Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Transactions

Michel Baez Signs With Mexican League’s Sultanes de Monterrey

By | at

Right-hander Michel Baez has signed with the Mexican League’s Sultanes de Monterrey, according to a report from Francys Romero. It will be Baez’s second stint with the club, as he pitched for Monterrey during the 2024 season as well.

Baez, 29, signed with the Padres out of Cuba prior to the 2017 season and quickly became a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport. He made his major league debut in 2019 and posted some impressive numbers out of the gate, as he pitched to a 3.03 ERA (139 ERA+) despite a 21.4% strikeout rate and 10.7% walk rate that led to a 4.36 FIP in 29 2/3 innings of work. Despite those potential red flags in Baez’s peripherals, his move to the bullpen ahead of his big league debut appeared to be a resounding success, and the right-hander figured to be a key part of San Diego’s bullpen mix for years to come.

Unfortunately, that’s not how things turned out. Baez would appear in just five more MLB games after 2019, three of which came during the shortened 2020 season. The right-hander was then sidelined by Tommy John surgery in 2021 and didn’t return to the big leagues until the following year, when he made two brief appearances with the Padres. Baez was designated for assignment prior to Opening Day 2023 and was outrighted to the minors shortly thereafter. He spent the entire 2023 season in the Padres’ minor league system before being released that December.

While injuries such as his aforementioned Tommy John surgery surely played a role in Baez’s struggles, it’s worth noting that the right-hander did not have much success even in the upper levels of the minors during his final seasons in affiliated ball. The righty pitched to an 8.44 ERA in 24 appearances at Triple-A back in 2022, and the 2023 campaign saw him post a 7.90 ERA at Triple-A and identical 6.75 figures at both the Double-A and High-A levels. Those brutal results were paired with lackluster peripherals, as in 2023 Baez walked 13.4% of his opponents while striking out just 17.4% throughout all levels of the minors.

Baez’s struggles in affiliated ball led him to participate in the Mexican League last year, but his first stint with Monterrey did not go especially well. The right-hander made just seven appearances with six innings of work in total, but he was shelled to the tune of a 7.50 ERA with four walks and a hit batter against five strikeouts. The club, which featured former big leaguers such as Nomar Mazara and Christian Villanueva in 2024, is surely hoping for better results from Baez this season. The right-hander is still in his 20s and has some previous big league success under his belt, so it’s certainly not impossible to imagine him fashioning himself into a useful pitcher for the Sultanes and perhaps even getting another shot in affiliated ball at some point in the future.

Pirates Designate Brett De Geus, Release Yerry Rodriguez

By | at

The Pirates officially announced the Andrew Heaney signing today, as well as a pair of other roster moves.  Right-hander Brett de Geus was designated for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Heaney, and the Bucs also released right-hander Yerry Rodriguez.

This is the fourth time de Geus has been DFA’ed since the start of August, and each of those three designations saw the righty switch teams.  The Marlins claimed de Geus when the Mariners DFA’ed him in early August, the Blue Jays picked the reliever up on another waiver claim in September after Miami designated de Geus again, and Pittsburgh just picked de Geus up a little over a month ago after Toronto designated him and then traded de Geus in a cash transaction.

All of these moves come after two other DFAs earlier in de Geus’ career, as both the Rangers and Diamondbacks looked to move him through waivers back in 2021.  Because Arizona’s designation was followed by an outright assignment, de Geus now has the ability to reject any future outright assignments in favor of free agency, should he pass through the waiver wire without being claimed or traded this time.

De Geus’ only big league experience came during those two DFA-laden seasons.  He tossed 50 innings with Texas and Arizona in 2021, then resurfaced in the Show this year to pitch 11 1/3 combined frames for Seattle, Miami, and Toronto.  De Geus has a 7.48 ERA over his 61 1/3 career innings in the majors, plus a 6.66 ERA in 50 career innings at the Triple-A level.

Despite the lack of bottom-line results, de Geus has a 52.5% grounder rate at the MLB level, and a sinking fastball that averaged 96.4 mph last season.  The righty has been such a popular figure on the waiver wire during his career that it wouldn’t be surprising if yet another team elects to acquire the 27-year-old to see if its pitching development team has the magic touch in turning de Geus’ promising stuff into an arsenal capable of handling big league hitters.

Rodriguez signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in November, but he’ll make an early exit from Pittsburgh’s camp.  Rodriguez is also a former Ranger and Blue Jay, and he has an 8.17 ERA over 36 1/3 innings with the two clubs since the start of the 2022 season.  Control has been an issue for Rodriguez in both the majors and at Triple-A, and the strikeout potential he has showed in the minors hasn’t translated within the small sample of his MLB playing time.

Andrew Vasquez Signs With Mexican League’s Tecolotes De Los Dos Laredos

By | at

The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League have signed left-hander Andrew Vasquez to a contract for the 2025 season, according to KPRC2’s Ari Alexander.  Vasquez can walk away from the deal if he receives interest from a big league club, with the Tecolotes owed nothing in buyout fees.

Vasquez has logged 63 2/3 career innings over five MLB seasons, with the large majority of that action coming when he pitched 48 1/3 frames for the Phillies and Tigers in 2023.  His bottom-line results of a 3.35 ERA were solid, though his strikeout (19.6%) and walk (10.5%) rates were both subpar, and his performance fell off drastically after he went to the Tigers on a waiver claim.  Philadelphia opted to designate Vasquez for assignment just after the trade deadline in order to clear roster space, despite Vasquez’s 2.27 ERA in 39 2/3 innings for the club.

After struggling to an 8.31 ERA in 8 2/3 innings with his new team, Vasquez returned to the Tigers last winter on a minors contract and spent the entire 2024 campaign at Triple-A Toledo.  Vasquez’s situation wasn’t helped by a lack of minor league options, but he didn’t make much of a case for promotion after posting a 5.11 ERA, 19.4% strikeout rate, and 9.6% walk rate over 68 2/3 innings with Toledo.

This stint in the Mexican League marks the first time in Vasquez’s pro career (which began as a 32nd-round pick for the Twins in 2015) that he has pitched outside of affiliated baseball.  The 31-year-old should find more of a regular role with the Tecolotes than he would in battling amongst other minor league signings withing a Major League team’s camp, and his contract’s out clause allows Vazquez some flexibility if he pitches well enough to attract attention from MLB scouts.

Cubs, Travis Jankowski Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

8:52pm: It’s a minor league deal with a non-roster invite to big league camp, reports Jesse Rogers of ESPN.

5:25pm: The Cubs and outfielder Travis Jankowski have agreed to a deal, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The details of the deal for the Excel Sports Management client haven’t been publicly reported yet. If it’s a major league deal, the Cubs would have to open a 40-man roster spot. If it’s a minor league pact, the veteran will presumably receive an invite to spring training.

Jankowski, 34 in June, has a decade of big league experience at this point. He provides value via his speed and strong defensive skills but his bat has been inconsistent. The oscillating offense has led to swings in his contributions over the years. He has spent the past two seasons with the Rangers and his numbers in those two campaigns provide a microcosm of his overall track record.

After a rough 2022 season, he had to settle for a minor league pact with the Rangers going into 2023. He ended up getting an Opening Day roster spot and appeared in 107 games for Texas that year. He drew a walk in 12.2% of his plate appearances and only struck out 14.6% of the time. His .263/.357/.332 batting line translated to a 97 wRC+. That means his offense was 3% below average overall but he stole 19 bases and got strong reviews for his glovework. He then got into seven postseason games as the Rangers won their first World Series.

They brought him back via a one-year deal with a $1.7MM guarantee for 2024, but the pendulum swung the other way. His strikeout rate climbed to 21.3% as his walk rate fell to 5.8%. He produced a dismal line of .200/.266/.242 last year, leading to a 48 wRC+. He did swipe another 11 bags and run the ball down in the field again, but the decline at the plate put a big dent in his value. FanGraphs considered him to be worth 1.2 wins above replacement in 2023 but negative 0.3 fWAR last year.

Dating back to his 2015 debut, Jankowski has appeared in 681 big league games with a combined .236/.319/.305 line and 77 wRC+. He has 102 stolen bases in 127 attempts. He has racked up 30 Defensive Runs Saved and 33 Outs Above Average in his career.

The Cubs project to have an outfield consisting of Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, flanked by Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker in the corners. Seiya Suzuki figures to be the regular designated hitter, but seeing some outfield time on occasion as well. Jon Berti and Vidal Bruján are candidates for bench/utility roles.

Bringing in Jankowski is likely a move to bolster the center field depth. Crow-Armstrong won’t celebrate his 23rd birthday until next month. He’s a great defender but has been a subpar hitter in the majors thus far. Happ and Tucker have some good numbers in the corners but would be stretched up the middle. Happ hasn’t played there since 2022 and logged just 12 innings there that year. Tucker has just 29 career innings in center and none since 2021. Berti and Bruján are primarily infielders who can be pushed into outfield work on occasion.

That leaves the inexperienced Crow-Armstrong without much support up the middle. Kevin Alcántara and Owen Caissie are on the 40-man roster but likely to be getting regular playing time in Triple-A, as opposed to sitting on the big league bench.

Jankowski has 1,629 1/3 career innings in center with +8 DRS and +14 OAA. If he is added to the big league roster, he can serve as a fourth/fifth outfielder for the Cubs. The team knows it’s likely to get competent glovework, as well as the ability to have him pinch run from time to time, with the offense being a wild card.

The bench currently projects to have catcher Carson Kelly, infielder/DH Justin Turner, Berti and Bruján. No one in that group can be optioned. If Jankowski is to be added to the big league roster, whether that’s now or later, a spot would have to be opened up somehow.

Astros, Brendan Rodgers Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

February 21: Per Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Rodgers has three opt-outs in his deal: end of spring training, May 1 and June 1.

February 18: The Astros are in agreement with second baseman Brendan Rodgers on a minor league contract, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The signing, which is still pending a physical, includes a non-roster invite to Spring Training. Colorado had non-tendered Rodgers in lieu of paying a projected $5.5MM salary for his final arbitration season.

Rodgers had spent his entire career with the Rockies. Colorado drafted him out of high school with the third overall pick in 2015. He was one of the game’s top prospects for a few seasons, though he never developed into the impact hitter expected at the time. Rodgers spent four years as Colorado’s primary second baseman, posting slightly below-average numbers after adjusting for Coors Field.

The right-handed hitter has turned in a .266/.316/.409 slash line in more than 1800 career plate appearances. He put up virtually identical numbers last year, posting a .267/.314/.407 mark across 539 trips to the dish. Rodgers hit 13 home runs with middling strikeout and walk rates. He hit the ball on the ground at a career-high 56.1% rate. Among hitters with 500+ plate appearances, no one hit the ball on the ground more often.

Rodgers has put more than half his batted balls on the ground in each season of his career. That has capped his power potential despite his home park and solid exit velocities. Like many Colorado hitters, he’s had a difficult time acclimating away from Coors Field. Rodgers is a .306/.361/.465 career hitter in Denver. He has turned in a .227/.272/.356 mark on the road. Hitting on the road is a challenge for Rockies hitters, who need to adapt to sharper breaking stuff than they usually see in higher altitudes at home. Projecting Rodgers isn’t as simple as looking solely at his road numbers, though that lack of production outside Colorado surely played a role in limiting him to a minor league contract.

Aside from a few scattered starts at shortstop between 2019-21, Rodgers has been a full-time second baseman. He won a Gold Glove in 2022 behind a massive +22 grade from Defensive Runs Saved. That’s an extreme outlier compared to the rest of his career. Rodgers has received slightly below-average grades from DRS in his other three full seasons. Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric has put him slightly below par as well.

A second base-only profile is a difficult one to carry off the bench. Teams tend to prioritize defensive flexibility from their backup infielders. Rodgers came up as a shortstop prospect and played a little bit of third base in the minors. He doesn’t have any professional outfield experience.

Houston has Mauricio Dubón and backup catcher Victor Caratini locked into two of their four bench spots. Jon Singleton will probably keep his role as a left-handed bench bat. That’d leave one job up for grabs among out-of-options outfielder Taylor Trammell, righty-hitting corner bat Zach Dezenzo, and non-roster invitees like Rodgers, Luis Guillorme, and Zack Short. If Rodgers makes the team, he’d likely draw into the lineup on days when the Astros use Jose Altuve in left field. Houston reportedly still intends to get Altuve some outfield work despite Alex Bregman’s departure.

Brewers, Manuel Margot Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Brewers and free agent outfielder Manuel Margot are in agreement on a minor league deal, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The Wasserman client will be in major league camp for the remainder of spring training. Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel first reported that Margot was in the Brewers’ clubhouse this morning.

Margot, 30, spent the 2024 season with the Twins after being twice traded in the 2023-24 offseason — first going from Tampa Bay to the Dodgers and then going from Los Angeles to Minnesota. The Twins deployed him as a platoon option for lefty-swinging corner outfielders Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner, and they also gave him a handful of appearances in center field when Byron Buxton was out of the lineup. He posted an ugly .238/.289/.337 slash on the season (21% worse than average, by measure of wRC+), but the righty-swinging Margot was productive against southpaws. In 171 plate appearances, he hit .269/.332/.391.

Earlier in his career, Margot was a premium defensive player — one of the top outfield gloves in all of baseball. From 2016-21, he logged nearly 4500 combined innings across all three outfield slots and logged gaudy numbers there: 41 Defensive Runs Saved, 21.6 Ultimate Zone Rating, 53 Outs Above Average.

Margot’s career took a turn in 2022 when he suffered a partial tear in the patellar tendon of his right knee. He missed nearly half the season as a result. Margot hit .302/.365/.423 through the time of that June injury but mustered only a .240/.276/.318 line upon returning late in the year. In 849 turns at the plate since returning from that injury, he’s a .249/.295/.349 hitter. His once-elite sprint speed — Margot debuted with 99th percentile speed in 2016, per Statcast — has plummeted to roughly league-average (53rd percentile last year). The loss in sprint speed, unsurprisingly, is in direct alignment with that knee injury.

While he can still play all three outfield positions, Margot graded out slightly below average with Minnesota in 2024. It’s possible that he’ll regain some quickness as he further distances himself from that 2022 injury, but a return to his 70- or 80-grade speed as he enters his 30s isn’t going to happen.

The Brewers have a full outfield, with Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick and Blake Perkins all vying for time. Christian Yelich will likely see at least some time in left field, but he’ll increasingly be deployed at designated hitter as his injury history continues to grow. (Yelich’s 2024 season ended in August due to back surgery.) Margot’s right-handed bat could complement lefties Mitchell and Frelick, but Chourio hits right-handed and the switch-hitting Perkins is a better hitter from the right side of the plate.

Margot will give the club some depth in the event of an injury, but he’s not a lock to make the club. He’s also an Article XX(b) free agent (i.e. six-plus years of service, ended the prior season on a major league roster/injured list), meaning he’ll have three uniform opt-out dates in his minor league contract: five days before Opening Day (March 22), May 1 and June 1. He can opt out and elect to become a free agent at any of those points if he’s not on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster.

Rockies Outright Aaron Schunk

By | at

The Rockies announced that infielder Aaron Schunk has passed through waivers unclaimed and been sent outright to Triple-A. He was designated for assignment earlier this week when the club signed left-hander Scott Alexander. He stays in big league camp but now as a non-roster invitee.

Schunk, 27, was selected to the club’s roster in June. He got to make his major league debut last year, stepping to the plate 98 times across 39 games. He put up a line of .234/.265/.330 in those, walking just 4.1% of the time and striking out at a 31.6% clip. Defensively, he split his time between second base, third base and shortstop.

His offense has been better in the minors. Over the past three seasons, he has 1,304 plate appearances on the farm, drawing walks in 7.6% of those and getting punched out 22.2% of the time. He hit a combined .278/.335/.450 for a 98 wRC+ over those seasons.

That wasn’t enough for any club to put in a claim. Since this is Schunk’s first career outright and he has less than three years of major league service time, he doesn’t have the right to elect free agency. He’ll stick with the Rockies and provide them with some infield depth but without taking up a roster spot.

The Rockies have Ryan McMahon locked in at third base and Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop. Second base is a bit more open after the club moved on from Brendan Rodgers. Prospect Adael Amador is perhaps the long-term plan, though he’s played just ten games above the Double-A level thus far and still has options. Thairo Estrada should hold down the position for now, with Kyle Farmer on the roster as a bench/utility infielder.

The Rox have guys like Owen Miller and Keston Hiura in camp as non-roster invitees, with Schunk now joining them in that category. If Schunk gets added back to the roster at any point, he has a full slate of options and less than a year of service time.

Cubs, Greg Allen Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Cubs have agreed to a minor league deal with outfielder Greg Allen, reports Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. The CAA client has been invited to major league camp.

Allen, 31, has appeared in parts of seven big league seasons. The 2024 campaign was the first time since 2016 that he hasn’t appeared in the majors in a given season. He spent last year with the Yankees organization, hitting .225/.338/.360 with three homers and 13 steals (in 15 attempts) during 58 Triple-A games.

A plus runner with a light bat, Allen has never hit much in the majors. He carries just a .231/.300/.340 line in 828 plate appearances. However, he’s swiped 48 bags in 57 tries (84.2%) and has regularly provided good defense across all three outfield slots — particularly in left field.

The Cubs aren’t hurting for outfield depth by any means. They have Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker lined up to start, with Seiya Suzuki filling a DH role and likely spelling Happ and Tucker in the corners. Utilityman Vidal Brujan has primarily been an infielder but has gained experience across all three outfield slots over the past few seasons. Kevin Alcantara and Owen Caissie, both ranked among the game’s top-100 prospects, are on the cusp of MLB readiness. The Cubs are deep enough that they felt comfortable designating out-of-options slugger Alexander Canario for assignment earlier this week.

That said, the potential loss of Canario and a groin strain for Caissie that currently has him shut down from all baseball activity has at least thinned the group a bit. Allen can add some cover at all three outfield positions and bring an element of speed to the upper levels of the Cubs’ system. He’s unlikely to break camp with the club, but he’ll bring a career .276/.387/.413 line in parts of six Triple-A seasons to the Cubs’ top affiliate in Iowa if he begins the season in Triple-A.

White Sox, Mike Clevinger Agree To Minor League Contract

By | at

The White Sox are in agreement with Mike Clevinger on a minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The ACES client receives a non-roster invite to Spring Training.

Clevinger returns to Chicago for what’ll be a third straight season. He signed a $12MM deal with the Sox over the 2022-23 offseason. That was a generally successful pickup, as he turned in a 3.77 earned run average through 24 starts. That came with a below-average strikeout rate for a second consecutive season, leading to a quieter market last winter. Clevinger remained unsigned beyond Opening Day. He eventually returned to Chicago on a $4MM deal.

As a result of the late signing, the veteran righty agreed to start the season in the minors. That afforded him a few weeks to build his arm into game shape. The White Sox recalled him in early May. He took four turns through the rotation, allowing 13 runs (12 earned) across 16 frames. Elbow inflammation shelved him for a couple months. Clevinger was building back from that when the Sox announced in late July that he’d undergo season-ending surgery to address a disc issue in his neck.

The injury-plagued season limited Clevinger to minor league offers as he enters his age-34 campaign. He’s clearly comfortable with the White Sox, where there’s plenty of opportunity in the rotation. Chicago has added Martín Pérez and Bryse Wilson on one-year deals this offseason. No other starter on their 40-man roster has even reached one year of major league service. Clevinger joins Justin Dunn and Jonathan Heasley as non-roster invitees who have MLB experience.

Mariners, Rowdy Tellez Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Mariners are in agreement with Rowdy Tellez on a minor league deal with an invite to MLB camp, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Tellez is represented by Primo Sports Group.

It’s a rebound opportunity for the 29-year-old first baseman. Tellez signed with the Pirates last offseason on a $3.2MM free agent deal. He spent most of the season as Pittsburgh’s starting first baseman. He had an up-and-down year. Tellez limped to a .177/.239/.223 line through the first two months. He caught fire once the summer got underway. Tellez raked at a .310/.346/.533 clip between the start of June and the end of August. His numbers crashed back to earth in September, when he hit .116/.255/.209 across 51 plate appearances.

Pittsburgh released Tellez in late September. That controversially came just before he was set to reach his 425th plate appearance, which would have triggered a $200K bonus in his contract. While it’s likely that played a part in the team’s decision, Tellez’s late-season slump dropped his overall numbers back below replacement level. He finished the year with a .243/.299/.392 line with 13 homers across 421 trips to the plate.

Tellez has been a below-average hitter in three of the past four seasons. He carries a .229/.301/.417 slash in nearly 1700 plate appearances since the start of 2021. Tellez had mashed in small samples with the Blue Jays in 2018 and ’20, but he’s a career .234/.303/.436 hitter. He’s a subpar baserunner and defensive first baseman, which puts a lot of pressure on the bat.

Luke Raley will get most of the first base work against right-handed pitching. Mitch Garver and Mitch Haniger each figure to get designated hitter reps as they look to bounce back from rough seasons. Tellez doesn’t have much of a path to an Opening Day roster spot unless someone suffers an injury. He could open the season with Triple-A Tacoma if opportunities don’t arise during Spring Training.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top