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Cubs Designate Luis Vazquez For Assignment

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The Cubs announced Tuesday that they’ve designated infielder Luis Vazquez for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to veteran utilityman Jon Berti, whose previously reported one-year deal with the Cubs is now official.

Vazquez, 25, was a 17th-round pick out of Puerto Rico who made his MLB debut with Chicago in 2024. He appeared in 11 games and went 1-for-12 in a total of 14 trips to the plate. The rest of Vazquez’s season was spent in Triple-A, where he slashed .263/.347/.432 (104 wRC+) with the Cubs’ top affiliate in Des Moines. Vazquez has drawn walks at a stout 11.6% clip and fanned at a roughly average 22.5% rate over the past two seasons in Iowa. He’s shown off a bit of pop, swatting 17 homers in 543 plate appearances, and chipped in seven steals in 12 attempts.

Vazquez has played the overwhelming majority of his professional games at shortstop, logging 4929 innings at the position compared to just 268 at second base, 186 at third base, two in right field and one at first base. Baseball America ranked him 16th among Cubs farmhands last winter and praised him as the best defensive shortstop in the system while also lauding an offensive breakout he’d shown in 2023. He didn’t quite sustain his ’23 production this past year but did post slightly better-than-average offensive output in Iowa.

With a quality glove at shortstop, a pair of minor league options remaining and a couple above-average seasons of production in the upper minors in 2023-24, Vazquez could well hold appeal to another club. Chicago will have five days to trade him. If there’s no taker, he’ll be placed on waivers, at which point any other team could claim him. Waivers are a 48-hour process, so within the next week, there’ll be some resolution on the outcome of the slick-fielding shortstop’s DFA.

Red Sox, Abraham Toro Agree To Minor League Contract

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3:29pm: Toro will make $1MM if in the majors, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

9:50am: The Red Sox and free agent infielder Abraham Toro have agreed to a minor league contract, reports Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base. The Republik Sports client receives an invitation to major league spring training.

Toro, who turned 28 last month, was a well-regarded prospect with the Astros who has at times flashed some of that potential in the majors. He posted a roughly league-average batting line and popped 11 homers in 95 games between Houston and Seattle in 2021 — the same season that saw the ’Stros deal him to the M’s in exchange for reliever Kendall Graveman. Toro appeared in 60 games with Seattle following that trade, walking at a slightly above-average clip and fanning in only 13% of his plate appearances during that age-24 season.

At the time, Toro looked like a potential regular for the Mariners, or at the very least an oft-used and versatile semi-regular. The switch-hitter saw his output crater in 2022, however. Toro batted only .185/.239/.324 in 352 plate appearances with the Mariners. The following offseason, he was traded to the Brewers in return for Jesse Winker and Kolten Wong — a move that didn’t pay 2023 dividends for either team.

Toro hit well in Triple-A for the Brewers but never got a real look in the majors, tallying just 21 plate appearances as a Brewer. Milwaukee flipped him to the A’s in the 2023-24 offseason, netting righty Chad Patrick in return. Toro hit .240/.293/.350 in 364 plate appearances with Oakland before being passed through waivers and electing free agency at the beginning of the current offseason.

While Toro has yet to produce in the big leagues (.220/.285/.353), he’s spent the majority of his time in pitchers’ parks like T-Mobile and the Coliseum. He’s a switch-hitter with a career .305/.396/.486 batting line in parts of five Triple-A seasons, and he has experience at third base, second base and (to a lesser extent) first base.

Toro gives the Red Sox some more depth in the infield as the team continues to face a glaring question at second base. Top prospect Kristian Campbell may eventually claim that spot as his own, but he’s versatile enough to handle shortstop or an outfield spot as well. He also still has only 19 games of Triple-A experience under his belt (though he showed brilliantly there). Other second base options for the Red Sox include David Hamilton, Vaughn Grissom, Romy Gonzalez, non-roster invitee Nate Eaton and top prospect Marcelo Mayer. It’s also feasible that oft-injured Trevor Story could move over to second base, though for now he’s still ticketed for regular work at shortstop.

Marlins Claim Connor Gillispie, Designate Jhonny Pereda

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The Marlins announced that they have claimed right-hander Connor Gillispie off waivers from the Braves. The righty was designated for assignment by Atlanta last week. Catcher Jhonny Pereda has been designated for assignment by the Marlins as the corresponding move. Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase reported the moves prior to the official announcement.

Gillispie, 27, made his major league debut with the Guardians last year in limited fashion. He tossed eight innings over three appearances, allowing two earned runs, striking out eight and walking five. He was non-tendered in November, heading out to free agency without being exposed to waivers. Atlanta signed him to a split deal shortly thereafter but bumped him off the roster when they signed Jurickson Profar.

The major league track record isn’t much to go off, so the clubs in Atlanta and Miami are surely looking more at Gillispie’s minor league performance. Over the past four years, he has thrown 406 innings on the farm with a 4.12 earned run average, 24.1% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate. Gillispie has worked both as a starter and reliever throughout his time in the minors, so he can potentially provide the Marlins with a little extra depth in both areas.

Pereda, 29 in April, also made his major league debut last year. He started the season with the Marlins on a minor league deal and was selected to the big league roster in the middle of April. He lasted on the 40-man through the rest of the year but was mostly on optional assignment. He got 40 major league plate appearances, hitting .231/.250/.231 in those. His minor league numbers have been better, with a combined line of .286/.381/.400 over the past four years, production which translates to a 108 wRC+. Baseball Prospectus has given him decent marks for his minor league work behind the plate.

The Marlins are fairly thin at catcher, with Nick Fortes and Liam Hicks the projected top duo, though prospect Agustín Ramírez could force his way into some playing time this year. The club will have a week to figure out what’s next for Pereda, whether that’s a trade or some fate on waivers. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so any trade talks would have to come together in five days. If Pereda passes through waivers unclaimed, the Fish can keep him around as catching depth without him taking up a roster spot in the short term.

Blue Jays To Sign Adam Kloffenstein To Minor League Deal

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The Blue Jays and right-hander Adam Kloffenstein have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The righty will also be in big league camp with the Jays as a non-roster invitee.

Kloffenstein, 24, returns to his original club. The Jays selected him in the third round of the 2018 draft. For the next few years, he was a somewhat notable prospect in Toronto’s system. Baseball America ranked him in the middle parts of the Blue Jays’ top 30 from 2019 to 2022. At the 2023 deadline, the Jays flipped him to the Cardinals as part of the Jordan Hicks trade.

The Cards added Kloffenstein to their 40-man roster last offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. That allowed him to make his major league debut in 2024, though he tossed only one inning. His Triple-A numbers weren’t amazing on the year, as he allowed 4.74 earned runs per nine innings over his 17 starts. His 49% ground ball rate was strong but his 19.4% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate were both subpar.

After that uninspiring year, the Cards decided to move on. Kloffenstein was non-tendered in November, getting sent to free agency without being put on waivers. That allowed him to return to the Jays on this minor league pact.

From 2021 to 2023, Kloffenstein tossed 341 1/3 minor league innings, most of that with the Blue Jays. The results in that time were a bit better than in his 2024 season. His 4.85 ERA still wasn’t especially impressive but his 24% strikeout rate was significantly better than last year’s clip, with comparable amounts of walks and ground balls.

The Jays are plenty familiar with Kloffenstein from his time in the system, so perhaps they believe there’s a way to get him back on track after a challenging season. The Jays have Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and José Berríos locked into three rotation spots. Bowden Francis will probably get a chance to build off his strong finish in 2024. Guys like Yariel Rodríguez, Jake Bloss and Adam Macko are candidates for another spot. The Jays have been looking to upgrade that group this offseason and could push everyone down a peg but Kloffenstein gives them some non-roster depth alongside Eric Lauer. If Kloffenstein eventually gets a roster spot, he still has options and just a single day of service time.

Tyler Jay Elects Free Agency

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The Mariners announced Tuesday that left-hander Tyler Jay, who was designated for assignment last week, went unclaimed on outright waivers. He’s elected free agency in lieu of an outright assignment to the minors. Seattle had claimed Jay off waivers from the Brewers earlier this month.

Selected with the No. 6 overall pick by the Twins back in 2015, Jay was viewed as a polished college arm who could move quickly as a reliever but also had a chance to start. He ranked as one of the Twins’ top prospects — and one of the top prospects in the sport — following that lofty selection, but repeated injury troubles derailed his once-promising trajectory. Jay dealt with continued shoulder and neck injuries throughout his time in the Twins’ system; Jay was at one point evaluated for symptoms believed to be related to thoracic outlet syndrome but wound up avoiding surgery.

Jay was out of affiliated ball entirely and pitching for the Joliet Slammers of the independent Frontier League when he caught the Mets’ attention and landed a minor league deal several years later, in 2023. The Mets gave him his big league debut in 2024 at 30 years old. He wound up splitting time between the Mets and Brewers, allowing four earned runs on nine hits and six walks with six punchouts in 7 2/3 innings of work.

While it was far from a dominant debut showing, Jay pitched quite well in the minors. In 56 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level this past season, the lefty notched a tidy 3.02 ERA with a 20.9% strikeout rate and very sharp 5.1% walk rate. He also kept the ball on the ground at a strong 47.3% clip and averaged just 0.64 homers per nine innings pitched.

Jay doesn’t throw especially hard, sitting just over 92 mph with his heater, but it was a nice season in the upper minors for a former top pick who seems to have put a good deal of the health troubles that plagued him early in his professional career behind him. He’ll now head to the market and look to latch on as a depth option for a club, likely one with a more pressing need for left-handed bullpen help (or at least fewer candidates to fill said need) than the Mariners have.

Cubs Designate Matt Festa For Assignment

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The Cubs announced Tuesday that they’ve designated right-hander Matt Festa for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to new closer Ryan Pressly, whose acquisition from the Astros has now been officially announced by both teams.

A former seventh-round pick by the Rangers, Festa has bounced around the league in journeyman fashion over the past few years. He broke into the majors with a strong rookie showing in a small sample of 8 1/3 innings for the 2018 Mariners and posted terrific Triple-A numbers the following season while also struggling in 22 MLB frames. Tommy John surgery wiped out Festa’s entire 2020 campaign and most of his 2021 season as well.

Festa returned in 2022 to throw 54 solid innings out of the Seattle ’pen, logging a 4.17 ERA but with a terrific 29.2% strikeout rate against a solid 8.2% walk rate. He’s never been a particularly hard thrower, but that blend of inducing whiffs and limiting walks showed genuine promise. Injuries popped up again in 2023, however. Festa was limited to nine big league innings and just 34 frames in Triple-A. He walked an alarming 27.9% of his opponents in the majors, prompting him to be cut loose from Seattle’s roster at season’s end.

Festa latched on with the Padres on a minor league deal in the offseason. He wound up landing with the Mets and Rangers on subsequent minor league deals and pitching well enough to earn a decent major league look in Texas, where he tossed 22 2/3 innings of 4.17 ERA ball with a 25% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate. His lone appearance with the Mets (four runs in one inning) ballooned his ERA to 5.70 on the season, but Festa was a solid enough middle relief arm with the Rangers that the Cubs picked him up for cash earlier this winter when he was designated for assignment by Texas.

The Cubs will now have five days to trade Festa themselves. If there’s no taker, he’ll be placed on outright waivers. He’s been outrighted once in the past, so if Festa does clear, he’ll have the opportunity to elect free agency if he chooses.

Astros Trade Ryan Pressly To Cubs

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Jan. 28: The Astros have formally announced the trade.

Jan. 26: After a few days of speculation, Ryan Pressly has agreed to waive his 10-and-5 no-trade protection to okay a deal that will send the veteran reliever from the Astros to the Cubs.  Houston will receive right-handed pitching prospect Juan Bello in return, plus the Astros are sending $5.5MM along with Pressly to help the Cubs cover some of the righty’s $14MM salary for the 2025 season.  In exchange for agreeing to the deal, Pressly will receive a new no-trade clause, plus an assignment bonus to cover the tax difference in relocating from Texas to Illinois.  The trade will become official once the standard medical reviews are complete.

Pressly has been considered a trade candidate for much of the offseason, and probably even as far back as August, when he hit the minimum number of appearances to trigger the vesting option in his contract.  Initially a two-year, $30MM extension, Pressly gained a third year and an extra $14MM by making 124 appearances over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, blowing past the vesting threshold of 110 appearances.  While the Astros obviously valued the right-hander highly simply by dint of that frequent usage, Houston has been operating with fairly limited payroll space this winter, making a $14MM salary for a reliever entering his age-36 season seem a little pricey for their budget.

We already saw evidence of the Astros’ financial maneuverings in another major trade with the Cubs, when Kyle Tucker was sent to Wrigleyville for a trade package of Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and prospect Cam Smith.  Like Pressly, Tucker was controlled just through the 2025 season, and he’ll be making $16.5MM in his final year of arbitration eligibility.  The Astros have already used some of the savings from the Tucker and Pressly trades in signing Christian Walker to a three-year, $60MM deal, and today’s deal will surely add more fuel to the speculation that a reunion might be possible between Houston and Alex Bregman.

RosterResource estimates the Astros’ 2025 payroll at roughly $217.6MM, with a luxury tax number of $236.3M.  This represents a drop from the Astros’ $244MM payroll and $262MM tax number in 2024, dropping Houston under the tax threshold by a bit less than $5MM.  Owner Jim Crane indicated that the Astros would be willing to spend at their 2024 levels under the right circumstances, so re-signing Bregman remains at least a possibility, now that more money has been cleared off the books.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported three days ago that a Cubs/Pressly trade was “on the verge” of being finalized, though some late hurdles emerged, such as some apparent late interest from the Tigers and Blue Jays.  Pressly ultimately held the final say given his no-trade protection, and it seems as though he chose Chicago over Detroit as his next landing spot.

Today’s news officially ends Pressly’s very successful run in Houston, which began when the Astros acquired the righty from the Twins at the 2018 trade deadline.  Pressly posted a 2.81 ERA, 30.9% strikeout rate, and 6.16% walk rate over 333 innings for the Astros, somewhat flying under the radar as one of the more effective relievers in baseball.  Beyond his regular-season work, Pressly posted a 2.78 ERA in 45 1/3 postseason innings for Houston, playing a big role in the club’s postseason success.

Initially used as a setup man, Pressly stepped into the closer’s role in 2020 and excelled as the team’s chief ninth-inning option, but the Astros still opted to sign Josh Hader to a five-year, $95MM contract last winter.  With Hader on board, Pressly was moved back to setup work last season, but he’ll now be Chicago’s top saves candidate, which Nightengale said was one of the assurances Pressly received in order to get him to approve the trade.

Rookie Porter Hodge pitched well after becoming the Cubs’ closer last year, and while Hodge is probably still viewed as the closer of the future, Pressly brings much more experience and a longer track record of quality.  Hodge will certainly still be used in high-leverage situations, and Pressly’s addition bumps everyone in the Cubs bullpen down a spot on the depth chart to strengthen the entire relief corps.

Pressly is the most prominent new face in a Cubs bullpen that has also added Eli Morgan and Caleb Thielbar to the mix this offseason.  Relief pitching was a clear need for the Cubs given how injuries greatly hampered their pen down the stretch last season, though the acquisitions still reflect Jed Hoyer’s preference of not over-investing in the relief market.  The Cubs did try to make a big splash as the runners-up to signing Tanner Scott, but with Scott off the board, Chicago pivoted away from another long-term options like Carlos Estevez to instead take on Pressly, who is a free agent next winter.  Some more moves might be coming, as The Athletic’s Chandler Rome, Patrick Mooney, and Sahadev Sharma report that the Cubs remain interested in adding to their relief corps even after acquiring Pressly.

The bottom-line results were still solid for Pressly in 2024, though there were some red flags in age-35 campaign.  Pressly’s strikeout, walk, and whiff rates were only slightly above league average, representing significant dropoff from his numbers in both categories just a season ago.  On the plus side, Pressly continued to generate grounders at a strong 48.8% rate, and his ability to keep the ball on the ground has long helped the right-hander counter-act his penchant for allowing hard contact.  Pressly also again was the among the league leaders in curveball and fastball spin rates, continuing his career-long run of elite spin.

As for Houston’s bullpen, the Astros figure to be on the lookout for some bullpen help to fill the void left behind from Pressly’s departure.  Depending again on how much GM Dana Brown has available to spend, the team could pursue some lower-cost arms, or perhaps make more of a bigger strike if Bregman indeed goes elsewhere and the Astros won’t be adding another major long-term salary.  Bryan Abreu, Tayler Scott, Kaleb Ort, and Bryan King project as the top setup or high-leverage options in front of Hader in Houston’s current pen.

Bello (who turns 21 in April) was an international signing for Chicago during the 2022 signing period, and he had a 3.21 ERA, 25.1% strikeout rate, and 7.7% walk rate in 89 2/3 innings for the Cubs’ A-ball affiliate in Myrtle Beach last season.  While not ranked amongst the Cubs’ top 30 prospects by either MLB Pipeline or Baseball America, BA’s scouting report cites his four-pitch arsenal and increased ability to find strikeouts with several of his offerings.  “He fits the Astros’ organizational philosophy of developing pitchers with three or more secondaries to play off of their fastball,” according to BA’s write-up.

The Athletic’s Chandler Rome was the first to report that Pressly agreed to the trade, and that at least one prospect was heading to Houston from Chicago.  ESPN’s Jeff Passan added the detail that the Astros would be covering some salary, with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reporting the $5.5MM dollar figure.  Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 reported Bello’s involvement in the trade package.  The New York Post’s Jon Heyman had the additional details about Pressly’s new no-trade protection, as well as the assignment bonus.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pirates, Ryan Borucki Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Pirates have agreed to a minor league contract with free agent lefty Ryan Borucki, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Borucki, a client of ISE Baseball, will earn a $1.15MM base salary (with additional incentives available) if he makes the big league roster. He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee this spring.

This will be Borucki’s third straight season in Pittsburgh. The Bucs originally signed the former Blue Jays southpaw to a minor league deal prior to the 2023 season. He was selected to the big league roster that May and stuck through the end of the 2024 season.

Borucki was excellent during his first season as a Pirate, logging 40 1/3 innings from the point of his original call to the majors that season and turning in a sharp 2.45 ERA with a 21.7% strikeout rate against a superlative 2.6% walk rate. He kept the ball on the ground at a better-than-average 45.9% clip, only allowed 0.89 HR/9 and was effective against both lefties (.149/.230/.254) and righties (.213/.224/.373).

Health troubles ruined Borucki’s 2024 campaign, however. He agreed to a $1.6MM deal avoiding arbitration, but a triceps issue limited him to only 11 innings. He opened the year with three shutout frames (five strikeouts, no walks) before being tagged for two runs in one-third of an inning and promptly heading to the injured list for what wound up being nearly five months. Upon returning in September, Borucki was roughed up for seven runs in 7 2/3 innings. He finished out the season with an ugly 7.36 earned run average in that small sample of 11 injury-marred innings.

Now back with the Bucs, Borucki will head to camp and look to work his way back into the team’s bullpen plans. The Pirates have added a pair of low-cost left-handed bullpen options this winter in Caleb Ferguson ($3MM) and Tim Mayza (just yesterday, at $1.15MM). They also have out-of-options former top prospect Joey Wentz, whom they picked up on a waiver claim and who pitched quite well for them in 12 innings down the stretch last year.

Borucki is the only veteran lefty who’ll be in camp on as a non-roster invitee. As such, in the event of injuries and/or significant struggles from that trio of southpaws on the 40-man roster, he could be one of the first men up — particularly since he’s already familiar with the organization and the bulk of the coaching staff.

Giants, Jake Lamb Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Giants are signing Jake Lamb to a minor league deal, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The CAA client gets an invitation to big league camp. He’d earn a $1MM base salary if he makes the MLB roster.

Lamb spent the 2024 season in Triple-A as a member of the Pittsburgh organization. He tallied 414 plate appearances and had a roughly average .264/.350/.393 line with seven home runs. It was a step down from his minor league production from the preceding season. Lamb had combined for a .289/.420/.454 slash in 85 Triple-A contests between the Yankees and Angels two years ago. He earned a brief MLB call from the Halos, appearing in 19 games.

Last season was the first since 2013 in which Lamb did not get to the majors. He’s best known for his early-career run as an everyday third baseman in Arizona. Lamb was an All-Star in 2017 and combined for 59 homers between 2016-17. He hasn’t reached 250 big league plate appearances in a season since then. The lefty batter has appeared for seven different clubs going back to 2018. He has a .205/.306/.359 slash in nearly 900 trips to the plate over that time.

As he enters his age-34 season, Lamb has mostly moved off the hot corner. He didn’t play third base at all last season. He spent most of his time at first base or designated hitter and made a handful of starts in right field. He’ll vie for a spot on the San Francisco bench. The Giants have lefty-swinging LaMonte Wade Jr. penciled in at first base. They don’t have a set answer at designated hitter. Lamb hasn’t hit enough in recent seasons to play there regularly, but he could play his way into a rotational role with a strong showing in camp and/or at Triple-A Sacramento.

Reds, Aaron Wilkerson Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Reds are in agreement with right-hander Aaron Wilkerson on a minor league contract, reports Jon Morosi of the MLB Network. Wilkerson returns to the affiliated ranks after spending a season and a half in Korea.

A former Red Sox minor leaguer, Wilkerson reached the majors with the Brewers in 2017. He pitched parts of three seasons with Milwaukee, allowing a 6.88 ERA across 35 1/3 innings. After the Brewers outrighted him from their 40-man roster, Wilkerson moved to the foreign ranks. He spent a season with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan. He returned stateside on a minor league contract with the Athletics in 2023. The A’s granted him his release after 14 Triple-A appearances so he could sign on with the Lotte Giants in the Korea Baseball Organization.

Wilkerson spent a season and a half with the Giants. He posted a 2.26 ERA over 13 starts during the second half of the ’23 season. That earned him a new deal for the 2024 campaign. Wilkerson took the ball 32 times and put up a 3.84 ERA through 196 2/3 innings. He struck out 20.5% of opposing hitters against a 3.3% walk percentage.

The Giants added Tucker Davidson and re-signed Charlie Barnes to serve as their foreign-born pitchers for the upcoming season. That made it apparent that Wilkerson would not return to the team. (KBO clubs are limited to two foreign pitchers and three non-Korean players overall.) Wilkerson is likely to open the season as rotation or long relief depth for the Reds at Triple-A Louisville.

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