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Jake Faria

Angels To Sign Jake Faria To Minor-League Contract

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The Angels are set to sign right-hander Jake Faria to a minor-league deal, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). Presumably, he’ll receive an invitation to spring training.

Faria looked like a potential long-term rotation piece with the Rays back in 2017. He broke into the league with 86.2 innings of 3.43 ERA/4.12 FIP ball that season. He couldn’t build upon that success the following year, however. Faria’s strikeout and walk rates each went in the wrong direction and he struggled to a 5.40 ERA in 2018. He was bumped into a bullpen role in a 2019 season split between Tampa Bay and Milwaukee but continued to struggle. The Brewers didn’t bring him back to the majors in 2020, releasing him in September.

Recent struggles notwithstanding, there’s little risk for the Angels in giving the 27-year-old another opportunity. Throughout his MLB career, Faria has generated whiffs at nearly a league average rate. His fastball velocity ticked up from 92.2 MPH in 2018 to 93.7 MPH the following season thanks to his bullpen conversion. Faria could plausibly compete for a job as a starter or as a reliever for a Los Angeles club perennially on the hunt for pitching. There’s not a ton of certainty behind Dylan Bundy, Andrew Heaney and Griffin Canning in the rotation. The Angels also non-tendered five relievers earlier this week, so they’ll surely be on the hunt for bullpen help this winter.

In addition to the Angels, Faria drew the attention of one of his former clubs. The Rays had interest in bringing him back on a minor-league deal. It seems a tougher road to crack the major league pitching staff in Tampa Bay, though, likely factoring into Faria’s decision to instead sign with L.A. The right-hander is also a Southern California native, and he’ll now look to return to the majors with his hometown club.

Rays Notes: Franco, Snell, Faria

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Tests on Wander Franco’s biceps and shoulder area didn’t reveal any structural damage, the Rays told reporters (including MLB.com’s Juan Toribio).  The star prospect was brought back to the United States from the Dominican Winter League due to soreness and inflammation, though all signs point to Franco being ready to roll for Spring Training.  As a precaution, Franco won’t play in any more DWL games.

Widely regarded as the sport’s top prospect, Franco doesn’t turn 20 years old until March and hasn’t played any organized minor league ball above the high-A level.  That said, Rays evaluators did get a first-hand look at Franco at the club’s alternate training site during the season, and it wouldn’t be out of the question to see Franco make his Major League debut before 2021 is through.

More from Tampa Bay….

  • Blake Snell considered his inclusion in recent trade rumors to be “a little surprising,” even though the southpaw told the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin that he figured he would eventually be dealt before his five-year, $50MM extension (that runs through the 2023 season) was up.  “I know we thought our time was going to be these next three years,” Snell said.  “But maybe they feel with what happened with COVID and how they have to spend money, they probably have to hold back a little bit for whatever reason.”  $39MM is still owed to Snell over the final three years of his deal, which may be too steep for a Rays organization that rarely spends even in the best of times, and was further hampered by revenue losses and a lack of revenue-sharing funds in 2020.  It remains to be seen if another team will come up what is sure to be a high asking price for Snell’s services, but he is preparing himself should a trade emerge relatively soon: “I’m aware it’s going to happen at some point, so I’m ready for whenever that point is.  I just hope it’s a couple years away from now, because I love it here.”
  • Also from Topkin’s piece, he writes that the Rays had interest in a reunion with right-hander Jake Faria, but Faria will be signing with another team.  Faria was released by the Brewers in September.  A 10th round pick for Tampa Bay in the 2011 draft, Faria posted some solid numbers throughout his minor league career and then had an impressive rookie season in 2017, with a 3.43 ERA, 2.71 K/BB rate, and 8.7 K/9 over 86 2/3 innings (starting 14 of 16 games).  He couldn’t continue that form beyond 2017, however, and Faria was traded to the Brewers in a straight-up swap for Jesus Aguilar in July 2019.  After being hit hard in 8 2/3 frames that season, Faria didn’t pitch for Milwaukee at the MLB level in 2020.

Phillies, Brewers Complete David Phelps Trade; Brewers Release Jake Faria

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The Phillies have sent right-handrs Juan Geraldo, Brandon Ramey and Israel Puello to the Brewers as the three players to be named later in last month’s David Phelps trade, per announcements from both teams. Milwaukee also added that right-hander Jake Faria has been released.

The names in the trade were already known, as MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reported their inclusion not long after the completion of the trade. Still, it’s of some note that the swap is now official, without any of the involved pieces altered in the time that passed between agreement and completion.

None of the three pitchers going to the Brewers have pitched above Rookie ball. Geraldo and Puello, both 19, spent the 2019 season with Philadelphia’s affiliate in the Dominican Summer League. Ramey, who turned 20 on the day of the trade deadline, was with the Phillies’ Gulf Coast League club last year.

Because we’re looking at Rookie-level summer leagues, the sample of each pitcher’s body of work is rather small. Still, all three posted intriguing numbers last year. Geraldo logged a 3.96 ERA, mostly as a reliever, but added a more impressive 33-to-7 K/BB ratio in just 25 innings. Ramey logged 22 2/3 frames and posted a very similar 30-to-6 K/BB ratio with a 2.78 ERA. Puello racked up 65 2/3 innings as a starter and turned in a pristine 1.92 ERA with an 83-to-19 K/BB ratio.

None of the three were ranked within the Phillies’ 30 best prospects, and they’re all years from making an impact at the MLB level. Brewers president of baseball ops David Stearns has had luck with this type of low-level, quantity-forward approach in the past, though, most notably when he plucked a then-19-year-old Freddy Peralta away from the Mariners as one of three low level prospects acquired in exchange for Adam Lind.

As for the 27-year-old Faria, his release ends a disappointing tenure with the club. Acquired last year in the trade that sent Jesus Aguilar to the Rays, Faria joined the Brewers as a buy-low candidate but never got much of a look. He was tagged for 11 runs in just 8 2/3 frames last year after the trade, and Milwaukee outrighted him off the 40-man roster back in January. Although Faria was in the team’s player pool, he wasn’t ever summoned to the Majors in 2020.

Back in 2017, Faria looked like the latest somewhat out-of-the-blue arm to pop up with the Rays and carve out a spot in the bigs. He tossed 86 2/3 innings for Tampa Bay that season, working to a quality 3.43 ERA and a 4.12 FIP with averages of 8.7 strikeouts, 3.2 walks and 1.1 homers per nine innings. He’s never managed to replicate that output, however, and over the 2018-19 seasons he logged a combined 5.70 ERA and 5.45 FIP in a near-identical sample of 83 2/3 innings.

Phelps, like most other relievers in Philadelphia this year, hasn’t paid dividends since the trade. He’s appeared in seven games and surrendered runs in five of them, resulting in a dismal 11.37 ERA through 6 1/3 innings. Phelps has whiffed nine hitters in that time, but those results are still miles away from the excellent work he posted with the Brewers to begin the season and from his generally steady career track record.

Jake Faria Clears Waivers

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The Brewers will hang onto righty Jake Faria, who had recently been designated for assignment. According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter), Faria was outrighted after clearing waivers.

The Milwaukee organization will be glad to retain Faria for depth, but he hasn’t pitched to expectations to this point. He arrived in the mid-season swap that sent Jesus Aguilar to the Rays — a change-of-scenery arrangement that didn’t yield results for anyone involved.

Faria is still just 26 years of age and has a history of some success in the majors. He sat just under 94 mph with his fastball and drew a 12.8% swinging-strike rate in 2019. But he was also knocked around in brief MLB action this year, following a similarly unsuccessful showing in 2018.

Brewers Sign Jedd Gyorko, Designate Jake Faria

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January 14: Gyorko’s option is valued at $4.5MM with a $1MM buyout, tweets Robert Murray. That indicates that his 2020 base salary will be just $1MM. Gyorko can boost the value of that club option to $5.5MM by tallying 400 plate appearances or $7MM if he reaches 500 plate appearances.

January 10: The Brewers have added further infield depth to their bench, announcing a one-year contract with veteran Jedd Gyorko. The ACES client will reportedly be guaranteed $2MM on the deal, which contains a club option for the 2021 season. Right-hander Jake Faria was designated for assignment to create roster space, per the team.

Gyorko, 31, scuffled through the worst season of his career in 2019 when he posted a .174/.248/.250 slash through 101 plate appearances while battling injuries. However, he’s long been a solid big league hitter who can handle all four infield positions and, from 2016-18 in St. Louis, posted a combined .259/.331/.463 batting line with 61 homers in 1321 plate appearances.

Milwaukee was already set to enter the 2020 season with a vastly different infield mix than the one it carried in 2019. Mike Moustakas signed a surprising four-year deal with the division-rival Reds, while Travis Shaw was non-tendered and Eric Thames’ option was bought out. Meanwhile, they’ve acquired Luis Urias in a trade with the Padres and signed a trio of infielders: first baseman Justin Smoak, second baseman/shortstop Eric Sogard and corner infielder Ryon Healy. The Brewers will also have a full season of Keston Hiura in 2020 after he began the ’19 campaign in the minors.

Gyorko isn’t likely to be promised an everyday role but could bounce around the infield and serve as a right-handed complement Sogard or even to Smoak, a switch-hitter who’s better from the left side of the dish. He’ll give the Brewers some additional depth in the event of injuries or poor showings throughout the lineup, and if he’s able to return to his 2016-18 form, he’ll be yet another value pickup for a team that tends to limit its free-agent expenditures to low-cost and/or short-term commitments (Lorenzo Cain notwithstanding).

Faria came to Milwaukee in last summer’s Jesus Aguilar trade, but the 26-year-old was knocked around in brief MLB action, yielding 11 runs in 8 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old Faria impressed with 86 2/3 innings of 3.43 ERA ball and nearly a strikeout per frame in his rookie season back in 2017, but he hasn’t excelled in the Majors or in Triple-A since that time.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the deal (via Twitter). Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported the contract value (via Twitter).

Brewers To Place Zack Davies On IL, Promote Jake Faria

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The Brewers will place righty Zach Davies on the 10-day injured list, per Robert Murray of The Athletic (Twitter links). His precise injury situation isn’t yet clear, but it seems he’s dealing with some sort of back ailment.

Also heading off of the active roster is right-hander Aaron Wilkerson, who was optioned to Triple-A. Joining the big-league club are recently acquired Jake Faria and fellow righty Devin Williams, with MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (via Twitter) reporting the latter’s promotion. Williams will need to be added to the 40-man roster.

Losing Davies is tough news for a Milwaukee club that’s as far out of first place as it has been all year (four games) after a four-game skid. While Davies has had a few rough outings of late, he has paced the team in starts made (23) and innings (122 2/3) while working to a solid 3.74 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.

ERA estimators have been predicting regression for Davies for some kind. But the Brewers had every reason to keep running him out there and hoping he could continue to generate results, at least until his velo began to droop of late.

It still isn’t known how the club will account for the open rotation spot. Faria has spent time in a starting capacity this year but has been working of late as a reliever. Williams has functioned exclusively in the pen this season. It’s possible recently acquired southpaw Drew Pomeranz could work as a starter (or, at least, in some kind of multi-inning capacity).

Brewers, Rays Agree To Swap Aguilar, Faria

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The Rays and Brewers have agreed to a trade sending first baseman Jesus Aguilar from Milwaukee to Tampa Bay, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter links). Milwaukee is acquiring right-hander Jake Faria in return.

Jesus Aguilar | Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

Aguilar, 29, is in the midst of a down season at the plate but was an All-Star who bashed 35 home runs as recently as 2018. The 26-year-old Faria, similarly, looked to be a pitcher on the rise with a terrific rookie campaign in 2017 but has struggled to replicate that success in 2018-19.

Both players are fairly logical change-of-scenery candidates whose skill sets more closely align with the current needs of their new organizations. The Brewers have been hit hard by pitching injuries this season and currently have three rotation pieces on the injured list. The Rays, meanwhile, have been searching for a right-handed bat for quite some time and were linked to Aguilar more than a week ago.

It’s been a tough season for Aguilar, whose outstanding .274/.352/.539 output in 2018 has given way to a woeful .225/.320/.374 slash line in 2019. Aguilar’s strikeout and walk rates have both improved, but his line-drive, fly-ball and hard-hit rates have all taken a step back. That said, Statcast still likes Aguilar as a potential bounceback candidate based on the quality of the contact he’s made, as his expected wOBA of .342 dwarfs his actual .304 wOBA. He’s swinging a hot bat in the month of July as well, raking at a .298/.346/.574 clip in a small sample of 52 plate appearances.

Jake Faria | Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Faria debuted with the Rays in ’17 and immediately contributed 86 2/3 innings of 3.43 ERA ball while averaging 8.7 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 with a 38.3 percent ground-ball rate as a 23-year-old. It wasn’t an elite arrival on the big league scene, but it was certainly heartening enough to view him as a potential long-term piece in the rotation.

Instead, however, Faria’s K/BB rates trended in the wrong direction in 2018 as he limped to a 5.40 ERA in 65 MLB frames. He’s moved to the bullpen this year and allowed three runs in 10 MLB innings. As a reliever with Triple-A Durham, he’s logged 45 2/3 innings of 2.17 ERA ball with a 54-to-19 K/BB ratio.

Both players arrive in their new organizations as potential long-term fits. Aguilar will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter and can be controlled through the 2022 season. Faria hasn’t reached two years of big league service yet but quite likely will before the end of the year. Assuming he accrues the remaining time he needs, Faria would be arbitration-eligible after the 2020 season and controllable through 2023.

Rays Select Contract Of Andrew Kittredge

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The Rays have selected the contract of righty Andrew Kittredge, Juan Toribio of MLB.com was among those to tweet. He’ll take the active roster spot of fellow reliever Jake Faria, who was optioned down to Triple-A.

Kittredge, 29, had posted strong results in the upper minors and in a 2017 MLB debut. But he ended up being outrighted off of the 40-man roster at the end of the 2018 campaign after a rough extended showcase in the majors. All told, he carries a 6.04 ERA in 53 2/3 frames at the game’s highest level.

Thus far in 2019, Kittredge owns a sparkling 1.93 ERA with 13.3 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in his 37 1/3 innings at Triple-A. That’s enough to earn him another shot in the bigs, though he’ll have to perform better this time around to hold down a spot.

For the Rays, the move won’t require a 40-man roster spot because lefty Jose Alvarado remains on the restricted list. He is back in the United States after taking time away to deal with an undisclosed family matter in his native Venezuela. (Also via Toribio, on Twitter.) Alvarado will spend at least some time throwing at the Rays’ spring facility before he’s considered again for the MLB roster.

Rays Notes: Faria, Robertson, Glasnow

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The Rays have recalled right-hander Jake Faria from Triple-A Durham while demoting infielder Daniel Robertson, the team announced. 

Faria makes his second appearance with the club this season, the first resulting in a scoreless two-inning outing against the Red Sox on April 20th. He has otherwise notched better-than-usual strikeout rates in Triple-A this season (11.6 K/9) along with a 4-1 record and 5.41 ERA across 15 games (6 starts).

Faria gave the Rays 86 2/3 strong innings of 3.43 ERA baseball across 14 starts in 2017, but an abdominal strain cost him some time and limited him to just three appearances apiece in August and September. He started ten games with a less rousing 5.48 ERA to start 2018, but a left oblique strain landed him on the 60-day injured list. He has since fallen down the pecking order amidst a loaded Rays pitching contingent, but he’ll have an opportunity here to serve as one of manager Kevin Cash’s many long men out of the pen.

For Robertson, the demotion is a disappointing turn for the one-time Oakland farmhand. After accruing 2.4 fWAR and a well-above-average 127 wRC+ in 2018, Robertson slumped in 2019 while concentrating more of his defensive time at third base. Robertson’s .205/.310/.284 is a far cry from his 2018 output. His approach has remained relatively stable (10.8 BB%, 24.6 K%), but his power has all but evaporated (.080 ISO). While power hardly figures to be a prominent part of his game, a sub-.300 slugging percentage makes him borderline unplayable for the Rays in a tightly-contested AL East.

In recovery news, Tyler Glasnow’s comeback trail kicks off today as the Rays plan to have him throwing off a mound to a catcher closer than the traditional 60 feet 6 inches, tweets MLB.com’s Juan Toribio. Glasnow could throw a bullpen session as early as Wednesday, but nothing has changed as of yet regarding his recovery timetable. Given his placement on the 60-day injured list, Glasnow’s earliest date of reinstatement is July 12th.

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