Giants Claim Miguel Yajure From Pirates
The Giants announced they’ve claimed right-hander Miguel Yajure off waivers from the Pirates. San Francisco’s 40-man roster count jumps to 38, while Pittsburgh’s tally falls to 38.
Yajure joined the professional ranks as an amateur signee with the Yankees in 2015. A few seasons of strong performance in the low minors put him on the prospect radar by 2019, when he posted a 2.26 ERA across 127 2/3 innings in High-A. Yajure made a brief MLB debut in 2020, when the minor league campaign was canceled by the pandemic. The following offseason, he was one of four players dealt from New York to Pittsburgh for Jameson Taillon.
Pittsburgh viewed the Venezuela native as a possible short-term rotation replacement, but his production stalled out in their organization. Yajure lost a good chunk of the 2021 season to injury and only made four MLB appearances and nine starts at Triple-A. He stayed mostly healthy in 2022 but had a disappointing year. Yajure pitched 12 times (11 in relief) at the big league level, allowing an 8.88 ERA with as many walks as strikeouts through 24 1/3 innings. His production at their top affiliate in Indianapolis wasn’t much better, as he managed only a 6.09 ERA across 54 2/3 frames. He started 14 of his 16 appearances in Triple-A.
While Yajure has yet to find any MLB success, he rated as the #17 prospect in the Pirates system at Baseball America as recently as the start of the 2022 campaign. He’s drawn praise from evaluators for solid control and a balanced four-pitch arsenal that includes a curveball, cutter and changeup. The Giants are active as any team on the waiver wire, and they’ll again turn to that market for a 24-year-old upper level depth option.
San Francisco’s affinity for tinkering at the back of the 40-man roster could make it difficult for Yajure to hold his spot all offseason. He’s out of minor league option years, so he’d have to break camp with the big league club if he’s still on the roster come Opening Day.
Astros Claim Rylan Bannon From Cubs
The Astros announced they have claimed infielder Rylan Bannon off waivers from the Cubs.
Bannon, 27 in April, was drafted by the Dodgers but went to the Orioles in the 2018 trade that sent Manny Machado to the Dodgers. He stuck with the O’s until August of 2022 but has gone on a whirlwind adventure through the waiver wire since then. He has been claimed by the Dodgers, Braves, Cubs and now Astros in the past few months.
He has just five major league games under his belt so far but he fared well in the minors this year, which is surely what’s causing all of these waiver claims. In 99 Triple-A games this year, he walked in 14.4% of his plate appearances and produced a batting line of .249/.367/.421.
Bannon played both second and third base this year and still has one option year remaining, making him an attractive depth piece. The Astros recently saw utility player Aledmys Díaz hit free agency, perhaps spurring their interest in bolster their bench/depth infield options.
Jason Castro Announces Retirement
Catcher Jason Castro took to Twitter today to announce he is retiring from major league baseball. The veteran spent parts of 12 seasons in the big leagues with the Astros, Twins, Angels and Padres. “Over the last 15 years of pro ball, I have been blessed with many incredible opportunities and have met so many people along the way that helped me achieve more than I could have ever imagined,” Castro said, before going on to thank all of the people who supported him along the way.
Castro was selected by the Astros out of Stanford with the 10th overall pick in the 2008 draft. He was considered one of the top 100 prospects in the game by Baseball America in 2009 and 2010, making his MLB debut in the latter season. Prospect evaluations at that time spoke highly of his defense and approach at the plate but questioned whether he would provide much power in the big leagues. During Spring Training in 2011, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a damaged meniscus, leading to him missing that entire season.
Once recovered, Castro got things back on track in 2012 and truly established himself in 2013, with that now seeming like the best season of his career. An All-Star that year, he hit 18 home runs, a number he was never able to match again. His final batting line on the year was .276/.350/.485, good enough for a wRC+ of 129, indicating he was 29% better than the league average hitter. When combined with his strong defensive work, he was worth 3.9 wins above replacement in the eyes of FanGraphs, the highest such total he ever managed.
In subsequent seasons, Castro settled in as a bit of a defensive specialist but one that wouldn’t be disastrous at the plate. From 2014 to 2017, his wRC+ fell between 80 and 94 in each campaign, fairly average for a backstop. When combined with his solid glovework, he was worth between 2.1 and 2.8 fWAR in each of those four seasons.
Between 2016 and 2017, Castro signed a three-year, $24.5MM contract with the Twins. As mentioned, the first year of that deal saw Castro continue as a solid glove-first backstop. However, injuries took a toll from there on out. In May of 2018, he was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his right knee and had to undergo season-ending surgery. Though he continued to be a competent major leaguer, 2017 was the last season in which he played more than 80 games.
After spending some time with the Angels and Padres, Castro returned to where it all began by signing a two-year deal with the Astros prior to 2021. In August of this year, he required season-ending knee surgery, meaning that he wasn’t active for the club’s World Series victory. Nonetheless, it was a nice finishing touch for Castro’s career. As he says at the end of his retirement announcement, “What a way to end it.”
Castro hangs up his spikes with 952 games played, 678 hits, 166 doubles, 9 triples, 97 home runs, 368 runs scored, 328 runs batted in and 15.2 fWAR. MLBTR commends him on a fine career and wishes him the best in his post-playing endeavors.
Diamondbacks Claim Ali Sánchez
The Diamondbacks announced they have claimed catcher Ali Sánchez off waivers from the Pirates.
Sánchez, 26 in January, has gotten a couple of cups of coffee in the big leagues so far, as he played five games with the Mets in 2020 and two more with the Cardinals in 2021. The Cardinals kept him in the minors this year and designated him for assignment in June. He was claimed by the Tigers and then designated for assignment again in October. He then went to the Pirates and now the Diamondbacks on further waiver claims.
He has a reputation as a strong defensive catcher but also had a decent season with the bat in the minors. In 74 Triple-A games this year, he hit .262/.354/.389 for a wRC+ of 101.
The D-Backs only had two catchers on their 40-man roster prior to this move and have been reportedly looking to add in that department. Carson Kelly has been the club’s regular backstop for a few years now but Jose Herrera has just 47 games of MLB experience. Sánchez is out of options but Herrera still has a couple of option years remaining.
As for the Pirates, this leaves prospect Endy Rodriguez as the only backstop on their 40-man roster.
Padres Claim Sean Poppen From Diamondbacks
The Padres announced that they have claimed right-hander Sean Poppen off waivers from the Diamondbacks.
Poppen, 29 in March, has seen some time in the majors in each of the last four years with the Twins, Pirates, Rays and Diamondbacks. Over those four seasons, he’s thrown 67 1/3 innings with a 5.08 ERA, 22.3% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and 42.9% ground ball rate.
Poppen was frequently optioned by the D-Backs this season and also threw 25 1/3 innings in the minors. In that time, he posted a 4.62 ERA, with a 17% strikeout rate, 6.3% walk rate and 41% ground ball rate. He’s now out of options, meaning the Padres will have to keep him on the major league roster or else place him back on waivers at some point.
There had been no previous indication that Poppen had been designated for assignment but Arizona evidently put him on waivers in recent days. Their recent signing of Miguel Castro gave them a full 40-man roster but this claim drops them to 39. That move was perhaps made with an eye towards next week’s Rule 5 draft.
Orioles To Sign Franchy Cordero
The Orioles are in agreement with first baseman/outfielder Franchy Cordero, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. It will be a one-year split contract that will pay Cordero $1.35MM in the majors and $450K in the minors. The O’s announced it as a minor league deal, meaning Cordero will have to earn his way onto the 40-man roster.
Cordero, 28, has spent parts of the past six seasons in the majors, splitting his time between the Padres, Royals and Red Sox. He has long tantalized teams with his elite tools, including his speed and huge exit velocities. However, his propensity for strikeouts has limited his overall effectiveness. In 227 big league games thus far in his career, Cordero has hit 21 home runs but also struck out in 34.8% of his plate appearances. His overall batting line is currently .221/.290/.386 for a wRC+ of 83.
In 2022, he was with the Red Sox, being frequently optioned to the minors throughout the year. In 84 games with Boston, he hit .219/.300/.397, but he mashed in 31 Triple-A games to the tune of .325/.397/.590. The O’s will surely be hoping Cordero can find some way of bringing those huge results up to the majors at some point this season. The club has been reportedly looking for left-handed hitters who can pair with the right-handed-hitting Ryan Mountcastle at first base. To that end, they claimed Lewin Diaz off waivers from the Pirates today and have now added Cordero into the mix. He can also play a bit of outfield but hasn’t graded out especially well there.
The O’s have shown a willingness to get creative in trying to retain depth. They recently signed similar split deals with catcher Anthony Bemboom and outfielder Jake Cave and then placed both players on waivers. Bemboom cleared and could have rejected his outright assignment but decided to accept, presumably because the minor league portion of his split deal was attractive enough that he didn’t want to leave it on the table. Players with previous career outrights can reject outright assignments but they need to have five years of MLB service time to both reject and retain their salaries. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out in the case of Cave, as he was claimed by the Phillies today. If Cordero does earn his way back onto the roster, he would also have to be exposed to waivers if they want to send him back down since he’s out of options.
Mariners Acquire Kolten Wong For Jesse Winker, Abraham Toro
The Mariners and Brewers announced a trade sending second baseman Kolten Wong and cash considerations from Milwaukee to Seattle in exchange for outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Abraham Toro. The Brewers are reportedly sending about $1.75MM to the Mariners, which effectively makes this a cash-neutral swap.
The 32-year-old Wong is owed a $10MM salary after the Brewers exercised a club option on him following the season. He’ll be a free agent next winter. Winker, meanwhile, is owed $8.25MM in 2023 after inking a two-year deal covering his final arbitration seasons last year. Like Wong, he’s ticketed for free agency next winter. Toro, on the other hand, is not yet arbitration-eligible and can be controlled for another four seasons.
Wong was a natural target for the Mariners, given their lack of an obvious starter at second base and their desire to add some balance to a lineup that skews a bit right-handed. He’ll give the M’s a steady presence, quite possibly atop the lineup, on the heels of the two best offensive seasons of his career. During his two years as a Brewer, Wong slashed a combined .262/.337/.439 with 29 home runs, 56 doubles, six triples and 29 steals.
With the Brewers, Wong seemingly made a concerted effort to begin elevating the ball with more frequency. His ground-ball rate, which had sat around 47% in St. Louis, dropped to a career-low 41.8% this past season, and Wong made noticeable gains in both his line-drive rate and especially his fly-ball rate as a member of the Brewers. As one would expect, the increased number of balls in the air also increased Wong’s power output. His .177 ISO (slugging percentage minus batting average) in two years with the Brewers was substantially higher than the .123 mark he carried in parts of eight seasons with the Cardinals.
On the defensive side of the game, however, the 2022 season was a bizarre and borderline nightmarish one for Wong. Typically one of the game’s best defenders at his position, Wong made a stunning 17 errors — more than he’d totaled in the three prior seasons combined. When his option was picked up, Wong told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak that his legs weren’t fully healthy in 2022, which he felt contributed to his surprising defensive shortcomings (Twitter links). Wong missed time in June with a calf strain that sent him to the injured list, and it’s certainly plausible that his legs cost him some of his typical defensive excellence.
It was a similar tale for Winker in 2022, as injuries weighed down his production in what will now be his lone season as a Mariner. Acquired alongside Eugenio Suarez in a trade that sent pitching prospect Brandon Williamson, outfielder Jake Fraley and righty Justin Dunn to Cincinnati, Winker (perhaps literally) limped through the weakest offensive season of his career before undergoing left knee surgery and a second procedure to address a bulging disc in his neck back in October.
The extent to which those injuries dogged Winker can’t be known for certain, but the former Reds slugger went from one of the game’s best hitters against right-handed pitching to a lackluster .219/.344/.344 batting line with the Mariners in 2022.
Winker’s defense was also impacted; he’s never been considered a plus defender in the outfield corners, but he logged career-worst marks in Defensive Runs Saved (-16), Ultimate Zone Rating (-7.2) and Outs Above Average (-10) in the Emerald City. Beyond Winker’s deteriorating performance on the field, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported in October the manner in which Winker had fallen out of favor in the Seattle clubhouse.
The decline was swift and fairly stunning. In the two seasons prior to being acquired by the Mariners, Winker was one of the game’s three best hitters against right-handed pitching, trailing only Juan Soto and Bryce Harper in terms of wRC+. He posted a video game-esque .321/.417/.619 batting line in 509 plate appearances against righties in that span, and while his production against fellow lefties was nowhere near that level, he still walked at a 12% clip against them, resulting in a .314 OBP. His .199 average and .338 slugging against lefties were dismal, but at the very least, Winker could get on base at a near-average clip even in disadvantageous platoon matchups.
The Brewers’ hope will be that the pair of surgeries and an offseason of rest and rehab will get Winker back to the form he showed when he was a thorn in their side as a member of the division-rival Reds. Only time will tell, however, whether Winker is indeed able to rebound.
If Winker is unable to return to form, the Brewers can still pin some hopes on Toro — another rebound candidate looking to benefit from a change of scenery. The switch-hitting 25-year-old (26 later this month) was one of the top prospects in the Astros’ system for several years but never got the opportunity to establish himself for a Houston club that had Alex Bregman at third base and Jose Altuve at second base — Toro’s primary positions. The Astros traded Toro and veteran reliever Joe Smith to the Mariners in a controversial deadline swap that saw Seattle send then-closer Kendall Graveman and righty Rafael Montero to Houston in return.
There were plenty of parallels between that Toro trade and the 2022 trade that saw the Brewers send Josh Hader to San Diego. As was the case with Brewers fans this year, Mariners fans — and the clubhouse — were angered to see the closer of a contending club traded to another postseason contender, even though both the Mariners (Smith, Toro) and Brewers (Taylor Rogers, Esteury Ruiz, Robert Gasser) received some immediate MLB help and long-term prospect value in the return.
Unfortunately for the Mariners, Toro wasn’t ever able to fully cement himself as a regular fixture in the lineup. He caught fire with the Mariners immediately following the trade, even connecting on a memorable go-ahead grand slam against Graveman himself just one month after the trade. The 2022 season, however, saw Toro receive infrequent playing time and struggle to a .185/.239/.324 slash in 352 plate appearances. That said, he’s not far removed from being a well-regarded prospect, is still in his mid-20s, and carries a career .343/.451/.545 batting line in Triple-A, so there’s reason to hope he could yet break through.
Toro does have a minor league option remaining, so it’s not a lock that he’ll open the ’23 season on the Brewers’ roster, but he’ll head to Spring Training competing for time at either second base or third base. Both he and Luis Urias have ample experience at both positions, but the ideal defensive alignment would be Toro at third base and Urias at second base. Of course, it’s possible that the Brewers will deepen their infield mix with further moves this offseason, and top infield prospect Brice Turang could factor into the mix at second base early in the season, too, after hitting .286/.360/.412 in Triple-A last season.
In all likelihood, the trade is just one amid a series of moves for both clubs involved. The Mariners were open to adding another outfield bat even before trading Winker, and they could now even more clearly accommodate a notable bat in left field or at designated hitter. The Brewers, meanwhile, have focused thus far on trimming the margins of the payroll and extracting some modest value for players whom they feel they’re able to replace in-house (e.g. Wong, Hunter Renfroe).
It’s no doubt been a frustrating start to the winter for many Milwaukee fans, but the Brewers have thus far moved on from players who were controllable through 2023 only. They’ve scaled back payroll to an extent in doing so, and the question will now be one of how — or if — they reallocate those dollars. It’s possible they’ll even turn and flip Winker to another club, but they’ve not yet shown any indication of a full-on rebuild, so at some point it seems likely the Brewers will make some at-least modest upgrades to the roster.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post was first to report the Brewers and Mariners were in discussions about a trade involving Wong and Winker. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported the Mariners were acquiring Wong for Winker and Toro. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the Brewers were including roughly $1.75MM in the deal.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Orioles Outright Daz Cameron
The Orioles announced that outfielder Daz Cameron has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.
Cameron, 26 in January, was just claimed off waivers from the Tigers a few weeks ago. He was the 37th overall pick in 2015, taken by the Astros when Baltimore’s general manager Mike Elias was working for Houston.
As a prospect, Cameron was expected to have a solid floor thanks to his speed and defense but with development needed at the plate. The Tigers decided to take a chance on that profile by acquiring Cameron in the 2017 Justin Verlander trade. Unfortunately, the bat hasn’t taken the necessary step forward. In 73 MLB games thus far, he’s hit just .201/.266/.330 with a Triple-A line that’s only slightly better at .236/.324/.398.
Despite those tepid results, Cameron is still young and could be a nice piece for the O’s. Even without a huge development with the bat, his speed and defense could make him a candidate for fourth outfielder duty. Since he was out of options, he wasn’t going to be able to be shuttled back and forth between the majors and minors next year, but the Orioles can now keep him as depth without him taking up a roster spot.
Phillies Claim Jake Cave
The Phillies have claimed outfielder Jake Cave off waivers from the Orioles, per announcements from both teams. The addition of Cave brings Philadelphia’s 40-man roster to a total of 38 players.
Cave, who’ll turn 30 on Sunday, never suited up in a game for the Orioles. Baltimore had claimed him off waivers from the Twins earlier this season and apparently tried to sneak him through waivers themselves in hopes of keeping him without allocating a 40-man roster spot to the longtime Twins backup.
Cave has appeared in parts of five big league seasons, all coming with the Twins, who acquired him from the Yankees in a 2018 trade that sent Luis Gil to New York. Cave was an outstanding fourth outfielder for the Twins in 2018-19, appearing in 163 games, taking 537 plate appearances and batting .262/.329/.466 with 21 homers, 27 doubles and four triples.
In 2020, Cave’s production fell off, however, and he’s never regained his form. Over the past three seasons, he’s turned in a tepid .206/.252/.352 batting line while punching out in 32.4% of his plate appearances. As is so often the case, injuries are at least partly to blame for the downturn in production; Cave landed on the injured list with a fracture in his lower back in May of 2021 and missed multiple months as a result of the injury.
Cave was arbitration-eligible this offseason, but the Orioles proactively signed him to a split Major League contract for the 2023 season. That contract, which contains different rates of pay for time in the Majors versus time in Triple-A, was surely signed by the Orioles with an eye toward getting Cave through waivers and keeping him as a depth piece. The O’s opted for the same tactic with catcher Anthony Bemboom and had success with it, passing him through waivers mere weeks after agreeing to terms on a 2023 contract. It (clearly) did not work that way in the case of Cave.
The general idea behind such a move is seemingly to offer slightly larger rates of pay that both discourage other teams from claiming depth options the Orioles value and hope to stash in the upper minors and to also encourage those players to accept outright assignments. Both Bemboom and Cave have previously been outrighted and thus are thus able to refuse outright assignments, but the larger rates of pay on the split deal serve as incentive to instead accept the outright. (Since neither player has five years of Major League service, refusing the outright assignment in favor of free agency would mean forfeiting any money owed to them on that split deal, and a new contract with a new team would likely come at a lower rate.)
Instead, for Cave, things will work out even better, as he’ll land on a team that perhaps has greater designs on carrying him on its MLB roster. He’s capable of playing all three outfield spots, has some power and will give the team a potential late-game defensive option in lieu of sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos when both are in the lineup and starting in the outfield corners. It’s possible the Phillies will try to pass Cave through waivers themselves or designate him for assignment if they acquire someone they deem to be a better option as a backup outfielder, but for now, Cave appears likely to occupy a spot on manager Rob Thomson’s bench in 2023.
Brewers Outright Alex Jackson
The Brewers have outrighted catcher Alex Jackson, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Jackson, 27 later this month, spent time in the majors with the Braves and Marlins prior to this season. Just as the 2022 campaign was about to kick off, the Brewers got the unfortunate news that Pedro Severino had been handed an 80-game suspension for failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. They suddenly had to scramble to address their catching corps and quickly traded for both Victor Caratini and Jackson. Unfortunately, Jackson dealt with multiple injuries this year and only got into 38 games with just five of those coming at the major league level.
Prospect reports at Baseball America indicate that Jackson’s best tool is his raw power, which shows up in batting practice but rarely in games. He did hit 28 Triple-A home runs in 2019 and then another 11 in just 30 games in 2021. However, in his 66 major league games, he’s gone deep just three times and has a batting line of .141/.243/.227.
There hadn’t been any previous indication that Jackson had been removed from the roster but the club evidently passed him through waivers recently. He’ll remain in the organization as depth but without occupying a spot on the 40-man, which is now down to 37. Hogg notes that Jackson will receive an invite to major league Spring Training. With this move, the Brewers now have three catchers on their roster: Caratini, Payton Henry and Mario Feliciano.