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Jake Jewell

Phillies Sign Jake Jewell To Minor League Deal

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The Phillies have signed right-hander Jake Jewell to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He will presumably receive an invitation to major league Spring Training.

Jewell, 30 in May, has 31 games of MLB experience, scattered over the 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons with the Angels and Cubs. He’s posted an unsightly 7.75 ERA in that time, with his 13 home runs allowed in just 38 1/3 innings surely playing a role in that inflated figure.

In 2022, he signed a minor league deal with the Guardians. He was throwing well for their Triple-A team for most of the year, logging 43 1/3 innings with a 2.49 ERA, striking out 27% of batters faced, walking 8.4% of them and getting grounders on 63.3% of balls in play. The Guards selected him to the big league roster in August but optioned him back down to the minors and designated him for assignment before he got into a big league game. He was claimed by the Twins and made nine appearances for their Triple-A team, but saw his ERA spike to 5.68. He was outrighted off their roster in September.

Between the two clubs, Jewell finished 2022 with a 3.21 ERA in 56 Triple-A innings, striking out 27.7% of batters faced against an 8.9% walk rate. He’ll give the Phillies’ bullpen some depth without taking up a roster spot for the time being. If he can earn his way onto the roster, he will be able to be cheaply retained for the foreseeable future, as he has just over a year of MLB service time.

19 Players Elect Free Agency

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Players hit minor league free agency on a daily basis during the postseason, as opposed to major league free agents who hit free agency following the World Series when their contracts expire. On Thursday, MLBTR covered 15 players who elected minor league free agency, and we will continue to provide occasional updates as players continue to hit the open market, as noted on the MiLB.com transactions log.

If a player is not on their organization’s 40-man roster at the end of the season, he will hit minor league free agency as long as he has at least 3 years of MLB service time, been assigned outright more than once in his career, and/or has played in the minor leagues for parts of seven or more seasons. Everyone on today’s list is part of that group of players, and most will search for another minor league deal this offseason, though a few may manage to latch onto a major league club and secure a bench or bullpen spot entering the 2023 season.

Infielders:

Outfielders:

Pitchers:

Outrights: VanMeter, Vieaux, Bard, Araúz, Medina, Castro, Jewell

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Catching up on some players who were recently designated for assignment…

Latest Moves

  • The Pirates outrighted left-hander Cam Vieaux and infielder Josh VanMeter to Triple-A after the duo each cleared waivers, according to John Dreker of Pirates Prospects (Twitter link).  Vieaux and VanMeter were each designated for assignment earlier this week.  VanMeter hit .187/.266/.292 over 192 PA with Pittsburgh this season, while playing all over the field as a defensive fill-in.  Vieaux made his MLB debut this year, with a 10.38 ERA over 8 2/3 innings in his first taste of big league action.
  • The Yankees announced that right-hander Luke Bard has been outrighted to Triple-A.  Since this isn’t the first time Bard has been outrighted in his career, he can opt for free agency rather than accept the Triple-A assignment.  The righty pitched one game in the pinstripes after being claimed off waivers from the Rays in early August, and for the 2022 season in total, Bard has a 1.80 ERA over 15 innings with Tampa Bay and New York.

Earlier Today

  • The Orioles announced that infielder Jonathan Araúz cleared outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk. He was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox in June and has gotten into 15 games at the big league level this year between the two clubs. The 24-year-old hit just .132/.150/.211 in that time but provided defensive versatility by playing second base, third base and shortstop. In 35 Triple-A games this year, he’s hit .192/.264/.238. Since this is the first outright of his career and he has less than three years of MLB service time, he won’t have the right to reject the assignment and become a free agent.
  • The Mets outrighted right-hander Adonis Medina, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. Medina, 25, was acquired from the Pirates in April for cash considerations and has been tossed between Triple-A and the majors all year long. In 23 2/3 MLB innings, he has a 6.08 ERA, 15.5% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate. In 26 2/3 innings for Syracuse, he has a much better 3.71 ERA and 20.2% strikeout rate, though a much higher walk rate of 12.1%. This is the first outright of his career and he has less than three years of MLB service time, meaning he will have to accept the outright assignment to Syracuse.
  • The Cubs sent right-hander Kervin Castro outright to Triple-A Iowa, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The 23-year-old began the season with the Giants but went to the Cubs on a waiver claim in August. Between the two clubs, he’s thrown 12 1/3 MLB innings this year, but with a 10.22 ERA and 12.3% walk rate. In 34 2/3 Triple-A innings between the two organizations, he has a 5.19 ERA with a 16% walk rate. He has less than three years of MLB service time and this is his first career outright, meaning he will not be eligible to reject this assignment.
  • The Twins sent right-hander Jake Jewell outright to Triple-A St. Paul, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The 29-year-old began the year with the Guardians on a minor league deal, getting selected to the big league roster in August but getting optioned before appearing in a game. He lasted just over a week on the 40-man roster before getting designated for assignment and landing with Minnesota on waivers. In 48 2/3 Triple-A innings between the two organizations, he has a 3.14 ERA, 25.9% strikeout rate and 8.8% walk rate. Unlike the others on this list, he has been previously outrighted in his career. That gives him the right to reject this assignment and elect free agency, though it’s unclear at this point if he has done so.

Twins Select Louie Varland, Designate Jake Jewell

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TODAY: The Twins designated right-hander Jake Jewell for assignment, as Varland’s selection is now official.  Jewell had just been claimed off waivers from the Guardians three weeks ago,

SEPTEMBER 6: The Twins are calling up one of the top pitching prospects in their system, as they’ll select the contract of right-hander Louie Varland to make his big league debut Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, per Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter link).

Varland’s call to the Majors continues a nice development story for a North St. Paul native who’ll now suit up for his hometown club. He’s one of just four players ever to be drafted out of Division-II Concordia University in St. Paul — older brother Gus Varland, currently in the Dodgers’ system, is another — and the Twins grabbed him well down the board, in the 15th round. (The Varland brothers, just one year apart in age, faced off against one another earlier this season, when both started the same game for their respective teams’ Double-A affiliates.) The younger Varland pitched just 8 2/3 innings in the Twins organization in 2019 after being drafted and didn’t pitch in 2020, when there was no minor league season.

A D-II 15th-round pick with 8 2/3 professional innings (all coming in Rookie ball) obviously isn’t going to carry much prospect fanfare, but Varland erupted with a 2021 breakout that saw him named the Twins organization’s minor league pitcher of the year. Beginning the season in Class-A Fort Myers, Varland came roaring out of the gates with a 2.09 ERA and a massive 38% strikeout rate before being promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids, where he largely repeated that success. In 55 2/3 frames with the Kernels, he posted a 2.10 ERA with a 29.9% strikeout rate. Varland walked just 7.1% of his opponents between the two levels, and by the conclusion of the ’21 season, he featured prominently among Twins prospect rankings.

It’s been more of the same for Varland in 2022 — this time between Double-A (105 innings, 3.34 ERA, 26.4% strikeout rate) and Triple-A (21 1/3 innings, 1.69 ERA, 32.1% strikeout rate). The right-hander explained to FanGraphs’ David Laurila this time last year that despite throwing just 90-92 mph during his college days, he’s now sitting 94-95 mph and peaking in the upper 90s after working with the Twins’ development staff.

“I would put it to our pitching coordinators and the pitching coaches with my teams,” Varland told Laurila. “But also Martijn [Verhoeven], our [motion performance] coach. He really cleaned up my mechanics so that I could pitch with an efficient arm path. That was really the root of it all; everything has stemmed from that.”

The results speak for themselves, as Varland has ascended from obscurity to the Major Leagues in short order — and with a career 2.61 ERA, 30% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate in the minor leagues. MLB.com ranks him 10th among Twins prospects, while Baseball America has him listed 16th and FanGraphs at No. 25. Varland complements a high-spin four-seamer that now draws plus grades with a trio of offspeed offerings: a changeup, a slider and a seldom-used curveball. Both the changeup and slider have potential to be above-average pitches, per that group of scouting reports, with MLB.com suggesting the changeup is already there. He’ll be controllable through at least the 2028 season.

Once he’s formally selected to the roster — which may not happen until tomorrow, if he is indeed slated for a Wednesday debut — Varland will immediately join the Twins’ rotation mix for the remainder of the season and for the 2023 campaign as well. He’ll have a full slate of three minor league option years, meaning he could be moved up and down on an as-needed basis for awhile he doesn’t immediately seize a starting job. And, with the reworked arm slot and mechanics unlocking some additional velocity, it remains possible that Varland could eventually end up a hard-throwing bullpen piece, should a role in the rotation not pan out.

Twins Claim Jake Jewell From Guardians

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The Guardians have announced that right-hander Jake Jewell has been claimed off waivers by the Twins.

Jewell, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Guardians in the offseason and has had a nice showing in the minors this year. Through 43 1/3 innings in Triple-A, he had an ERA of 2.49 along with a 27% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and 63.3% ground ball rate.

Based on that strong minor league showing, he got selected up to the big league club in early August but was optioned a few days later without getting into any game action and then designated for assignment after just over a week on the 40-man roster. That’s been something of a theme in Jewell’s career in recent years, as he’s often thrown quite well in the minors but without getting extended looks in the big leagues. He has 38 1/3 MLB innings thus far, spread out over three different campaigns.

For the Twins, they had an open spot on their 40-man roster, meaning no corresponding move will be necessary. Since Jewell has one option year remaining, they could send him to Triple-A as depth and keep him there for the final weeks of the season.

Guardians Designate Jake Jewell For Assignment

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The Guardians have designated right-hander Jake Jewell for assignment, tweets Mandy Bell of MLB.com. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to right-hander Xzavion Curry, who will indeed be selected to  the 40-man roster to start the second game of today’s doubleheader (as already covered here). Cleveland also reinstated James Karinchak from the restricted list and returned righty Peyton Battenfield to Triple-A Columbus.

Jewell, a longtime Angels farmhand, has begun to bounce around the league via waivers and minor league free agency in recent years, spending time with the Giants, Cubs, Dodgers and now Guardians since being let go by the Halos organization. He’s been hit hard in 38 1/3 career innings at the MLB level (7.75 ERA) but has posted a strong season in Cleveland’s system so far this year.

Through 43 1/3 innings in Triple-A Columbus, Jewell has pitched to a 2.49 ERA with a 27% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and a huge 63.3% ground-ball rate. Despite that strong showing, Jewell wasn’t selected to the 40-man roster until a few days after the trade deadline. He didn’t make it into a big league game before being optioned back to Columbus and now jettisoned from the 40-man roster. With trades of players who’ve been on the Major League roster at any point now prohibited, Jewell will be placed on waivers or released within the next week. All 29 other clubs would be able to claim him.

Despite the lack of big league success, there’s a chance Jewell could end up claimed by another club. He’s optionable for the remainder of the season, creating some flexibility, and beyond the strong numbers he’s logged so far in 2022, he has a lengthy track record of sharp numbers at the game’s top minor league level. Jewell had a rough showing in Triple-A in 2019 — a season that saw  Triple-A leagues use the same juiced ball as the Majors — but has otherwise managed ERAs well south of 4.00 and solid strikeout rates in his other three Triple-A campaigns. On the whole, Jewell has racked up 151 innings of 3.64 ERA ball with a 25.1% strikeout rate, a 10.5% walk rate, an impressive 59.8% ground-ball rate and just 0.50 HR/9 at the game’s top minor league level.

 

Guardians Designate Franmil Reyes For Assignment

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The Guardians have designated DH/outfielder Franmil Reyes for assignment, reports Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Though his 2022 numbers have fallen well below his career marks, the move still comes as something of a surprise given Reyes’ age (2022 is his age-26 season) and his prodigious raw power. He had been optioned to Triple-A Columbus earlier this week. Jake Jewell has been selected onto the roster in his place.

Since debuting with the Padres in 2018, Reyes has been one of the more consistent home run threats in the game despite playing his home games at San Diego’s Petco Park (the most pitcher-friendly stadium in the majors) and Progressive Field (comparatively neutral but still pitcher-friendly), going deep in 5.6% of his career plate appearances (the league-wide average over the same span is 3.3%). That number has fallen to 3.2% in 2022, however, while his strikeout rate has ballooned to 37.1% (against a career 30.7% mark) and his walk rate has fallen to 5% (8.4% career).

These unfortunate trends translated into a meager .213/.254/.350 triple-slash, a far cry from his career .253/.314/.478 batting line — particularly in the power department. The Guardians, who entered play on Saturday two games behind the Twins in the AL Central and a game behind the Rays for the final wild card spot, will likely continue to rotate Josh Naylor and Owen Miller between first base and Reyes’ erstwhile DH spot.

Given his very real power potential — and the passing of the trade deadline — there could be some very real interest in Reyes from contending teams, perhaps even before he’s cleared waivers. Any team claiming the slugger would owe him a pro-rated portion of his $4.55MM 2022 salary, while he’d be owed only a pro-rated portion of the minimum salary thereafter. Reyes actually has two years of team control remaining, though he’ll be in line for at least a modest raise should a team choose to tender him a contract.

Guardians Sign Jake Jewell To Minor League Contract

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The Guardians have signed reliever Jake Jewell to a minor league contract, according to Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America. The righty had qualified for minor league free agency after being outrighted off the Giants’ 40-man roster late last season.

Jewell split the 2021 campaign between three organizations, although he only suited up at the big league level with one. The 28-year-old began the year with the Cubs after signing a minors pact the prior offseason. He was selected to the MLB roster right around the trade deadline and went on to make ten appearances with Chicago. He allowed 12 runs, including a staggering five home runs, in just ten innings for the North Siders before they designated him for assignment.

That obviously wasn’t a productive MLB run, but Jewell had pitched to a sterling 2.78 ERA in 32 1/3 innings with Triple-A Iowa to earn the call-up. That minor league showing caught the interest of a pair of NL West rivals, as he landed with the Dodgers and Giants on successive waiver claims. Both Los Angeles and San Francisco stashed him at Triple-A without getting him into a big league game, however, and he cleared waivers once the Giants bumped him from their 40-man in September.

In addition to his time with the Cubs, Jewell pitched in the big leagues with the Angels from 2018-19. He posted a 6.99 ERA in 21 outings with Anaheim, striking out a below-average 19.2% of batters faced. He boasts a fastball that typically sits in the 95-96 MPH range, though, and his career 12.4% swinging strike rate is solid. Cleveland relievers ranked sixth last season in both ERA (3.64) and strikeout/walk rate differential (15.9 percentage points), so Jewell might have a hard time getting a look early in the season. He’ll add a fairly live depth arm to Triple-A Columbus.

Jose Quintana, Jake Jewell Elect Free Agency

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Giants lefty Jose Quintana and righty Jake Jewell have both elected free agency, per the MiLB.com transactions log. Both are largely procedural moves. Quintana would have been a free agent after the World Series anyhow based on service time. Jewell, meanwhile, was outrighted off the 40-man roster for the second time in his career earlier this month — and a second outright grants a player the right to reject in favor of free agency.

Quintana, 32 this offseason, was a waiver claim late in the year as the Giants looked for ways to stockpile pitching depth after the trade deadline. He posted an ERA north of 8.00 as a starter, mostly with the Angels, but notched a 4.18 ERA with a 28.3% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate in 28 relief innings. Some clubs may want to give the once-steady Quintana another chance to bounce back in the rotation, but that K-BB% in 28 bullpen innings could generate some interest as a reliever, given a fairly thin crop of lefty relief options on the market this offseason.

Jewell, too, is a former Angel — though his time with the Halos didn’t overlap with that of Quintana. The 28-year-old righty was a fifth-round pick by the Angels back in 2016 and was considered one of the organization’s more promising arms for several years. He’s yet to find success in the big leagues, though, pitching to a 7.75 ERA in 38 1/3 innings — including a 9.90 mark in 10 frames this year.

Jewell fared much better in Triple-A this season, splitting time between the Giants, Cubs and Dodgers organizations and working to a combined 3.40 ERA in 45 frames. He also fanned nearly 27 percent of his opponents and allowed just four homers in an offensively-charged environment, albeit with a somewhat bloated 10.2 percent walk rate. Jewell averaged a bit shy of 95 mph on his heater in his brief big league look this winter and will garner some interest as a depth option on minor league deals.

Giants Outright Jake Jewell

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The Giants announced that right-hander Jake Jewell has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A.  Jewell’s presence on the waiver wire wasn’t publicly known, though this marks the third time Jewell has been on waivers this season, and the first time the 28-year-old hasn’t changed teams.

Jewell came to the Giants via a waiver claim from the Dodgers earlier this week, and Los Angeles also claimed Jewell when the Cubs designated him for assignment in late August.  The righty has yet to see any big league action for either of the two NL West powers, as his 2021 statline remains 10 innings pitched (with a 9.90 ERA) for Chicago.

This also marks the second time the Giants have themselves outrighted Jewell off their 40-man roster.  San Francisco previously claimed Jewell off waivers from the Angels back in January 2020 and then outrighted him later that month.  Jewell ended up not seeing any action at all in 2020 thanks to the canceled minor league season, as the Giants never called him up to their MLB roster.

Originally drafted by the Angels back in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, Jewell had a 6.99 ERA over 28 1/3 frames for the Angels in 2018-19.  The righty has a 4.78 ERA over 542 career innings in the minors, but a 3.88 ERA with a 24.8% strikeout rate over 97 1/3 Triple-A innings.  Jewell’s strikeout rate has been on the rise since becoming a full-time reliever during the 2018 season.

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