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Pirates Sign Socrates Brito, Miguel Del Pozo, Phillip Evans

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The Pirates have announced a series of minor-league signings. Outfielder Socrates Brito, southpaw Miguel Del Pozo, and infielder Phillip Evans have all received non-roster invitations, as has Hector Noesi, whose signing was previously reported.

Brito was once viewed as a quality prospect but hasn’t shown much in the majors. The 27-year-old carries a lifetime .179/.216/.309 slash in 218 plate appearances at the game’s highest level. But he did turn in a .282/.328/.510 batting line in 428 trips to the dish last year at Triple-A with the Blue Jays organization. New Pittsburgh GM Ben Cherington is well-acquainted with Brito, having come over from Toronto.

The 27-year-old Del Pozo debuted in the bigs last year with the Angels after a mid-season claim from the Rangers. He didn’t exactly stake out a firm claim to a permanent job, allowing 11 earned runs on three long balls with an 11:8 K/BB ratio in 9 1/3 frames. But the southpaw works in the mid-nineties with his heater and delivered 68 strikeouts in 48 2/3 Triple-A innings.

As for Evans, also 27, he touched the bigs in the two prior seasons with the Mets but didn’t make it back in 2019 with the Cubs. He did see steady action with the Chicago organization’s top affiliate, slashing .283/.371/.470 in 539 plate appearances — good for a solid but hardly exceptional 106 wRC+ in the International League.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/11/19

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There’s been no shortage of front page news this evening, but with the winter meetings not yet halfway through, there’s plenty more to come. For now, let’s take a look at some of the smaller moves that may have snuck beneath the radar…

  • The Pirates signed reliever Hector Noesi to a minor-league contract, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Noesi, 33 by Opening Day, saw his first major league action since 2015 this season with the Marlins. He appeared in 12 games, starting 4, recording a 8.46 ERA/6.39 FIP over that span. The right-hander doesn’t figure to be a primary player for the Pirates, though he certainly brings a fair amount of experience having appeared in the show with the Marlins, White Sox, Rangers, Mariners, and Yankees since his debut in 2011. He performed below replacement level in four of his six major league seasons, with the high water mark coming in 2014 when he made 27 starts for the White Sox. He made very brief appearance with the Rangers and Mariners that year, but it was in Chicago where he spent the brunt of his time, registering a 4.39 ERA/4.85 FIP across 166 innings on the south side.
  • The Braves have brought back outfielder Rafael Ortega on a minor-league contract, tweets Baseball America’s Gabe Burns. Ortega formerly spent time with the Rockies, Angels, and Marlins. He received some prominent playing time opportunities for the NL East Division champs down the stretch in 2019. The 28-year-old appeared in 34 games, while stepping up to the plate just 96 times, hitting .205/.271/307 in those limited opportunities. Ortega represents a depth option for Atlanta, who could still be in the market for a big bat in the outfield, should they be unable to bring back Josh Donaldson. For now, Ortega falls behind Ronald Acuna Jr., Nick Markakis, Ender Inciarte, and Adam Duvall on the depth chart, while Johan Camargo and Austin Riley could also see time in the outfield corners.

Pitchers Recently Electing Free Agency

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Since the conclusion of the regular season, a number of players have elected free agency. That right accrues to certain players who are outrighted off of a 40-man roster during or after the season — namely, those that have at least three years of MLB service and/or have previously been outrighted. Such players that accepted outright assignments during the season have the right to elect free agency instead at season’s end, provided they aren’t added back to the 40-man in the meantime.

We already rounded up the position players. Now, here are the pitchers that have recently taken to the open market, along with their now-former teams (via the International League and PCL transactions pages):

Reds Claim Josh Smith, Designate Juan Graterol For Assignment

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4:45 pm: The Marlins have announced Smith’s claim, with an addendum indicating that Miami has also outrighted catcher Tyler Heineman and righty Hector Noesi to the Triple-A New Orleans roster. This puts Miami’s 40-man roster count at 37.

2:47 pm: The Reds have claimed pitcher Josh Smith off of waivers from the Marlins, according to a tweet from C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (link). In a corresponding move, Cincinnati has designated catcher Juan Graterol for assignment.

The Marlins had claimed the left-handed Smith off of waivers from the Indians on Sept 14, making his time in the Miami organization exceedingly brief. Occasionally referred to as “Josh D. Smith” in order to avoid confusion, the lefty is a soft-tossing reliever with a largely fastball/slider dependent repertoire.  The 30-year-old played in both the Pirates and Red Sox organizations before making his big league debut with Cleveland in 2019; he ultimately made 14 appearances between the Indian and Marlin pens, logging a 6.39 ERA (4.32 FIP) in a small sample of 12.2 innings. Amir Garrett is the only lefty on-hand in the Cincinnati bullpen, so Smith could be a relatively no-cost flier for a club looking to broaden its mix-and-match capabilities.

The 30-year-old Graterol first came up to the bigs with the Angels in 2016, but he’s never really been given an extended look in the majors. Across parts of three seasons, he’s received just 129 plate appearances at the game’s highest level, logging a meek .218/.227/.266 line with zero home runs. He spent most of 2019 at Triple-A in the Reds organization, logging a .249/.301/.325 slash through 226 plate appearances.

Marlins Designate Yadiel Rivera, Select Hector Noesi

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The Marlins have selected the contract of veteran right-hander Hector Noesi to start tonight’s game and designated infielder Yadiel Rivera for assignment in order to clear roster space, per a club announcement.

Noesi, 32, will return to the big leagues for the first time since 2015 when he takes the mound tonight. He spent the interim seasons pitching for the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization and throwing rather well; in 582 1/3 KBO innings, Noesi notched a 3.79 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9.

The well-traveled righty has enjoyed a strong season thus far in a deadly Triple-A environment for pitchers, working to a 3.82 ERA with 9.6 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and a 39.4 percent ground-ball rate. That 3.82 ERA might not sound like much, but Noesi, somewhat remarkably, is one of just seven qualified starters in all of Triple-A with an ERA south of 4.00. The adoption of the homer-happy big league ball in Triple-A has transformed an already hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League into a nightmare for pitchers, and the International League has become extremely hitter-friendly as well.

Noesi’s success has come, in part, due to some good fortune. He’s averaged a whopping 1.94 homers per nine innings pitched, but the majority of the round-trippers he’s yielded have been of the solo variety. He’s likely a short-term option for the Marlins anyhow, although the trades of Zac Gallen and Trevor Richards have thinned out the Miami staff somewhat.

The 27-year-old Rivera appeared in 34 games with Miami but made just 66 plate appearances. He managed only a meager .183/.258/.217 batting line in that time — a similar output to the .173/.269/.216 slash he logged last season in 160 plate appearances as a Marlin.

Marlins To Sign Hector Noesi

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The Marlins have inked a deal with righty Hector Noesi, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets. It’s not clear whether the minor-league accord includes a spring invite, but Noesi can earn $800K if he cracks the MLB roster.

It has been some time since Noesi, who’ll soon turn 32, has appeared at the game’s highest level. He threw nearly four hundred innings over a five-year span from 2011 to 2015, pitching to a 5.30 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9.

In the interim, Noesi has plied his trade abroad. He carried an excellent 3.44 ERA over 408 1/3 innings in his first two seasons in the hitter-friendly KBO, though he slipped to a 4.60 ERA in 174 frames last year. Most recently, Noesi has made five strong starts in the Dominican Winter League.

NPB/KBO Signings: Moya, Noesi, Bernadina, Paredes

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The free-agent market in Major League Baseball may be crawling along at an all-time slow pace, but there are plenty of recognizable former big league names landing contracts overseas. Here’s the latest group of names signing (or re-signing, in some cases) contracts in Nippon Professional Baseball and in the Korea Baseball Organization…

  • Former Tigers outfielder Steven Moya is headed to Japan on a one-year deal with the Chunichi Dragons, as Emily Waldon of The Athletic and 2080ball.com (Twitter link). The Jackson Management Group client was long considered one of the Tigers’ more promising farmhands but struggled in multiple big league auditions from 2014-16, hitting .250/.293/.452 in 133 plate appearances. The 26-year-old Moya struggled in Double-A and Triple-A this season but hit .284/.310/.501 in Triple-A as recently as 2016.
  • The KBO champion Kia Tigers announced that they’ve re-signed right-hander Hector Noesi, outfielder Roger Bernadina and left-hander Pat Dean to 2018 contracts (link via Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency). Noesi will earn $2MM with the Tigers next year, while Bernadina will earn $1.1MM and Dean will take home $925K. Noesi, 30, struggled through nearly 400 MLB innings from 2011-15 but has carved out a niche for himself as a high-quality starter in Korea, where he’s posted consecutive 200-inning seasons with a 3.44 ERA and a better than 3-to-1 K/BB ratio. Bernadina, who spent parts of six seasons with the Nationals, belted 27 homers with a .913 OPS last year in the KBO. Dean, a former Twins third-round pick who pitched 67 innings for Minnesota in 2016, pitched to a 4.14 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 in 176 innings out of the Tigers’ rotation in 2017.
  • Former MLB infielder Jimmy Paredes has a deal with the KBO’s Doosan Bears (also per Yoo). The 29-year-old will take home an $800K bonus in his first KBO season. Paredes hit .251/.286/.369 in parts of six big league seasons between the Astros, Orioles, Royals, Phillies and Blue Jays from 2011-16 before latching on with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball last season. Paredes struggled in his first run through NPB, but he’ll hope to more closely replicate his lifetime .301/.338/.461 Triple-A batting line in his first season with the Bears in 2018.

Rogers, Noesi, Spruill, Coello Sign With KBO Teams

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Former Major League right-handers Hector Noesi, Esmil Rogers, Zeke Spruill and Robert Coello have signed contracts to play in the Korea Baseball Organization. The Hanwha Eagles have signed Rogers to a one-year, $1.9MM contract, making him the highest-paid foreign player in the league, the club announced (report from Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency). Noesi, meanwhile, will become the league’s second-highest-paid international player, landing a $1.7MM guarantee on his one-year deal with the Kia Tigers (Yonhap link). Kia also inked former Diamondbacks righty Zeke Spruill, who will receive a $700K salary. And, right-hander Robert Coello has signed with the Nexen Heroes for $550K on a one-year deal (Yonhap story).

Rogers, 30, was released by the Yankees at the trade deadline this year and latched on to play with the Eagles in KBO. Rogers was outstanding in 10 starts with the Eagles, tossing four complete games (three shutouts) as he worked to a 2.97 ERA with 7.1 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 75 2/3 innings in what is a notoriously hitter-friendly league. His salary is technically $1.7MM, though he also receives a $200K signing bonus, per the above report.

Noesi, 28, will be getting his first taste of Korean ball with this contract. While he struggled to a 6.89 ERA in 33 2/3 innings with the White Sox this past season and eventually yielded his rotation spot to impressive rookie Carlos Rodon, Noesi logged 166 innings of 4.39 ERA ball for the ChiSox a year prior and comes with a strong minor league track record.

The 26-year-old Spruill was long one of the Braves’ most highly ranked farmhands but found himself traded to the D-backs in the original Justin Upton trade. After appearing in the Majors with Arizona in 2013-14, Spruill spent this past season with the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket, where he recorded a 3.94 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 across 114 1/3 innings. The former second-round pick will also be playing overseas for the first time.

Coello, 31, has appeared in parts of three seasons in the Majors, most recently in 2013 with the Angels. He’s struggled to a 5.90 ERA in an admittedly tiny sample of 29 innings but has a career 3.78 ERA while averaging better than a strikeout per inning in parts of seven Triple-A seasons. He split the past season between the Triple-A clubs of the Rangers and Giants.

Hector Noesi Likely To Sign With Korean Team

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Righty Hector Noesi appears likely to sign with the KIA Tigers in Korea, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. The 28-year-old Noesi is an ACES client.

Noesi posted a 6.89 ERA, 6.1 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in 32 2/3 innings with the White Sox in 2015 before being outrighted, after which he had more success with Triple-A Charlotte. In 2014, though, he was a regular in the White Sox’ rotation, pitching 166 innings with a 4.77 ERA. In addition to the White Sox, Noesi has pitched with the Yankees, Mariners and Rangers in his five-year big-league career, posting a 5.30 ERA, 6.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 395 1/3 innings. As a fly ball pitcher, he gives up more than his fair share of homers, thus far preventing him from being more than a passable fifth starter in the big leagues.

Elected Free Agency: Gee, Thayer, Gillaspie, Pestano

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Several players with significant big league service time have elected free agency since the conclusion of the regular season. Per baseball’s collective bargaining agreement, players with more than three years of Major League service time that have been outrighted off a 40-man roster have the right to elect free agency at season’s end.

This list — not to be confused with our full list of 2015-16 free agents (which has been updated to include these names) — represents some of the players that would’ve been arbitration eligible following the season and were regular or fairly regular contributors recently but now find themselves on the open market after being outrighted…

  • Dillon Gee: The right-hander opened the season in the Mets’ rotation, and the possibility of trading him loomed large in Spring Training and early in the regular season. Instead, Gee was designated for assignment after eight appearances (seven starts) and a 5.90 ERA this season. Of course, Gee’s FIP and xFIP marks were mostly in line with his career numbers, and he was plagued by factors like a .355 BABIP and a fluky 63 percent strand rate. Gee would eventually clear waivers and be outrighted, due in large part to his $5.3MM salary. His struggles continued, to some extent, in Triple-A, where he logged a 4.58 ERA in 88 1/3 innings, though that performance comes with the caveat that the Pacific Coast League is an incredibly hitter-friendly environment. Gee has less than five years of Major League service, so any team signing him this winter could control him for two seasons. He’s a nice bounceback candidate for a team in need of help at the back of its rotation.
  • Dale Thayer: The elder statesman of the players listed here, the 34-year-old Thayer was designated and outrighted earlier this season when the Padres signed Bud Norris. Thayer worked to a reasonable 4.06 ERA in 37 2/3 innings this season, but his 6.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 rates were significant departures from his previous seasons, perhaps a portent for less desirable results. However, Thayer was an effective member of the San Diego ’pen from 2012-14, notching a 3.02 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 with eight saves — he briefly served as closer whilst Huston Street was injured in 2012 — across 188 innings. Thayer, too, has four-plus years of service and would be controllable for two seasons upon signing.
  • Conor Gillaspie: The White Sox’ regular third baseman from 2013 through the first half of 2015, Gillaspie looked the part of at least a serviceable platoon option at the hot corner until a dismal start to the most recent season. Designated for assignment by the Sox then acquired by the Angels, Gillaspie would again be designated in Anaheim and eventually outrighted. He hit just .228/.269/.359 this season between the two clubs, but he managed a solid, if unspectacular .265/.322/.404 line from 2013-14 in Chicago. Those numbers are almost identical to his lifetime .266/.325/.410 line versus right-handed pitching, suggesting that the 28-year-old can help a big league roster in a platoon capacity. At 28 years old, he has three-plus years of service and would be controllable for three seasons.
  • Vinnie Pestano: The Angels designated and outrighted the former Cleveland setup ace struggled through 11 2/3 innings in the Majors this year. Pestano, who lost his grip on regular setup work in 2014, posted a 5.40 ERA with 13 strikeouts but eight walks (two intentional) in the Majors this season. However, he was a dominant setup man in Cleveland from 2011-12 and has posted serviceable big league numbers and strong Triple-A marks since. With a lifetime 1.97 ERA, 11.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in his Triple-A career, a reasonable amount of big league success and two years of team control remaining, Pestano could be a nice buy-low candidate for teams seeking low-cost bullpen help
  • Hector Noesi: Last season, Noesi stepped into the White Sox rotation and soaked up 166 innings with a 4.39 ERA. The 2015 campaign didn’t go as smoothly, however, as his 6.89 ERA in 32 2/3 innings ultimately served as reason for a DFA and an outright assignment. Noesi will turn 29 in January and has three years of team control remaining for any team that feels it can get him back to the fourth/fifth starter he looked like for much of the 2014 season.

Full lists of players that have declared free agency following a 2015 outright assignment can be seen on the transactions pages for the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and International League.

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