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Pirates Designate Brett De Geus, Release Yerry Rodriguez

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The Pirates officially announced the Andrew Heaney signing today, as well as a pair of other roster moves.  Right-hander Brett de Geus was designated for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Heaney, and the Bucs also released right-hander Yerry Rodriguez.

This is the fourth time de Geus has been DFA’ed since the start of August, and each of those three designations saw the righty switch teams.  The Marlins claimed de Geus when the Mariners DFA’ed him in early August, the Blue Jays picked the reliever up on another waiver claim in September after Miami designated de Geus again, and Pittsburgh just picked de Geus up a little over a month ago after Toronto designated him and then traded de Geus in a cash transaction.

All of these moves come after two other DFAs earlier in de Geus’ career, as both the Rangers and Diamondbacks looked to move him through waivers back in 2021.  Because Arizona’s designation was followed by an outright assignment, de Geus now has the ability to reject any future outright assignments in favor of free agency, should he pass through the waiver wire without being claimed or traded this time.

De Geus’ only big league experience came during those two DFA-laden seasons.  He tossed 50 innings with Texas and Arizona in 2021, then resurfaced in the Show this year to pitch 11 1/3 combined frames for Seattle, Miami, and Toronto.  De Geus has a 7.48 ERA over his 61 1/3 career innings in the majors, plus a 6.66 ERA in 50 career innings at the Triple-A level.

Despite the lack of bottom-line results, de Geus has a 52.5% grounder rate at the MLB level, and a sinking fastball that averaged 96.4 mph last season.  The righty has been such a popular figure on the waiver wire during his career that it wouldn’t be surprising if yet another team elects to acquire the 27-year-old to see if its pitching development team has the magic touch in turning de Geus’ promising stuff into an arsenal capable of handling big league hitters.

Rodriguez signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in November, but he’ll make an early exit from Pittsburgh’s camp.  Rodriguez is also a former Ranger and Blue Jay, and he has an 8.17 ERA over 36 1/3 innings with the two clubs since the start of the 2022 season.  Control has been an issue for Rodriguez in both the majors and at Triple-A, and the strikeout potential he has showed in the minors hasn’t translated within the small sample of his MLB playing time.

Evan Phillips: “Opening Day Is Off The Table” Due To Shoulder Rehab

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Reports from last week indicated that Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips might begin the season on the 15-day injured list, as his offseason throwing work was delayed until January due to a small tear in the tendon of his right rotator cuff.  Phillips confirmed his status to reporters (including the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett) on Friday, saying that “Opening Day is off the table,” even though he doesn’t expect to miss much time.

Some positive steps have already been taken in that direction, as Phillips said his shoulder has felt good during his ramp-up work in camp.  This includes his first proper bullpen session of Spring Training, which took place yesterday.  The Dodgers figure to take Phillips along pretty slowly in camp to make up for his lost prep time during the offseason, yet the early indications are promising.

Phillips emerged as the Dodgers’ closer in 2023 by converting 24 of 27 save chances and posting a 2.05 ERA over 61 1/3 innings.  That ERA shot up to a 3.62 mark over 54 2/3 innings in 2024, due in large part to a more baseline amount of batted-ball luck — Phillips had a .219 BABIP in 2023, and a .298 BABIP last season.  The right-hander’s SIERAs over both seasons were virtually identical (3.08 in 2023, 3.15 in 2024) and his walk rate increased from a very strong 5.6% to an only decent 7.5%.  Most of Phillips’ struggles last year came in one brutal six-outing stretch in July that saw him tagged for a 19.64 ERA over just 3 2/3 innings of work, but he righted the ship over the last two months of the regular season.

The good form continued into October with 6 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball in the NLDS and NLCS, except Phillips’ shoulder injury then kept him off the World Series roster.  Phillips said he received a PRP injection in his shoulder in November, though an MRI in December still showed “some damage,” hence the adjustments to his offseason throwing routine.

Phillips’ health status was undoubtedly a factor in the Dodgers’ decision to sign Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates this offseason, fortifying the end-game innings just in case Phillips does have to miss any time.  Michael Kopech’s status is also a question mark, though Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) that Kopech is set to “touch the mound” for a brief throwing session tomorrow.  Reports last month indicated that Kopech is dealing with some forearm inflammation, and while the Dodgers didn’t think the situation was too serious, Kopech has indeed been limited in his throwing during Spring Training.

In other Dodgers pitching news, Bobby Miller updated the media on his condition after the right-hander was struck in the head by a Michael Busch line drive on Thursday.  Miller told Ardaya that he is dealing with some headaches and drowsiness, and Roberts said yesterday that the team would continue to monitor Miller through concussion protocol.  All in all, it seems as though Miller has thankfully emerged relatively unscathed from the scary incident.

Brewers’ Blake Perkins Sidelined Through April Due To Shin Fracture

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Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins sustained a fracture in his right shin after fouling a ball off himself during batting practice, manager Pat Murphy told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters.  Perkins will miss the next 3-4 weeks in recovery, and Murphy pointed to May as a best-case scenario for Perkins’ return to the big league roster.

It’s a tough setback for the 28-year-old Perkins, who has established himself as a superb defensive player over his two MLB seasons (both with Milwaukee).  Perkins was a Gold Glove finalist in the NL center fielder category in 2024 after posting a +7.7 UZR/150, +10 Outs Above Average, and +8 Defensive Runs Saved over 956 1/3 innings up the middle for the Brewers.  He also put his elite speed to good use on the basepaths, swiping 23 bases in 28 attempts.

The stolen bases were Perkins’ chief offensive contribution, as he hit only .240/.316/.332 over 434 plate appearances.  This essentially matches his career line over 602 total PA at the big league level, translating to an 85 wRC+.  While not ideal, the switch-hitting Perkins at least had a decent .271 average against left-handed pitching last season, making him a solid platoon partner for the left-handed hitting Garrett Mitchell in center field heading into 2025.

With Perkins out through April, the newly-signed Manuel Margot now looks to step right as Milwaukee’s top backup outfielder.  Jackson Chourio will play every day in right field, and Margot (a right-handed bat) could spell either Mitchell or Sal Frelick in left field.  Christian Yelich figures to see some time in left field but will probably get more DH time in his return from back surgery.

Isaac Collins, Brewer Hicklen, and Jared Oliva are other outfield options further down the depth chart, but the Margot signing indicates that Milwaukee wanted more of an experienced hand to fill in since Perkins is facing a fairly lengthy absence.  It also wouldn’t be surprising to see the Brewers add another outfielder at some point this spring, either from the current free agent class or maybe later in March once other teams start making roster cuts.

Latest On Twins’ Ownership Situation

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Yesterday’s news that Justin and Mat Ishbia were no longer looking to buy the Twins surprised many around the baseball world and within the organization itself, though the Athletic’s Dan Hayes hears from a source that there was some indication last month that the Ishbias would instead look to increase their minority share in the White Sox rather than seek out a full purchase of the Minnesota club.  Still, the Ishbias’ departure from the Twins’ process now means that “everything’s on the table” in regards to the sale, as another source puts it.

This includes the possibility that the Pohlad family could pull the team off the market entirely, if no bidder is willing to meet the Pohlads’ asking price.  Hayes wrote in January that there was plenty of interest in the Twins, to the point that the Pohlads felt a sale could be arranged by Opening Day.  That optimistic viewpoint could have been inspired by the Ishbias’ interest, of course, and their departure from the pursuit naturally changes the equation.  In his latest piece, Hayes writes that the Twins expect to “have more clarity on the sale process within the next 30 to 60 days.”

The Ishbias were the only known bidder for the Twins, fueling to the perception that they were also the leading contenders to succeed the Pohlads as franchise owners.  Justin Ishbia was the driving force behind the bid, with the plan being for Justin to become the Twins’ control person while Mat remained the governor of the brothers’ other major sports interests — the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.  Both the Twins and Major League Baseball itself had vetted Ishbia, a process likely streamlined by the fact that the Ishbias (due to their involvement in the White Sox ownership group) were already a known quantity within the league.

As Hayes’ first source described things, there was some feeling among other Twins bidders that the Ishbias were “preordained” within the process, so their departure might now open things up for other candidates to step forward.  The number of other bidders isn’t known, though the source said there were an “adequate” number of suitors beyond just the Ishbias.  While much about the situation remains up in the air, the presence of other bidders indicates there is still momentum towards a sale, even if the process will take significantly longer than anticipated.

Andrew Vasquez Signs With Mexican League’s Tecolotes De Los Dos Laredos

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The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League have signed left-hander Andrew Vasquez to a contract for the 2025 season, according to KPRC2’s Ari Alexander.  Vasquez can walk away from the deal if he receives interest from a big league club, with the Tecolotes owed nothing in buyout fees.

Vasquez has logged 63 2/3 career innings over five MLB seasons, with the large majority of that action coming when he pitched 48 1/3 frames for the Phillies and Tigers in 2023.  His bottom-line results of a 3.35 ERA were solid, though his strikeout (19.6%) and walk (10.5%) rates were both subpar, and his performance fell off drastically after he went to the Tigers on a waiver claim.  Philadelphia opted to designate Vasquez for assignment just after the trade deadline in order to clear roster space, despite Vasquez’s 2.27 ERA in 39 2/3 innings for the club.

After struggling to an 8.31 ERA in 8 2/3 innings with his new team, Vasquez returned to the Tigers last winter on a minors contract and spent the entire 2024 campaign at Triple-A Toledo.  Vasquez’s situation wasn’t helped by a lack of minor league options, but he didn’t make much of a case for promotion after posting a 5.11 ERA, 19.4% strikeout rate, and 9.6% walk rate over 68 2/3 innings with Toledo.

This stint in the Mexican League marks the first time in Vasquez’s pro career (which began as a 32nd-round pick for the Twins in 2015) that he has pitched outside of affiliated baseball.  The 31-year-old should find more of a regular role with the Tecolotes than he would in battling amongst other minor league signings withing a Major League team’s camp, and his contract’s out clause allows Vazquez some flexibility if he pitches well enough to attract attention from MLB scouts.

Anthony Rizzo Hopes To Continue Playing Career

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Anthony Rizzo remains unsigned as Spring Training gets underway. The 35-year-old first baseman tells Ken Rosenthal and Brendan Kuty of The Athletic that he’s hopeful of finding a landing spot for the upcoming season. However, he suggested he’s been underwhelmed by the interest he’s received even relative to diminished expectations.

“Two years ago, I had kind of a weird year with the concussion,” Rizzo conceded to The Athletic. “Then last year, I was hurt twice. My power numbers dropped. I’m surprised, but not like crazy surprised just because I’m a realist in the game and you’re getting older. The fact that teams want you to play for basically league minimum. I’m like, you guys are crazy. You’re almost trying to ruin the market for the next guy.”

Rizzo nevertheless made clear that he wants to keep playing. “I’m going to train until the season starts and even well into the season and see what happens,” the three-time All-Star said. However, he acknowledged that the market hasn’t been kind to aging hitters. “I think I have a lot to give to the game still. But at the same time, if teams are not going to want to pay a few million dollars for veterans, I’ve seen it the last 10 years of my career. It’s what happens to the older guys. They kind of get squeezed,” Rizzo told Rosenthal and Kuty. “You’ve seen it happen more and more. I’m not naive to it. It could be it.”

As Rizzo acknowledged, his past couple seasons have been impacted by myriad health issues. Initially acquired by the Yankees at the 2021 trade deadline, he re-signed on a two-year, $40MM deal after the ’22 campaign. That deal didn’t work out in large part because of injuries. Rizzo had been out to a nice start to the ’23 season. He injured his head in a collision at first base with Fernando Tatis Jr. in late May. Rizzo’s production tanked thereafter until the Yankees put him on the injured list in early August with post-concussion syndrome that they traced back to that collision. That ended his season.

The 14-year big league veteran returned last season. He got out to a slow start, hitting .224/.289/.341 across 291 plate appearances into the middle of June. Another freak injury resulted in an extended absence. Rizzo collided with Boston pitcher Brennan Bernardino at first base while trying to beat out a grounder. He broke a bone in his right arm on the fall and was immediately shelved into September. Rizzo returned for a few weeks, but he suffered another tough break when Pittsburgh reliever Ryan Borucki hit him with a pitch. That broke two fingers on his right hand. Rizzo missed the Division Series but returned for the ALCS and World Series. He reached base at an excellent .421 clip, though he only recorded one extra-base hit (a double) in 38 playoff plate appearances.

New York bought out Rizzo for $6MM in lieu of a $17MM club option, an easy call after the past couple seasons. There haven’t been any teams publicly linked to him over the past few months. MLBTR’s Steve Adams identified a few speculative fits for Rizzo and some other unsigned hitters in a post for Front Office subscribers this afternoon.

Eddie Fisher Passes Away

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Former All-Star Eddie Fisher passed away on Monday at 88. His obituary was provided by an Oklahoma funeral home.

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Fisher moved to Oklahoma as a child. He attended OU before signing with the Giants in 1958. A knuckleballer, Fisher reached the majors within a year of signing his pro contract. He pitched sparingly over three seasons with San Francisco. The Giants included the 6’2″ righty in a trade package to the White Sox for veteran pitchers Billy Pierce and Don Larsen during the 1961-62 offseason.

Fisher spent parts of five seasons in Chicago. Working primarily as a long reliever, he rattled off four straight years with at least 120 innings and a sub-4.00 earned run average. Fisher had his best season in 1965, when he turned in a 2.40 ERA while leading the American League in appearances (82) and WHIP (0.974). He made his lone All-Star appearance, where he tossed two scoreless innings. Fisher finished fourth in AL MVP balloting behind Zoilo Versalles and future Hall of Famers Tony Oliva and Brooks Robinson.

It was more of the same in ’66. Fisher carried a 2.29 ERA over 35 1/3 innings for the White Sox, who swapped him to the Orioles for middle infielder Jerry Adair that June. Fisher tossed 71 2/3 frames with a 2.64 mark down the stretch for Baltimore. The O’s went on to win the World Series, getting Fisher the only ring of his career. He didn’t make an appearance in the Fall Classic. Baltimore’s sweep of the Dodgers included complete game shutouts from Jim Palmer, Wally Bunker and Dave McNally, so they had little need to use their bullpen.

Fisher continued to soak up innings out of the ’pen for multiple teams into the 1970s. He pitched one more season with Baltimore and spent four years with the California Angels, for whom he turned in a 3.22 ERA. He had a brief second stint with the White Sox and wrapped his career with the Cardinals in ’73.

He concluded a 15-year big league run with a 3.41 earned run average in more than 1500 innings. Fisher won 85 games and recorded 812 strikeouts. He finished 344 contests and was credited with 82 saves (most of them retroactively because the stat wasn’t officially tracked by MLB until 1969). MLBTR sends condolences to Fisher’s family, friends and loved ones.

Justin Ishbia Abandons Pursuit Of Twins, Will Increase Minority Stake In White Sox

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Billionaire brothers Justin and Mat Ishbia are no longer interested in purchasing the Twins from the Pohlad family, reports Jon Greenberg of The Athletic. Justin Ishbia instead intends to purchase a greater minority share of the White Sox, Greenberg writes. Kurt Badenhousen and Eben Novy-Williams at Sportico reported last month that the Ishbias had purchased a small share of the White Sox back in 2021.

In the short term, the biggest significance is that it’s a major setback in the Twins sale process. The Pohlad family announced in October that they were looking to sell the Minnesota franchise, which they’ve owned for four decades. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reported in early January that the Pohlads had received robust interest and were hoping to have the sale finalized by Opening Day. There were reportedly multiple interested parties, but the Ishbias seemed the early frontrunners.

Mat and Justin Ishbia co-own the Phoenix franchises in the NBA and WNBA. While Mat Ishbia is the majority owner of the basketball teams, Justin Ishbia would have been the control person had they purchased the Twins. It’s unclear how far down the road the Pohlads got in negotiations, but they’ll now need to turn their attention elsewhere.

Over the longer haul, this is also a potentially seismic development for the White Sox. Greenberg writes that some people familiar with the situation believe this will be a stepping stone to Justin Ishbia eventually assuming majority control of the franchise from Jerry Reinsdorf. White Sox VP of communications Scott Reifert pushed back against that notion. “White Sox limited partners have received an offer from a third party to purchase their shares in the team, providing liquidity for the limited partners on their long-term investment in the club,” he told Greenberg. “This offer to limited partners has no impact on the leadership or operations of the Chicago White Sox and does not provide a path to control.”

Reinsdorf, who turns 89 next week, has owned the White Sox since 1981. He has owned the NBA’s Bulls since the mid-80s. For more than a decade, Reinsdorf has maintained that his family should sell the White Sox after his passing. He reportedly had conversations with a Dave Stewart-led group about a sale last October. It’s not clear whether those talks made progress, though Stewart joined the A’s in a special assistant role last month.

That process also involved some speculation about relocation. The Sox’s lease at Rate Field runs through 2029. Reinsdorf lobbied for a reported $1 billion in public funding for a new stadium in Chicago’s South Loop last year. As of last October, the White Sox were continuing to pursue the South Loop project.

Giants Showed Interest In Luis Castillo Earlier In Offseason

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The Giants were among the teams that engaged the Mariners earlier in the offseason in trade talks regrading Luis Castillo, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The clubs obviously did not line up on a deal and Castillo is expected to open the year in Seattle’s rotation.

Seattle entertained offers on the veteran righty as a means to potentially adding lineup help and creating payroll space which they could reinvest in the offense. The Mariners seemingly never gave much consideration to moving any of their younger top four starters: George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo. Castillo is in a different spot, as he’s entering his age-32 season and on a significant contract. He’ll make $22.75MM annually for the next three years, while the deal also includes a vesting option for the ’28 campaign.

It’s not a bad contract. Castillo remains a very good starter. He turned in a 3.64 ERA with an above-average 24.3% strikeout percentage over 175 1/3 innings last year. It was his sixth consecutive sub-4.00 ERA showing. He has topped 150 innings in each of the last six full seasons. Castillo has had better than average strikeout rates throughout his career. His fastball still sits in the 95-96 MPH range. His salaries are expensive but in line with what comparable or slightly lesser pitchers like Nathan Eovaldi, Sean Manaea and Yusei Kikuchi landed on three-year terms as free agents.

At the same time, the Mariners were looking both to offload the money and command upper-level hitting talent in return. They seemingly stuck to a high asking price, which aligns with president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto’s repeated assertions that the front office was reluctant to subtract from the rotation.

Slusser writes that the Giants have unsurprisingly been unwilling to entertain including top first base prospect Bryce Eldridge in a trade. That’s not to say that the Mariners were necessarily insistent on including Eldridge in a Castillo deal, but the Giants are otherwise light on impact controllable hitting talent. The 20-year-old first baseman is the only San Francisco prospect to crack Baseball America’s Top 100 this offseason.

Tyler Fitzgerald and Heliot Ramos are coming off impressive seasons, but they’re each ticketed for everyday playing time in San Francisco. Both players have elevated strikeout rates that could have been a concern for Seattle. Marco Luciano’s prospect status has fallen thanks to defensive questions and strikeout concerns of his own. Luis Matos and Casey Schmitt probably project as depth pieces. While the Mariners presumably had varying levels of interest in some of those players, it’s understandable that the sides apparently couldn’t line up on value.

The Giants would up making a big move on the free agent front, signing Justin Verlander to a $15MM deal. The future Hall of Famer slots behind Logan Webb and alongside Robbie Ray in Bob Melvin’s staff. Jordan Hicks seems ticketed for the fourth starter role, with Kyle Harrison probably grabbing the final rotation spot. Hayden Birdsong, Landen Roupp, Keaton Winn and Mason Black are among the other options on the 40-man roster.

Cubs, Travis Jankowski Agree To Minor League Deal

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8:52pm: It’s a minor league deal with a non-roster invite to big league camp, reports Jesse Rogers of ESPN.

5:25pm: The Cubs and outfielder Travis Jankowski have agreed to a deal, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The details of the deal for the Excel Sports Management client haven’t been publicly reported yet. If it’s a major league deal, the Cubs would have to open a 40-man roster spot. If it’s a minor league pact, the veteran will presumably receive an invite to spring training.

Jankowski, 34 in June, has a decade of big league experience at this point. He provides value via his speed and strong defensive skills but his bat has been inconsistent. The oscillating offense has led to swings in his contributions over the years. He has spent the past two seasons with the Rangers and his numbers in those two campaigns provide a microcosm of his overall track record.

After a rough 2022 season, he had to settle for a minor league pact with the Rangers going into 2023. He ended up getting an Opening Day roster spot and appeared in 107 games for Texas that year. He drew a walk in 12.2% of his plate appearances and only struck out 14.6% of the time. His .263/.357/.332 batting line translated to a 97 wRC+. That means his offense was 3% below average overall but he stole 19 bases and got strong reviews for his glovework. He then got into seven postseason games as the Rangers won their first World Series.

They brought him back via a one-year deal with a $1.7MM guarantee for 2024, but the pendulum swung the other way. His strikeout rate climbed to 21.3% as his walk rate fell to 5.8%. He produced a dismal line of .200/.266/.242 last year, leading to a 48 wRC+. He did swipe another 11 bags and run the ball down in the field again, but the decline at the plate put a big dent in his value. FanGraphs considered him to be worth 1.2 wins above replacement in 2023 but negative 0.3 fWAR last year.

Dating back to his 2015 debut, Jankowski has appeared in 681 big league games with a combined .236/.319/.305 line and 77 wRC+. He has 102 stolen bases in 127 attempts. He has racked up 30 Defensive Runs Saved and 33 Outs Above Average in his career.

The Cubs project to have an outfield consisting of Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, flanked by Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker in the corners. Seiya Suzuki figures to be the regular designated hitter, but seeing some outfield time on occasion as well. Jon Berti and Vidal Bruján are candidates for bench/utility roles.

Bringing in Jankowski is likely a move to bolster the center field depth. Crow-Armstrong won’t celebrate his 23rd birthday until next month. He’s a great defender but has been a subpar hitter in the majors thus far. Happ and Tucker have some good numbers in the corners but would be stretched up the middle. Happ hasn’t played there since 2022 and logged just 12 innings there that year. Tucker has just 29 career innings in center and none since 2021. Berti and Bruján are primarily infielders who can be pushed into outfield work on occasion.

That leaves the inexperienced Crow-Armstrong without much support up the middle. Kevin Alcántara and Owen Caissie are on the 40-man roster but likely to be getting regular playing time in Triple-A, as opposed to sitting on the big league bench.

Jankowski has 1,629 1/3 career innings in center with +8 DRS and +14 OAA. If he is added to the big league roster, he can serve as a fourth/fifth outfielder for the Cubs. The team knows it’s likely to get competent glovework, as well as the ability to have him pinch run from time to time, with the offense being a wild card.

The bench currently projects to have catcher Carson Kelly, infielder/DH Justin Turner, Berti and Bruján. No one in that group can be optioned. If Jankowski is to be added to the big league roster, whether that’s now or later, a spot would have to be opened up somehow.

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