Mariners Add Danny Farquhar To Coaching Staff
The Mariners announced that they have added Danny Farquhar to the coaching staff of manager Scott Servais. The former big leaguer will have the title of pitching strategist and assistant pitching coach.
“I am thrilled to return to the Mariners organization after pitching here for 3 seasons,” said Farquhar in a press release from the club. “I am greatly looking forward to working with our dynamic pitchers, as well as Scott and our coaching staff.”
Farquhar, now 36, pitched in seven big league seasons from 2011 to 2018, spending 2013 to 2015 with the Mariners. He also pitched for the Blue Jays, Rays and White Sox, ultimately tossing 272 1/3 innings with a 3.93 earned run average, 26.9% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate. His major league career ended on a scary note, as he collapsed in the dugout due to a brain aneurysm after a game pitching for the White Sox in April of 2018. He was eventually cleared to play in November and signed a minor league deal with the Yankees for 2019, but he made just two appearances on the farm in June before being released.
He announced his retirement that August and has since been coaching in the White Sox’ system, most recently working as the pitching coach for the Double-A Birmingham Barons. He’ll now get a chance to jump to the major league level, working with Mariners pitching coach Pete Woodworth.
Dodgers To Sign Elieser Hernández To Minor League Deal
The Dodgers are signing right-hander Elieser Hernández to a minor league deal, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. The deal for the MVP Sports Group client includes an invite to major league Spring Training.
Hernández, 29 in May, didn’t pitch in the big leagues in 2023. He was acquired by the Mets from the Marlins in a December 2022 trade but began the season on the injured list due to a right shoulder strain. He was activated from the IL in July and optioned to the minors, but was recalled shortly thereafter and placed on the IL with a right pectoral strain. He finished the year having tossed just 9 1/3 innings in the minors, then was outrighted off the roster in November and elected free agency.
He has shown flashes of promise in previous seasons, but often with health getting in the way. He posted a 3.16 ERA in 2020, but in just six starts due to a strained right latissimus dorsi. He then had a 4.18 ERA in 2021, but only made 11 starts, missing time due to right biceps inflammation and a right quad strain. Over those two seasons, he struck out 26.3% of batters and gave out walks at just a 5.7% clip. But his ERA jumped to 6.35 in 2022 before he endured the mostly lost season last year.
The Dodgers have generally been unafraid to sign players with injury concerns, betting on the talent showing up with some luck on the health side. Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson, Jimmy Nelson, J.P. Feyereisen and Alex Reyes are just a few recent examples of players that the club has taken a chance on. In the case of Hernández, there’s no risk in bringing him aboard via this minor league deal and seeing what form he’s in once Spring Training rolls around. If he does make the roster, he can’t be optioned down to the minors since he has over five years of service time. He was worked as both a starter and reliever in his career but the lack of health will perhaps nudge towards spending more time in the bullpen.
White Sox To Sign Jake Woodford To Minor League Deal
Right-hander Jake Woodford is signing a minor league contract with the White Sox, per a report from Robert Murray of FanSided. The Excel Sports Management client will receive an invitation to major league Spring Training.
Woodford, 27, will jump to a new organization for the first time in his career. He was drafted by the Cardinals in 2015 and was a part of that org until he was non-tendered in November of last year. He mostly worked in a swing role in the big leagues and had some decent seasons. Over 2021 and 2022, he tossed 116 innings with a 3.26 earned run average. His 15.4% strikeout rate in that time was well below league average but he kept his walks down to a 7.5% clip and got grounders on 45.8% of balls in play.
Unfortunately, things went off the rails in 2023, as he posted a 6.23 ERA in 47 2/3 innings, as his strikeout rate fell even farther to 13.1% and his walk rate ticked up to 9.9%. Despite his ground ball tendencies, he also allowed 11 home runs in that small sample of work. He was eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting Woodford for a salary of $1.1MM, just a bit north of next year’s $740K minimum. But the Cards instead decided to move on, non-tendering him in November.
For the Sox, they have plenty of questions on their pitching staff. Dylan Cease projects as the ace but many around the industry expect him to be traded. General manager Chris Getz recently said the club plans to stretch out Garrett Crochet, but he’s thrown just 73 major league innings over the past four years. Erick Fedde should have a role after a strong KBO season but his work in the majors was shaky prior to that. Michael Kopech and Touki Toussaint both have significant control issues. Michael Soroka didn’t fully bounceback in 2023 after a lengthy injury absence. Chris Flexen is coming off a really rough campaign.
In the bullpen, Kendall Graveman, Reynaldo López, Aaron Bummer, Keynan Middleton and Joe Kelly have all been traded in the past six months, and Crochet is another subtraction by virtue of moving into a starting role. In short, there should be plenty of innings available for Woodford if he’s able to put his 2023 season behind him and get back into good form. If he’s added onto the roster, he is out of options but could be retained beyond this season via arbitration.
Pirates, JT Brubaker Avoid Arbitration
The Pirates and right-hander JT Brubaker have avoided arbitration, per Connor Williams of the Talk the Plank Podcast. Brubaker will make $2.275MM this year, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Friday is the deadline for clubs and arbitration-eligible players to submit salary figures, with hearings set to take place in late January. Many cases will be resolved as that deadline approaches, such as this one.
Brubaker, now 30, pitched 315 2/3 innings for the Pirates from 2020 to 2022. He had a 4.99 earned run average in that time, along with a 23.3% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate and 44% ground ball rate. He qualified for arbitration for 2023 and made a salary of $2.275MM last year.
Unfortunately, it was a totally lost year for the righty. He had some elbow/forearm discomfort in the spring and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-April, missing the entire season. That has led him to have the same salary in 2024 as he did last year.
He will likely start 2024 on the injured list and could return at some point in the middle of the season. The Pittsburgh rotation currently projects to feature Mitch Keller, Marco Gonzales and Martín Pérez, with guys like Bailey Falter, Luis Ortiz, Roansy Contreras, Quinn Priester, Jackson Wolf and Paul Skenes in competition for spots at the back end. Brubaker will jump into that mix whenever he’s healthy. He can be retained via arbitration for one more season before he’s slated for free agency after 2025.
Brewers, Hoby Milner Avoid Arbitration
The Brewers and left-hander Hoby Milner have avoided arbitration, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The southpaw will make a salary of $2.05MM in the upcoming campaign.
Friday is the deadline for clubs and arbitration-eligible players to submit salary figures, with hearings set to take place in late January. Many cases will be resolved as that deadline approaches, such as this one.
Milner, 33 in January, first qualified for arbitration last year and made a salary of $1.025MM. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a bump to $1.7MM in 2024, but he will beat that by a bit. He will be eligible for one more arbitration raise in 2025 before he’s slated for free agency.
He is coming off an excellent season in terms of run prevention, finishing with a 1.82 earned run average over 73 appearances out of the Milwaukee bullpen. He was likely helped by a .254 batting average on balls in play and 84.2% strand rate, both of which are on the lucky side of average. But he still had strong peripherals, with a 23.4% strikeout rate, 5.2% walk rate and 50.9% ground ball rate. ERA estimators like his 3.13 FIP and 3.43 SIERA suggest he wasn’t quite as dominant as the ERA makes it look, but they still suggest it was a good performance nonetheless.
He projects to be the top lefty in the Milwaukee bullpen in 2024, with depth options like Ethan Small, Clayton Andrews and Bryan Hudson also on the 40-man roster.
Rockies, Cal Quantrill Avoid Arbitration
The Rockies and right-hander Cal Quantrill have avoided arbitration, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The righty will make $6.55MM in the upcoming campaign.
Quantrill, 29 in February, spent the past three and a half years with Cleveland. He first qualified for arbitration for the 2022 season as a Super Two player. He made $2.51MM that year and then $5.55MM last year. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a raise to $6.6MM in 2024 but the Guards decided to move on, designating him for assignment in November to open a roster spot prior to the Rule 5 draft. Shortly thereafter, he was acquired by the Rockies, with minor league catcher Kody Huff going the other way.
Friday is the deadline for clubs and arbitration-eligible players to submit salary figures, with hearings set to take place in late January. Many cases will be resolved as that deadline approaches, such as this case, with Quantrill agreeing to a salary just a shade below the projection.
Quantrill is coming off a frustrating season but had a solid run over the three prior campaigns. From 2020 to 2022, the righty tossed 368 innings with an earned run average of 3.08. His 18.4% strikeout rate was subpar, but he limited walks to a 6.7% rate, got grounders at a 42.7% clip and generally limited hard contact. Last year, however, his ERA shot up to 5.24 in a season where he twice went to the injured list due to shoulder inflammation. His walk rate was still good but his punchouts dropped to 13.1% as his hard hit rate and barrel rate both ticked up.
The Rockies are almost always in need of pitching and that’s especially been the case lately. Attracting free agents to the hitter-friendly environs of Coors Field is always a challenge and significant injuries have hit incumbents arms, with each of Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela currently recovering from Tommy John surgery. Quantrill should be locked into a rotation spot to start the year alongside Kyle Freeland, with pitchers like Dakota Hudson, Ryan Feltner, Austin Gomber, Peter Lambert and Noah Davis also in the mix.
If Quantrill is able to have a bounceback season in 2024, he can be retained via arbitration in 2025. That could be by the Rockies or perhaps some other club, if Quantrill is throwing well enough to be a midseason trade candidate.
White Sox Outright Zach Remillard
The White Sox announced Wednesday that infielder Zach Remillard, whom they designated for assignment after signing catcher Martin Maldonado to a one-year deal, went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A. The 29-year-old (30 in February) will remain in the organization.
A tenth-round selection by the Sox back in 2016, Remillard made his big league debut last year after grinding through parts of eight minor league seasons. He appeared in 54 games and took 160 turns at the plate, batting .252/.295/.320 with a homer, seven doubles, four steals, a 5% walk rate and a 30% strikeout rate. He spent the vast majority of his time at second base and posted quality defensive grades there, though Remillard also received briefer looks at shortstop, third base and in both outfield corners.
That defensive versatility has been Remillard’s calling card throughout his minor league tenure. He carries a tepid .243/.339/.376 batting line in parts of three Triple-A seasons (1073 plate appearances), but he’s appeared at every position on the diamond other than catcher and pitcher in his eight-year professional career. Now that he’s passed through waivers, he’ll likely be in big league camp this spring and serve as a depth option for the White Sox. His experience at virtually every position on the diamond would make him a natural option for just about any injury or set of injuries the rebuilding White Sox could incur in 2024.
Mariners Claim Mauricio Llovera From Red Sox
The Mariners have claimed right-hander Mauricio Llovera from the Red Sox, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The righty was designated for assignment a week ago when the Sox signed Lucas Giolito. Seattle’s 40-man roster is now at 39.
Llovera, 28 in April, has thrown 59 major league innings over the past four seasons. Splitting him time between the Phillies, Giants and Red Sox, he has a 5.80 combined earned run average. He has struck out 20.6% of batters faced, given out walks at a 10.1% clip and kept 44.6% of balls in play in the ground.
His results in the minors have been much better, with a 2.82 ERA at Triple-A in 92 2/3 innings over the past three years. He has a 25.9% strikeout rate at that level while walking just 8.8% of batters faced there. Almost half of that Triple-A time came in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League while he was in the Giants’ system.
The M’s are apparently intrigued by those minor league results but Llovera is now out of options. That means he has to stick on the active roster or else be removed from the 40-man entirely. Since he has a previous career outright, he would have the right to elect free agency if he were to be passed through waivers in the future. That perhaps suggests that he has a legitimate chance of making the team in Seattle. If he clicks with the Mariners, he can be controlled for five seasons before he would qualify for free agency.
Rangers Sign Shane Greene, Jonathan Holder To Minor League Deals
The Rangers announced Wednesday that they’ve signed right-handers Shane Greene and Jonathan Holder to minor league contracts with invitations to big league camp this spring. Texas also confirmed its previously reported signing of righty Austin Pruitt to a similar pact.
Greene, 35, was at one point a high-leverage bullpen arm with both the Tigers and Braves, pitching to a combined 3.25 ERA with 64 saves and 35 holds in 221 2/3 innings from 2017-20 between the two clubs. He reached free agency on the heels of that stretch but didn’t end up signing until the following May, when he returned to the Braves. Greene struggled to a 7.23 ERA in 28 innings after that delayed start to the season and hasn’t had much of an opportunity to get back on track since; he’s pitched just six MLB innings over the past two campaigns.
The Cubs inked Greene to a minor league deal last year and got three sharp innings out of him late in the season. Coupled with a dominant showing their Triple-A club in Iowa (1.75 ERA in 25 2/3 frames) that performance surely piqued the interest of the Rangers and others. It’s been several years now since Greene found success in the big leagues, but his track record is mostly solid and there’s no risk for the Rangers to bring him to camp and see how he looks this spring.
Holder, 30, was solid for the Yankees back in 2017-18, notching a tidy 3.42 ERA in 105 2/3 innings while whiffing 22.6% of his opponents against an excellent 6.1% walk rate. However, shoulder troubles have limited the right-hander in each of the 2019, 2021 and 2022 seasons. He pitched just 23 innings between the minors and big leagues combined from 2021-22 and hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2020.
Holder spent the 2023 season with the Angels after inking a minor league contract last winter. The results weren’t pretty — 5.40 ERA — but Holder was healthy enough to rack up 66 2/3 innings. That’s something of a success story in and of itself, given his prior shoulder troubles. He fanned nearly a quarter of his opponents with Salt Lake last year but also saw his once-pristine walk rate inflate to an untenable 12.9%.
The reigning World Series champs have some uncertainty both in their bullpen and in their rotation, the latter due in no small part to injuries for Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom. They’re also facing some questions about their television broadcast situation, which has played a role in the club’s far more timid offseason than the recent free-agent extravaganzas that brought in deGrom, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Jon Gray and others. The bulk of the remaining offseason resources could be allocated to the rotation, so it’s not a surprise to see Texas GM Chris Young loading up on non-roster veterans in hopes of finding some low-cost relief help this spring.
Yankees Sign Tanner Tully To Minor League Deal
The Yankees have signed left-hander Tanner Tully to a minor league deal, according to a report from Matt Eddy of Baseball America. It’s unclear if the lefty will receive an invitation to major league Spring Training.
It’s the second straight offseason in which the Yanks have brought Tully aboard on a minors pact. He made 19 starts at the Triple-A level last year with a 5.64 earned run average, posting a subpar 18.6% strikeout rate but limiting walks to a 6.4% clip and keeping 40.7% of balls in play on the ground.
He was released in August to join the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization and finished the year on a strong note. He made 11 starts for the Dinos with a 2.92 ERA. His 17.7% strikeout rate was still not especially strong, but his 4.9% walk rate and 59.6% ground ball rate were both quite encouraging.
That has generally been the profile for Tully in his minor league career, which dates back to being drafted by Cleveland in 2016. He’s never had a walk rate higher than 8.2% at any stop of his minor league career and has induced a fair share of grounders, but he’s also never been a big strikeout guy. He has six innings of major league experience, which came with the Guardians in 2022.
The Yankees have a reputation for loving ground ball guys and they also need some extra rotation depth, having included Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez in the Juan Soto trade. They will have Gerrit Cole leading the major league rotation, with Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt to follow. They also seem likely to add someone else, having been connected to names like Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Marcus Stroman and Dylan Cease.
Tully, now 29, can provide them with some depth at the Triple-A level alongside guys like Clayton Beeter, Luis Gil, Yoendrys Gómez, Cody Poteet and Will Warren. He’s also done some relief work in the past and could perhaps slide into a bullpen role later. The Yanks lost their primary lefty ground ball guy, Wandy Peralta, to free agency at the end of the 2023 season. If Tully is added to the roster at any point, he still has a full slate of options and just 15 days of service time.