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Ian Krol

Shogo Akiyama, Ian Krol Opt Out Of Minors Deals With Padres

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Outfielder Shogo Akiyama and relief pitcher Ian Krol have each triggered opt-out clauses in their minor league contracts with the Padres, reports Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune (on Twitter). The players’ respective transactions logs at MLB.com indicate both have been released, suggesting the Friars declined to add either to their MLB roster.

Akiyama signed a surprising three-year, $21MM free agent deal with the Reds over the 2019-20 offseason. That came on the heels of a nine-year run with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, during which he hit .301/.376/.454 in just over 1200 games. The left-handed hitter tallied 183 plate appearances in each of his first two seasons in Cincinnati, but he didn’t hit the ball with much authority. Akiyama managed only 15 extra-base hits (14 doubles and a triple) and posted an overall .224/.320/.274 batting line.

The Reds released the 34-year-old in April after he’d been squeezed off the Opening Day roster. A few weeks later, Akiyama signed with San Diego. He wound up appearing in 16 games for their top affiliate in El Paso, hitting .343/.378/.529 with a trio of home runs in a hitter-friendly setting. However, Akiyama hasn’t played in two weeks — Sanders notes he’s been on the COVID-19 injured list — and he’ll now head back to the open market in search of a new opportunity.

Akiyama’s solid showing with the Chihuahuas seems likely to get him other minor league offers if he desires. Given his established, productive track record in Japan, he’d no doubt have NPB interest as well. Shortly after the Reds released him in April, reports out of Japan indicated the Lions were making an effort to bring Akiyama back.

Krol has appeared in parts of seven MLB seasons. He suited up at the highest level each year from 2013-18, then returned with 18 2/3 innings of 4.34 ERA ball for the Tigers last season. Krol had an excellent showing in the upper levels of the Detroit farm system, but this year’s stint in El Paso has not gone well.

Through 25 1/3 frames, the southpaw has a 7.46 ERA. He’s punched out a quality 27% of opponents, but he’s also walked batters at a 13.9% clip and given up six longballs. The 31-year-old heads back to the open market, although it’s possible that’ll be a brief stint. Sanders suggests Krol could pursue an opportunity in a foreign league.

Padres Sign Ian Krol To Minor League Deal

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The Padres announced this afternoon that they’ve signed left-handed pitcher Ian Krol to a minor league contract. The deal includes an invite to Major League Spring Training.

Krol, 30, joined the free agent market last November following the Tigers’ decision to outright him from their 40-man roster. After scattering usable results throughout his career and his inclusion in a few notable trades over the years, the former 7th-rounder is now set to join his ninth organization in San Diego. This comes on the heels of an 18-plus-inning run out of Detroit’s bullpen where Krol contributed a useful 4.34 ERA, albeit with opposing hitters batting .303/.365/.474 off him in that limited showing.

The Padres will look to coax a sharper performance out of Krol in the next few weeks at Major League camp. Given the left-hander’s general excellence in the minors it’s not out of the question that he can build off of last year’s performance. It would certainly behoove San Diego if he did, as the team is currently projected (per RosterResource) to start the season with only one healthy, established lefty in the bullpen— Tim Hill.

Krol hasn’t exactly mystified left-handed hitters in his career, but their collective OPS is more than 70 points lower than right-handed hitters’ OPS against the pitcher. If the veteran can crack the club’s Opening Day roster it will provide manager Bob Melvin a wider variety of tools to use out of a bullpen that was a top-5 run prevention unit last season.

Drew Hutchison, Ian Krol Elect Free Agency

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The Tigers announced this afternoon that right-hander Drew Hutchison and lefty Ian Krol were removed from the 40-man roster and cleared outright waivers. Both players had more than enough service time to elect minor league free agency.

Hutchison had a pair of separate stints with the Tigers this past season, his first big league action in three years. A back-of-the-rotaion option with the Blue Jays and Pirates early in his career, Hutchison started all nineteen of his Triple-A outings this year but came out of the bullpen for seven of his nine big league appearances. He ultimately worked 21 1/3 frames of 2.11 ERA ball at the MLB level, but his peripherals were far less impressive than that bottom line run prevention mark.

The 31-year-old walked 11 of the 91 big league hitters he faced (12.1%), while striking out just ten (11%). Because of those poor strikeout and walk numbers, Hutchison posted just a 5.98 SIERA, and the Detroit front office determined it best to part ways rather than bring him back via arbitration, where he’d been projected to land a salary in the $900K range. To his credit, Hutchison had a decent season with Triple-A Toledo, tossing 88 1/3 frames of 3.77 ERA ball with serviceable peripherals. That solid work should earn him some minor league offers with Spring Training invitations this winter.

Krol also made it back to the majors for the first time since 2018. The 30-year-old worked 18 2/3 frames of relief, pitching to a 4.34 ERA with a below-average 20.9% strikeout rate but a fine 9.3% walk percentage. He’d also been projected for a $900K arbitration salary but will instead hit the open market in search of a new opportunity.

Tigers Outright Ian Krol

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The Tigers announced Monday that left-handed reliever Ian Krol went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Toledo. Krol has the right to reject said assignment in favor of free agency, though there’s no indication from the team that he plans to do so. Detroit had designated Krol for assignment over the weekend in order to open a roster spot for the return of right-hander Jose Urena.

Krol, 30, returned to the Majors for the first time since 2018 this season. This year marks his second stint with the Tigers organization, having also pitched out of the Detroit bullpen from 2014-15 after coming over from the Nationals alongside Robbie Ray in an offseason Doug Fister trade.

Krol has appeared in a dozen games for the Tigers this season and tallied 12 1/3 innings. In that time, he’s yielded seven earned runs on 18 hits and five walks with 10 strikeouts. It’s a small sample of 41 plate appearances, but right-handed opponents have feasted off Krol this year, hitting at a .351/.390/.568 pace.

In between big league stints, Krol played for the Triple-A affiliates of the Twins and the Reds, in addition to a 2020 stint on the independent circuit. He’s totaled 202 1/3 innings at the MLB level and pitched to a combined 4.54 ERA, but his last real big league success came with the 2016 Braves. The lefty also carries a lifetime 3.45 ERA in 180 Triple-A frames that have been scattered across parts of eight seasons.

Tigers Preparing To Return Jose Urena, Matthew Boyd To Rotation

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The Tigers have designated Ian Krol for assignment in order to make room for Jose Urena, who will come off the injured list tomorrow, per Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group (via Twitter).

In 12 appearances, Krol has a 5.11 ERA/3.82 FIP covering 12 1/3 innings. Urena has been out since July 17th with a groin strain. The veteran right-hander posted a mostly unimpressive 80 innings of 6.19 ERA baseball through 17 starts. Nevertheless, Urena is scheduled to reclaim his spot in the rotation tomorrow.

Matthew Boyd is also returning to the Tigers this weekend to start Sunday’s game. Another roster move will be required to bring him onto the roster. Boyd hasn’t pitched since June 15th, but he’s a big piece of their rotation moving into next season.

Deadline Day Roster Moves

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After what was arguably the wildest trade deadline in years with dozens of deals around the league, multiple teams made follow-up roster moves. Trades end up squeezing some players off of rosters, or creating holes that need to be filled. This post will itemize the many 40-man roster moves that teams made after a dizzying array of blockbuster deals earlier in the day.

AL East

AL Central

  • Pablo Sandoval was released by the Indians. This was just hours after he was acquired in the Eddie Rosario trade. Based on his release, it’s clear that he was only included as salary offset.
  • The Tigers selected the contract of reliever Ian Krol. The left-hander is back after being designated for assignment earlier in the week.

AL West

NL East

NL Central

NL West

  • The Diamondbacks claimed outfielder Jake Hager off waivers from the Mariners. This will be Hager’s fourth club on the season, having been previously designated for assignment by the Mets, Brewers and Mariners. Arizona also selected the contracts of infielder Drew Ellis and left-hander Miguel Aguilar.
  • The Dodgers announced that they claimed catcher Chad Wallach off waivers from the Marlins. Wallach was recently designated for assignment when Brian Anderson was reinstated from the IL.

Tigers Activate Michael Fulmer, Designate Ian Krol For Assignment

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The Tigers announced Tuesday that right-hander Michael Fulmer has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Lefty Ian Krol was designated for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster.

Fulmer hit the injured list late last month with what the team termed a cervical spine strain. His return comes just days before the trade deadline, so it’s possible he won’t have enough time to convince other clubs of his health, but prior to his injury Fulmer looked like one of the more obvious trade candidates around the league.

The now-28-year-old righty was acquired from the Mets in the 2015 Yoenis Cespedes blockbuster and promptly won American League Rookie of the Year honors as a member of the Tigers’ rotation in 2016. That season saw the righty pitch 159 innings of 3.06 ERA ball over the life of 26 starts. He struck out 20.4 percent of opponents along the way, posted a very strong 6.5 percent walk rate and an above-average 48.9 percent grounder rate.

Fulmer looked like the next in a long line of quality arms that had helped the Tigers to perennial contender status earlier in the decade, but injuries have largely derailed that outlook. He’s undergone ulnar nerve transposition surgery and Tommy John surgery since that Rookie of the Year campaign and has pitched a total of just 200 innings since Opening Day 2018 — including 40 frames this year.

After seeing diminished output as a starting pitcher, Fulmer reinvented himself in the bullpen this season. He’s been hammered for a 4.97 ERA in his handful of starts this season but had pitched to a 3.62 ERA with a sizable 29.7 percent strikeout rate and just a 5.1 percent walk rate out of the ’pen. That bullpen ERA was sitting at 2.73 prior to his final outing prior to landing on the IL, when he served up three runs in an inning of work before alerting the team of the injury.

Fulmer is earning a reasonable $3.1MM salary this year and is controlled into the 2022 season via arbitration. That could pique the interest of contending clubs, but the extra year of control also means the Tigers needn’t simply accept the best offer that comes their way after he’s had maybe one or two innings to showcase his health. Fulmer could reestablish himself in the season’s final months and be shopped this winter, and it’s also possible that the Tigers could decide to hang onto him into next year as they look to field a more competitive club.

Krol, 30, returned to the Majors for his first look since 2018. He tossed 4 2/3 innings out of the Detroit bullpen and held opponents to a pair of runs on four hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts in that time. He’d been on a nice run in Triple-A prior to his call-up and has a pair of quality big league seasons under his belt, but consistency has been hard for him to come by; he carries a 4.48 ERA in 194 2/3 Major League innings and has on three occasions posted single-season ERAs of 4.96 or higher. The Tigers can trade him in the next couple days if they find a suitor — otherwise Krol will be placed on outright waivers or released.

Tigers Make Four Roster Moves

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The Tigers made a quartet of roster moves today, including the reinstatement of utilityman Niko Goodrum from the 10-day injured list.  Goodrum will replace Daz Cameron, who is headed to the 10-day IL (retroactive to July 5) due to a right toe sprain.  Left-hander Ian Krol will join the roster after his contract was selected from Triple-A, and righty Spencer Turnbull was moved to the 60-day IL to accommodate Krol on the 40-man roster.

Turnbull’s situation appears somewhat ominous, as Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters that the right-hander had a setback in his recovery from a forearm strain.  That injury was initially thought to be a relatively minor muscular issue rather than a structural problem within Turnbull’s forearm, but he will now undergo further examination.  The 60-day IL timeframe begins from the start of Turnbull’s first placement on the 10-day IL, though while he’ll be able to return to Detroit’s rotation in early August, even that target date seems fluid if a more serious forearm problem is detected.

Goodrum hit the injured list on June 19 due to a tendon injury within his finger, which seemed concerning enough that Hinch said Goodrum was planning to consult with several hand specialists.  Fortunately, Goodrum has been able to return to the lineup after only a few weeks, and he will now return in his old utilityman role, Hinch said.  Goodrum has mostly worked as the Tigers’ starting shortstop for the last two seasons, and the more regular usage led to a marked dropoff in his production at the plate after roughly league-average numbers in 2018-19.

Krol hasn’t pitched in the majors since a single appearance with the Angels during the 2018 season, as the southpaw bounced around on minor league contracts with the Mets, Reds, Twins, and Tigers (plus a stint in independent ball last season) before finally getting another crack at the big leagues this season.  Krol has a 4.50 ERA over 190 career MLB innings from 2013-18, which included 60 2/3 innings in a prior stint with Detroit in 2014-15.

Tigers Select Julio Teheran’s Contract

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The Tigers have informed veteran righty Julio Teheran that he will make their Opening Day roster, manager A.J. Hinch announced to reporters Wednesday (Twitter links via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press). Teheran had a March 22 opt-out date in his contract that he triggered two days ago, giving the club 48 hours to make the move. He’ll now be guaranteed a $3MM salary with up to $1MM available via additional incentives. In a corresponding roster move, the Tigers announced that righty Spencer Turnbull has been placed on the injured list. No reason was given, but he’s been away from the rest of the club since Saturday due to Covid-19 protocols.

Detroit also informed left-hander Tarik Skubal that he’s made the big league rotation. Meanwhile, veteran righty Erasmo Ramirez and lefty Ian Krol did not make the club but will stick with the team. Ramirez has more than six years of service time and finished out the 2020 season on a 40-man roster, making him an Article XX(B) free agent under the collective bargaining agreement and thus entitling him to a $100K retention bonus for remaining with the Tigers rather than taking the release opportunity afforded to him by that status.

Teheran, 30, has had an outstanding spring with the Tigers, holding opponents to three runs on just six hits and one walk with 15 strikeouts over the course of 11 innings. More encouragingly, he’s shown improved velocity this spring, with both Petzold and The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen indicating that he came out of the gates hitting 92.8 and 92.9 mph — just a year after Statcast pegged his average four-seamer at 89.2 mph and his average sinker at 88.7 mph.

Last year was a particularly dismal season for Teheran. In his first season away from his original organization, the Braves, Teheran missed the early portion of the year due to a positive Covid-19 diagnosis and attempted to build up his pitch count in a big league setting but never looked like himself. He was clobbered for a disastrous 10.05 ERA (5.99 SIERA) with a career-low 13.4 percent strikeout rate against an elevated 10.7 percent walk rate.

Prior to 2020, Teheran had been a durable workhorse in Atlanta. He may not have developed into the ace-caliber starter that many expected based on his former top prospect status — his 2014 season came close — but from 2013-19 Teheran combined for a 3.64 ERA over the life over 1334 innings. He averaged 32 starts per season along the way, landing on the injured list only twice: a two-week stretch due to a minor lat strain in 2016 and a 10-day stint for a thumb contusion in 2018.

Teheran now steps into the Tigers’ rotation alongside Matthew Boyd, Jose Urena and the up-and-coming Skubal, who ranked as one of the game’s top 50 prospects prior to making his MLB debut in 2020. The 24-year-old Skubal was tagged for a 5.63 ERA last season, but only in a small sample of 32 innings. He battled some control issues a bit in his most recent spring start but has held opponents to a pair of runs on eight hits and eight walks with 15 strikeouts in 12 Grapefruit League innings. Obviously, he’ll need to command the strike zone more effectively during the season, but Skubal has encouraged the club enough to further audition for a long-term rotation spot.

Turnbull was likely ticketed for a rotation spot himself, but there’s no timeline for his return to the club. In the meantime, the Tigers can look to former No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize or former Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer. The latter worked out of the bullpen in his most recent outing and has generally struggled this spring, but he still hopes to return to form as a starter after undergoing Tommy John surgery late in 2018, missing 2019 and struggling in 2020. Mize has also struggled, however, so the Tigers could look elsewhere within the organization to piece things together until Turnbull is deemed eligible to return. Both Daniel Norris and Tyler Alexander have experience starting at the MLB level.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/14/20

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Monday’s minor moves from around the game…

  • The Padres have signed right-hander Jacob Rhame to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training, Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets. While Rhame spent time with the Angels organization last season, he didn’t appear in any of their games. Before joining the Halos, Rhame appeared in the majors as a Met in each season from 2017-19, but he could only manage a 6.23 ERA/6.06 FIP with 7.55 K/9 and 4.53 BB/9 in that 47 2/3-inning span. The 27-year-old has, however, been successful in Triple-A, where he owns a 3.73 ERA with 10.8 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 over 169 innings.
  • The Tigers announced the addition of lefty reliever Ian Krol on a minors pact that comes with an invitation to big league camp. This will be the second Tigers stint for Krol, whom they first acquired from the Nationals in a 2013 trade centering on Doug Fister. Krol became a part of the Tigers’ bullpen from 2014-15, but he was unable to establish himself as a reliable reliever in Detroit. He had a career year the next season as a member of the Braves, with whom he threw 51 innings of 3.18 ERA/2.91 FIP ball and notched 9.88 K/9 and 2.29 BB/9. Things have since gone downhill for Krol, who had a poor 2017 with the Braves, threw only two MLB frames as an Angel in 2018, and hasn’t resurfaced in the majors. He was hit with a 50-game suspension for a drug of abuse in 2019 and spent last season pitching independent ball.
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