Angels Sign Drew Ellis To Minor League Deal
The Angels are adding infielder Drew Ellis on a minor league contract, per an announcement from his now-former team in the independent Atlantic League: the Charleston Dirty Birds. Ellis’ contract was purchased from the Dirty Birds by the Angels yesterday, per the announcement. Presumably, he’ll head to the Halos’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City.
Ellis, 28, has appeared in each of the past three major league seasons, spending time with the D-backs, Mariners and Phillies. He’s only tallied 129 overall plate appearances, during which he’s popped three homers and walked at a 13.2% clip while struggling to an overall .157/.295/.269 batting line. Ellis has fanned in 31.8% of those 129 trips to the plate. He’s played first base, second base and third base in the majors, plus a pair of minor league games at shortstop and 37 games in left field back in his days at the University of Louisville.
Originally drafted by the Diamondbacks back in 2017, Ellis was that year’s No. 44 overall pick. Baseball America ranked him 66th in that year’s draft class and pegged him as high as ninth in Arizona’s system at one point, touting his plus power, athleticism and solid skills at the hot corner.
In parts of three Triple-A seasons, Ellis has shown off that power and a good approach at the plate but still hit for a low average. He’s a career .247/.364/.500 hitter at the minors’ top level. Given his big league contact issues and that low average, it’s easy to suspect he’s been excessively strikeout prone in the minors. But while Ellis has fanned at a slightly higher-than-average 24.3% rate in Triple-A, the greater culprit has been his penchant for weak infield flies. He’s totaled 1124 Triple-A plate appearances and popped up to the infield a staggering 86 times. That propensity has undercut his plate discipline and impressive power.
The Angels are in clear need of some infield depth, making their pickup of Ellis plenty understandable. The Halos just acquired veteran Luis Guillorme from the Braves and moved Anthony Rendon to the 60-day injured list. Rendon will be out until at least late June. Brandon Drury exited his most recent game due to a hamstring issue and seems likely to head to the injured list. Infielders Miguel Sano and Michael Stefanic are also on the IL. The Angels are currently rostering both Ehire Adrianza and Cole Tucker, but neither has provided any offense in an eight-game sample. Niko Goodrum was claimed off waivers from the Rays today. Ellis will give them some depth with a bit of versatility and a nice track record of power and on-base skills in Triple-A, should the Halos eventually want to shuffle their bench mix or in the event that they incur further injuries.
Yankees Claim Colby White
The Yankees announced Thursday that they’ve claimed right-hander Colby White off waivers from the Rays, who’d designated him for assignment late last week. White has been optioned to Double-A Somerset. The Yankees already had an open 40-man spot after designating outfielder Taylor Trammell for assignment and outrighting him to Triple-A, so a corresponding 40-man move isn’t necessary.
The 25-year-old White was a 2019 sixth-round pick by the Rays. He ranked among the team’s most promising arms at one point but has seen his career set back by injuries. The right-hander missed the 2022 season and a good portion of the 2023 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery. He returned to pitch 22 minor league frames late last year and posted a 1.64 ERA that looked pristine on the surface but masked some worrying trends. Namely, White issued a free pass to a whopping 19.5% of his opponents in last year’s comeback effort.
His command woes continued this year, and the good fortune he had in stranding all those free baserunners dried up. White pitched 7 2/3 innings in the Rays’ system but was rocked for 15 earned runs on the strength of 10 hits and 10 walks. He’s given up a walk to just under 22% of his opponents this year and has also hit a pair of batters.
Command wasn’t an issue prior to White’s surgery. In 2021, he posted a sparkling 1.44 ERA across four minor league levels while dominating opponents — evidenced by a comical 45% strikeout rate and a strong 6.4% walk rate. White is in the second of three minor league option years, so the Yanks will send him to Double-A and hope that the change of scenery can get him closer to his 2021 form. If they can accomplish that, White could yet emerge as a quality big league reliever, but he’s clearly a project in the wake of his post-surgery struggles to locate the ball.
Angels Claim Niko Goodrum
The Angels announced Thursday that they’ve claimed utilityman Niko Goodrum off waivers from the Rays, who’d designated him for assignment earlier in the week. In a corresponding move, the Halos recalled righty Kelvin Caceres from Triple-A and placed him on the major league 60-day injured list.
Goodrum appeared in nine games with Tampa Bay but tallied only 18 plate appearances, during which he collected a trio of singles, walked once and struck out three times. He hit .316/.422/.605 with three homers in 45 plate appearances down in Triple-A Durham.
A second-round pick by the Twins in 2010, the now-32-year-old Goodrum has played in parts of seven MLB seasons (this year included). The best stretch of that seven-year span came with the 2018-19 Tigers, who gave Goodrum regular playing time and saw him enjoy a .247/.318/.427 slash while playing quality defense at multiple positions. For a time, Goodrum served as the Tigers’ everyday shortstop. He logged 964 plate appearances over those two seasons and belted 28 homers in addition to swiping 24 bags.
Goodrum’s bat wilted in subsequent seasons. He split the 2023 campaign between the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Worcester, batting .280/.448/.440, and the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization, for whom he turned in a .295/.373/.387 line.
The switch-hitting Goodrum has experience at all four infield positions and in the outfield corners. He’ll give the Halos some depth at a time when Anthony Rendon was just transferred to the 60-day IL and when each of Miguel Sano, Michael Stefanic and potentially Brandon Drury — who exited yesterday’s game with a hamstring issue — are unavailable. Sano and Stefanic are both on the injured list already, and Drury could soon join them. The Angels also acquired Luis Guillorme in a morning trade with the Braves. Goodrum and/or Guillorme could eventually push current bench players Cole Tucker and Ehire Adrianza off the roster; neither has hit much in his first eight games with the team.
Guardians Acquire Darren McCaughan From Marlins
The Guardians announced today that they have acquired right-hander Darren McCaughan from the Marlins. The latter club, who designated the righty for assignment on the weekend, receive cash considerations in return. The Guards optioned McCaughan to Triple-A Columbus and transferred Gavin Williams to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot.
McCaughan, 28, spent his entire career with the Mariners until he was designated for assignment in February. He was traded to the Marlins for cash and was sent to Triple-A Jacksonville to start the year. He made five starts there with poor results, posting a 6.14 earned run average despite average-ish peripherals. He struck out 22.2% of batters faced with an 8.1% walk rate, but with a .338 batting average on balls in play and 52.8% strand rate.
The Marlins called him up to the big leagues last week. In Saturday’s game against Oakland, Trevor Rogers allowed eight earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. McCaughan came in for some long relief, throwing 4 2/3 but also allowing eight earned runs on the way to a 20-4 loss. McCaughan was designated for assignment the next day.
The Guardians are undoubtedly interested in McCaughan based on his work in previous seasons. From 2021 to 2023, he tossed 408 2/3 innings for Triple-A Tacoma, in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He had a 4.98 ERA in that time as well as a 21.4% strikeout rate and 6% walk rate.
Cleveland has less pitching depth than other recent seasons. Shane Bieber required Tommy John surgery while Williams has been on the IL all year due to elbow soreness. Their rotation currently consists of three youngsters in Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee, as well as two veterans in Carlos Carrasco and Ben Lively. McKenzie hardly pitched last year due to a sprain of his UCL and is currently getting by with diminished stuff. Allen has a 6.41 ERA on the year, Bibee 4.91 and Carrasco 5.67. Lively is down at 2.08 in only four starts. He was at 5.38 last year with the Reds, his first MLB action since 2019.
Despite the lackluster results from the rotation, the club is 24-13 and leading the American League Central. To help keep things afloat, they have been actively trying to bolster the starting depth. They acquired Zak Kent from the Rangers on Opening Day and later grabbed Wes Parsons from the Blue Jays, sending international bonus pool space away in both cases. With the acquisition of McCaughan, they have now added three optionable starters to their system in the past two months.
As for Williams, as mentioned, he’s been on the injured list all season due to elbow soreness. This transfer is backdated to his initial IL placement, meaning he’s ineligible return until late May. He recently resumed a throwing program but will need to build up a full starter’s workload and isn’t going to be ready in the next month or so regardless.
Former Top Outfield Prospect Monte Harrison To Play College Football At Arkansas
Former second-round pick and top outfield prospect Monte Harrison hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2022 and apparently isn’t pursuing a return to the big leagues at this point. Rather, he’s now committed to the University of Arkansas’ football team as a walk-on wide receiver, as first reported by Richard Davenport of WholeHogSports.com.
Harrison, who’ll be 29 next fall, will be the oldest player in college football when the season gets underway. A three-sport star at his Missouri high school, he’d committed to play football for Nebraska before the Brewers selected him in the second round of the 2014 MLB draft (No. 50 overall) and offered a $1.8MM signing bonus. Harrison opted to forgo his NCAA commitment and turn pro in baseball.
Royce Boehm, Harrison’s high school coach, tells Mitch Sherman of The Athletic that even at the time he was being selected in the second round of the MLB draft, “My whole thought back then was that he’s an NFL player, but he was stuck on baseball.” Sherman spoke to Boehm and University of Nebraska baseball coach Will Bolt about Harrison’s long-shot football bid and freakish athleticism.
Though Harrison came to professional baseball with plenty of pedigree, drew ample top prospect fanfare and ultimately reached the majors, his MLB career certainly did pan out as he’d hoped. After Harrison coupled his preternatural athleticism with a .272/.350/.481 line between two Class-A levels in 2017, he emerged as a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport. Then 21 years of age, Harrison was one of the key pieces sent from the Brewers to the Marlins in the Christian Yelich blockbuster that significantly altered the trajectory of both franchises.
Yelich broke out with an MVP showing in his first season in Milwaukee, finished second in NL MVP voting his second year there, and signed a franchise-record $215MM contract ($188.5MM in new money) that runs through the 2028 season. The Marlins saw all of the prospects acquired in that trade — Harrison, Lewis Brinson, Isan Diaz and Jordan Yamamoto — struggle immensely in Miami. None of the four are with the organization anymore.
Harrison played parts of two seasons with the Fish (2020-21) and had a nine-game cup of coffee with the 2022 Angels as well. He tallied just 76 major league plate appearances across those three seasons and batted .176/.253/.294 with a 48.7% strikeout rate. His bat never fully broke through even at the Triple-A level, where he slashed .238/.322/.398 with a 36.5% strikeout rate in parts of four seasons (1179 plate appearances). His speed was still on display, however, as he swiped 90 bags in 105 tries (85.7% success rate). Overall, Harrison stole 210 minor league bases and was caught only 39 times — an excellent 84.3% success rate.
Even though his baseball career has fizzled out, Harrison still checks in at an imposing 6’3″ and 220 pounds. An eventual NFL emergence is an obvious long shot, but Harrison’s journey will be a fun story to track in the months ahead as he fights to keep his professional sports dream alive.
Braves Acquire Zack Short From Red Sox
The Red Sox have traded infielder Zack Short to the Braves in exchange for cash considerations, per announcements from both clubs. Boston had designated him for assignment earlier this week. Atlanta opened up a roster spot earlier today by trading Luis Guillorme to the Angels.
Short, 29 this month, is a utility player with a distinctly patient approach at the plate. He has 469 career plate appearances, walking in 11.5% of those but also striking out at a 29.4% clip. He has only swung at 20.9% of pitches outside the zone. Among hitters with at least 450 plate appearances since the start of 2021, only seven batters have chased less. And one of those is Brett Gardner, who hasn’t played since 2021.
Despite the keen eye, Short hasn’t been able to produce much at the big league level. He currently has a career batting line of .169/.262/.299. The results have been a bit better at Triple-A, as he has slashed .226/.361/.397 there since the start of 2021. His 16.2% walk rate at that level helped him produce a 106 wRC+, though he was also punched out at a 26.6% clip.
In addition to an intriguing approach at the plate, Short also provides defensive versatility. At the major league level, he’s played the three infield positions to the left of first base, as well as center and right field. He’s also spent a bit of time in left field in the minors.
Short exhausted his final option year with the Tigers in 2023 and is now out of options. That has led to him bouncing around the league since the end of last season. The Mets claimed him from the Tigers in November but then designated him for assignment at the end of April when J.D. Martinez was ready for his team debut. He was traded to the Red Sox for cash but only lasted on that roster for a week before being designated for assignment again.
It’s entirely possible that he ends up in DFA limbo again on account of his out-of-options status, but he’ll join Atlanta’s roster for now. The club has a lineup full of stars but Short will take over Guillorme’s previous role as a versatile bench piece alongside Luke Williams. If Short lasts on the roster all year, he can be retained for future seasons since he has less than two years of major league service time.
Reds’ Ian Gibaut Undergoes AIN Release Procedure
Reds reliever Ian Gibaut underwent an anterior interosseous nerve (AIN) release procedure this week, manager David Bell tells Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer (X link). An exact timetable for his return to the mound isn’t clear, with Bell only indicating that the hope is for Gibaut to return at some point this season.
Bell had already stated earlier in the week that Gibaut would require surgery, but the specifics wouldn’t be known until surgeons could examine the state of his hand/forearm during the course of the procedure. A standard carpal tunnel release procedure was one possibility and would’ve come with a shorter recovery period, but doctors determined while performing the operation that the AIN release was necessary.
Gibaut, 30, opened the season on the injured list with what was originally termed a forearm strain. He pitched six minor league rehab innings but walked six of his 32 opponents and plunked another pair en route to allowing five runs. That made clear that something still wasn’t right in Gibaut’s right arm, and it’s now natural to think the nerve issue led to both the forearm discomfort and the shaky command in his brief minor league stint.
As recently as last season, Gibaut emerged as a key bullpen piece for Bell. The right-hander led all Cincinnati relievers with 75 2/3 innings pitched and increasingly found himself in high-leverage spots as the season wore on. He notched a tidy 3.33 ERA, picked up 22 holds and three saves, and fanned 21.7% of his opponents against an 8.8% walk rate. As a journeyman reliever whom the Reds picked up via a waiver claim from the Guardians, Gibaut proved to be a nice under-the-radar find for the Cincinnati front office.
Gibaut was already transferred to the 60-day injured list earlier this week. He’ll continue to accrue big league service time and pay while rehabbing the injury. He’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter. The Reds can control him via arbitration through the 2027 season.
Matt Barnes Elects Free Agency
10:44am: The Nationals announced that Barnes has rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
May 9, 10:17am: Barnes cleared outright waivers and has been assigned outright to the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate in Rochester, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He has enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, if he chooses.
May 7: The Nationals announced Tuesday they’ve designated right-hander Matt Barnes for assignment. His spot on the active roster will go to lefty Robert Garcia, who’s been reinstated from the 15-day injured list. The Nats’ 40-man roster is now at 39 players.
Barnes, 33, inked a minor league deal with Washington in the early portion of Spring Training. He made the Opening Day roster after throwing five scoreless innings in camp. The veteran reliever hasn’t carried that success into the regular season. Barnes has allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over 13 1/3 frames while working in low-leverage situations. His 8% swinging strike rate is well below both the league average and his career 12.3% mark.
It’s the second straight season in which Barnes has struggled to miss bats. He managed whiffs on a career-low 7.8% of his offerings en route to a 5.48 ERA in 21 1/3 innings with the Marlins last year. That season was cut short before the All-Star Break by a left hip injury that required surgery. Barnes’ velocity has yet to return to pre-surgery levels. His 91.4 MPH average fastball speed and 81.5 MPH curveball velocity are each down two ticks from where they sat in 2023.
Barnes was averaging around 95-96 MPH on his heater and in the mid-80s with his breaking ball during his best seasons with the Red Sox. That included four seasons of sub-4.00 ERA ball over a five-year stretch from 2017-21. Barnes routinely punched out more than 30% of opposing hitters during that run and held the closer role in Boston in 2021. He earned an All-Star nod that season and secured a two-year, $18.75MM extension that July.
A shoulder injury in 2022 and the aforementioned hip issue have prevented Barnes from recapturing that form in the two-plus years since then. The Nats will technically have five days to trade him, but it’s likelier he’ll be released. Barnes locked in a $2MM base salary when he made the Washington roster. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, the Nationals will be responsible for the bulk of that contract. Another team that subsequently signs him would owe the prorated portion of the $740K minimum for any time he spends on their MLB roster.
The Opener: Pitchers’ Duel, Drury, Rodriguez
On the heels of an early-morning trade report, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Pitchers’ duel in Minnesota:
Two of the AL’s second-place teams will be sending front-of-the-rotation starters to the mound in Minneapolis today, as Twins ace Pablo Lopez takes the mound against young Mariners star Logan Gilbert. The 28-year-old Lopez has struggled a bit in terms of run prevention through seven starts this year, as his 4.30 ERA is actually just below league average by measure of ERA+. That being said, the right-hander’s peripherals are as strong as ever. He’s struck out an excellent 30.2% of batters faced this season while walking just 5.4%, giving him a strong 3.48 FIP with even better expected numbers.
Twins fans are surely hoping that Lopez’s results start catching up to his peripherals today, as Gilbert has been among the very best in baseball at stifling opposing offenses this year. Through seven starts, Gilbert sports an AL-best 1.69 ERA in 48 innings of work with a 3.24 FIP. Some of Gilbert’s run-prevention can surely be attributed to a microscopic .183 BABIP, but the right-hander has still struck out an impressive 28.2% of batters faced against a 7.3% walk rate. The two aces will clash at Target Field this afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 12:10pm local time.
2. Drury headed to the IL?
Angels infielder Brandon Drury may be poised for a trip to the injured list today. The 31-year-old was pulled from yesterday’s game in the sixth inning due to tightness in his left hamstring, and after the game told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) that while he was going to be evaluated further today he wasn’t “feeling very good” in the aftermath of his departure. A trip to the IL could allow Drury time not only to heal, but to try and rediscover his 2023 form. While the infielder clubbed 26 homers in 125 games with the Angels last year, he’s hit just .173 with minimal power so far this season. It seems likely that infielder Luis Guillorme, reportedly acquired from the Braves this morning, would replace Drury on the club’s roster in the event that he requires a trip to the shelf.
3. Rodriguez awaiting MRI results:
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez underwent an MRI yesterday afternoon, GM Mike Hazen told AZSports yesterday. Rodriguez has yet to make his Diamondbacks debut, having instead spent the entire season to this point on the injured list nursing a strained lat. That could be set to change soon, however, as Hazen indicated that with favorable results on the MRI, the lefty will be cleared to start a throwing program.
Coming off an excellent 2023 season where he pitched to a 3.30 ERA and 3.66 FIP in 26 starts with the Tigers, Rodriguez would provide a boost to the reigning NL champions, who have struggled to a 17-20 record and have fallen into third place in the NL West, eight games behind the Dodgers for the division crown. Arizona has relied on young arms such as Slade Cecconi and Ryne Nelson in the rotation amid Rodriguez’s absence.
MLBTR Podcast: Luis Arráez To San Diego, Other Marlins Trade Candidates And Discussing A Potential Automated Strike Zone
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Padres acquiring Luis Arráez from the Marlins (0:40)
- Who else the Marlins might trade this summer (7:05)
- What’s next for the Padres? (12:55)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- When can we expect to see Paul Skenes called up by the Pirates and when do you think Jackson Holliday will be brought up again by the Orioles? (17:10)
- I’m looking ahead at robo umps calling balls/strikes. Do you think it will dramatically affect counting stats for hitters while affecting pitchers stats negatively in the other direction? (20:55)
- What measures can be implemented to stop teams like the Tigers from continually rebuilding and why do the Tigers hesitate to send struggling players to the minors? (31:50)
Check out our past episodes!
- Mailbag: José Abreu Demoted, The Positional Surplus Myth, Erick Fedde’s Trade Value And More – listen here
- Mailbag: Cardinals’ Troubles, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Bad Umpiring And More – listen here
- Free Agent Power Rankings, Shohei Ohtani’s Stolen Money And The A’s Moving To Sacramento – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!