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Twins Sign Danny Coulombe

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February 7: The Twins have now officially announced the Coulombe signing.

February 4, 9:49am: It’s a one-year major league deal that comes with a $3MM guarantee, reports Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star-Tribune. Minnesota has a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move when the signing is finalized.

8:07am: The Twins have agreed to a deal with free agent left-hander Danny Coulombe, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The ALIGND Sports client’s contract is pending the completion of a physical. It’ll be the veteran reliever’s second stint in Minnesota.

Coulombe, 35, was with the Twins from 2020-22 and pitched quite well during that stretch. In 49 1/3 innings, he logged a 2.92 ERA while punching out 22% of opponents against a 9.3% walk rate. Those rate stats were both a bit worse than average, but Coulombe did a good job keeping the ball in the yard and avoiding hard contact during his original run in Minneapolis.

Despite that strong run and a big spring in 2023 (nine shutout innings, 13 strikeouts, four walks), the Twins somewhat surprisingly let Coulombe go to the Orioles. He’d been back in camp on a minor league contract, and rather than select him to the roster at the end of spring training, the Twins allowed Coulombe to use an upward mobility clause that granted him the ability to opt out of the contract if another club was willing to place him on the 40-man roster. Minnesota sent Coulombe to the O’s in exchange for cash, and the lefty gave Baltimore two excellent years in manager Brandon Hyde’s bullpen.

From 2023-24, Coulombe tossed 81 innings with a 2.56 earned run average. He showed greatly improved rate stats, fanning 28.4% of batters faced versus a tiny 5.4% walk rate. With the Orioles, Coulombe added a cutter, scaled back his usage of a four-seamer, scrapped his changeup and ramped up the usage of his sinker. It was a new-look pitch selection that’s helped him generate more whiffs and far more grounders. With a sinker sitting just under 92 mph, an 86 mph cutter and a 79 mph knuckle curve, Coulombe isn’t the prototypical power-armed reliever most clubs covet in today’s game, but the results in recent years speak for themselves.

Were it not for some elbow troubles last summer, there’s a good chance Coulombe might still be with Baltimore. The lefty underwent surgery in June to remove bone spurs from his left elbow — a procedure that shelved him until late September. He made it back to the mound and tossed 3 2/3 shutout innings with four strikeouts against two walks, adding a scoreless postseason appearance (two-thirds of an inning) for good measure. The Orioles, however, declined Coulombe’s $4MM club option and allowed him to become a free agent.

Coulombe will return to a bullpen that’s still sporting plenty of familiar faces for him, reuniting with Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Cole Sands and Jorge Alcala — all of whom pitched in the 2022 Twins’ relief corps. The Duran/Jax combo is one of the best one-two punches of any bullpen in the game, and the 27-year-old Sands had a breakout showing of his own in 2024, giving the Twins an outstanding trio of power arms who not only miss bats but show plus command.

One glaring area of need in the ’pen, however, was a reliable lefty. Kody Funderburk and Brent Headrick were the only southpaw relief options on the Twins’ 40-man roster. Neither has established himself in the majors yet. Minor league pickup/non-roster invitee Anthony Misiewicz gave the Twins another option but, like the other in-house candidates, lacks a consistent track record. Coulombe gives manager Rocco Baldelli at least one immediate left-handed option.

Duran, Jax, Sands, Alcala, Coulombe and out-of-options righties Brock Stewart and Michael Tonkin all appear like locks for the bullpen. Rule 5 pick Eiberson Castellano could make the club with a good spring showing, but the Twins are a win-now club in spite of a quiet offseason that’s seen them lie dormant amid payroll concerns and a potential sale of the team. Carrying a Rule 5 pick is tougher for a postseason hopeful, and Minnesota could opt to give that final ’pen spot to veteran Justin Topa (who has minor league options remaining) or out-of-options righty Ronny Henriquez if Castellano struggles during Grapefruit League play.

White Sox Claim Brandon Eisert, Designate Steven Wilson

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The White Sox announced Friday that they’ve claimed lefty Brandon Eisert off waivers from the Rays and designated right-hander Steven Wilson for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster.

Eisert, 27, made his big league debut last season as a member of the Blue Jays — he’d previously gone from Toronto to Tampa Bay in a cash swap following a separate DFA — and allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings. He spent the bulk of his season in Triple-A for a third straight year. Despite generally successful numbers there in seasons past, he didn’t get a big league look until 2024.

In three seasons with Triple-A Buffalo, Eisert posted a 3.83 ERA in 183 1/3 innings. The former 18th-round pick has set down 28.6% of Triple-A opponents on strikes against a tidy 7.9% walk rate. He’s consistently posted ground-ball rates between 42-44%, right around league-average, and allowed either 1.17 or 1.18 HR/9 in all three of those Triple-A campaigns. Eisert doesn’t throw hard, relying on a 90-92 mph heater as well as a slider and changeup that both fall in the 84-85 mph range. He’s consistently generated quality results in the upper minors, however, and has a pair of minor league option years remaining.

Wilson, 30, went from San Diego to Chicago as part of the Friars’ acquisition of Dylan Cease. He wasn’t a headline piece of the return by any means, but the Sox surely hoped that he could build off two solid seasons to begin his career as a member of the Padres’ bullpen. From 2022-23, Wilson totaled 106 innings of 3.48 ERA ball with a 25.4% strikeout rate, 10.9% walk rate, 1.19 HR/9, 27 holds and a save.

Things didn’t pan out as hoped. Wilson had multiple IL stints due to back strains, saw his fastball velocity dip from 94.5 mph to 93.4 mph on average, and served up eight homers in just 34 1/3 innings (2.08 HR/9). His 20.9% strikeout rate and 16% walk rate were both career-worst marks.

The Sox still tendered Wilson a contract after the season and came to terms on a $950K salary. That salary could now help him pass through waivers unclaimed, at which point the Sox could stash him in Triple-A. Wilson would have the right to reject an outright assignment to the minors in favor of free agency, but he’d have to walk away from his contract in order to do so. He’ll likely accept an assignment if it comes to that.

For the time being, the Sox will have five days to trade Wilson. At that point, he’ll need to be placed on outright waivers (a 48-hour process) if he’s to have his DFA resolved within the allotted one-week timeframe.

White Sox Outright Zach DeLoach

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The White Sox announced Friday that outfielder Zach DeLoach cleared waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Charlotte. He’ll remain with the organization as non-roster depth heading into spring training.

Acquired alongside righty Prelander Berroa and a competitive balance (Round B) draft pick in the trade sending Gregory Santos to the Mariners last offseason, DeLoach made his big league debut with the ChiSox last year but struggled in a small sample. He tallied 75 trips to the plate and managed only a .209/.293/.283 output. He was far better in Triple-A, slashing .287/.375/.410, but even that production represented a downturn from his 2023 levels with Seattle’s Triple-A club. DeLoach popped a career-high 23 homers in 2023 but saw that number plummet to seven in 2024.

DeLoach runs well, has experience in all three outfield slots and draws plenty of walks. He’s also been plagued by strikeout issues and is better suited for work in the corners — left field, specifically — than in center. Now that he’s passed through waivers, he’ll likely compete for a backup job in camp and will otherwise head to Charlotte to begin the season.

Chicago’s outfield mix is a mess and only figures to see further turnover, with Luis Robert Jr. standing as a clear trade candidate so long as he’s healthy. (And, if he’s not, that’ll only open more need in the outfield.) Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman will begin the year in the corners, with Austin Slater locked into a fourth outfielder role. Other outfield candidates on the roster include Oscar Colas and Dominic Fletcher, while Corey Julks and Calvin Mitchell will join DeLoach as non-roster invitees to spring training.

Luis Rengifo Wins Arbitration Hearing Versus Angels

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Infielder Luis Rengifo won his arbitration hearing against the Angels, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. He’ll be paid the $5.95MM figure at which he and his reps at the MVP Sports Group filed rather than the $5.8MM submitted by the team.

This marks Rengifo’s final trip through the arbitration process before reaching free agency next winter. The switch-hitting 27-year-old (28 later this month) has been a steady presence in the Halos’ infield for the past three years, batting a combined .273/.323/.431 in that time and improving his overall output each season along the way. This past season, Rengifo posted a hearty .300/.347/.417 with six homers and a career-high 24 steals in just 78 games/304 plate appearances.

Unfortunately for both Rengifo and the Angels, he missed nearly half the season with a wrist injury that twice sent him to the injured list — first on July 5 and then again on Aug. 3 in what wound up being a season-ending placement. That injury limited Rengifo’s earning power in arbitration and also ruled out any possibility of a summer trade. The Angels were more focused on trading impending free agents than players with control beyond 2024 anyhow, so perhaps he never would’ve been on the block, but the wrist issue also surely gave interested teams some pause.

Heading into the 2025 season, Rengifo looks poised to be the Angels’ primary second baseman. He’s comfortable all over the diamond, with 600+ innings at each of second, third and shortstop (plus another 238 innings in the outfield). Continued health troubles for oft-injured third baseman Anthony Rendon could see Rengifo slide back over to the hot corner, but yesterday’s agreement between the Angels and Yoan Moncada gives manager Ron Washington more options at the hot corner.

With Rengifo’s case now settled, the Angels have wrapped up this year’s arbitration dealings. They went 0-for-2 in hearings, losing to both Rengifo and outfielder Mickey Moniak. The Angels also exchanged figures with lefty reliever Jose Quijada, but the two parties managed to strike up a deal about a week after that exchange, negating the need for a hearing.

Tigers Designate Mason Englert For Assignment

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The Tigers have designated right-hander Mason Englert for assignment, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. He’s the corresponding move for Detroit’s re-signing of Jack Flaherty on a two-year deal, which the team agreed to earlier in the week and formally announced this morning.

Englert, 25, came to the Tigers as a Rule 5 pick out of the Rangers’ system back in 2022. He stuck on the big league roster all season in 2023 in a seldom-used long relief role. He appeared in only 31 of Detroit’s games that season and was roughed up for a 5.46 ERA. His results didn’t improve in 21 2/3 big league innings last year. The righty yielded a 5.40 ERA with very similar strikeout, walk, ground-ball and home run rates.

Though Englert has been hit hard in his 77 2/3 big league frames, he was excellent in the minors last year. The Tigers moved him to more of a short relief role, and in 41 2/3 Triple-A innings, Englert turned in a very strong 3.08 ERA with a massive 35.3% strikeout rate, an 8.2% walk rate and a 49.5% ground-ball rate. At a time when power arms are particularly en vogue, Englert’s 92.7 mph average on his four-seamer isn’t going to garner massive fanfare, but the results in the minors stand out nevertheless.

Add in that Englert still has two minor league option years remaining, and it seems like there’s a good chance another club’s interest could be piqued on a minor trade — or at the very least on a waiver claim. Englert’s blend of strikeouts, command and grounders in Triple-A last year is a general recipe for success. That he’s the roster casualty for Flaherty’s return speaks to the level in which the Tigers’ overall 40-man roster has deepened. It’s true that he lacks big league success, but his recent Triple-A work is far more interesting than that of most players who find themselves on the wrong end of a DFA. Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris seems to agree; asked during today’s media availability about the decision to designate Englert, he replied:

“I would love to keep him. I don’t know that we’re going to be able to. … I think Mason has really grown up as a pitcher since we drafted him in the Rule 5. He’s able to move his (pitch) shapes all around the zone. He’s very confident on the mound, and he is comfortable in any situation, so if we can find a way to keep him, I would love to keep him. I just don’t know that we’re going to be able to, because I imagine there’ll be interest around the league on him.”

The Tigers will have five days to work out a trade of Englert. After that, he’ll need to be placed on waivers (a 48-hour process) in order for his DFA to be resolved within the allotted window of one week.

Royals Sign Thomas Hatch To Minor League Deal

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The Royals announced Friday that they’ve signed righty Thomas Hatch to a minor league deal. The Moye Sports client will be in major league camp as a non-roster invitee this spring.

Hatch, 30, originally agreed to a one-year deal with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Doosan Bears back in November, but that deal fell through after the Bears raised some concerns about the right-hander’s physical. Since the Royals announced this deal, he’s already passed a physical with Kansas City.

Hatch spent the 2024 season with the Hiroshima Carp in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball but logged more time with their farm team (72 1/3 innings) than their big league club (22 innings). He struggled in his brief run with the Carp, yielding 18 runs with an 18-to-10 K/BB ratio and five homers allowed in those 22 frames.

From 2020-23, Hatch pitched at least one major league game per season. He totaled 69 innings between the Blue Jays and Pirates, logging a 4.96 ERA with a 19.7% strikeout rate, 10.7% walk rate, 46.9% ground-ball rate and 1.17 homers per nine innings. A disproportionate amount of his struggles came in his lone 2022 appearance; the Jays left him on the hill to take his lumps in a blowout where he clearly didn’t have his best stuff, and he was torched for 10 runs in 4 2/3 innings. Any pitcher looks better if you’re setting aside his worst outing, but that one nightmarish performance balloons Hatch’s career ERA from 3.92 in 38 other appearances to its current 4.96 mark.

Hatch has pitched in parts of three Triple-A seasons and sports a 4.49 ERA in 242 1/3 innings there. He’s worked both as a starter and a reliever in the upper minors and in the majors as well. That could put him in competition to win a swingman role with the Royals, or he could simply be ticketed for Triple-A Omaha to serve as rotation depth.

At the moment, Kansas City’s rotation is quite full — even after trading Brady Singer to acquire Jonathan India from the Reds earlier this winter. Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen give K.C. an experienced quartet on which to lean. The Royals are moving lefty Kris Bubic from the bullpen (where he thrived in 2024 as he returned from Tommy John surgery) back to his more typical rotation role in 2025. Righty Alec Marsh (4.53 ERA in 129 innings last year) gives them a sixth candidate, though he has a minor league option remaining. Kyle Wright, returning from 2023 shoulder surgery, is another option. Daniel Lynch IV, Jonathan Bowlan, Noah Cameron and Luinder Avila are all on the 40-man roster as well, but Lynch is the only one of the bunch with any MLB experience of note.

Nationals Sign Colin Poche To Minor League Deal

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The Nationals announced Friday that they’ve signed left-handed reliever Colin Poche to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training. He was non-tendered by the Rays earlier in the winter.

Poche, 31, has spent his entire big league career with the Rays to this point. He’s pitched in parts of four seasons, logging a collective 3.63 ERA with a sharp 27% strikeout rate, a 9.2% walk rate and a 30% ground-ball rate. His best season came in 2023, when he tossed 60 1/3 innings of 2.23 ERA ball while fanning about one-quarter of his opponents and issuing walks at a 9.8% clip.

Strong as Poche’s track record is, the 2024 season clearly wasn’t his best. He spent time on the injured list due to back and shoulder troubles, ultimately pitching only 37 1/3 innings. Poche’s 3.86 ERA was still solid, but his 21.6% strikeout rate was a career-low mark, while his 1.69 HR/9 rate was the highest of his career.

Poche’s four-seam fastball, which averaged 92.9 mph in his first three big league seasons, sat at just 91.2 mph in 2024, further suggesting that he wasn’t right physically. His slider was down about 1.5 mph from peak velocity, too, sitting at an average of 83.1 mph. Unsurprisingly, given the reduced stuff, he allowed more contact, recorded a career-low swinging-strike rate and saw opponents produce career-best exit velocity and hard-hit rates against him. The always cost-conscious Rays opted to move on a year early rather than pay Poche a projected $3.4MM salary in his final season of club control.

If Poche is back to full strength, he should have a good chance to not only make the Nationals’ bullpen but pitch in a key role. He’s been a high-leverage setup man for Kevin Cash in Tampa Bay throughout his career, logging 81 holds and a dozen saves in 225 career appearances (208 1/3 innings). Washington’s bullpen is lacking in experienced lefties — and, more broadly, just experienced relievers in general. Jorge Lopez and Derek Law are the only two Nats relievers with even two years of MLB service. Only one other, Jose A. Ferrer, even has one full year of service time.

Giants Acquire Osleivis Basabe

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The Giants acquired infielder Osleivis Basabe from the Rays in exchange for cash, according to announcements from both teams. Tampa Bay designated Basabe for assignment earlier in the week. The Giants already had an open 40-man spot to accommodate Basabe.

The 24-year-old Basabe’s only big league experience came back in 2023, when he totaled 94 plate appearances across 31 games and batted .218/.277/.310. That inauspicious debut came after a more encouraging .296/.351/.426 output (95 wRC+) in Triple-A that year. However, the 2024 campaign brought significant declines for Basabe in nearly every meaningful category. He spent th entire year in Triple-A Durham, hitting .248/.293/.336. Basabe’s walk rate dropped from 7.3% to 4.9%. His strikeout rate jumped from 15.5% to 18%. His average exit velocity dipped by nearly three miles per hour, while his hard-hit rate fell by a hefty eight percentage points.

Rough as the previous season was, Basabe is regarded as a solid defender who can handle shortstop, second and third. He ranked within the top 10 prospects in Tampa Bay’s system an offseason ago and has a minor league option remaining, so the Giants can send him to Triple-A without needing to expose him to waivers.

With Willy Adames at short, Matt Chapman at third and Tyler Fitzgerald at second, there’s no immediate path to Basabe logging any kind of consistent at-bats in the majors, even if he has a big spring showing. However, the Giants’ bench is far less solidified, and he’ll join Brett Wisely, Casey Schmitt and David Villar (among others) in competing for a utility role on Bob Melvin’s bench.

MLB Owners Approve John Seidler As Padres’ Control Person

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John Seidler, the brother of late Padres chairman Peter Seidler, was unanimously approved as the team’s new control person in a vote among the league’s other 29 owners, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The move will become official once the paperwork naming John the trustee of Peter’s trust is finalized in about a month’s time, Acee adds.

Padres ownership has been embroiled in a legal battle in recent months, as Peter’s widow, Sheel Seidler, has filed suit against her late husband’s brothers, alleging that they’ve breached fiduciary duty and committed fraud as successors of Peter’s trust. Sheel Seidler accused brothers-in-law Matt and Bob Seidler of selling assets to themselves “far” below market prices in an effort to consolidate control of the franchise and of violating Peter’s wishes that she serve as interim control person of the club before passing ownership onto the couple’s children at a later date.

Matt Seidler contested the suit in a formal response wherein he accused his sister-in-law of attempting to “manufacture claims against the Trustees in pursuit of the control that Peter intentionally chose not to give her.” Per Matt’s response, the trust has made numerous transactions, totaling tens of millions of dollars, benefiting Sheel and her children.

Sheel’s attorney suggested in a statement that the Seidler brothers have no evidence to support claims of wrongdoing by his client: “It’s ironic that they accuse Sheel — Peter’s wife of two decades and the mother of his three children — of misusing his assets, while at the same time they have reaped the benefits of Peter’s generosity for decades. The fact is, we will win in court because the defendants have shown they have no case.”

To date, Matt’s formal response to Sheel’s lawsuit is the only on-record comment provided by any of the brothers. John was not present for and has not issued comment on today’s vote. While John has now been approved by the league’s other owners, it remains possible that the forthcoming legal battle could yet impact the team’s ultimate ownership outlook. Any timeline on a resolution is impossible to predict. If the case is litigated in full and not settled outside of court, it could prove to be a yearslong process.

Giants, Lou Trivino Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Giants and right-handed reliever Lou Trivino have agreed to a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The Pro Edge Sports client will be invited to major league camp this spring.

Trivino, 33, hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2022 due to a series of arm injuries. He underwent Tommy John surgery prior to the 2023 campaign and missed all of the 2024 season due to ongoing inflammation in that elbow and a separate shoulder issue. He recently held a bullpen session for scouts — the Giants were among those in attendance — and seemingly has a clean bill of health. By signing in San Francisco, he’ll be reunited with his longtime manager in Oakland, Bob Melvin, at least for spring training.

When he’s been healthy and at the top of his game, Trivino has been a quality high-leverage arm. He throws hard, misses bats and picks up grounders at strong rates. From 2020-22, the righty averaged just under 96 mph on his four-seamer and sinker while pitching to a 3.76 ERA with a 24.5% strikeout rate, 10.4% walk rate and 48.7% grounder rate. In parts of five big league seasons, he’s tallied 37 saves and 52 holds.

The Giants recently shipped out one veteran reliever, lefty Taylor Rogers, in a trade with the Reds that looked to be more about cost-savings than improving for the upcoming season. That left Taylor’s twin brother, Tyler, and righty Camilo Doval as the Giants’ only two relievers with even two years of big league service. If he impresses in camp, Trivino can add a veteran option to a late-inning group that includes Tyler Rogers, Ryan Walker and Doval. Others in the bullpen mix include Sean Hjelle, Erik Miller, Landen Roupp, Tristan Beck, Spencer Bivens and Randy Rodriguez.

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