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Jeurys Familia

Diamondbacks Sign Jeurys Familia To Minor League Deal

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5:22pm: Familia will make $1.5MM if he makes it to the majors with $500K in performance bonuses also available, per Joel Sherman of The New York Post.

4:55pm: The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Jeurys Familia to a minor league deal, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The ACES client will receive an invitation to major league Spring Training.

Familia, 33, has had many good years in the big leagues but is coming off a terrible campaign in 2022. From 2014 to 2021, he made 482 appearances, mostly with the Mets, with a 3.20 ERA in that time. His 10.5% walk rate was a bit on the high side but he struck out 25.2% of batters faced in that time and got grounders on 55.5% of balls in play.

Last year, however, was a completely different story. He signed a $6MM deal with the Phillies and made 38 appearances for them but posted a 6.09 ERA in that time while his strikeout rate fell to 20.9%. He was released in August and latched on with the Red Sox for a while but posted a 6.10 ERA in 10 appearances for them. A .386 batting average on balls in play could have made things look worse than they really were, but it’s not like everything can be explained away by bad luck. Familia’s Statcast page is an icy blue, since he was in the third percentile in terms of hard hit rate, fourth percentile for average exit velocity and eighth percentile in barrel rate.

The Diamondbacks had a rough showing from their bullpen last year. Their relievers posted a collective 4.58 ERA for the year, a mark that bested just five other teams in the majors. They’ve made a few moves to address the relief corps for the upcoming season, including signing Miguel Castro and Scott McGough, grabbing Cole Sulser off waivers and trading for Carlos Vargas. By signing Familia, they’ve essentially taken a no-risk flier on a veteran with a lengthy track record of success. He’ll give them some extra depth without taking up a roster spot for the time being.

Jeurys Familia Elects Free Agency

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Sept. 16: Familia cleared waivers and rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency, tweets Cotillo.

Sept. 13: The Red Sox have designated reliever Jeurys Familia for assignment, the hurler himself told reporters (including Chris Cotillo of MassLive). The club has not officially announced the move. Boston’s 40-man roster tally drops to 39.

Familia spent around a month on Boston’s big league roster. He opened the season with the Phillies but was released by Philadelphia in early August after posting a 6.09 ERA across 34 innings. Within a few days, Familia signed a minor league deal with Boston and was quickly promoted back to the big leagues. He’s continued to struggle, though, allowing eight runs (seven earned) with seven walks and eight strikeouts over 10 appearances in a Boston uniform.

That included a tough outing during tonight’s matchup with the Yankees. Called upon in the tenth inning, Familia issued a leadoff walk to Aaron Hicks. After inducing a Marwin González double play and intentionally walking Aaron Judge, he unintentionally walked Giancarlo Stanton to load the bases. Familia then coughed up a three-run double to Gleyber Torres before recording the final out. He took the loss in a 7-6 Yankees win.

In the wake of that disappointing outing, the Red Sox elected to move on. The 32-year-old is headed for free agency at the end of the season regardless, and any faint hope the Sox had of making a playoff push a month ago has long since been dashed. Rather than continuing to devote a bullpen spot to a scuffling veteran, Boston will turn elsewhere. Cotillo reports that the Sox will go with 13 pitchers for the time being, with the recently-claimed Yu Chang taking the vacated active roster spot.

Familia will land on waivers in the next few days, but his struggles in both Philadelphia and Boston make it a virtual lock he’ll clear. With only a few weeks remaining on the schedule, he plans to turn his attention to the upcoming offseason and opportunities for 2023 (relayed by Jahmai Webster of NESN).

While Familia’s 2022 results have been subpar, he’s only a season removed from being an effective reliever. Familia posted a 3.94 ERA across 59 1/3 innings with the Mets in 2021, striking out 27.5% of batters faced that year. His strikeouts are well down this season, but he’s averaged north of 95 MPH on his fastball. At the very least, he figures to find minor league offers this winter as a result of his relatively recent success and extant arm strength.

Red Sox Select Jeurys Familia

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Just a few days after signing Jeurys Familia to a minor league contract, the Red Sox have selected the veteran right-hander to the big league roster.  In corresponding moves, right-hander Kaleb Ort was optioned to Triple-A, and Chris Sale (who recently underwent season-ending wrist surgery) was moved to the 60-day injured list.

Familia is looking for a new beginning after posting a 6.09 ERA over 34 innings with the Phillies this season.  Philadelphia signed the righty to a one-year, $6MM this past offseason, but ended up releasing Familia last week.  In signing Familia and promoting him to the MLB roster, the Red Sox now owe him just the prorated portion of the minimum salary, while the Phils are responsible for the remainder of that $6MM total.

It’s been a rough season for Familia, who has posted below-average walk and strikeout rates while allowing more hard contact than almost any pitcher in baseball.  Familia is still averaging 95.7mph on his fastball, but that has been the only one of his pitches that has still been effective, as per Statcast’s metrics.  Batters have been teeing off on Familia’s sinker, which has been his primary pitch for the majority of his career (and he still throws the sinker over 50 percent of the time).

Still, at least a couple of Familia’s metrics are more favorable, as his 3.91 SIERA and an eye-popping .408 BABIP indicate some level of bad luck, despite all of that hard contact.  There isn’t much risk for the Red Sox in seeing if Familia can still contribute at the big league level, or at least provide a fresh arm within what has been a pretty middling Boston relief corps.

Red Sox Sign Jeurys Familia To Minor League Deal

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The Red Sox have signed right-hander Jeurys Familia to a minor league deal, per Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Chris Cotillo of MassLive relays that it’s a minor league deal.

Familia, 32, is a veteran who is in his 11th MLB season, having previously donned the jerseys of the Mets, A’s and Phillies. For his career, he’s thrown 532 2/3 innings with a 3.46 ERA, 24.5% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate and 54.7% ground ball rate. His best stretch was with the Mets from 2014 to 2018, though his performance has fallen off since then.

A free agent this offseason, Familia was signed by the Phillies to a one-year deal that came with a $6MM guarantee and incentives. Through 34 innings on the year, Familia has registered an ERA of 6.09, along with a 20.9% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and 48.1% ground ball rate. He was designated for assignment and then released last week.

The Red Sox will be taking a chance that Familia can bounce back, which isn’t out of the realm of possibility. He has a .408 batting average on balls in play this year, well above his .303 career rate. He also has a strand rate of just 68.3% on the season, compared to a 74.9% clip for his career. As such, the advanced metrics feel he deserved better than that 6.09 ERA, as he has a 4.71 xERA, 4.88 FIP, 4.15 xFIP and 3.91 SIERA.

Since Familia was released by the Phillies, they are paying out the remainder of his contract. If the Red Sox eventually select him to the big league club, they will only be responsible for the prorated league minimum, with that amount being subtracted from what Philly pays. That means this is effectively a no-cost way for Boston to improve its bullpen depth.

Phillies Release Odubel Herrera, Jeurys Familia

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The Phillies have released outfielder Odubel Herrera and right-hander Jeurys Familia.  Righty Ryan Sherriff has also been outrighted to Triple-A.  All three players were designated for assignment earlier this week.

This is the second time within the last year that the Phils have officially parted ways with Herrera, as they declined their $11.5MM club option last fall and then re-signed him for only $1.75MM in March.  It would seem like today’s release will bring an end to Herrera’s run in the organization after seven-plus years, as Philadelphia is certainly hoping that trade deadline acquisition Brandon Marsh can be a long-term answer in center field.

Herrera hit .238/.279/.378 over 197 PA this season, seeing time in center field and left field.  Familia was also struggling, with a 6.09 ERA in 34 innings after signing a one-year, $6MM free agent deal with the Phillies during the offseason.

Familia is still owed around $2MM of that salary, though a new team will have to cover just the prorated MLB minimum salary, while the Phillies absorb the rest.  The same is true of the roughly $580K owed to Herrera on the remainder of his deal.  Claiming either player off DFA waivers would have put the new team on the hook for the rest of the remaining salary, so while neither Herrera or Familia represents a huge financial outlay, it is still understandable why other teams would prefer to stick the Phillies with much of the bill.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see either player catch on elsewhere, though Familia is seemingly the likelier of the two to land with a new club.  Herrera hasn’t been a terribly effective player since 2017, while Familia still had solid bottom-line numbers with the Mets as recently as 2021.  With pretty much all of Familia’s secondary metrics trending downward, however, clubs must have concerns over what the 32-year-old still has in the tank.

Phillies Designate Jeurys Familia

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The Phillies have designated right-hander Jeurys Familia for assignment, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber reports (Twitter link).  Right-hander Francisco Morales and outfielder Mickey Moniak will fill in the open spots on the Phillies’ roster tonight, replacing Familia and the also-designated Odubel Herrera.

Familia signed a one-year, $6MM contract with the Phillies in March, joining an NL East rival after spending almost his entire career with the Mets.  At his best, Familia was one of the top relievers in baseball, both as a setup man and as a closer, highlighted by a 51-save, All-Star season in 2016.

The righty had become much more inconsistent since those prime years, but still had a 3.94 ERA and an above-average strikeout rate over 59 1/3 frames with New York in 2021.  A big dropoff in hard-contract rate, however, was a red flag in hindsight, as Familia has struggled badly since joining the Phillies.  Between a 6.09 ERA and a blue-tinged Statcast page, not much has gone right for Familia, and he has added to the Phillies’ list of struggling relievers in recent years.  Familia has also had a drop in velocity, as his 95.4 mph average fastball (while still big compared to most pitchers) is down from 96.7 mph last year.

With a little over $2MM still owed on Familia’s contract, the 32-year-old is very likely to pass through the DFA wire without a claim, so the Phillies will be responsible for the remainder of that salary.  A team that signs Familia after the fact would then owe him just the prorated minimum salary, and given his past track record, it seems like another club is likely to give Familia a look to see if a change of scenery would help.

Dave Dombrowski On Phillies’ Deadline Needs

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The Phillies are coming off a dreadful weekend, dealt a three-game sweep at the hands of the non-competitive Cubs. That dropped Philadelphia to 49-46, a game behind the Cardinals for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Having outscored opponents by 44 runs and with a firm win-now mentality, there’s no question the Phillies are nevertheless going to be motivated to upgrade the roster over the coming eight days in an effort to snap their decade-long playoff drought.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski addressed the team’s deadline outlook this evening, implying the club will look to add to the starting rotation (link via Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer). That seems directly tied to the health (or lack thereof) of right-hander Zach Eflin, who has spent the past month on the injured list due to another right knee issue. The 28-year-old hurler remains without a clear recovery timeline, and the Phils front office head intimated that uncertainty could lead them to look for back-end help. “I’d love for him to come back, but I don’t know when,” Dombrowski said of Eflin. “So I don’t think, from my perspective, that I can just say we’re going to wait for that to happen. I don’t think we can just sit here and wait to see what takes place.”

The Phillies landed one of the trade market’s top starters last summer, sending a prospect package centering on Spencer Howard to the Rangers for Kyle Gibson (and reliever Ian Kennedy). This year’s market features a trio of high-profile arms who, like Gibson at the time, come with a season and a half of remaining club control: Luis Castillo, Frankie Montas and Tyler Mahle. Given the organization’s urgency to compete after a series of underwhelming seasons and Dombrowski’s reputation for bold action, one could imagine the Phillies being in the market for that top trio. Dombrowski, however, suggested the Phils were reluctant to deal from the top of their farm system this summer.

“Every position there’s premium guys out there, and then there’s other guys that could be helpful,” he said (via Lauber). “Well, the premium guys are probably going to cost you your top prospects. I don’t think, as an organization, we’re in that position right now. I just don’t think we’re there.” The Phils had four players — right-handers Andrew Painter, Mick Abel and Griff McGarry and catcher Logan O’Hoppe — on Baseball America’s most recent Top 100 prospects update. Painter was the only member of that group to check in among the top 50.

For any team to land Castillo, Montas or Mahle, they’ll certainly have to deal at least one player from the upper tier of their system. Dombrowski’s comments would seem to suggest the Phils could look towards the market for back-end starters and/or pitchers who are impending free agents, but as MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald explored last week, a good chunk of that group has either slumped lately or comes with some questions about their availability in trade. Dombrowski suggested the asking price even for role players has remained high in discussions with teams thus far, although he opined that selling clubs will reduce their demands as the August 2 trade deadline draws nearer.

Beyond the rotation, the Phils have had longstanding issues in center field and in the bullpen. As Matt Gelb of the Athletic explores in greater detail, the roster spots of Odúbel Herrera and/or Jeurys Familia could be in jeopardy if the Phils can find upgrades at those positions. Herrera, re-signed to a $1.75MM guarantee during Spring Training after the club declined a costlier team option, has hit only .240/.280/.389 through 186 plate appearances. Herrera, Matt Vierling and Mickey Moniak have all struggled again, and the Phils carried a league-worst .202/.254/.296 showing out of center field into play Monday night.

Gelb writes that the Phillies would like to add a left-handed hitter capable of playing center field, but the number of attainable players who fit that profile is limited. 26 left-handed or switch-hitters have taken at least 50 plate appearances as a center fielder this season. The vast majority all either come with extended windows of remaining club control, play for teams that are currently in the thick of the playoff race and/or are enduring dismal seasons of their own. Speculatively speaking, the Cubs’ Rafael Ortega (owner of a .232/.327/.348 line through 265 plate appearances) might offer the best blend of decent 2022 production and attainability for a minimal prospect cost.

The bullpen, meanwhile, has been a middle-of-the-pack group on the year. They’ve been excellent of late after a disappointing start, posting a 2.69 ERA through the past 30 days. Given the Phils’ longstanding relief issues, however, Dombrowski and his staff figure to explore ways to add another arm to the mix. Familia, signed to a $6MM deal over the offseason, has continued to struggle of late and owns just a 4.83 ERA/3.81 SIERA across 31 2/3 frames on the season.

Two areas the Phillies don’t seem they’ll need to address via trade are second base and the corner outfield/designated hitter. They’ve been without Jean Segura and Bryce Harper due to respective finger fractures, but both players are progressing well in their recoveries. Segura is set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley tomorrow, and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes that the second baseman is hopeful of returning to the big league roster by the time the club kicks off a homestead August 4 against the Nationals. That’d be an ahead-of-schedule return for Segura, who was projected to miss 10-12 weeks after undergoing surgery in early June.

Harper is further behind, having suffered his injury in late June, but he tells reporters he’s hopeful of getting the pins removed from his surgically-repaired thumb next week. The reigning NL MVP reiterated that he fully expects to play again this season, and Dombrowski noted (via Lauber) that Harper’s injury “is not one of those where it’s [going to be] long enough that you go out and trade for someone that’s going to take that position.” Harper had been limited to DH duty before his thumb fracture because of a partial UCL tear in his elbow that rendered him unable to throw. He acknowledged he’ll have to go through a throwing program and expressed some hope he could get back into the outfield before the end of the year. Even if Harper were to wind up limited to bat-only duties, the Phils would happily plug Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber into the corner outfield if it meant getting Harper back in the lineup for the season’s final month-plus.

Virtually every win-now executive will face some questions about the game’s highest-profile trade candidate over the next week. Yet between their glut of corner outfielders and stated reluctance to deal top-tier young talent, the Phillies would’ve made for a tough fit in the Juan Soto bidding even if the Nationals make him available to intra-division rivals. Dombrowski didn’t address Soto directly, but he more or less shot down any speculation about that possibility. Asked whether they’ll look into adding a “generational talent,” Dombrowski replied “I don’t know that we’re swimming in that market. I love star players. I always have. I have acquired a lot of them. I know [owner] John Middleton likes that. But we do have some star players. I think the problem we’ve had is the depth of talent in our organization. To strip the depth of our talent to add a generational talent, I don’t know that is where we sit at this point.“

Phillies Outright Scott Moss

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MARCH 16: Moss has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, the team announced. He doesn’t have the requisite service time to refuse an outright assignment, so he’ll remain in the organization.

MARCH 15: The Phillies announced Tuesday that they’ve designated lefty Scott Moss for assignment. That’s one of two corresponding moves to make room for the signings of lefty Brad Hand and righty Jeurys Familia — both of whom signed one-year, $6MM contracts to join the Philadelphia bullpen. Both contracts have now been formally announced. The Phils also placed lefty JoJo Romero on the 60-day IL.

Moss, 27, is still searching for his MLB debut. The former fourth-round pick posted solid numbers with both Cincinnati and Cleveland early in his professional career, with his 2019 season in particular standing out. That season saw Moss make 26 starts between Double-A and Triple-A while working to a 2.96 ERA with an impressive 28.9% strikeout rate (against a much less-inspiring 12.7% walk rate).

Moss was in Cleveland’s 60-man player pool during the shortened 2020 season but never got a look in the big leagues. This past year in Triple-A, injuries limited him to just nine games and 20 1/3 innings, during which time he posted a 7.08 ERA. The Phillies claimed him off waivers from the Guardians back in November, but he’ll now either be traded within the week or again made available to all 29 other teams via outright waivers.

Phillies To Sign Jeurys Familia

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The Phillies are in agreement with reliever Jeurys Familia, pending a physical, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). It’s a one-year, $6MM guarantee for the ACES client, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter links). The deal also contains an additional $1MM in possible incentives.

Familia has a solid track record throughout his ten-year MLB career. He owns six seasons with at least 20+ innings of sub-4.00 ERA ball, including a three-year peak when he was one of the top late-game arms in baseball. Familia was a dominant option for the Mets from 2014-16, including a league-best 51-save 2016 campaign. The righty’s strikeout rates were good but not elite; instead, he thrived on racking up ground-balls at a massive clip.

Since that prime, Familia’s performance has fluctuated. He followed up a solid 2018 showing with a rocky campaign. Familia’s run prevention in 2020 (3.71 ERA in 26 2/3 innings) was alright, but his strikeout and walk numbers that year were dismal. His ERA ticked up a bit to 3.94 last season, but Familia’s K/BB rates were better. He punched out an impressive 27.5% of opponents; his 10.3% walk rate remained a bit high, but it marked a notable improvement over the prior year’s 15.8% mark.

As he has throughout his career, Familia did a nice job keeping the ball on the ground. Last year’s 51% rate wasn’t at his peak levels, but it’s still far above the 43.1% league average for bullpen arms. That’s no doubt of appeal to a Philadelphia team that plays in one of the league’s most hitter-friendly home ballparks. Familia’s home run rate spiked a bit last season, but he’s traditionally been excellent at keeping the ball in the yard.

He was also one of the hardest throwers remaining on the free agent market. Familia averaged 97.3 MPH on his heater last season, and he’ll give skipper Joe Girardi another power arm he can rely upon late in games. It’s possible the 32-year-old even picks up some save opportunities. He’s worked in the middle innings over the past few seasons, but he’d obviously shown himself capable of having success in the ninth earlier in his career. At present, fellow offseason signee Corey Knebel seems the favorite for saves, but the Phils didn’t promise him the closer’s role when they added him before the lockout. If Girardi prefers to use Knebel in high-leverage work earlier in games, Familia could be an option to pick up some ninth-inning time.

Of course, it’s also possible the Phillies make another bullpen pickup or two in the coming weeks. Philadelphia’s troubles holding leads in recent years have been well-documented. Last year, Phillie relievers tied with the Nationals for the league lead in blown saves (34). The Phils have seen Héctor Neris and Archie Bradley hit free agency (Bradley remains unsigned), leaving Connor Brogdon as the only returning bullpen arm who tossed 20+ innings with a sub-4.00 ERA.

The Phillies created a spot on the 40-man roster this evening by placing left-hander JoJo Romero on the 60-day injured list. The 25-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery last May; given the timeline of that procedure, it’s no surprise he’ll miss at least the first two months of the season.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Mets Had Contact With Jeurys Familia Before Lockout

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Jeurys Familia has spent parts of ten seasons with the Mets, making up the vast majority of his career thus far. The only time he spent with another organization was when they traded him to Oakland prior to the deadline in 2018, but he re-signed with the Mets on a three-year deal in the following offseason. With that deal now completed, Familia has returned to free agency, and the Mets have interest in re-signing him yet again. Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that, prior to the lockout, the Mets had “maintained contact with the right-hander’s camp.”

The Mets were one of the busiest teams prior to the lockout, handing out contracts to Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha, bolstering their rotation and their lineup, and vaulting their 2022 Opening Day payroll up above $263MM. But one area of the team that has yet to be addressed is the bullpen.

The team’s relievers performed adequately in 2021, coming in 9th in MLB in ERA, 10th in fWAR, 6th in strikeout rate and 13th in walk rate. However, the bullpen lost one of its most productive members, Aaron Loup, who parlayed an incredible 0.95 ERA in 2021 into a two-year, $17MM deal with the Angels.

Familia, now 32, also had a good year for the Mets, throwing 59 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.94, with an excellent strikeout rate of 27.5%. His walk rate of 10.3% was a bit higher than the league average of 8.7%, but it was still a marked improvement for Familia, as he had been above 15% in each of the previous two seasons.

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