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Josh Thole

Yankees, Josh Thole Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees agreed to a minor league deal with veteran catcher Josh Thole this week, as first reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). The former Mets and Blue Jays backstop would make $600K upon cracking the big league roster. He’s the third experienced catcher the Yankees have brought in on a minor league deal this winter, joining fellow veterans Chris Iannetta and Erik Kratz in that regard. Kyle Higashioka, though, remains the favorite to back up Gary Sanchez in 2020.

Now 33 years old, Thole carved out a niche as something of a personal catcher for former NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey and his knuckleball both in New York and in Toronto. He’s never been a huge threat at the plate, however, hitting .242/.313/.306 through 1499 Major League plate appearances and .259/.349/.380 through 186 Triple-A games.

Thole split the 2019 season between the Angels and Dodgers organizations, where he logged a combined .243/.352/.327 slash in 267 minor league plate appearances. He briefly appeared in the Tigers’ system in 2018 and didn’t play at all in 2017. Thole’s last big league action came in 2016 when he appeared in 50 games with the Blue Jays.

Angels Acquire Adam McCreery, Josh Thole From Dodgers

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The Angels have added a pair of players out of the break, acquiring lefty Adam McCreery and catcher Josh Thole from the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations.

The move will help bolster the Halos’ depth. It’ll also clear needed 40-man roster space for their cross-town rivals. The Dodgers activated outfielder A.J. Pollock today from the 60-day injured list. He’ll be joined by Corey Seager and David Freese in returning to the active roster.

Acquired last November, McCreery had yet to appear at the MLB level with the Dodgers but did hold a 40-man spot. In 35 2/3 upper-minors innings this season, he carries a 4.04 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 5.8 BB/9. The southpaw briefly cracked the majors last year with Atlanta but has yet to receive a full opportunity — due in no small part to the fact that he has not yet conquered persistent walk problems.

The 30-year-old Thole was once a consistent presence in the majors, functioning mostly as a reserve backstop with the Mets and Blue Jays from 2009 through 2016. He hasn’t cracked the bigs since, however, and has mostly carried marginal offensive numbers at Triple-A that befit his lifetime .242/.313/.306 slash through 1,499 plate appearances at the game’s highest level.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/23/19

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We’ll use this post to catch up on some recent minor moves and track any new ones that emerge …

  • The Dodgers reportedly have a minors deal in place with veteran backstop Josh Thole. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter), the arrangement includes a $600K potential MLB salary as well as an opt-out opportunity on July 1st. Thole has seen time in eight MLB seasons, slashing a cumulative .242/.313/.306 through 1,499 plate appearances, but hasn’t been asked up to the bigs since 2016. He plied his trade last year at Double-A with the Tigers organization.
  • Meanwhile, righty David Hale is reportedly headed to the Yankees on his own minor-league accord. The 31-year-old bounced on and off of the New York roster last season (as well as that of the Twins) and will again represent a depth piece for the Yanks. Hale’s chief appeal is his ability to function in a swing capacity, giving innings from the bullpen or if needed taking a spot start. He spent most of 2018 at Triple-A, working to a 4.20 ERA in 55 2/3 innings through 11 starts while compiling 7.1 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9.
  • The Nationals have reportedly lined up on an agreement with outfielder Tyler Goeddel, the terms of which remain unknown. He’ll be hoping for an eventual shot to return to the majors after struggling in a 92-game stint with the Phillies back in 2016. Goeddel, 26, hit just .219/.298/.329 last year in the upper minors with the Reds and Dodgers organizations.
  • Finally, the Cubs have also reportedly added a player on a minors deal, with infielder Cristhian Adames slated to join the organization. Now 27 years of age, the switch-hitter saw time over four MLB seasons with the Rockies but failed to make it back up last year. In his 498 Triple-A plate appearances with the Marlins org, Adames, put up a .269/.324/.370 batting line. Adames is capable of playing all over the infield and has primarily appeared at shortstop as a professional.

Tigers Sign Josh Thole To Minor-League Deal

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The Tigers have signed catcher Josh Thole to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Double-A Erie, per the SeaWolves’ Twitter account.

Thole, 31, is perhaps best known as the personal catcher for Cy Young-winnings knuckleballer R.A. Dickey during some of his best seasons. The relationship between the two was strong enough to facilitate the addition of Thole into the December 2012 trade that sent Dickey from the Mets to the Blue Jays; the backstop ended up appearing in 102 games for Toronto in the two years following that swap.

The veteran Thole has certainly never been known for his bat. He last appeared in the majors during the 2016 season, when he hit just .169/.254/.220 across 136 plate appearances. For his MLB career, Thole sports a wRC+ of just 73, in part due to a slugging percentage that barely tops .300.

To be fair, though, Thole’s never been valued for his bat. Despite these laughable offensive numbers, Fangraphs’ WAR formula rates Thole as an above-replacement-level player for his lifetime due to solid defensive numbers. Thole’s also shown an aptitude for catching knuckleballs during his career, which is no simple feat.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/18/18

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Keeping up with the latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Brewers are reuniting with reliever Jim Henderson on a minor league pact, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets. Interestingly, the 35-year-old Henderson will act as a player/coach, and he could even do some scouting eventually, per McCalvy. The majority of Henderson’s major league time has come in Milwaukee, where he made his MLB debut and pitched to a 3.44 ERA across 102 innings from 2012-14. He last saw action in the majors in 2016 with the Mets. An attempt to catch on with the Cubs a year ago didn’t take, so Henderson went through the season without pitching competitively.

Earlier updates:

  • The Brewers have released reliever Ernesto Frieri, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The 32-year-old Frieri will look to continue his career, even though he struggled in camp, per Haudricourt. Once of the game’s premier relievers, Frieri was last an effective major leaguer in 2013, when he was the Angels’ closer. He logged just seven innings last year (with the Rangers) after not pitching in the bigs in 2016. Frieri performed well with the Triple-A affiliates of the Rangers, Yankees and Mariners, though, as he combined for a 3.43 ERA with 11.9 K/9 against 4.8 BB/9 over 39 1/3 frames.
  • The Diamondbacks have released catcher Josh Thole, according to a team announcement. The 31-year-old Thole had been in camp as a non-roster invitee for the D-backs, who originally added him on a minor league contract entering 2017. Thole didn’t play at all last year, however, after suffering a hamstring tear during the spring. Prior to that, he saw big league action with two teams – the Mets (2009-13) and Blue Jays (2013-16) – and combined to hit just .242/.313/.306 in 1,499 plate appearances. To his credit, Thole has earned plus defensive marks for the majority of his career.

NL West Notes: Thole, Giants Outfield, Padres, Dodgers

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News and rumblings from around the NL West…

  • Josh Thole suffered a “significant” hamstring tear that Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo expects will sideline the catcher for the season, Lovullo told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic).  Thole is getting a second opinion on the injury and surgery is a possibility.  The veteran catcher was in Arizona’s camp on a minor league deal battling for the backup role, though signs pointed to Thole starting the year at Triple-A.
  • While the Giants have many homegrown stars on their roster, the team has been strangely unsuccessful in their attempts to draft and develop everyday outfielders, Carl Steward of the Bay Area News Group writes.  Marvin Benard (a 50th round pick in 1992), was the last Giants draftee to play as a full-time starting outfielder for more than one season.  Part of the issue is that San Francisco has acquired so many notable outfielders in free agency and trades, ranging from Barry Bonds to Hunter Pence.  “There are things that you do that de-emphasize young players at those outfield positions,” GM Bobby Evans said.  “At the same time, I still think you should require opportunity for these guys to break through.  It may be an area where we haven’t emphasized it as much because we’ve had other options from other sources.  I just think it’s harder to patient sometimes with outfielders because there are so many other alternatives in terms of the free agent market and trades.”  Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson are looking to break the “curse” as the two youngsters battle for the left field job this spring.
  • The Padres have so many prospects in camp after their international spending splurge that  some players (including highly-touted Cuban lefty Adrian Morejon) have been used in simulated games since they don’t have enough roster space for proper minor league games, ESPN’s Keith Law writes in his latest subscription-only piece.  Law provides an in-person analysis of several Padres and Dodgers prospects, with particularly good reviews given to Morejon, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Dodgers righty Walker Buehler.

Diamondbacks To Sign Josh Thole

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The Diamondbacks have agreed to a minor-league deal with catcher Josh Thole, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). His potential salary and other terms have not been reported at this time.

Thole, 30, had spent the last four years with the Blue Jays after an equivalent stint with the Mets. He went with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey in the 2012 swap between those organizations, and continued to function as Dickey’s personal catcher in Toronto.

Though he rates as a high-quality blocker and framer behind the dish, and did hit at around a league-average rate earlier in his career, the left-handed hitter has trailed off over the last five seasons. Things reached a breaking point over the last two years, as he compiled an anemic .180/.253/.228 batting line in his 188 plate appearances.

Thole joins an increasingly crowded backstop mix in Arizona. After non-tendering Welington Castillo, the organization has added Chris Iannetta and Jeff Mathis to go with incumbent Chris Herrmann. Presumably, Thole will open the year in the upper minors to function as depth, though it’s certainly possible that plans could change over the course of the spring.

Blue Jays Claim Dominic Leone; Josh Thole Elects Free Agency

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The Blue Jays have claimed righty Dominic Leone off waivers from the Diamondbacks, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports on Twitter. Meanwhile, Toronto announced that catcher Josh Thole has elected free agency after clearing outright waivers.

Leone, 25, struggled through 27 MLB frames last year, posting a 6.33 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9 while allowing an unhealthy number of home runs (seven). But he was much better at Triple-A, working to a 3.34 earned run average, notching 36 strikeouts versus 11 walks, and allowing only 25 hits in his 35 innings.

As for Thole, the departure of starter R.A. Dickey spelled the end of his time in Toronto. The 30-year-old had been trusted primarily to handle the knuckle-baller behind the dish, but hit just .169/.254/.220 over 136 plate appearances.

Blue Jays Re-Sign Josh Thole To Major League Deal

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The Blue Jays have re-signed catcher Josh Thole to a Major League contract and optioned second baseman Devon Travis to the team’s rookie-level affiliate in the Appalachian League, the team announced to reporters (including Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith). While some Jays fans may recoil at the notion of Travis being optioned, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi tweets that Toronto’s Bluefield affiliate will see its season come to an end tonight, thus making Travis eligible to return to the big leagues tomorrow. Presumably, Thole’s re-signing was completed last night in order to make him postseason eligible if necessary, thus necessitating the brief demotion for Travis.

Thole, 29, was placed on irrevocable waivers and subsequently released earlier this week following Toronto’s weekend acquisition of Dioner Navarro. Even at the time of his release, however, Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star reported that it was likely that Thole would be quickly re-signed. While he’s managed just a .158/.246/.211 slash in 147 trips to the plate this year, Thole is of course eminently familiar with catching R.A. Dickey’s knuckleball and could continue to do so for the final month of the 2016 campaign. Because he’s once again on the 40-man roster, Thole would be eligible to be retained for the 2017 season via the arbitration process — he projects to finish the year about a week shy of six full seasons of big league service — though he’s a definite non-tender candidate even with a minimal salary.

Josh Thole Elects Free Agency

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AUG. 30: Thole has cleared waivers and elected free agency, the team told reporters, including Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star (Twitter link). Kennedy adds that Thole is likely to be re-signed quickly, which would make sense in the event that the organization wants to keep him as depth and for a potential postseason spot in the event of an injury to Martin or Navarro.

AUG. 28: The Blue Jays placed catcher Josh Thole on irrevocable waivers following Sunday’s game, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star reports.  The newly-acquired Dioner Navarro will be activated on Monday to take Thole’s spot on the 25-man roster.  Thole will become property of any team that claims him within the 48-hour waiver period, and if he goes unclaimed, he will be released.  It should be noted that is different from the standard August waiver process, as those waivers are revocable; Griffin reports that Thole cleared those waivers earlier this month.

Griffin suspects the Jays have a verbal agreement in place with Thole to re-sign the veteran backstop once rosters expand on September 1, and in time for Thole to be behind the plate for R.A. Dickey’s next start.  Thole has almost exclusively served as Dickey’s personal catcher since both players came to Toronto prior to the 2013 season.  It’s not a stretch to say that Thole’s ability to catch the knuckleball has been the only thing keeping him on the Jays roster and perhaps in the majors as a whole given his poor hitting — Thole entered today’s action with just a .199/.275/.248 slash line over 465 PA as a Blue Jay.  Baseball Prospectus rates Thole as an above-average pitch framer, though StatCorner considers him to be a below-average defender on the whole.

Some type of shift to Toronto’s catching depth chart was imminent once the Jays traded for Navarro on Friday.  It is possible that one of the Jays’ AL rivals could claim Thole simply to prevent him from returning to the team, though that rival would have to use one of its own 25-man roster spots for Thole over the next couple of days.

If Thole does re-sign with the Blue Jays under the scenario Griffin outlined, he wouldn’t be eligible for postseason play since he’d be joining the team in September.  Navarro’s acquisition, however, pretty much closed on the door on any chance Thole had of making the playoff roster anyway.  Thole wasn’t included on the Jays’ postseason roster in 2015 when Russell Martin caught both of Dickey’s starts.  Given that the Jays will again have a six-man rotation when Aaron Sanchez returns, Dickey himself may not be a lock to make the postseason roster.

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