Aaron Brooks Signs With KBO’s KIA Tigers
NOV. 13: The KIA Tigers have officially signed Brooks, per Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net. His deal comes with a $479K salary and a $200K signing bonus.
NOV. 12: It appears that Orioles righty Aaron Brooks is headed to the KBO, according to reports from Dan Connolly of The Athletic (links to Twitter) and Naver Sports (Korean language link). If all the paperwork is completed, as expected, he’ll agree to a new deal with the KIA Tigers and be set free from the Baltimore 40-man roster.
This sort of arrangement is now commonplace for hurlers such as Brooks. The 29-year-old has shown enough to bounce around the waiver wire and receive MLB opportunities, but hasn’t fully established himself on an active roster.
Brooks did get a lengthy big-league look this year after a strong Triple-A campaign in 2018. He ultimately threw 110 frames on the year, spanning 18 starts and eleven relief appearances in stints with the A’s and O’s. The results weren’t as hoped, as Brooks stumbled to a 5.65 cumulative ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.
Though the Orioles again need to fill innings, Brooks was at risk of being kicked from the MLB roster at some point this winter. His lack of options helped keep him in the bigs in 2019 but also reduced his appeal to affiliated clubs. By allowing Brooks to leave, the Orioles will pick up some financial compensation. He’ll get a chance to compete at a high level and earn a salary that wouldn’t be available to him in North America.
Orioles Claim Aaron Brooks, Designate Josh Lucas
The Orioles have claimed righty Aaron Brooks off waivers from Oakland and designated right-hander Josh Lucas for assignment, the team reports.
Brooks, 29, appeared in 15 games for the A’s this season, starting six. He was mostly rocked over that span, pitching to a 5.01 ERA/5.67 FIP with a chilling 12 homers allowed in just 50 1/3 IP. The former Royal, Cub, and Brewer farmhand’s had major difficulty keeping the ball in the yard throughout his nine-year big-league career, so he wouldn’t figure to be a choice fit for Baltimore’s cozy Camden Yards dimensions.
Lucas, 28 and coincidentally a member of the A’s last season, was hit hard in nine appearances for Baltimore this season. The righty’s average fastball checked in at just 90.1 MPH for the club this year, well below the 93.5 MLB reliever average.
It’s the latest in a near-constant reshuffling of the Oriole pitching staff this season, yet again a sore spot for the club on its second consecutive #1 pick trajectory. Only John Means and Andrew Cashner have offered any solace in the rotation, with 23 bullpen members combining to post a league-high 1.89 HR/9.
Athletics To Designate Aaron Brooks, Activate Blake Treinen
The Athletics are set to designate right-hander Aaron Brooks for assignment, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com was first to indicate (Twitter link). His 25-man roster spot will go to closer Blake Treinen, who’s set to return from a short stay on the injured list.
Brooks has been a regular for the A’s pitching staff this season, having amassed 50 1/3 innings in 15 appearances (six starts). However, the results have been underwhelming. Brooks has only managed a 5.01 ERA/5.67 FIP, in part because he has surrendered home runs on 19.4 percent of fly balls. On the other hand, the 29-year-old has logged decent overall strikeout and walk rates (7.69 K/9, 2.5 BB/9) and racked up almost a K per inning as a reliever.
Brooks is in his second stint with the Athletics, who acquired him from the Brewers last September in a minor trade. He was previously a member of the A’s in 2015 when they landed him and Sean Manaea from the Royals in a deal for Ben Zobrist. Brooks didn’t pitch for the A’s that year, though, and wound up going to the Cubs in a February 2016 trade for Chris Coghlan.
In a combined 111 career innings for the A’s, Royals and Cubs, Brooks has notched a 6.65 ERA/5.39 FIP with 6.81 K/9 and 2.68 BB/9.
Athletics Acquire Aaron Brooks, Designate Danny Coulombe
The Athletics have acquired right-hander Aaron Brooks from the Brewers for cash considerations, Robert Murray of The Athletic tweets. In a corresponding move, the A’s designated left-hander Danny Coulombe, per a team announcement.
This deal continues a busy few days for Brooks, whom the Brewers selected from the minors Aug. 30 and then designated the next day. The 28-year-old didn’t throw a pitch for the Brewers, and he hasn’t taken a major league mound since 2015 – part of which he spent with the Athletics. Brooks tossed 51 innings of 6.71 ERA ball with Oakland that year after it acquired him (and Sean Manaea) from the Royals in a trade for Ben Zobrist.
More recently, Brooks did solid work with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in 2018. Despite having to pitch in hitter-friendly Colorado Springs, Brooks managed a 3.35 ERA/4.14 FIP with 6.7 K/9, 2.54 BB/9 and a 55.1 percent groundball rate over 99 1/3 innings (26 appearances, 15 starts).
Coulombe, who has been with the Athletics since they acquired him from the Dodgers in 2015, has been fairly effective in the majors. Over 143 1/3 career innings, including 139 with the A’s, Coulombe has held same-handed hitters to a .234/.304/.327 batting line and pitched to a 4.27 ERA/4.09 FIP, also notching 8.41 K/9, 3.83 BB/9 and an excellent 56.8 percent groundball rate. But major league lefties have teed off on Coulombe this season, as the the 28-year-old has yielded a .317/.364/.512 line in 23 2/3 frames. Coulombe has also registered a subpar 4.56 ERA/5.10 FIP and a 4.18 BB/9, though he has averaged nearly 10 strikeouts per nine and recorded a 51.7 percent grounder rate.
Brewers Designate Aaron Brooks, Jake Thompson
The Brewers announced tonight that they have designated right-handed pitchers Aaron Brooks and Jake Thompson. Their roster spots went to just-acquired veterans Gio Gonzalez and Curtis Granderson.
Neither of these hurlers has thrown a pitch in the majors for the Brewers. Brooks had just been called up but did not get into a game. He last threw in the bigs in 2015. Thus far in 2018, Brooks has posted a 3.35 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 over 99 1/3 innings.
Thompson, meanwhile, had recently been claimed off waivers from the Phillies after struggling in his first thirty games of MLB action over the past three seasons. He had turned in five useful relief appearances since reporting to Colorado Springs, but only owns a cumulative 4.30 ERA and 55:29 K/BB ratio in his 52 1/3 total Triple-A innings this year.
Brewers Designate Ariel Hernandez, Select Aaron Brooks
The Brewers announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Aaron Brooks from Triple-A Colorado Springs and designated fellow righty Ariel Hernandez for assignment to open a space on the 40-man roster. Milwaukee also recalled Jacob Barnes from Triple-A and optioned right-handers Freddy Peralta and Taylor Williams.
The series of roster moves comes on the heels of a 10-inning, 13-12 slugfest last night, during which the Brewers burned through six pitchers, including both Peralta (the game’s starter) and Williams (who has now pitched on consecutive days). Both Peralta and Williams figure to be back with the club in the very near future.
Hernandez, 26, has bounced from the Reds to the Dodgers to the Brewers so far in 2018, showing a definitive knack for missing bats but also the same alarming control problems that have prevented the flamethrowing righty from making an impact at the big league level. Hernandez averaged 98 mph on his fastball last season in a 24-inning cup of coffee with the Reds, during which he racked up 29 punchouts but also issued 22 walks.
It’s been much of the same this year in the minors, as he has a 54-to-40 K/BB ratio in 55 1/3 innings of work across three organizations and two minor league levels. He’d only landed in Milwaukee via waivers about three weeks ago and appeared in just five games with their Triple-A affiliate before being designated once again today.
As for Brooks, the 28-year-old will be returning to the big leagues for the first time since the 2015 season with today’s promotion. Back in 2015, he was traded alongside Sean Manaea as the second piece traded sent from the Royals to the A’s in exchange for Ben Zobrist. Brooks spent a season-plus with the Cubs before the Brewers picked him up, and he’s enjoyed a solid 2018 campaign despite pitching in an enormously hitter-friendly environment. Through 99 1/3 frames in Colorado Springs, he’s notched a 3.35 ERA with 6.7 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.72 HR/9 and a 55.1 percent ground-ball rate.
Minor MLB Transactions: 9/8/17
Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Brewers outrighted right-hander Aaron Brooks to Triple-A, per a club announcement. He had been designated recently. Teams are obviously intrigued by his arm, as he has bounced around on waivers in recent years. But Brooks just hasn’t performed this year at Triple-A, where he owns a 6.12 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 — as well as 29 home runs allowed — over 145 2/3 innings.
- The Mets are set to promote infielder Phillip Evans to the Major League roster, Newsday’s Marc Carig reports (on Twitter). New York recently lost Wilmer Flores for the rest of the season due to a broken nose, so the 24-year-old Evans can provide some additional infield depth. Evans isn’t on the 40-man roster, so they’ll need to make a move to formally select his contract, though New York can accommodate him by moving any of its injured players currently on the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL (e.g. Steven Matz, Zack Wheeler, T.J. Rivera, Michael Conforto). Baseball America ranked Evans 25th among Mets prospects last winter, noting that the 2016 Double-A Eastern League batting champ has enough bat to profile as a utility infielder in the Majors. He’s better suited at second or third, per that report, though he’s primarily been a shortstop in the minors. Evans hit .279/.341/.418 with 11 homers in his first Triple-A season this year.
Brewers Designate Aaron Brooks, Select Quintin Berry
The Brewers have designated righty Aaron Brooks for assignment, per a club announcement. His 40-man spot will go to outfielder Quintin Berry, whose contract was selected.
Brooks, 27, was claimed off waivers recently from the Cubs. He has not pitched in the majors since brief showings with the Royals and Athletics in 2014 and 2015. Over 145 2/3 Triple-A innings in 2017, Brooks has been tagged for 29 long balls and 192 hits and carries a 6.12 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9.
In Berry, the Brewers will be adding a notable speed-and-defense option to their bench down the stretch. The 32-year-old has played little this year in the minors and last cracked the majors briefly in 2015. But he’s a popular late-season roster addition and has appeared in the postseason previously (in 2012 with the Tigers and in 2013 with the Red Sox).
Brewers Claim Aaron Brooks From Cubs
The Brewers have claimed right-hander Aaron Brooks off outright waivers from the Cubs, MLBTR has learned (Twitter links). He’ll join Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate for the time being. Brooks was designated for assignment over the weekend when the Cubs picked up Rene Rivera from the Mets.
A hip injury cost Brooks the majority of the 2016 season, and he’s struggled with Triple-A Iowa thus far in 2017. Through 138 innings there, Brooks has posted a 6.20 earned run average, though his 6.9 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 48.7 percent ground-ball rate and 4.29 xFIP all offer a bit more cause for optimism than his bottom-line run prevention numbers. Brooks had a solid year in 2015 with the Triple-A affiliates of the Royals and Athletics, pitching to a 3.56 ERA with 7.8 K/9 against 1.6 BB/9. With rosters set to expand in September, it’s possible that Brooks’ residence on the 40-man roster could lead to a September look audition with the Brewers.
Cubs Claim Rene Rivera From Mets
The Cubs have claimed catcher Rene Rivera off waivers from the Mets, the teams have announced. To clear space for Rivera on their roster, the Cubs have designated righty Aaron Brooks for assignment.
Rivera is the latest veteran to leave the Mets this month, following the trades of Jay Bruce, Neil Walker and Curtis Granderson. The 34-year-old Rivera has hit a modest .230/.278/.391 in 187 plate appearances this season and has never been an outstanding hitter, with a career .215/.266/.340 line in parts of nine big-league seasons with the Mariners, Twins, Padres and Rays in addition to the Mets. He has, however, long rated as a strong defender and framer, two skills the Cubs surely value. (The Cubs had, in fact, been connected to Rivera before they acquired Alex Avila last month.) With Willson Contreras on the DL with a hamstring strain, Rivera will presumably back up Avila. He is making $1.75MM this season and is eligible for free agency at season’s end.
The 27-year-old Brooks arrived from the Athletics organization prior to the 2016 season and initially looked like he would provide good starting pitching depth, but he missed most of that season with a hip issue and hasn’t been the same since, posting a 6.20 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and 27 home runs allowed in 138 innings this season with Triple-A Iowa. He pitched for the Royals and A’s in 2015 but has not appeared in the big leagues since.