLBPA. That suggests the Brewers have turned down their half of a $15MM mutual option for 2021 in favor of a $4MM buyout.

Because of Braun’s recent decline, it’s no surprise that Milwaukee is going this route. Nevertheless, it could bring an end to a fruitful Brewers tenure for Braun. He joined the organization as the fifth overall pick in 2005 and proceeded to turn into one of the most productive players in the history of the franchise.

From his debut in 2007 up until this past season, Braun slashed .296/.358/.532 with 352 home runs, 216 stolen bases and 43.9 fWAR over 7,340 plate appearances. Braun also racked up six All-Star nods, a Rookie of the Year and the 2011 NL MVP Award along the way, though the latter accomplishment has been tainted because of his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal.

Major League Baseball suspended Braun for 65 games in 2013 after finding that he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The ban cast a pall on what was an excellent career to that point, but Braun has been mostly productive at the plate since then. Injuries have taken their toll in recent years, though, and Braun is now coming off the worst offensive season of his career. The 36-year-old ended 2020 as a .233/.281/.488 hitter with eight home runs in 141 plate appearances, and he racked up almost as many appearances as a designated hitter (16) as he did an outfielder (20).

Braun said as recently as July that he’d like to continue his career in 2021, but that was before his troubles this year. He’ll now have to decide whether to continue in baseball, but if the universal DH doesn’t stick around next season, it won’t do Braun any favors should he seek another contract. Braun’s next deal (if there is one) won’t be especially lucrative.

Marlins Outright Pat Venditte, Mike Morin, Josh A. Smith

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The Marlins have reinstated pitchers Pat Venditte, Mike Morin and Josh A. Smith from the 60-day injured list and outrighted the trio to Triple-A, leaving the club with a 40-man roster, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald tweets. All three are expected to elect free agency, according to McPherson.

Because of a team-wide coronavirus outbreak early in the season, the Marlins had to scramble to assemble a bullpen, which helps explain why their relievers posted the majors’ fifth-worst ERA (5.50). Venditte and Morin were not part of the problem, though, albeit over a small number of innings.

The ambidextrous Venditte gave the Marlins 4 1/3 frames of one-run ball (unearned), allowed one hit, didn’t walk a batter and struck out 10. Morin was similarly effective, as he threw four scoreless innings with one hit and one walk, though he only posted two strikeouts.

On the other hand, Smith (not to be confused with Josh D. Smith, who was also a Marlins reliever in 2020) had immense difficulty keeping runs off the board. The right-hander recorded an ugly 6.84 ERA (with a more encouraging 4.67 FIP) and 6.15 K/9 against 3.76 BB/9 across 26 1/3 innings.

Yankees Pick Up Zack Britton’s Option

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The Yankees have exercised reliever Zack Britton’s option, thereby keeping the left-hander under contract for the next two years, Andy Martino of SNY reports. The team had been facing a decision over whether to pick up a $14MM option for 2022. Had the Yankees declined it, Britton would have had the chance to opt out of his contract immediately and become a free agent.

Prior to Thursday, it would have been hard to imagine the Yankees turning down Britton’s option. But things then took a dire turn for other veteran relievers, evidenced by the Indians placing Brad Hand on outright waivers and the Braves declining the option for Darren O’Day. Hand has a $10MM option for 2020, so someone could still pick him up for that sum, but the Braves decided against paying O’Day $3.5MM. On paper, those look like reasonable salaries for Hand and O’Day.

Likewise, $14MM in ’22 comes off as acceptable for Britton, a former Oriole who has continued to serve as a quality late-game option since the Yankees acquired him from their division rivals late in 2018. Britton was effective enough in his first taste of action with the Yankees that they re-signed him to this deal – a three-year, $39MM guarantee that will turn into a four-year, $53MM pact. The move has worked out for both sides, as the 32-year-old has used a ridiculous 76.3 percent groundball rate to post a 2.14 ERA/3.62 FIP in 105 1/3 innings as a Yankee. Based on this news, Britton will continue to be a key part of their bullpen going forward.

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