Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Eli Villalobos

Tigers, Eli Villalobos Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Tigers have agreed to a minor league pact with free agent right-hander Eli Villalobos, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He was designated for assignment by the Marlins last month and rejected what would’ve been his second career outright assignment in favor of free agency. Villalobos hasn’t pitched in nearly a month now, so Detroit assigned him to their Rookie-level minor league affiliate to ramp back up before presumably heading to their Triple-A club in Toledo.

Villalobos, 27 next week, made his big league debut with the Fish earlier this season and tossed 4 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on three hits and a pair of walks with three strikeouts in that generally sharp first MLB effort. He’s also logged 18 innings in Triple-A Jacksonville, recording a 4.50 ERA with a strong 26.5% strikeout rate but ugly 13.3% walk rate. Statcast measured his average fastball at 93.3 mph during that brief MLB run, and he also worked off a low-80s splitter and mid-80s slider.

While Villalobos has never ranked as a high-end prospect in Miami’s system, the former 14th-rounder was selected to the 40-man roster to shield him from the Rule 5 Draft on the heels of a 2022 season in which he posted a 2.86 ERA with a 32.7% strikeout rate (101 punchouts overall) against a 9.4% walk rate in 78 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s since bounced to the Pirates organization and then right back to the Marlins via a pair of DFAs and waiver claims.

Lack of prospect pedigree notwithstanding, Villalobos has sub-4.00 earned run averages and strikeout rates north of 25% in two seasons of action at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. He walked a calamitous 18% of his opponents in Triple-A last season but has dished out a free pass to a less-alarming (but still too high) 12.8% of his opponents between Triple-A and the big leagues this season. He’ll be a project for the Tigers but could be a near-term bullpen option for them if he can continue to move past last year’s career-worst command issues.

Marlins Outright Eli Villalobos

By | at

TODAY: The Marlins outrighted Villalobos to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, as per MLB.com’s official transactions page.  It isn’t yet known if Villalobos will accept the assignment to opt into free agency.

MAY 27: The Marlins announced that infielder Xavier Edwards has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. To open up a spot for him on the 40-man roster, right-hander Eli Villalobos has been designated for assignment.

Edwards, 24, battled a foot infection during Spring Training and began the season on the injured list. He has been playing in rehab games for over a week now and is healthy enough to be activated, though he only played seven games on his rehab so the club will keep him on optional assignment for regular playing time in Jacksonville. Though he won’t be joining the active roster, the Fish needed to make a corresponding 40-man move since Edwards was on the 60-day injured list, which will nudge Villalobos off his spot.

The right-handed Villalobos is about a month away from his 27th birthday. The Marlins claimed him off waivers from the Pirates last June but then passed him through waivers about a week later. He got his 40-man roster spot back earlier this month and was able to make his major league debut. He made three appearances for the Marlins, allowing one earned run in 4 1/3 innings, before being optioned back to Jacksonville about two weeks ago.

In addition to that small sample of big league action, Villalobos has also thrown 18 innings over 13 Triple-A appearances this year with a 4.50 earned run average. He has struck out 26.5% of batters faced at that level and kept 44.7% of batted balls on the ground, but he’s also walked 13.3% of hitters that have stepped to the plate.

That has generally been the recipe for Villalobos. Dating back to the start of 2021, he has tossed 196 innings in the minors with a 3.72 ERA. His 29.4% strikeout rate in that stretch is quite strong but he’s also given free passes at a 12.2% rate.

The Marlins will have a week to trade Villalobos or pass him through waivers. He can still be optioned for the rest of this year and one additional season, which could perhaps give him appeal for a club that is intrigued by the strikeouts and willing to wait to see if the control improves. If Villalobos were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would have the right to elect free agency by virtue of his previous outright.

NL East Notes: Luzardo, Ortiz, Johnson, Nationals

By and | at

Jesus Luzardo was reinstated from the Marlins’ 15-day injured list today, with right-hander Eli Villalobos optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.  Luzardo struggled to a 6.58 ERA over his first five starts and 26 innings before a mild left flexor strain (initially diagnosed as elbow tightness) sent him to the IL, so the three-week layoff between starts can hopefully set as a refresh of a tough season to date for the 26-year-old.  The returns of Luzardo and Braxton Garrett this weekend will help the injury-riddled Marlins rotation, though Edward Cabrera has now also gone down with a shoulder impingement.

Beyond the immediate help that Luzardo will bring to Miami’s pitching staff, today’s start figures to reignite the trade rumors that have swirled around the left-hander for months.  If Luzardo recaptures his 2021-22 form, he would be a very hot commodity at the trade deadline, as he is arbitration-controlled through the 2026 season.  The Luis Arraez trade has already signaled that the Marlins are in sell mode, but while the team pulled the trigger early on that deal, Luzardo’s suitors will want to see a larger sample size of healthy and productive starts before moving what would have to be a very substantial trade package to pry him away from Miami.

Some more from around the NL East…

  • Phillies reliever Luis Ortiz is set to restart his throwing program today after he was shut down due to right shoulder inflammation.  “We don’t think it’s anything, but we’re just taking it easy on him,” Phils manager Rob Thomson told MLB.com and other media.  A sprained ankle in his first game of the season sent Ortiz to the 15-day IL back on March 31, and he made Triple-A rehab appearances on both April 23 and 25 before his new shoulder issue popped up.  Ortiz had a 3.32 ERA in 19 relief innings for Philadelphia last season, amidst many shuttles up and down from the majors and Triple-A.
  • Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that Pierce Johnson is “looking really good” as he works his way back from a bout of elbow inflammation.  Johnson was placed on the 15-day IL a week ago, but is already doing some low-intensity mound work, and appears to be on pace to miss only the minimum 15 days.  Johnson has emerged as a key piece of Atlanta’s bullpen after being acquired by the Rockies at the last trade deadline, and the Braves extended the right-hander on a two-year deal worth $14.25MM in guaranteed money back in October to keep Johnson off the free agent market.
  • Nationals fans received positive updates regarding a pair of injured young righties recently. As relayed by MLB.com’s Injury Tracker, manager Dave Martinez told reporters that both Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli threw off a mound in their rehab processes yesterday. Gray hit the shelf with a flexor strain just two starts into his 2024 campaign and reportedly looked good in his 35-pitch bullpen session, throwing 32 of the pitches for strikes. Cavalli, meanwhile, threw 45 pitches in 2 2/3 simulated innings as he works his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery. Gray appears to be closer to a return to action than Cavalli, who Martinez indicated is on track for a return sometime next month. Washington has relied on left-hander Mitchell Parker, who has posted a strong 2.67 ERA in five starts this season, to round out the club’s rotation in Gray’s absence.

Marlins Select Eli Villalobos

By | at

The Marlins announced this afternoon that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Eli Villalobos. Right-hander Darren McCaughan was designated for assignment in the corresponding move. If Villalobos appears in a game with the club, it’ll be his major league debut.

Villalobos, 26, came up through Miami’s minor league system and was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November 2022 to protect him from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft but found himself squeezed off the club’s roster early in the 2023 season, at which point he was claimed by the Pirates. He was later DFA’d by the Pirates to make room for top prospect Henry Davis on their 40-man roster and was promptly claimed by the Marlins in late June, ending his three-month sojourn out of the organization. Villalobos was once again designated for assignment by Miami shortly thereafter but this time cleared waivers and was outrighted to the minor leagues, where he has remained ever since.

Now, Villalobos will once again get a spot on the Marlins’ 40-man roster and this time will receive an active roster spot to go with it. The right-hander is more or less a pure relief prospect who hasn’t started a game since the 2019 season but has been relief on for multi-inning appearances at the Triple-A level this year, where he’s pitched to a 4.73 ERA in 13 1/3 innings of work across nine appearances while topping out at 51 pitches in a single outing. That ability to pitch multiple innings could make Villalobos a long relief option for the Marlins behind today’s starter, Sixto Sanchez, who is still building up his pitch count and threw just 68 pitches last time out.

It’s a role that McCaughan occupied with the club in recent days. The 28-year-old was a 12th-round pick by the Mariners in the 2017 draft and pitched fourteen innings for his original club from 2021 to 2023 before joining the Marlins this offseason. He was selected to the club’s roster last week to fill the role of long man in the bullpen and struggled through 4 2/3 innings against Oakland last night, allowing eight runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out just two. The brutal outing brings his career ERA at the big league level to 9.16, and the righty’s 5.26 ERA in 89 career games at the Triple-A level inspires little confidence in his ability to be more than a depth option at the big league level going forward. The Marlins will have one week to trade McCaughan or attempt to pass the righty through waivers.

Marlins Outright Eli Villalobos

By | at

The Marlins have sent right-hander Eli Villalobos outright to Double-A Pensacola, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on Monday.

Villalobos, now 26, first got his roster spot in November of last year when the Marlins added him to the 40-man to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. He got that spot based on his strong performance last year, posting a 2.86 ERA in 78 2/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A. He struck out 32.7% of batters faced while issuing walks at a 9.4% clip.

Yet when the club needed a roster spot in the first week of April, Villalobos was designated for assignment and went to the Pirates on a waiver claim. He was in that club’s system for about two months before they put him back on waivers and he was claimed by the Marlins, back to where he started.

Amid those transactions, he’s posted a 6.26 ERA in 23 minor league innings, walking an incredible 19.5% of batters faced. His third time on waivers resulted in him clearing and he will now stick in the Marlins’ system. He still hasn’t made it to the majors and thus has no service time. Since this is his first career outright, he won’t have the right to elect free agency, providing the Marlins with some non-roster pitching depth on their farm as he looks to work his way back to the majors.

Marlins Place Jazz Chisholm Jr. On IL, Designate Eli Villalobos

By | at

The Marlins have placed outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain, per Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase (Twitter links). This move opens an active roster spot for infielder/outfielder Dane Myers, whose impending promotion was reported earlier. Right-hander Eli Villalobos was designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Myers.

It’s yet another frustrating injury setback for Chisholm, who has dealt with a number of them over the past year. He broke out with a strong .254/.325/.535 showing last year, 139 wRC+, but was placed on the injured list at the end of June. He was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back and didn’t return in the second half of the season. Here in 2023, he played 39 games while transitioning from second base to center field before landing on the IL due to turf toe. He’s now back on the IL yet again just one week after being reinstated.

The timing of this injury is particularly unfortunate, as he had been red hot in the past week, hitting .348/.375/.696. That’s a small sample size, but it was an encouraging sign as he had hit just .229/.291/.403 earlier in the season. He’ll now be out of action for an undetermined amount of time. Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald relays that Chisholm will get an MRI to determine the severity but it’s at least serious enough for the club to have him sit out the next seven games leading into the All-Star break.

As for Villalobos, 26, he was just claimed off waivers from the Pirates a week ago but is now quickly in DFA limbo yet again. It’s been a busy few months of transactions for the right-hander, who was originally added to the Marlins’ roster in November. He was designated for assignment in April and went to the Pirates on waivers before coming back to the Fish last week.

Amid all those transactions, he’s managed to throw 23 innings in the minors this year with a 6.26 ERA. His 21.2% strikeout rate is close to average but his 19.5% walk rate is more than double the major league par. His results last year were far stronger, as he posted a 2.86 ERA while striking out 32.7% of opponents and walking just 9.4%.

The Marlins will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Despite his numbers this year, he could garner interest based on last year’s work and the fact that he still has a full slate of options.

Marlins Claim Eli Villalobos; Reinstate Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jean Segura

By | at

The Marlins announced a series of roster moves to reporters, including Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. Outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and infielder Jean Segura have each been reinstated from the injured list. Infielder Jacob Amaya and infielder/outfielder Garrett Hampson were optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville in corresponding moves. Additionally, they claimed right-hander Eli Villalobos off waivers from the Pirates and assigned him to Double-A Pensacola.

Segura is back after barely a minimum stint on the IL due to a left hamstring strain, but Chisholm’s absence has been much more significant. He landed on the shelf in mid-May after suffering turf toe when colliding with the wall while attempting to make a catch. The estimated timeline that was given at that time was four to six weeks and he’s now returning at the long end of that window.

Prior to that injury Chisholm was attempting to transition from second base to center field. The early reviews were mixed, as he earned three Outs Above Average but a -6 from Defensive Runs Saved and a score of -0.3 from Ultimate Zone Rating. He was undoubtedly slumping at the plate, however, as he’s hit .229/.291/.403 so far this year compared to a .254/.325/.535 line last year. Now that he’s back, he’ll look to get into a good groove offensively and continue getting accustomed to his new position.

As for Villalobos, he turns 26 years old today and will celebrate that birthday by rejoining his original organization. He had spent his entire career in the Marlins’ system until getting claimed off waivers by the Pirates in April but is now back with the Fish yet again.

He was originally placed on the club’s 40-man roster in November to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. He got that roster spot based on a strong 2022 season in which he posted a 2.86 ERA in 78 2/3 innings in the minors, striking out 32.7% of opponents while walking 9.4% of them. This season, his control seems to have gone out the window as he has a 20.6% walk rate between the two organizations, pushing his ERA to 5.73 on the year.

Despite the recent struggles, the Marlins are obviously very familiar with Villalobos and will try to get him back on track.  There won’t be too much of a rush as he’s in his first option year and can remain a depth option in the minors for the next two seasons, though he will have to continue to justify his spot on the 40-man roster.

Pirates Designate Eli Villalobos, Select Henry Davis

By and | at

The Pirates announced they have selected the contract of catcher/outfielder Henry Davis, a move that was reported yesterday. To make room for Davis on the active roster, infielder Mark Mathias was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, reliever Eli Villalobos was designated for assignment.

It’s a little surprising to see the Pirates turn to a DFA as the corresponding move for Davis’ call-up. Starter Vince Velasquez could’ve been transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man spot after the revelation he’ll miss the remainder of the season (and a good chunk of next year) due to elbow surgery. The Pirates will hold off on a seemingly inevitable IL transfer for Velasquez and take Villalobos off the roster for now.

Pittsburgh nabbed Villalobos off waivers from the Marlins a couple months ago. The right-hander has spent his entire Bucs’ tenure on optional assignment to Indianapolis. He hasn’t performed particularly well, allowing 11 runs (eight earned) in 17 1/3 innings. Villalobos has walked 15 against just 16 strikeouts.

Combined with the six runs he allowed in 4 2/3 Triple-A frames before Miami put him on waivers, he has a cumulative 5.73 ERA with 22 free passes and 23 punchouts in 22 innings at the top minor league level this year. It’s obviously not how he wanted to follow up on a strong 2022 campaign, in which he pitched to a 2.86 ERA in the upper levels of the Miami system to secure an offseason spot on the Marlins’ 40-man roster.

Villalobos, who turns 26 next week, has not yet gotten his first MLB call. He’ll likely be put on waivers within the next seven days.

Pirates Claim Eli Villalobos From Marlins

By and | at

The Pirates announced they’ve claimed reliever Eli Villalobos off waivers from the Marlins and optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis. The righty had been designated for assignment over the weekend. In a corresponding move, Pittsburgh transferred shortstop Oneil Cruz to the 60-day injured list.

Villalobos has yet to make his major league debut. The 6’4″ hurler was added to Miami’s 40-man roster at the start of last offseason to keep another team from selecting him in the Rule 5 draft. It was a strong development for the Long Beach State product, who’d entered the professional ranks as a 14th-round pick in 2019. He earned the roster spot on the heels of a strong 2022 campaign in the upper minors.

Between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville, Villalobos posted a 2.86 ERA over 78 2/3 innings. He’d punched out an excellent 32.7% of batters faced against a serviceable 9.3% walk percentage. He also induced ground balls at a better than average clip at both stops. Once he’d secured the 40-man spot, he looked like a short-term bullpen option in Miami.

The 25-year-old had a disastrous first few days of this season however. Optioned to Jacksonville out of camp, he’s surrendered six runs in three appearances totaling 4 2/3 frames. Villalobos has walked and struck out seven batters apiece. It was an exceedingly small sample but enough to squeeze him off the roster when the Fish needed a spot for long reliever Devin Smeltzer over the weekend.

Pittsburgh was operating with a de facto vacant roster spot. Cruz fractured his ankle on Sunday and underwent surgery that’s likely to sideline him at least into August. That made it a formality he’d wind up on the 60-day IL whenever the Bucs wanted to add someone else. Villalobos becomes the early beneficiary and will head to Indianapolis as bullpen depth. He has a full slate of minor league option years remaining and can shuttle on and off the MLB roster for the foreseeable future if he’s able to get back on track in his new organization.

Marlins Select Devin Smeltzer, Designate Eli Villalobos

By | at

The Marlins selected the contract of left-hander Devin Smeltzer, according to the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson (Twitter link).  In corresponding moves, lefty Daniel Castano was optioned to Triple-A, and right-hander Eli Villalobos was designated for assignment.

Smeltzer signed a minor league deal with the Marlins back in January, and the southpaw will now lock in a $1MM guaranteed salary for making the team’s Major League roster.  Once he appears in a game with Miami, it will mark Smeltzer’s fifth season in the big leagues, after spending his first four years with the Twins.  With a 3.99 ERA over 140 career innings, Smeltzer’s bottom-line results have been solid, even if advanced metrics haven’t been sold on his low-velocity and low-strikeout repertoire.

The left-hander has only a 16.6% strikeout rate at the MLB level, but he has shown solid control with a 6.4% walk rate.  Working as both a starter and a reliever, Smeltzer was a useful swingman for the Twins, and started 12 of his 15 appearances last season.  With Johnny Cueto on the 15-day injured list, Braxton Garrett has been filling in as part of Miami’s rotation, so Smeltzer could provide more starting depth.

The Marlins added Villalobos to their 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft, protecting the 25-year-old from any teams intrigued by his impressive minor league numbers.  Over 61 1/3 innings at Double-A and 17 1/3 innings at Triple-A in 2022, Villalobos had a combined 2.86 ERA, 32.7% strikeout rate, and 9.4% walk rate.  Unfortunately, things haven’t gone nearly as smoothly for the righty this season, as Villalobos was rocked for an 11.57 ERA in 4 2/3 innings at Triple-A, with two homers allowed and as many walks (seven) as strikeouts.  These numbers might dissuade teams from making a waiver claim, but it’s possible a club might still be intrigued by Villalobos’ ability to miss bats.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top