Minor MLB Transactions: 1/16/21
The latest minor moves from around the sport…
- The Tigers announced that left-hander Robbie Ross, right-hander Andrew Moore, first baseman Aderlin Rodriguez and infielder Yariel Gonzalez have all been signed to minor league deals. Ross is the most familiar name of the group, posting a 3.83 ERA over 321 2/3 innings as a workhorse member of the Rangers and Red Sox bullpens from 2012-16 (also starting 12 games with Texas in 2014). After an injury-riddled 2017, however, Ross hasn’t returned to the majors, pitching in the White Sox farm system and then independent ball. Moore is the only other member of the quartet with MLB experience, as he tossed 63 2/3 innings for the Mariners (posting a 5.51 ERA) over parts of the 2017 and 2019 seasons.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/17/19
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- Left-hander Robbie Ross recently joined the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League. The 30-year-old has already thrown 7 1/3 innings with the club, striking out 13 but allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits and six walks. Ross spent last season in the minors with the White Sox after an injury-limited 2017 in Boston. Before that, Ross was fairly successful in the majors with the Rangers and Red Sox from 2012-16 – a 321 2/3-inning span in which he logged a 3.83 ERA/3.78 FIP with 7.41 K/9, 3.22 BB/9 and a 52.3 percent groundball rate.
- The Rockies made a pair of 40-man roster transactions Wednesday, moving infielder Brendan Rodgers to the 60-day injured list after he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery and reinstating lefty Harrison Musgrave from the 60-day IL. The club optioned Musgrave, who hasn’t pitched since May 3 because of a flexor strain, to Triple-A Albuquerque after activating him. The 27-year-old Musgrave allowed four earned runs on nine hits and seven walks (with 12 strikeouts) in 10 innings before his IL placement. As a rookie last season, Musgrave threw 44 2/3 frames to rank seventh among Rockies relievers in that category, but he only mustered a 4.63 ERA/5.31 FIP with 6.45 K/9 against 4.43 BB/9.
No Agreement Between Reds, Robbie Ross
Feb. 19: A source tells MLBTR that there is no current agreement between the Reds and Ross. While the two sides have talked, Ross is continuing to throw for other clubs as he seeks a landing spot for the 2019 campaign.
Feb. 16: The Reds have reportedly signed reliever Robbie Ross to a minor league deal.
Ross, 29, held down a regular spot in the Ranger and Red Sox bullpens from 2012-16, but has missed much of the last two seasons with elbow and back problems. In 2016, his last full season of work, Ross turned in an excellent 3.25 ERA/3.27 FIP (0.7 fWAR) on the back of career-best (9.11 K/9, 0.33 HR/9) peripherals. The lefty’s slider, always a cut above, checked in as the 9th best version of the pitch among all qualified relievers that year, per FanGraphs.
Though his bat-missing acumen against opposite-side hitters has largely prevented a breakaway from the journeyman pack, Ross still sports a respectable .319 career wOBA against vs. righties, and shouldn’t be confined to a specialist-only role. The veteran will hope to regain the 2.4 MPH he lost (down to a career-low 91.8 average MPH) on his fastball after injuries took hold.
Ross will look to join an in-flux Reds bullpen spearheaded by a dominant Raisel Iglesias and otherwise peppered with mostly-fungible names. Zach Duke and Amir Garrett carry the unit’s southpaw flag at current, though a pain-free Ross may well squeeze himself in.
Market Chatter: Realmuto, Keuchel, Indians, Castellanos, Ross
The on-again, off-again chatter surrounding the Braves and Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto has left an uncertain situation. While the Atlanta organization already seems to have a palatable situation behind the dish, with Brian McCann rejoining the org to pair with Tyler Flowers, it’s also one that is susceptible of improvement. In any event, the stalemate seemingly continues, though Craig Mish of MLB Network does tweet that the teams have been in contact of late regarding Realmuto. It’s far from clear that any progress has been made, though, as he says the Braves “appear to be waiting [the] Marlins out.” The Rays also “remain a possibility,” says Mish, though at this point it’s really anyone’s guess how things will turn out with regard to Realmuto, who’s a valuable enough asset that any number of other teams could conceivably still enter the picture or circle back if other offseason pursuits don’t pan out.
Some more notes on the trade and free-agent markets…
- The Bryce Harper and Manny Machado sagas are holding up the markets for many remaining free agents, even left-hander Dallas Keuchel, per MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal (video link). Rosenthal suggested on MLBN’s Hot Stove this morning that Keuchel is waiting to see where the market’s top two free agents land, presumably knowing that a suitor who misses out on Harper or Machado will have money to spend elsewhere. The Phillies, for instance, have been connected to all three players, so it’s not all that difficult to see them making a more serious run at Keuchel should their top two targets sign elsewhere.
- Another would-be blockbuster situation that may now be fizzling is the Indians‘ oft-discussed negotiations on top starters Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer. Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer discusses the situation, suggesting it may be time for the Cleveland organization to ask for final offers and otherwise move on from the marketing process. Of course, it’s far from clear that the team is taking that stance. And as Hoynes goes on to discuss, it’s also still not apparent how (or even if) the Indians will go about improving a roster that looks quite a bit different than it did just a few months ago. It’s still possible that Cleveland could add an outfielder from the free-agent market, but there’s no indication that they’re in line to make a significant splash on that front.
- Meanwhile, talks between the Braves and the Tigers regarding outfielder Nicholas Castellanos have gone nowhere since the two sides talked at last month’s Winter Meetings, Morosi tweets. The Braves are, of course, still looking far and wide for a corner outfielder and are “active” in their pursuit of that key need. With many options seemingly still on the table, though, the club appears to be content not to push hard for any particular player, which might increase the acquisition cost.
- Veteran southpaw Robbie Ross is preparing to throw for scouts in mid-January as he looks for a new opportunity, MLBTR has learned. Ross spent time with the White Sox organization in 2018, but struggled with his command as he worked back to health following back surgery in August of 2017. He’s now said to be at full strength, though he’ll certainly need to show that to the talent evaluators who take a look. The 29-year-old has generally been quite effective as a big-league reliever, with a 3.52 ERA in 270 2/3 career innings in that capacity.
White Sox Release Robbie Ross
The White Sox have released left-handed reliever Robbie Ross, according to an announcement from their Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte (h/t: James Fegan of The Athletic).
The 28-year-old Ross joined the White Sox on a minor league deal in March, which came after he saw MLB action with the Rangers (2012-14) and Red Sox (2015-17) over the previous six seasons. Ross had some success during that span, particularly during the 2012, ’13 and ’15 campaigns, and combined for a 3.92 ERA with 7.46 K/9, 3.27 BB/9 and a 52.2 percent groundball rate in 330 2/3 innings. He didn’t show a significant platoon split, either, as he held same-handed hitters to a .250/.331/.381 line and righty-swingers to a .269/.344/.376 mark.
Injuries, including elbow and back problems, limited Ross to nine major league frames a year ago. In his return to the mound this season, he struggled in Charlotte, where he logged an 11.81 ERA with 9.28 K/9 and 14.34 BB/9 in 10 2/3 innings.
White Sox Sign Robbie Ross To Minors Deal
The White Sox have signed left-hander Robbie Ross to a minor league contract, as announced by the team on Twitter. The deal contains an invitation to Chicago’s big league Spring Training camp.
Ross has been a durable and effective reliever in four of his six MLB seasons, apart from a disastrous 2014 campaign (that included 12 starts) and an injury-shortened 2017 season. Ross was limited to just 15 total innings last year (nine with the Red Sox and six in Triple-A) due to elbow inflammation and then a season-ending back surgery in August. Boston outrighted Ross off its roster following the season and the 28-year-0ld chose to become a free agent.
Over 330 2/3 innings with the Rangers and Red Sox, Ross has a 3.92 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 2.28 K/BB rate, and an impressive 52.2% grounder rate. He has been just about equally effective against hitters on both sides of the plate, holding left-handed batters to a .712 OPS and right-handed batters to a .723 OPS over the course of his career.
If Ross is healthy, he could be a very nice low-cost addition to a White Sox team that has aggressively shopped for relief help this offseason. Ross is one of many notable bullpen names (Xavier Cedeno, Jeanmar Gomez, Bruce Rondon, T.J. House, Rob Scahill, Chris Volstad, Michael Ynoa) in Chicago’s camp as a non-roster invite, plus closer Joakim Soria and Luis Avilan are also new additions to the White Sox roster. Avilan looks to be the top left-handed option, and thus Ross and Cedeno could be competing to be the second southpaw in the Sox pen, though Ross’ success against both batters doesn’t necessarily limit him to a LOOGY-type of role.
East Notes: O’s/Cobb, Mets, Nats, Jays, Rays
The Orioles seem to be casting a wide net in their hunt for starting pitching, as they have been cited as having interest in quite a few arms already. While the organization has become known for doing a good portion of its business later in the offseason, perhaps it’ll be more aggressive on some pitchers this time around. In any event, the latest name connected to the O’s is righty Alex Cobb, with Jon Morosi of MLB Network tweeting that the team has interest in a hurler who long tormented them in the division. Cobb won’t come cheap, but could be an option if Baltimore decides it’s able to add a more significant contract. The primary goal, though, will be to ensure there’s enough depth on hand in the rotation.
More from the eastern divisions:
- The Mets are the current poster child for the concept that you can never have enough pitching depth. Even on the heels of a tough season in which the club’s vaunted rotation collapsed, though, GM Sandy Alderson says he’ll consider dealing arms, as Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. While there’s still a need to “be careful” not to thin the staff out too far, Alderson is obviously also looking for ways to improve with a limited amount of payroll flexibility. Odds are that the team’s most prominent pitchers won’t be dangled, but Puma suggests Robert Gsellman, Seth Lugo, or Rafael Montero might conceivably be discussed.
- While there’s nothing the Nationals can do to get out from under their 2018 commitment to Matt Wieters, the team will look for ways to improve behind the plate. Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post writes that the plan is to reduce the veteran’s role. Of course, that would mean relying more heavily on another player, and the team’s top internal alternatives (Pedro Severino and Raudy Read) are hardly sure things. An external acquisition will surely at least be considered; I ran through some other possibilities after the Nats were bounced from the postseason.
- The Blue Jays are aiming for depth in their pitching staff, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca writes. Lefty Robbie Ross is among the arms they are interested in, he reports. Certainly, Toronto has had a chance to see Ross up close over the past several years, which he has spent with the Red Sox. He was limited by injury in 2017 but turned in 55 1/3 innings of 3.25 ERA pitching in the prior campaign. Toronto isn’t limiting itself to lefty relievers, though; Nicholson-Smith says the club is looking at basically every type of hurler out there.
- Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times has the latest on the Rays‘ efforts to land a new ballpark. Owner Stuart Sternberg expressed optimism about a prospective site in Hillsborough County, but there are plenty of challenges still to be dealt with. Among them: the club “might only cover $150 million of the projected $800 million cost,” Topkin writes. Those interested in learning more about where things stand will want to give the link a full read.
Red Sox Exercise Options On Chris Sale, Craig Kimbrel
The Red Sox announced this morning that they’ve formally exercised their 2018 club options over ace Chris Sale and closer Craig Kimbrel. Sale will earn $12.5MM in 2018, while Kimbrel will be paid $13MM.
Additionally, the Sox announced that they’ve outrighted left-hander Robbie Ross Jr. and infielder Josh Rutledge, each of who has elected free agency. Boston has also selected the contracts of outfielder Bryce Brentz and left-hander Williams Jerez from Triple-A Pawtucket.
The option decisions on Sale and Kimbrel were among the easiest in all of baseball. The pair finished out the season as two of the most valuable players on the Red Sox and two of the best in all of baseball in their respective roles. Sale led the American League with 214 1/3 innings and a remarkable 308 strikeouts (12.9 K/9), pitching to a stellar 2.90 earned run average along the way. Kimbrel, meanwhile, posted a 1.43 ERA with 35 saves in 69 innings and struck out a staggering 49.6 percent of the batters he faced (16.4 K/9). Sale’s contract includes a $13MM option for the 2019 season as well, while Kimbrel will be a free agent for the first time next winter.
Ross, 28, was limited to just 15 innings between the Majors and Triple-A this season due to a back injury that ultimately required surgical repair. Prior to that, however, he was a quality setup man in Boston, pitching to a 3.57 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 49.4 percent ground-ball rate in 116 innings in 2015-16. Lefties hit just .200/.302/.297 against Ross in that time, while righties hit him at a .260/.333/.388 clip. Ross would’ve been eligible for arbitration this offseason after earning $1.825MM in 2017. He’s expected to be healthy for Spring Training and could make for an affordable and experienced option for a team seeking left-handed bullpen help.
Rutledge, also 28, logged 118 plate appearances in 2017 — his third year with Boston. He’s seen very limited action with the Sox dating back to 2015, though, hitting just .252/.319/.313 in 259 plate appearances across those three seasons. The versatile Rutledge can handle second base, third base and shortstop, and he even saw 13 innings at first base for the Sox in 2017. He’ll likely land a minor league pact somewhere this offseason and compete for a bench role in Spring Training.
Red Sox Option Kyle Kendrick
The Red Sox have optioned veteran righty Kyle Kendrick back to Triple-A, as Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reports. While optional assignment waivers are no longer required for players, like Kendrick, who are more than three years away from their MLB debut, the club did need to obtain his consent to the assignment as a player with five or more years of service.
Kendrick, 32, has been hit hard in two outings for the Red Sox. Lasting just 8 1/3 innings, the righty has surrendered a dozen earned runs on 18 hits while recording just three strikeouts and issuing three walks. While he showed well in spring camp, that hasn’t carried over to the regular season. Kendrick also carries a 6.00 ERA through four starts at Triple-A.
With a need for relief pitching, the club had little recourse but to make a change. Boston has brought Robbie Ross Jr. back up to take Kendrick’s spot on the active roster. As manager John Farrell explained, an upcoming off-day buys the club some time to make rotation plans.
Given that the Red Sox kept Kendrick on the 40-man roster, rather than designating him for assignment, it seems he’ll remain an option moving forward. But the club could also elect to recall one of the 40-man starters currently working at Pawtucket while it continues to wait for David Price, who is nearing a return to the majors..
Lefties Henry Owens and Brian Johnson have both generated good results thus far, though both are carrying typical peripherals. Right-hander Hector Velazquez is pitching quite well, with just three earned runs on 11 hits over his 22 frames, though he’s not on the 40-man roster. Regardless, Boston will hope that whoever does eventually come up is only needed to keep the seat warm for Price.
Players Avoiding Arbitration: American League
The deadline for players and teams to exchange arbitration figures has come and gone, and there have been dozens of agreements broken throughout the league today. So many, in fact, that I’ve split the list up into a pair of league-specific posts to avoid having 100-something names in this list. You can see all the NL players here, and both of these will be updated as quickly as we’re able.
Many teams use the arbitration exchange as a hard deadline for negotiations on one-year deals — a “file and trial” approach which effectively means that once figures are exchanged, the only option they’ll pursue before a hearing is a multi-year deal. (The Mets and Orioles are both adopting that approach this year, and other teams to use that strategy in the past include Astros, Blue Jays, Braves, Marlins, Rays, White Sox, Pirates, Reds and Nationals.)
The most significant arb agreements of the day have been snapped off into their own posts already. We’ll continue adding the smaller-scale agreements from the American League right here (all projections referenced are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, and all arbitration agreements and filings can be monitored in MLBTR’s 2017 Arbitration Tracker)…
- The Rangers have announced agreement on a deal to avoid arbitration with lefty Jake Diekman. With today’s deadline having passed, the sides did exchange figures — $3.1MM versus $1.9MM — but obviously were already nearing a number. The high-powered southpaw projected at $2.6MM, and will receive $2.55MM, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter).
- The Mariners announced that they’ve avoided arb with all eight of their eligible players, which includes Jean Segura (reported last night), Danny Valencia, Jarrod Dyson, Leonys Martin, Drew Smyly, James Paxton, Evan Scribner, Nick Vincent. Numbers aren’t all in yet, but Valencia took home $5.55MM, per FanRag’s Robert Murray (on Twitter). Martin will earn $4.85MM, per Heyman. They were projected at $5.3MM and $6.3MM, respectively. Meanwhile, Dyson gets $2.8MM, Heyman tweets, which lands just over his $2.5MM projection. Smyly will receive $6.85MM — right at his $6.9MM projection — while Scribner gets $907,500, per MLB.com’s Greg Johns (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Paxton will land at $2.35MM and Vincent will receive $1.325MM, per Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune (via Twitter), both of which fall shy of their respective projections ($2.7MM and $1.5MM).
- Catcher Martin Maldonado will receive $1.725MM from the Angels, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). That’s just over his $1.6MM projection.
- The Tigers announced that they settled with third baseman Nick Castellanos. He projected at $2.8MM, but will receive $3MM, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter).
- Jeremy Jeffress and Jurickson Profar have each avoided arbitration with the Rangers, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegarm (via Twitter). Jeffress receives $2.1MM, while Profar will receive $1.005MM. Also of note, the Jeffress deal includes incentives that can add up to $250K in incentives, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). He’ll get $50K apiece upon reaching 55, 60, 65, and 70 innings. He had projected for a $2.9MM salary, but his legal issues late last year certainly dented his bargaining power.
- The Athletics have avoided arbitration with catcher/DH Stephen Vogt, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports on Twitter. Vogt will receive $2.965MM, falling shy of his $3.7MM projection. Oakland has also reached agreement with starter Sonny Gray for $3.575MM, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter), which is just shy of his $3.7MM projection. Also, reliever Liam Hendriks has agreed to terms, per John Hickey of the Mercury News. He’ll get $1.1MM, per Heyman (via Twitter).
- Righty Adam Warren will get $2.29MM from the Yankees, per Baseball America’s Josh Norris (via Twitter). That’s just a shade under his $2.3MM projection. New York also announced deals with shortstop outfielder Aaron Hicks and lefty Tommy Layne, among other players whose arrangements were previously reported. Layne receives $1.075MM, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (via Twitter).
- The Orioles have avoided arbitration with second baseman Jonathan Schoop, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter links). He’ll receive $3.475MM, just over his projection of $3.4MM.
- Adding to their previously reported deals, the Red Sox have announced agreement with all but two of their arb-eligible players. Salaries were reported by MLB.com’s Ian Browne for the players avoiding arb: shortstop Xander Bogaerts gets $4.5MM ($5.7MM projection), utilityman Brock Holt receives $1.95MM ($1.7MM projection), righty Joe Kelly will earn $2.8MM ($2.6MM projection), catcher Sandy Leon takes home $1.3MM (the same as his projection), lefty Robbie Ross gets $1.825MM (just $25K over his projection), and new righty Tyler Thornburg will earn $2.05MM (just under his $2.2MM projection).
- Two moreplayers have avoided arbitration with the White Sox, per Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago (via Twitter). Among those not previously reported, starter Miguel Gonzalez gets $5.9MM and reliever Zach Putnam receives $1.175MM. That clearly indicates that Gonzalez and the Sox utilized his prior-years’ arb starting points, rather than his much lower earnings with the team last year. Putnam, meanwhile, had projected for $975K.
Earlier Updates