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Nick Wittgren, Cam Hill Elect Free Agency

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Guardians right-handers Nick Wittgren and Cam Hill have each cleared outright waivers, tweets Mandy Bell of MLB.com. Both pitchers have elected minor league free agency.

Wittgren was arbitration-eligible for the final time this winter and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $2.8MM. Cleveland determined not to make that kind of commitment after the veteran posted a career-high 5.05 ERA over 62 1/3 frames of relief in 2021. The 30-year-old posted solid strikeout and walk numbers (23.6% and 6.6%, respectively) but was plagued by the longball. Wittgren served up 1.88 HR/9 this past season, his third straight year allowing dingers at a higher-than-average rate.

Issues with homers notwithstanding, it stands to reason Wittgren will find some interest on the open market. He’s been a reliable bullpen workhorse, working 40+ frames in four of his five MLB seasons (excluding last year’s truncated schedule). Wittgren also has four seasons of a sub-3.50 ERA on his resume, and he’s only one season removed from punching out a very strong 28.6% of opposing hitters.

Hill was not arbitration-eligible, but the Guardians elected to take him off the 40-man roster. The 27-year-old debuted with 18 1/3 frames of 4.91 ERA ball in 2020, but he missed the first three-plus months of the 2021 season due to injury and ultimately spent the rest of the year with Triple-A Columbus. Over 24 2/3 frames with the Clippers, he managed just an 8.03 ERA with poor peripherals.

Indians Transfer Shane Bieber To 60-Day Injured List, Reinstate Cam Hill

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Indians right-hander Cam Hill was reinstated from the injured list and optioned to Triple-A, per Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter). Hill has been out for the entire season after having arm surgery that was the result of a car accident. He made the first 18 appearances of his career last season, tossing 18 1/3 innings with a 4.91 ERA/5.43 FIP.

Shane Bieber was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster for Hill, per the team. Bieber has been out for 39 days with a subscapularis strain. When he went on the injured list (June 14), it was not at all clear how long Cleveland would be without their ace. The earlier’s he’ll now return is three weeks from today around August 15th.

At the time of his injury, the reigning AL Cy Young was the Major League leader in innings pitched with 90 2/3 IP. He worked to a 3.28 ERA with a 33.9 percent strikeout rate that ranked seventh in the Majors. Since Bieber went down, the Indians have fallen from 4.5 games behind the White Sox to now trailing the division leader by nine games.

Indians Designate Beau Taylor For Assignment

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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.

AL Notes: Twins, Cruz, Astros, Reddick, Rays, Indians

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The Twins and free-agent designated hitter Nelson Cruz are in “a staring contest where neither side is blinking,” Dan Hayes of The Athletic writes. As a 40-year-old coming off yet another great season, Cruz is looking to secure the best possible payday, though he’s in a difficult position because there is still no word on whether the National League will have a DH in 2021. As such, it’s no surprise that Cruz is taking his time on the open market, even though he did say in the past that he would like to remain a Twin. Cruz put up a phenomenal .308/.394/.626 line with 57 home runs in 735 plate appearances in Minnesota from 2019-20.

  • Free-agent outfielder Josh Reddick seemingly said goodbye to the Astros on Instagram on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle relays. “Thank you to the Astros, my teammates, coaches, staff and of course the FANS,” Reddick posted. “Houson will always be special to me. From winning a World Series, to getting engaged and starting a family here and everything in between, I loved playing here and look forward to doing it again.” The Astros could still re-sign Reddick, but that has “never seemed likely,” Rome writes. Reddick joined the Astros on a four-year, $52MM contract before 2017 and proceeded to record a respectable .275/.331/.425 slash with 48 home runs in 1,787 plate appearances as a member of the club.
  • Rays righty Nick Bitsko underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a labrum issue, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Bitsko will miss time in 2021 as a result, though it’s unclear how long he’ll sit out, per Topkin. The 18-year-old was the 24th overall pick in last June’s draft.
  • Indians right-handed reliever Cam Hill announced that he was involved in a car crash Monday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic relays. Hill suffered a wrist injury that required surgery, but the 26-year-old indicated that he and everyone else involved in the crash came out OK. He suggested that he’ll be ready for next season. Hill made his major league debut in 2020 and posted a 4.91 ERA/5.43 FIP with 7.85 K/9 and 2.45 BB/9 across 18 1/3 innings.
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