Juan Lagares Elects Free Agency
Outfielder Juan Lagares has elected free agency after clearing waivers and being designated for assignment by the Angels last week, per the organization. With more than five years of service time under his belt the 33-year-old Lagares had the right to reject his outright assignment to the minors and head to the free agent market instead.
The Halos signed Lagares to a minor league pact in May, the second consecutive offseason deal Lagares agreed to with the team. In a brief taste of Triple-A at-bats this season the centerfielder hit .308/.379/.462, but since being called up in late May he has hit just .183/.210/.250 (31 OPS+) as part of a strong Angels outfield.
With souring (but still league average-ish) defensive metrics and speed, the former Met farmhand is best suited for fourth outfielder duty at this stage in his career. With center field playability on his side it seems likely another organization will take a flyer on Lagares as bench or upper minors depth in the coming days.
Cubs Release Jonathan Villar
The Cubs have officially released infielder Jonathan Villar, per MLB.com’s transaction tracker. This move comes in the wake of the team designating Villar for assignment last Friday. The 31-year-old infielder is now a free agent eligible to sign with any team for the league minimum, with the remainder of this offseason’s $6MM deal stuck on the Cubs’ books.
Despite jockeying for last place in the NL Central, the Cubs offense has actually been a middle-of-the-pack unit by numerous offensive metrics this season. As his release a few months into the season indicates, however, Villar was not contributing much to that silver lining. Through 46 games the switch hitter slashed .222/.271/.327 (67 OPS+) with just two home runs, a far cry from his usually solid career numbers of .256/.324/.399.
With David Bote‘s return from the IL and team-controlled infielders like Patrick Wisdom and Nico Hoerner outproducing the lame duck Villar, it appears there was little incentive for Chicago to keep carrying a veteran with minimal trade value. The same can be said for Chicago’s other veteran infielder signing this past offseason, Andrelton Simmons. The 32-year-old Simmons has limped to a feeble .188/.212/.188 (14 OPS+) slash line this year, though shoulder issues are likely to blame for some of that showing. Given Simmons’ ongoing aptitude with the glove and almost inevitable regression to the mean, the team likely found more utility in hanging onto Simmons over Villar.
Despite the substandard first half, Villar’s profile should still hold appeal for other clubs. Even with declining speed, the infielder’s calling card has always been his penchant for steals, and that remained the case this year with a perfect 6-for-6 showing in that department. Additionally, while the Cubs ran out of patience for their offseason acquisition to turn a corner there are likely some hitting coaches out there who feel they can coax more production out of Villar’s bat. After all, he’s only a year removed from a solid 18-home run, 101 OPS+ showing with the Mets and has an average exit velocity not seen since his breakout season with the Brewers in 2016.
Marlins Place Jazz Chisholm On Injured List
The Marlins have placed second baseman Jazz Chisholm on the 10-day injured list due to a right lower back strain. Utilityman Luke Williams was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville to take his spot on the active roster.
Chisholm has been nagged by back issues in recent days. He sat out Sunday’s and Monday’s contests before returning to the lineup yesterday. He departed that game after one at-bat and a lone defensive inning. Christina De Nicola of MLB.com wrote last night that he was headed for an MRI, making it unsurprising he’ll need some time to rehab the injury. The club hasn’t provided any specifics on his potential return.
The 24-year-old Chisholm is having a breakout season, emerging as one of the game’s most electric young talents. He carries a .254/.325/.535 line through 241 plate appearances, hitting 14 home runs and ten doubles while stealing 12 bases. Chisholm has also rated quite well at second base in the eyes of public defensive metrics, making him the team’s most productive position player in the early going.
Miami is likely to turn to Jon Berti at the keystone while Chisholm is out. The 32-year-old is quietly having a strong year himself, posting a .289/.380/.409 mark while leading the majors with 22 steals (a rather remarkable feat considering he’s not actually played enough to qualify for the batting title). Berti had bounced all over the diamond as a utility option for manager Don Mattingly, but he figures to play regularly at second base while leaving the depth work to Williams and Erik González.
Guardians Outright Tanner Tully
The Guardians have outrighted left-hander Tanner Tully to Triple-A Columbus, tweets GuardsInsider. He’d been designated for assignment on Monday, just two days after being selected onto the roster.
Tully, 27, also saw brief major league action in April. That promotion came as a designated COVID-19 substitute, while he was added as a more traditional call-up over the weekend. The Ohio State product has made a pair of big league appearances, allowing four runs in five innings with five walks and a strikeout. He soaked up three innings out of the bullpen during Sunday’s loss to the Red Sox.
A former 26th-round pick, Tully will remain in the upper levels of the farm system. He’s never previously been outrighted and doesn’t have the requisite service time to refuse an assignment, so he’ll head to Columbus. He’s spent much of the season there, making 12 starts and tossing 63 2/3 innings of 5.23 ERA ball. Tully only has a 14.9% strikeout rate at the minors highest level, but he’s walked a meager 3.5% of opponents and induced grounders on over the half the batted balls against him.
Marlins, VP Gary Denbo Part Ways
The Marlins and vice president of player development and scouting Gary Denbo are parting ways, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid (Twitter link). The 61-year-old had served as a high-ranking member of the Miami front office for the past five seasons.
Denbo came over the Yankees in October 2017, part of a broader organizational overhaul. He was hired just months after Jeffrey Loria sold the franchise to Bruce Sherman’s and Derek Jeter’s ownership group. Jeter was plenty familiar with Denbo from their overlapping stints in New York, and the latter served as a key piece of the franchise’s rebuild over the past few seasons.
Jeter, of course, left the Miami organization in February. Sherman remains on hand as the principal owner, while general manager Kim Ng was tabbed to head baseball operations during the 2020-21 offseason. Considering Jeter’s role in bringing Denbo aboard in the first place, it’s not especially surprising they departed within a few months of one another. Nevertheless, Denbo stepping down will leave a notable hole to fill in the scouting and player development realms.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to view the transcript of today’s chat with MLBTR’s Anthony Franco.
Blue Jays Sign Sergio Romo
JUNE 29: Toronto officially announced Romo’s signing Wednesday after he passed his physical. Righty Shaun Anderson was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to clear active roster space, while reliever Tayler Saucedo was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Saucedo has already missed two months with right hip discomfort, so his transfer is a procedural move that won’t affect his eligibility to return. He’s on a minor league rehab assignment with Buffalo and figures to be reinstated within the next two weeks.
JUNE 27: The Blue Jays are signing veteran right-hander Sergio Romo to a Major League contract, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter link). The Meister Sports client was designated for assignment and subsequently released by the Mariners last week. As such, Seattle will be on the hook for the majority of Romo’s $2MM salary. The Jays will only owe him the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time spent on the MLB roster.
Romo, 39, yielded just one run through his first eight innings with the Mariners this season before melting down for five runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Orioles on the first of this month. That proved to be the start of a catastrophic collapse that saw the former Giants closer and three-time World Series champ yield a dozen runs over the course of just 6 1/3 innings. He allowed runs in five of his final nine appearances as a Mariner and ultimately finished his Seattle tenure with a grisly 8.16 ERA in 14 1/3 innings.
That said, Romo posted decent numbers with the 2021 A’s and the 2020 Twins, logging a combined 4.52 ERA with a 24.1% strikeout rate and 8.0% walk rate in 81 2/3 frames during that time. This season’s struggles came as he threw his signature slider at a 46.9% clip that represents his lowest usage of the pitch since way back in 2010. That slider has typically made Romo a death knell for opposing righties — career .204/.248/.356 slash line — but right-handed batters have uncharacteristically decimated Romo so far in 2022. It’s only a sample of 38 plate appearances, but righties have turned in a dominant .353/.395/.794 batting line when facing Romo this season. The Jays surely have some ideas on how to right that worrisome trend.
Romo’s addition comes at a time when the Jays have seen their in-house bullpen options thinned out dramatically in just a matter of weeks. Since June 8, they’ve lost lefty Andrew Vasquez (ankle sprain) and right-handers Trevor Richards (neck strain), Julian Merryweather (oblique strain), Yimi Garcia (back strain) and Nate Pearson (lat strain) to injuries. There’s no real risk from a financial standpoint, and if Romo’s struggles continue following a change of scenery, he can be quickly phased out in favor of an in-house option or a potential trade acquisition.
Phillies Select Darick Hall
2:10pm: Philadelphia officially confirmed Hall’s promotion. Infielder Johan Camargo has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 26, with a right knee strain. To create a 40-man roster spot, the Phils recalled minor league righty James McArthur from Double-A Reading and placed him on the MLB 60-day injured list. McArthur, who’s dealing with a stress reaction in his throwing elbow, will be paid at the prorated amount of the $700K league minimum salary and collect big league service time while on the IL.
10:54am: The Phillies are planning to select the contract of first baseman Darick Hall from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, reports Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. They’ll need to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
It’ll be the big league debut for Hall, a 14th-round selection of the Phillies back in 2016. The 26-year-old has earned his ticket to the big leagues this season, hitting at a .269/.346/.548 clip with 20 home runs, 18 doubles, five steals (in six tries), a 9.5% walk rate and a 20% strikeout rate through his first 315 plate appearances of the season. Hall’s left-handed bat won’t make up for the loss of Harper, of course, but he’ll give interim skipper Rob Thomson another option with some power to mix-and-match while the reigning MVP is sidelined.
With Harper on the shelf, the Phillies are looking at several platoon options around the diamond, but their current slate of left-handed hitters hasn’t performed well — even against righties. Mickey Moniak is hitting .167/.259/.167 in 27 plate appearances, while Odubel Herrera is batting just .218/.248/.412 against right-handers. Hall, meanwhile, has struggled against lefties in Triple-A but absolutely torched right-handed opponents to the tune of a .312/.391/.656 batting line. Seventeen of his 20 long balls have come against righties, as have a dozen of his 18 doubles.
Mariners Select Marcus Wilson
The Mariners announced they’ve selected outfielder Marcus Wilson onto the big league roster. He’ll replace Taylor Trammell, who lands on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Seattle also optioned corner infielder Kevin Padlo to Triple-A Tacoma and recalled utilityman Sam Haggerty to add some defensive flexibility to the bench. In order to create a 40-man roster spot for Wilson, catcher Tom Murphy has been transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day IL.
Wilson, 25, would make his major league debut if he gets into a game. He’s spent time on a 40-man roster before, having been added to the Red Sox’s roster to keep him from being taken in the 2019 Rule 5 draft. Wilson spent a year and a half on optional assignment to the minor leagues before being designated for assignment by Boston at last summer’s trade deadline. Seattle grabbed him off waivers and kept him in Triple-A for the remainder of last season.
The California native struggled during his initial two months in the M’s organization, leading Seattle to take him off the 40-man at the end of last year. Wilson passed through waivers unclaimed and remained in the system, and he’s spent this season in Tacoma. Through 209 plate appearances, he owns a .209/.336/.469 line with 12 home runs and eight stolen bases. As he has for most of his minor league tenure, Wilson has shown some power, speed and excellent strike zone awareness to work walks at a nearly 15% clip. He’s paired those promising tools with alarming swing-and-miss concerns throughout his time in pro ball, though, and he’s again punched out in more than a third of his plate appearances with Tacoma this season.
Wilson has experience at all three outfield spots but has spent much of this season in right field. That’s where Trammell has suited up for much of the year, putting together a solid .235/.323/.457 showing over 32 games. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old went down with a hamstring strain during last night’s contest. It’s the second time that’s happened to Trammell, as he spent around six weeks on the minor league IL earlier this season with the same injury. Whether his current strain is as severe as the one he suffered in April isn’t clear, but he’ll at least need some time on the shelf.
The Mariners figure to rely on some combination of Justin Upton, Dylan Moore and Wilson to cover right field for the next few weeks. Opening Day right fielder Mitch Haniger has been out since late April after suffering a high ankle sprain. He’s recently begun baseball activities but has yet to embark on a minor league rehab assignment; Haniger has maintained he hopes to be back in the big leagues around the All-Star Break.
Seattle could’ve elected to recall Jarred Kelenic, who was optioned six weeks ago at the time the M’s brought Trammell up. Kelenic has responded with a strong .295/.340/.576 showing in Tacoma, but he’s struck out at an alarming 27.7% rate while only walking at a 5.7% clip. The organization clearly feels the 22-year-old would be better served with continued run against high minors pitching — he’d had only 30 career Triple-A games entering this season — rather than returning to the majors to hold down right field until Haniger is healthy.
Murphy, meanwhile, has been out of action since May 7 after dislocating his left shoulder attempting a tag at home plate. He later suffered a setback, and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times relayed last week that he’ll require season-ending surgery. That makes today’s IL transfer nothing more than a formality.
It’s an obviously frustrating end to the year for Murphy, who only managed to appear in 14 games. The 31-year-old had performed very well in that limited stretch and looked as if he’d reemerged as a viable #1 option for the Mariners. Murphy had a stellar .273/.324/.535 showing while suiting up in just under half the team’s games in 2019, but he missed the entire following season after fracturing his left foot. Murphy returned last season but managed a less inspiring .202/.304/.350 showing through 325 trips to the plate.
Murphy’s efforts at a bounceback season are cut short by the shoulder issue. He’s playing this season on a $1.575MM salary after avoiding arbitration. The Mariners can keep him around via that process for a final time in 2023. Whether they’ll do so figures to depend on the long-term prognosis for his recovery. Murphy’s abbreviated season won’t earn him much of a raise relative to this year’s modest salary, but it’s possible Seattle looks for a new starting catcher next winter given his recent injury woes.
Yankees Select Ryan Weber
The Yankees have selected the contract of right-hander Ryan Weber, per a team announcement. He’ll return to their big league roster for a second stint this season. Weber will take the roster spot of lefty JP Sears, who was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following last night’s game.
Weber, 31, appeared with the Yankees once this season already, logging 3 2/3 innings and allowing one run in a long relief outing. It was a one-off appearance for Weber, who was designated for assignment and elected free agency after clearing waivers. He quickly re-upped with the Yanks on a new minor league deal, however (as is fairly common for journeymen arms in this mold), and has continued to pitch well in Scranton. Through 24 2/3 frames for the RailRiders, Weber has a 2.55 ERA with an outstanding 19-to-1 K/BB ratio and a solid 47.4% ground-ball rate.
The Yankees are the seventh Major League team for which Weber has pitched since debuting with the Braves back in 2015. He’s logged big league time each season since that debut but has never appeared in more than 14 games and has maxed out at 43 Major League innings in any given season. Through 170 2/3 innings as a Major Leaguer, Weber has a 5.22 ERA with a well below-average 14.8% strikeout rate but an excellent 5.4% walk rate and a strong 53.2% grounder rate.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a similar DFA carousel play out this time around for Weber, but he’ll nevertheless pick up at least a few extra days of big league service time and (most notably for him) Major League pay. Despite appearing in parts of seven MLB seasons, Weber hasn’t yet reached three years of service and has never been arbitration eligible, so even brief Major League stints carry extra weight for him.