Dodgers Sign Chris Vallimont To Minor League Deal
The Dodgers have signed right-hander Chris Vallimont to a minor league contract, as announced by Triple-A broadcaster Alex Freedman (X link). Vallimont is starting for the Dodgers’ top affiliate this evening.
A fifth-round pick of the Marlins in 2018, Vallimont has now been a part of five organizations in affiliated ball. He was traded to the Twins in 2019 and subsequently bounced to the Orioles and Guardians via waivers or minor trade. Vallimont’s only major league appearance came with Baltimore last July. The Guardians acquired from the O’s shortly thereafter but ran him through outright waivers without getting him into an MLB game.
The 27-year-old has struggled in the upper minors. Vallimont carries a 6.07 ERA in 123 Double-A frames and has allowed 5.46 earned runs per nine over 158 1/3 innings at the top minor league level. The Mercyhurst product has a decent 22% strikeout rate in his Triple-A career, though, and he’s coming off a strong showing in independent ball.
Vallimont, who elected minor league free agency last October, began this year with the Atlantic League’s York Revolution. He threw 27 1/3 innings over five starts, turning in a 3.29 ERA while striking out nearly 31% of batters faced. It seems he’ll work as rotation depth for the Dodgers and he has prior experience in long relief.
21 Players Elect Free Agency
With the offseason quickly approaching, a number of players elect minor league free agency on a regular basis. Separate from MLB free agents, who reach free agency five days after the World Series by accumulating six years of service time in the big leagues, eligible minor league players can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season comes to a close. Each of these players were outrighted off of their organization’s 40-man roster at some point during the season and either have been outrighted previously in their career or have the service time necessary to reach free agency since they were not added back to their former club’s rosters. For these players, reaching free agency is the expected outcome, and there will surely be more in the coming weeks. Here at MLBTR, we’ll provide occasional updates as players continue to elect minor league free agency.
Here is the next batch, courtesy of the transaction tracker at MiLB.com:
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
Pitchers
Guardians Outright Chris Vallimont
The Guardians have sent pitcher Chris Vallimont outright to Triple-A Columbus, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment on Monday when Cleveland claimed Ramón Laureano from Oakland.
Vallimont hasn’t thrown a big league pitch with the Guardians. His sole major league experience came last month as a member of the Orioles, when he recorded two outs in a scoreless appearance against the Yankees. Baltimore designated him for assignment shortly thereafter and sold his contract to Cleveland.
The 26-year-old righty has spent parts of five seasons in the minors. Split between four organizations — Minnesota, Miami, Baltimore and Cleveland — he owns a 4.97 ERA in 422 1/3 minor league frames. That includes a 5.65 mark between the O’s and Guardians’ Triple-A clubs in 2023. Vallimont has a serviceable 22.7% strikeout rate over that stretch, but a 12.7% walk rate is suggestive of strike-throwing concerns that have been present for much of his career.
This is the second time Vallimont has cleared waivers in his career. Baltimore outrighted him over the offseason before re-selecting his contract and then designating him again. Players with multiple career outrights have the right to test minor league free agency. It’s not clear whether Vallimont will do so or stick with Columbus and try to pitch his way back onto the MLB roster before season’s end.
Guardians Designate Chris Vallimont For Assignment
The Guardians announced this afternoon they’ve designated minor league right-hander Chris Vallimont for assignment. The move cleared a spot on the 40-man roster for outfielder Ramón Laureano, who was claimed off waivers from Oakland.
Vallimont, 26, landed in Cleveland in a cash trade with Baltimore a month ago. The Mercyhurst product didn’t make an appearance with the Guards. He spent the past month on optional assignment to Triple-A Columbus, working 10 1/3 innings over seven appearances. He allowed nine runs while walking eight and only striking out four.
The former fifth-round draftee had somewhat better numbers while pitching with the O’s top affiliate earlier in the season. He’d started seven of 10 outings there, pitching to a 5.02 ERA over 57 1/3 frames. Vallimont struck out almost 26% of batters faced with Baltimore’s top affiliate but walked over 12% of opponents. He made the lone big league appearance of his career to date for the O’s on July 3.
With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, Cleveland has to place Vallimont on waivers. He’s gone unclaimed once in his career already. As a result, he’d have the ability to declare minor league free agency if he clears the waiver wire this time around.
Guardians Acquire Chris Vallimont From Orioles
The Guardians have acquired right-hander Chris Vallimont from the Orioles in exchange for cash, per announcements from both clubs. Vallimont, who was designated for assignment by the Orioles yesterday, has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus. To open a spot on the 40-man roster for him, the Guardians transferred Triston McKenzie to the 60-day injured list.
Vallimont, 26, was added to the O’s roster on the weekend and made his major league debut, tossing two thirds of an inning on Monday before getting designated for assignment yesterday. Prior to getting called up to the majors, he tossed 57 1/3 innings over 14 Triple-A appearances, with eight of those being starts. He posted a 5.02 ERA in that time, striking out 25.8% of opponents but walking 12.1%.
That lack of control has been an ongoing issue for the righty, who walked 10.6% of minor league batters faced last year and 14.2% in 2021. But he’s generally gotten his share of strikeouts as well, which is surely what’s intrigued the Guardians.
It’s unclear if the Guards view Vallimont more as a starter or a reliever but he’ll give them some extra pitching depth regardless. Earlier today, they placed Cal Quantrill on the injured list, who joined Peyton Battenfield and McKenzie among Cleveland pitchers on the shelf. Vallimont still has a pair of options and just a few days of service time, meaning the club could potentially deploy him as an optionable depth piece for the rest of this year and another season, as long as he continues to hold onto his 40-man spot.
As for McKenzie, he’s already been on the injured list for a couple of weeks and isn’t close to a return. It was reported this week that he’s going to attempt to come back from his UCL sprain via non-surgical means, which will require a three-week shutdown period before he attempts to ramp back up again. He’ll now be officially ineligible to return until 60 days from his initial IL placement of June 17, which would be mid-August.
Orioles Designate Anthony Bemboom, Chris Vallimont
The Orioles announced Wednesday that they’ve designated catcher Anthony Bemboom and right-hander Chris Vallimont for assignment. They’ve also optioned outfielder Ryan McKenna to Triple-A Norfolk. In a pair of corresponding moves, Baltimore has selected the contracts of top outfielder prospect Colton Cowser (as previously reported) and righty Eduard Bazardo from Norfolk.
Bemboom, 33, has gone 2-for-11 with a pair of walks and a pair of strikeouts in limited big league time with the O’s this season. He’s a career .161/.236/.260 hitter in a small sample of 216 big league plate appearances but carries a more palatable .249/.342/.392 batting line in parts of seven Triple-A seasons — including a .278/.366/.389 output there in 2023. The O’s will have a week to trade Bemboom, release him or pass him through outright waivers.
Vallimont, 26, made his MLB debut a couple days ago when he pitched a scoreless two-thirds of an inning with a strikeout. The former Twins and Marlins prospect has had a tough go in the upper minors over the past two seasons, working to a combined 5.22 ERA in 129 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level. Minnesota designated Vallimont for assignment last summer, at which point Baltimore claimed him off waivers.
The O’s have already passed Vallimont through waivers once, back in January, and he remained with the club after going unclaimed. Since he’s now been outrighted previously in his career, Vallimont would have the right to reject any additional outright assignments in favor of free agency. The right-hander will be traded, placed on waivers or released in the coming week.
Cowser, 23, entered the season as a top-50 prospect in the sport, and the 2021 first-rounder has done nothing to dispel that optimism. In 56 games, he’s slashed .330/.459/.537 with 10 homers, 10 doubles, a triple and seven steals (in eight tries). He’s shown keen strike-zone recognition as well, drawing a walk in a massive 18.7% of his 257 plate appearances. He’s played all three outfield spots in the minors, and based on his pedigree, production and versatility, he should be expected to take on an everyday role with the O’s moving forward.
As for the 27-year-old Bazardo, this’ll be his third season with at least some big league experience. The righty appeared with the Red Sox in each of the past two seasons but only logged a combined 19 1/3 innings of relief work. He’s posted an impressive 2.33 ERA in that time, although his 18.2% strikeout rate is well below average. He does have a solid 7.8% walk rate in that time, however, and Bazardo has been sharp in Triple-A this year: 33 1/3 innings, 3.51 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 27.7% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate.
Orioles Select Chris Vallimont, Mychal Givens Moved To 60-Day IL
The Orioles have selected the contract of right-hander Chris Vallimont from Triple-A. In corresponding moves, left-hander Bruce Zimmermann was optioned to Triple-A, while Mychal Givens was moved to the 60-day injured list to create space on the 40-man roster.
Givens signed a one-year, $5MM free agent deal with Baltimore during the offseason, returning to the O’s after pitching with the team from 2015-20. However, the comeback has still barely begun, as Givens has been limited to four innings over six appearances (and an 11.25 ERA) due to injuries. Some inflammation in Givens’ left knee arose during Spring Training, which led to an IL placement on Opening Day and delayed his season debut until May 21. Givens then went back on the 15-day IL on June 1 due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder, and the shift to the 60-day IL means that he won’t be eligible to return until August at the earliest.
While Givens had started a rehab assignment, he was scratched from what would’ve been his fifth outing last week, and underwent further examination. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said the team wasn’t overly concerned with the situation, but obviously Givens has been set back enough that he might need to entirely restart his rehab work, thus extending his time on the IL.
Vallimont is now on the verge of making his MLB debut after five pro seasons. The righty was a fifth-round pick for the Marlins in the 2018 draft, and was traded to the Twins in 2019 before Baltimore claimed him off waivers from Minnesota in May 2022.
The results have been mixed at best for Vaillmont in the upper minors, as he has a 6.07 ERA over 123 career innings at Double-A and a 5.22 ERA in 129 1/3 frames of Triple-A ball. A starter for much of his career, the Orioles have used him as a starter in eight games in Norfolk and as a long reliever on six other occasions. Since the Orioles’ bullpen has seen a lot of work over the team’s last two games, Vaillmont’s selection is likely a way to get a fresh arm into the relief corps. After Thursday’s off-day, the O’s play every day until the All-Star break, so Vaillmont might get some chances to chew up any stray innings and turn some heads in his first stint in the big leagues.
Orioles Outright Chris Vallimont
The Orioles announced this afternoon that righty Chris Vallimont has gone unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment last week. He was assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk.
Vallimont, 26 in March, has yet to reach the major league level. A former Marlins draftee, he was dealt to the Twins in the 2019 deal that sent Lewin Díaz to Miami. Minnesota selected Vallimont onto their 40-man roster over the 2021-22 offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He was assigned to Double-A Wichita to start last season but struggled, allowing 24 runs through his first 19 innings. Minnesota took him off the 40-man and he landed with Baltimore after being snagged off waivers.
The O’s sent him directly to Norfolk. Vallimont started 12 of his 16 appearances for the Tides, putting up a 5.38 ERA across 72 frames. His 21.3% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk percentage were solid enough but he had a tough time stranding runners. Baltimore never recalled him for his MLB debut and took him off the 40-man when acquiring Ryan O’Hearn (whom they promptly designated for assignment to claim Díaz off waivers in a full-circle move).
This is the first career outright for Vallimont. He doesn’t have the right to refuse the assignment, so he’ll stick in the organization without occupying a 40-man roster spot. He could still be in camp as a non-roster Spring Training invitee and is likely to head to Norfolk to start the season as rotation depth.
Orioles Acquire Ryan O’Hearn From Royals
The Orioles have acquired first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn from the Royals in exchange for cash considerations, per announcements from both clubs. O’Hearn had recently been designated for assignment by the Royals. In order to open up a spot on the 40-man roster, the O’s designated right-hander Chris Vallimont for assignment.
O’Hearn, 29, will join a new organization for the first time in his career, as he was drafted by the Royals in 2014 and has been with them until today. He made his way to the majors by 2018 and had a tremendous debut in that season. He was selected to the club’s roster at the end of July and got into 44 games over the latter months of that campaign. He hit 12 home runs in that brief spell and produced a batting line of .262/.353/.597, with his 153 wRC+ indicating he was 53 percent better than league average in that time.
However, the subsequent four seasons have increasingly made that look like a mirage. From the beginning of 2019 to the present, O’Hearn has hit 26 home runs in 298 games and slashed .211/.282/.351, producing a wRC+ of just 68. That production was 32 percent below the league average hitter in that time but was especially disappointing given his defensive limitations. O’Hearn is primarily a first baseman who has occasionally seen time in the outfield corners. Since those positions come with higher expectations for offensive production, a tepid showing like O’Hearn’s was increasingly untenable.
The Royals had already tendered O’Hearn a contract for 2023, avoiding arbitration by agreeing to a $1.4MM salary for 2023. However, once they made their signing of Jordan Lyles official, they designated O’Hearn for assignment and have now sent him to Baltimore. For the O’s, they’ve been busy trying to add left-handed first baseman and/or corner outfielders for most of the offseason. They’ve signed Nomar Mazara and Franchy Cordero to minor league deals and also claimed Lewin Díaz off waivers, though they later designated Díaz for assignment and traded him to the Braves. A similar situation played out with Jake Cave, who was claimed off waivers from the Twins but then lost to the Phillies on a subsequent waiver claim.
The O’s are set to have right-hander Ryan Mountcastle as their primary first baseman in 2023 but they seem to be hoping to find a left-handed option to give manager Brandon Hyde some options in setting his lineups. O’Hearn certainly has noticeable splits in his career, as he’s hit just just .169/.244/.257 against lefties. He’s been much better the rest of the time, with a .228/.302/.414 line, though that’s still below average with his wRC+ coming in at 90 against righties. Regardless, the O’s will take a shot on him and see if they can get O’Hearn to take a step forward. He has one option year remaining and could therefore be sent to the minors for a time for some extra at-bats down there. FanGraphs calculates his service time at 4.002 right now, meaning he can be retained for 2024 via arbitration, though a significant stint in the minors would prevent him from reaching the five-year service mark this year and give the club an extra year of control beyond that.
As for Vallimont, 26 in March, he has yet to make his major league debut. Drafted by the Marlins, he was traded to the Twins in 2019 and got added to Minnesota’s roster in November of 2021 to protect against selection in the Rule 5 draft. He had just finished a season in which he posted a 6.03 ERA over 21 starts in Double-A, but with a huge 31.1 percent strikeout rate. He also walked 14.6 percent of the batters he faced, but the Twins were intrigued enough to give him a roster spot.
In 2022, he returned to Double-A and posted a huge 9.95 ERA over his first seven appearances and was designated for assignment in May. The O’s grabbed him off waivers sent him to their own Double-A affiliate and saw him turn things around for a time. He registered an ERA of 0.69 over three starts and got sent up to Triple-A. However, the new level proved a challenge for him, as he ran up a 5.38 ERA the rest of the way. The O’s will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Vallimont still has a couple of option years and could interest teams that are looking for some pitching depth.
Orioles Claim Chris Vallimont From Twins
The Orioles announced that right-hander Chris Vallimont has been claimed off waivers from the Twins. Vallimont was designated for assignment by Minnesota earlier this week. To open up a 40-man roster spot, Baltimore moved Alexander Wells (who is recovering from a UCL strain) to the 60-day injured list.
Vallimont was assigned to the Orioles’ Double-A affiliate, and the righty has a 6.71 ERA over 110 innings at the Double-A level in the Twins organization. The Marlins selected Vallimont in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, then swapped him along with Sergio Romo in the July 2019 trade that sent Lewin Diaz to Miami. After a solid 2019 season, Vallimont didn’t play in 2020 due to the canceled minor league campaign, and has since struggled in his return to the field.
A lack of control has been Vallimont’s biggest problem, as he has an ugly 15.85% walk rate over his 110 Double-A innings. However, the righty’s 28.3% strikeout rate surely caught Baltimore’s attention, and his Vallimont’s potential as reliever. Vallimont has started 62 of his 64 career games in the pros, and if he can’t get on track as a starting pitcher, his ability to miss bats could play well out of a bullpen.