Players Entering Minor League Free Agency
Major League free agents became eligible to sign with other teams on Thursday, but the minor league free agent market has technically been open since season’s end. MLBTR has published several posts detailing players who had already elected to become minor free agents, but Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (multiple links) has the full account of all the minor league free agents that officially joined their big league counterparts on the open market on Thursday.
This list details only players who have played in the Major Leagues, and whose minor league free agency hasn’t already been covered on MLBTR in the last month.
Athletics: Aaron Brooks, Carlos Duran, CD Pelham, Bryan Lavastida, Nick Martini, Alejo Lopez
Braves: Ian Anderson, Davis Daniel, Enoli Paredes, Amos Willingham, Brian Moran, Jonathan Ornelas, Chandler Seagle, Matthew Batten, Conner Capel
Orioles: Jakson Reetz, Livan Soto, Thaddeus Ward
Red Sox: John Brebbia, Isaiah Campbell, Mark Kolozsvary, Chadwick Tromp, Seby Zavala, Trayce Thompson
Cubs: Yency Almonte, Zach Pop, Caleb Kilian, Austin Gomber, Forrest Wall, Billy Hamilton, Joe Ross, Tommy Romero, Antonio Santos, Tom Cosgrove, Dixon Machado, Nicky Lopez, Carlos Perez
White Sox: Elvis Peguero, Kyle Tyler, Vinny Capra, Chris Rodriguez, Caleb Freeman, Joe Perez, Owen White, Andre Lipcius
Reds: Tejay Antone, Alan Busenitz, Buck Farmer, Josh Staumont, P.J. Higgins, Eric Yang, Levi Jordan, Edwin Rios, Davis Wendzel, Evan Kravetz, Adam Plutko, Charlie Barnes, Alex Young
Guardians: Riley Pint, Tyler Naquin, Parker Mushinski
Rockies: Xzavion Curry, Sean Bouchard, Owen Miller, Karl Kauffmann,
Tigers: Kevin Newman, Brian Serven, Jordan Balazovic, Nick Margevicius, Blair Calvo
Astros: Jon Singleton, Joe Hudson, Kenedy Corona, Greg Jones, Matt Bowman, Luis Contreras, Tyler Ivey, John Rooney
Royals: John Gant, Spencer Turnbull, Bobby Dalbec, Diego Castillo, Geoff Hartlieb, Jordan Groshans, Nick Pratto, Isan Diaz, Stephen Nogosek, Nick Robertson, Joey Krehbiel, Noah Murdock, Ryan Hendrix
Angels: Shaun Anderson, Brandon Drury, Yolmer Sanchez, Ben Gamel, Evan White, Cavan Biggio, Logan Davidson, Travis Blankenhorn, Oscar Colas, Kelvin Caceres, Dakota Hudson, Chad Stevens, Angel Felipe, Jordan Holloway, Victor Gonzalez
Dodgers: Michael Grove, Luken Baker, Giovanny Gallegos, Kyle Funkhouser, Chris Okey, CJ Alexander, Zach Penrod
Marlins: Jack Winkler, Lane Ramsey
Brewers: Luis Urias, Oliver Dunn, Julian Merryweather, Daz Cameron, Drew Avans, Josh Maciejewski, Jared Oliva
Twins: Jose Miranda, Anthony Misiewicz, Jonah Bride, Thomas Hatch, Daniel Duarte, Connor Gillispie
Mets: Joey Meneses, Jose Azocar, Joe La Sorsa, Gilberto Celestino, Ty Adcock, Bryce Montes de Oca, Yacksel Rios, Oliver Ortega, Luis De Los Santos
Yankees: Kenta Maeda, Jeimer Candelario, Rob Brantly, Andrew Velazquez, Jose Rojas, Joel Kuhnel, Wilking Rodriguez
Phillies: Matt Manning, Adonis Medina, Lucas Sims, Jacob Waguespack, Phil Bickford, Rodolfo Castro, Oscar Mercado, Brewer Hicklen, Christian Arroyo, Payton Henry
Pirates: Brett Sullivan, Nick Solak, Nelson Velazquez, Beau Burrows, Ryder Ryan
Cardinals: Zach Plesac, Anthony Veneziano, Tyler Matzek, Zack Weiss, Drew Rom, Aaron Wilkerson
Padres: Eguy Rosario, Tim Locastro, Reiss Knehr, Nate Mondou
Giants: Sean Hjelle, Miguel Diaz, Max Stassi, Sam Huff, Cole Waites, Drew Ellis, Ethan Small
Mariners: Michael Fulmer, Casey Lawrence, Collin Snider, Jesse Hahn, Nick Anderson, Josh Fleming, Austin Shenton, Jacob Nottingham, Beau Taylor, Cade Marlowe, Jack Lopez, Michael Mariot, Hagen Danner
Rays: Cooper Hummel, Jonathan Hernandez, Jamie Westbrook, Tres Barrera
Rangers: Omar Narvaez, Cal Quantrill, Ty Blach, Alan Trejo, Joe Barlow, Cory Abbott, Michael Plassmeyer, Alex De Goti
Blue Jays: Eloy Jimenez, Buddy Kennedy, Joe Mantiply, Elieser Hernandez, Rene Pinto, Adam Kloffenstein
Nationals: Francisco Mejia, Juan Yepez, Joan Adon, CJ Stubbs, Parker Dunshee, Erick Mejia, Adrian Sampson, Delino DeShields
Beau Taylor Retires, Joins Mariners’ Triple-A Coaching Staff
Former big league catcher Beau Taylor has retired, and taken a new role as the first base coach of the Mariners’ Triple-A Tacoma affiliate. An earlier version of this post indicated that Taylor had signed a minor league deal with the M’s, but as explained by Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto, Taylor has decided to wrap up his playing career.
Taylor was selected by the A’s in the fifth round of the 2011 draft, but did not make his big league debut with the club until 2018, when he slashed .200/.333/.400 in a seven-game cup of coffee with Oakland. Taylor spent the next two seasons bouncing between the A’s as well as both Toronto and Cleveland as a depth option behind the plate, appearing in just 18 big league games during that time. The catcher’s seven-game stint in Cleveland during the shortened 2020 season represents his most recent big league experience.
Since then, Taylor has spent time in the Reds, A’s, and Orioles organizations at the minor league level, most recently batting a decent .222/.365/.368 in 50 games split between Oakland and Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliates during the 2022 season. Taylor departed affiliated ball last year in favor of signing with the Atlantic League’s High Point Rockers and enjoyed a strong season in indy ball. Beau appeared in 77 games (catching 61) and slashed a strong .291/.386/.453 with nine homers and 16 doubles in 316 trips to the plate.
Athletics Sign Beau Taylor To Minor League Deal
The Athletics have signed catcher Beau Taylor to a minor league deal, reports Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. Taylor has been signed to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Taylor, 32, returns to the organization that drafted him, as the A’s selected him back in 2011. He worked his way up the minor league ladder and made his MLB debut with Oakland back in 2018. Since then, he’s also suited up for Toronto and Cleveland in the big leagues. He’s earned a reputation as a strong defensive catcher but hasn’t hit much at the MLB level so far, with a career batting line of .118/.237/.255, though in a small sample of just 25 games.
This past offseason, he signed a minor league deal with the Orioles after Adley Rutschman suffered an injury before the season began. Taylor himself dealt with injuries this year, however, and was only able to get into 23 games for the Norfolk Tides before being released just over a week ago.
For the A’s, Taylor will add an extra layer of veteran depth at the Triple-A level. The club has Sean Murphy and Stephen Vogt handling the catching duties in Oakland, though Murphy has been the subject of recent trade rumors. If the club were to pull the trigger on a deal before the August 2 deadline, that would likely lead to prospect Shea Langeliers getting promoted to the big leagues and Taylor taking over his spot on the depth chart.
Orioles Sign Beau Taylor To Minor League Deal
The Orioles have signed catcher Beau Taylor to a minor league contract, per a team announcement. He’ll head to Major League camp as a non-roster invitee.
The 32-year-old Taylor appeared in 75 games for the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021, tallying 234 plate appearances with a .232/.339/.333 batting line and four home runs. He didn’t get a call to the big leagues with Cincinnati and has just 60 Major League plate appearances under his belt in total, which he’s split between the A’s, Jays and Indians.
Taylor hasn’t hit much in his limited MLB time — 6-for-51 with a pair of homers and a double — but he’s posted a solid line in parts of four seasons in Triple-A, where a huge 14.5 percent walk rate has helped him to a .251/.366/.373 in 1032 plate appearances. Defensively, he’s drawn average or better marks both in pitch-framing and pitch-blocking in the upper minors, per Baseball Prospectus. He’s also thrown out 29 percent of would-be base thieves throughout 10 professional seasons.
The Orioles recently signed veteran Robinson Chirinos to a big league deal, and they have baseball’s top overall prospect, Adley Rutschman, knocking on the door to the big leagues. However, Rutschman recently incurred a triceps injury that will see him shut down for up to three weeks, thus prompting Baltimore to bring in a bit of extra depth. Taylor will join Jacob Nottingham and Anthony Bemboom as veteran non-roster invitees who’ve been signed by the O’s this winter. Baltimore also has a pair of in-house options, Brett Cumberland and Cody Roberts, who’ll be vying for opportunity as well.
Players Recently Electing Free Agency
We’ve seen dozens of players elect minor league free agency over the past couple weeks, and that has continued to be the case in recent days. We’ll round up a few more players who are hitting the open market here, courtesy of the Triple-A transactions trackers.
Players can qualify for minor league free agency in a few ways. The most notable of these include: players with 3+ years of MLB service time who have been outrighted off their teams’ 40-man rosters this season, players who have been outrighted off a 40-man roster multiple times in their careers, and unsigned players not on a 40-man roster who have spent parts of at least seven seasons on a minor league roster or injured list.
Each of this group of players has hit the market within the past week and not yet been covered at MLBTR:
- Shawn Armstrong (Rays)
- Jorge Bonifacio (Phillies)
- Mike Freeman (Reds)
- Edgar García (Twins)
- Chi Chi González (Rockies)
- Erik González (Pirates)
- Brody Koerner (Yankees)
- Brady Lail (Phillies)
- Ryan LaMarre (Yankees)
- Alex McRae (White Sox)
- Keury Mella (Pirates)
- Keynan Middleton (Mariners)
- Tommy Milone (Reds)
- Bryan Mitchell (Marlins)
- José Mujica (Rockies)
- Renato Núñez (Brewers)
- JT Riddle (Twins)
- Burch Smith (A’s)
- Mike Tauchman (Giants)
- Beau Taylor (Reds)
- Mike Wright (White Sox)
- Jimmy Yacabonis (Mariners)
Reds Designate Beau Taylor For Assignment
The Reds announced Monday morning that catcher Beau Taylor has been designated for assignment in order to open a roster spot for lefty Reiver Sanmartin, whom they’d already announced as today’s expected starter. Cincinnati also placed righty Luis Castillo on the family medical emergency list.
Taylor, 31, was claimed off waivers out of the Indians organization back in April and has spent the season with Cincinnati’s Triple-A affiliate in Louisville. He’s appeared in 75 games for the Bats, tallying 234 plate appearances with a .232/.339/.333 batting line and four home runs. He didn’t get a call to the big leagues with the Reds and has just 60 Major League plate appearances under his belt in total, which he’s split between the A’s, Jays and Indians.
Taylor hasn’t hit much in his limited MLB time, but he’s been posted a solid line in parts of four seasons in Triple-A, where a huge 14.5 percent walk rate has helped him to a .251/.366/.373 in 1032 plate appearances. Defensively, he’s drawn average or better marks both in pitch-framing and pitch-blocking in the upper minors, per Baseball Prospectus. He’s also thrown out 29 percent of would-be base thieves throughout 10 professional seasons.
Solid defensive skills and a knack for drawing walks and getting on base could give Taylor some appeal on the waiver wire for clubs hoping to add some catching depth this offseason. If he does go unclaimed, he’ll have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency by virtue of the fact that he’s previously been outrighted in his career (with the A’s in 2018).
Reds Claim Beau Taylor, Designate Deivy Grullon
The Reds have claimed catcher Beau Taylor off waivers from the Indians, and designated catcher Deivy Grullon for assignment. Taylor will be optioned to the Reds’ alternate training site. The club also announced that right-hander Edgar Garcia is also headed for the alternate training site, as Garcia (who was designated for assignment earlier this week) has cleared waivers and been outrighted off the 40-man roster.
The 31-year-old Taylor is moving onto his fourth different organization in as many seasons, with an MLB resume that includes 25 games with Oakland, Toronto, and Cleveland. Originally a fifth-round pick for the Athletics back in 2011, Taylor has only a .492 OPS over 60 big league appearances, but a much more respectable .256/.373/.385 slash line in 798 PA at the Triple-A level. Cincinnati now has both Taylor and Rocky Gale at the alternate site as depth options while top prospect Tyler Stephenson and utilityman Kyle Farmer are handling backup catcher duties behind Tucker Barnhart on the big league roster.
Grullon was himself a waiver claim acquisition for the Reds, selected away from the Red Sox back in December. Grullon has appeared in five total Major League games — four with the Phillies in 2019 and one with the Red Sox in 2020 — and 606 minor league games in a pro career that began back in 2013. The 25-year-old didn’t hit much until the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and Grullon has delivered a .283/.354/.496 slash line over 457 Triple-A plate appearances. Considering this resume and Grullon’s well-regarded throwing arm, it’s quite possible another team could pluck Grullon off the waiver wire.
Indians Designate Beau Taylor For Assignment
The Indians are designating catcher Beau Taylor for assignment, Mandy Bell of MLB.com was among those to pass along. Right-hander Cam Hill is going on the 60-day injured list, per Zack Meisel of the Athletic (Twitter link). The moves clear a pair of 40-man roster spots for outfielder Ben Gamel and lefty reliever Oliver Pérez, who made the Indians’ Opening Day roster. Cleveland will need to make another 40-man move to accommodate the addition of right-hander Bryan Shaw.
Taylor has only managed 60 MLB plate appearances between the A’s, Blue Jays and Indians over the past two seasons. The 31-year-old backstop carries a .256/.373/.385 line over parts of three years at Triple-A. In addition to that high minors productivity, Taylor still comes with a pair of minor-league option years, so it’s possible other clubs will have interest in him as a depth catcher. Cleveland will have a week to trade him or place him on waivers.
Indians Select Beau Taylor, Designate James Hoyt
The Indians have selected catcher Beau Taylor, designated right-hander James Hoyt for assignment and optioned outfielder Daniel Johnson, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com reports.
Taylor, formerly an Athletics prospect whom the Indians signed to a minor league contract last offseason, is up as insurance as the the Indians await word on Roberto Perez. The Indians’ starting backstop and one of their most valuable contributors a year ago, Perez is dealing with right shoulder soreness at the moment. They should know more on his condition Wednesday, but for now, they’re down to Taylor and former Red Sox starter Sandy Leon as their top two catchers.
Since he debuted in the majors with the Astros in 2016, the 33-year-old Hoyt has amassed 80 innings – including 8 1/3 during his first season in Cleveland in 2019 – and put up a 4.16 ERA/3.92 FIP with 11.7 K/9 and 2.92 BB/9. Notably, Hoyt carries a rather impressive track record in Triple-A, where he has logged a 3.09 ERA with 12.1 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 over 218 2/3 frames. And considering Hoyt has another minor league option remaining, it wouldn’t be particularly surprising to see another team take a chance on him.
Indians, Beau Taylor Agree To Minor League Deal
The Indians and catcher Beau Taylor are in agreement on a minor league deal with a non-roster invite to spring training, according to a team announcement from Friday.
Taylor has spent the majority of his career in the Athletics’ organization, although a late-season designation saw him latch on with the Blue Jays for a spell last year. He’s received a scant 30 at-bat audition in the majors since the beginning of 2018 but is a .258/.355/.372 hitter with 41 home runs in over 2400 minor league at-bats.
For the tribe, this represents a reasonable depth signing at a position where extra bodies are always at a premium. The club already moved to acquire Sandy Leon this offseason as a complement to Roberto Perez, and now Taylor will presumably serve, along with Eric Hasse, as a high-minors insurance piece.