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Kyle Garlick

Diamondbacks Sign Kyle Garlick, Albert Almora To Minor League Deals

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The D-backs announced Friday that they’ve signed right-handed-hitting outfielders Kyle Garlick and Albert Almora to minor league contracts. Both have been invited to major league spring training.

Arizona has been on the lookout for right-handed-hitting bats to complement lefty-hitting designated hitter Joc Pederson as well as lefty outfielders Alek Thomas and Corbin Carroll. The Snakes recently signed Randal Grichuk to a one-year, $2MM big league contract, and he’ll get the first crack at that role as a result. However, both Garlick and Almora make some sense for a team seeking additional right-handed depth in the outfield — though the pair brings fairly different skill sets.

Garlick, 32, is a classic lefty masher who offers limited defensive value in the outfield corners. He’s hit just .240 with a .289 OBP against lefties in his career but has slugged a hefty .510 against them. Garlick has popped 14 homers and 10 doubles in just 208 plate appearances against southpaws at the MLB level. He’s a career .207/.264/.348 hitter against righties, however. Garlick has spent the past three seasons in the Twins organization and has been used far more often against lefties than righties, as one would expect.

As for the 29-year-old Almora, he’s more of a glove-first option in the outfield with less power but solid all-around production against southpaws. The former Cubs top prospect is a .259/.300/.383 hitter in 1605 big league plate appearances — including .267/.321/.389 against left-handed pitching. Almora has ample experience at all three outfield spots and offers a plus glove at each of the three. The bulk of his production at the MLB level came early in his career; he didn’t appear in the majors last season and posted a tepid .219/.265/.344 line in 686 plate appearances from 2019-22.

29 Players Elect Free Agency

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October brings postseason play for a handful of teams and their fanbases. Just over two-thirds of the league is now in offseason mode after being eliminated, however. As the season comes to a close, a number of veterans will hit minor league free agency.

These players are separate from six-year MLB free agents, who’ll reach the open market five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Eligible minor leaguers can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season wraps up. These players were all outrighted off a team’s 40-man roster during the year and have the requisite service time and/or multiple career outrights necessary to reach free agency since they weren’t added back to teams’ rosters.

Electing free agency is the anticipated outcome for these players. There’ll surely be more to test the market in the coming weeks. We’ll offer periodic updates at MLBTR. The first group, courtesy of the transaction tracker at MiLB.com:

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers

Twins Outright Kyle Garlick To Triple-A

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Kyle Garlick has accepted an outright assignment to the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, the team announced.  Minnesota designated Garlick for assignment earlier this week and he cleared waivers, but Garlick had the right to reject the outright assignment in favor of free agency, since he has previously been outrighted in his career.

Instead, the 31-year-old outfielder has chosen to remain in the Twins organization.  Finances certainly played some role in Garlick’s decision, as he would’ve forfeited the remainder of his guaranteed salary for the season (roughly $375K) by becoming a free agent.  But, it could be that Garlick is also comfortable with the Twins, and is confident that he’ll get another look at the big league team.

Garlick initially came to the Twins on a waiver claim from the Braves in February 2021, and the outfielder has hit .227/.278/.444 over 299 plate appearances and 116 MLB games since the start of the 2021 season.  His production in 2023 has dropped off in both the majors (.662 OPS in 30 PA) and minors (.735 OPS in 143 PA), largely due to a big decline against left-handed pitching.  The right-handed hitting Garlick has traditionally posted very solid numbers against southpaws, which has helped him carve out a niche over his five Major League seasons with the Dodgers, Phillies, and Twins.

Twins Select Oliver Ortega, Designate Kyle Garlick For Assignment

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The Twins announced today that they have selected the contract of right-hander Oliver Ortega. Fellow righty Louie Varland was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move while outfielder Kyle Garlick was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Ortega, 26, pitched for the Angels in each of the past two seasons, registering a combined 3.95 ERA in 35 outings between those two campaigns. He was designated for assignment in the offseason and claimed by the Twins, though the latter club passed him through outright waivers a few weeks later.

He’s been putting up good numbers in Triple-A so far this year, posting a 2.42 ERA through 22 1/3 innings. He’s struck out 31.8% of opponents while walking just 8% and getting grounders on 36% of balls in play. That strong work has got him back to the big leagues again, where he’ll provide a fresh arm for the Minnesota bullpen. He also has a couple of option years remaining, giving the club a bit of roster flexibility.

Varland has been working out of the club’s rotation, posting a 5.30 ERA over 10 starts. His option today seems to point towards the imminent return of Kenta Maeda, who has been on a rehab assignment of late. He had a rough start to the year, with an ERA of 9.00 through four starts before landing on the injured list with a triceps strain. He’ll hope to get in a better groove going forward, jumping into the rotation next to Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Pablo López and Bailey Ober.

As for Garlick, he has had some success in the past, primarily as a right-handed platoon specialist. He’s hit .240/.288/.510 against southpaws in his major league career, good enough for a 115 wRC+. However, he hasn’t been hitting in the majors or the minors this year. He’s hit just .210/.308/.427 in 143 Triple-A appearances for the season, including a dismal .160/.263/.300 against lefties. Those struggles surely contributed to nudging him off the roster.

The Twins will now have a week to trade Garlick or pass him through waivers. He has a previous career outright and over three years of service time, which means he could reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. However, since he has less than five years of service time, he would have to forfeit the remainder of his $750K salary in order to do so. That’s just barely over the $720K minimum for a major league player but it’s surely much better than what he would get in Triple-A, where the minimum salary is just $35.8K.

For any clubs weighing a claim, Garlick is in his final option year, meaning he could be kept in the minors as depth for the rest of the year. He isn’t hitting much here in 2023 but has had some past success that could appeal to another club that has some question marks in its outfield.

Twins Place Joey Gallo On 10-Day Injured List

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The Twins have placed Joey Gallo on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to June 2) due to a left hamstring strain.  Outfielder Kyle Garlick was called up from Triple-A to take Gallo’s spot on the active roster, with the Athletic’s Dan Hayes noting that the Twins’ upcoming schedule seemed to factor into the decision to take the righty-swinging Garlick over the left-handed hitting Matt Wallner — Minnesota is facing several left-handed pitchers in the coming days.

Gallo’s own left-handed bat has been revived in the Twin Cities this season, as his .188/.321/.478 slash line translates to a 121 wRC+.  Despite the low batting average, Gallo is providing a lot of pop, with 11 homers over 165 plate appearances.  The bulk of Gallo’s playing time has come at first base, but he has also seen a lot of action in left field and some work in the other outfield spots.  After a tough 2022 campaign, this season has represented something of a return to form for Gallo, which could pay off nicely when he re-enters the free agent market this winter.

Unfortunately, this is the second time injuries have stalled Gallo’s bounce-back season.  He spent a minimal 10-day stint on the IL in April due to a minor intercostal strain, and he’ll now be sidelined again in order to heal up this nagging hamstring issue.  Gallo first hurt his hamstring almost two weeks ago and has been trying to play through the discomfort, with the Twins also giving him a couple of off-days and using him as a designated hitter.  An IL trip was deemed necessary for Gallo to get fully fit, and since Gallo was somewhat able to play with the strain, he again might not be out of action for too long.

Twins To Activate Royce Lewis, Max Kepler From Injured List On Monday

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Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman (Twitter link) and other reporters that the club will activate Max Kepler and Royce Lewis from the injured list prior to Monday’s game with the Astros.  Kepler has been on the 10-day IL, while Lewis will make his season debut after spending all of 2023 on the 60-day IL.  Outfielders Kyle Garlick and Matt Wallner have both already been optioned to Triple-A to create roster space.

It was just short of a year ago that Lewis went onto the 10-day IL with what appeared to be a bone bruise in his right knee, but the worst-case scenario occurred when Lewis needed to undergo surgery to fix a torn ACL.  It was the second ACL surgery in as many years for Lewis, which wiped out his entire 2021 season.  Due to his injuries and the canceled 2020 minor league season, Lewis has only played in 56 total games (12 in the majors, 44 in the minors) since the end of the 2019 minor league season.

In the wake of two major knee surgeries, it is hard to know exactly what to expect from Lewis (the first overall pick of the 2017 draft) as he again restarts his career.  However, he hit .300/.317/.550 in his only 41 career MLB plate appearances, and he has a 1.088 OPS over 43 PA in the minors this year, and Lewis has apparently had little to no issue running or pivoting, so his knee appears to be holding up.

Since Lewis has gotten an equal amount of time at third base and shortstop in the minors this year, it stands to reason that he’ll get a look at third base in the big leagues, as the hot corner has been a bit of a question mark.  Jose Miranda’s struggles resulted in a demotion to the minors, and while the utilityman collective of Kyle Farmer, Willi Castro, and Donovan Solano have held the fort, the Twins surely want to see what Lewis can bring to the table.  Carlos Correa is naturally the starter at shortstop, though Lewis might get some time at short as well depending on how Minnesota manages Correa’s plantar fasciitis (which has yet to send Correa to the IL).

Though such notables as Jorge Polanco, Kenta Maeda, Nick Gordon remain sidelined, the Twins are slowly inching closer to full health after dealing with a plethora of injuries all season along.  Kepler missed just over two weeks with a hamstring strain, which came after a previous IL stint earlier this season due to right patellar tendinitis.  Kepler has a modest .212/.298/.444 slash line through 114 PA, but he is looking to boost that production now that his injuries are hopefully behind him.  Since Minnesota holds a $10MM club option on Kepler for the 2024 season, the outfielder is looking for a big year to either convince the Twins to exercise that option, or to impress suitors on the free agent market.

Twins Select Kyle Garlick

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April 13: The Twins have made this official today, selecting Garlick and moving Celestino to the 60-day IL. A spot on the active roster was opened by placing Farmer on the 10-day IL with a facial laceration.  The club’s communications director Dustin Morse relayed last night on Twitter that Farmer had successful surgery on his lower lip and bottom four teeth.

April 12: The Twins are expected to select Kyle Garlick onto the big league roster, tweets Dan Hayes of the Athletic. Doing so would require a 40-man roster spot, which Hayes indicates would likely be achieved by transferring Gilberto Celestino from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

Garlick has appeared at the big league level for Minnesota in each of the past two seasons. He’s combined for a .233/.283/.446 line in 269 plate appearances over that stretch. Garlick has popped 14 home runs in less than half a season’s worth of playing time, though his on-base percentage has been deflated by few walks and a strikeout rate pushing 30%.

The right-handed hitter has gotten nearly equal run in his career against left and right-handed pitching alike. He’s been far more productive with the platoon advantage, hitting .251/.301/.538 against southpaws but limping to a .203/.258/.324 line against righties. The 31-year-old is best deployed in the lesser half of a corner outfield platoon, where his power against left-handed pitching has played.

Minnesota and Garlick agreed to $750K contract at the start of the offseason to avoid arbitration. The Twins nevertheless ran him through waivers over the winter, though he accepted a minor league assignment to hold onto that guaranteed salary. He’s picked up eight hits (including two homers and a double) over seven games this year with Triple-A St. Paul.

The Twins could find themselves down a right-handed bat in the next couple weeks. Utilityman Kyle Farmer was hit in the face by a Lucas Giolito offering during this afternoon’s win over the White Sox. He walked off the field with a towel pressed up against his face. Hayes notes that initial indications are that Farmer fortunately avoided a fractured jaw, though he has a laceration around his mouth. It seems likely he’ll require a stint on the 10-day IL.

Celestino, meanwhile, underwent thumb surgery during Spring Training. That initially came with a recovery timetable in the six to eight week range. Celestino lost most of exhibition play and will have to work back into game shape. A transfer to the 60-day IL could be backdated to Opening Day and would keep him out until at least late May.

Twins Outright Kyle Garlick, Oliver Ortega

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Twins outfielder Kyle Garlick and reliever Oliver Ortega each went unclaimed on waivers, according to an announcement from the club’s communications director Dustin Morse (Twitter link). Both players have been outrighted to Triple-A St. Paul and will receive non-roster invitations to MLB Spring Training.

Garlick was designated for assignment last Wednesday as the corresponding move to accommodate Carlos Correa’s return. It’s the second outright of his career, which would’ve given him the right to test minor league free agency. The club announcement that he’ll be in big league camp suggests he’s instead chosen to accept the assignment.

That’s not too surprising a call, as the righty-hitting outfielder had signed a $750K contract to avoid arbitration earlier in the offseason. That’s barely above the MLB minimum salary but quite likely locked in more money than he’d have received if he landed a minor league contract with another organization. Refusing the outright assignment to test free agency would’ve required Garlick to relinquish that agreed-upon salary, so he’ll instead try to work his way back onto the roster in Spring Training or during the regular season.

Garlick, 31 next week, is a platoon outfielder. He’s played for the Dodgers, Phillies and Twins over parts of four big league campaigns, the last two of which have been spent in Minnesota. He’s connected on 13 home runs while slugging .538 through 186 MLB plate appearances against left-handed pitching, with that power more than offsetting a modest .301 on-base percentage. Productive as he’s been with the platoon advantage, the California native owns just a .203/.258/.324 line in 159 trips against right-handed pitching.

Ortega has never pitched for the Twins. He just landed with the organization two weeks ago via waiver claim from the Angels. Minnesota DFA him a few days thereafter upon acquiring A.J. Alexy from the Nationals, and they succeeded in running him through waivers. Ortega has never before been outrighted and has less than three years of big league service time, meaning he did not have the ability to test free agency.

The right-hander has appeared at the MLB level in each of the past two seasons with the Halos. Ortega has thrown 43 1/3 innings over 35 career appearances, pitching to a 3.95 ERA. He’s paired that with a modest 19.8% strikeout rate and elevated 10.7% walk percentage, although he’s racked up grounders on nearly 56% of batted balls.

Ortega has also logged 37 2/3 Triple-A innings over the last couple years. He’s only managed a 5.37 ERA at the top minor league level, while his 24% strikeout rate is better than that of his MLB work. Ortega averages roughly 96 MPH on his fastball and still has a pair of option years remaining. If he reclaims his spot on the 40-man roster at any point during the season, the Twins can freely move him between Minneapolis and St. Paul as a depth reliever.

Twins Designate Kyle Garlick For Assignment

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The Twins announced Wednesday that they’ve designated outfielder Kyle Garlick for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to shortstop Carlos Correa, whose return on a six-year, $200MM contract (with four vesting/club options) has now been formally confirmed by the team.

Garlick, 31 later this month, has spent the past two seasons with the Twins, hitting a combined .233/.283/.446 in 269 trips to the plate. Those numbers don’t necessarily stand out on their own, but Garlick’s platoon splits tell the tale of a useful part-time/platoon outfielder. He’s been overmatched by fellow right-handers, evidenced by a .207/.258/.345 output. However, Garlick has consistently shown plus power against lefties, batting .256/.303/.534 with 10 home runs and seven doubles in just 145 plate appearances versus southpaws since joining the Twins.

Unfortunately, Garlick has also had difficulty staying on the field during his two seasons in Minnesota. Over the past two seasons, he’s had trips to the injured list for a sports hernia (which required surgery), a calf strain, a hamstring strain, a ribcage contusion and a wrist sprain — the latter of which ended his 2022 season. There’s little doubting that Garlick can hit left-handed pitching, but his lengthy list of injuries, combined with sub-par defensive ratings in the outfield corners, have limited his utility as well.

Garlick seemed to have a place on the Twins’ roster heading forward, as he’s a natural platoon partner for their veritable cavalcade of left-handed-hitting corner outfielders and had already agreed to a modest $750K salary for the upcoming season. That’s only $30K north of the league minimum at this point, though, so it’s not as though the Twins had locked Garlick in for a particularly weighty sum.

Any team wishing to claim Garlick would need to take on that mild salary but would also be able to control Garlick for another four seasons, if they choose. The Twins will have a week to trade Garlick or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. He’s been outrighted once previously in his career, so if Garlick goes unclaimed, he’d have the ability to reject an assignment to Triple-A in favor of free agency.

Twins, Kyle Garlick Avoid Arbitration

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The Twins and outfielder Kyle Garlick have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal, reports Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Garlick will make a salary of $750K, pre Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com.

Garlick, 31 in January, was outrighted off the Twins’ roster a year ago but earned his way back on by the middle of April. He only got into 66 games on the season due to various injuries. He went to the IL four times, with the causes ranging from a right calf strain, a left hamstring strain, a right ribcage contusion and a left wrist sprain.

Despite all those ailments, he was still able to be an above-average hitter at the plate on the season. He hit nine home runs in that limited playing time and produced an overall batting line of .233/.284/.433. That amounted to a wRC+ of 104, indicating he was 4% better than the league average hitter. The Twins likely envision him for a platoon role, as he was much better against lefties. Six of his nine homers were against southpaws and his overall production against them finished at .243/.305/.500, wRC+ of 128. Against righties, it was just .224/.263/.368 and a wRC+ of 79.

The Twins have a couple of lefties in their outfield mix in Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach. Given Garlick’s abilities with the platoon advantage, he could take some at-bats away from that crew from time to time. All three of them also made multiple trips to the IL in 2022 and could create a larger opening for Garlick if they got hurt. There’s also the oft-injured Byron Buxton in the mix in center, creating another reason for the Twins to keep Garlick around as depth.

Garlick qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player, his first time being eligible for the process. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Garlick for a salary of $1.1MM but he has settled for less than that. It’s not uncommon for such deals to come out at this time of year. Thursday is the deadline for teams to decide whether or not they will tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players. Garlick was a candidate to be non-tendered and sent back to free agency but has instead agreed to a salary with a modest raise.

Last year’s minimum was $700K and next year’s will be $720K, meaning Garlick gets a small bump and the Twins have secured a player they could find useful at a rate barely above minimum. Under the previous collective bargaining agreement, arbitration salaries weren’t guaranteed until Opening Day but the new CBA does guarantee them as long as the player doesn’t go to a hearing. That means Garlick has that $750K locked in.

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