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Guardians, Daniel Norris Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Guardians have brought veteran lefty Daniel Norris back to the organization on a minor league pact, according to the transaction tracker at MLB.com. He had elected free agency over the weekend, a few days after Cleveland designated him for assignment.

Norris has spent the 2023 campaign with the Guards. He signed a minor league deal at the end of Spring Training and was called up in mid-June. Norris was DFA within a few days, stuck around after clearing outright waivers, and returned to the bigs at the end of July. He again lost his roster spot last week, as an injury to Cam Gallagher led Cleveland to temporarily devote a 40-man roster spot to Zack Collins as a depth catcher.

The 30-year-old has made six appearances on the year, allowing seven runs (four of them earned) across 10 1/3 innings. Norris has worked out of the bullpen at the MLB level but started 12 of 18 appearances with Triple-A Columbus. He carries a 5.60 ERA across 53 innings there. Norris has a slightly below-average 19.9% strikeout rate and has walked nearly 11% of batters faced at the top minor league level. His fastball has averaged a personal-low 89 MPH in his limited MLB work.

While Norris hasn’t posted great numbers at either the MLB or Triple-A level in 2023, the Guardians are clearly comfortable with him as a depth arm. The one-time top prospect has pitched parts of 10 years in the majors with five clubs. The bulk of that time was spent in Detroit, where he got extended run out of the rotation between 2016-19.

Norris has worked almost exclusively in relief as a big leaguer over the last three seasons but has stayed stretched out as a starter in the minors. He’ll again serve as a non-roster depth option in Columbus down the stretch and will return to free agency at the start of the offseason.

Mets Designate Tyson Miller For Assignment

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The Mets announced to reporters, including Tim Britton of The Athletic, that right-hander Tyson Miller has been designated for assignment. His roster spot will go to righty Sean Reid-Foley, whose selection was reported earlier today. Righty Reed Garrett was optioned to open a spot for Reid-Foley on the active roster.

Miller, 28, has donned quite a few jerseys in the past year. He finished the 2022 season with the Rangers but went to the Brewers via a waiver claim in November. He was then traded to the Dodgers in July before coming to the Mets earlier this month via a waiver claim. In between all of that, he’s managed to throw 13 1/3 major league innings for three different teams this year with a 5.40 earned run average.

He’s spent more time in the minors, with all of those clubs having used him as optional pitching depth this year. In 30 combined innings for the Triple-A teams of the Brewers, Dodgers and Mets, he has a 3.30 ERA, 26.8% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate.

Miller is in his final option year and will therefore be out of options in the 2024 season. Perhaps he wasn’t in the long-term plans in Queens and has been nudged out of the picture. The Mets are out of contention and will likely be using the rest of their schedule to evaluate players for jobs on next year’s club, which apparently won’t include Miller.

With the trade deadline long gone, the Mets will have no choice but to put Miller on waivers in the coming days. He has a very limited major league track record of just 15 appearances but has clearly intrigued teams around the league with his minor league results, based on how often he’s been shuffled around. Although he’ll be out of options next year, he could be kept in the minors as depth for the rest of this season. He has a previous career outright and would be eligible to reject another such assignment and elect free agency in the event he were to clear waivers.

Phillies Acquire Brewer Hicklen From Royals

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The Royals announced that outfielder Brewer Hicklen has been traded to the Phillies. The return on the deal wasn’t listed, though trades of this nature usually see cash considerations going the other way. Hicklen was eligible to be traded after the deadline because he wasn’t on a 40-man roster or major league injured list at any point this season.

[Related: How to Acquire Players After the Trade Deadline]

Hicklen, 27, will join a new organization for the first time in his career, as he was drafted by the Royals in 2017 and has been with them ever since. He has climbed to the upper levels of the minors and even got to make his major league debut in 2022, getting into six games as a COVID replacement player but striking out in all four of his plate appearances.

He has occasionally been considered one of the Royals’ top 30 prospects, with his best attribute being his speed. He’s racked up double-digit steals in each of his professional seasons, often getting into the 30-40 range. He also has notable power at the plate but has often paired home runs with big strikeout totals.

He spent most of last year at Triple-A, getting into 130 games there. He hit 28 homers and swiped 35 bags but was also punched out in 36.1% of his plate appearances. His .248/.348/.502 batting line still amounted to a wRC+ of 122, despite the strikeout concerns. Here in 2023, he’s been back in Triple-A, getting into 61 contests. He’s reduced his strikeout rate to 24.6% but with diminished production overall. His .233/.338/.451 line translates to a wRC+ of 93, though he’s added another 15 steals in that time.

Rosters are set to expand from 26 to 28 players in September, a time when many clubs like to add a speedy player to the bench for pinch running purposes, a role that Hicklen would certainly be a good candidate for. By acquiring him prior to September 1, he will also be eligible to join the Phils in the postseason. He will qualify for minor league free agency at season’s end if not added to the 40-man roster. For now, he’ll add some minor league depth behind the club’s regular outfield of Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, Johan Rojas and Jake Cave.

Marlins Reinstate Tommy Nance, Place Avisaíl García On IL

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The Marlins made some roster moves today, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Right-hander Tommy Nance has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and infielder/outfielder Garrett Hampson recalled from Triple-A. In corresponding transactions, outfielder Avisaíl García has been placed on the 10-day IL due to a left hamstring strain and left-hander Ryan Weathers has been optioned. There was already a vacancy on the 40-man roster for Nance’s activation.

Nance, 32, began the season on the injured list due to a strain in his throwing shoulder, an injury that has kept him away from the major league team until today. Now that he’s back, he’ll look to build off a solid showing last year. He tossed 43 2/3 innings for the Marlins, allowing 4.33 earned runs per nine frames. He issued walks at a high rate of 10.7% but also struck out 29.1% of batters faced and kept the ball on the ground at a 46.4% clip.

For Garcia, 32, this continues an incredible frustrating season. He’s only been able to play 37 games this year, missing almost all of the May-July portion of the season due to a back injury. When healthy enough to take the field, he’s hit just .185/.241/.315. It’s the second straight disappointing season for the outfielder since signing a four-year, $53MM contract with the Marlins, as he hit .224/.266/.317 in 2022 while being limited by various injuries to 98 games. He still has another two years and $29MM left on that contract.

Orioles Reinstate Austin Voth, Transfer Keegan Akin To 60-Day IL

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The Orioles have reinstated right-hander Austin Voth from the 60-day injured list and optioned righty Mike Baumann to Triple-A Norfolk, per a team announcement. Left-hander Keegan Akin, who’s been out since late June due to a back injury, was moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to create 40-man space for Voth’s return.

Voth, 31, has been out since mid-June due to an elbow issue but recently wrapped up a minor league rehab assignment, pitching 11 1/3 frames of 3.97 ERA ball across three minor league levels. Prior to hitting the injured list, Voth had pitched to a 4.94 ERA in 31 innings out of the Baltimore bullpen, punching out 21.5% of his opponents against a 9.7% walk rate along the way.

The O’s claimed Voth off waivers from the Nationals on June 7, 2022, and immediately received improved results from the longtime Nats prospect. He’d allowed 21 runs in 18 2/3 innings with Washington in 2022 and posted an overall 5.70 ERA in 189 2/3 innings as a member of that organization. Voth, however, tossed 83 innings of 3.04 ERA ball down the stretch in Baltimore, making 22 appearances — 17 of them starts. Voth and the O’s agreed to a one-year, $1.85MM deal with a club option over the winter, avoiding arbitration in the process.

Given the way the 2023 season has played out, the O’s might not be keen on picking up that $2.45MM club option. Even if the team declines, however, Voth would remain under club control as an arbitration-eligible player. The O’s could decline that $2.45MM salary and still try to work out a deal with Voth at a lower rate — somewhere between this year’s salary and that would-be club option price. Of course, Baltimore could also consider non-tendering Voth and moving on entirely. His performance down the stretch will go a long way in determining that outcome.

Akin, 28, finds himself in a relatively similar situation. The southpaw had a strong 2022 season with the O’s, compiling 81 2/3 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 23.4% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate, 49.3% grounder rate and 1.10 HR/9. He’s had a rough go of it in ’23, however, pitching to a 6.85 ERA in 23 2/3 innings. Akin has actually slightly improved his strikeout rate, maintained his walk rate and cut back on the home runs he’s yielded. However, his grounder rate has also tanked, and opponents are clobbering his pitches (90.7 mph average exit velocity) after struggling to make hard contact in 2022 (87.8 mph). A .434 average on balls in play is surely due for some regression, but the uptick in hard contact and a line-drive rate that’s jumped from 18.1% to 28.6% underlines the fact that Akin’s struggles can’t be chalked up to poor luck alone.

Like Voth, Akin will be eligible for arbitration this winter. He’s going through that process for the first time, so he’ll be looking for his first raise of note over the league minimum. Akin’s success out of the ’pen in 2022 could well be enough to convince the Orioles to tender him despite this year’s poor results, but it’s not a lock they’ll choose to do so. Akin has already been out since late June, so the move to the 60-day IL is largely procedural. He’s already missed nearly 60 days, so this move won’t materially alter his path to a return. Akin began a minor league rehab assignment in late July but had a setback after two appearances and has yet to get back into a game.

Giants Designate Johan Camargo For Assignment

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The Giants announced that they have now officially signed shortstop Paul DeJong to their roster, a move that was reported yesterday. In a corresponding move, infielder Johan Camargo was designated for assignment.

Camargo, 29, was just added to the Giants’ roster last week for a bit of veteran infield depth. With players like Mark Mathias, Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely all producing fairly uninspiring results this year, an established utility option like Camargo was a sensible gamble to take, even though his own results have been fairly tepid in recent seasons. He hit .222/.300/.222 in a small sample of 20 plate appearances over eight games for the Giants, lining up at shortstop and third base but now losing his roster spot.

Since Camargo was selected, the Giants lost their everyday shortstop when Brandon Crawford landed on the injured list due to a left forearm strain. Rather than trying to patch together that position with their various utility infielders, the club decided to take a chance on DeJong after he was released by the Blue Jays.

That’s a low-risk move for the Giants from a financial perspective as they can bring aboard DeJong for the prorated league minimum and see what happens. It’s certainly risky in terms of results, as DeJong has been struggling in recent years and had a really poor showing with the Jays after they acquired him from the Cardinals at the deadline. But the Giants aren’t really committed and can easily walk away if it doesn’t work out.

In taking a shot on DeJong, they are giving up on Camargo, who will have to be placed on waivers in the coming days. His tiny sample of big league work this year doesn’t provide other clubs much to evaluate, but he has a longer track record they could look at. He has a career batting line of 254/.313/.407 in 1,359 career plate appearances, translating to a wRC+ of 90. The best part of that was earlier in his career, as he hit .281/.343/.455 over 2017 and 2018 but just .219/.272/.344 since then. He’s been slotted into each infield position as well as the outfield corners. This year, he has signed three separate minor league deals with the Royals, Tigers and Giants. He hit .260/.339/.466 in 165 Triple-A plate appearances between those different organizations.

If any of the 29 other clubs around the league are interested in some veteran infield depth, they could grab Camargo off waivers or perhaps sign him to another minor league in the event he clears. He has a previous career outright and would therefore be able to reject another such assignment in favor of electing free agency. He won’t be able to reach five years of service time this year and could therefore be retained for 2024 via arbitration by any club willing to give him a roster spot.

Athletics Select Sean Newcomb

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The A’s have selected the contract of left-hander Sean Newcomb, the team announced. Fellow lefty Hogan Harris was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas in his place, while left-hander Richard Lovelady was moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Oakland just acquired Newcomb from the Giants yesterday in a trade sending minor league outfielder Trenton Brooks back to San Francisco.

[Related: How to acquire players after the trade deadline]

As noted at the time of the trade yesterday, it seemed quite likely Newcomb would be in line for a look at the big league level with the A’s sooner than later. He’d be a free agent at season’s end if not added to the 40-man roster, so there was little sense in making a trade to acquire him if the plan wasn’t to see if he could contribute for them. He has 4.073 years of big league service, so he won’t have enough time remaining this season to get to five years. As such, if Newcomb can pitch well enough to hold a 40-man spot, the A’s would control him for an additional two seasons beyond the current year.

The 30-year-old Newcomb has pitched to a 3.16 ERA and fanned 30.5% of his opponents through 31 1/3 Triple-A frames this season, though his longstanding command issues have persisted as well (15.3% walk rate). Traditionally more of a fly-ball pitcher, Newcomb is sporting a huge 59.4% ground-ball rate in Triple-A this season.

In 406 big league innings, Newcomb has a 4.52 ERA, though he’s now nearly five years removed from the majority of his MLB success. The headline prospect acquired by the Braves in the trade that sent Andrelton Simmons to Anaheim, Newcomb posted a combined 3.87 ERA and 23% strikeout rate in his first 332 1/3 Major League innings. He looked to have cemented his status on the Braves’ pitching staff at that point, but Newcomb was blasted for 17 runs in 13 2/3 innings over four starts in the shortened 2020 season and has yet to recover. Dating back to 2020, he has a 7.45 ERA in 73 2/3 frames at the big league level.

The A’s, on the lookout for pitching help they can control beyond the current season, will see whether Newcomb’s new ground-ball approach can lead to better results in the big leagues. He’ll still need to improve his command, but Newcomb’s blend of missed bats and grounders is at least somewhat intriguing.

White Sox Release Billy Hamilton

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The White Sox have released veteran outfielder Billy Hamilton, as indicated on the transaction log at MiLB.com. He’s now a free agent.

Hamilton hasn’t played since July, spending the past several weeks on the injured list. The Sox never made an announcement on the status of his injury, though a source tells MLBTR that Hamilton was shelved due to discomfort in his right shoulder and cleared to resume playing this past Sunday. However, the Sox are opting to move on rather than bringing him back to the roster in Triple-A Charlotte or in the big leagues.

Parting ways with Hamilton now ought to give him time to latch on with a postseason hopeful that could look to use him as a defensive replacement and/or pinch-runner late in games. It’s common for playoff contenders to carry specialists of that nature, particularly in September, when rosters expand from 26 to 28 players. At the very least, he’d make a sensible depth option to carry in the upper minors, in the event of any injuries on the big league roster.

The 32-year-old Hamilton is, of course, one of the game’s fastest players and most dynamic defenders. He’s never been a great hitter, but his bat has fallen off even further since his early-career days with Cincinnati: .205/.262/.288 in 549 MLB plate appearances since 2019. However, Hamilton boasts elite marks of 73 Defensive Runs Saved and 58 Outs Above Average in 6766 career innings in center field. He’s also been successful in 326 of his 398 career stolen base attempts — an 81.9% success rate. He’s become more efficient as his career has progressed, succeeding in 84.4% of his 58 attempts dating back to 2019 and 90% of his 30 attempts since 2020. Statcast pegged Hamilton in the 97th percentile of MLB hitters in terms of average sprint speed in 2021 and in the 91st percentile a year ago.

Hamilton has logged just 25 plate appearances over the past two seasons, collecting only one hit in that span. His most recent season with playing time of note saw him bat .220/.242/.378 in 135 plate appearances with the 2021 White Sox. He was hitting .147/.261/.253 in 89 trips to the plate with Triple-A Charlotte this season prior to his placement on the injured list and subsequent release.

White Sox Designate Brent Honeywell For Assignment

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The White Sox announced Wednesday that they’ve designated right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. for assignment and optioned infielder Zach Remillard to Triple-A Charlotte. Their roster spots will go to righty Edgar Navarro and lefty Sammy Peralta, who’ve both been recalled from Charlotte.

Honeywell, 28, was claimed off waivers from the Padres on Aug. 5 after being designated for assignment in the aftermath of an active deadline in San Diego. He’s since appeared in four games with the Sox, tallying 5 2/3 innings but allowing seven runs on nine hits and three walks with three strikeouts. The former top prospect is out of minor league options, so the Sox opted to designate him for assignment rather than continue to hold out hope for better results.

Once regarded as one of baseball’s most promising minor leaguers, Honeywell has seen his career derailed by a staggering four elbow surgeries — all coming before he turned 28 years old. The former Rays second-rounder was eventually traded to the A’s, for whom he never pitched, before being non-tendered this past offseason. The Padres signed Honeywell to a big league deal in hopes of capitalizing on his once lofty prospect status.

To some extent, the move panned out. Honeywell pitched 46 2/3 innings for the Friars and logged a respectable, if unspectacular 4.05 ERA. That number came in spite of sub-par strikeout and walk rates of 20.6% and 9.8%, however, and Honeywell also served up an average of 1.54 homers per nine innings in San Diego. Fielding-independent metrics cast a less-favorable light on his performance (5.24 FIP, 4.35 SIERA). Things clearly haven’t gone any better in Chicago, and with the trade deadline behind us, Honeywell will be placed on outright waivers or release waivers in the near future.

Honeywell didn’t pitch at all from 2018-20, tossed 86 innings in 2021 and pitched just 20 1/3 innings during the 2022 season. Between the 28 innings he tossed in winter ball over the offseason and the 52 1/3 frames he’s thrown this year, he’s already well north of last year’s workload and approaching the volume he hit in 2021. Honeywell’s career-high innings pitched came back in 2017, when he tossed 136 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in the Rays system.

Tigers Reinstate, Option Spencer Turnbull

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The Tigers reinstated right-hander Spencer Turnbull from the 60-day injured list Wednesday but optioned him to Triple-A Toledo rather than add him to the active roster. He’d been out since early May with a neck injury.

Turnbull, 31 next month, tossed a no-hitter for the Tigers back in 2021 and looked to be in the midst of a breakout season before a torn ulnar collateral ligament necessitated Tommy John surgery. He missed the entire 2022 season while recovering and made just seven starts earlier this season before incurring the neck issue that’s sidelined him for more than three months. He wasn’t effective when on the mound earlier this year, pitching to a 7.26 ERA with diminished sinker velocity — 93.9 mph on average, compared to 95.1 mph pre-surgery —  in just 33 1/3 innings of work. Turnbull’s 16.6% strikeout rate, 10.3% walk rate and 48.5% grounder rate were all considerably worse than the marks he posted in nine starts prior to 2021’s elbow injury.

Things haven’t gone particularly well for the right-hander on his minor league rehab assignment in recent weeks. Since returning to a mound in late July, he’s logged a 6.75 ERA in 21 1/3 innings — albeit with more encouraging strikeout and walk rates of 24.1% and 7.3%, respectively. Still, Turnbull gave up at least two runs in five of his six minor league outings despite averaging less than 3 2/3 innings per appearance. He’ll try to get back on track in Toledo between now and season’s end.

The timing of the optional assignment is critical, as well. Turnbull is six days away from reaching five years of Major League service time — the point at which a player gains the right to refuse an optional assignment to the minor leagues. The Tigers could have conceivably given Turnbull one big league start to see how he fared before making a decision on whether to option him, but even making two starts in the Majors would’ve resulted in him gaining the ability to decline when the team tried to option him. That service time is also worth keeping an eye on for club control purposes; if Turnbull gains even six more days of MLB service this year, he’ll be eligible for free agency following the 2024 season. If he remains in Triple-A, he’d be controllable through the 2025 campaign.

Of course, that assumes Turnbull remains in the team’s plans. He’ll be owed a small raise on this year’s $1.8MM salary in arbitration over the winter, and given the manner in which the season has played out, it can’t be considered a lock that he’ll be tendered a contract. He’d be a low-cost risk for a team in need of pitching depth, so it’d be sensible enough to just commit the $2MM or so to see if he can return to form, but Turnbull was drafted and developed by the preceding front office regime. Time will tell how the new group feels it’s best to proceed.

From 2019-21, Turnbull made 50 starts for Detroit, pitching to a 4.13 ERA with a 21.9% strikeout rate, 9.1% walk rate, 50.3% ground-ball rate and 0.64 HR/9 in 255 frames. He looked to be taking his game to new heights in 2021, pitching 50 innings with a 2.88 ERA, 21.9% strikeout rate, 6% walk rate and 57.2% grounder rate prior to his injury. With Turnbull in Toledo for the time being, the Tigers will rely on Eduardo Rodriguez, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, Reese Olson and Alex Faedo in the starting rotation.

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