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Lewis Brinson

NPB’s Yomiuri Giants Sign Lewis Brinson

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The Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball have agreed to a contract with outfielder Lewis Brinson, according to reports out of Japan.  It will be a Giants-to-Giants move for the 28-year-old Brinson, who finished the 2022 season with San Francisco before being outrighted off the club’s 40-man roster in September.

Brinson began the season in the Astros organization on a minor league contract, but didn’t see any MLB action until after Houston dealt the outfielder to San Francisco on September 1.  Brinson went on to appear in 16 games with the Giants, with only a .683 OPS over 39 plate appearances.  While it did mark a sixth consecutive year of big league play for Brinson, his move to NPB presents a turning point in his pro career, as Brinson has yet to live up to the hype once attached to his status as one of baseball’s top prospects.

The 29th overall pick of the 2012 draft, Brinson was selected by the Rangers, but then moved to the Brewers as part of the trade that brought Jonathan Lucroy to Texas at the 2016 trade deadline.  Brinson was part of an even bigger blockbuster in January 2018, when he was one of the four youngsters dealt from Milwaukee to Miami in exchange for Christian Yelich.

Brinson kept up his impressive minor league production amidst these moves, yet his Triple-A numbers simply didn’t translate against Major League pitching.  Brinson has hit .198/.246/.328 over 1150 career PA in the majors, striking out in 327 of those trips to the plate.  After four seasons of struggles with the Marlins, the team finally parted ways with Brinson during the 2021-22 offseason.

The Tokyo-based Giants now represent an opportunity for Brinson to get his career on track.  Though Brinson has never been able to find himself at the plate in the big leagues, his consistently strong production in Triple-A (he hit .298/.356/.566 over 373 PA at the Triple-A level last season) provides some hint that he might be able to produce against NPB pitching.

34 Players Become Free Agents

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The Wild Card round of the 2022 postseason begins today, but for the majority of teams and players, the offseason is now underway. With that will come plenty of roster formalities, including veteran players who’ve been outrighted off their respective teams’ rosters reaching minor league free agency. This week, there have been 34 such instances throughout the league, per the transactions log at MiLB.com.

None of these are a surprise, to be clear. Any player who is not on his team’s 40-man roster at season’s end but has three-plus years of Major League service time, multiple career outright assignments and/or seven-plus seasons in the minors has the right to elect free agency. Everyone in today’s group of players falls under that umbrella. The majority of the group will likely find minor league deals over the winter, although a few of the players in question could potentially find a big league deal as a bench piece or middle-inning reliever.

There will be several more waves of players of this ilk, and we’ll make note of them in bunches over the coming weeks as we await the launch of Major League free agency, when all unsigned players with at least six years of Major League service time will reach the open market. For now, here’s the first of what will likely be several waves of newly minted minor league free agents:

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers

Giants Outright Lewis Brinson

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TODAY: Brinson cleared DFA waivers and was assigned to Triple-A after being outrighted off the 40-man roster.

SEPTEMBER 21: The Giants have designated outfielder Lewis Brinson for assignment, Maria Guardado of MLB.com was among those to relay (Twitter link). San Francisco also optioned righty Sean Hjelle to Triple-A Sacramento. The moves clear active roster space for reliever Jharel Cotton, who has reported to the team after being claimed off waivers a few days ago, and infielder Jason Vosler, who has been recalled. Brinson is out of minor league option years, so he had to stick on the MLB roster or be designated for assignment. The Giants 40-man roster tally dips to 39.

San Francisco just added Brinson a few weeks ago. With active rosters expanding by two players in September, the Giants acquired the former first-rounder from the Astros. Brinson had signed a minor league deal with Houston over the offseason and had a very good Triple-A showing, blasting 25 home runs with a .299/.356/.574 line through 364 plate appearances. While the Astros never called him to the major leagues, the Giants immediately selected his contract after trading for him.

Brinson has played in 16 games this month, tallying 39 plate appearances. While he’s picked up three home runs in that limited time, he’s drawn just a pair of walks while going down on strikes 14 times. Subpar strikeout and walk numbers have been common throughout his MLB career, as he’s walked at a 5% clip with a 28.4% strikeout percentage in parts of six big league seasons. Brinson’s aggressive approach and high swing-and-miss rates have contributed to a .198/.246/.328 line through 1150 career plate appearances.

That’s obviously not the production many had envisioned when Brinson was coming up through the minor league ranks. Long one of the sport’s top prospects, the righty-swinging outfielder was a key part of the deals that sent Jonathan Lucroy from Milwaukee to Texas and Christian Yelich from Miami to the Brewers. He spent parts of four seasons with the Marlins but never consistently hit against big league pitching. Through parts of seven years in Triple-A, he owns a far more impressive .308/.373/.545 line.

San Francisco will place Brinson on waivers within the next few days. As a player with over four years of big league service, he’d have the right to refuse an outright assignment in favor of free agency if he goes unclaimed.

Giants Select Lewis Brinson, Outright Jonathan Bermudez

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The Giants announced they’ve selected outfielder Lewis Brinson onto the major league roster. Brinson, who was acquired from the Astros for cash considerations in a minor league trade this morning, will step right into the big leagues as a September call-up. In a corresponding move, San Francisco sent left-hander Jonathan Bermudez outright to Triple-A Sacramento. The Giants hadn’t previously announced that Bermudez had been designated for assignment, but he’s apparently already cleared waivers and no longer occupies a spot on the 40-man roster.

It was a short stay on the 40-man for Bermudez, who was just claimed off waivers from Houston a week ago. The left-hander has yet to throw a pitch in the San Francisco organization. Added to Houston’s 40-man roster last offseason to prevent him from being taken in the Rule 5 draft, Bermudez has had a disappointing year in Triple-A. The 26-year-old started 14 of his 19 games with the Astros top affiliate in Sugar Land, but he only managed an 8.96 ERA through 67 1/3 frames. He surrendered a staggering 16 home runs in that time (2.14 HR/9) while only striking out 20% of batters faced.

The season obviously hasn’t been kind to Bermudez, but he’d posted huge strikeout numbers up through the Triple-A level coming into this year. He’ll remain in the organization, with San Francisco’s player development staff having an opportunity to help him get back on track. Bermudez will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter if he’s not added back onto the 40-man roster by the start of the offseason, but it seems unlikely he’d be selected after this year’s rough showing barring a major bounceback this month.

San Francisco announced that reliever Andrew Vasquez has likewise gone unclaimed on waivers. Designated for assignment yesterday, Vasquez has also been outrighted to Sacramento. Unlike Bermudez, he’ll have the right to refuse that assignment and test free agency as a player who has previously cleared outright waivers in his career. Vasquez has been a part of the Blue Jays, Phillies and Giants organizations this season, but he’s only appeared in nine MLB games (all with Toronto). The left-hander has had an excellent year in the minors, working to a cumulative 1.86 ERA over 19 1/3 innings, mostly at Triple-A.

Astros Trade Lewis Brinson To Giants

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The Giants have acquired outfielder Lewis Brinson in a trade with the Astros, as first indicated on the transactions log at MLB.com. Brinson was eligible to be traded by virtue of the fact that he’s on a minor league deal with Houston and has not, at any point, been on a Major League roster or injured list this season.

[Related: How to Acquire Players After the Trade Deadline]

Once one of the sport’s consensus top prospects, Brinson’s blend of raw power, speed and a plus throwing arm have never been enough to outshine his strikeout issues, minimal walk rate and lack of hard contact. A first-round pick by the Rangers back in 2012, he was traded to the Brewers as the centerpiece in Texas’ acquisition of former All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy and then to Miami as the headliner in Milwaukee’s acquisition of 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich.

Brinson was widely considered to be among baseball’s 30 best prospects from 2016-18, but he’s now appeared in 341 big league games — mostly with the Marlins — and posted just a .199/.248/.323 batting line in 1111 plate appearances. He’s punched out in 28.2% of his Major League plate appearances against just a 5% walk rate, and when he’s made contact, the plus raw power Brinson possesses hasn’t shined through, likely due to his poor pitch selection (career 40.2% chase rate on pitches off the plate). Brinson’s 88.6 mph average exit velocity and 37.1% hard-hit rate are both pedestrian marks that align roughly with the collective league averages over his big league tenure.

All that said, there’s no denying that Brinson has posted strong results in Triple-A this season. Through 364 trips to the plate in Sugar Land, he’s slashed .299/.356/.574 with 22 home runs, 21 doubles, five triples and five steals (in eight tries). He’s still fanned in 28% of his plate appearances, however, and his 7.1% walk rate doesn’t suggest he’s become much more selective at the dish. Brinson has also had comparable Triple-A success in the past (.331/.400/.562 in a similar sample of plate appearances back in 2017).

The Astros seemingly weren’t going to bring Brinson to the big leagues and have several players they’d like to get some playing time in Triple-A, including recently optioned center fielder Jake Meyers. A trade of Brinson to the Giants gives Houston some extra playing time for younger players who are viewed as potential contributors beyond the 2022 season; Brinson would simply have been a free agent at season’s end unless added to the 40-man roster.

For the Giants, Brinson will give them some depth and a potential September call-up to the join the outfield mix. If he indeed reaches the big leagues with San Francisco and shows some signs of improvement against MLB pitching, he’d be controllable for another three years via arbitration. It may be a long shot, but given what’s surely a minimal cost of acquisition — the teams have not yet announced the moves, and the transactions log does not specify a return — there’s little harm in rolling the dice on a former top prospect who won’t turn 29 until next May.

Astros Sign Lewis Brinson To Minors Deal

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Outfielder Lewis Brinson signed a minor league contract with the Astros, and he has joined the club in camp as a non-roster invitee, per Michael Schwab of The Schwabcast (via Twitter). GM James Click confirmed the signing to a number of reporters this morning, including Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).

Brinson has long been a tantalizing talent because of his off-the-page athleticism, but the potential has not translated to on-field results for the 27-year-old outfielder. Brinson slashed just .226/.263/.376 over 290 plate appearances with the Marlins last season. It was his fourth year in Miami since being one of the premier pieces in the deal that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee.

Over his four seasons with the Marlins, Brinson posed an overall triple-slash line of .203/.248/.325 over a not-insignificant 1,056 plate appearance. Brinson appeared in no less than 75 games for a full-length season over that time with Miami, appearing in 47 of the 60 games in 2020 as well. He will now have to fight for a roster spot with the Astros.

Houston has the relatively unproven Chas McCormick in center, though he performed well enough last year to all but guarantee himself the starting role this year. Jose Siri is also on hand as a spare outfielder, and infielders Aledmys Diaz and Niko Goodrum can also man the grass. Jake Meyers had a productive season last year and would be in the running for playing time were it not for the torn labrum suffered at the end of last season.

Marlins Designate Lewis Brinson For Assignment

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The Marlins have designated outfielder Lewis Brinson for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to infielder Joey Wendle, whose previously reported acquisition from the Rays has now been formally announced.

Brinson, 27, was the centerpiece of Miami’s return in the blockbuster trade that sent Christian Yelich to the Brewers. Brinson joined the Marlins organization alongside, infielder Isan Diaz, outfielder Monte Harrison and right-hander Jordan Yamamoto. At the time, it was a strong-looking return given that both Brinson and Diaz were regarded as high-end prospects, with Brinson in particular being vaunted as one of the game’s most promising all-around farmhands. As most fans are well aware, however, the deal didn’t pan out for the Fish.

There was always some risk to Brinson, a toolsy first-round pick of the Rangers back in 2012 who found his way to Milwaukee by way of another prominent trade (Jonathan Lucroy). Brinson made a brief MLB debut with the Brewers in 2017, tallying 55 plate appearances and struggling quite a bit as a 23-year-old getting his feet wet in the big leagues. That rough debut didn’t dim his prospect status much at all, but he never really made many strides in parts of four seasons with the Brewers.

From 2018-21, Brinson logged 1056 plate appearances in the big leagues but mustered only a .203/.248/.376 batting line with a 28% strikeout rate against just a 4.6% walk rate. He continues to rate as one of the fastest players in MLB, per Statcast’s average sprint speed, but Brinson doesn’t rate as a premium defender in the outfield by most publicly available metrics. He’s also seen his exit velocity and hard-hit rates drop since 2017-18, and this year’s penchant for popping the ball in the air was particularly concerning; 13 of Brinson’s 75 fly-balls were pop-ups.

Brinson is out of minor league options, so any team that acquires him will have to carry him on the MLB roster next season or else attempt to pass him through waivers before sending him to Triple-A.

Marlins Discussed Trades Involving Bryan Reynolds, Brandon Marsh

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Prior to the trade deadline, the Marlins were looking for outfield help, and explored what would have been a pair of major deals.  Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of The Miami Herald report that the Marlins checked in with the Pirates about All-Star center fielder Bryan Reynolds, and also discussed a fascinating deal with the Angels that would have seen Miami acquire outfielder Brandon Marsh in exchange for Max Meyer, the third overall pick of the 2020 draft.

It’s probably safe to assume that almost every team in baseball at least asked the Pirates about Reynolds, who has delivered great results in two of his three MLB seasons.  Reynolds has rebounded from a sophomore slump to hit .309/.388/.525 with 18 homers over 425 plate appearances this season, with an .385 xwOBA that ranks among the league’s best.

Reynolds turns 27 in January and is controlled through the 2025 season, making him one of the few assets that the rebuilding Pirates weren’t looking to move in general, and certainly not for anything short of a huge return.  “Pittsburgh wanted more than the Marlins were willing to consider,” Jackson/Mish write, so talks ultimately didn’t pan out.

As for the negotiations with the Angels, other players may have been involved in the proposed deal, so it wouldn’t have been only a straight Marsh-for-Meyer swap.  Such major trades of top prospects are rare, though this particular move would have addressed needs for both clubs.  It isn’t any secret that the Angels are looking to add young arms, as evidenced by their two deadline day trades that netted five minor league pitchers, or their 20-player draft class consisting of nothing but hurlers.

Meyer might already be pretty close to the majors, after throwing three years of college ball and making his pro debut this year at Double-A.  The right-hander has a 1.93 ERA over 70 innings for Double-A Pensacola and ranks 38th on Baseball America’s midseason top 100 prospects list.

As impressive as Meyer has been, he is only one of several impressive pitchers at both the MLB and minor league levels of Miami’s organization.  With this surplus in mind, Jackson/Mish write that the Marlins are looking to deal a pitcher for “a front-line offensive prospect” like Marsh, who made his Major League debut earlier this month.

Marsh had an even higher placement on BA’s midseason list, ranking as the 26th-best prospect in all of baseball.  His first taste of Triple-A ball was limited to 24 games due to shoulder inflammation, but he hit well over that limited playing time and earned his first look at the MLB level.  Seen as a center fielder of the future, Marsh would be a natural replacement for Starling Marte up the middle in Miami, and the Angels might be willing to move such a player for premium pitching talent since L.A. has another big outfield prospect in Jo Adell.

Between Marte, Adam Duvall, and Corey Dickerson, the Marlins have traded three veteran outfielders in a little over a month’s time, making the position a target area for the offseason.  Jesus Sanchez and the newly-acquired Bryan De La Cruz will be in the mix as potential starters, though Jackson/Mish write that Lewis Brinson and Monte Harrison aren’t seen as long-term options.  For Harrison, “his future with the organization is uncertain” after an internal matter that reportedly involved Harrison having to be restrained after an argument with Marte.

Marlins Place Elieser Hernandez On 10-Day IL

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2:15PM: Hernandez has indeed been placed on the 10-day injured list, with outfielder Lewis Brinson called up to take his spot on the active roster.

8:08AM: Marlins right-hander Elieser Hernandez left last night’s game due to a right quad strain suffered while running the bases.  In the sixth inning of Miami’s 5-3 loss to the Pirates yesterday, Hernandez ran home from third base on an RBI grounder from Jesus Aguilar, but Hernandez fell to the ground after crossing the plate and had to be helped off the field.

The injury cut short a strong start (five innings, one ER on three hits, six strikeouts and no walks) for Hernandez, and it was his first outing since a two-month stint on the injured list due to biceps inflammation.  Hernandez will undergo some more tests today, but manager Don Mattingly indicated to MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola and other reporters that the righty is probably headed back to the IL.

In a Miami organization with several intriguing arms, Hernandez has already enjoyed some success at the big league level.  After a lackluster 5.11 ERA over 148 innings in 2018-19, Hernandez posted a 3.16 ERA and an above-average 32.1% strikeout rate and 4.7% walk rate over six starts and 25 2/3 innings in 2020.  Unfortunately, injuries have now curtailed his ability to follow up on that semi-breakout, and Hernandez could now be facing another pretty lengthy absence depending on the severity of his quad strain.

Between Hernandez’s injury and the recent shutdown of Sixto Sanchez’s throwing program, it may yet be a while before the Marlins have their full starting five intact.  Trevor Rogers, Sandy Alcantara, and Pablo Lopez have all pitched well, and rookie right-hander Cody Poteet has recently emerged as a viable option for the back end of the rotation.  Miami has until Tuesday to figure out who could take Hernandez’s next start, and De Nicola notes that Braxton Garrett and Daniel Castano are possibilities since Jordan Holloway and Nick Neidert are still on the injured list.  The Marlins have also used openers on multiple occasions this season, though it remains to be seen if the team would regularly use an opener every fifth day.

NL Notes: Padres, Clevinger, Lamet, Marlins, Marte

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Padres manager Jayce Tingler spoke to the media regarding injured starters Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet, saying that both hurlers are playing catch but not yet throwing bullpen sessions. Their official status remains day-to-day, per The Athletic’s Andy McCullough. With the NLDS consisting of 5 games over 5 consecutive days this season, the Padres don’t have the luxury of using a roster spot on a pitcher who’s not going to be ready to throw. Clevinger and Lamet will likely be healthy enough to start, or they won’t be on the NLDS roster. The Padres will set their NLDS roster on Tuesday, per Dennis Lin of the Athletic (via Twitter).

  • Miami will likewise take as much time as possible before making a decision on Starling Marte. In the meantime, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter), it’s “Rest. Recovery. Treatment.” The Marlins will likely start Magneuris Sierra if Marte isn’t on the roster. Unlike with the Padres’ starters, there is a scenario where Marte is available to pinch-hit, but not to start. Sierra had just 53 plate appearance during the regular season, but he’s a burner who put together some nice at-bats against the Cubs in the wild card round.
  • Game one, of course, would likely pit the Marlins against southpaw Max Fried. In that case, Monte Harrison or Lewis Brinson would be more likely to get the nod. Brinson saw the most playing time during the season, slashing .226/.268/.368 across 112 plate appearances in 47 games. Brinson started 28 of the Marlins 60 games in the outfield, but he saw more time in the corners than in center. For what it’s worth, Brinson’s triple slash jumped to .260/.315/.480 in his 54 plate appearances against left-handers in 2020.
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