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Tigers Extend Jonathan Schoop

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The Tigers announced that infielder Jonathan Schoop has signed to a two-year contract extension.  Schoop has been scheduled to hit free agency this winter, but will now remain in the Motor City through the 2023 season.  The 29-year-old will earn $7.5MM in each of those two additional seasons for a total of $15MM in guaranteed money, and Schoop can also opt out of the deal following the 2022 campaign.  Schoop is represented by The Boras Corporation.

Schoop is in the midst of his second season in Detroit, having signed one-year free agent deals (for $6.1MM in 2020 and $4.5MM this year) in each of the last two offseasons.  Considering the Tigers have been rebuilding, Schoop seemed like a logical candidate to be dealt at either of the last two trade deadlines, but the team has instead pivoted and decided to retain Schoop as a building block.

In a statement released by the club, Tigers GM Al Avila described Schoop as “a constant professional since joining our clubhouse, and is the exact type of player we want to wear the Olde English ’D’.  His production on the field matches the value of his leadership with all of our players, and we’re looking forward to that contribution continuing for the next few seasons.  This is a big step towards bringing winning baseball back for our fans, and we know Jonathan will be a big part of that.”

The opt-out clause gives Schoop some flexibility, and he’ll only be turning 31 years old in October 2022.  If he keeps up his current numbers through next year, it seems quite possible that he’ll exercise that opt-out clause in search of a longer-term deal with the Tigers or another team.

Schoop has hit .286/.331/.470 with 26 home runs over 633 plate appearances and 151 games with the Tigers — solidly above-average (116 wRC+, 123 OPS+) production over essentially the equivalent of a full season.  After playing only second base in 2020, Schoop has seen more action as the regular first baseman this year, so Detroit has some flexibility in how it wishes to deploy Schoop in 2022 and beyond.

While there isn’t huge money involved, there is certainly a symbolic element to Schoop’s deal, as it marks the first extension for the Tigers since J.D. Martinez was inked to a two-year deal (buying out his remaining arbitration years) way back in February 2016.  As Avila’s statement indicates, the Tigers believe they are close to ending their rebuild, and even this season’s results bear some promise.  After a brutal 9-24 start to the 2021 campaign, Detroit has a very solid 44-35 record since, giving the club a shot at its first winning season since 2016.

This success seemed to change the equation for the Tigers, who had a pretty quiet trade deadline and seemed more inclined to see how far they could get with the current roster, in order to give their young core a taste of winning.  Since team president/CEO Christopher Ilitch recently suggested the team might raise payroll and look to add “high-impact players,” the 2021-22 offseason looks to be Detroit’s most exciting winter in quite some time, since the team conceivably has the payroll space to make multiple significant additions.  Schoop, Robbie Grossman, and Miguel Cabrera are the only players signed through the 2022 season, representing $44.5MM in salary.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link) was the first to report on the contract’s $15MM value, and the opt-out clause after the 2022 season.  Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. had the breakdown of Schoop’s annual salaries in each of the two seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Giants Sign Tyler Chatwood, Matt Shoemaker To Minors Contracts

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The Giants have signed right-handers Tyler Chatwood and Matt Shoemaker to minor league contracts.  MLB.com’s official transactions page was the first to report the Chatwood deal, while the Shoemaker news actually came from Evan Longoria, who mentioned Shoemaker had joined the Triple-A team during an interview with Sean Cunningham of KXTV Sacramento.  Both hurlers were released within the last week, with the Blue Jays letting go of Chatwood and the Twins parting ways with Shoemaker.

Chatwood signed a one-year, $3MM free agent deal with Toronto this past offseason, and was initially a tremendous help for an otherwise injury-riddled Jays bullpen.  After allowing just one run in his first 17 innings of work, however, Chatwood was then scorched for 11 runs over his next four outings and 3 1/3 innings.  Another decent stretch followed, but two more rough performances on June 25 and July 1 closed the book on his tenure with the Blue Jays, as a neck strain went Chatwood to the injured list for much of July.

Shoemaker had a similar tale, as a one-year, $2MM free agent contract with Minnesota resulted in an ugly 8.06 ERA over 60 1/3 innings.  His 14.1% strikeout rate was near the bottom of the league and down dramatically from his previous 21.8% career average, while Shoemaker’s 9.5% walk rate was also subpar.  Shoemaker started his first 11 games and a move to the bullpen didn’t help, as he allowed eight runs in 2 2/3 innings of relief work on June 30, in his final appearance as a Twin.

The Giants have recently displayed a knack for reviving veteran pitchers, so it isn’t out of the question that Chatwood or Shoemaker could yet provide some quality work for the team before the 2021 season is out.  Since the Jays and Twins are on the hook for the rest of the two right-handers’ MLB salaries, San Francisco only owes the prorated portion of the Major League minimum salary to Chatwood or Shoemaker if they get called up to the big league roster.

Red Sox Sign Jose De Leon To Minors Contract

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The Red Sox signed right-hander Jose De Leon to a minor league deal earlier this week, as the right-hander announced himself on his Twitter feed.  De Leon was designated for assignment and then released by the Reds two weeks ago.

SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson tweets that the Pirates and Blue Jays also showed interest in De Leon’s services, and it isn’t surprising that multiple teams looked into taking a flier on the righty considering his past status as one of the game’s top pitching prospects.  Unfortunately for De Leon, his development was hampered by a Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2018 season, not to mention other injuries.

As a result, De Leon has only 48 Major League innings on his career resume since making his big league debut in September 2016.  De Leon has an unimpressive 8.44 ERA over his brief time in the majors, including an 8.35 ERA over 18 1/3 frames with Cincinnati in 2021.  Control (14.5% walk rate) has been a significant issue, though De Leon is missing a lot of bats with a 27.7% strikeout rate.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom is no stranger to De Leon, as Bloom was working in the Rays’ front office when Tampa Bay acquired the right-hander from the Dodgers back in January 2017.  There’s no risk for the Sox in seeing if their minor league development staff can sharpen up De Leon’s control and turn him into a real bullpen weapon, considering his obvious strikeout ability.

Dodgers Sign Tony Wolters To Minors Contract

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The Dodgers have signed catcher Tony Wolters to a minor league deal, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports (via Twitter).  Wolters is expected to report to the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate.

Wolters had been playing in the Cubs’ farm system on another minor league deal, but the catcher was released earlier this week.  Since Chicago had previously outrighted Wolters off the 40-man roster twice this season, it was apparent he wasn’t in the team’s plans, especially when Wolters wasn’t recalled even after multiple other Cubs catchers went down to injury.

The 29-year-old will now get another shot in the NL West, as Wolters began his career by playing with the Rockies from 2016-20.  Between that action and his 14 games with the Cubs this season, Wolters hasn’t done much at the plate (.236/.322/.315 in 1262 career plate appearances) but he is a well-regarded defensive catcher.  Wolters and fellow veteran Tim Federowicz will provide some Triple-A depth behind the Dodgers’ established catching combo of Will Smith and Austin Barnes.

Dodgers Select Kevin Quackenbush, Place Darien Nunez On Injured List

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The Dodgers have placed left-hander Darien Nunez on the injured list, the team announced.  Right-hander Kevin Quackenbush’s contract has been selected from Triple-A, and the reliever will now take Nunez’s spot on the active roster.

Quackenbush signed a minor league deal in May and has looked quite impressive at Triple-A Oklahoma City, recording an 0.61 ERA and 27.5% strikeout rate over 29 1/3 relief innings.  Quackenbush also pitched for Oklahoma City in 2019 on a previous minors contract with L.A., though he was let go after the season, and a subsequent minor league deal with the Nationals in 2020 didn’t lead anywhere.

The 32-year-old Quackenbush will now get an opportunity with the World Series champions after not pitching in the majors since 2018.  Quackenbush posted a 4.38 ERA over 207 2/3 innings with the Padres and Reds from 2014-18, breaking into the big leagues with three years of solid work in San Diego’s bullpen before running into some major struggles in 2017.

Nunez only made his MLB debut this season, appearing in five games with Los Angeles and posting a 6.14 ERA over his first 7 1/3 innings in the Show.  The Cuban southpaw signed with the Dodgers in 2018 and delivered some big numbers in the minors, with a 2.34 ERA and 39.76% strikeout rate over 104 innings as a relief pitcher.

Mets Sign Zack Godley To Minors Deal

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The Mets have signed right-hander Zack Godley to a minor league contract, according to Michael Mayer of the Metsmerized website (Twitter link).  Godley had been pitching in the Indians organization on a minor league deal but was released by the team earlier this week after he enacted an opt-out clause in the contract.

The signing represents something of a full circle moment for Godley, who was initially a 50th-round draft pick for the Mets in 2009 but he decided against signing and instead attended the University of Tennessee (and was a 10th-round pick for the Cubs in 2013).  Best known for his time as a workhorse in the Diamondbacks rotation in 2017-18, Godley ran into some injury problems and has since become a journeyman, beginning with a move to Toronto after the Blue Jays claimed him off the D’Backs roster in August 2019.

Since then, Godley has pitched for the Tigers, Red Sox, Brewers, and Indians organizations, tossing 28 2/3 MLB innings with Boston in 2020 and then only 3 1/3 innings for Milwaukee this year — over those 32 frames, Godley has a 9.00 ERA and a whopping 11 homers allowed.  At the Triple-A level this season, Godley has a more respectable 4.00 ERA over 54 combined innings with the Brewers’ and Indians’ top affiliates, but he has still surrendered nine home runs.

Godley is likely little more than a depth option for the Mets, though another call to the big leagues might not be out of the question considering how New York is still dealing with some major injury absences to its regular starting rotation.  The return of Carlos Carrasco and the acquisition of Rich Hill have stabilized things to some extent, but the Mets are still awaiting Noah Syndergaard’s return from Tommy John rehab and ace Jacob deGrom’s return date is still up in the air.

Brewers Activate Christian Yelich From COVID List

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The Brewers have activated outfielder Christian Yelich from the COVID-19 injury list, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).  Yelich isn’t starting today’s game but is available off the bench, Counsell said.

Unfortunately for the Brewers, right-hander Adrian Houser was officially placed on the COVID list today, as was expected after the righty’s positive test yesterday.  Houser now joins Josh Hader, Eric Lauer, Keston Hiura, Jandel Gustave, Hunter Strickland, and Jake Cousins as Milwaukee players on the COVID list, as the club continues to deal with an outbreak within the clubhouse.  Yelich tested positive for the virus and was placed on the COVID-IL on July 27, so he’ll return after a pretty minimal stint, even if he isn’t immediately getting back into regular duty for the Brewers.

Between this absence and two stints on the regular injured list due to back problems, Yelich has appeared in only 67 games this season, and hit a modest .235/.382/.367 in 275 plate appearances.  While still above-average (104 OPS+, 108 wRC+) production, it certainly isn’t what was expected from the former NL MVP, even if the Brewers have surged into first place in the NL Central with only average hitting numbers overall.  A return to form from Yelich could be the spark Milwaukee needs to cement itself as a World Series contender, though the first order of business is simply to get everyone recovered from the COVID outbreak.

Phillies Acquire T.J. Rivera

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The Phillies have acquired infielder T.J. Rivera in a minor league trade with the Pirates.  Because Rivera was playing on a minor league deal and hadn’t seen any MLB action this year, he was allowed to be dealt after the July 30 trade deadline.

The trade represents Rivera’s second stint in the Phils organization, as he signed a minor league deal with Philadelphia during the 2019-20 offseason but was released prior to the opening of the club’s 2020 summer camp.  Rivera caught on with the independent Long Island Ducks back in May, but was quickly inked to a minors contract by the Pirates and he has since hit .249/.295/.389 over 212 PA for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Rivera’s big league resume consists over 106 games and 344 PA with the Mets in 2016-17, with the Bronx native delivering a very respectable .304/.335/.445 slash line in that rather brief amount of playing time.  Rivera underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2017, however, and continued to face elbow problems before the Mets eventually released him in 2019.

Pirates Designate Erik Gonzalez, Select Anthony Alford

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4:03PM: The Pirates have also released outfielder Dustin Fowler.  Pittsburgh acquired Fowler in a trade with the A’s during the winter, and the outfielder posted a .434 OPS in 46 PA, marking Fowler’s first bit of big league action since the 2018 season.  Fowler was outrighted to Triple-A in April and has since battled injuries for much of the season.

3:18PM: The Pirates selected the contract of outfielder Anthony Alford from Triple-A.  In corresponding moves, Phillip Evans was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, while utilityman Erik Gonzalez was designated for assignment (Gonzalez had been on the injured list, and was reinstated before being DFA’ed).

Gonzalez has been out of action since July 2 due to a left oblique strain, and he had been wrapping up a minor league rehab assignment in Triple-A.  Now, the 29-year-old could be potentially headed elsewhere after two-plus seasons with the Bucs.  Gonzalez has been utilized all over the diamond in his 174 games in a Pittsburgh uniform, but hasn’t hit much, batting only .236/.268/.324 over 578 plate appearances since the start of the 2019 season.

While Gonzalez could remain in the organization after clearing waivers, it seems likely that the rebuilding Pirates want to give more big league playing time to less-experienced players like Alford.  The former top prospect isn’t young (he just recently turned 27) but he has yet to earn a long look at the MLB level, appearing in each of the last five seasons but totaling only 62 games.

The Pirates claimed Alford off the Blue Jays roster in August 2020 but the change of scenery hasn’t unlocked anything for the outfielder, who has a .540 OPS in the small sample size of 42 PA with Pittsburgh.  At Triple-A, however, Alford has been red hot, hitting .307/.420/.593 with 14 home runs over 226 PA for Indianapolis.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/7/21

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The latest minor moves from around the baseball world…

  • The Giants outrighted left-hander Conner Menez to Triple-A, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic tweets.  Menez cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week.  The southpaw has seen action in each of the last three big league seasons, posting a 4.04 ERA over 42 1/3 career innings.  He’ll now remain in the organization as an extra arm, though the Giants bullpen is already pretty deep in left-handed pitching options.
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