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Jimmy Cordero

Yankees, Jimmy Cordero Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees are in agreement on a minor league deal with reliever Jimmy Cordero, reports Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (Twitter link). The 30-year-old is eligible to sign a minors pact by virtue of the fact that he was outrighted off the White Sox’s 40-man roster at the end of the season.

Cordero has appeared in parts of three big league seasons. He broke in with the Nationals in 2018 and also appeared with the Blue Jays and White Sox over the next couple years. Cordero pitched to a 2.75 ERA across 36 innings with Chicago in 2019, but he struggled in each of the two surrounding seasons. The right-hander missed the entire 2021 campaign recovering from a March Tommy John surgery. Given that TJS typically requires around 14 months of recovery time, it seems likely Cordero will be ready to return to game action at some point within the first couple months of next season.

Over his big league career, the native of the Dominican Republic owns a 4.55 ERA over 83 frames of relief. Cordero has only punched out 17.9% of batters faced, but the sinkerballer has induced grounders on a lofty 54.7% of balls in play against him. That’s on the strength of a fastball that has averaged north of 97 MPH in the past and checked in at 96.6 MPH during his most recent action in 2020.

The Yankees have seemingly placed a priority on adding grounder specialists in constructing their bullpen of late — Darren O’Day, Joely Rodríguez, Clay Holmes and Wandy Peralta all fit that bill — and Cordero comes with a similar skillset. Whenever he’s healthy, he’ll try to pitch his way into the middle innings mix in the Bronx.

White Sox Outright Four Players

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The White Sox announced Friday that outfielder Brian Goodwin, right-hander Evan Marshall, right-hander Jimmy Cordero and left-hander Jace Fry have cleared outright waivers and been removed from the 40-man roster. All four will become free agents. Chicago has also selected the contract of left-hander Anderson Severino from Triple-A Charlotte, bringing their current 40-man roster to a total of 34 players.

Signed to a minor league deal during the season, the veteran Goodwin was quickly brought to the big league club as the Sox found themselves reeling from injuries to Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert. While Goodwin’s overall .221/.319/.374 batting line doesn’t stand out, he played a vital role in stabilizing the outfield mix over the summer, and that end-of-season line was dragged down by a pronounced slump late in the year. From mid-June through mid-August, when the Sox’ outfield need was at is peak, Goodwin turned in a .246/.331/.465 batting line through 161 plate appearances, chipping in seven homers, eight doubles and a triple.

Unfortunately, things went south in a hurry. Goodwin hit just .183/.300/.237 in his final 110 plate appearances, ceding at-bats to both Robert and Jimenez as they returned from injury. Goodwin, who turned 31 earlier this week, will head back to the free-agent market as a lifetime .244/.318/.440 hitter in 1395 plate appearances between the Nats, Angels, Royals, Reds and ChiSox.

Marshall, also 31, is set for Tommy John surgery this week and will likely miss the entire 2022 season, so it’s no surprise to see the Sox remove him from the roster. It’s possible they’ll look to re-sign him to a minor league pact so he can rehab with the team but not occupy a 40-man spot all winter, though he’ll have the opportunity to talk with other clubs now.

A minor-league signee after being cut loose by Cleveland following the 2018 season, Marshall pitched well with the ChiSox from 2019-20, notching to a 2.45 ERA with a 23.5% strikeout rate and against a 10.3% walk rate. He struggled to an ERA of 5.60 in 27 1/3 innings this season, however, before going on the injured list and eventually being diagnosed with a ligament tear that will necessitate that Tommy John procedure.

The 30-year-old Cordero underwent Tommy John surgery himself this year but did so way back in March, meaning he’ll likely be ready early in the 2022 season. The 6’4″, 240-pound righty had a nice run with the 2019 Sox after they picked him up off waivers, notching a 2.75 ERA in 36 frames. That ERA jumped to 6.08  in 2020, however, thanks in no small part to a sky-high .352 average on balls in play and a fluky 59.6% strand rate. (Cordero’s 3.87 FIP was more than two runs lower than his ERA.) Cordero hasn’t found much MLB success yet, but he boasts a career 97.8 mph average on his heater and ought to find several clubs interested in a minor league deal/Spring Training invite.

Fry, 28, posted a 4.43 ERA and punched out 29.6% of his opponents in 126 frames for the White Sox from 2018-20, but back surgery limited him to just 6 2/3 innings this season — during which time he allowed eight runs. Fry has little issue missing bats but has walked an untenable 14% of the opponents he’s faced in the big leagues. Still, a lefty who sits around 93 mph with his heater and can punch out roughly 30% of his opponents should find teams willing to take a look this winter, assuming he’s back up to full strength.

Severino, 27, could’ve become a minor league free agent were he not added to the team’s 40-man roster. He signed a minor league pact after spending the 2014-20 seasons in the Yankees organization and gave the White Sox 45 2/3 innings of 2.36 ERA ball with a 27.3% strikeout rate but a bloated 16.5% walk rate between Double-A and Triple-A. His walk rate did improve upon moving up to Triple-A, and the hard-throwing southpaw certainly missed plenty of bats. Rather than let him pursue a deal with another club, the Sox will carry him on the 40-man roster, making him an option out of the bullpen at any point next season.

White Sox Claim Nik Turley

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The White Sox claimed southpaw Nik Turley off waivers from the A’s, Scott Merkin of MLB.com was among those to note (Twitter link). Right-hander Jimmy Cordero has been placed on the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster space.

Turley, 31, tossed 21.2 relief innings of 4.98 ERA/4.82 SIERA ball with the Pirates in 2020. The A’s acquired him from Pittsburgh for cash considerations in January. Oakland evidently didn’t plan on carrying the out-of-options Turley on the active roster to begin the season, so they placed him on waivers. Turley will have to break camp with the Sox or else again be offered to other clubs.

Cordero underwent Tommy John surgery this week. He’ll miss the entire 2021 season.

Jimmy Cordero Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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White Sox right-handed reliever Jimmy Cordero underwent Tommy John surgery on Thursday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The procedure was successful, though Cordero won’t pitch this year.

The hard-throwing Cordero, who appeared in the majors with the Nationals and Blue Jays from 2018-19, joined the White Sox as a waiver claim from the Mariners in the latter of those two seasons. He has since given the White Sox 62 2/3 innings of 4.16 ERA/3.95 SIERA pitching with a 55.1 percent groundball rate. Cordero struggled to keep runs off the board last year, when he logged a 6.07 ERA over 26 2/3 frames, but his peripherals indicated that he deserved better results.

While Cordero did lead the White Sox with 30 appearances in 2020, the 29-year-old was not a sure bet to earn a season-opening roster spot this spring, James Fegan of The Athletic notes. Chicago’s Cordero-less bullpen still boasts the likes of Liam Hendriks, Aaron Bummer, Evan Marshall, Matt Foster, Garrett Crochet, Codi Heuer and Michael Kopech.

MLB Announces Suspensions For Jimmy Cordero, Rick Renteria

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6:38PM: Cordero is appealing his suspension, as per several reporters (including Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times).

4:39PM: Major League Baseball has handed down a pair of suspensions arising out of last night’s game between Chicago’s crosstown rivals. White Sox reliever Jimmy Cordero has been suspended three games, while Sox manager Rick Renteria was tagged with a one-game ban.

MLB determined that Cordero intentionally hit Cubs’ catcher Willson Contreras with a pitch in the seventh inning last night. Earlier in the game, Contreras flipped his bat after hitting a home run off Dylan Cease. Cordero, Renteria and pitching coach Don Cooper were all ejected in the aftermath of the HBP. Cooper received an undisclosed fine for his actions, MLB added. Renteria will serve his suspension in tonight’s game against the Cubs.

Cordero’s suspension isn’t expected to affect his availability for the postseason, hears James Fegan of the Athletic (Twitter link). Of course, it’s not clear the 28-year-old Cordero should be a big part of the White Sox’s postseason roster regardless. He’s got a 5.61 ERA with a mediocre 17.8% strikeout rate this season.

White Sox Claim Jimmy Cordero

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The White Sox have claimed righty Jimmy Cordero off waivers from the Mariners, per club announcements. Southpaw Carlos Rodon was shifted to the 60-day IL to create 40-man space.

Cordero has now moved three times already this season. He started out with the Nationals, who had employed him for a few years after claiming him from the Phillies a few years back, before brief stints with the Blue Jays and M’s.

Though he didn’t manage to take advantage of a 22-appearance MLB showcase last year in D.C., Cordero has obviously shown enough to pique the interest of multiple organizations. He carries a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 Triple-A innings this season, with twenty strikeouts but also 13 walks.

Mariners Claim Jimmy Cordero

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The Mariners announced that they’ve claimed right-hander Jimmy Cordero off waivers from the Blue Jays. Seattle also transferred righty Gerson Bautista from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.

Cordero will report to Triple-A Tacoma with his new organization, though maybe he shouldn’t get too comfortable. The Jays just claimed Cordero off waivers from the Nationals on May 15, only to designate him May 23. Interestingly enough, Toronto jettisoned Cordero to grab lefty Zac Rosscup off waivers from his new team, the Mariners.

The 27-year-old Cordero debuted in the majors with the Nationals last season, when he threw 19 innings out of their bullpen. He added another 1 1/3 with the Blue Jays before they cut him. Between the two teams, Cordero has pitched to a 5.75 ERA/5.96 FIP with matching strikeout and walk rates of 5.31 per nine and a strong groundball percentage (53.4). The hard-throwing Cordero has been better at the Triple-A level, where he owns a 3.41 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 over 63 1/3 frames.

Blue Jays Claim Zac Rosscup, Designate Jimmy Cordero

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The Blue Jays have claimed lefty Zac Rosscup off waivers from the Mariners, per a club announcement. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, Toronto has designated right-hander Jimmy Cordero for assignment.

Rosscup, 30, inked a Major League deal with the Mariners this offseason, although that came with a modest $610K guarantee at the MLB level, so the Blue Jays aren’t really adding any salary to the books. Through 14 innings in Seattle, Rosscup pitched to a palatable 3.21 ERA with a whopping 20 strikeouts, but he also walked 14 batters and threw a pair of wild pitches.

As noted yesterday, Rosscup had some appealing qualities to him — namely a hefty 40 strikeouts and 18.3 percent swinging-strike rate in his past 25 1/3 big league innings. He’s fallen behind way too many hitters this season but has also generated a swinging strike on 30 of the 101 sliders he’d thrown, so there’s certainly some level of intrigue surrounding his ability to miss bats. If the Jays can sort him out, he’d be controllable through the 2021 season.

Cordero, meanwhile, was a recent waiver claim himself but barely lasted a week in his return to the Blue Jays organization. He appeared in one game with the Jays and allowed a solo homer in 1 1/3 innings pitched. Cordero has a 5.75 ERA, 12 strikeouts and 12 walks in 20 1/3 MLB frames to go along with a career 3.41 ERA, 10.4 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in 63 1/3 innings of Triple-A ball. The 27-year-old has averaged 97.5 mph on a blistering heater in his limited big league action over the past two seasons and can be optioned freely for the remainder of the 2019 season, but he’ll be out of minor league options come 2020.

Blue Jays Claim Jimmy Cordero

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The Blue Jays have claimed righty Jimmy Cordero off waivers from the Nationals, as Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca was among those to cover on Twitter. Cordero was sent to Triple-A on optional assignment.

Despite the Nats’ bullpen malaise, other teams are interested in their relievers that have failed to receive MLB looks this year. Cordero follows Austin Adams (traded to the Mariners) in landing on another 40-man roster after being dropped from the D.C. list. Even as it deals with a struggling pitching staff, the Nationals have been forced to make some tough choices to address injuries to its position-player group.

Cordero will also hope also to follow Adams in getting a promotion with his new organization. He wasn’t able to capitalize on a chance last year, recording as many earned runs and walks as strikeouts (a dozen apiece) in 19 frames. No doubt the Jays also noticed that he pumped 98 mph heat and managed an 11.8% swinging-strike rate. Through 12 innings at Triple-A thus far in 2019, Cordero carries a 6.00 ERA with a 17:9 K/BB mix.

Nationals Designate Jimmy Cordero For Assignment

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The Nationals announced a trio of roster moves, including the news that right-hander Jimmy Cordero has been designated for assignment.  The club’s previously-reported signing of outfielder Gerardo Parra was also made official, while outfielder Andrew Stevenson has been sent to the 10-day IL due to back spasms to create room for Parra on the 25-man roster.  Cordero’s designation creates a 40-man spot for Parra.

The 27-year-old Cordero made his Major League debut last season, posting a 5.68 ERA and an even 12 walks and 12 strikeouts over 19 innings out of Washington’s bullpen in 2018.  The righty earned that promotion after a strong showing (1.96 ERA, 10.4 K/9) over 46 Triple-A innings last season, though he struggled at the same level this year, with just a 6.00 ERA over 15 innings.

Cordero is a hard-thrower who averaged 97.5mph on his fastball during his brief stint in the bigs, and he also has a grounder rate of better than 50% over his 282 2/3 career minor league innings.  That said, he has also begun to experience some issues with both the home run ball and limiting walks over the last few seasons.

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