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Dale Thayer

Braves Release Dale Thayer

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Less than two weeks after signing reliever Dale Thayer to a minor league contract, the Braves have announced the release of the right-hander. Prior to his brief stint in the Braves organization, Thayer spent a month with the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate before opting out of his deal with Los Angeles on May 3. He’ll now look for work again after totaling just 1 1/3 innings with the Braves’ Triple-A team.

In his latest taste of big league action, the 35-year-old logged 37 2/3 innings with a 4.06 ERA, 5.97 K/9 and 3.58 BB/9 as a member of the Padres last season. That was Thayer’s fourth year with the Friars, whom he joined in 2012. He previously racked up major league experience with the Rays and Mets. All told, Thayer has pitched to a respectable 3.47 ERA, with a 7.62 K/9 and 2.36 BB/9, in 251 1/2 major league innings.

With just over four years of MLB service time on his ledger, Thayer will still be controllable through arbitration if he lands elsewhere.

Braves Sign Dale Thayer

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The Braves signed righty Dale Thayer to a minor league deal, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.  The 35-year-old was outrighted off the Padres’ roster last summer and chose free agency, signing a minor league deal with the Dodgers during the offseason but then opting out of that deal earlier this month.  Thayer is represented by O’Connell Sports Management.

Thayer is coming off a bit of a down year in 2015, though he posted a 3.19 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 3.05 K/BB over 225 2/3 relief innings with the Padres over the last four seasons.  He has been effective against hitters on both sides of the plate over his career, limiting right-handed batters to a .666 OPS and left-handed bats to a .720 OPS.  Thayer should have an opportunity to pitch his way into the Braves’ bullpen, given that Atlanta relievers have a combined 4.51 ERA this season, the fifth-worst such mark in the majors.

Dale Thayer Opts Out Of Dodgers Deal

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Veteran righty Dale Thayer has opted out of his minor league contract with the Dodgers, MLBTR has learned. The 35-year-old reliever is represented by O’Connell Sports Management.

After receiving inconsistent MLB opportunities earlier in his career, Thayer established himself as a reliable member of the Padres’ pen in 2012. Over the next four years, he contributed 225 2/3 innings of 3.19 ERA pitching to San Diego, with 7.9 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9.

Thayer experienced a bit of a dip last year, as his strikeouts dropped and walks trended up. He ended up with a 4.06 ERA in 37 2/3 frames while also spending some time at Triple-A. But his velocity remained in line with recent years and his brief minor league tenure was successful. Thus far in 2016, pitching at the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, Thayer has a strong 10:2 K:BB ratio over eight innings, but he’s also allowed six earned runs on 16 hits.

Several organizations around baseball have struggled to find good innings from their middle relievers, so it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Thayer land another big league opportunity before long. Having entered the season with just over four years of MLB service on his ledger, Thayer also can be controlled via arbitration.

Dodgers Sign Dale Thayer To Minors Contract

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The Dodgers have signed right-hander Dale Thayer to a minor league deal, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports (via Twitter).  Thayer became a free agent earlier this week when he opted out of a previous minor league contract with the Orioles.  The righty is represented by O’Connell Sports Management.

2015 was a tough season for Thayer, as he posted a 4.06 ERA in 37 2/3 innings while posting the highest walk rate (3.6 BB/9) and lowest strikeout rate (6.0 K/9) of his career over a full season.  He was outrighted off the Padres’ 40-man roster in August and he elected free agency after the season.

Thayer posted some strong numbers out of San Diego’s bullpen from 2012-14, including a 3.02 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 3.46 K/BB rate over 188 innings.  He spent his first two MLB seasons in Tampa Bay, so he’s a known quantity to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.  L.A. already has a pretty solid complement of right-handed relievers, though the club can probably use all the bullpen help it can get given the injuries in the rotation.

Dale Thayer Opts Out Of Orioles Contract

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Veteran right-handed reliever Dale Thayer has opted out of his minor league deal with the Orioles, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes has learned. Thayer is now a free agent. He allowed three runs and struck out six batters in six spring innings.

Thayer had an uphill battle for a roster spot in a relatively well-defined Orioles bullpen. Top candidates for relief jobs include Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Mychal Givens, Brian Matusz, Brad Brach, Vance Worley, T.J. McFarland, Odrisamer Despaigne, and out-of-options prospect Dylan Bundy. Those names only represent the most established options, making Thayer a long shot to crack the roster. For example, Zach Phillips was recently signed as an insurance policy to banged up southpaw Matusz.

Thayer struggled to a 4.06 ERA with 5.97 K/9 and 3.58 BB/9 with the Padres in 2015. He was remarkably better in previous seasons including a 2.34 ERA with 8.54 K/9 and 2.20 BB/9 in 2014. Over the course of his career, he’s posted respectable rates – a 3.47 ERA, 7.62 K/9, and 2.36 BB/9 over 251 innings.

Orioles Sign Dale Thayer To Minors Deal

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The Orioles have added veteran righty Dale Thayer on a minor league contract, his representatives at O’Connell Sports Management announced on Twitter. He’ll receive an invitation to major league camp in the deal.

Thayer, 35, ran up excellent results in his first three years with the Padres after receiving only minimal prior MLB opportunities. Over 2011-14, he worked to a 3.02 ERA with 8.3 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 across 188 frames.

But the righty couldn’t maintain that trajectory after finally earning his first arbitration payday last year. He managed only 37 2/3 frames before being designated and outrighted. Thayer’s 4.06 ERA was hardly a disaster, but there was obvious cause for concern as he fell off to 6.0 strikeouts and 3.6 walks per nine.

Baltimore will presumably slot the veteran into a competition for a middle relief role. He’ll look to earn a spot in a pen that could draw from an interesting pool of names this spring, including players like the rehabbing Dylan Bundy, emergent Mychal Givens, resurgent Brad Brach, and swingman Vance Worley.

Elected Free Agency: Gee, Thayer, Gillaspie, Pestano

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Several players with significant big league service time have elected free agency since the conclusion of the regular season. Per baseball’s collective bargaining agreement, players with more than three years of Major League service time that have been outrighted off a 40-man roster have the right to elect free agency at season’s end.

This list — not to be confused with our full list of 2015-16 free agents (which has been updated to include these names) — represents some of the players that would’ve been arbitration eligible following the season and were regular or fairly regular contributors recently but now find themselves on the open market after being outrighted…

  • Dillon Gee: The right-hander opened the season in the Mets’ rotation, and the possibility of trading him loomed large in Spring Training and early in the regular season. Instead, Gee was designated for assignment after eight appearances (seven starts) and a 5.90 ERA this season. Of course, Gee’s FIP and xFIP marks were mostly in line with his career numbers, and he was plagued by factors like a .355 BABIP and a fluky 63 percent strand rate. Gee would eventually clear waivers and be outrighted, due in large part to his $5.3MM salary. His struggles continued, to some extent, in Triple-A, where he logged a 4.58 ERA in 88 1/3 innings, though that performance comes with the caveat that the Pacific Coast League is an incredibly hitter-friendly environment. Gee has less than five years of Major League service, so any team signing him this winter could control him for two seasons. He’s a nice bounceback candidate for a team in need of help at the back of its rotation.
  • Dale Thayer: The elder statesman of the players listed here, the 34-year-old Thayer was designated and outrighted earlier this season when the Padres signed Bud Norris. Thayer worked to a reasonable 4.06 ERA in 37 2/3 innings this season, but his 6.0 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 rates were significant departures from his previous seasons, perhaps a portent for less desirable results. However, Thayer was an effective member of the San Diego ’pen from 2012-14, notching a 3.02 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 with eight saves — he briefly served as closer whilst Huston Street was injured in 2012 — across 188 innings. Thayer, too, has four-plus years of service and would be controllable for two seasons upon signing.
  • Conor Gillaspie: The White Sox’ regular third baseman from 2013 through the first half of 2015, Gillaspie looked the part of at least a serviceable platoon option at the hot corner until a dismal start to the most recent season. Designated for assignment by the Sox then acquired by the Angels, Gillaspie would again be designated in Anaheim and eventually outrighted. He hit just .228/.269/.359 this season between the two clubs, but he managed a solid, if unspectacular .265/.322/.404 line from 2013-14 in Chicago. Those numbers are almost identical to his lifetime .266/.325/.410 line versus right-handed pitching, suggesting that the 28-year-old can help a big league roster in a platoon capacity. At 28 years old, he has three-plus years of service and would be controllable for three seasons.
  • Vinnie Pestano: The Angels designated and outrighted the former Cleveland setup ace struggled through 11 2/3 innings in the Majors this year. Pestano, who lost his grip on regular setup work in 2014, posted a 5.40 ERA with 13 strikeouts but eight walks (two intentional) in the Majors this season. However, he was a dominant setup man in Cleveland from 2011-12 and has posted serviceable big league numbers and strong Triple-A marks since. With a lifetime 1.97 ERA, 11.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in his Triple-A career, a reasonable amount of big league success and two years of team control remaining, Pestano could be a nice buy-low candidate for teams seeking low-cost bullpen help
  • Hector Noesi: Last season, Noesi stepped into the White Sox rotation and soaked up 166 innings with a 4.39 ERA. The 2015 campaign didn’t go as smoothly, however, as his 6.89 ERA in 32 2/3 innings ultimately served as reason for a DFA and an outright assignment. Noesi will turn 29 in January and has three years of team control remaining for any team that feels it can get him back to the fourth/fifth starter he looked like for much of the 2014 season.

Full lists of players that have declared free agency following a 2015 outright assignment can be seen on the transactions pages for the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and International League.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/18/15

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • Lefty Chris Capuano accepted an outright assignment with the Yankees yesterday, as Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees Blog tweeted, but the club has already announced Capuano’s recall today. The Yanks’ staff was stretched when starter Bryan Mitchell left early last night after taking a scary comebacker off of his head. Capuano, who signed a $5MM free agent deal with New York over the offseason, will return to the open market after 2015.
  • The Padres have outrighted right-hander Dale Thayer, the club announced. Thayer was designated recently when the club signed fellow righty Bud Norris to join its pen. He has struggled this year, but does have an impressive track record in recent campaigns since making a late-career breakout. Over 65 1/3 innings last season, Thayer worked to a 2.34 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9. He is earning $1.38MM this year and can be controlled for two more seasons via arbitration.

Padres Sign Bud Norris; Designate Dale Thayer, Taylor Lindsey

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The Padres have signed righty Bud Norris, according to a team announcement. San Diego also selected the contract of righty Colin Rea and designated reliever Dale Thayer and infielder Taylor Lindsey for assignment to create roster space, according to Scott Miller of Bleacher Nation (via Twitter) and MLB.com’s Corey Brock (Twitter link).

Norris, 30, was recently designated and released by the Orioles. He owns a 7.05 ERA over 66 1/3 innings on the year, with 6.8 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9. Baltimore will pay the balance of Norris’s $8.8MM salary on the year, less a pro-rated portion of the league minimum for whatever time he spends on the Padres’ active roster.

Of course, the Friars will hope for more from Norris, who threw 342 frames over the past two seasons with much better results. Over that span, he permitted 3.92 earned runs per nine while averaging 7.5 K/9 versus 3.1 BB/9. He’ll look to regain some value before hitting free agency again after the season, but he’ll have to do so from the bullpen. Padres GM A.J. Preller confirmed that will be Norris’s role, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets, explaining: “We’re intrigued in a shorter role, to see how his stuff plays up for the rest of the year.”

San Diego will also see what it has in the 25-year-old Rea, who has steadily climbed the system after originally being selected in the 12th round. This year, he carries a 1.95 ERA across 101 2/3 innings in the upper minors, though he has not performed as well in his time at the Triple-A level (26 2/3 innings over six starts with 6.8 K/9 vs. 4.0 BB/9).

Thayer, 34, entered the season coming off of three straight strong campaigns in San Diego. Last year was his best: 65 1/3 innings with a 2.34 ERA and 8.5 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9. While Thayer outperformed the expectations of ERA estimators over that span, he seemed at worst to be a steady middle reliever.

But this season has been different. Over 37 2/3 innings, Thayer has posted a 4.06 ERA that actually seems somewhat lucky in light of his peripherals. He has seen his strikeout rate drop to less than six per nine while allowing over three-and-a-half batters to reach for every nine innings pitched.

As for Lindsey, he came to San Diego as a key part of last year’s Huston Street deal. The 23-year-old former first-round pick has scuffled in the upper minors since joining the Padres organization. Splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A this year, Lindsey owns a .197/.294/.298 slash with four home runs and four steals over 272 plate appearances.

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