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Parker Markel

White Sox Outright Parker Markel

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5:59pm: MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports (on Twitter) that Markel has accepted his outright assignment and will remain in the organization.

4:26pm: The White Sox announced this afternoon they’ve outrighted reliever Parker Markel off the 40-man roster. Chicago hadn’t previously announced the righty had been designated for assignment, but he’s evidently already cleared waivers. The 40-man tally drops to 39.

Markel spent about a month and a half on the 40-man roster, having been added off waivers from the A’s in early June. The 31-year-old has spent his entire stint in the organization on optional assignment to Triple-A Charlotte, where he’s struggled. Markel has tossed 14 innings with the Knights, posting a 6.43 ERA despite a quality 28.8% strikeout rate. That’s largely due to strike-throwing issues, as the 6’5″ righty has walked 15.2% of batters faced.

That blend of strikeouts and erratic control is nothing new for Markel. He’d fanned 35.4% of opponents with the A’s top affiliate earlier in the season, managing a 1.89 ERA despite a 12.7% walk percentage. That earned him a brief big league look in Oakland, where he tossed three scoreless innings in his first MLB action since 2019.

Markel has previously been outrighted in his career, meaning he’ll have the right to elect minor league free agency. The team didn’t announce whether he plans to do so or will stick with the Knights and try to work his way back onto the roster.

White Sox Claim Parker Markel From A’s

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The White Sox announced they’ve claimed reliever Parker Markel off waivers from the Athletics and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Chicago already had a 40-man roster vacancy, so no additional move was necessary.

Oakland designated Markel for assignment this week, ending his tenure in the organization after just three big league appearances. The 31-year-old walked five batters in only three innings during that time, a continuation of some longstanding control issues. He walked an elevated 12.7% of batters faced across 19 innings with Triple-A Las Vegas prior to his call-up, and he struggled to throw strikes during his only previous MLB action back in 2019.

That said, Markel has also flashed promising swing-and-miss stuff. He’s punched out an excellent 35.4% of opponents in Triple-A this season, and he fanned batters at a nearly identical rate last year in Triple-A with the Padres. Markel averaged 95 MPH with above-average raw spin on his fastball during his brief big league look in Oakland, and his low-80s slider has promising two-plane movement.

The fastball-slider pairing has flummoxed many hitters in the upper minors, and the Sox will take a low-risk shot to add some bullpen depth. Markel still has a pair of option years remaining, so the White Sox can shuttle him between Chicago and Charlotte for each of the next two seasons if he retains his spot on the 40-man roster.

Athletics Designate Parker Markel For Assignment, Select Matt Davidson

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The A’s announced Tuesday that they’ve reinstated Stephen Vogt from the injured list, selected the contract of infielder Matt Davidson from Triple-A Las Vegas and designated right-handed reliever Parker Markel for assignment. Oakland also optioned infielder Sheldon Neuse to Las Vegas.

Davidson, 31, saw some big league time with the D-backs earlier this season but rejected an outright assignment following a DFA and inked a minor league pact with the A’s. He’s appeared in just 21 Triple-A games and tallied 88 plate appearances but already has seven home runs in Las Vegas. Davidson was mashing with the D-backs’ Triple-A affiliate in Reno, too, and he’s posted an overall .306/.389/.711 batting line with 15 long balls in only 139 Triple-A plate appearances so far this season.

Some caveats to that production apply, of course. The Pacific Coast League is a notoriously hitter-friendly setting, with Vegas in particular tending to inflate offense. Davidson has had his share of Triple-A success in the past as well — albeit not to this extent — with 146 home runs logged through 703 games at that level. He’s a .248/.320/.470 hitter in Triple-A but hasn’t quite carried that over in parts of six seasons in the Majors, where he’s a .222/.292/.433 hitter. He could still give the A’s more offense than they’ve gotten out of Neuse, a fellow right-handed-hitting infielder who has managed a tepid .228/.291/.305 output in a career-high 182 Major League plate appearances so far.

Markel, also 31, inked a minor league deal with the A’s over the winter and parlayed a 1.89 ERA in 19 Triple-A frames into his first big league action since 2019. The former Mariners and Pirates righty has a long track record of missing bats at a high level but also battling command issues, and both of those have been true in the Majors and in Triple-A this season. Markel fanned 35.4% of his opponents while pitching for Las Vegas but also walked hitters at a 12.7% clip. He fired three scoreless innings in the Majors with the A’s and picked up three strikeouts … but he also issued a walk to five of the 13 hitters he faced.

Even though he averages better than 95 mph on his heater and has a 3.09 ERA and 30% strikeout rate in 177 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level, Markel has only ever logged 25 innings in the Majors. There’s no sugarcoating his ugly 14.1% walk rate in Triple-A, but the bat-missing ability and velocity are somewhat intriguing all the same.

Oakland will have a week to trade Markel, attempt to pass him through outright waivers or release him. He’s been outrighted once before — by the Angels in 2020 — so even if he goes unclaimed on waivers, he’d have the option of rejecting an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Athletics Make Several Roster Moves

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The A’s selected the contracts of left-hander Sam Selman and right-hander Parker Markel from Triple-A today.  Right-hander Daulton Jefferies and outfielder Skye Bolt were each moved to the 60-day injured list to create space on the 40-man roster.  Oakland also called up right-hander Domingo Tapia, while right-hander Jacob Lemoine and southpaws Adam Kolarek and Zach Logue were all optioned to Triple-A to make way for Selman, Markel, and Tapia on the active roster.

Markel signed a minor league deal with the Athletics in March, and the 31-year-old righty is now on pace to make his first MLB appearance since 2019.  All 22 of Markel’s career Major League innings came in that season, with Markel taking the hill for the Mariners and Pirates and posting a 7.77 ERA.

A veteran of 11 pro seasons, Markel has long been plagued by control problems, though his last four seasons have seen him deliver big strikeout totals in the minors and in independent ball.  Continuing that trend at Triple-A Las Vegas, Markel has a 35.4% strikeout rate but also a 12.7% walk rate.  The free passes haven’t hurt Markel too badly, however, as he has a 1.89 ERA over 19 relief innings for the Aviators.

Tapia is also lined up for his 2022 debut, after Oakland claimed him off waivers from the Royals at the end of April.  The grounder specialist has appeared in each of the last two Major League seasons, posting a 2.61 ERA over 38 innings with the Red Sox, Mariners, and Royals.

This is the second time Selman’s contract has been selected by the A’s this season, as the team previously designated the southpaw for assignment in April and then outrighted him to Triple-A.  Selman’s tenure with the Athletics consists of a single big league game and 2 2/3 scoreless innings back on April 22.

Since Jefferies was recently diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, it wasn’t surprising to see him moved to the 60-day IL for what could be a season-ending absence if Jefferies opts for surgery.  For Bolt, his 60-day placement was attributed to a left hamstring strain, rather than the right oblique strain that initially put him on the 10-day IL in the first week of the season.  Bolt played in three rehab games before being shut down with this new injury, though it isn’t clear how much more time he’ll miss, since the 60-day period still starts at the time of Bolt’s first IL placement on April 10.

A’s, Parker Markel Agree To Minor League Deal

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The A’s have agreed to a minor league contract with reliever Parker Markel, MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports (on Twitter). The 31-year-old has 22 big league innings under his belt, having made 20 appearances split between the Mariners and Pirates in 2019.

Markel’s big league time was a struggle, as he allowed a 7.22 ERA. During that time, he walked an untenable 15.5% of opposing hitters and served up six home runs. The 6’5″ righty did average 95.6 MPH on his fastball in that limited look, however. And his slider, which he threw around half the time, generated whiffs at a slightly above-average rate.

While Markel hasn’t gotten results at the major league level to this point, he has a fine Triple-A track record. Over parts of four seasons there, he’s combined for a 3.23 ERA. Markel has punched out an impressive 29.4% of Triple-A hitters, although the control inconsistency he showed in his big league time has also been present in the minors. He’s issued walks to 14.3% of batters faced in his Triple-A career, including a 17.8% walk percentage with the Padres’ top affiliate last season.

Strike-throwing woes notwithstanding, there’s no risk for the A’s in taking a look at Markel in Spring Training. He’ll add a live arm with a track record of missing bats to the organizational depth chart, and there aren’t many locks to be in Oakland’s season-opening bullpen. Deolis Guerra and Lou Trivino are the only relievers who threw 20+ innings in green and gold last year and remain on the roster. Trivino, in particular, looks like he could be a trade target for bullpen-needy clubs whenever the lockout comes to a close.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/17/20

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Padres have agreed to a deal with right-hander Parker Markel on a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp, Steve Adams of MLBTR tweets. Markel was a 30th-round pick of the Rays in 2010 who has since spent time with a few other organizations. The 30-year-old made his major league debut in 2019 and combined for a 7.77 ERA/7.30 FIP with 9.82 K/9 and 6.95 BB/9 in 22 innings between the Mariners and Pirates. Markel has a much better track record at the higher levels of the minor, though, including a stingy 2.57 ERA with 9.8 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9 over 101 2/3 frames in Triple-A ball.
  • The Indians have re-signed left-hander Anthony Gose and infielder Andruw Monasterio to minors deals, the team announced. Gose will be in spring training as a non-roster player. The former Tigers and Blue Jays outfielder transferred to the mound in 2017 and has since put up a 4.39 ERA with 10.0 K/9 in 65 2/3 minor league innings, owing in part to a blazing fastball, but Gose has walked more than eight batters per nine. Monasterio joined the Indians in their trade that sent catcher Yan Gomes to the Nationals in December 2018. While he’s still just 23, Monasterio got off to an inauspicious start with the Indians when he hit .217/.279/.253 with one home run in 279 Double-A plate appearances in 2019.

Angels Outright Parker Markel

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The Angels announced that righty Parker Markel has been outrighted after clearing waivers. He was designated recently to make way for the addition of another hurler.

This’ll give the Halos another arm in camp without any real commitment. Markel hasn’t actually appeared with the club; he was added in an early-offseason trade with the Pirates for cash considerations.

Markel, 29, scuffled badly last year when he first got a shot in the majors. But he earned his way up with an interesting arsenal — a 50/50 mix of a mid-nineties fastball and slider. Markel turned in a 1.74 ERA in his 41 1/3 Triple-A frames, logging an eye-popping 16.3 K/9 to go with 5.7 BB/9.

Angels Claim Jose Quijada, Designate Parker Markel

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The Angels announced that they have claimed lefty Jose Quijada off waivers from the Marlins. Righty Parker Markel was designated to create roster space.

The Halos will try to tap into the upside of Quijada, who got quite a few swings in his 2019 debut despite relying heavily upon his fastball. He also coughed up 26 walks, 19 earned runs, and 10 home runs in his first 29 2/3 MLB frames. Over seventy career Triple-A innings, Quijada carries a 3.73 ERA with 11.2 K/9 against 4.4 BB/9.

Markel also debuted in 2019, though he’s already 29 years of age. He throws a 95+ mph heater and a slider with about equal frequency, but didn’t draw a stand-out number of swinging strikes (just over ten percent) in the majors last year. He was hammered in his 22 debut innings, surrendering 19 earned runs with a 24:17 K/BB ratio. But Markel was much better in the upper minors last year, throwing 41 1/3 innings of 1.74 ERA ball with a hefty 16.3 K/9 against 5.7 BB/9.

Angels Acquire Parker Markel

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The Angels announced that right-hander Parker Markel has been acquired from the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations.

The 29-year-old Markel will change teams for the second time in 2019, after first going from the Mariners to the Pirates on a waiver claim back in July.  It made for a particularly busy first Major League season for Markel, who posted a 7.77 ERA over 22 combined innings for Seattle and Pittsburgh in his first taste of the Show.

It marked the culmination of a long road to the majors for Markel, who was originally a 39th-round draft pick for the Rays in 2010.  His ten-year pro career has included brief stints in independent ball and South Korea’s KBO League, as well as time away from the sport due to anxiety issues.  Through it all, Markel has managed some solid minor league stats, with a 3.81 ERA, 2.23 K/BB rate, and 8.0 K/9 over 508 innings, pitching almost exclusively as a reliever since 2014.

He’ll now join an Angels team that is looking for pitching depth.  While the Halos have a more glaring need in the rotation than in the bullpen, Markel and his 95.6 mph average fastball velocity could certainly become part of the conversation as the Angels consider their relief options come Spring Training.

Pirates Place Chris Archer, Clay Holmes On Injured List

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The Pirates have placed right-handers Chris Archer and Clay Holmes on the 10-day injured list, the team announced.  Archer has been sidelined with inflammation in his throwing shoulder, while Holmes is suffering from left quad discomfort.  Right-handers Dario Agrazal and Parker Markel have been called up from Triple-A to fill the two 25-man roster spots.

Some type of IL placement seemed likely for Archer following his abbreviated outing last night, when he left the game after just one inning following an off-target warm-up prior to his second frame of work.  This is the first noteworthy arm issue of Archer’s career and only the third IL stint of his eight-year career, though they have all happened within the last two seasons — Archer missed a month due to an abdominal strain in 2018, and right thumb inflammation cost him around three weeks earlier this year.

The seriousness of the shoulder issue isn’t yet known, though if it lingers, the Pirates could just decide to shut Archer down for the remainder of the season.  It would bring an early end to what has been a discouraging campaign for Archer, with a career-high 5.19 ERA over 119 2/3 frames.  That innings total would mark a new career low for Archer in his seven full MLB seasons, while also posting career worsts in walk rate (4.14 BB/9), grounder rate (36.3%), home run rate (20.2%), xwOBA (.346), and hard-hit ball rate (40.1%).

All in all, it has been a very unmemorable stint in Pittsburgh since Archer was acquired in a trade deadline deal in July 2018.  The deal raised eyebrows at the time, and given that Austin Meadows and (pre-injury) Tyler Glasnow both emerged as key contributors for the Rays, the trade is now looking like a significant misfire for the Pirates’ front office.

Archer still has as many as two seasons to turn things around in the Steel City, as the Bucs hold club options on his services for 2020 ($9MM, $1.75MM buyout) and 2021 ($11MM, $250K buyout).  Despite his struggles, it still seems very likely that the Pirates will exercise that 2020 option, given the uncertainty in the team’s 2020 rotation.  Jameson Taillon will miss all of next season recovering from Tommy John surgery, leaving the Pirates with Archer in all likelihood, as well as some combination of Trevor Williams, Joe Musgrove, Mitch Keller, Steven Brault, and others all in the mix.  Since the Bucs are likely to pursue a veteran starter anyway this winter, keeping Archer at a relatively inexpensive price seems like a logical move, especially if Archer can recapture any of his past form.

Holmes has a 6.05 ERA, 1.54 K/BB rate, and 10.0 K/9 over 38 2/3 relief innings for Pittsburgh this season.  Control has been a major concern for Holmes over his brief Major League career, as he has a 7.1 BB/9 over 65 frames for the Bucs in 2018-19.  This is Holmes’ second trip to the IL in less than a month, as he only recently returned from an absence due to right triceps inflammation.

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