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Mariners Sign Casey Lawrence, Sean Poppen To Minor League Deals

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The Mariners announced their non-roster invitees to Spring Training this evening. A trio of players with MLB experience have joined the organization on deals not previously covered at MLBTR: right-handers Casey Lawrence and Sean Poppen and catcher/first baseman Michael Papierski.

Lawrence is a familiar face for Seattle fans. The righty has logged multiple stints in the organization as a swingman. He made 34 appearances as a Mariner between 2017-18, accounting for a little over half his big league experience. The 36-year-old has also pitched for the Blue Jays and Cardinals, logging 15 appearances in St. Louis a year ago.

In 27 1/3 innings of mostly low-leverage relief for the Cards, Lawrence posted a 6.59 ERA. He struck out a below-average 16.4% of opponents while averaging 90 MPH on his fastball. Lawrence had better results working as rotation depth in Triple-A. He started 21 games at the top minor league level, allowing 4.76 earned runs per nine through 104 innings. Lawrence fanned just under 20% of opponents while limiting his walks to a 6.8% clip.

Poppen, 30 in March, is a pure reliever. He compiled a 5.08 ERA in 63 appearances divided with four teams between 2019-22. The Harvard product spent last year at Triple-A with the Padres. He struggled with the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League setting, allowing a 6.33 ERA through 58 1/3 frames. Poppen had a subpar 17.6% strikeout percentage against a slightly elevated 10.3% walk rate. He has shown better swing-and-miss potential at the MLB level, where he owns a serviceable 22.3% strikeout rate for his career.

Papierski is a right-handed hitting backstop who had a brief MLB look with the Giants and Reds two seasons ago. He played the ’23 campaign in Triple-A as a member of the Tigers. Papierski had a solid offensive performance, hitting .266/.370/.422 with eight homers in 77 contests. He walked at a strong 13.8% clip across 305 plate appearances.

Seattle also said that right-hander Darren McCaughan is in camp as a non-roster player. According to his transactions log at MLB.com, he went unclaimed on outright waivers. The M’s announced that he was designated for assignment this afternoon as the corresponding move for their waiver claim of outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba. They’d apparently placed McCaughan on waivers before officially revealing his DFA. While the 6’1″ hurler had the right to elect free agency, it seems he decided to stick in the organization with the understanding he’d get a look in MLB camp.

Tigers Notes: Lorenzen, Wentz, Vest, Haase, Rogers

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Tigers right-hander Michael Lorenzen is going to start the season on the 15-day injured list, manager A.J. Hinch indicated this afternoon (relayed by Chris McCosky of the Detroit News). The offseason signee is dealing with a left groin strain. Hinch indicated it’s not expected to be a serious issue but will require Lorenzen to miss a couple turns through the rotation.

Detroit brought the veteran in on a one-year, $8.5MM guarantee over the winter. He and fellow free agent pickup Matthew Boyd were added to take the final couple rotation spots beyond Eduardo Rodriguez, Spencer Turnbull and Matt Manning.

While that’s on hold, Detroit is likely to turn to Joey Wentz as a starter, McCosky adds. The 6’5″ southpaw was first called up last May. He got into seven games during his debut campaign, working to a 3.03 ERA with a slightly below-average 20% strikeout rate. Wentz had a solid 3.17 mark across 48 1/3 frames with Triple-A Toledo. He’s gotten hit hard this spring, allowing 13 runs in 14 2/3 innings in spite of a respectable 19:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

No pitcher had a tougher go in Detroit camp than reliever Will Vest, however. The righty managed four innings over five appearances, giving up a staggering 13 runs on as many hits with only three strikeouts. That knocked him out of consideration for a season-opening bullpen job, as Detroit optioned him to Toledo this afternoon.

Vest looked to have a bullpen spot more or less sewn up entering camp. The 27-year-old worked 63 innings over 59 outings last season. He allowed exactly four earned runs per nine but posted average or better strikeout (23.2%), walk (8.1%) and ground-ball (49.7%) marks. Vest could certainly factor into the bullpen as the season goes along but will first have to earn his way back up.

Alongside Vest, Detroit optioned catcher Donny Sands this afternoon. Hinch told reporters that non-roster backstops Andrew Knapp and Michael Papierski were being reassigned to minor league camp (link via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press). That leaves Eric Haase and Jake Rogers as the season-opening catching duo. Haase always looked assured of a roster spot. He was one of Detroit’s most productive hitters last season and is out of options. Rogers earns the backup job as a defensive specialist, setting him up for his first MLB action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2021.

Tigers Re-Sign Four Players To Minor League Deals

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The Tigers have re-signed four players, according to their transactions tracker at MLB.com (hat tip to Evan Woodbery of MLive.com and @ebajek85.) The four players are infielder Jermaine Palacios, infielder/outfielder Brendon Davis, catcher Michael Papierski and right-hander Miguel Diaz. They have all been assigned to Triple-A Toledo and will presumably get invitations to major league Spring Training.

All four of these players are being re-signed since they were with the Tigers in 2022, but none of them have lengthy histories with the club. Diaz signed a minor league deal coming into 2022, while the other three all joined the organization on waiver claims this year. All four lost their roster spots earlier this month but will stick with the club and try to earn their way back on.

Diaz, 28, got into 72 games with the Padres over the 2017-2021 stretch before getting into three games with the Tigers this year. In 65 Triple-A innings this year, he posted a 4.29 ERA but with a 24.2% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate and 52.3% ground ball rate. A low strand rate of 62.4% led to a higher ERA than he likely deserved with FIP giving him a 3.91.

Papierski, 27 in February, bounced around quite a bit this season. He started the year with the Astros, got traded to the Giants, before going to the Reds and Tigers on waiver claims. He got into 39 MLB games and hit .143/.228/.187 there but hit .232/.329/.363 in the minors.

Davis, 25, only got into three MLB games this year, spending most of the season in Triple-A. In 139 games at that level, he hit 20 home runs and slashed .235/.340/.423 for a wRC+ of 99.

Palacios, 26, made his MLB debut this year with the Twins but struggled in his 30 games in the show. In 102 Triple-A games, he hit 14 home runs and slashed .283/.341/.462 for a wRC+ of 112. Both Davis and Palacios played all four infield positions this year as well as the outfield corners, with Davis also getting a brief look in center. Since Diaz is a pitcher and Papierski is a catcher, these four moves collectively bolster the depth all over Detroit’s roster.

Tigers Non-Tender Jeimer Candelario

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The Tigers are non-tendering third baseman Jeimer Candelario, reports Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press (Twitter link). He’d been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $7MM salary.

Candelario has been the Tigers primary third baseman for the past five seasons. Originally acquired from the Cubs in a 2017 trade, he was manning the hot corner at Comerica Park by the start of the following year. Candelario posted below-average numbers for his first two seasons, but the switch-hitting infielder showed some promise with a .297/.369/.503 line in 52 games during the abbreviated 2020 campaign.

It never looked likely he’d replicate quite that level of production over a full season, but Candelario backed up his numbers with another impressive year. Through 626 trips to the plate in 2021, he posted a .271/.351/.443 showing with 16 longballs and 42 doubles. That brought his two-year line to .278/.356/.458 in more than 800 plate appearances.

Candelario looked like an above-average regular at the hot corner, a productive middle-of-the-order bat with capable defensive marks. Like much of the Detroit lineup, he fell off sharply in 2022. Candelario’s .217/.272/.361 line across 124 games proved a major disappointment. He had some unfortunate batted ball marks, with a .257 average on balls in play well shy of both the .290 league figure and the career .308 BABIP which Candelario carried into the season.

A rebound in his ball in play results would go a long way towards getting things back on track, but the dip isn’t solely attributable to poor luck. Candelario’s 34.6% hard contact rate was almost five percentage points lower than his 2021 mark and down 12 points from where it sat in 2020. He saw a similar decline in his average exit velocity. He hit more ground balls and pop-ups than he had the previous two seasons, while his line drive rate sunk.

Whether to place a roughly $7MM bet on Candelario to right the ship for his final season of arbitration was a key early decision for new president of baseball operations Scott Harris. Detroit opted against doing so, and they could look for third base help this offseason as a result. The Tigers have Ryan Kreidler as an in-house option to play somewhere on the infield, with third base now standing as the clearest path to playing time. Should Detroit add depth at the hot corner in the coming months, Kreidler could push Jonathan Schoop for playing time at second base.

Further thinning their infield depth, Detroit non-tendered utility players Harold Castro and Willi Castro. Both were eligible for arbitration for the first time and projected for salaries in the $2MM range. They each have some infield versatility and bat-to-ball skills, but neither draws many walks or hits for power. The Tigers will look elsewhere for bench depth. Detroit also non-tendered a number of players — Michael Papierski, Miguel Díaz, Kyle Funkhouser and Brendon Davis — who’d previously been designated for assignment.

Candelario, despite his down year, is one of the better free agent options available in a weak third base class. Justin Turner is the top option after being bought out by the Dodgers, while players like Evan Longoria, Jace Peterson and fellow non-tender Brian Anderson make up the next tier.

Tigers Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Tigers announced several roster moves in advance of tonight’s Rule 5 protection deadline. Five players have been added to the 40-man roster: right-handers Reese Olson and Brendan White, infielders Andre Lipcius and Wenceel Perez, as well as outfielder Parker Meadows. In corresponding moves, they designated righties Miguel Diaz and Kyle Funkhouser, catcher Michael Papierski and outfielder Brendon Davis for assignment. Lefty Sean Guenther cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Toledo.

Funkhouser, 29 in March, showed some promise in 2021 with a 3.42 ERA over 68 1/3 innings for the Tigers. Unfortunately, a shoulder strain kept him from pitching at any point in 2022. The right-hander was the No. 35 pick by the Dodgers back in 2015 but, as a player who slid after initially being a projected as top-ten or even top-five talent, returned to Louisville for his senior season. A poor year caused him to slide to the Tigers in the fourth round, and he’s now seen his pro career slowed by multiple shoulder injuries. In 85 2/3 career innings, he has a 4.20 ERA and a 12.9% walk rate.

Diaz, 28 later this month, had some success with the Padres in 2021 and pitched 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball with the Tigers in 2022. The bulk of his ’22 campaign, however, was spent in Triple-A Toledo, where he logged a 4.29 ERA with a 24.2% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate. Diaz throws fairly hard, averaging just shy of 96 mph on his heater, but his ability to miss bats has been inconsistent in the Majors, whereas his sub-par command has been a steady component of his game.

The 26-year-old Papierski has bounced around the league in 2022, spending time with the Astros, Giants, Reds and Tigers so far this calendar year. He hit .143/.228/.187 in 103 plate appearances this season, his Major League debut, and carries a .241/.361/.371 batting line in 160 games at the Triple-A level.

Davis, whom the Tigers claimed off waivers from the Angels back in May, made his big league debut in 2022 and went 2-for-10 with a walk in 11 plate appearances. The 25-year-old is a career .253/.352/.465 hitter in 721 plate appearances at the Triple-A level and has experience at shortstop, second base, third base and in both outfield corners.

Tigers Claim Michael Papierski, Designate Ali Sanchez

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The Tigers have claimed catcher Michael Papierski off waivers from the Reds.  In a corresponding roster move, Detroit designated catcher Ali Sanchez for assignment.

With Tucker Barnhart heading into free agency, Papierski’s addition gives the Tigers some extra depth behind the plate beyond Eric Haase.  Jake Rogers is expected to compete for playing time in Spring Training after missing 2022 due to recovery from Tommy John surgery, and prospect Dillon Dingler (who played all of last season at Double-A) might be in line for a late-season debut in the majors.

The waiver claim doesn’t preclude Detroit from making further or larger moves at catcher as the offseason rolls on, yet Papierski is a known quantity to new Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris.  Formerly the Giants’ GM for the last three seasons, Harris oversaw the trade that sent Papierski from the Astros to San Francisco last May, which opened the door for Papierski to make his MLB debut.  Papierski’s tenure with the Giants last just over a month before he went to Cincinnati on another claim.

An LSU product, Papierski was a ninth-round pick for the Astros in the 2017 draft.  Over 1606 career plate appearances in the minors, the backstop has a .222/.356/.337 slash line and 30 home runs.  Papierski couldn’t match this modest slash line in his first exposure to Major League pitching, as he hit .143/.228/.187 over 103 combined PA with the Giants and Reds last season.

Sanchez was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals back in June, but the 25-year-old didn’t see any MLB action with either St. Louis or Detroit in 2022.  Receiving cups of coffee in both 2020 with the Mets and in 2021 with the Cardinals, Sanchez’s MLB resume consists of seven total games.  Known more than his defense than his bat during his time in New York’s farm system, Sanchez has a career .262/.323/.343 slash line over 2045 PA, with six of his eight seasons coming in the Mets organization.  Given the constant need for catching depth around the big leagues, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another club claim Sanchez off the DFA wire, but if he clears, he’ll get attention for minor league contracts this winter.

Reds Claim Michael Papierski Off Waivers From Giants

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The Reds announced that they have claimed catcher Michael Papierski off waivers from the Giants and optioned him to Triple-A Louisville. The Reds recently placed Jeff Hoffman on the COVID-related IL, opening up a spot on the 40-man roster for this claim.

Papierski began this season in the Astros organization but went to the Giants in May as part of the Mauricio Dubon trade. A week later, he was selected to the big league roster as Curt Casali was placed on the concussion IL. Once Casali returned a week later, Papierski was optioned back to the minors. When the Giants claimed Yermin Mercedes off waivers from the White Sox recently, Papierski was designated to create room for him.

Papierski got into five MLB games with San Fran but wasn’t able to manage a hit in ten plate appearances. In 40 Triple-A games between the Astros’ and Giants’ organizations, he’s hit .210/.297/.308. That only amounts to a wRC+ of 53, though more encouraging signs can be found in his 10.3% walk rate and 16.4% strikeout rate, both of those being better than average. His .223 BABIP suggests some positive regression could be forthcoming.

Tyler Stephenson, the Reds’ primary catcher, landed on the IL earlier this month with a thumb fracture. He’s yet to even begin a rehab assignment, suggesting he’s not close to a return. Since he’s been gone, the club has been using Aramis Garcia and Chris Okey behind the plate, both of whom currently have a wRC+ below 25. Papierski will head to Louisville to alongside fellow catcher Mark Kolozsvary, to provide the club with some extra catching depth.

Giants Claim Yermin Mercedes Off Waivers From White Sox

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The Giants have claimed first baseman Yermin Mercedes off waivers from the White Sox, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports (via Twitter). He has been optioned to Triple-A.

In a corresponding move, the Giants designated catcher Michael Papierski for assignment, per MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (via Twitter). This was necessary to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old catcher made is Major League debut this season for the Giants, going hitless with one walk and four strikeouts in 10 plate appearances. The Giants acquired him this season in a trade with the Astros for utilityman Mauricio Dubon.

Mercedes will head to Triple-A for now, but it’s not impossible to see him playing a role for the Giants later this season. He’s a bit redundant with righty Darin Ruf, but the rest of the San Francisco bench leans left-handed. Mercedes crushed lefties last season to the tune of .339/.386/.523 in 70 plate appearances. He did not bring the same oomph against same-handed hurlers, however, hitting just .246/.307/.360 in 175 plate appearances against righties.

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