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Eddy Alvarez

Braves Sign Eddy Alvarez To Minor League Deal

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The Braves have signed infielder Eddy Alvarez to a minor league contract, as reflected on his transaction log at MLB.com. Alvarez, 35 at the end of the month, joins his seventh organization for what will be his 12th professional season.

After seven years in the minor leagues with the White Sox and Marlins, Alvarez made his big league debut for Miami in 2020. He has since appeared in 63 MLB games for the Marlins, Dodgers, and Mets between 2020-24, slashing .170/.257/.244 with one home run and four stolen bases. Primarily an infielder with experience at second base, third base, and shortstop, he also played a handful of games in the outfield with the Dodgers in 2022.

In between his MLB stints with the Dodgers and Mets, Alvarez played in the Brewers (2023) and Red Sox (2023-24) farm systems. He signed a minor league deal with the Brewers ahead of the 2023 season, and despite a strong performance at Triple-A, Milwaukee never called him up, prompting him to opt out of his contract in July. He quickly signed a new minor league pact with the Red Sox, only to suffer a season-ending injury after just one game at Triple-A Worcester.

Alvarez’s 2024 campaign with Worcester was more successful, and although he never earned a promotion to the Red Sox, he played well enough to catch the Mets’ eye in September. New York acquired him from Boston for cash and selected his contract the following day. His appearance for the Mets as a pinch-runner on September 9 marked his first MLB action in more than two years. He ended up sticking on the big league roster for the rest of the regular season, although he was ineligible for postseason play because he joined the organization in September.

Alvarez will now look to return to the majors with the Braves in 2025. His chances of cracking the Opening Day roster are slim, but considering Atlanta’s lack of infield depth, he certainly has a shot to join the active roster at some point if he performs well enough at Triple-A.

Six Players Elect Free Agency

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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.

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Mets Outright Eddy Alvarez

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Infielder Eddy Alvarez went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Mets earlier this week, per the league transaction log at MLB.com. He’s been assigned outright to Triple-A Syracuse but can reject that assignment to become a free agent — a path he’ll all but certainly take.

The Mets acquired Alvarez from the Red Sox in exchange for cash — a rare September swap that was allowed because Alvarez had been on a minor league contract at the time of the deal. New York selected him to the big league roster to help patch over its infield depth while dealing with multiple injuries. He went hitless in 11 trips to the plate and also pitched a scoreless inning of mop-up relief in a blowout loss. Alvarez was ineligible for the Mets’ postseason roster because he joined the organization after Aug. 31.

In parts of four big league campaigns, Alvarez is a .170/.257/.244 hitter in 154 plate appearances. He’s a career .277/.381/.467 hitter in eight Triple-A campaigns, however. He’s played primarily shortstop in his pro career but also has nearly 2000 innings at second base, more than 700 innings at third base, more than 300 innings in both outfield corners and 106 innings in center field over the course of 11 professional seasons.

Mets Select Max Kranick, Designate Eddy Alvarez For Assignment

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The Mets have selected the contract of right-hander Max Kranick and he is on the club’s roster for the Wild Card series that begins today. Infielder Eddy Alvarez has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Kranick, 27, was a waiver claim out of the Pirates organization in January. He’d wrapped up a lengthy rehab process from Tommy John surgery with the Pirates late in the ’23 season and was viewed as an optionable bit of rotation depth for the Mets heading into the season. Kranick sustained a Grade 2 hamstring strain early in spring training, however, which shut him down for the bulk of camp and ensured that he’d open the season on the 15-day injured list.

The Mets wound up designating Kranick for assignment in early May, not long after he’d been reinstated from that hamstring injury and optioned to the minors. He passed through waivers unclaimed and remained with the organization after being outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse. Kranick spent the entire season in Triple-A, pitching to a 3.57 ERA in 63 innings across 41 appearances. Few would’ve pegged him as a candidate to make his team debut with the Mets during the postseason, but that opportunity could now present itself — particularly if the Mets race out to a substantial early lead or deficit. Kranick presumably is on the roster to provide bulk relief in either scenario.

Alvarez, 34, was acquired in a rare September trade and quickly selected to the big league roster. New York sent cash back to the Red Sox in that swap. Alvarez wasn’t on a major league deal, thus leaving him eligible to be traded. However, due to the fact that his acquisition came after the postseason eligibility deadline, he was not a candidate to make New York’s playoff roster.

The well-traveled Alvarez went hitless in 11 plate appearances with the Mets during the regular season. He was a depth pickup while the Mets battled some infield injuries, but their club is largely back up to strength for the postseason. In parts of four big league campaigns, Alvarez is a .170/.257/.244 hitter in 154 plate appearances. He’ll now be placed on outright waivers or released. If and when Alvarez clears waivers, he’ll be able to become a minor league free agent.

Mets Designate Pablo Reyes, Select Eddy Alvarez

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The Mets have selected the contract of recently acquired infielder Eddy Alvarez from Triple-A Syracuse and designated fellow infielder Pablo Reyes for assignment in order to open space on the active roster and 40-man roster, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post. Alvarez was acquired from the Red Sox in exchange for cash earlier today.

Like Alvarez, Reyes was also acquired from the Red Sox in exchange for cash — although that swap took place back in May. The Mets selected him to the big league roster earlier this month when rosters expanded to 28 players. Reyes did not make a plate appearance with the Mets but did score a run after entering their Sept. 1 game as a pinch runner. He hit .183/.234/.217 in 64 plate appearances with Boston earlier this season.

The 31-year-old Reyes gave the Red Sox nearly league-average offense last season — .287/.339/.377 in 185 plate appearances — but has generally been a light-hitting utilityman in a big league career that’s now spanned four teams (Pirates, Brewers, Red Sox, Mets) across parts of six seasons. In 572 plate appearances at the MLB level, Reyes is a .248/.309/.349 hitter. He’s spent time at every defensive position other than catcher — pitcher included — but has primarily been a second baseman/shortstop/third baseman.

A career .277/.347/.450 hitter in parts of six Triple-A seasons, Reyes has a solid minor league track record but has never found extended success in the majors. He’s out of minor league options and thus can’t be sent down without clearing waivers first, and even then he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency by virtue of the fact that he’s been outrighted previously in his career. He’ll head to waivers now that he’s been DFA and will likely clear, as he did back in May when Boston also designated him for assignment.

Mets Acquire Eddy Alvarez

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The Mets have acquired infielder Eddy Alvarez from the Red Sox in exchange for cash, per the teams’ transaction logs at MLB.com. Alvarez was on a minor league deal and eligible to be traded as such. He won’t be postseason-eligible with his new team due to the fact that he’s joining the organization after the Aug. 31 eligibility deadline, but he’ll give the Mets some infield depth in the wake of Jeff McNeil’s season-ending wrist fracture.

Alvarez, 34, has appeared in parts of three big league seasons, spending time with the Marlins and Dodgers from 2020-22. He’s played a total of 50 games and recorded 142 plate appearance with a lackluster .183/.262/.262 batting line in that time. He’s been far better in a larger sample of Triple-A work, however. Alvarez has slashed .247/.348/.463 in 114 games with Worcester this season, smacking 18 homers and going 18-for-25 in stolen base attempts. His 24.1% strikeout rate is higher than average, but so is his 10.6% walk rate. Alvarez has appeared in eight Triple-A seasons and owns a career .277/.381/.467 slash in 1855 plate appearances there.

Defensively, Alvarez has seen time at every position other than catcher and first base. He’s primarily been a middle infielder, with 3777 career innings at shortstop and 1930 innings at second base (minors and big leagues combined).

The Mets don’t necessarily need to turn to Alvarez right off the bat. With McNeil out for the remainder of the regular season, they can turn to Jose Iglesias as the primary second baseman, with versatile Pablo Reyes occupying a utility role on the bench (and, of course, with MVP candidate Francisco Lindor at shortstop). Down in Triple-A, the Mets have top prospect Luisangel Acuna already on the 40-man roster in the event of further injury.

That said, the Mets are also without infield prospect Brett Baty for another several weeks due to a fractured finger. Between Baty, McNeil and Ronny Mauricio (out for the year with an ACL tear), the Mets’ infield depth is pretty banged up at the moment. In the event of an additional injury on the MLB side, Acuna could be called into action, or New York could turn to a non-roster veteran in Triple-A like Mike Brosseau, Yolmer Sanchez or perhaps the newly acquired Alvarez. Even if he never sees the majors with his new club, he’ll give the Mets some late-season depth and versatility to help navigate a handful of hits to their infield depth chart.

Red Sox, Eddy Alvarez Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Red Sox are in agreement with utilityman Eddy Alvarez on a minor league contract, tweets Chris Cotillo of MassLive. He’ll join their top affiliate in Worcester.

Alvarez, 33, had spent the season in Triple-A with the Brewers after signing an offseason minor league deal. The left-handed hitter put together a nice showing for their top affiliate, posting a .283/.397/.473 line over 257 plate appearances. He walked at an excellent 14% clip against an average 22.6% strikeout rate while playing each of second, third, shortstop and both corner outfield positions.

Nevertheless, Milwaukee declined to add him to the MLB roster. Alvarez opted out of the deal a couple weeks ago and will take another crack at the majors in the Sox’s organization. He earned brief MLB looks with the Marlins and Dodgers between 2020-22, hitting .183/.262/.262 with one homer in 50 games.

Alvarez is a much more accomplished Triple-A hitter. The Miami native has a .286/.390/.468 line over parts of seven seasons at the top minor league level. He’ll bring that strong upper minors track record and defensive flexibility as a depth option for Boston.

Brewers Release Eddy Alvarez

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The Brewers have released utilityman Eddy Alvarez, according to his MLB.com profile page.  Jim Goulart of BrewerFanatic.com reports (via Twitter) that Alvarez exercised an opt-out clause in the minor league contract he signed with Milwaukee back in December.

That deal had yet to translate into a call-up to the big league roster, even though Alvarez has hit .283/.397/.473 with seven homers and 16 steals (in 18 chances) over 257 plate appearances for Triple-A Nashville.  Goulart notes that “a bit of a roster crunch” impacted Alvarez’s playing time, which certainly must’ve influenced his decision to trigger the opt-out and look for a new opportunity elsewhere.

Alvarez isn’t exactly an up-and-comer at age 33, but his Triple-A performance and multi-positional versatility could very well land him a new minors deal with another team.  Alvarez is a veteran of three MLB seasons, hitting .183/.262/.262 over 142 plate appearances and 50 games with the Marlins and Dodgers from 2020-22.  Best known for his outstanding Olympic career as a silver medalist in both speed-skating and baseball, Alvarez has spent much of his 10-year pro baseball career in the minors with the White Sox and Marlins.

Brewers Sign Eddy Alvarez To Minor League Deal

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The Brewers have signed infielder Eddy Alvarez to a minor league deal, according to Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The deal includes an invite to major league spring training.

Alvarez, 32, played the past season with the Dodgers, appearing in 14 games. He hit just .160/.154/.160 in 27 plate appearances while appearing at four positions. He went far better at Triple-A, where he slashed .322/.439/.554 with eight home runs in 47 games. He logged most of his time at shortstop and second base in the minors, but also spent a little bit of time in the outfield and at third.

Alvarez actually won a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in speed skating, but opted to chase his baseball dream soon after and signed for the White Sox as a free agent that year. After coming up through their minor league system, he was purchased by the Marlins in 2019 and made his big league debut in 2020.

Across two seasons for the Marlins, Alvarez hit a combined .188/.287/.287 with a single home run in 142 plate appearances before departing as a free agent at the conclusion of the 2021 season.

Alvarez will compete for a bench spot in Milwaukee during the spring, but in any event will provide the Brewers – who recently traded infielder Kolten Wong to Seattle – with a bit of middle infield depth in 2023.

Dodgers Select Heath Hembree, Designate Eddy Alvarez

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The Dodgers announced a series of roster moves today, with right-hander Heath Hembree having his contract selected. Fellow right-hander Jake Reed was recalled to join the active roster as well. Another pair of right-handers, Michael Grove and Phil Bickford, were optioned in corresponding moves. To create space for Hembree on the 40-man roster, infielder Eddy Alvarez was designated for assignment.

Hembree, 33, is in his 10th season of MLB action, having previously pitched for the Giants, Red Sox, Phillies, Mets and Reds, before signing with the Pirates this year. Through 20 games with the Bucs, he had a 7.16 ERA, 15.4% strikeout rate, 17.9% walk rate and 25% ground ball rate, with all of those marks being worse than league average. He was designated for assignment in June and cleared waivers, hardly surprising given his poor results on the year and $2.125MM salary.

After returning to free agency, Hembree joined the Dodgers on a minor league pact. He has since thrown 9 1/3 innings for their Triple-A team, registering a 4.82 ERA, through striking out 35.9% of batters faced in that small sample and walking just 5.1% of them. Based on those improved results, he’ll get another crack at the big leagues. The Dodgers will only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time he’s on the roster, with the Pirates on the hook for the remainder of his salary.

As for Alvarez, he is arguably most famous for having won a medal in both the Winter and Summer Olympics. He won a silver medal at the Sochi games in 2014 as a speed skater, before adding another silver as part of the US men’s baseball team at the 2020 Tokyo Games (which were delayed until 2021 by the pandemic). He signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in the winter, getting selected to the big league club in June. He spent a month in the majors, getting 27 plate appearances in 14 games. He hit .160/.154/.160 in that time before getting optioned. He’s fared much better in Triple-A, hitting .322/.439/.554 in 47 games. He’s also played second base, third base, shortstop and the outfield corners this year. He still has a full slate of options, meaning a team intrigued by his strong Triple-A batting line and defensive versatility could stash him in the minors. The Dodgers will have no choice but to put him on outright waivers or release waivers in the coming days, since the trade deadline has passed.

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