Nationals, Andrew Knizner Agree To Minor League Deal
The Nationals are in agreement with catcher Andrew Knizner on a minor league contract, reports Andrew Golden of The Washington Post. The CAA client will get a non-roster invitation to MLB Spring Training.
Knizner, 30 next month, was drafted by the Cardinals in 2016. He’d converted to catching during his college days at North Carolina State. The right-handed hitter has produced offensively in the minors but hasn’t made much of an impact over parts of six big league campaigns. Knizner hit just .216/.290/.331 in nearly 800 trips to the plate with the Cardinals. St. Louis cut him loose last offseason.
The Rangers inked Knizner to a $1.825MM free agent deal last winter. He spent most of the year as Jonah Heim’s backup, but he didn’t perform especially well. Knizner hit .167/.183/.211 over 35 games. Texas acquired Carson Kelly at the deadline and designated Knizner for assignment not long after. He landed with the Diamondbacks via waiver claim. His time in Arizona consisted of 22 Triple-A games. The Snakes outrighted him off their 40-man roster without getting him into a big league contest. Knizner qualified for minor league free agency at the end of the season.
While Knizner hasn’t hit much at the MLB level, he owns a solid .271/.351/.424 slash over 454 career Triple-A plate appearances. There isn’t a huge bar to clear offensively for a backup catcher. Most backup catchers are well-regarded defensively. Knizner has struggled behind the plate, at least in the view of public metrics. Statcast has graded him as a below-average pitch framer. He also ranked in the bottom 10 among qualified catchers in average pop time (time to throw to second on a stolen base attempt).
There’s no risk for the Nationals in giving Knizner a non-roster look in camp. Keibert Ruiz has the starting job secure despite a difficult 2024 season. Riley Adams is the favorite for the backup job, a role he has held for the past three seasons. He is out of options and can’t be sent to the minors without going on waivers. Drew Millas is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. Knizner is out of options himself, so if the Nats call him up at any point, they’d need to keep him in the big leagues or risk losing him to another team.
34 Players Elect Free Agency
As the offseason nears, a number of players elect minor league free agency each week. These players are separate from six-year MLB free agents, who’ll reach the open market five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Eligible minor leaguers can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season wraps up. These players were all outrighted off a team’s 40-man roster during the year and have the requisite service time and/or multiple career outrights necessary to reach free agency since they weren’t added back to teams’ rosters.
Electing free agency is the anticipated outcome for these players. There’ll surely be more to test the market in the coming weeks. We’ll offer periodic updates at MLBTR. These transactions are all reflected on the MiLB.com log.
Catchers
- Alex Jackson (Rays)
- Andrew Knapp (Giants)
- Andrew Knizner (D-Backs)
- Reese McGuire (Red Sox)
- Jakson Reetz (Giants)
- Ali Sánchez (Marlins)
- Brian Serven (Blue Jays)
Infielders
- Diego Castillo (Twins)
- José Devers (Marlins)
- Thairo Estrada (Giants)
- Danny Mendick (White Sox)
- Cole Tucker (Angels)
- Jason Vosler (Mariners)
Outfielders
- Billy McKinney (Pirates)
- Cristian Pache (Marlins)
Designated Hitter
- Willie Calhoun (Angels)
Pitchers
- Phil Bickford (Yankees)
- Ty Blach (Rockies)
- Nick Burdi (Yankees)
- John Curtiss (Rockies)
- Kent Emanuel (Marlins)
- Cole Irvin (Twins)
- Casey Kelly (Reds)
- Matt Koch (Rockies)
- Steven Okert (Twins)
- Yohan Ramírez (Red Sox)
- Gerardo Reyes (A’s)
- Trevor Richards (Twins)
- Ryder Ryan (Pirates)
- Kirby Snead (Mariners)
- Touki Toussaint (White Sox)
- Tanner Tully (Yankees)
- Jordan Weems (Nationals)
- Mitch White (Brewers)
Diamondbacks Outright Andrew Knizner
Diamondbacks catcher Andrew Knizner cleared waivers following his recent DFA and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Reno, reports Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. The D-backs designated Knizner for assignment over the weekend to open 40-man roster space for lefty Brandon Hughes.
While Knizner has the right to reject the assignment based on his four-plus years of major league service, he’ll likely accept it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he’s four weeks shy of five years of big league service time, which is the threshold needed to reject an outright assignment and retain the remaining salary on a guaranteed contract. Rejecting would mean forfeiting the remainder of his $1.825MM salary this season.
Secondly, Knizner would be an option for a return to the big league roster in the event of an injury to one or more of the catchers ahead of him on the 40-man roster. There’s at least a path, albeit a narrow one, to him being brought back up during the postseason. He’d be ineligible for postseason consideration with a new team and would likely wait until the offseason to sign a new deal anyhow at this point. As a player with more than three years of MLB service who’s been outrighted off a 40-man roster, Knizner can become a free agent at season’s end if he is not added back to the 40-man roster.
Knizner, 29, was non-tendered by the Cardinals last offseason and signed a one-year deal with the Rangers. He appeared in 37 games with Texas, working as a backup to Jonah Heim and batting just .167/.183/.211 in 93 trips to the plate. That was far and away the least-productive run of his career, though Knizner entered the season as a lifetime .216/.290/.331 hitter in 794 plate appearances with the Cards, so he’s never exactly been known for his bat (at least in the major leagues). Texas designated Knizner for assignment last month, and the D-backs claimed him and optioned him to Reno. He did not appear in a big league game with Arizona but has batted .274/.357/.397 in 84 Triple-A plate appearances with the organization.
Heading into the 2024 campaign, Knizner had 4.021 years of big league service, leaving him 151 days shy of reaching five years of service. He’d have been eligible for arbitration with Texas had he spent the entire year on the roster and subsequently ticketed for free agency in the 2025-26 offseason. However, he only accrued 123 days of service in the majors this year and will thus finish out the season at 4.144 years. Because of this, whoever signs him this offseason — presumably on a minor league deal — will have the ability to control him through the 2026 season via arbitration, should he rebound at the plate and once again play his way into a steadier big league role.
Diamondbacks DFA Andrew Knizner, Place Ryne Nelson On 15-Day IL
The Diamondbacks announced this afternoon that they’ve placed right-hander Ryne Nelson on the 15-day IL due to shoulder inflammation, retroactive to September 11. Left-hander Brandon Hughes was selected to the roster from Triple-A Reno to replace Nelson, and catcher Andrew Knizner was designated for assignment to make room for Hughes on the 40-man roster.
Nelson, 26, entered the season seemingly squeezed out of the club’s rotation mix by the club’s signings of lefties Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery over the offseason. That was hardly surprising after a pedestrian 2023 season where he pitched to a below-average 5.31 ERA and 5.07 FIP across 29 appearances (27 starts) for Arizona last year. That said, injuries throughout the club’s rotation have kept Nelson in the club’s rotation almost all year. He’s made the most of the unexpected opportunity and pitched quite well, with a 4.33 ERA that’s roughly league average (96 ERA+) and a strong 3.77 FIP in 147 2/3 innings of work. While that hasn’t necessarily been enough to give him a leg up over fellow youngster Brandon Pfaadt (4.42 ERA, 3.54 FIP) at the back-of-the-rotation, injuries and ineffectiveness have hampered both Rodriguez and especially Montgomery this year, leading the Diamondbacks to kick the latter to the bullpen late last month.
With Nelson now headed to the IL, Montgomery appears ticketed for a return to the rotation as noted by Alex Weiner of AZ Sports. It’s been a disastrous year for the 31-year-old lefty as he pitched to a 6.44 ERA and 4.57 FIP in 19 starts before getting kicked from the rotation, though he’s looked a bit better with a slightly more palatable 4.85 ERA and 4.40 FIP since moving to a multi-inning relief role. For the time being, the Diamondbacks will have to hope that the brief sojourn to the bullpen has helped Montgomery figure things out enough to pitch effectively as a starter for the time being. Fortunately, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic) that the club is optimistic regarding Nelson’s injury and hopes he’ll be able to return after a minimum stay on the shelf, which could allow him to make one more start before the regular season comes to an end.
Montgomery’s impending move back into the rotation leaves the club down a lefty in the bullpen, and that’s a call that Hughes now figures to answer. Drafted as an outfielder by the Cubs in the 16th round of the 2017 draft, Hughes converted to pitching back in 2019 and worked his way through Chicago’s minor league system to make it to Wrigley Field in 2022. The southpaw impressed with a 3.12 ERA and 4.64 FIP with a 28.5% strikeout rate in 57 2/3 innings of work for the rebuilding Cubs and even picked up eight saves after taking over the closer role in Chicago following the departures of David Robertson and Chris Martin at that year’s trade deadline.
Unfortunately, Hughes was hampered by knee surgery that cost him the majority of the 2023 season and found himself non-tendered by the Cubs last fall. That led him to sign with the Snakes on a minor league deal, but he’s struggled badly in limited opportunities in the majors with the club this year as he’s posted a 10.29 ERA and 9.96 FIP in 14 innings of work. That being said, his numbers with Triple-A Reno this year have been nothing short of excellent as he’s posted a 2.03 ERA and struck out 24.9% of opponents in 48 2/3 innings of work. Now he’ll get another opportunity in the Arizona bullpen alongside fellow lefties Joe Mantiply and A.J. Puk.
Hughes will take the 40-man roster spot of Knizner, who the Diamondbacks claimed off waivers from the Rangers just over a month ago. The 29-year-old backstop didn’t make it to the big leagues with Arizona, instead slashing a decent .274/.357/.397 in 20 games with the club’s affiliate in Reno, but appeared in 35 games in the majors with Texas earlier this year after spending half a decade as an up-and-down catcher for the Cardinals. His time with the Rangers did not go particularly well, as he hit just .167/.183/.211 in 93 trips to the plate. That paltry offensive production was particularly disappointing following the best offensive season of Knizner’s career last year, when he pitched to a .241/.288/.424 slash line with ten homers in just 241 trips to the plate. Should Knizner go unclaimed on waivers, the club would have the opportunity to outright him to the minor leagues but he’d be poised to head into minor league free agency this November.
Diamondbacks Claim Andrew Knizner
The Diamondbacks have claimed catcher Andrew Knizner off waivers from the Rangers and optioned him to Triple-A Reno, per announcements from both clubs. The backstop was designated for assignment by Texas earlier this week. Arizona designated right-hander Luis Frías for assignment to open a 40-man spot.
Knizner, 29, was non-tendered by the Cardinals at the end of last year then signed with the Rangers, agreeing to a $1.825MM salary. He’s not considered a strong defender but put up a respectable .241/.288/.424 batting line with St. Louis last year while hitting ten home runs in 241 plate appearances. The resulting 92 wRC+ indicates he was 8% worse than the league average hitter but that’s not bad by backup catcher standards.
The Rangers were likely hoping for something in that ballpark but didn’t get it. They sent him to the plate 93 times this year as backup to Jonah Heim but Knizner slashed .167/.183/.211. He only hit one home run and drew walks at a tiny rate of 1.1%, a far drop from last year’s 5% clip, which was already subpar. Texas acquired Carson Kelly from the Tigers prior to the deadline and nudged Knizner off their roster.
For the Diamondbacks, there’s sense in putting in the claim and hoping for a bounceback. Most of their playing time behind the plate this year has gone to Gabriel Moreno and Tucker Barnhart but neither is on the active roster now. When Moreno was on the injured list earlier in the year due to a sprained left thumb, José Herrera was recalled to pair with Barnhart. When Moreno was ready to return, the club decided to keep Herrera, so Barnhart was designated for assignment and released last month. But Moreno went back on the IL again earlier this week, this time due to a left adductor strain.
Adrian Del Castillo was added to the roster to take Moreno’s place and pair with Herrera. The Snakes evidently feel okay riding with that duo for now, but sending Knizner to Reno gives them some extra depth and gives Knizner a chance for some regular plate appearances in a hitter-friendly setting.
The length of his optional assignment could have impacts for him personally. He came into this season with four years and 21 days of service time. A new year rolls over at 172 days, meaning he needs 151 days in the majors this year to hit the five-year mark. He added 123 days to that before the Rangers optioned him prior to his DFA, so he’s still shy of the line but could get over it if he’s recalled at some point for a few weeks.
Frías, now 26, has spent his entire professional career in the Diamondbacks’ organization. An international signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2015, he climbed his way through the minor league system and was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November of 2020, keeping him out of that year’s Rule 5 draft.
He has spent the past four years providing the Diamondbacks with an optionable relief arm. Players normally only have three option years but are sometimes granted a fourth. As MLBTR covered previously, a club is granted a fourth option on a player who has exhausted the first three but without playing five full seasons, with a “full” season defined as 90 active days either in the majors or minors. The shortened 2020 season reportedly does not count. It appears Frias didn’t play a “full” season until 2019, then 2020 didn’t count, so he only had four “full” seasons after 2023.
Over his four seasons being shuttled between the big leagues and the farm, he has thrown 57 2/3 major league innings with a 6.55 earned run average. His 18.1% strikeout rate, 15.6% walk rate and 41.7% ground ball rate are each a few ticks worse than league average.
In the minors, he’s racked up more strikeouts but with the control still being an issue. From the start of 2021 to the present, he has thrown 215 1/3 innings on the farm with a 4.43 ERA. He has struck out 28.5% of batters faced but given out walks at a 10% clip.
Frías will be out of options next year, so perhaps he was running out of time with the Diamondbacks. Since the trade deadline has passed, they will have to put him on waivers in the coming days. If another club puts in a claim, they could option him for the rest of the year but he would have less roster flexibility starting next year. He has between one and two years of service time and therefore has five extra years of club control still won’t be arbitration eligible this winter.
Rangers Designate Andrew Knizner For Assignment
The Rangers announced that right-hander Tyler Mahle has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. In corresponding moves, the club optioned left-hander Walter Pennington and designated catcher Andrew Knizner for assignment.
Knizner, 29, signed with the Rangers in the offseason after being non-tendered by the Cardinals. Texas gave him a one-year deal with a $1.825MM salary, knowing that he could be retained via arbitration beyond this season as well.
Unfortunately, the club has been struggling to get much production from the catcher position this year. Jonah Heim hit .258/.317/.438 last year for a 103 wRC+ but he has dropped to a line of .232/.277/.346 and a 73 wRC+ this year. The falloff from Knizner has been even more drastic as he slashed .241/.288/.424 with the Cards last year for a 92 wRC+ but he is hitting .167/.183/.211 this year for a wRC+ of 4.
Perhaps some of that can be attributed to a .206 batting average on balls in play but Knizner has also drawn walks at a paltry 1.1% clip and hit just one home run in his 93 plate appearances, compared to the ten he hit in 241 trips to the plate last year. The Rangers fortified their catching corps by acquiring Carson Kelly from the Tigers prior to the deadline and then optioned Knizner to Triple-A, though he has now been bumped off the 40-man roster altogether.
With the trade deadline now passed, the Rangers will have to put Knizner on waivers in the coming days. Despite his rough season, he could perhaps garner interest based on his past performance and contract status.
He has one option left and therefore a claiming club wouldn’t need to give him an active roster spot right away, though he would be out of options next year in that scenario. He has not yet spent 20 days on optional assignment this year, so it’s possible he could retain that option next year if he either doesn’t get claimed or is kept in the majors by some other club. He also came into this season with four years and 21 days of service time, putting him just shy of the five-year mark at present. If any club felt especially bullish about Knizner’s future, they could claim him, keep him on optional assignment for the rest of the year and then control him via arbitration for two more years.
As for Mahle, he will be taking the mound for the first time in over a year. He required Tommy John surgery in May of last year, just a few months from free agency. The Rangers signed him to a two-year, $22MM deal with the knowledge that they would have to wait for his arrival.
With Mahle and Jacob deGrom both on their way back from surgeries last year, the club felt good enough about their rotation depth to deal Michael Lorenzen to the Royals prior to the deadline. But both Jon Gray and Max Scherzer recently landed on the IL, thinning the group out further. As of right now, the group consists of Mahle, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, José Ureña and Cody Bradford, with Dane Dunning in a long-relief role in the bullpen.
Rangers Make 11 Roster Moves
5:33PM: Gray will miss roughly a month of action, Bochy told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (X link) and other reporters.
3:43PM: The Rangers announced a massive slate of roster moves this afternoon. Third baseman Josh Jung and left-hander Cody Bradford were each reinstated from the 60-day injured list while the club also recalled infielder Ezequiel Durán and righty Gerson Garabito. To open roster spots for that quartet, right-hander Jon Gray was placed on the 15-day IL with a right groin strain, and Texas optioned three others to Triple-A — catcher Andrew Knizner, and infielders Justin Foscue and Jonathan Ornelas. To open 40-man spots for Jung and Bradford, outfielder Evan Carter was transferred to the 60-day injured list and infielder Davis Wendzel was designated for assignment. Additionally, righty Austin Pruitt (who was on the 60-day IL) has been released.
Jung and Bradford are each set for their first MLB action since April, as Jung is returning from a complicated wrist surgery and Bradford was dealing with both a back strain and then a stress fracture in his rib. Jung broke his wrist after being hit by a pitch in his fourth game of the season, while Bradford had an impressive 1.40 ERA in his first three starts (19 1/3 IP) before he was sidelined.
Emerging as the Rangers’ regular third baseman during his impressive rookie season, Jung helped the Rangers win last year’s World Series and was expected to continue developing in his sophomore year. The good news for Texas is that Josh Smith‘s strong work as the fill-in third baseman has helped the team make do in Jung’s absence, and with Jung now back, Smith can be bounced around the diamond to left field or DH so the Rangers can keep his bat in the lineup.
Despite Bradford’s great early numbers as a starter, the Rangers have already announced that he’ll return in a bullpen role. Bradford was pressed into rotation duty at the start of the year due to the lengthy list of Texas pitchers on the IL, but with many of those arms now back, the Rangers find themselves with a pitching surplus on paper if everyone is healthy. To this end, the club felt comfortable enough to subtract from this depth by trading Michael Lorenzen to the Royals.
However, the injury bug bit again yesterday when Gray injured his groin while warming up for his scheduled start against the Blue Jays. Gray departed without throwing a pitch, and the right-hander will be out for at least the next 15 days. Bradford has only worked as a multi-inning reliever during his rehab assignment and isn’t fully stretched out to start, but the Rangers have an off-day on Thursday and Tyler Mahle is on the verge of his own return from the IL, so Mahle seems the likeliest candidate to take Gray’s spot in the rotation in a week’s time.
This is Gray’s second groin-related IL stint this season, as he missed a couple of weeks in May and June with his previous injury. When healthy, the righty has a 3.73 ERA and an impressive 5.8% walk rate over 94 innings, though he has allowed a lot of hard contact and his 19.7% strikeout rate is the lowest of his career over a full season.
Carter hasn’t played May 26 due to a lumbar sprain in his back, so he could technically return at any time since he has already missed over 60 days. However, manager Bruce Bochy told MLB.com and other media that Carter is set to visit a back specialist to explore some recurring soreness, and the Rangers have shut the outfielder down from the baseball activities Carter was taking part in prior to this recent development.
More will be known once Carter sees the specialist, but it’s obviously a concern that that the 21-year-old doesn’t appear to be any closer to a return. Carter’s huge numbers after his Major League debut late last season and through the postseason provided the Rangers with a huge spark on their route to the championship, but with his bad back hampering him this year, Carter has hit only .188/.272/.361 in his first 162 PA of the 2024 campaign.
Pruitt signed a minors deal with Texas during the offseason, and that contract was selected to the active roster in April. Pruitt appeared in only four games before a right meniscus injury sent him to the 15-day IL and then the 60-day IL. He has spent the last month rehabbing in the minors and was at the end of the 30-day window for minor league rehab assignments, so the Rangers opted to release the righty rather than bring him back to the 26-man roster. A veteran of seven MLB seasons, Pruitt will hit the open market again, though it might not be a surprise to see him re-sign with Texas pretty quickly on a fresh minor league deal.
Wendzel was selected 41st overall by the Rangers in the 2019 draft, and he made his big league debut this season the form of 27 games and 49 plate appearances. He saw some work at third base during Jung’s IL stint, but Wendzel mostly came off the bench, and he hit just .128/.163/.234 in his first look at MLB pitching.
The 27-year-old has hit well at Triple-A over the last two seasons, including a 30-homer campaign for Round Rock in 2023. Wendzel has mostly played third base and shortstop during his minor league career with a few other looks at the other two infield spots and in left field, so between this defensive versatility and his Triple-A numbers, he might be a candidate to be claimed by a team in need of infield depth.
Rangers Sign Andrew Knizner
The Rangers have signed catcher Andrew Knizner, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The CAA Sports client will make a salary of $1.825MM.
Knizner, 29 in February, will join a new organization for the first time in his career. He was drafted by the Cardinals in 2016 and was with that club until he was non-tendered in November of 2023. On his way up the minor league ladder, he was considered a bat-first catcher with questions about whether his defense would be good enough.
He got brief looks in the majors in each of the past five seasons but didn’t get significant playing time as the Cardinals employed Yadier Molina as their primary backstop until he retired, then signed Willson Contreras to replace him. His bat didn’t impress much at the big league level in the 2019 to 2022 period but he showed a bit of promise last year. He hit 10 home runs in 241 plate appearances but his 5% walk rate and 25.7% strikeout rate were both a bit worse than average. His .241/.288/.424 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 92, which is 8% below league average overall but about par for a catcher.
But his glovework hasn’t been strong, as was suggested by prospect evaluators over the years. He has a career tally of -18 Defensive Runs Saved and is considered a poor framer by each of FanGraphs, Baseball Prospectus and Statcast. He’s considered a decent blocker by Statcast but his work with the throwing game is considered subpar.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a modest salary of $2MM this year but the Cards decided to cut him loose. They have Contreras in the starting role behind the plate and Iván Herrera on hand to handle the backup duties.
The Rangers have given Knizner a salary that comes in just beneath that projection. They have Jonah Heim as their primary catcher but lost their bat-first backup when Mitch Garver reached free agency and signed with the Mariners. They also have Sam Huff on the 40-man roster but both he and Knizner still have an option year remaining, which will allow the club to keep one of them in the minors as depth.
Knizner has four years and 21 days of service time, meaning he can be retained for 2025 via arbitration if he has a good season and the Rangers want to keep him around. A lengthy option assignment could even extend their club control by another year. His major league hitting hasn’t been overwhelming thus far but he has hit .303/.369/.461 in his minor league career. He was also a late conversion to catching in college and could perhaps still be developing his skills as a defender.
Marlins Remain Open To Catching Addition
The Marlins added to the catching corps over the weekend, bringing in Christian Bethancourt in a trade with Cleveland. The former Ray looks to have the top spot on the depth chart, nudging Nick Fortes to the backup role. Those two are the only catchers on the 40-man roster, leaving room for another acquisition.
Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of the Miami Herald report that the Fish remain open to adding another catcher. To that end, Jackson and Mish indicate they’ve considered Andrew Knizner as a low-cost free agent target. The 28-year-old (29 in February) became a free agent when he was non-tendered by the Cardinals last month.
A former seventh-round pick, Knizner had spent his entire career in St. Louis. He was a prospect of some regard during his run in the Cards’ farm system. The presence of Yadier Molina kept Knizner from getting many extended reps, though, and he didn’t produce much in his limited opportunities. He hit .204/.292/.288 in 553 plate appearances between his 2019 debut and the end of the 2022 season. That contributed to the club’s decision to sign Willson Contreras to a five-year free agent deal after Molina’s retirement.
Knizner picked up 241 plate appearances in a depth role last season, the second-highest workload of his career. His .241/.288/.424 batting line marked a step up from his early-career work, at least from a power perspective. The right-handed hitter knocked 10 homers while making hard contact on a solid 40.9% of his batted balls. While still below-average offense overall, Knizner’s production was in line with the .236/.303/.394 league slash for catchers.
That the Cards nevertheless moved on from Knizner despite a modest $2MM arbitration projection hints at continued struggles on the other side of the ball. A late conversion to catching during his final season at North Carolina State, Knizner has always been viewed as a work in progress defensively. Statcast consistently grades him below average at framing pitches. He also ranked 65th out of 74 catchers (minimum 10 throws) in average pop time to second base.
Defensive questions aside, Knizner is coming off a better year at the plate than either Bethancourt or Fortes managed. He’d likely be available for a little more than the league minimum salary and would be eligible for arbitration after next year. He also still has a minor league option remaining (as does Fortes), meaning a signing team could send him to Triple-A — at least until he reaches five years of MLB service, which won’t happen until late August at the earliest. Beyond Knizner, players like Austin Nola, Martín Maldonado, Yasmani Grandal and Eric Haase are likely looking at one-year free agent contracts.
In other news, Jackson and Mish write that the Fish are considering giving right-hander George Soriano a rotation look next spring. The 24-year-old has worked in relief over the past two seasons, including during his 52-inning MLB debut this year. Soriano worked to a 3.81 ERA with a reasonable 22.8% strikeout rate against an elevated 10.1% walk percentage while frequently working two innings per appearance.
The Fish have already indicated that left-hander A.J. Puk will stretch out as a starter in exhibition play. Even if they do the same with Soriano, they could determine both pitchers are ultimately best suited to open the year back in the bullpen. Miami presently projects for a starting five of Jesús Luzardo, Braxton Garrett, Eury Pérez, Edward Cabrera and Trevor Rogers.
First-year president of baseball operations Peter Bendix comes from a Tampa Bay front office that hasn’t been shy about converting bullpen arms to starters, often in response to midseason injuries. The Rays found success with rotation moves for Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Zack Littell over the past two years (although Rasmussen and Springs have since sustained injuries that necessitated arm surgery).
National League Non-Tenders: 11/17/23
The deadline to tender a contract to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7:00pm CT. Here’s a rundown of fairly minor players on National League teams who have been non-tendered today. This post will be updated as more decisions are revealed. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for all players eligible for arbitration last month.
All players who are non-tendered before this evening’s deadline go directly into free agency without being placed on waivers. They’ll be eligible to sign with any of the league’s 30 teams. It’s not uncommon to see non-tendered players almost immediately return to their previous organization on a minor league deal.
The transactions:
Latest Moves
- The Giants non-tendered pitchers Thomas Szapucki, José Cruz and Cole Waites, reports Maria Guardado of MLB.com (X link). None of that trio had been eligible for arbitration.
- No team had a higher percentage of non-tenders than the Braves, who cut seven players loose. As reported by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (on X), they’re moving on from pitchers Yonny Chirinos, Kolby Allard, Penn Murfee, Angel Perdomo and Michael Tonkin, catcher Chadwick Tromp and infielder Luke Williams. Murfee and Perdomo were recently claimed off waivers.
- San Diego’s non-tenders are covered here.
Earlier
- The Reds have non-tendered relievers Derek Law and Reiver Sanmartin. Cincinnati also confirmed the previously reported non-tender of Nick Senzel.
- In addition to Rowdy Tellez and Brandon Woodruff, the Brewers have non-tendered right-hander J.C. Mejía. He failed a PED test in September, the second such result of his career, and was suspended for 162 games.
- Former Rookie of the Year winner Kyle Lewis was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks. He played in only 16 games after being acquired from the Mariners last offseason.
- The Cubs non-tendered relievers Ethan Roberts, Brandon Hughes and Codi Heuer. All three are recovering from surgeries.
- Right-hander Tommy Doyle was non-tendered by the Rockies. Colorado designated him for assignment when acquiring Cal Quantrill this morning.
- The Cardinals have non-tendered catcher Andrew Knizner, first baseman Juan Yepez and starting pitchers Jake Woodford and Dakota Hudson. St. Louis reportedly tried to deal Hudson this afternoon but evidently did not find a taker.
- The Mets have non-tendered relievers Jeff Brigham, Sam Coonrod and Trevor Gott. New York also cut loose infielder Luis Guillorme and confirmed the reported non-tender of Dan Vogelbach.
- Left-hander Josh Fleming was non-tendered by the Phillies, the team announced. Philadelphia just snagged the southpaw off waivers from the Rays a few weeks ago.
- The Marlins have non-tendered catcher Jacob Stallings and infielder Garrett Hampson, per a club announcement. Stallings spent two seasons as the primary catcher after being acquired from the Pirates at the 2021-22 offseason. Hampson signed a minor league deal with the Fish last season.
- The Pirates non-tendered Osvaldo Bido and Hunter Stratton, tweets Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Neither had yet been eligible for arbitration. Both right-handers made their big league debuts in 2023; Mackey suggests the Bucs will try to bring them back on minor league pacts.
- The Nationals announced they’ve non-tendered first baseman Dominic Smith and right-hander Cory Abbott. Both players were designated for assignment earlier in the week, making this an inevitability.