Eight 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 or MLB.com logs.
Catchers
- Aramis Garcia (Phillies)
Infielders
- Abraham Toro (A’s)
Pitchers
- Brandon Bielak (A’s)
- Caleb Boushley (Twins)
- Jake Brentz (Royals)
- Humberto Castellanos (Diamondbacks)
- Domingo Germán (Pirates)
- Jeff Lindgren (Marlins)
Phillies Outright Aramis Garcia
The Phillies announced that catcher Aramis Garcia, who was designated for assignment a couple of days ago, has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He has the right to elect free agency but it’s not yet clear if he has chosen to do so.
Garcia, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in the offseason. He got into 74 games at the Triple-A level but without much to show for it. He did hit eight home runs and steal six bases but he only walked 4.4% of the time and was punched out at a 35.6% rate. His overall batting line was .163/.219/.287.
Despite those rough results, the Phils needed an extra catcher earlier this month. J.T. Realmuto had fouled a ball of his knee and needed to take a few days off, leaving Garrett Stubbs as the club’s primary catcher, at least temporarily. Rafael Marchán is also on the club’s 40-man but was dealing with a shoulder impingement recently, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic on X. Garcia was selected to the roster to back up Stubbs and got into three games, going hitless in seven plate appearances, striking out three times. As Realmuto got past his knee injury, Garcia became expendable and was nudged off the roster.
Garcia has never hit much in his career. In addition to his stint with the Phils this year, he has also suited up for the Giants, Athletics and Reds in previous seasons. He currently sports a batting line of .211/.248/.325 in 327 big league plate appearances. But his defense is fairly well regarded, making him a capable depth option despite the lackluster bat.
Players with at least three years of service time or a previous career outright have the right to reject outright assignments and elect free agency. Garcia qualifies on both counts and can return to the open market. However, at this stage of the calendar, he might decide to simply stay with the Phils. He wouldn’t be postseason eligible with any other club, while playing playoff games with the Phils could be possible if either Realmuto or Stubbs get hurt in the coming weeks.
If he isn’t selected in the coming weeks, he would be eligible for free agency in the offseason. That’s the case for all players with at least three years of service time who are outrighted off a 40-man roster during the campaign and not re-selected before the winter.
Phillies Activate Alec Bohm, Designate Aramis Garcia For Assignment
The Phillies announced this morning that they’ve activated third baseman Alec Bohm from the 10-day injured list. Catcher Aramis Garcia was designated for assignment to make room for Bohm on the club’s active roster. Bohm was previously expected to return to action later this week but will now join the team ahead of schedule, batting fifth in today’s starting lineup.
Bohm, 28, has been on the injured list for just over two weeks due to a hand strain. The third baseman has enjoyed something of a breakout season this year, slashing .290/.343/.462 with a 122 wRC+ that stands as the best of his career over a full season. He’s also made major strides defensively at third base, developing from a fringe defender at the position (+1 Outs Above Average, -9 Defensive Runs Saved) in 2023 to a well above average glove (+6 Outs Above Average, +1 Defensive Runs Saved) at the hot corner this year. In all, Bohm’s steps forward on both sides of the ball this year have made him the fourth most valuable third baseman in the sport by fWAR in 2024 behind only Jose Ramirez, Matt Chapman, and Rafael Devers.
As the Phillies wrap up the regular season with an eye toward their third consecutive playoff appearance, the club is surely hoping that Bohm will be at full strength going forward. The infielder began to slump a bit in the weeks leading up to his placement on the injured list, with a lackluster .232/.283/.304 slash line over his final 15 games before being placed on the shelf. With that said, even a somewhat diminished version of Bohm would be a substantial improvement for the Phillies going forward, as an injury to Edmundo Sosa shortly after Bohm’s own injury left the club to cobble together a solution at third base between Kody Clemens, Weston Wilson, and Buddy Kennedy. That experiment hasn’t gone over well, as that trio has slashed a collective .107/.167/.143 since Sosa was placed on the IL earlier this month.
As for Garcia, the 31-year-old has participated in parts of five big league seasons since making his MLB debut with the Giants back in 2018, primarily acting as a reserve catcher who fills in for clubs facing injuries. His longest stint in the majors was with the Reds back in 2022, when he hit a lackluster .213/.248/.259 in 115 trips to the plate across 47 games. Overall, Garcia is a career .211/.248/.325 hitter in the majors. He was added to the Phillies’ roster last week to provide some depth behind Garrett Stubbs while J.T. Realmuto was out of commission due to a day-to-day injury. Realmuto has returned to the lineup in recent days, however, rendering Garcia’s continued presence on the roster unnecessary.
Phillies Outright Nick Nelson
September 11: Philadelphia announced this evening that Nelson again cleared waivers and was outrighted back to Lehigh Valley. There’s no indication that he’ll elect free agency, though he’ll be a minor league free agent at the end of the year unless the Phils call him back up.
September 7: The Phillies announced a quartet of roster moves in advance of their game with the Marlins, as catcher Aramis Garcia is joining the big league roster after his contract was selected from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Right-hander Jose Cuas is also joining the organization on a waiver claim from the Blue Jays and has been assigned to Triple-A. In corresponding moves, Philadelphia designated right-hander Nick Nelson for assignment and placed infielder Rodolfo Castro on the 60-day injured list. Castro was first called up from Triple-A before the IL placement, and it was already known that his season would be over after he tore a thumb ligament at the end of August.
Garcia is back in the Show to give the Phillies some extra catching depth since J.T. Realmuto is a little banged up. Manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer) that Realmuto will need “a couple of days” to rest up after fouling a ball off his knee in yesterday’s game, but the Phils don’t think Realmuto will need to visit the 10-day injured list. Garcia and Garrett Stubbs will therefore handle catching duties for what the team hopes is just a short time until Realmuto is feeling better.
This is the second time this season that Cuas has changed teams via the waiver wire, as the Blue Jays claimed him off the Cubs’ roster back in June. Cuas tossed three innings across four appearances for Toronto before the Jays DFA’ed him earlier this week, and the righty has a rough 7.71 ERA in 16 1/3 total innings this season with the Blue Jays and Cubs. It has been a big step down from the 3.84 ERA Cuas posted over 103 innings with the Royals and Cubs during the 2022-23 seasons, and even that respectable number was undermined by some shaky secondary metrics.
Control problems have contributed to Cuas’ struggles in both the majors and minors this year, as he has a 6.67 ERA across 27 combined Triple-A frames. Still missing a lot of bats despite those walks, the Phillies will take a look at Cuas and his plus sweeper, and Cuas will essentially replace Nelson as a depth arm.
Nelson was also designated for assignment last month before he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Lehigh Valley. This prior outright means that Nelson can now decline another outright assignment in favor of free agency, if he is perhaps looking for a fresh start after three seasons with the Phillies. He pitched 68 2/3 innings over 47 appearances with Philadelphia in 2022 but he has made just five MLB appearances since, totaling 10 2/3 frames at the big league level. A couple of injuries contributed to some of Nelson’s missed time on the Phils’ roster, but the club seemed to just view Nelson as a depth pitcher, first as a starter in 2023 and then back to relief work this season.
Phillies Sign Aramis Garcia To Minor League Deal
The Phillies announced Thursday that they’ve invited three catchers to spring training as non-roster invitees: Aramis Garcia, Cody Roberts and Jack Conley. Conley was already in the system as a 2018 draftee, and Roberts was plucked from the Orioles in the minor league phase of this year’s Rule 5 draft. Garcia, however, was a free agent, meaning he’s inked a minor league deal with Philadelphia.
Garcia, 30, is the only member of this catching trio with big league experience. He’s appeared in parts of four MLB seasons between the Giants, Reds and A’s, batting a combined .216/.253/.332 in 320 trips to the plate. He spent the entire 2022 season with Cincinnati, logging most of his action in the Majors as the Reds dealt with injuries to Tyler Stephenson and cycled through a carousel of options behind the dish. Garcia has a solid 28% caught-stealing rate in his limited MLB action, and he’s turned in above-average framing grades as well, per FanGraphs.
In all likelihood, Garcia will be ticketed for Triple-A with the Phils, who have J.T. Realmuto entrenched as the starter behind the dish. Backup Garrett Stubbs, meanwhile, turned in an excellent .264/.350/.462 slash as Realmuto’s primary backup, placing him among the most productive backup catchers in the sport.
The Phillies have a well-regarded third option on the 40-man roster in young Rafael Marchan, but they traded Donny Sands to the Tigers in the swap that brought Gregory Soto to Philadelphia, thinning out their catching depth in the process. Garcia will join John Hicks as a non-roster invitee with big league experience, but it’d likely require an injury or two for either to force his way into the mix for an Opening Day roster spot.
Orioles, Jake Cave Avoid Arbitration
The Orioles announced that they have agreed to terms with outfielder Jake Cave on a contract for 2023. The financials of the deal are not yet publicly known. Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports that it’s a split contract, meaning Cave’s salary will be dependent on how much time he spends in the majors. Additionally, the club announced that right-hander Chris Ellis and catcher Aramis Garcia both rejected an outright assignment and elected free agency.
Cave, 30 next month, was originally drafted by the Yankees but was traded to the Twins before making his major league debut. He spent at least some time with the Twins in each of the past five seasons. His first few campaigns were quite encouraging, as Cave hit .262/.329/.466 over 2018 and 2019, producing a wRC+ of 111. It’s been a rough go since then, however, with Cave’s line dropping to .206/.262/.351 since the start of 2020. That amounts to a wRC+ of only 70 in that stretch.
Cave was outrighted in the 2021-22 offseason and spent most of his time in Triple-A before being selected back to the bigs in August. He had encouraging results for St. Paul, hitting .273/.370/.509 for a wRC+ of 130 in 85 games, though he wasn’t able to bring that up to the big league team.
Nonetheless, Baltimore must have been intrigued, as they grabbed Cave off waivers in mid-October. That was after the season was done, meaning Cave has yet to suit up for the O’s. He was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a salary around $1.2MM, though he and the club will steer clear of a hearing by agreeing to a figure well ahead of time.
Cave still has one option year remaining, which it seems the O’s intend to use given the split nature of his deal. The current Baltimore outfield consists of Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, Anthony Santander and Kyle Stowers. The club also has a highly-regarded outfield prospect in Colton Cowser, who finished 2022 at Triple-A and could be ready for an MLB debut in 2023. In order to accommodate Cowser, it’s possible that the O’s swing a trade of one of their existing outfielders. Since prospects often take some time adjusting to MLB pitching, it’s sound strategy to have an experienced depth option like Cave on hand. Stowers also has just 34 games in the big leagues on his ledger and isn’t a lock to hold down a job going forward, adding another reason to prioritize a depth option.
As for Ellis and Garcia, they were each outrighted off Baltimore’s roster on the weekend but were eligible to elect free agency. In Garcia’s case, he has more than three years of MLB service time whereas Ellis qualified for free agency by having a previous career outright.
Orioles Outright Aramis Garcia and Chris Ellis
The Orioles have announced that they have outrighted catcher Aramis Garcia and pitcher Chris Ellis to Triple-A Norfolk. They now have 39 players on their 40-man roster.
Garcia was claimed from the Reds on October 15th, and quickly passed through the Orioles’ waivers. He was projected to earn only $800K during his first trip through arbitration, but Cincinnati opted to cut him loose with Tyler Stephenson entrenched as the team’s primary catcher. Garcia dealt with a left middle finger sprain during the 2022 season that forced him to the 60-day injured list, limiting the former second-round pick to 47 games where he slashed a weak .213/.248/.259 with a single homer. The 29-year-old has a better track record in Triple-A, where he has hit .264/.329/.447 across parts of four seasons.
The Orioles primarily relied on a combination of Robinson Chirinos and Anthony Bemboom to supplement Adley Rutschman in 2022. With Chirinos’ impending free agency, it is likely that Garcia will join Bemboom in competing for a backup catcher position in the spring, with the defeated remaining a depth piece in Triple-A.
Ellis, a former third-round pick, underwent season-ending arthroscopic shoulder surgery in early May after dealing with shoulder inflammation. He struggled in his two starts this year, pitching only 4 1/3 innings and allowing 5 runs while walking 6 batters before being placed on the injured list. Ellis is arbitration-eligible after the 2024 season.
Nevertheless, Ellis had a strong start to his Orioles career in 2021 after being waived by the Rays. With the Birds, he made six starts (25 1/3 innings) and pitched to a 2.49 ERA. However, advanced metrics weren’t so bullish, giving Ellis a high 5.22 FIP due in part to his low 15.2% strikeout rate and a high 12.4% walk rate. Additionally, Ellis has a career 6.02 ERA in 318 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level across parts of six seasons.
Orioles Designate Louis Head, Beau Sulser; Claim Aramis Garcia, Mark Kolozsvary
The Orioles have added to their catching depth with a pair of waiver claims from the Reds, acquiring backstops Aramis Garcia and Mark Kolozsvary. To create roster space, Baltimore has designated right-handers Louis Head and Beau Sulser for assignment.
Both Sulser and Head were themselves acquired via the waiver wire in 2022, with the former obtained from the Pirates in May and the latter from Miami in July. Neither saw much action in an Orioles uniform, with Sulser pitching 12 2/3 MLB innings for the O’s and Head only five frames. Those 12 2/3 innings for Sulser marked his Major League debut, as he pitched in four games with Pittsburgh before moving onto six more appearances with Baltimore.
The younger brother of former Orioles hurler Cole Sulser, Beau worked his way up to the big leagues after being a 10-round pick for the Pirates in the 2017 draft. Though the Pirates gave the righty a long look at a starter at Triple-A in 2021, Sulser has pitched only as a reliever in his brief MLB career. Sulser has a 4.12 ERA over 373 1/3 career innings in the minors, with an improved strikeout rate in 2022 as he made the move back to mostly relief pitching.
Head made his Major League debut in 2021, posting a 2.31 ERA over 35 innings out of the Rays’ bullpen. Seemingly the latest product of Tampa Bay’s nonstop pitching pipeline, Head spent an unusual amount of time moving up and down that pipeline, as the Rays sent the right-hander up and down from Triple-A on 12 different occasions. Acquired by the Marlins in an offseason trade, Head struggled to a 7.23 ERA over his 23 2/3 innings with Florida’s other team, though he seemed to right the ship with an 1.80 ERA in his brief time with the O’s.
The additions of Garcia and Kolozsvary give the Orioles six catchers on their 40-man roster — an unusually high number even for a team that didn’t have a surefire starter in Adley Rutschman. However, Robinson Chirinos is a free agent and Cam Gallagher is a non-tender candidate, so bringing more backstops into the fold gives the O’s some flexibility in deciding who will ultimately work as Rutschman’s backup in 2023. (Anthony Bemboom is the other catcher on the 40-man.)
A second-round pick for the Giants in the 2014 draft, Garcia spent much of his career in San Francisco’s organization before being claimed by the Rangers in November 2020. That move sparked a whirlwind of movement for the catcher, as the Oriole are now Garcia’s fifth different team within the last 23 months. Garcia has seen MLB action in four of the last five seasons, totaling 320 plate appearances over 116 games with the Giants (2018-19), Athletics (2021) and Reds (2022).
Other than an .800 OPS in his first 65 PA with San Francisco, Garcia hasn’t shown much at the bat, hitting .216/.253/.332 for his career against big league pitching. Injuries have played a significant role in Garcia’s career, as he missed all of 2020 recovering from hip surgery, and a finger sprain sent him to Cincinnati’s 60-day injured list last season. Garcia is projected to earn $800K in his first offseason for arbitration eligibility, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Orioles non-tendered him prior to the deadline, depending on the team’s other plans for its catchers or its 40-man roster space.
Kolozsvary was a seventh-round pick for the Reds in 2017, and today’s waiver claim marks the first organization change of his pro career. After hitting .215/.326/.343 in an even 1100 PA in the minors, Kolozsvary topped off his Reds tenure by making his Major League debut in 2022, appearing in 10 games.
Reds Designate Robert Dugger For Assignment
The Reds announced they’ve designated right-hander Robert Dugger, who had been on the 15-day injured list, for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to catcher Aramis Garcia, who was activated from the 60-day injured list. To clear a spot on the active roster, Cincinnati placed outfielder TJ Friedl on the 10-day IL due to a right hamstring strain.
Dugger has bounced on and off the roster a few times this season. He began the year in the Rays organization on a minor league deal. Promoted for a May spot start, he was designated for assignment thereafter and claimed off waivers by the Reds. The Reds shuttled him between Cincinnati and Triple-A Louisville for the next few months depending on their need for a depth arm capable of throwing multiple innings. Dugger is out of minor league option years, meaning Cincinnati had to DFA him each time they wanted to take him off the big league roster.
In each instance, the 27-year-old went unclaimed on waivers. He’s made three big league appearances with Cincinnati, allowing eight runs in 10 2/3 cumulative frames. Dugger has started seven of 14 outings with the Bats, pitching to a 4.65 ERA with an 18.1% strikeout percentage and a lofty 12.1% walk rate. That includes four rehab outings, as he’s worked his way back from a seemingly minor bout of shoulder soreness.
The Reds will place Dugger on waivers again in the coming days. Assuming he goes unclaimed, he’d have the right to refuse an outright assignment and test free agency. While he’s accepted each previous assignment to Louisville, he’s headed for minor league free agency at the end of the year if not on a 40-man roster. He’ll presumably find some non-roster invitations to Spring Training on the open market.
Garcia signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati last offseason. He earned the backup job behind Tyler Stephenson out of camp and was selected onto the big league roster. He’s only gotten into 46 games, though, with a sprained left middle finger costing him virtually all of the season’s second half. He’ll be active for the final two games but could find himself on the roster bubble this winter. Garcia has hit just .217/.252/.264 across 113 plate appearances during his first year in Cincinnati. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the first time during the offseason but is a clear non-tender candidate.
Reds Select Chuckie Robinson
The Reds have selected the contract of catcher Chuckie Robinson from Triple-A Louisville, per a club announcement. Fellow backstop Aramis Garcia was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Robinson, 27, will be making his Major League debut if he gets into tonight’s Field of Dreams game against the Cubs. That’s far from a given, as Cincinnati has a pair of catchers on the roster already: rookie Michael Papierski and veteran Austin Romine. Robinson has been tabbed as the Reds’ 27th man for tonight’s game — both teams are permitted one extra player — so it could be a brief stay on the roster for him.
Originally selected by the Astros in the 21st round of the 2016 draft, Robinson made his way to the Reds organization in the minor league phase of the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. Robinson posted solid numbers at the Double-A level in 2021-22 and ascended to the Triple-A ranks for the first time in his career earlier this summer. Overall, he’s hitting a combined .263/.318/.403 in 201 plate appearances this season. He’s connected on five homers, nine doubles and a triple while also going 4-for-6 in stolen base attempts. Defensively, he’s caught 26% of runners who’ve attempted to steal against him this season and carries a hefty 34% caught-stealing rate across parts of six minor league seasons.
Garcia landed on the injured list last month with a finger injury, and while x-rays initially came back negative, an additional set of scans eventually revealed a fracture. He could technically still return in the middle of next month — his original IL placement came on July 7 — but the team has yet to provide a formal timetable or say whether he’s expected to make it back this season.