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Rays Outright Brendan McKay, Roman Quinn, Jimmy Yacabonis

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The Rays announced a number of roster moves today, including right-hander Nick Anderson’s clearing waivers and electing free agency, which has already been reported. According to the team announcement, the same is true of outfielder Roman Quinn and righty Jimmy Yacabonis. A fourth player, lefty Brendan McKay, cleared waivers and was outrighted, though he lacks the ability to elect free agency and will stay with the organization.

Quinn, 30 in May, has spent the majority of his MLB time with the Phillies, though he got into 21 games as a Ray towards the end of 2022. He’s long been intriguing due to his speed and defense but has never hit much. His career batting line is .226/.303/.348 for a wRC+ of 78. He was better than that in his small sample with the Rays, hitting .262/.340/.405 for a wRC+ of 119, but that wasn’t enough to hold onto his roster spot. Since he has over three years of MLB service time, he had the right to reject the outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Yacabonis, 31 in March, has seen action in five different MLB seasons, spending time with the Orioles and Mariners before splitting 2022 between the Marlins and Rays. He tossed 14 innings on the year between the two clubs with an 8.36 ERA. He fared much better in the minors, putting up an ERA of 3.21 across 33 2/3 innings between the two orgs. That came with a 10.9% walk rate but an impressive 31.4% strikeout rate. He was eligible to elect minor league free agency based on having spent seven or more seasons in the minors.

As for McKay, he was drafted by the Rays fourth overall in 2017 and was once a highly-touted two-way prospect. Unfortunately, a devastating rash of injuries have hampered him in recent years. He missed 2020 due to a shoulder injury that later required surgery. When rehabbing in 2021, he suffered a flexor strain, which was followed shortly thereafter by a diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome. He underwent surgery for that but then required Tommy John surgery in September of this year. That means 2023 will be a fourth straight lost season for the southpaw.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times relayed the moves before the official team announcement.

Tigers Claim Andy Ibanez, Outright Six Players

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The Tigers have claimed infielder Andy Ibáñez off waivers from the Rangers, according to announcements from both teams. Detroit also outrighted six players — infielders Jermaine Palacios and Luis Garcia, right-handers Elvin Rodríguez, Bryan Garcia and Luis Castillo and outfielder Víctor Reyes — off their 40-man roster. After reinstating all their players from the injured list, Detroit has a full 40-man roster.

Ibáñez was Texas’ Opening Day starter at third base in 2022. He’d earned a look from the Rangers after hitting .277/.321/.435 through his first 76 big league games in 2021. The Cuban-born infielder looked like a viable late-blooming utilityman, but his offense dropped this year. Ibáñez hit .218/.273/.277 over 128 MLB plate appearances, connecting on just one home run. He had a better but still unimposing .255/.330/.390 mark over 315 plate appearances at Triple-A Round Rock.

Tough season aside, Ibáñez does have quality bat-to-ball skills and a typically solid track record of upper minors performance. He’s a career .288/.358/.456 hitter through parts of four Triple-A seasons. He’ll be 30 at the start of next season but has yet to reach arbitration and still has a minor league option year remaining. Ibáñez can play first, second or third base and adds a contact-focused depth infielder to the Tigers organization.

Of the players coming off the roster, Reyes is the most notable. He’s played parts of five seasons with the Tigers, tallying a personal-high 336 plate appearances in 2022. The switch-hitting outfielder put up a .254/.289/.362 mark with just three homers. He’s capable of defending all three outfield spots but has consistently provided below-average offense. Projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $2.2MM salary for his penultimate season of arbitration eligibility, he proved a fairly straightforward non-tender for first-year president of baseball operations Scott Harris.

Rodríguez debuted this year and started five of seven games. He surrendered a 10.62 ERA through 29 2/3 innings, posting a 4.98 mark over 99 1/3 innings with Triple-A Toledo. Bryan Garcia had spent his entire career as a reliever until 2022, when he took a few starts late in the year for an injury-battered rotation. He had a 3.80 ERA over 85 1/3 innings with the Mud Hens. Castillo, a 27-year-old reliever, made his first three big league appearances this year after posting a 1.74 ERA in 40 games for Toledo.

Palacios and Luis Garcia, meanwhile, never suited up for the Tigers. Palacios played in 30 games for the Twins, and Detroit nabbed the infielder off waivers from their division rivals after the end of the season. Garcia was once an interesting prospect in the Phillies farm system, but his bat stalled out in High-A this year. He has very little Double-A experience. Detroit claimed him late in the season but it always looked likely they’d try to run through waivers at some point.

Luis Garcia will remain in the organization without occupying a 40-man roster spot. Palacios, Bryan Garcia, Rodríguez, Castillo and Reyes all have the requisite service time to refuse an outright assignment and test minor league free agency.

Brewers Decline Option On Brad Boxberger

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1:48pm: Milwaukee general manager Matt Arnold told reporters Boxberger went unclaimed on waivers before the team decided on the option (via Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). Had another team claimed him off waivers, they could’ve controlled him for $3MM while saving Milwaukee the buyout money. Arnold noted that indicates no team presently values Boxberger at $3MM but suggested the Brewers could be open to a reunion at some point down the line.

12:51pm: The Brewers announced they’ve declined their $3MM option on reliever Brad Boxberger. The 34-year-old collects a $750K buyout and heads back to the open market.

It was only a $2.25MM decision, which seems a reasonable sum for a pitcher who posted a 2.95 ERA over 64 innings this year. That makes this a moderately surprising move, but there are a number of underlying marks in Boxberger’s profile that explain why the Milwaukee front office wasn’t bullish about his chances of repeating that success.

The right-hander got swinging strikes on a below-average 9.5% of his pitches, two points lower than the league mark. That was the worst whiff rate in any of his 11 MLB seasons, although he offset that somewhat with one of the better called-strike rates of his career. Boxberger still struck out a slightly above-average 25.4% of opposing hitters, but he didn’t dominate on a pitch-for-pitch basis as he has at his best. His velocity also took a slight step back, with his fastball sitting at 92.7 MPH after averaging 93.5 MPH in 2021.

Missing bats has long been Boxberger’s calling card, as he’s never had great control or consistently strong ground-ball rates. He has been effective keeping runs off the board, posting an ERA of 3.34 or lower in each of the last three years. Manager Craig Counsell continued to rely upon him in high-leverage spots, but the front office clearly isn’t of the opinion he’ll continue to be a fit in that kind of role.

Despite some of the red flags in Boxberger’s profile, he could find a major league deal with a similar base salary to the option value in free agency. He has plenty of high-leverage experience, including a 41-save All-Star campaign with the 2015 Rays. He’s also been a durable source of innings in middle relief and setup work, avoiding the injured list three years running.

Will Sammon of the Athletic reported the news before the team announcement.

Yankees Select Jhony Brito, Matt Krook

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The Yankees announced they’ve selected pitchers Jhony Brito and Matt Krook onto the 40-man roster. New York also outrighted outfielder Tim Locastro off the roster, and the speedster elected minor league free agency upon clearing waivers.

Both Brito and Krook have played seven seasons in the minor leagues. That’d have given the right to elect free agency this evening if the Yankees didn’t place them on the 40-man roster. New York clearly values both enough to keep them from hitting the open market, with each player cracking a 40-man for the first time.

Brito, 25 in February, is a former amateur signee out of the Dominican Republic. He’s a quality strike-thrower, and Baseball America wrote this summer that he could develop into a back-of-the-rotation starter. The righty split this year between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, working to a 2.96 ERA through 112 2/3 combined innings. He only struck out 20% of opponents but had a tiny 7.7% walk rate.

Krook spent the whole year in Scranton, starting 22 of 29 appearances. The University of Oregon product, a fourth-round draftee back in 2016, pitched to a 4.09 ERA over 138 2/3 frames. He had a solid 25.7% strikeout percentage but walked an elevated 12.1% of batters faced. The left-hander is generally regarded by evaluators as a likely future reliever.

Locastro, a 30-year-old outfielder, has seen sporadic action for the Yankees in each of the last two seasons. He appeared in 38 games this year but worked mostly as a late-game entrant based on his speed and defense. Locastro hit .186/.239/.349 in 46 plate appearances this year and is a career .227/.325/.331 hitter. He spent most of the season in Scranton, putting up a .240/.332/.395 line over 47 games.

Mets Will Not Make Qualifying Offer To Taijuan Walker

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The Mets have opted against issuing a $19.65MM qualifying offer to right-hander Taijuan Walker, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Walker, who made the easy decision to decline a $7.5MM player option earlier this week, will now reach free agency with no restrictions and will not be subject to draft-pick compensation. Unsurprisingly, Heyman adds that the Mets plan to make a QO to all three of Jacob deGrom, Brandon Nimmo and Chris Bassitt.

Walker, who turned 30 in August, was a borderline candidate and might well have rejected his offer upon receiving one, though the Mets won’t find out and will instead accept the possibility of losing him for no compensation. As a luxury tax payor, they’ll “only” receive a pick between the fourth and fifth round for any free agent who rejects a qualifying offer, and apparently the notion of potentially tying up $19.65MM in salary to Walker right out of the offseason gate wasn’t worth that fairly modest bit of compensation for GM Billy Eppler and his staff.

It’s great news for Walker, who’ll now head into free agency search of a multi-year deal that could span three or perhaps even four years in length. The former top prospect has shaken off many of the injury concerns that stemmed from Tommy John surgery and shoulder surgery earlier in his career, making 69 of roughly 76 possible starts across the past three seasons. That includes 29 starts and more than 155 innings in each of the past two campaigns.

Since 2020, Walker has pitched to a 3.80 ERA with a 21.5% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate and a 43.2% ground-ball rate. He’s averaged just about 5 1/3 innings per outing in that time, though that would seem to be more in an effort to monitor his workload than due to strong concerns about turning a lineup over for the third time. Since 2020, Walker has yielded a .232/.303/.391 batting line when facing opponents for the third time on a given day. While his numbers the first and second time through the order are better, it’s not the type of cringeworthy third-time split you’ll see with so many starting pitchers.

Walker’s fastball sat 93.8 mph in 2022, so he doesn’t have premium velocity. He doesn’t miss bats or generate grounders at an especially high level but also limits walks at a solid clip. He may not stand out in any one way, but he increasingly looks like a durable mid-rotation arm who could deepen nearly any starting staff in the Majors.

Nick Anderson Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency

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November 10: Anderson has cleared waivers and elected free agency, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

November 9: The Rays have placed right-hander Nick Anderson on outright waivers, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The hard-throwing reliever no longer occupies a spot on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster, and other clubs have an opportunity to add him if they’re willing to devote him a roster spot.

It’s certainly not the way the Rays envisioned Anderson’s tenure in the organization coming to a close. He had a breakout rookie season with the Marlins in 2019, and Tampa Bay flipped highly-touted outfielder Jesús Sánchez to Miami to add him at the deadline. Anderson posted a 2.11 ERA with a laughable 52.6% strikeout rate in 21 1/3 innings down the stretch. Anderson followed up with a 0.55 ERA across 16 1/3 innings during the shortened 2020 season, working as manager Kevin Cash’s most-trusted leverage arm in both of those years.

Unfortunately, Anderson’s form was diminished in the 2020 postseason. He had some forearm inflammation late in that season, proving a precursor to two years lost to injury. He was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear during Spring Training 2021. He appeared in only six games before going back on the IL. Last October, Anderson underwent a UCL brace procedure to repair his ligament. He was out until August, then suffered plantar fasciitis in his right foot late in the year.

Anderson’s 2022 season consisted of just 16 innings with Triple-A Durham. He put up a 5.63 ERA with a modest 17.4% strikeout rate, and that diminished form eventually led the Rays to cut bait.

With between three and four years of MLB service, Anderson is eligible for arbitration for the first time. He’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for just an $845K salary, barely above the league minimum. That could lead another team to take a look at a formerly elite bullpen arm via waivers. If Anderson were to go unclaimed, he’d have the right to refuse an outright assignment in favor of minor league free agency.

Blue Jays Select Nathan Lukes

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The Blue Jays announced a few roster moves, selecting outfielder Nathan Lukes to the 40-man roster. He would have qualified for minor league free agency today otherwise. Additionally, Hyun Jin Ryu and Vinny Capra were reinstated from the 60-day IL.

Lukes, 28, spent most of his minor league career in the Rays’ system before reaching free agency a year ago. He signed a minor league deal with the Jays and spent 2022 with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. He got into 111 games and hit .285/.364/.425 for a wRC+ of 111. He also swiped 20 bags on the year.

Defensively, Lukes split his time between the three outfield positions, though spent more in center than the corners. He could be an interesting fourth outfielder for the Jays, especially given his left-handed bat. The club skews heavily right-handed, particularly in the outfield. All four of George Springer, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez and Whit Merrifield hit from the right side.

As for Ryu and Capra, those moves are formalities since the IL ends today and doesn’t come back until Spring Training. That means all players must be reinstated or else removed from the roster in some way. Ryu required Tommy John surgery in June and will miss at least half of 2023. Capra was recalled from the minors in October and placed on the IL due to left middle finger tendon surgery.

Brewers Claim Tyson Miller From Rangers

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The Brewers have claimed right-hander Tyson Miller off waivers from the Rangers, according to announcements from both clubs.

Miller, 27, was a fourth round pick of the Cubs and made a very brief MLB debut with them in 2020. The proverbial cup of coffee resulted in five innings pitched over two appearances. He went to the Rangers on a waiver claim in 2021 but didn’t make it back to the show that year.

Here in 2022, he spent most of his time in Triple-A, getting into 29 games there with 16 of those being starts. He logged 89 2/3 innings in that time with a 4.52 ERA, 28.6% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate and 45.5% ground ball rate. The long ball was an issue for him, as he watched it go over the fence 14 times in that sample. He also logged 10 2/3 innings in the majors though was hit hard to a 10.97 ERA in that time.

Miller still has an option remaining, allowing the Brewers to keep him in the minors as depth. If they can find a way to suppress those homers, the rest of his results look pretty good.

Giants To Decline Evan Longoria’s Option

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The Giants have declined their $13MM club option on Evan Longoria, the third baseman tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). He’ll collect a $5MM buyout and head to free agency.

It’s hardly surprising news, as reports emerged last month the team was leaning towards buying Longoria out, although they could still revisit talks at a lower price point. The hefty buyout figure made this an $8MM call for San Francisco, but they’ve still deemed that too high after he’s appeared in just over half the team’s games over the past couple seasons. Within the past two years, the veteran infielder has had injured list stints for right hamstring, left oblique and left shoulder issues, in addition to surgery on his right hand.

Heading into his age-37 season with that recent injury history, Longoria may be a tough fit for a Giants club that is prioritizing youth and athleticism this winter, according to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. That’s particularly true with the team re-signing another right-handed hitting third base option, Wilmer Flores, to a two-year deal late in the year.

To his credit, Longoria has played well when healthy. He has a combined .252/.333/.466 line in 589 plate appearances going back to the start of the 2021 season. That includes an excellent .295/.379/.536 showing against left-handed pitching, making the three-time All-Star a particularly strong fit for teams seeking righty-hitting infield help. The Diamondbacks, Royals and Marlins could all fit that description, making them viable speculative possibilities.

Longoria has previously alluded to the possibility of retiring after an illustrious 15-year big league career. That’s at least theoretically possible, although he tells Slusser this afternoon he’s looking forward to seeing what free agency might offer. That at least suggests he’s open to opportunities to continue playing in 2023.

Padres Notes: Martinez, Tatis, Soto, Payroll

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The Padres have discussed the possibility of restructuring the contract of Nick Martinez, reports Dennis Lin of the Athletic. The right-hander has to decide whether to opt out of the final three years and $19.5MM on his deal by this evening, but Lin suggests it looks likely he’ll remain in San Diego either by opting in to his existing deal or reworking his contract.

According to Lin, one idea under consideration is to remove future opt-out possibilities from Martinez’s deal. The four-year guarantee he signed upon coming over from NPB last winter afforded him opt-out chances after each season, giving the former Ranger hurler plenty of long-term contractual leverage. If he’s to forfeit that right moving forward, the Padres would certainly have to increase the guaranteed money on his deal over the coming seasons.

San Diego president of baseball operations A.J. Preller acknowledged the 32-year-old would prefer to work as a starting pitcher. Martinez started 10 games this year but otherwise came out of the bullpen 37 times. He fared better in relief and Lin writes that some within the organization believe he’s better suited for such a role, but giving Martinez at least the opportunity to crack the rotation could aid San Diego’s efforts to keep him around for the next few seasons. The Friars have Joe Musgrove under contract for five years, but Blake Snell and Yu Darvish are headed into the final seasons of their respective deals. Meanwhile, Sean Manaea and Mike Clevinger are now free agents.

On the position player side, Preller provided reporters (including Lin and Alden Gonzalez of ESPN) with an update on Fernando Tatis Jr. Coming off a season lost to wrist/shoulder surgeries and a stunning performance-enhancing drug suspension, the two-time Silver Slugger winner is now something of a Wild Card. He’ll be eligible to return from his PED suspension on April 20 next year, and Preller noted he’s expected to resume baseball activities in January after rehabbing from his shoulder procedure. San Diego saw Ha-Seong Kim break out in his second big league season in Tatis’ stead at shortstop, and Preller acknowledged that Tatis could assume more of a multi-positional role upon returning.

He’ll certainly play every day, but it’s not clear he’ll immediately step back in as the shortstop. Lin reports the Friars are open to moving Tatis to second base on occasion, kicking Jake Cronenworth over to first while leaving Kim at shortstop, where he’s a plus defender. The Friars have also toyed with the possibility of deploying Tatis in the outfield, covering for some offensive struggles from center fielder Trent Grisham and/or the possible free agent departure of left fielder Jurickson Profar. Much depends on how the Padres build out their roster over the next few months, of course.

There’s no need for Tatis to see any action in right field, as the Friars have Juan Soto there after their massive deadline splash. He’ll be around for at least another two seasons, as he’s controllable via arbitration through 2024. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes the Friars are likely to try to discuss a longer-term deal with Soto this offseason, although they’ve yet to open those talks. Soto rejected a $440MM offer from the Nationals that would’ve been the largest contract in MLB history. It’s clear the Padres would have to top that number to get the superstar outfielder’s consideration, but they at least seem likely to open informal discussions. For the moment, he’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $21.5MM in 2023 if he goes through the arbitration process.

Owner Peter Seidler has expressed a willingness to continue pushing the Friars’ payroll forward, although Acee writes in a separate piece they could be approaching their limit to some extent. Acee suggests they’re likely to open 2023 with a similar payroll as they had this season. San Diego exceeded the luxury tax threshold for the second straight year in 2022, finishing with a CBT figure around $233MM. That’s easily a franchise-high, and Roster Resource projects their CBT number around $216MM for next season. As Acee points out, that leaves them with some room for rotation and left field help, although it raises a question as to how aggressive Preller and his staff might be on the free agent market in particular.

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