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Ryan Dull

Mariners Release Taylor Guerrieri, David Huff, Ryan Dull

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The Mariners have released former big leaguers Taylor Guerrieri, David Huff and Ryan Dull from the organization, tweets Triple-A Tacoma broadcaster Mike Curto. All three had been pitching out of the bullpen in Tacoma (although Huff initially worked out of the Rainers’ rotation upon signing).

Guerrieri, 28, had worked to a 4.61 ERA with a 22.6 percent strikeout rate against a 9.7 percent walk rate through 27 1/3 innings since joining the Mariners on a minor league deal. On the one hand, he’d scaled back his ERA considerably after a rocky start, holding opponents to just four runs in his past 14 1/3 innings. On the other hand, the strong strikeout and walk rates he posted early in Tacoma had swung the other direction; he’d punched out 12 hitters against nine walks and two hit batters in that stretch of 14 1/3 frames.

A former first-round pick of the Rays and longtime top pitching prospect, Guerrieri has faced multiple arm injuries over the course of a decade-long professional career — most notably Tommy John surgery that wiped out the majority of his 2013-14 seasons. He does have 36 MLB frames under his belt, split between the Blue Jays and Rangers, but he’s struggled to a 5.50 ERA with a 27-to-22 K/BB ratio in that time.

The 36-year-old Huff had some strong outings but lacked consistency, logging a 5.25 ERA in 48 innings with Tacoma. He’s never been a big strikeout arm, and that was the case in 2021 as well, punching out just 16.5 percent of his opponents, albeit against an excellent 4.5 percent walk rate.

Huff hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2016 but does have 393 1/3 MLB frames under his belt. The best of that work came from 2011-14, when he posted a 4.03 ERA in 174 innings split among three clubs (Indians, Yankees, Giants). Huff struggled in a short stint with the 2016 Halos but went on to carve out a nice career overseas, spending two years in the Korea Baseball Organization and another two in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. He returned to the U.S. and spent the 2020 season pitching independent ball.

Dull, 31, was a standout reliever with the A’s back in 2016 but has never managed to replicate anything close to the 2.42 ERA he logged through 74 1/3 innings that year. He’s posted a 6.08 mark in 80 MLB innings since that time and had been scuffling again in Triple-A this year, as evidenced by a 6.06 ERA in 35 2/3 innings. Dull started his time in Tacoma with five shutout innings and a 6-to-1 K/BB ratio, but he’s since been tagged for 26 runs (24 earned) in 30 2/3 innings.

Mariners, Ryan Dull Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran reliever Ryan Dull, tweets FanSided’s Robert Murray. He’ll presumably head to their Triple-A affiliate to join their bullpen.

Dull, 31, debuted with the A’s back in 2015 and had a huge 2016 season, delivering 74 1/3 innings of 2.42 ERA ball (3.33 SIERA) with what was then a well-above-average 25.2 percent strikeout rate and an excellent 5.2 percent walk rate. He’s never replicated that success, but Dull managed solid K/BB numbers and respectable fielding-independent marks in 2017-18.

A 2019 season split between the A’s, Yankees and Blue Jays, however, was an utter disaster for the righty. Dull tallied just 12 2/3 innings in the Majors that year and was slammed for 19 runs (18 earned) on 25 hits (including five homers) and seven walks with 15 strikeouts.

Dull hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since that time. He’d signed back with the Jays on a minor league deal last winter but wasn’t part of their 60-man player pool when play resumed last summer. Dull inked a deal with the Winnipeg Goldeneyes of the independent American Association back in January, but he’ll now return to affiliated ball just a couple of weeks before the American Association was set to commence its season.

Mariners relievers have been excellent this season, pitching to a collective 2.55 ERA that ranks third in the Majors, while their 3.62 FIP is good for sixth-best among MLB clubs. There won’t be an immediate spot for Dull, but he’ll give the club an experienced depth option as the organization looks to manage workloads on a generally young pitching staff after last year’s shortened schedule.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/20/2021

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Let’s check in on the latest minor moves from around the game …

  • The Red Sox have a deal of the minor-league variety with right-hander Zac Grotz, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter). Grotz receives an invitation to MLB Spring Training in the agreement. He’ll be looking to reach the majors for the third-straight year after reaching the professional ranks as a 28th-round pick. The former Mariner has surrendered twenty earned runs with a 22:19 K/BB ratio through 24 2/3 MLB innings.
  • The Winnipeg Goldeyes of the indy ball American Association have announced the addition of a pair of former big league hurlers. 31-year-old Ryan Dull will seek to earn his way back into the affiliated ranks after a series of tough campaigns. He excelled for the Athletics in 2016 but has struggled with injuries and performance lapses since. Also coming aboard is righty Josh Lucas, who has thrown 37 1/3 innings of 5.54 ERA ball at the game’s highest level (including a brief stint alongside Dull with the Athletics in 2018). Additionally, former Phillies farmhand Kyle Martin will be back to reprise his role as a top slugger for the Goldeyes.

Blue Jays Sign Ryan Dull To Minor League Deal

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The Blue Jays are have signed free-agent right-hander Ryan Dull to a minor league contract, according to Robert Murray. The deal comes with an invite to Major League camp.

The 30-year-old Dull split his 2019 season between four organizations, starting the season with the A’s and later being claimed off waivers by the Giants, Yankees, and Blue Jays, with whom he finished the season. He elected free agency after Toronto designated him for assignment in late October, but will now return to the organization with a chance to make the big league roster out of Spring Training.

The last couple of years have not treated Dull well, after he made a name for himself with a stellar 2016 season for the Athletics. He only managed 12 2/3 Major League innings last year while being yanked across the country, and struggled when he did get into games, surrendering 18 earned runs.

He’ll join a Blue Jays bullpen that looks relatively thin at this juncture. He should slot in behind the trio of Ken Giles, Anthony Bass, and new addition Shun Yamaguchi (though the latter could also have a shot at the starting rotation). That puts him on roughly the same footing as a group of inexperienced hurlers that includes Thomas Pannone, Trent Thornton, and Jordan Romano, among others. Dull should have a decent shot at breaking camp with the Major League team, and otherwise looks like a good bet to get a shot at some point this year.

Blue Jays Outright Brock Stewart, Buddy Boshers

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The Blue Jays have outrighted relief pitchers Brock Stewart and Buddy Boshers, per the International League transactions page. Fellow reliever Ryan Dull was also outrighted; he had been designated for assignment recently.

Stewart, 28, had spent his entire career with the Dodgers until he moved via waiver claim at the trade deadline. Utilized in a multi-inning capacity in Toronto, Stewart was tuned up for twenty earned runs (and nine homers) in 21 2/3 frames over ten appearances.

The 31-year-old Boshers took part in his fourth MLB campaign, with quite a different usage pattern. He threw twenty innings in 28 appearances, sporting a 26:10 K/BB ratio and 4.05 ERA but allowing a .257/.366/.486 batting line to opposing left-handed hitters.

As for what’s next, all three hurlers will be looking to bounce back and open a new opportunity at the game’s highest level. But where that’ll take place remains to be seen. Dull likely accrued just enough service time this year to pass three full seasons of MLB time, which would give him the right to reject the assignment, though that has not yet been officially tabulated. Boshers has the right to take to the open market since he has previously been outrighted. Stewart is in a different situation, as he cannot reject the assignment upon either of the above grounds. Neither will he qualify as a minor-league free agent. It seems, then, that he will remain in the Toronto organization unless the club decides to cut him loose.

Blue Jays Claim Anthony Bass, Designate Ryan Dull

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The Blue Jays announced Tuesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Anthony Bass off waivers from the Mariners. In a corresponding roster move, Toronto designated fellow right-hander Ryan Dull for assignment.

Swapping out Dull for Bass on the 40-man roster is an upgrade for the Blue Jays, who pick up a 31-year-old veteran fresh off a 3.56 ERA through 48 innings of relief with this move. Bass has been inconsistent at the MLB level but has been sharp across the past two seasons with the Cubs and Mariners and is the owner of a career 4.38 ERA in 347 1/3 MLB innings. This past season marked his largest workload in the Majors since a 2015 run with Texas. In addition to his solid ERA, Bass averaged 8.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 0.94 HR/9 to go along with a quality 51.6 percent ground-ball rate. His 11.1 percent swinging-strike rate was the second-best of his career, and his 31.1 percent opponents’ chase rate on out-of-zone pitches was a career-high.

Dull, who turned 30 earlier this month, has bounced all over the league (and the continent, for that matter) since the beginning of August. He’d spent his entire eight-year career in the Athletics organization until being designated for assignment on Aug. 3. Since then, he’s bounced to the Giants, to the Yankees and to the Blue Jays via a series of waiver claims. Toronto actually passed him through waivers unclaimed in September but quickly selected his contract again when needing some ’pen depth late in September. Players who have more than three years of service or have been previously outrighted can elect free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment; Dull meets both criteria and will surely elect free agency if another club doesn’t claim him.

Dull was one of Oakland’s best relievers back in 2016 but has battled injuries over the ensuing three years and wasn’t particularly effective in 2019. He surrendered 18 runs in just 12 2/3 Major League innings this season and was also tagged for an ERA north of 5.00 in Triple-A. That said, he entered the 2019 campaign with a career 3.63 ERA and 155-to-44 K/BB ratio in 158 2/3 MLB innings and only just turned 30, so a return to form isn’t out of the question. He’ll just likely need to prove himself to a new club in the form of a minor league pact (again — if he clears waivers).

Blue Jays Select Ryan Dull

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The Blue Jays have selected the contract of right-hander Ryan Dull and recalled right-hander Yennsy Diaz for the final few games of the season, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Dull and Diaz will give the Blue Jays some extra arms to serve as reinforcements for a bullpen that has thrown 27 innings across the past three games thanks to a 15-inning marathon Monday and a series of openers being utilized. In order to make room for Dull on the 40-man roster, the Jays put Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on the 60-day injured list. Gurriel underwent an appendectomy this week and wasn’t expected to return before Sunday’s season finale.

This marks the latest roster move for Dull in a roller coaster couple of months. The veteran righty has bounced from Oakland to San Francisco to New York to Toronto on waivers since the beginning of August and finally cleared waivers within the past week after he was designated by the Jays. Dull didn’t appear in the big leagues with Toronto before being designated for assignment and sent outright off the 40-man roster. He’ll now have a chance to suit up as a Blue Jay and log a few extra days of big league service to close out the year, though he’ll quite likely be removed from the 40-man roster once again when the season concludes.

Blue Jays Claim Breyvic Valera, Designate Ryan Dull

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The Blue Jays announced that they’ve claimed infielder Breyvic Valera off waivers from the Yankees and, to create room on the 40-man roster, designated right-hander Ryan Dull for assignment. Toronto claimed Dull himself off waivers from the Yankees just two days ago. He’d yet to pitch in a game for the Jays.

The Yankees claimed Valera, 27, off waivers from the Giants back in May. He appeared in a dozen games for New York and hit .219/.324/.313 in a small sample of 37 plate appearances. The well-traveled Valera has appeared with four different big league teams in the past three seasons, having also spent time with the Orioles, Dodgers and Cardinals in addition to his minor league time with the Giants organization. He was one of the five players the Dodgers sent to Baltimore in last summer’s Manny Machado blockbuster, though it was clear even at the time that Valera wasn’t considered a vital piece for that trade, in which outfield prospect Yusniel Diaz was the headliner.

Dull, 29, has bounced from the A’s, to the Giants, to the Yankees and the Blue Jays via waivers in the past six weeks alone. The righty hasn’t had success in the Majors or in Triple-A this season, but he’s only a few seasons removed from looking like a quality bullpen piece in Oakland. While Dull has been tagged for 17 earned runs through just 11 1/3 innings in the big leagues this year and also has a 5.29 ERA across three Triple-A affiliates, he was one of Oakland’s best relievers back in 2016. That year, he tossed 74 1/3 innings of 2.42 ERA ball with nearly a strikeout per frame and just 1.8 BB/9. He’s since been hampered by shoulder and knee problems, but Dull has some MLB success and a minor league option remaining, so he could still land elsewhere via yet another waiver claim. If not, he’ll be able to elect free agency at season’s end.

Blue Jays Claim Ryan Dull

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The Blue Jays have claimed right-handed reliever Ryan Dull off waivers from the Yankees, per announcements from both teams. Lefty Tim Mayza, who suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament over the weekend, was transferred to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding roster move.

Dull, 29, has bounced from the A’s, to the Giants, to the Yankees and now to the Blue Jays via waivers in the past six weeks alone. The righty hasn’t had success in the Majors or in Triple-A this season, but he’s only a few seasons removed from looking like a quality bullpen piece in Oakland. While Dull has been tagged for 17 earned runs through just 11 1/3 innings in the big leagues this year and also has a 5.29 ERA across three Triple-A affiliates, he was one of Oakland’s best relievers back in 2016. That year, he tossed 74 1/3 innings of 2.42 ERA ball with nearly a strikeout per frame and just 1.8 BB/9.

Injuries have hit Dull rather hard since that breakout campaign. A knee injury limited him to a total of 45 2/3 innings in 2017, and shoulder trouble hindered him in 2018. Multiple clubs have been willing to dedicate a roster spot to taking a shot at getting Dull back into form, though, and the Jays will now try their hand. Dull does have a minor league option remaining beyond the current season, so the Jays could certainly carry that experiment over to the 2020 campaign if they’re willing to carry Dull on the roster all winter. He’ll be arbitration-eligible this offseason but played the 2019 season on just an $860K salary, so his price tag wouldn’t be prohibitive.

Yankees Designate Ryan Dull; Activate Betances, Montgomery

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The Yankees announced they have designated right-handed reliever Ryan Dull for assignment. That, coupled with the transfer of Jonathan Holder to the 60-day injured list, clears roster space for the previously-reported activations of Dellin Betances and Jordan Mongtomery from the IL.

Betances is the most notable name in today’s series of transactions. The fireballer has missed the entire season to date with a shoulder injury. Notably, he tells Erik Boland of Newsday (via Twitter) that he’s still not up to full strength, although he expressed optimism he’ll be 100% by the end of the regular season. Betances’ progress will be one of the stretch run’s biggest health situations to monitor, as the hulking righty will be elligible for free agency at season’s end, which both player and team surely hope won’t come until after a lengthy postseason run for the soon-to-be AL East champs.

It has been an even longer absence for Montgomery, who hasn’t toed an MLB mound since undergoing Tommy John surgery last June. As a rookie in 2017, Montgomery started 29 games and pitched to a better-than-average 3.88 ERA with solid peripherals. It’ll be interesting to see how the Bombers build him up down the stretch and what role, if any, he’ll play in the postseason.

Those returns to health come at the expense of Dull, a 29 year-old righty. He was blasted in three games as a Yankee, continuing a disappointing season. Dull has never followed up on a 2016 season in which he pitched to a 2.42 ERA in 74.1 innings in Oakland. He does come with one more option year and throws the same 91 MPH fastball he had in his breakthrough effort in the Bay Area, so Dull should still hold some appeal as a depth piece this offseason.

Holder was initially shelved in August with right shoulder inflammation. A longshot to make the Yankees’ postseason roster even when healthy, this almost certainly concludes a trying season for the 26 year-old, who pitched to a 6.31 ERA despite serviceable strikeout (25.4%) and walk (6.1%) rates.

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