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Brewers Claim Vinny Capra From Pirates

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The Brewers have claimed infielder Vinny Capra off waivers from the Pirates, according to an announcement from Pittsburgh.

Capra, 27, was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 20th round back in 2018 out of the University of Richmond, where he played shortstop for the Spiders.  Though never a top prospect, Capra got the call to make his MLB debut with the Jays in late April of last year.  He picked up only seven plate appearances for Toronto, but was able to log his first big league hit with a single off Brooks Raley.

Capra had middle finger tendon surgery in October 2022, after which the Jays non-tendered him.  He’d managed a 114 wRC+ at Triple-A that year, playing shortstop, third base, and left field.  Capra re-signed with the Jays on a minor league deal, but was traded to the Pirates in late April of this year for catcher Tyler Heineman.  After more solid work at Triple-A, the Pirates selected Capra’s contract on trade deadline day.  He moved up and down and picked up only 21 plate appearances, including his first big league double off the Royals’ Angel Zerpa.

Milwaukee is not a bad place to land for an aspiring utility infielder.  They currently project to have Brice Turang at second base, Willy Adames at shortstop, and Andruw Monasterio at third base.  Only Adames’ role seems secure, except that the Brewers may consider trading him given a projected $12.4MM arbitration salary.  The Brewers do have Owen Miller and Abraham Toro also on the 40-man roster as infield depth, plus third base prospect Tyler Black close to making his big league debut.

Considering the claim of Capra, the re-signing of Colin Rea, the declining of options for Andrew Chafin and Justin Wilson, and Wade Miley’s pending free agency, the Brewers currently have 34 players on their 40-man roster.  That could drop further if the Brewers choose to non-tender Toro, Rowdy Tellez, or Brandon Woodruff by the non-tender deadline about two weeks from now.

Mariners Acquire Cody Bolton From Pirates

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The Pirates have traded reliever Cody Bolton to the Mariners for cash considerations, according to an announcement from Pittsburgh.

Bolton, 25, was drafted in the sixth round in 2017 out of Tracy High School in California.  By the end of the 2019 season, Bolton had made his way to Double-A as a starter.

However, the 2020 minor league season was wiped out by COVID-19, and Bolton missed all of 2021 due to knee surgery.  Fortunately, Bolton recovered and made his MLB debut for the Pirates on April 29th on the road against the Nationals.  He spent the season moving up and down from Triple-A.  Bolton pitched fairly well at Triple-A, but only managed a 6.33 ERA, 20.6 K%, and 14.0 BB% in the Majors across 21 1/3 innings.

Though still in contention, the Mariners traded closer Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks at the deadline this year due to the strength of their bullpen.  Their projected bullpen for 2024 is currently anchored by Andres Munoz, Matt Brash, Justin Topa, and Gabe Speier.  Bolton will vie for a spot with that group and hope some of the team’s success with less than household names carries over to him.

Guardians Claim Alfonso Rivas From Pirates

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The Guardians announced they’ve claimed first baseman Alfonso Rivas off waivers from the Pirates.

Rivas, 27, was drafted by the A’s in the fourth round out of the University of Arizona back in 2018.  Oakland later sent him to the Cubs for Tony Kemp in January 2020.  Rivas got a fair bit of run on the 2022 Cubs, leading them in defensive innings at first base that year.  He managed just an 83 wRC+ at the plate, prompting the Cubs to designate him for assignment last December and release him in January.

Rivas then hooked on with the Padres on a minor league deal, and he managed to rake in 260 Triple-A plate appearances to the tune of a 156 wRC+.  That earned him a call back to the bigs in June, and then a trade to the Pirates at the deadline in the Rich Hill/Ji Man Choi deal.  With the Bucs having shipped out first basemen Choi and Carlos Santana, Rivas got into 40 games for the Pirates in the season’s final two months as the strong side of a platoon.  His Triple-A success failed to translate, as Rivas posted a 97 wRC+ with a 27.4% strikeout rate.

The Guardians are set with Josh Naylor as their starting first baseman in 2024.  Naylor and Rivas both bat left-handed, not that Naylor needs a platoon partner anyway.  Rivas did see a little bit of time at the outfield corners last year at Triple-A.  He could also push his way into the Guardians’ DH mix with a strong start to the season, if he’s able to hang on to his 40-man roster spot all winter.  The Guardians appear to have 39 players on their 40-man roster, once free agents Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Kole Calhoun are removed and Rivas is added.

Padres Claim Tucupita Marcano From Pirates

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The Padres announced they’ve claimed middle infielder Tucupita Marcano off waivers from the Pirates. San Diego also announced that catcher Chandler Seagle and reliever Drew Carlton cleared waivers and were outrighted from the 40-man roster.

Marcano, 24, returns to his original organization. He signed with the Padres as an amateur out of Venezuela in 2016. The left-handed hitter developed into a mid-level prospect and made his MLB debut with San Diego in 2021. Marcano appeared in 25 games before being dealt to Pittsburgh as part of the return for second baseman Adam Frazier.

The Bucs have gotten Marcano into 124 games over the past two seasons. He hasn’t made much of an impact, hitting .221/.267/.334 in 397 trips to the plate. Marcano has demonstrated strong contact skills but without a ton of power, connecting on only five home runs. He hasn’t taken many walks either, leading to the middling offensive numbers.

Marcano’s tenure with the Pirates came to an unceremonious end in August, ironically against the Padres. While running the bases, he tore the ACL in his right knee in an attempt to avoid a tag at third base. That required season-ending surgery. Given the general recovery timeline for ACL injuries, it seems likely he’ll begin next year on the injured list.

Should the Friars keep Marcano on the 40-man roster all winter, he’ll offer multi-positional depth. Marcano can play either middle infield spot, although public defensive marks suggest he’s better suited for second base. He has some corner outfield experience as well. Marcano has one minor league option remaining and is still at least a season away from arbitration eligibility.

The other two players are unsurprising cuts as San Diego clears 40-man space to open the offseason. Carlton, a 28-year-old righty, pitched to a 4.35 ERA in 20 2/3 innings after signing an offseason minor league deal. He briefly appeared at the MLB level with the Tigers between 2021-22 and turned in a 3.00 ERA in 15 Triple-A appearances. His season was unfortunately cut short by elbow inflammation, which sent him to the injured list on July 1.

Seagle is a former 30th-round draftee who received a big league call in the season’s final weekend. He got one at-bat after combining for a .209/.261/.296 line between the top two levels of the minor leagues. Both he and Carlton will be eligible for minor league free agency.

NL Notes: Giants, Schumaker, Kelly

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The Giants recently signed veteran skipper Bob Melvin to a three-year deal, filling their managerial vacancy ahead of what could be a busy offseason. However, if they had not been able to woo Melvin, they likely would have hired either Mariners bullpen coach Stephen Vogt or Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza (per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). The only other candidates to receive an interview were Giants coaches Alyssa Nakken, Kai Correa, and Mark Hallberg, although the team also expressed interest in Red Sox player information coach Jason Varitek, Angels third base coach Bill Haselman, and Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley.

Mendoza’s candidacy comes as something of a surprise; he is seen as a possible contender for the Guardians managerial opening, but he had not previously been linked to the Giants.

After four years as a player in the Yankees farm system, Mendoza moved into a minor league coaching role in 2009. Over the next nine seasons, he took on various coaching roles at various levels before he was promoted to the big league staff ahead of the 2018 campaign. He spent two years as the infield coach and has been Aaron Boone’s bench coach since 2020.

More coaching and managerial news from around the Senior Circuit…

  • Jon Heyman of the New York Post identifies Marlins manager Skip Schumaker as a potential target for the Padres – the team loved him during his tenure as a coach in San Diego – although it doesn’t seem likely that the Marlins will give him permission to interview with another club. The 2024 season will be the last guaranteed year on the skipper’s contract, but Miami has a club option for the 2025 campaign. Still, Heyman suggests the rookie manager might already be looking to move on; he is reportedly upset with the way the team pushed former GM Kim Ng out of her role. Ng hired Schumaker last October, and presumably, he planned on working with her for more than a single season.
  • Heyman also brings up Pirates bench coach Don Kelly, dubbing the former utility player a “future manager” – although he doesn’t link him to any specific teams. In fact, Kelly isn’t planning to throw his hat in the ring for any of the managerial openings around the league. Following the recent passing of his father-in-law Tom Walker, he would prefer to remain close to family in Pittsburgh, where he has spent the past four seasons working under manager Derek Shelton.

How Should The Pirates Approach Their Catching Situation?

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  • The Pirates are still planning to give Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis regular reps at catcher next season, though Davis barely saw any time behind the plate after making his MLB debut last season, instead playing mostly as a right fielder.  With some lack of clarity of how the playing time will be split up, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette opines that the Pirates should just keep Rodriguez at catcher and Davis in right field, as both players might benefit from a clear focus on one position.  Rodriguez spent some time as a first baseman, second baseman, and outfielder in the minors, while Davis’ right field defense was shaky enough that he’ll likely need more offseason work to make himself a passable option at the position.

Tom Walker Passes Away

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Former major league reliever Tom Walker passed away today, per an announcement from the Pirates. He was 74.

“The Pirates are deeply saddened by the passing of Tom Walker,” the organization said in a statement. “Tom was a part of the Pirates local alumni group and was always looking to make an impact on others in the Pittsburgh community. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Walker family, including his wife Carolyn, daughter Carrie, and sons Matt, Sean and Neil, in addition to his son-in-law Don Kelly and the Kelly family.”

Walker, a Tampa native, never played in a regular season game for the Pirates. He was selected by the Orioles with the ninth overall pick in the 1968 draft. He topped out at Double-A in the Baltimore system before being selected by the Expos in the 1972 Rule 5 draft. Walker pitched three years in Montreal, keeping a sub-4.00 ERA in each season. He threw 74 2/3 innings as a rookie and topped 90 frames in each of the following two years.

After the 1974 campaign, the Expos traded him alongside catcher Terry Humphrey to the Tigers for starter Woodie Fryman. Walker logged a career-high 115 1/3 innings over 36 appearances (including nine starts) in Detroit. One year later, the Tigers sold his contract to the Cardinals. Walker pitched a season in St. Louis, then returned to Montreal as a free agent. He made 11 appearances as an Expo and closed his MLB career with one game for the Angels in 1977 after California claimed him on waivers. Walker signed with the Pirates for 1978 but didn’t make the MLB roster. He retired after eight games for Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate.

While Walker didn’t take the mound in Pittsburgh, he was a longtime resident of the city and had strong family connections to the organization. Walker’s son Neil Walker played with the Bucs from 2009-15, spending the bulk of that time as Pittsburgh’s starting second baseman. Kelly has spent the past four seasons as Derek Shelton’s bench coach.

MLB Trade Rumors Podcast: Boston Searches for a Boss, Kim Ng and Surgery for Brandon Woodruff

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What is one team you anticipate will aggressively attempt to contend this season but believe should focus on rebuilding, and one club you expect to act passively during the offseason but think should make a more concerted effort to contend? (15:45)
  • The Pirates’ competitive window should start to open in 2024 but they badly need to address 1B and SP this winter. I’ve talked myself into Ty France (if Dipoto feels the need to upgrade there) and Patrick Sandoval (if the Angels decide to blow it up) as being great fits. Do you like those options or have any other names that could wind up in Pittsburgh? (20:00)
  • To me it seems to be very futile to have great success in the 162 game grind, win your division (by a large margin often) and lose to a lesser team. I get it that baseball is all about who’s hot at the moment but when the best all get upset in the beginning of the playoffs it does give one pause. There surely should be more advantage/reward for regular season achievements. (22:25)

Check out our past episodes!

  • The Mets’ Front Office, TJ for Alcantara and the D-Backs Extend Their GM – listen here
  • Mariners To Spend? Tigers To Contend? And Managerial Vacancies – listen here​
  • Free Agent Pitching Dark Horses, Padres To Cut Payroll, and If The Angels Should Rebuild — listen here

21 Players Elect Free Agency

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With the offseason quickly approaching, a number of players elect minor league free agency on a regular basis. Separate from MLB free agents, who reach free agency five days after the World Series by accumulating six years of service time in the big leagues, eligible minor league players can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season comes to a close. Each of these players were outrighted off of their organization’s 40-man roster at some point during the season and either have been outrighted previously in their career or have the service time necessary to reach free agency since they were not added back to their former club’s rosters. For these players, reaching free agency is the expected outcome, and there will surely be more in the coming weeks. Here at MLBTR, we’ll provide occasional updates as players continue to elect minor league free agency.

Here is the next batch, courtesy of the transaction tracker at MiLB.com:

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers

Joe Christopher Passes Away

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Former big leaguer Joe Christopher passed away earlier this week at the age of 87, as was reported by the Associated Press.

A veteran of eight big league seasons, Christopher made his big league debut in May of 1959 with the Pirates. From 1959-61, Christopher played in 141 games for Pittsburgh, slashing .244/.308/.315 in 281 trips to the plate. His trio of seasons with the Pirates included the 1960 campaign, when Pittsburgh won 95 games en route to a World Series championship. Christopher served as a pinch runner during the seven-game set against the Yankees and scored twice in the series, including during Pittsburgh’s pivotal 5-3 win in Game 5.

When the league expanded ahead of the 1962 season, the Mets selected Christopher with the fifth-overall selection in the expansion draft. He was a regular fixture in the club’s lineup through the club’s first five seasons, slashing .265/.334/.387 in 485 games. The best season both of his Mets tenure and his career as a whole came in 1964. Though the Mets lost 109 games that season, Christopher posted a strong slash line of .300/.360/.466 with 16 home runs, eight triples, and 26 doubles while acting as the club’s regular right fielder. The last season of Christopher’s career came in 1966, when he was traded from New York to Boston. Christopher ultimately played just 12 games for the Red Sox, recording one hit and two walks against four strikeouts in 15 trips to the plate.

Aside from being a member of the original Mets team in 1962 and winning a World Series in 1960, Christopher is noteworthy as one of only a handful of big league players from the U.S. Virgin Islands. He was the second player in the history of the majors to hail from there, following only Valmy Thomas, a catcher who played for the who played for the Giants in both New York and San Francisco before moving on to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Cleveland throughout his five-year career, which began in 1957.

We at MLB Trade Rumors extend our condolences to Christopher’s family, friends, loved ones, fans and former teammates.

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