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Phillies Decline David Phelps’ Option

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The Phillies announced they’ve declined their $4.5MM club option on right-hander David Phelps. He’ll receive a $250K buyout and hit free agency. The Phillies also declined their $7MM option on fellow reliever Héctor Neris, although he remains on the roster as an arbitration-eligible player. Philadelphia also confirmed the previously-reported declination of David Robertson’s club option.

Additionally, utilityman Phil Gosselin, right-handers Heath Hembree and Blake Parker and southpaw Adam Morgan have all cleared outright waivers and elected free agency. Right-hander Johan Quezada, meanwhile, was claimed off waivers from the Marlins.

Phelps came over from the Brewers in a midseason swap for three low-level prospects. The hope was that he’d help salvage a bullpen that had been the club’s weak point. Unfortunately, he was tattooed for eleven runs in 7.2 innings down the stretch. Phelps’ overall strikeout and walk numbers were stellar, but massive home run problems led to a 6.53 ERA.

Neris is projected for a salary between $4.8MM and $6.4MM in arbitration if tendered. That made declining the option an easy call, and it’s possible Neris ultimately winds up non-tendered.

Phillies Designate Nick Williams, Trevor Kelley For Assignment; Nick Pivetta Optioned

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The Phillies announced a series of roster moves Tuesday, selecting the contracts of right-handers Connor Brogdon and Blake Parker. In corresponding 40-man moves, Philadelphia designated outfielder/former top prospect Nick Williams and right-hander Trevor Kelley for assignment. Right-hander Nick Pivetta was also optioned to Philadelphia’s alternate training site.

Williams, 26, was considered one of the game’s 100 best prospects for several years but has yet to put things together in the Majors. The 2012 second-rounder went from Texas to Philadelphia as one of the centerpieces in the Cole Hamels blockbuster, but the club never seemed completely sold on his abilities. Williams fared reasonably well at the plate in 2017-18, hitting a combined .269/.330/.446 (105 wRC+ and OPS+), but defensive shortcomings overshadowed that respectable output at the plate.

Once the Phillies signed both Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen in the same offseason, the writing has appeared to be on the wall for Williams. He stuck with the club through the 2019 season by virtue of the fact that he had a pair of minor league options remaining, but playing time was sparse — even after Odubel Herrera was suspended and McCutchen tore his ACL. Williams in just 67 games and took only 112 plate appearances, batting a woeful .151/.196/.245 in that extremely limited role. A club looking for a low-cost outfield flier could do worse than speculating on Williams, but it’s also perhaps telling that he’s been a largely superfluous piece in Philadelphia for more than a year and has yet to be traded.

Kelley, 26, appeared in four games with the Phils this season but was tagged for four runs on eight hits and a walk in 3 1/3 frames. He’s appeared in the Majors in each of the past two seasons — with the Red Sox in 2019 — but struggled in a small sample of games. The former 36th-round pick has a sharp minor league track record in terms of ERA, but he’s never missed a huge number of bats or demonstrated particularly strong control. The Phils plucked him off waivers when the Red Sox designated him back in December.

Turning to Pivetta, the 27-year-old is in his final option year and could well be running out of chances with the Phils. He’s long been praised for his raw abilities, but Pivetta has yet to demonstrate that he can efficiently command what appears to be a solid arsenal of pitches. He’s been prone not only to walks, hit batsmen and wild pitches but also to the long ball.

At his best, Pivetta sits nearly 95 mph with his fastball, drops a curve with elite spin, generates swinging strikes at a strong 12 percent clip and averages nearly 11 punchouts per nine frames. However, those appealing traits are still accompanied by inconsistency and results that fall shy of what one might otherwise expect from a pitcher with his stuff. Philadelphia has tried him both as a starter and reliever, and he’s offered glimpses of his potential at numerous points without settling in as a consistent contributor.

As for today’s two new additions, Parker is a well-known reliever who spent half the 2019 season with the Phils. The former Angels and Twins closer has a mid-90s heater and a big splitter that can function as an out pitch when he’s at his best. Consistency has been an issue for him as well, but the 35-year-old has a career 3.56 ERA, 10.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 285 2/3 frames.

The 25-year-old Brogdon will make his MLB debut the first time he takes the hill. The Phillies’ 10th-round pick back in 2017, Brogdon skyrocketed across three levels last year, ultimately putting together a combined 2.61 ERA with 106-to-24 K/BB ratio (12.6 K/9, 2.8 BB/9) in 76 innings of relief.

Phillies Re-Sign Blake Parker

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The Phillies have re-signed right-hander Blake Parker to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training, per a team announcement. The Phillies also confirmed their previously reported minor league agreements with veteran infielder Logan Forsythe and right-hander Anthony Swarzak.

Parker, 34, opened the 2019 season as the Twins’ closer but lost both his handle on that role and his roster spot in Minnesota after showing some troubles with his control — particularly when it came to his splitter. Parker notched a 4.21 ERA and 10 saves in 36 1/3 innings as a Twin but also turned in a lackluster 34-to-16 K/BB rate in that time. Beyond walking too many hitters, Parker also plunked a pair of batters and snapped off four wild pitches before being cut loose.

In some regards, things worsened in Philadelphia. Parker’s bottom-line run prevention numbers took a turn for the worse (5.04 ERA in 25 innings), and he proved to be more homer-prone with his second club of the year. On the other hand, Parker rediscovered the handle on his split and registered an impressive 31-to-6 K/BB ratio. His 90.8 mph average heater was down considerably from the 92.4 mph he averaged in Minnesota, but Parker did seem to have better control of his arsenal.

There’s little risk for the Phillies in taking another look at Parker this spring. He is, after all, a seven-year MLB veteran who has enjoyed his share of late-inning success — particularly in 2016-17 with the Angels. In all, Parker has 285 2/3 innings in the Majors, during which time he’s logged a 3.56 ERA and recorded 34 saves while averaging 10.1 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9. He becomes the latest in a dizzying slate of veterans to land non-roster invitations to Phillies Spring Training; also in camp will be Anthony Swarzak, Drew Storen, Francisco Liriano, Bud Norris, Neil Walker, Logan Forsythe, Josh Harrison, Ronald Torreyes and Phil Gosselin.

Phillies Announce Flurry Of Roster Moves

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The Phillies have announced a wide slate of roster moves today, setting the team up for another fascinating offseason. In particular, the club has shorn a big chunk of its 2019 pitching staff from the roster in one fell swoop.

Philadelphia declined club options over righty Jared Hughes, righty Pat Neshek, and lefty Jason Vargas. Also heading to the open market are five players were outrighted: infielder Phil Gosselin and righties Jerad Eickhoff, Mike Morin, Blake Parker, and Edubray Ramos.

That’s a big chunk of innings going onto the open market despite ongoing control rights. To be exact, the Phils are kicking 219 2/3 of their frames from 2019 back into free agency. It’s hard to argue with any of the decisions.

Hughes was solid as a late-season gap-filler, but didn’t rate at a $3MM price tag for 2020. He’ll get a $250K buyout on the way out. Neshek takes $750K with him instead of pitching for $7MM. That’s no surprise after he was limited to 18 frames due to injury. Vargas is due a $2MM buyout instead of a $8MM salary; the Phils evidently feel they can do better in the rotation on the open market this winter.

The biggest departure is that of Eickhoff. The once-promising starter projected to earn only $1.5MM, with one more season of control thereafter, but the Phils decided to cut bait after watching him struggle to a 5.71 ERA over 58 1/3 innings. Eickhoff had a few encouraging outings upon his return from a long injury layoff, but struggled thereafter and was again sidelined with arm woes.

The other three were also eligible for arbitration. Morin, who has a $1.2MM projected arb salary, struggled to get strikeouts during his stint with the club. Parker surprisingly turned in 11.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 25 frames but also gave up a host of homers and earned runs. Perhaps he’d have been worth a lower-cost keeper price but the Phils weren’t biting at a projected $4.7MM. The 26-year-old Ramos entered the year as a key piece but struggled with injuries and showed a velocity decline when he was available. He projected to earn only $800K, but the team may not have been convinced of his ability to return to full health.

Meanwhile, a host of players were added back to the 40-man roster. Among the players activated from the 60-day injured list is starter Jake Arrieta, who has exercised his player option and will remain with the organization. On the heels of a messy, injury-marred campaign, that comes as no surprise. Additionally, outfielder Odubel Herrera was reinstated from the restricted list after the conclusion of his suspension for a violation of the league’s domestic violence policy. His future with the organization remains unclear following this procedural move.

Phillies To Sign Blake Parker

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The Phillies have agreed to terms on a Major League contract with right-handed reliever Blake Parker, Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb of The Athletic report (via Twitter). The 34-year-old Parker was recently designated for assignment by the Twins and ultimately opted for free agency over an outright assignment to Triple-A Rochester.

Parker rejecting his outright assignment with the Twins meant walking away from the remainder of his $1.8MM salary, but he’ll now land with the Phils on a new big league pact and immediately jump back onto a roster that is vying for a postseason berth. He’ll also be reunited with righty Mike Morin, whom the Twins designated for assignment and traded to the Phillies earlier this month.

Parker logged a 4.21 ERA in 36 1/3 innings with the Twins but struggled more than that number would indicate. His velocity dipped to its lowest mark since 2014 (91.5 mph average fastball), and he averaged four walks per nine innings pitched — the worst mark of his career excluding a small 17-inning sample in 2016. Parker’s overall strikeout rate, swinging-strike rate and first-pitch strike rate were all down from his 2017 peak with the Halos, and he gave up far too much hard contact; Statcast put his 42.9 percent opponents’ hard-hit rate in just the 10th percentile among MLB pitchers and felt that he was actually fortunate to escape with a .246/.331/.442 opponents’ batting line (based on the quality of the contact he allowed).

All that said, Parker has a decent big league track record and plenty of high-leverage experience, making him a logical fit for a Phillies bullpen that has been torn asunder by injuries in 2019. In his last 170 MLB innings, Parker has a 3.18 ERA with 10.1 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 1.38 HR/9 and a 40.7 percent ground-ball rate. Much of that production came during the aforementioned career year in 2017, but there’s minimal downside to the Phillies taking an inexpensive look at Parker as a means of helping to patch a beleaguered relief corps.

Parker has fewer than five years of Major League service but will soon cross that threshold. As such, if he acquits himself well in his new environment, he can be controlled through the 2020 season via arbitration.

Blake Parker Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander Blake Parker rejected an outright assignment from the Twins and has instead elected free agency, the team announced to reporters (Twitter link via Betsy Helfand the St. Paul Pioneer Press).

The 34-year-old Parker was non-tendered by the Angels last winter and went on to sign a one-year, $1.8MM deal with the Twins. Parker is still a bit shy of five years of MLB service time, meaning his decision to opt for free agency will actually result in him surrendering the remainder of that contract in exchange for a return to the open market. He’ll look to latch on with another club in hopes of a quick return to the big leagues.

Parker logged a 4.21 ERA in 36 1/3 innings with the Twins but struggled more than that number would indicate. The right-hander’s velocity dipped to its lowest mark since 2014 (91.5 mph average fastball), and he averaged four walks per nine innings pitched — the worst mark of his career excluding a small 17-inning sample in 2016. Parker’s overall strikeout rate, his swinging-strike rate and his first-pitch strike rate were all down from his 2017 peak with the Halos, and he gave up far too much hard contact; Statcast put his 42.9 percent opponents’ hard-hit rate in just the 10th percentile among MLB pitchers and felt that he was actually fortunate to escape with a .246/.331/.442 opponents’ batting line (based on the quality of the contact he allowed).

Parker turned in an outstanding 2017 season with the Angels when he logged 67 innings of 2.54 ERA ball with 11.5 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 with a 47-percent grounder rate. But after striking out more than a third of batters he faced that season, Parker whiffed just 21.7 percent of opponents this year, and his walk rate jumped four percent as well. Between the diminished K/BB numbers and a career-high 1.73 HR/9, fielding-independent metrics like FIP (5.35), xFIP (4.79) and SIERA (4.58) were all rather bearish on Parker’s performance.

Blake Parker Clears Waivers

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Twins right-hander Blake Parker has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the club on July 24th, according to a tweet from The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. Parker is currently mulling whether or not to accept an assignment to Minnesota’s Triple-A club in Rochester.

The 34-year-old Parker, a veteran of five organizations, has pitched 36.1 innings for Minnesota’s big club this season, with middling bottom-line results. His 19.4% HR/FB rate, 3.96 BB/9 mark, and .245 BAA are not the markings of an elite reliever, but he has still registered strikeouts at a respectable rate and is just two years removed from logging a 2.54 ERA in 67.1 innings for the Angels. It is also worth noting that Parker owned a 3.25 ERA on the season before being shelled for four runs in an appearance on July 23rd. With that in mind, it is somewhat surprising that no club placed a claim on Parker as a late-season dice roll, given the volatility of relievers and the currently tight-fisted relief trade market.

The $1.8MM guarantee Parker held with Minnesota probably goes some way toward explaining his clearance through the waiver portal.  Had he been claimed, his acquiring team would have been on the hook for the remainder of that sum; if Parker rejects his Triple-A assignment and elects free agency, he will be eligible to sign a pro-rated league minimum pact with a new club, which would go toward offsetting the remaining money that Minnesota owes the pitcher.

Twins Designate Blake Parker For Assignment

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The Twins announced that they’ve designated right-hander Blake Parker for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to veteran righty Carlos Torres, who signed a minor league contract last month and will have his contract selected from Triple-A Rochester. Minnesota has also optioned right-hander Kohl Stewart to Rochester and recalled lefty Devin Smeltzer in his place.

Parker, 34, was non-tendered by the Angels last fall despite putting up a 2.90 ERA in his two seasons there. The Minnesota org scooped him up for a $1.8MM guarantee. There were a series of roster bonuses that kicked off beginning 130 days into the season, a point less than two weeks away. While the Twins won’t owe any of the extra contemplated cash, they’ll be on the hook for the remainder of the salary unless another club takes over the contract or partially offsets what is owed by eventually bringing Parker onto their roster at a league-minimum rate of pay.

Though Parker seemed a reasonable risk for that rate of pay, he was probably miscast from the outset as a part of the team’s closer mix. He did pick up ten saves before being elbowed out of the ninth for good. Befitting a club that is turning over relief arms at a rapid pace in advance of the trade deadline, Parker was still trusted to work the eighth of a tight game just days ago.

After picking up a hold on Saturday against the A’s, Parker owned a 3.25 ERA on the season. But he was shredded for four earned runs while recording just one out yesterday, in what was in all likelihood his final appearance for the Twins this year. That left Parker with a cumulative 4.21 ERA through 36 1/3 innings on the season. The peripherals never inspired much confidence. He’s carrying 8.4 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9 with seven long balls on the ledger. As it did last year, Statcast identified a worrying volume of hard contact. The batted-ball profile indicated that Parker has actually been somewhat fortunate (.333 wOBA vs. .360 xwOBA).

The 36-year-old Torres is back in the bigs once again after forgettable and brief stints in each of the past two seasons. He’s a ten-year MLB veteran but hasn’t had a full and effective campaign since 2016. Torres has been generating good outcomes this year at Triple-A, though, with a 2.79 ERA in 48 1/3 frames at the top affiliates of the Tigers, Padres, and Twins.

Twins Sign Blake Parker

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2:50pm: The Twins have announced the signing.

Jan. 14, 12:05pm: Fancred’s Jon Heyman tweets that Parker is not actually guaranteed $3.2MM but rather can max out his contract at that level. He’ll be guaranteed $1.8MM and will earn $500K upon spending 130 days on the active roster, another $400K for reaching 140 days and $250K for reaching both 150 and 160 days. Minnesota has yet to formally announce the deal, though Rosenthal suggests that could happen today (Twitter link).

Jan. 7, 5:13pm: Parker and the Twins have agreed to a deal, per Rosenthal (via Twitter). He’ll receive a $3.2MM guarantee if his physical checks out.

4:21pm: A deal is indeed close at hand, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), who says the sides are closing in on a pact that’ll promise Parker “slightly more than $3MM” on a one-year term.

1:00pm: Free-agent right-hander Blake Parker is close to finalizing an agreement, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). The Twins are “believed to be” his landing spot, Rosenthal adds.

Blake Parker | Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Parker, 33, was somewhat surprisingly non-tendered by the Angels in late November. He’d been projected to earn a fairly modest $3.1MM salary, which seemed more than reasonable for a pitcher who’d notched a 2.90 ERA (3.55 FIP) with 10.5 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 1.3 HR/9 and 22 saves in 133 2/3 innings with the Halos from 2017-18. Parker did see his velocity drop by a bit more than a mile per hour, averaging 93.5 mph on his heater in 2017 but 92.2 mph in 2018, and his swinging-strike rate also took a downturn (13.8 percent in 2017; 10.7 percent in 2018).

Those red flags may have turned the Angels away, but Parker nevertheless posted solid numbers last season and would bring an experienced arm with recent success to the Twins’ bullpen mix — perhaps for the next two seasons. Parker only has four years, 36 days of MLB service time, meaning the Twins (or any team) could sign him to a one-year deal and then retain his rights next winter through the arbitration process.

Presently, the back of the Minnesota ’pen will feature veteran Addison Reed, whose 2018 season was marred by elbow issues, as well as Trevor May and Taylor Rogers — both of whom finished out the season in impressive fashion. May turned in a 36-to-5 K/BB ratio through 25 1/3 innings in his return from Tommy John surgery, while Rogers rode a newly adopted slider to 28 consecutive scoreless outings and a 29-to-3 K/BB ratio (26 innings total). Righty Trevor Hildenberger, too, should get another look despite fading considerably in the second half. Hildenberger turned in a 3.27 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 and a 52.5 percent grounder rate through his first 87 MLB innings from 2017 through this year’s All-Star break but was clobbered for 27 runs in 27 innings in the second half of the 2018 season. Minnesota has several in-house options who could also be in the mix, but there’s certainly room for a veteran addition or two, as well.

Angels Non-Tender Blake Parker, Matt Shoemaker

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6:57pm: Matt Shoemaker has also been non-tendered, per a club announcement, which will keep an estimated $4.3MM off the Halos’ books.

6:21pm: The Angels are set to non-tender righty Blake Parker, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). He was projected to earn $3.1MM by MLBTR & contributor Matt Swartz.

It’s surprising to see Parker kicked to the open market, given that he has worked to a 2.90 ERA in 133 2/3 frames over the past two years with the Halos. On the other hand, the 33-year-old did not sustain his 2017 bump in swinging-strike rate, coughed up quite a few long balls (1.63 per nine), and lost a tick of average fastball velocity in 2018.

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