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Matt Gage

Tigers Sign Matt Gage To Minor League Deal

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The Tigers have signed left-hander Matt Gage to a minor league deal with an invite to big league Spring Training, per a report from Jon Heyman of The New York Post. According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, Gage will receive an $800K salary in the majors as part of the deal.

Gage, 32 in February, didn’t pitch in the majors at all in 2024 after making brief appearances in the big leagues in each of the past two seasons. The lefty was a 10th-round pick by the Giants back in 2014 but didn’t make his big league debut until his age-29 season with Toronto. He pitched 13 innings with the club but was claimed off waivers by the Astros prior to the 2023 season. He made just five appearances for the club before once again being subjected to the waiver wire back in January.

After being put on waivers by Houston, Gage found himself riding the transaction carousel throughout the rest of the year. The lefty was claimed off waivers by the Yankees in January before traded to the Dodgers in exchange for Caleb Ferguson in February. He was then released by the Dodgers in April before being promptly re-signed to a minor league deal that allowed him to stick in the organization without taking up a 40-man roster spot. He was selected back onto the roster in July but was traded to the Mets just days later before being outrighted off the roster in New York back in November.

Amid all those transactions, Gage never once made it to the big league mound despite having his contract selected by both the Dodgers and Mets. With that being said, he sports an excellent 1.83 ERA and a solid 3.97 FIP in 19 2/3 innings of work at the big league level from his time in Toronto and Houston. He followed that up with decent enough numbers at Triple-A for the Dodgers and Mets, combining for a 4.10 ERA and a 28.3% strikeout rate in 41 2/3 innings of work with the clubs’ affiliates in Oklahoma City and Syracuse. Clearly, Gage’s profile was intriguing enough for the Tigers to roll the dice on him this winter with a non-roster pact.

It’s been a relatively quiet offseason in Detroit after the club’s surprise run to the ALDS in the fall, and the addition of a depth piece for the bullpen won’t exactly move the needle for fans. With that being said, Gage does offer a lefty relief option behind Brant Hurter, Tyler Holton, and Sean Guenther for a Tigers club that relied on its left-handed relievers for more innings than any other MLB club last year, with 261 2/3 of its 694 bullpen innings thrown by left-handers.

Mets Claim Luis De Los Santos

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The Mets announced that they have claimed infielder Luis De Los Santos off waivers from the Blue Jays. Additionally, outfielder DJ Stewart as well as left-handers Joey Lucchesi and Matt Gage were outrighted off the 40-man roster. Stewart and Lucchesi elected free agency.

De Los Santos, 26, got up to the big leagues for the first time this year. He hit .172/.226/.241 in a small sample of 31 plate appearances to start his major league career. He hit .260/.375/.441 in his 154 Triple-A plate appearances while spending time at all four infield positions.

He still has a couple of option seasons and less than a year of year of service time, so he can provide the Mets with some depth around the dirt for the foreseeable future. They have Francisco Lindor cemented at short but questions elsewhere. First baseman Pete Alonso is now a free agent. He could be re-signed but it’s no guarantee he’ll be back. Mark Vientos just had a breakout season while playing third base but with poor defense, so he could perhaps move over to first if Alonso departs. Second base could be taken by Jeff McNeil but he’s also capable of playing other positions. Young guys like Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña or Ronny Mauricio are candidates to take over at second or third base.

Stewart, 31 this month, finished 2023 on a heater but couldn’t really carry it over into 2024 as he finished the year with a .177/.325/.297 batting line for the Mets. He could have been retained for 2025 via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $1.7MM salary but the Mets clearly weren’t interested in that and bumped him off the roster instead.

Lucchesi, 32 in June, has been an optionable depth arm for the Mets for a while but is now out of options. That means he wouldn’t be able to continue in that role going forward. Since missing 2022 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, he has tossed 57 innings for the Mets over the past two seasons with a 3.32 ERA but but subpar strikeout and walk rates of 16.2% and 10.4% respectively. As players with at least three years of service time, both Stewart and Lucchesi had the right to elect free agency and did so.

Gage, 32 in February, was acquired from the Dodgers in a cash deal in July but didn’t pitch for them after that, mostly staying on optional assignment. He has 19 2/3 innings of major league experience with the Blue Jays and Astros in previous seasons.

Mets Release Jake Diekman

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TODAY: As expected, the Mets have released Diekman, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post (X link).

JULY 29: The Mets announced Monday that they’ve designated left-hander Jake Diekman for assignment and selected the contract of fellow lefty Matt Gage from Triple-A Syracuse to take his spot on the roster.

Diekman, a 37-year-old veteran reliever, joined the Mets on a one-year, $4MM deal back in February.  In 32 innings for the Mets, Diekman has punched out nearly 28% of batters faced, though his longstanding control issues persisted.  Last year, Diekman benefitted from only 6% of his flyballs leaving the yard, a trend which has reversed in ’24 as he’s seen a whopping 29.2% of flies go for homers.  As a result, Diekman has allowed seven home runs already this year – four of which came in his last seven appearances.  Mets manager Carlos Mendoza used Diekman in high leverage spots in May and June, but as you’d expect, that’s changed in July.

Diekman’s contract includes a $4MM club option for 2025 that becomes guaranteed with 58 games.  The lefty currently has 43 appearances.  Though someone might want to pick Diekman up, other teams’ desire to avoid that ’25 vesting option means Diekman will likely be released by the Mets and sign a new deal.

Of late, Mendoza and the Mets have been leaning on Edwin Diaz, Jose Butto, and Dedniel Nuñez in the highest-leverage relief situations.  The club picked up righty Ryne Stanek in a trade with the Mariners late last week.  Gage will join incumbent lefties Alex Young and Danny Young after posting a 3.42 ERA, 30 K%, and and 12.4 BB% in 26 1/3 innings for the Dodgers’ and Mets’ Triple-A affiliates.

Mets Acquire Matt Gage

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The Mets announced this afternoon that they’ve acquired left-hander Matt Gage from the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. Gage was subsequently optioned to Triple-A. The Mets transferred right-hander Drew Smith to the 60-day injured list to make room for Gage on the 40-man roster.

Gage, 31, was a tenth-round pick by the Giants back in 2014 but didn’t make his big league debut until 2022 as a member of the Blue Jays. Since then, he’s appeared in 16 games between the 2022 and 2023 campaigns at the big league level with Toronto and Houston. He’s performed quite well in that time, with a fantastic 1.83 ERA and a solid 3.97 FIP in 19 2/3 innings of work. He sports an impressive 26% strikeout rate across his time in the majors but has walked an elevated 11.7% of opponents as well, raising questions about his control.

Gage arrived in L.A. as part of the Caleb Ferguson trade with the Yankees over the winter and re-signed with the club on a minor league deal back in April shortly after being released from his big league contract. He’s pitched for the club at the Triple-A level since then, posting a decent 4.29 ERA in 21 innings with ratios reminiscent of the ones he flashed during his time in the majors. He struck out an impressive 29.3% of batters faced with L.A.’s Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City but paired that high-octane stuff with a 13% walk rate. The Dodgers opted to select Gage to the 40-man roster last week after he triggered an opt-out clause in his contract, but he remained at the Triple-A level for the remainder of his time in the organization.

Now with the Mets, Gage figures to serve as optionable bullpen depth for a club that has seen its relievers struggle in recent months. Since the start of May, Mets relievers have struggled to a 4.62 ERA that bests only the Pirates and Rockies among NL clubs, and their 4.50 FIP during that same timeframe ranks fourth from the bottom in the majors. In particular, the Mets have struggled to find production from the left side in the bullpen this year. Veteran southpaw Jake Diekman has posted a 5.06 ERA and 5.61 FIP in 26 2/3 innings of work during his age-37 season for the club this year, while depth options Tyler Jay (7.71 ERA in 4 2/3 innings) and Josh Walker (5.11 ERA in 12 1/3 innings) have performed even worse in small sample sizes. The struggles of the club’s internal options should provide Gage with a relatively clear path to a role at the big league level for the Mets, so long as he can produce at a level anywhere near what he’s done in the past for the Blue Jays and Astros.

As for Smith, his placement on the 60-day IL is hardly a surprise given recent reporting that the righty is likely to require Tommy John surgery due to significant damage to his ulnar collateral ligament. He was already ticketed for an extended absence prior to his placement on the IL, and the transfer should not impact his timeline with the remainder of his 2024 campaign already in doubt.

Dodgers Select Matt Gage, Outright J.P. Feyereisen

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The Dodgers added lefty reliever Matt Gage to the 40-man roster but will keep him on optional assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who first reported the move (X link), indicates that Gage triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league deal. L.A. needed to put him on the 40-man or allow him to hit free agency. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers outrighted reliever J.P. Feyereisen from the 40-man roster.

Gage has impressed over 18 appearances in OKC. He carries a 2.79 earned run average through 19 1/3 innings. Gage has fanned an excellent 32.5% of batters faced while inducing grounders on 46.7% of batted balls. A 12% walk rate is a red flag, but Gage’s ability to miss bats at the top minor league level convinced the front office not to let him head back to the open market.

It won’t immediately net him an MLB roster spot, though. Gage still has one option year remaining, so the Dodgers can keep him in OKC for the rest of the season if they retain him on the 40-man roster. The 31-year-old has logged brief major league action with the Blue Jays and Astros over the last couple years. He owns a 1.83 ERA across 19 2/3 MLB frames, striking out 26% of batters faced with an 11.7% walk rate. Gage is a former 10th-round pick out of Siena College. He has pitched in parts of six Triple-A campaigns, where he carries a 4.95 ERA over 261 2/3 innings.

Feyereisen has had a rough season both in Triple-A and at the big league level. He owns a 6.75 ERA through 18 2/3 frames with Oklahoma City. The 31-year-old has logged 11 big league innings, surrendering 10 runs on 11 hits and five walks with nine strikeouts. The Dodgers evidently placed Feyereisen on waivers earlier in the week. He already went unclaimed and seems likely to stick in the organization at OKC.

As a player with between three and five years of service time, Feyereisen would need to relinquish his salary to decline an outright assignment in favor of free agency. He’s making $770K this season after avoiding arbitration over the winter. Assuming he sticks in the organization, Feyereisen would become a free agent next offseason if the Dodgers don’t add him back to the 40-man roster.

Whether he gets another look in L.A. should depend on whether he can recapture his best form in the minors. Feyereisen was an excellent reliever with the Brewers and Rays between 2021-22. He turned in a 2.73 ERA through 56 innings in ’21 and fired 24 1/3 frames without allowing an earned run in 2022. That stellar season was cut short by a shoulder injury that necessitated rotator cuff surgery the following offseason. The Rays traded Feyereisen to the Dodgers a week later.

Dodgers Re-Sign Matt Gage

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TODAY: The Dodgers have re-signed Gage to a minor league contract, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports (X link).

APRIL 2, 2:31pm: In an updated announcement, the Dodgers stated that Gage has actually been released — not designated for assignment as the team initially indicated.

2:20pm: The Dodgers announced Tuesday that they’ve designated left-handed reliever Matt Gage for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to outfielder Taylor Trammell, whom the Dodgers have claimed off waivers from the Mariners (as was previously reported).

It’s been an eventful few months for Gage, who was designated for assignment by the Astros in late January and claimed off waivers by the Yankees. New York wound up including Gage alongside minor league righty Christian Zazueta in the trade sending lefty Caleb Ferguson from Los Angeles to the Bronx. He had a decent spring with the Dodgers, tossing four innings and allowing a pair of runs on three hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

Gage, 31, pitched in the majors with the 2022 Blue Jays and 2023 Astros, though he combined for only 19 2/3 innings between those two clubs. He’s posted a sparkling 1.83 ERA in that time but benefited from a tiny .222 average on balls in play. Gage doesn’t throw especially hard (93.2 mph average fastball) but misses bats nonetheless (26% strikeout rate, 13.7% swinging-strike rate). Command has been a major issue for him recently. He’s issued a walk to nine of his 77 MLB opponents (11.7%) and plunked another. Gage also walked 12% of his opponents in Triple-A last year.

Gage posted lower walk rates but also lower strikeout rates earlier in his minor league career as a starting pitcher. He’s begun to miss more bats but also miss the strike zone more frequently in recent seasons. The Dodgers will have a week to trade him, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. He hasn’t been outrighted in the past and doesn’t have three years of MLB service, so if Gage clears waivers he can be outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City and stashed as depth.

Yankees Acquire Caleb Ferguson From Dodgers

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The Dodgers and Yankees swapped left-handed relievers on Monday. New York acquired Caleb Ferguson for Matt Gage and minor league right-hander Christian Zazueta.

Ferguson, 27, joins a new organization for the first time in his career. He was drafted by the Dodgers in 2014 and has been with them ever since. He made his debut in 2018, starting his first three major league outings before being moved to a relief role. Apart from some occasional starts as an opener, he’s stayed in the bullpen ever since.

The results have been quite strong, with Ferguson making 96 appearances from 2018 to 2020, tossing 112 1/3 innings while allowing 3.93 earned runs per nine. He struck out 29.1% of batters faced in that time, gave out walks at an 8.7% clip and kept 44% of batted balls on the ground. Unfortunately, he required Tommy John surgery in September of 2020, wiping out the remainder of that campaign and preventing him from pitching at all in 2021.

He has since returned to the mound and has produced fairly similar statistics to before his injury layoff. In 126 appearances over 2022 and 2023, he has 113 2/3 innings pitched with a 2.85 ERA. He struck out 27.5% of opponents in that time, walking 8.8% of them and getting grounders at a 48% clip. Those results have come with Ferguson moving to higher leverage appearances, as he earned seven holds in 2022 and 17 last year.

He is now in his final season of club control, slated for free agency after the upcoming season in which he’ll make a salary of $2.4MM. This is the second left-handed reliever that has gone from the Dodgers to the Yankees this offseason, with Victor González having been dealt to the Bronx in December.

The Yankees have used Wandy Peralta as their primary lefty out of the bullpen in recent years, but he became a free agent this offseason and signed with the Padres last week. They now have Ferguson and González as their top southpaw relievers, alongside righties Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga and Tommy Kahnle.

Gage, 31 next week, will give the Dodgers another lefty to replace Ferguson, but one with a more limited track record. Gage has made 16 big league appearances over the past two years, suiting up for the Astros and Blue Jays, with a 1.83 ERA in a tiny sample of 19 2/3 innings. He spent most of last year’s with Houston’s Triple-A club, tossing 37 1/3 innings at that level with a 4.58 ERA, 23.4% strikeout rate, 12% walk rate and 41.5% ground ball rate. New York claimed him off waivers from the Astros last week.

For now, it appears the trade will be 40-man neutral. By sending Gage to the Dodgers, the Yanks opened up a 40-man spot for Ferguson. The Dodgers are also reportedly signing Ryan Brasier, so they will still need to open a spot for him but could perhaps do so by designating Gage or some other player for assignment.

For the Yanks, they upgrade their bullpen for the 2024 season while giving up a bit of future value in Zazueta, a 19-year-old who posted a 3.29 ERA in the DSL last year. The Dodgers, meanwhile, were going to be facing a roster squeeze with the Brasier signing and have used one year of Ferguson’s services to give them an extra prospect and some more roster flexibility. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them pursue a different lefty at this point, as they are now down to Alex Vesia, Ryan Yarbrough and Gage as their southpaw relievers.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported the Yankees were acquiring Ferguson. The Post’s Joel Sherman reported the Dodgers were acquiring two players, one in the upper minors and one nowhere near the majors. Heyman reported Gage’s inclusion.

Yankees Claim Matt Gage

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The Yankees have claimed left-handed reliever Matt Gage off waivers from the Astros, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He was designated for assignment last week. The team has not formally announced the move or a corresponding transaction, which will be required since New York currently has a full 40-man roster.

Gage, who’ll be 31 in a couple weeks, has spent time in the majors in each of the past two seasons, logging a combined 1.83 ERA in 19 2/3 innings between the Blue Jays and Astros. He’s punched out a strong 26% of his opponents but also demonstrated some shaky command, evidenced by 20 walks (11.7%) and one hit batter in just 77 faced as a big leaguer.

While Gage has an overall 5.17 ERA in parts of five Triple-A seasons, he’s been better there in the past two years (2.34 ERA in 42 1/3 innings in 2022, 4.58 ERA in 37 1/3 innings in 2023). A good portion of his Triple-A struggles came several years ago when he was working as a starter in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League while pitching in the Giants’ and Mets’ systems.

A move to the bullpen seems to have been agreeable to Gage, however, and like so many other Yankee bullpen targets, Gage will bring a track record of inducing ground-balls at a strong clip to his new club. He’s posted a 48.9% grounder rate in his limited MLB time and typically sits in the mid-40s at the Triple-A level as well. Overall, he has a 45.4% ground-ball rate in his time at the Triple-A level. He also has a minor league option remaining, so he can be sent to Scranton without first needing to pass through waivers.

The Yankees are generally light on established left-handed bullpen candidates. Gage certainly isn’t an established option himself, but he’ll join Victor Gonzalez, Matt Krook and Nick Ramirez as 40-man possibilities for the Yankees to evaluate this spring. The Yanks have reportedly been on the hunt for bullpen help in free agency but are also already into the fourth and highest tier of luxury penalization, meaning they’ll pay a 110% tax on any additional salaries added to the books. A reunion with Wandy Peralta is said to be of interest, but it’s not yet clear whether the Yankees will effectively spend double whatever the market bears (including tax penalties) in order to retain him. For now, they’ll stock up on some affordable depth as they continue surveying the market.

Astros Designate Matt Gage For Assignment

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The Astros have designated left-hander Matt Gage for assignment, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. This move opens up a roster spot for left-hander Josh Hader, whose signing has now been officially announced by the club.

Gage, 31 next month, has been on Houston’s roster just under a year, having been claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays in February of 2023. He spent the year as frequently-optioned bullpen depth, making five appearances in the majors with a 2.70 earned run average. His 34 Triple-A appearances didn’t go as well, as he posted a 4.58 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He struck out 23.4% of batters at that level but also walked 12%.

The southpaw had a better year in 2022, tossing 42 1/3 Triple-A innings while with the Jays, posting a 2.34 ERA for Buffalo. He paired a 27.4% strikeout rate with a 9.5% walk rate and also kept the ball on the ground at a 47% clip. He also made 11 big league appearances for the Jays with a 1.38 ERA.

The Astros will now have a week to trade Gage or try to pass him through waivers. Left-hander relief tends to always be in demand around the league and he still has an option remaining, which will enhance his appeal. His 2023 numbers for Sugar Land weren’t amazing, but clubs will surely take the hitter-friendly setting into account.

For the Astros, their situational lefty group takes a hit with Gage’s departure. Hader will be in the closer’s role for the foreseeable future, with Bennett Sousa and Parker Mushinski as the other southpaw relievers still on the roster.

Astros Notes: Brantley, Yordan, Gage, Bullpen

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Astros left fielder/designated hitter Michael Brantley will likely begin the season on the injured list, manager Dusty Baker confirmed to reporters this morning (Twitter links via Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). Baker also announced that fellow left fielder/DH Yordan Alvarez will make his spring debut on Thursday after missing all of the team’s Grapefruit League games thus far due to soreness in his left hand. The ’Stros also optioned lefty reliever Matt Gage to Triple-A this morning, making an all-right-handed bullpen likely to begin the season.

Brantley, 35, underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last summer. He’s yet to appear in a game this spring, although that’s in part due to a pair of leaves he’s taken while tending to an unspecified family matter. Brantley was participating in hitting drills on the field in late February, but the team hasn’t provided a formal timeline for when or whether he’ll get into a spring game.

Houston re-signed Brantley to a one-year, $12MM contract over the winter, setting the stage for his fifth straight year as an Astro. Though the aforementioned shoulder injury limited him to just 277 plate appearances in 64 games last season, he remained productive when healthy, batting .288/.370/.416 with a higher walk rate than strikeout rate (11.2% versus 10.8%). Brantley has long been one of the toughest strikeouts in the game, and he’s been excellent in his four seasons with the Astros: .306/.368/.464 (128 wRC+).

As for Alvarez, the Astros have continually been coy when it comes to revealing much in the way of details on the still-nebulous hand ailment that has bothered the slugger dating back to 2022. Alvarez had soreness in both hands last summer, but Baker has regularly eschewed specifics regarding the injury. Both Baker and GM Dana Brown have continually voiced confidence that Alvarez, who hit .306/.406/.613 with 37 home runs in just 135 games last season, will be ready for Opening Day. A Thursday in-game debut would give him a week’s worth of plate appearances to ramp up.

Turning to the bullpen, Gage was the lone remaining lefty candidate on the spring roster. Both Blake Taylor and Parker Mushinski are expected to open the season on the injured list, and Houston opted not to re-sign Will Smith or bring in any of the many free-agent lefties available this winter. It’s always possible that a small trade, waiver claim or free-agent signing alters the calculus between now and Opening Day, but it seems increasingly likely that they simply won’t have a left-handed reliever come Opening Day.

That’s familiar territory for the Astros, who have been regularly light on left-handed bullpen arms in recent seasons. Houston didn’t carry a lefty reliever on its ALDS or ALCS roster during the 2022 postseason, for instance. That hasn’t proven to be a major issues for the Astros, due largely to the strength of their right-handed relievers even in typically disadvantageous platoon spots. Houston’s righty relievers not only lack glaring platoon splits but have dominated left-handed hitters. Each of Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu, Ryne Stanek, Rafael Montero and closer Ryan Pressly held lefties to a batting average of .205 or lower, an OBP of .287 or lower, and a wOBA of .240 or lower in 2022.

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