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Daniel Robertson

Braves, Daniel Robertson Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Braves are signing infielder Daniel Robertson to a minor league contract, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). The MVP Sports Group client had been a free agent since the Rays released him at the end of Spring Training.

Robertson, 29, logged big league action each season from 2017-21. The majority of that time came in Tampa Bay, where Robertson had the best year of his career in 2018. Through 88 games, the righty-hitting infielder posted a .262/.382/.415 line while walking at an excellent 12.6% clip. He slumped to a .213/.312/.295 slash in 73 contests the next season, leading the Rays to designate him for assignment going into 2020.

The former 34th overall draftee saw time with the Giants and Brewers over the next couple seasons. He combined to hit only .164/.303/.274 in 90 trips to the plate. Robertson spent last season in Triple-A with the Phillies and Twins but didn’t hit well at either stop. He posted a .172/.250/.207 showing through 29 Spring Training at-bats in a brief return to the Rays’ organization this year.

In spite of falling on some hard times in recent seasons, Robertson owns a reasonable .227/.338/.345 line in parts of five big league campaigns. He’s continued to draw plenty of walks even as his strikeout tallies have mounted over the past couple years. He’s a .240/.337/.342 hitter in just under 1000 trips to the plate in Triple-A.

Robertson has logged over 4000 minor league innings at shortstop and has ample experience at second and third base as well. He’ll add some upper minors infield depth, presumably joining prospect Braden Shewmake and fairly recent big leaguers Hoy Park, Charlie Culberson, Joe Dunand, Joshua Fuentes and Yolmer Sánchez at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Rays, Daniel Robertson Finalizing Minor League Deal

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The Rays are bringing utilityman Daniel Robertson back to the organization on a minor league contract with an invite to spring training, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The two parties are in the process of finalizing the contract.

Robertson, 29 next month, hasn’t appeared in the Majors since a 50-game stint with the 2021 Brewers, but he spent the 2017-19 seasons as an oft-used bench piece for the Rays, batting .231/.340/.352 with 16 home runs, an 11.6% walk rate and a 25.2% walk rate in 831 plate appearances along the way. He’s most frequently appeared at second base in his big league career (816 innings) but does have ample experience at third base (601 innings) and shortstop (569 innings) in addition to brief looks in the corner outfield (38 innings) and at first base (eight innings).

Tampa Bay traded Robertson to the Giants for cash back in 2020, and he appeared in 63 games between San Francisco and Milwaukee from 2020-21. He didn’t hit much in a tiny sample of 114 plate appearances, however, and those struggles continued in Triple-A last year, when he hit a combined .219/.319/.395 between the top affiliates for the Twins and the Phillies.

Still, Robertson can play all over the diamond and has had some modest success both in Triple-A and in the Majors over the course of a decade-long professional career. He’s the second veteran utilityman signed by Tampa Bay in as many days, as the Rays also inked Charlie Culberson to a similar pact yesterday. The Rays will see a dozen of their players depart for the World Baseball Classic in early March, including infielders Jonathan Aranda, Wander Franco and Isaac Paredes, so having some extra veterans in camp will come with an additional benefit.

Twins Trade Daniel Robertson To Phillies

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The Phillies have acquired utilityman Daniel Robertson from the Twins in exchange for cash, according to both teams’ transaction logs at MLB.com. There’s been no formal announcement of the move by either club just yet.

It’s likely a depth move for the Phillies, who’ve lost Jean Segura (surgery to repair broken finger), Johan Camargo (knee strain) and Nick Maton (shoulder sprain) to the injured list since the calendar flipped to June. Robertson wasn’t on the 40-man roster with the Twins, and there’s no indication as of yet that the Phillies plan to select him to the big leagues at this time.

The trio of Phillies injuries has led to Didi Gregorius and top prospect Bryson Stott splitting middle-infield duties, with the former rebounding (somewhat) from an awful 2021 showing and the latter generally struggling to reach base in his first big league season. Gregorius’ power is nowhere to be seen, but he’s posted a .280/.345/.393 batting line through 119 plate appearances this season. Stott has begun to show some pop at the dish — four homers, two doubles in his past 19 games — but is still hitting just .215/.261/.431 in that stretch. The Phillies have also selected former Cardinals utilityman Yairo Munoz to the big league roster to add some depth to the bench, and Matt Vierling gives them another option — though he’s been used primarily as an outfielder thus far in his limited MLB work.

Robertson, 28, has appeared in parts of five Major League seasons, mostly with the Rays but also with the Giants (2020) and Brewers (2021). The former No. 34 overall draft pick (Athletics, 2012) looked to have broken out with the Rays in 2018 when he hit .262/.382/.415 in 340 plate appearances, but he’s posted just a .209/.317/.292 slash in 351 subsequent trips to the plate spanning the 2019-21 seasons. He’s appeared in 24 minor league games with the Twins and posted a combined e.220/.326/.390 batting line between their Complex League and Triple-A affiliates.

Robertson has played every position on the big league diamond other than catcher and center field, though he’s primarily spent his time at second base (816 innings), third base (601) and shortstop (569). In the estimation of defensive metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average, he’s drawn solid marks for his work at second base and below-average (but not awful) grades at those other two infield slots.

Twins Sign Daniel Robertson To Minor League Contract

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The Twins signed infielder Daniel Robertson to a minor league deal, The Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Phil Miller reports.  Robertson was outrighted off the Brewers’ 40-man roster this past summer and elected free agency after the season, thus making him eligible to sign during the lockout as a minor league free agent.

A veteran of five MLB seasons with the Rays, Giants, and Brewers, Robertson has yet to truly follow up on his impressive numbers in the second of those seasons, a .797 OPS campaign with Tampa Bay in 2018.  Robertson hit .262/.382/.415 over 340 PA in what seemed like a breakout year, but after a thumb injury brought an early end to his 2018 season, he has since hit only .209/.317/.292 in 351 PA over the 2019-21 seasons.

Robertson (who turns 28 in March) will now look for a fresh start in Minnesota.  Tim Beckham also recently signed a minors deal with the Twins, so the club will have two experienced options in Beckham and Robertson battling alongside Nick Gordon and Jose Miranda for a utility infield role.  Gordon is the only left-handed hitter of that quartet, so the others could be competing to be the right-handed side of the bench equation.

The versatile Robertson has plenty of experience as a shortstop, third baseman, and second baseman, plus he has expanded his utility range by also playing a handful of games as a corner outfielder and first baseman.  Since the Twins have left-handed bats lined up at second base (Luis Arraez) and in the outfield (Max Kepler, Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff), there is perhaps opportunity for Robertson to work his way into a platoon should any of this group struggle against left-handed pitching.  Of note, Robertson and Beckham were both teammates on the 2017 Rays, when Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was a member of Tampa Bay’s coaching staff.

Brewers Acquire Kyle Lobstein From Nationals

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The Brewers announced they’ve acquired left-hander Kyle Lobstein from the Nationals in exchange for cash considerations. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Nashville. To create space on the 40-man roster, righty Ryan Weber was designated for assignment. Additionally, Milwaukee announced that infielder Daniel Robertson has passed through outright waivers.

Washington selected Lobstein to the roster late last month, marking his first major league action in five years. The 31-year-old made three appearances totaling 1 1/3 innings before the Nats designated him for assignment last weekend. Prior to his promotion, Lobstein had spent the year with Triple-A Rochester, where he impressively tossed 21 1/3 innings of 1.69 ERA ball, striking out a lofty 29.8% of opposing hitters against an average 9.5% walk rate.

That performance evidently intrigued the Milwaukee front office, which also has Brent Suter, Aaron Ashby, Hoby Milner and Angel Perdomo as left-handed options behind relief ace Josh Hader. Lobstein is in his final option year, so he can be shuttled between Milwaukee and Nashville for the remainder of the season if he sticks on the 40-man roster.

Milwaukee claimed Weber off waivers from the Red Sox a little more than a month ago. He’s made just one appearance with the Brewers, tossing a scoreless inning of relief against the Rockies. Weber has spent more of the year at Triple-A, pitching to a 5.02 ERA with an average 23.5% strikeout rate and a stingy 6% walk percentage over 43 frames split between Boston’s and Milwaukee’s affiliates. He’s appeared in the big leagues for five teams over the past seven seasons, compiling a 5.27 ERA/4.30 SIERA at the highest level. Milwaukee will have a week to trade Weber or place him on waivers.

The Brewers signed Robertson to a one-year, $900K deal over the offseason. The right-handed hitting utiltityman didn’t produce much in a limited look, though, hitting just .164/.303/.274 across 90 plate appearances before being designated for assignment last week. As a player with between three and five years of MLB service time, Robertson has the right to reject the outright assignment in favor of free agency. Doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of his guaranteed salary, though, so he seems likelier to report to Nashville and hope to play his way back onto the big league roster before the end of the year.

Brewers Designate Daniel Robertson For Assignment

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The Brewers announced that utilityman Daniel Robertson has been designated for assignment.  Teams have seven days to claim Robertson or work out a trade with Milwaukee for the 27-year-old’s services, which is what happened last August when the Giants acquired Robertson in a deal with the Rays during Robertson’s first trip to DFA limbo.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Robertson on the move again, given how his versatility can help a team’s bench.  Robertson has played all four infield positions for the Brew Crew this season, and also has a few games as an outfielder on his career resume.  While Robertson has shown flashes of productivity at the plate during his five MLB seasons, his multi-positional usage has become his calling card, as he has only a .227/.338/.345 slash line over 945 plate appearances in the Show.

Once a top-100 prospect during his time in Tampa’s farm system, Robertson’s quest to fulfill that potential was stalled by injuries, as he really hasn’t hit much since a thumb injury that prematurely ended his 2018 season.  The Brewers signed Robertson to a one-year Major League deal worth $900K in the offseason, and he ended up appearing in 50 games while filling the holes left open by several injuries within Milwaukee’s infield.

These injury problems are ongoing, and it makes the timing of Robertson’s DFA a tad curious considering that Kolten Wong, Daniel Vogelbach, and Travis Shaw are all still on the injured list.  However, the Brewers did recently call up another utility type in Pablo Reyes, while Kevin Kramer was acquired as minor league depth in a trade with the Pirates.  The Brewers seemingly feel that Jace Peterson (currently the fill-in second baseman) and Reyes can handle utility infield duty once Wong is back in action.

NL Central Notes: Pirates, Cards, Reds, Brewers

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Here’s the latest from the National League Central:

  • Pirates manager Derek Shelton expects recently signed right-hander Trevor Cahill to break camp with the team, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic relays. “I don’t plan on him staying behind in Florida,” Shelton said of Cahill, whom the Pirates inked to a one-year, $1.5MM guarantee earlier this month. The Pirates aren’t yet sure which role Cahill will fill when the season starts, though. The well-traveled 33-year-old has amassed 225 starts in 352 appearances, and he’s coming off a season divided between starting and relieving with the Giants. Cahill wound up with 26 innings of 3.24 ERA ball and posted an excellent 29.2 percent strikeout rate, but he also walked 13.2 percent of the batters he faced, recorded a 4.38 SIERA and logged a personal-worst 33.3 percent groundball rate.
  • John Nogowski has made himself a surprising candidate for a roster spot in Jupiter with the Cardinals, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 28-year-old first baseman has an uphill climb ahead of him even after hitting .391/.533/.522 in 30 plate appearances this spring. Thanks to his limited defensive utility, however, there may not be an avenue for the Florida native to make the roster. The Cardinals would basically have to resolve themselves to keeping a roster spot solely for pinch-hitting duties. With Paul Goldschmidt set at first and Matt Carpenter also on the roster, Nogowski wouldn’t even necessarily be the first left-handed bat off the bench. Because of the injuries in the rotation, the Cardinals could choose to go with a four-man bench to help fill the innings, deepening the need for versatility from their bench bats. Also working against Nogowski is that he has two option years remaining, whereas Justin Williams, another left-handed bat, has none. If Carpenter, Williams, and backup catcher Andrew Knizner all make the roster, the Cardinals will still need someone capable of backing up Paul DeJong at shortstop. Tommy Edman would be the backup shortstop if another infielder is not added to the Opening Day roster.
  • The Reds are considering using Tejay Antone as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen, writes C.Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. Whenever he pitches, the Reds are going to lean on Antone. They don’t expect to get as much length out of their starters as they had in 2020, feeding the thinking that Antone might be most impactful as an innings eater out of the bullpen. Pitching coach Derek Johnson stressed the importance of the bullpen, saying:“I don’t look for our starters to necessarily go out and give us six or seven every time. I think it’d great when and if they do, and that’ll be a bonus, but I do think our games — like they have in the last couple of years — they have been won or lost, a lot of times, in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth inning. Our bullpen has to be solid if we’re going to have a chance.” Amir Garrett and Lucas Sims, two of their prime bullpen arms, have been slow in making their spring debuts, which could also play a part in the Reds’ using Antone in relief.
  • As long as he’s healthy, Daniel Robertson appears to be a sure bet to earn a roster spot with the Brewers as a utility player, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Robertson, who doesn’t have any minor league options remaining and was out the past couple of days because of a knee issue, returned to Milwaukee’s lineup Monday. The ex-Ray and Giant signed a one-year, $900K deal with the Brewers in free agency.

Central Notes: Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Pirates

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The Cubs will welcome fans back to Wrigley Field in 2021, the team announced today. They have been approved by the city to fill the stadium to 20 percent capacity, beginning on opening day. “In coordination with MLB, top health experts and local officials, we developed a comprehensive plan that prioritizes the health and safety of our players, staff and fans,” said Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney. “Our goal is to create a safe, clean and friendly environment for everyone to enjoy Cubs baseball beginning Opening Day.” The Cubs will require masks for patrons two-years-old and above while hosting pod-style seating and practicing social distancing.

On the other side of town, the White Sox will be allowed up to 8,122 patrons per game while practicing social distancing, per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). The Southsiders home opener will be on April 8th. That means every team except for the Blue Jays will have at least a limited number of fans in the seats this season, notes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Now, the latest in roster news from the Central…

  • The Brewers are facing a roster crunch at the end of the bench. It’s a side effect of the Jackie Bradley Jr. signing, writes MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Pablo Reyes and Derek Fisher have impressed manager Craig Counsell so far, notes McCalvy. Manny Pina and Avisail Garcia are locks to be a member of the bench, which probably only leaves two spots. Assuming Travis Shaw makes the roster, that puts one of Shaw, Orlando Arcia, and Luis Urias on the bench as well. Daniel Robertson has been viewed as a favorite to win that final bench spot, in part because the infielder is out of options. Daniel Vogelbach is also out of options and on the 40-man roster. The big first baseman brings a limited, though valuable skill-set as a power bat off the bench. Of those players on the 40-man roster, Fisher, Jace Pederson, and Billy McKinney are also out of options, giving the Brewers much to think about as we inch closer to April 1.
  • Milwaukee may have a little bit of extra time to decide on that final roster spot, however. Lorenzo Cain hasn’t played in a week because of a quad issue, and there’s a chance he won’t be ready in time for opening day, per McCalvy (via Twitter). There’s still hope that he’ll be ready from the jump, but if not, the Brewers could roll with Bradley Jr. in center and Garcia in right, while taking the extra time to evaluate someone from their out-of-options pool.
  • Pirates manager Derek Shelton won’t spend much time thinking about who might claim the closer role until the last few days of camp, per the Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel. Said Shelton, “We have a guy who we know can go to the back end and do it in Richie (Rodríguez), who did it last year, so I’m really not thinking about it.” That certainly sounds like Richard Rodriguez has the inside track on the job. There will certainly be enough bodies to choose from, as the Pirates plan to break camp with eight or nine relievers, notes Biertempfel. That said, there aren’t a lot of proven late-inning options to immediately wrench the role from Rodríguez. Kyle Crick is the most obvious challenger, with Chris Stratton perhaps snagging an opportunity or two after striking out close to 30 percent of hitters last season.

Brewers To Sign Daniel Robertson

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2:58PM: Robertson’s deal is not fully guaranteed, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).

12:57PM: The Brewers have agreed to a one-year deal with infielder Daniel Robertson, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (via Twitter).  The contract, a Major League pact, will be official once Robertson passes a physical.  Robertson will earn $900K in guaranteed money, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link), with another $400K available in incentives. He’s represented by the MVP Sports Group.

After being designated for assignment by the Rays last August, Robertson was acquired by the Giants and ended up appearing in 13 games for San Francisco, posting a .750 OPS over 24 plate appearances.  Robertson was non-tendered in December, as the Giants chose to let him go rather than pay a projected arbitration salary of roughly $1.2MM.

Selected 34th overall by the A’s in the 2012 draft, Robertson went to Tampa Bay as part of the January 2015 trade that sent Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar to Oakland.  Robertson was garnering some attention on top-100 prospect lists at the time, and it seemed like he would be yet another shrewd Rays pickup after he broke out with a .262/.382/.415 slash line over 340 plate appearances in 2018.

That season was cut short by thumb surgery, however, and Robertson couldn’t get on track in 2019, hitting only .213/.312/.295 over 327 PA.  With injuries also playing a factor in these struggles, it seemed like Tampa Bay moved on to other infield options, as Robertson didn’t receive any playing time for the Rays last season before his DFA.

While Robertson’s right-handed bat isn’t necessarily the best platoon fit within Milwaukee’s current infield mix (Keston Hiura, Orlando Arcia, and Luis Urias all swing from the right side), his ability to play second base, third base, and shortstop make him an ideal candidate for a backup infielder role.  The Brewers are always prioritizing utility types, and Robertson has also played a handful of games at other positions in the big leagues, appearing as a first baseman and both corner outfield slots.

Latest On Orioles’ Infield Plans

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At the beginning of the offseason, Orioles general manager Mike Elias expressed a desire to add infield depth at different levels of the organization. Some specific players of interest in that pursuit have emerged.

Baltimore has been in touch with representatives for free agent infielder Jonathan Villar, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The switch-hitting speedster spent part of 2018 and all of 2019 with the O’s. Villar hit .270/.338/.438 across 950 plate appearances in that time, popping 32 home runs and stealing 61 bases. Baltimore traded him to the Marlins in a salary-slashing move last offseason. The 29-year-old then slumped through a dreadful 2020 season between Miami and the Blue Jays. That’ll depress the first-time free agent’s market, with Villar almost certainly looking at a one-year deal for less than the $8.2MM arbitration salary the Orioles deemed too pricey last year.

A handful of other infielders are also on Baltimore’s radar. The organization has varying levels of interest in Freddy Galvis, Ehire Adrianza and Daniel Robertson, Kubatko adds. Galvis has spent the past six seasons as a regular shortstop for the Phillies, Padres, Blue Jays and Reds. He’s a durable, reliable defender with a bit of power but significant on-base concerns. Adrianza and Robertson have spent most of their MLB careers in utility roles. All four potential targets are capable of playing shortstop. The Orioles have an obvious hole there after trading José Iglesias to the Angels. Additions at second base, on the other hand, don’t seem to be a target. Kubatko notes the team seems “inclined to use” waiver claim Yolmer Sánchez at the keystone.

None of the players mentioned would come at particularly exorbitant costs. Elias downplayed the likelihood of Baltimore making a multi-year free agent splash at the outset of the offseason, and there’s no reason to believe that has changed. However, the Orioles could look to bring in multiple free agent infielders, per Kubatko- one on a single-year MLB contract and another on a minor-league arrangement.

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