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National League Non-Tenders: 11/30/21

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We’ve now passed the deadline for teams to tender contracts to pre-arb and arbitration-eligible players. We’ll keep track of the more minor players non-tendered in the National League here. The American League non-tenders are available at this link.

As a reminder, you can view MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s projected salaries for arbitration-eligible players here:

  • The Cardinals announced they’ve non-tendered utilityman José Rondon. The right-handed hitting infielder tallied 90 plate appearances this past season while suiting up at a handful of position.
  • The Giants announced they’ve non-tendered outfielder Luis González, right-hander Sam Delaplane and southpaw Joe Palumbo. None of that trio was arbitration-eligible, and all three were recently acquired via minor transactions. It wouldn’t be a surprise if San Francisco attempts to work out minor league pacts with one or more of that group now that they’ve been removed from the 40-man roster.
  • The Phillies have non-tendered southpaw Kyle Dohy and re-signed him to a minor league contract, per a team announcement. He’ll remain in the organization but no longer occupies a spot on the 40-man roster. Dohy made on major league appearance in 2021.
  • The Padres announced they’ve non-tendered relievers José Castillo, Trey Wingenter, and Matt Strahm. Castillo and Wingenter haven’t pitched since 2019 because of arm injuries that necessitated Tommy John surgeries. Strahm was limited to just 6 2/3 frames in 2021 by health issues himself.
  • The Cubs are non-tendering reliever Jason Adam, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The southpaw missed much of the season after suffering a gruesome ankle fracture in Triple-A in May, but he made a triumphant late-season return to the big leagues. Adam ultimately tossed 10 2/3 innings over 12 outings. Chicago also announced they’ve non-tendered outfielder Michael Hermosillo, who made a late-season appearance on the big league roster.
  • The Mets have non-tendered outfielder Mark Payton, per a club announcement. The left-handed hitter was acquired from the Reds midseason but never suited up for New York at the major league level.
  • The Reds have non-tendered righty Brandon Bailey, per a team announcement. The 27-year-old made five appearances with the Astros in 2020. He missed all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, the second such procedure of his career. Bailey is re-signing on a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation but will no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster, reports C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic.
  • The Nationals announced three non-tenders: relievers Wander Suero and Ryne Harper and first baseman Mike Ford. Suero is the most notable of the group, having been an effective set-up option at times during his four-season run in D.C. He struggled to a 6.33 ERA across 42 2/3 innings in 2021, though.
  • The Mets have non-tendered reliever Stephen Nogosek, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (on Twitter). The right-hander made just one three-inning appearance at the big league level in 2021. He worked 35 innings of 5.14 ERA ball with Triple-A Syracuse.
  • The Diamondbacks are non-tendering reliever Taylor Clarke, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The 28-year-old has pitched with the D-Backs in each of the past three seasons. The left-hander worked to a 4.98 ERA over 43 1/3 innings this past season, showing solid control but posting a 20.1% strikeout rate that was about four percentage points below the league average mark for bullpen arms.
  • The Dodgers have non-tendered southpaw Andrew Vasquez, tweets Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic. Vasquez wasn’t eligible for arbitration, but Los Angeles decided to bump him off the 40-man roster without placing him on waivers. Acquired in a minor trade with the Twins, Vasquez made two appearances for the Dodgers in early September. The 28-year-old struck out a massive 37.4% of batters faced in Triple-A in 2021.
  • The Pirates have non-tendered right-hander Chad Kuhl, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). A productive back-of-the-rotation arm at times, Kuhl has developed escalating control problems over the past couple seasons. The 29-year-old throws in the mid-90s and has posted decent strikeout numbers, but he’s coming off a 4.82 ERA/4.89 SIERA over 28 appearances (including 14 starts)
  • The Mets have non-tendered reliever Robert Gsellman, reports Tim Healey of Newsday (on Twitter). The right-hander has appeared with New York in each of the past six seasons, moving to the bullpen full-time in 2018. While Gsellman showed quite a bit of promise over seven starts as a rookie, he’s yet to find much consistent success in the years since. The 28-year-old did manage a solid 3.77 ERA with a 49.5% ground-ball rate over 28 2/3 innings in 2021, but he also missed a couple months because of a lat strain and only punched out 14.3% of batters faced.

Cubs Select Trayce Thompson

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The Cubs announced they’ve selected outfielder Trayce Thompson to the big league roster. Jason Heyward is landing on the seven-day concussion injured list in a corresponding move. To open space on the 40-man roster, Chicago transferred outfielder Michael Hermosillo from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

Thompson is back in the big leagues for the first time in three years. The right-handed hitter broke in with the White Sox in 2015 and saw some MLB time in each of the following three seasons, with his biggest workload coming with the 2016 Dodgers. Thompson hit for a fair amount of power and can cover all three outfield spots, but his overall productivity was limited by swing-and-miss issues. In 589 big league plate appearances, he owns a .206/.276/.389 mark with 22 home runs but an alarming 28% strikeout rate.

He’s split the 2021 season between the Triple-A affiliates of the D-Backs and Cubs, spending most of the campaign with Chicago’s top farm team in Iowa. Thompson has popped 21 round trippers in 358 plate appearances there but continued to punch out quite a bit. He owns a .233/.344/.492 line with a 32.4% strikeout rate with Iowa this season.

Cubs Select Nick Martini

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The Cubs announced they’ve selected corner outfielder Nick Martini to the big league roster. Fellow outfielder Michael Hermosillo is landing on the 10-day injured list with a left forearm strain. Chicago already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster after designating Andrew Romine for assignment earlier in the week.

Martini is back for his second stint with the Cubs this year. The Illinois native signed a minor league deal with Chicago over the offseason and was selected to the major league roster in early May. He only appeared in twelve games over the next few weeks before being designated for assignment and passed through outright waivers. Martini has spent most of the year with the Cubs’ top affiliate in Iowa, where he’s hit .267/.387/.444 with eleven home runs over 323 plate appearances.

That’s in line with Martini’s general production over the course of his career. He has long drawn walks at a very strong clip and posted gaudy minor league numbers, and he’s found some success against big league pitching as well. Over 303 MLB plate appearances, the left-handed hitting Martini owns a solid .261/.363/.366 line. He has yet to carve out a consistent regular role in the majors, though, with teams deterred by his lack of power and limited defensive value.

Hermosillo will not return this season, bench coach Andy Green told reporters (including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune). The 26-year-old was called up a few weeks ago after a monster season at Iowa. He popped three home runs in just 38 MLB plate appearances, but Hermosillo also struck out twelve times and drew just one walk en route to a .194 batting average and a .237 on-base percentage.

Cubs Select Michael Hermosillo, Designate Dan Winkler

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TODAY: The Cubs placed Winkler on unconditional release waivers, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). He will be a free agent.

AUG 17: The Cubs have selected outfielder Michael Hermosillo to the big league roster, the team announced. Reliever Dan Winkler was designated for assignment to open space on the active and 40-man rosters. Additionally, Chicago announced that left-hander Kyle Ryan has elected free agency after being passed through outright waivers.

Hermosillo reaches the majors for the fourth consecutive season, as he saw brief time with the Angels every year from 2018-20. Between those three years, the right-handed hitter only picked up a grand total of 118 plate appearances, slashing .188/.288/.287 with a single home run. Amidst those struggles, Los Angeles passed him through waivers last August and he hit minor league free agency over the offseason.

Chicago added the 26-year-old on a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Iowa. Hermosillo has been brilliant in the minors, raking at a .310/.448/.600 clip and popping ten home runs in 183 trips to the plate while playing all three positions on the grass. With the Cubs reeling at the major league level, they can afford to give Hermosillo a look to see if he can emerge as a late-blooming option for the 2022 team and beyond. He’s out of minor league option years, so Chicago now needs to keep him on the active roster or expose him to waivers.

Winkler has been a fixture in the Cubs’ bullpen over the past two seasons. He kept runs off the board last year despite underwhelming peripherals, but he’s had a difficult 2021 campaign in every regard. The righty has a 5.22 ERA over 39 2/3 frames, striking out hitters at a below-average 21.1% rate while walking a very high 15.8% of opponents.

The past few seasons have been a struggle for Winkler, who pitched well from 2017-18 with the Braves. With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, he’ll find himself on waivers in the coming days. A claiming team would assume what remains of his $900K salary; otherwise, the Cubs will be on the hook for the tab. Winkler has the right to elect free agency while retaining his entire salary should he pass through waivers.

That’s the course of action Ryan chose after being designated for assignment last week. The veteran southpaw is now set to explore other opportunities. Should he sign elsewhere before August 31, he’d be eligible for his new team’s postseason roster.

Cubs Option Kyle Ryan

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The Cubs have optioned lefty Kyle Ryan to Triple-A Iowa, the team announced amid a series of roster moves Friday.

Ryan, 29, leads all Cubs relievers in total appearances (91) and innings pitched (76 2/3) dating back to the 2019 season, but he missed the beginning of camp while on the Covid-19 related injured list and has yet to get into an official Spring Training game. He’ll build up with the minor league side of camp and at the team’s alternate training site to begin the season, but based on his usage over the past couple of seasons, he should get another look in the big leagues once he’s ready to go.

While the 2020 season was a struggle for Ryan — 5.17 ERA and five homers allowed in 15 2/3 innings — he was one of the Cubs’ most effective bullpen members in 2019. He racked up 61 innings that season, pitching to a 3.54 ERA with a 22.4 percent strikeout rate, an 11.2 percent walk rate and a whopping 58.2 percent ground-ball rate. That showing was enough that, in spite of his 2020 struggles, the Cubs tendered Ryan a contract this winter and agreed to a one-year, $800K deal with him. Ryan’s contract is a split contract, meaning he’ll earn at that $800K rate in the Majors but a $250K rate in the minors.

As Ryan builds back up, his absence could open the door for Brad Wieck or non-roster southpaw Rex Brothers to make the team as a second lefty in David Ross’ bullpen. (Former Phillies lefty Adam Morgan signed a minors deal with the Cubs, too, but is still mending from flexor surgery.) At present, Andrew Chafin is the lone left-handed lock for a bullpen job.

The Cubs also optioned James Norwood and Justin Steele today, and they reassigned five non-roster veterans to minor league camp: Joe Biagini, Jose Lobaton, Michael Hermosillo, Nick Martini and Ian Miller.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/2/20

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The latest minor league moves from around baseball…

  • The Cubs signed outfielder Michael Hermosillo to a minors contract, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Hermosillo has seen big league action in each of the last three seasons, hitting .188/.288/.287 over 118 plate appearances with the Angels.  He can play all three outfield positions, so he’ll provide the Cubs with some depth, and Hermosillo also might yet have some untapped hitting potential as he approaches his 26th birthday.  At the Triple-A level, Hermosillo has a solid .261/.344/.478 career slash line over 748 PA.
  • The Athletics signed catcher Francisco Pena to a minor league deal, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).  Pena will receive a guaranteed $600K salary if he reaches Oakland’s MLB roster.  The 31-year-old backstop hasn’t appeared in the majors since he played 58 games for the Cardinals in 2018, which comprises the bulk of his career big league experience.  Pena has hit .216/.249/.311 over 202 PA for the Cardinals, Orioles, and Royals from 2014-18, and has spent the last two seasons in the Giants and Reds organizations.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/28/20

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Friday’s minor moves…

  • The Marlins announced that they’ve sent infielder Logan Forsythe to the 60-day injured list with a right oblique strain. That should wrap up the 2020 season for Forsythe, whom the Marlins signed July 29. He made his Marlins debut Aug. 4 and went on to hit a miserable .118/.211/.235 with one HR in 35 plate appearances before going on the IL. Overall, it has been a rough few years for Forsythe, a once-valuable member of the Rays who has combined for minus-0.3 fWAR since the beginning of the 2018 campaign.
  • The Angels outrighted Michael Hermosillo to their alternate training site after he cleared waivers, the team announced. Hermosillo, whom the Angels designated for assignment last Sunday, has slashed a paltry .188/.288/.287 with one home run 118 plate appearances with the Angels since 2018. The 25-year-old outfielder has been far better at the Triple-A level, where he has batted .261/.344/.478 with 32 homers over 748 trips to the plate.

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