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Mets Designate Jacob Barnes For Assignment

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The Mets have designated right-hander Jacob Barnes for assignment and recalled righty Sean Reid-Foley from Triple-A Syracuse, per a team announcement.

It’s been a rough showing for the 31-year-old Barnes with the Mets. In 18 2/3 innings, the former Brewers, Royals and Angels hurler has been tagged for 13 runs on 19 hits (six homers) and five walks. He’s punched out 18 batters and shown some of the best control of his big league career, but that penchant for serving up long balls has obviously outweighed any of the gains he might’ve expected from walking fewer batters.

From 2016-18, Barnes looked like he might emerge as a regular member of the Brewers’ bullpen. He tallied 147 1/3 innings of relief in that three-year stretch, posting a 3.54 ERA with respectable strikeout and walk percentages (24.4 and 9.9, respectively). Barnes has seen his velocity dip notably in the three years since that stretch, however, and dating back to Opening Day 2019 he’s been rocked for a 6.62 ERA in 69 1/3 innings across four teams.

The Mets will now have a week to trade Barnes or try to pass him through outright waivers. He’s on a $750K salary after avoiding arbitration over the winter, so while Barnes has the ability to reject an outright assignment based on service time, he’d quite likely accept in order to avoid forfeiting the rest of that payday.

Reid-Foley, 25, has been outstanding with the Mets thus far in 2021. The former Blue Jays righty has pitched 13 2/3 innings out of the bullpen and turned in a 1.98 ERA with 20 strikeouts against four walks.

Rangers, Mariners Complete Rafael Montero Deal

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The Rangers have acquired minor league shortstop Andres Mesa from the Mariners as the player to be named later from last December’s Rafael Montero trade. The two parties had until tomorrow to agree on the player involved, as PTBNLs must be determined within six months of a trade’s completion. Mesa has been assigned to the Rangers’ affiliate in the Dominican Summer League.

Mesa, 18, was signed as an international prospect in the summer of 2019, landing a $500K bonus from the Mariners. He’s yet to play in an official game with the Mariners yet thanks to lack of any minor league competition in 2020. At the time of his signing, Baseball America’s Ben Badler called Mesa a plus runner with a “huge” arm and the athleticism to handle an up-the-middle position, be it shortstop, second base or center field.

Mesa becomes the second member of the Mariners 2019-20 international class to join the Rangers as part of the deal. Seventeen-year-old righty Jose Corniell was announced to be part of the trade at the time of the swap, and he currently ranks as the Rangers’ No. 29 prospect at MLB.com. That both players acquired are so young and so far from MLB readiness is a reflection of the younger direction the Rangers have taken over the course of the past year.

The acquisition of Montero hasn’t gone as well as the Mariners would’ve hoped. The former Mets top prospect was quite good in a resurgent showing with Texas from 2019-20, pitching to a combined 3.09 ERA with a hefty 28.9 percent strikeout rate and a tiny 5.9 percent walk rate. He’s sitting on a 5.21 ERA through 28 2/3 frames as a Mariner, and while a pair of rough outings in particular skew that ERA, the overall results have taken a dive from Montero’s 2019-20 levels. He’s striking out far fewer batters and issuing more walks, which have combined to offset an overwhelming uptick in ground-ball rate.

Montero isn’t giving up much in the way of hard contact, and fielding-independent numbers are more bullish on him than that bottom-line ERA, so there’s still some hope of a turnaround. He’s also controlled into the 2022 season via arbitration, so if he is ultimately able to right the ship, he has some value to the Mariners beyond the current campaign.

Mariners Trade Yacksel Rios To Red Sox

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The Mariners announced Monday that they’ve traded right-handed reliever Yacksel Rios to the Red Sox in exchange for cash. Seattle had designated the 27-year-old Rios for assignment over the weekend.

Rios pitched three innings for the Mariners prior to his DFA, allowing a trio of runs on five hits and a pair of walks with two strikeouts. Seattle had only recently acquired him from the Rays in exchange for cash — a deal that came about as a result of an opt-out clause in Rios’ minor league deal with Tampa Bay.

While Rios hasn’t had much success in the Majors, he was lights-out in Triple-A this year, where he yielded just one run on eight hits and two walks with 17 strikeouts through 13 2/3 frames. A 6.47 ERA in 72 1/3 Major League innings gives plenty of reason to be a bit skeptical of that brilliant showing in Durham, but this is basically a no-risk pickup for the Red Sox, who have an open spot on the 40-man roster after designating righty Ryan Weber for assignment earlier in the day.

Royals Place Andrew Benintendi On 10-Day Injured List

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The Royals have placed outfielder Andrew Benintendi on the 10-day injured list due to a right rib injury, manager Mike Matheny told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anne Rogers).  Outfielder Edward Olivares is being called up to take Benintendi’s 26-man roster spot.

The specific injury occurred during a throw Benintendi made during yesterday’s 6-3 Royals loss to the Athletics, though Matheny said Benintendi has “felt something for a bit” beforehand.  This could potentially indicate a longer stay than just 10 days on the IL for the outfielder, especially since a broken rib led to an early shutdown of Benintendi’s 2020 season with the Red Sox.

It’s an unfortunate turn of events for both Benintendi and the Royals, as the 26-year-old is in the midst of a quality bounce-back season.  Benintendi has hit .283/.340/.429 over 241 plate appearances for Kansas City, good for a 110 OPS+ and 112 wRC+.  After a slow start over the first three weeks, Benintendi has posted an .880 OPS over his last 174 PA.

Kansas City acquired Benintendi as part of a three-team trade with the Red Sox and Mets in February, with the Royals ultimately parting ways with Franchy Cordero, Khalil Lee, and minor league righties Grant Gambrell and Luis De La Rosa in their share of the deal.  It was one of multiple aggressive moves by the Royals front office to make the team more competitive, though the club is now 30-34 after an early surge in April.  While K.C. plans on becoming full-fledged contenders as soon as 2022, Benintendi’s injury (depending on how long he’s sidelined) might point the club towards selling at this year’s trade deadline.

With Benintendi out of action, Olivares might get the chance at an extended look at the big league level.  Acquired from the Padres in the Trevor Rosenthal trade last August, Olivares hasn’t hit much in 120 PA in the majors, but he has been shredding Triple-A pitching this season (a .370/.452/.610 slash line and six homers over 115 PA).

Red Sox Designate Ryan Weber For Assignment

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The Red Sox have designated right-hander Ryan Weber for assignment, manager Alex Cora told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo and other reporters.  Michael Chavis has been called up from Triple-A to take Weber’s spot on the active roster.

Weber’s contract was only just selected from Triple-A yesterday, and his lone appearance for the Sox ended up being a nightmare.  Called into the game after starter Martin Perez was chased in the second inning, Weber was left to soak up innings in mop-up duty, and he allowed 11 runs over 5 2/3 innings in Boston’s 18-4 loss to the Blue Jays.

Now in his third season with the Red Sox, Weber posted a 4.73 ERA/4.66 SIERA over 83 2/3 innings in 2019-20.  Weber is something of a groundball specialist, with a 52.3% grounder rate over his 163 career frames in the majors and only a 15.1% strikeout rate.  He is versatile enough to work as a proper starting pitcher or as a multi-inning swingman type, though with limited effectiveness (Weber has a 5.30 career ERA).

Chavis has been shuttled back and forth a few times this season between Boston’s MLB roster and either the alternate training site or Triple-A Worcester.  Chavis has hit .273/.273/.485 in 33 plate appearances this season, as the former top prospect is still trying to establish himself at the big league level.  He’ll factor into Boston’s bench mix, and some playing time at first base could open up if Bobby Dalbec continues to struggle (though Dalbec has been looking a bit better over his last four games).

Rays Reinstate Ji-Man Choi From 10-Day IL

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The Rays have reinstated first baseman Ji-Man Choi from the 10-day injured list, with utilityman Mike Brosseau heading down to Triple-A as the corresponding move.  Choi will end up missing just beyond the 10-day minimum, as his IL placement for a left groin strain was retroactive to June 3.

It has been an injury-plagued year for Choi, who didn’t make his season debut until mid-May due to arthroscopic knee surgery.  When he has played, however, Choi has been swinging a mighty bat — he has hit .304/.448/.522 with two home runs over the small sample size of 58 plate appearances.  The left-handed hitting Choi will resume his normal role as Tampa Bay’s top option at first base against righty pitching, with Yandy Diaz forming the other half of the platoon.

Brosseau had somewhat quietly been a very productive player over his first two MLB seasons, hitting .284/.343/.500 in 240 PA in 2019-20 and playing all over the field for the Rays.  This year, however, Brosseau wasn’t offering much beyond defensive versatility, with only a .184/.259/.336 slash line in 139 PA.  There is little doubt Brosseau will find himself back in the big leagues at some point this season, and a stint in Triple-A might be just what he needs to get on track at the plate.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/14/21

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Marlins acquired catcher/first baseman Lorenzo Quintana in a trade with the Astros.  The 32-year-old Quintana is a veteran of seven seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, hitting an impressive .310/.377/.438 over 1636 plate appearances.  Quintana signed with the Astros in November 2017 and hit pretty well in his first three minor league seasons, including a .311/.372/.340 slash line in 113 plate appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land this season.  While his power dropoff is a concern, Quintana gives Miami another depth option in the minors, particularly at the catcher position.
  • The Cubs announced Sunday that right-hander Dakota Chalmers has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Double-A Tennessee.  Chalmers was claimed off waivers from the Twins earlier this month, and the Cubs can now keep a young arm in the organization without devoting him a 40-man roster spot.  Chalmers entered this season as the #24 prospect in the Minnesota system, per Baseball America, which praised his mid-90s velocity and high-spin curveball but questioned his strike-throwing ability.  Indeed, Chalmers has since walked an untenable 23.8% of opposing hitters at Double-A this year, so the Cubs player development staff will need to help him improve his control if he’s to make it to the big leagues.
  • Earlier this month, the Rockies signed infielder Kelby Tomlinson to a minors contract and released right-hander Ben Meyer.  Tomlinson appeared in 273 games with the Giants from 2015-18 (hitting .265/.331/.332 in 687 PA), primarily playing as a second baseman but also making appearances as a third baseman, shortstop, and left fielder.  Since his last big league game, Tomlinson has inked minor league deals with Diamondbacks, Mariners, and also the Rockies in a previous contract last season; Colorado released Tomlinson last June.  Meyer has been in Colorado’s organization for almost exactly two years, since the righty was let go by the Marlins.  A 29th-round pick for the Marlins in the 2015 draft, Meyer’s MLB resume consists of 19 innings and a 10.42 ERA with Miami in 2018.

Rangers Release Khris Davis

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The Rangers announced they’ve placed Khris Davis on unconditional release waivers. This was the expected outcome after the club designated Davis for assignment on Tuesday.

Texas acquired the designated hitter/corner outfielder from the A’s over the winter. While they surely hoped he’d rebound from back-to-back down seasons at the plate, the primary motivation for the trade was financial. The Rangers sent Elvis Andrus, owed $14MM in each of 2021 and 2022, to Oakland in exchange for Davis’ expiring $16.75MM contract and a pair of prospects. (Texas is paying down $13.5MM of Andrus’ contract over the next two years). The deal allowed the Rangers to assume more money in 2021, when they didn’t expect to contend anyhow, to shave nearly $7MM off their 2022 books.

Ultimately, the Rangers didn’t give Davis much of a leash. He began the year on the injured list and received just 61 plate appearances- putting up a poor .157/.262/.333 slash line- before Texas cut bait. It’s the third consecutive year of well below-average hitting for Davis, who was one of the game’s top power bats during his 2016-18 peak in Oakland.

Technically, teams will have 48 hours to put in a claim for Davis. That’s a moot point, as he’ll assuredly pass through waivers unclaimed. Any team that claimed Davis would assume the remainder of his salary. No team will do that, leaving the Rangers on the hook for the money.

Once he clears the wire, Davis will be free to sign with any team. A signing club would then only owe him the league minimum salary for any time he spends on the major league roster, which would be subtracted from Texas’ outlay. Given his lack of defensive value and recent offensive woes, it’s possible he’ll have to settle for a minor league deal once he hits the open market.

Angels Claim Jack Mayfield Off Waivers From Mariners

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The Angels claimed Jack Mayfield off waivers from the Mariners, per announcements from both teams. Los Angeles has optioned Mayfield to Triple-A Salt Lake. The Angels already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no other move was necessary.

Seattle designated Mayfield for assignment earlier this week. The utilityman now heads back to Los Angeles, where he began the 2021 season. The Angels acquired Mayfield from the Braves in exchange for cash considerations back in February but designated him for assignment two months later. Seattle claimed the 30-year-old off waivers, but his stint in the Mariners organization comes to an end after just over a month.

Mayfield has appeared in the big leagues in each of the past three seasons, spending the entirety of his time in the AL West. He broke in with the Astros in 2019 and has seen the briefest of time with the Angels and Mariners this season. He’s done very little offensively at the highest level, hitting just .168/.195/.259 across career 150 plate appearances. Nevertheless, his combination of defensive versatility and roster flexibility (he has a pair of minor league option years remaining) has continued to generate interest from teams.

Pirates Outright Wilmer Difo

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JUNE 13: Pittsburgh announced that Difo has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Indianapolis. Having previously been outrighted in his career, the 29-year-old had the right to elect free agency. He’s apparently accepted a minor league assignment, though, as he’s listed on the Triple-A club’s active roster.

JUNE 8: The Pirates have designated infielder/outfielder Wilmer Difo for assignment, per a team announcement. In other moves, Pittsburgh reinstated two players – right-hander Mitch Keller and outfielder/infielder Phillip Evans – from the injured list and optioned lefty Austin Davis to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Formerly a member of the Nationals, Difo joined the Pirates on a minor league contract over the winter. The 29-year-old earned a major league spot at the beginning of April and has since hit .244//.287/.366 with a home run in 87 plate appearances, while receiving playing time at second base, third base and multiple outfield positions.

Defensive flexibility is nothing new for Difo, who debuted in the bigs in 2015, though the switch-hitter has not had a great deal of success offensively. His lifetime .247/.308/.349 line over 1,147 PA doesn’t look much different than his output this season.

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