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Tobias Myers

Brewers, Tobias Myers Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Brewers have signed Tobias Myers to a minor league contract, reports Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America. The right-hander had been outrighted and eventually released by the White Sox in September.

Myers is a former 6th-round draftee of the Orioles. He’s never pitched in the major leagues but he’s been a frequent depth target for teams over the past 12 months. Traded from the O’s to the Rays in 2017, he pitched his way up to Triple-A in the Tampa Bay farm system last year. He would’ve been eligible for the Rule 5 draft last winter if not added to the 40-man roster, and the Rays dealt him to the Guardians for infield prospect Junior Caminero. Cleveland immediately added him to the 40-man, but that’s a deal they’d surely like back in retrospect.

The 24-year-old Myers had a dismal 2022 campaign. He was tagged for a 6.00 ERA over 14 starts with the Guardians’ top affiliate, and Cleveland dealt him to the Giants for cash in early July. Caminero, on the other hand, had huge numbers between rookie ball and Low-A and was recently named the #8 prospect in a deep Rays system by Baseball America. Myers would make just two Triple-A appearances with San Francisco before being designated for assignment and lost on waivers to the White Sox. He threw seven times for Chicago’s top affiliate, allowing an eye-popping 24 runs in 13 innings, before being released.

Clearly, it was a season to forget for the Florida native. Myers combined for a 7.82 ERA in 76 Triple-A frames, allowing 15 home runs with nearly as many walks as strikeouts. Still, he’s continued to intrigue a number of teams on the strength of his pre-2022 performance. During his final season in the Tampa Bay system, he combined for a 3.90 ERA across 117 2/3 innings with an excellent 30.5% strikeout percentage and just a 5.8% walk rate.

Milwaukee becomes the next team to take a shot at trying to get Myers back on track. He still has two minor league option years remaining, so if he can earn a 40-man roster spot, the Brewers could move him between Milwaukee and Triple-A Nashville as either rotation or multi-inning relief depth.

White Sox Reinstate Aaron Bummer, Outright Tobias Myers

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The White Sox announced that reliever Aaron Bummer and third baseman Yoán Moncada have been reinstated from the injured list prior to this afternoon’s game against the Mariners. Outfielders Adam Haseley and Mark Payton were optioned to Triple-A Charlotte to create active roster space. Bummer had been on the 60-day injured list, so the Sox needed to clear a 40-man roster spot for him. That’s been achieved by sending righty Tobias Myers — whom the club hadn’t previously announced was designated for assignment — outright to Charlotte after he went unclaimed on waivers.

Bummer is in position to make his first MLB appearance in three months. The left-hander last pitched on June 7, then landed on the IL with a left lat strain a couple days later. Bummer’s absence led the Chicago front office to target southpaw bullpen help in advance of the trade deadline, and they eventually sent catcher Reese McGuire to Boston for Jake Diekman. Bummer will reassume his role as the primary lefty for acting manager Miguel Cairo, as he’d been off to another strong start. Through 17 2/3 innings, he posted a 3.06 ERA with a solid 26.3% strikeout rate and an elite 58.3% ground-ball percentage.

Moncada missed the minimum amount of time after suffering a left hamstring strain during the final few days of August. It was the third IL stint of the year for the switch-hitting infielder, who also landed on the shelf with an oblique injury and a strain of his other hamstring earlier in the year. Those injures have seemingly prevented Moncada from getting into any sort of groove, as he’s slumped to a career-worst .197/.269/.313 line over 324 plate appearances this season.

The Sox added Myers on deadline day, claiming him off waivers from the Giants. The 24-year-old has started five games with Charlotte since then, allowing a staggering 16 runs (15 earned) with 11 walks and eight strikeouts. It’s the continuation of a nightmarish season for Myers, who has worked exclusively at Triple-A between the Guardians, Giants and White Sox organizations. He owns a 7.35 ERA in 71 frames between the three clubs’ top affiliates.

Those struggles have come largely out of nowhere, as Myers posted a slid 3.90 ERA with a huge 30.5% strikeout rate in 117 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2021. That led Cleveland to acquire him from the Rays last November and immediately add him to the 40-man roster to keep him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft, but things have since unexpectedly gone backwards. Myers, who has yet to make his MLB debut, will now have to try to work his way back onto a 40-man roster. He’ll be eligible for minor league free agency at the end of this year if Chicago doesn’t first reselect him onto the 40-man.

Minor MLB Transactions: Deadline Day

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As is the case at every trade deadline, there’s a flurry of activity on deadline day. The most high-profile of the moves are the trades themselves, but the aftermath of that activity often results in a shuffle of minor moves of their own. Plenty of clubs have had to fill or create roster spots depending on the deals they’ve made in the last 24 hours. We’ll round up 40-man roster transactions not previously covered on the MLBTR pages here:

AL East

AL Central

  • Tigers: Reinstated right-hander Matt Manning from 60-day injured list
  • White Sox: Claimed right-hander Tobias Myers off waivers from Giants

AL West

NL East

  • Nationals: Designated left-hander Josh Rogers for assignment; transferred left-hander Evan Lee to 60-day injured list. Selected the contract of first baseman Joey Meneses
  • Marlins: Reinstated right-hander Anthony Bender from 60-day injured list
  • Phillies: Claimed left-hander Andrew Vasquez off waivers from Blue Jays

NL Central

  • Cubs: Claimed right-hander Kervin Castro off waivers from Giants
  • Brewers: Designated right-hander Luke Barker for assignment

NL West

Giants: Lost right-hander Tobias Myers on waivers to White Sox; lost right-hander Kervin Castro on waivers to Cubs

Giants Acquire Dixon Machado From Cubs

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3:15PM: The Giants announced the trade to reporters, including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, with minor league righty Raynel Espinal going the other way. The 30-year-old made his MLB debut last year, logging just two innings for the Red Sox. The Giants signed him to a minor league deal for this year, with Espinal working as a starter in Triple-A. In 19 games, he has thrown 81 1/3 innings with a 5.29 ERA. He has an impressive 27.6% strikeout rate for the year but below-average walk and ground ball rates of 10.3% and 39%.

As expected, Thairo Estrada was placed on the concussion IL to make room for Machado on the active roster, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com was among those to relay. To make room on the 40-man roster, righty Tobias Myers was designated for assignment. Myers began the season with the Guardians but went to the Giants in a trade earlier this month. Between the two clubs, he’s thrown 63 innings in Triple-A this year with a 6.14 ERA.

2:42PM: The Giants have officially acquired Machado, Morosi reports.  ESPN’s Jesse Rogers adds the interesting detail that Machado requested a trade, likely in order to land on a team that could offer him big league playing time.

2:09PM: The Giants are looking to acquire infielder Dixon Machado from the Cubs, as MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (Twitter link) reports that the two sides are in talks.  It isn’t known if this could be part of a larger multi-player swap, or if Machado would be the primary player involved.

It is quite possible it could be a cash-considerations type of minor move, as Machado hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2018.  The Giants are also in particular need of shortstop help, as injuries have drastically thinned out their shortstop depth chart at both the Major and minor league levels.  Brandon Crawford is on the 10-day injured list recovering from a knee injury, while Thairo Estrada was hit in the head by a pitch yesterday and is expected to be placed on the seven-day concussion IL.

After appearing in 172 games with the Tigers from 2015-18, Machado has since played with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in both 2019 and 2022, with two seasons with the KBO League’s Lotte Giants sandwiched in between.  Over those four years, Machado posted some solid averages and developed a knack for getting on base, even if his power was sporadic at best (though he did hit 17 home runs during the homer-happy 2019 Triple-A season).

This year at Triple-A Iowa, Machado has hit .312/.402/.394 with two homers and 10 steals (in 13 chances) over 391 plate appearances.  While Machado has played as a shortstop for the vast majority of his pro career, the 30-year-old has also seen some action at second and third base, making him a good fit for the Giants’ preferred model of versatile players.

Giants Acquire Tobias Myers From Guardians

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The Giants announced they’ve acquired right-hander Tobias Myers from the Guardians in exchange for cash considerations. Cleveland had designated him for assignment last week. Myers has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento, while Anthony DeSclafani was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Myers has still yet to reach the majors, but he’s now been traded three times as a professional. Originally drafted by the Orioles in 2016, he was sent to the Rays at the following year’s trade deadline. Myers spent the next few seasons in the Tampa Bay system but was slated to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft last offseason were he not added to the 40-man roster. The Rays apparently weren’t prepared to do so, but they acquired low level outfield prospect Junior Caminero from the Guardians, who did select his contract.

The addition didn’t pan out as Cleveland had hoped, as Myers struggled badly over his couple months in the organization. He made 14 starts with Triple-A Columbus, allowing six earned runs per nine innings with a meager 14.1% strikeout rate and an elevated 11.6% walk percentage. The Guardians fairly quickly moved on, but the Giants will take a shot at getting him back on track.

Myers had quite strong strikeout and walk numbers during his final season in the Rays’ organization. Between the top two minor league levels in 2021, he struck out more than 30% of opponents against just a 5.8% walk rate. Myers’ fly-ball ways led to some home run issues and a solid but unspectacular 3.90 ERA, but he’s flashed enough upside against high-level hitters to catch the attention of the San Francisco front office. He’s only in his first of three minor league option years and is still 23 years old, so there’s plenty of developmental time if the Giants are willing to keep him on the 40-man roster for the long haul.

As for DeSclafani, his IL transfer was only a matter of time. The right-hander is soon to undergo surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right ankle. He’ll miss the rest of the season.

Guardians Announce Series Of Roster Moves

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The Guardians announced a batch of roster moves prior to today’s doubleheader. Left-hander Kirk McCarty has been recalled as the club’s “27th man” for the twin bill. The club also recalled infielder Gabriel Arias, with outfielder Oscar Gonzalez going on the 10-day injured list as a corresponding move. Furthermore, right-hander James Karinchak was reinstated from the 60-day IL and optioned to Triple-A, with fellow righty Tobias Myers being designated for assignment to open a spot for Karinchak on the 40-man roster.

The Guardians haven’t yet announced an injury designation for Gonzalez, but he was reportedly dealing with some abdominal tightness recently. This IL placement will put a pause on his nice breakout campaign, as the rookie has hit .285/.315/.431 through his first 32 big league games. Despite a 3.8% walk rate that’s less than half the league average, he’s hit enough to produce a 112 wRC+, indicating he’s been 12% better than the league average hitter overall. With him out of action, Richie Palacios could potentially be line for more regular playing time next to Steven Kwan and Myles Straw in the Cleveland outfield. Manager Terry Francona tells Mandy Bell of MLB.com that an MRI on Gonzalez revealed some swelling near his ribs that will shut him down for about a week.

Myers, 23, was first added to the club’s 40-man roster in November as part of a huge shuffle. At the deadline to add players prior to the Rule 5 draft, which ended up not happening, the Guardians designated seven players for assignment in order to add ten prospects to the squad. In addition to all of that, they acquired Myers from the Rays and added him to the roster as well. Originally drafted by the Orioles, he was traded to the Rays for Tim Beckham in 2017. Since then, he climbed the ladder in Tampa’s system, pitching in Double-A and Triple-A in 2021. He made 22 starts last year with a 3.90 ERA, 30.5% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. That surely enticed Cleveland to bring him aboard as rotation depth, though he hasn’t been able to maintain those results this year. In 14 Triple-A starts, he has an ERA of 6.00, along with a 14.1% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate. Based on those diminished results, he has lost his roster spot and has now entered DFA limbo. The club will have one week to trade him or place him on waivers. Despite his poor season thus far, teams may be willing to take a chance on him on the hope he can rebound into his previous form.

As for Karinchak, 26, he seemed to emerge as an elite bullpen weapon in the shortened 2020 season. He threw 27 innings that year with a 2.67 ERA and an absurd 48.6% strikeout rate, though a concerning 14.7% walk rate as well. In 2021, he came back down to earth with a 4.07 ERA over 55 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate fell to 33.2%, still very good, but was also still issuing free passes at a 13.6% rate. He has yet to pitch in the majors this year as he began the season on the IL due to a teres major strain. He’s been rehabbing for the past month, throwing 11 Triple-A innings with a 5.73 ERA. He’s still getting Ks 32.1% of the time but also giving a free trip to first base to 20.8% of batters faced. There’s surely some rust to deal with after a long injury layoff, which he will try to shake off by staying in Columbus.

Guardians Designate Seven Players For Assignment

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The Guardians announced Friday that they’ve designated outfielders Daniel Johnson and Harold Ramirez; righties Justin Garza and J.C. Mejia; and lefties Kyle Nelson, Alex Young and Scott Moss for assignment.

Cleveland also added a whopping 10 players to the 40-man roster, headlined by top prospects Tyler Freeman and George Valera. Also added to the 40-man roster are Brayan Rocchio, Richie Palacios, Steven Kwan, Jose Tena, Cody Morris, Bryan Lavastida, Konnor Pilkington and Jhonkensy Noel.

Finally, the Guardians have also acquired right-hander Tobias Myers from the Rays in exchange for minor league infielder Junior Caminero, tweets FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen. Myers will also be added to the 40-man roster.

Johnson and Ramirez have been part of a revolving door in an uncertain Cleveland outfield in recent seasons. Neither has hit well enough to lock down a permanent roster spot, although Ramirez did start more than half the team’s games in 2021. Ramirez would have the right to elect minor league free agency if he clears waivers.

Mejia logged significant action as a depth starter this year but struggled. Garza, Nelson and Young saw some bullpen work, while Moss has yet to make it to the major leagues.

The massive turnover highlights the high minors depth Cleveland has stockpiled in recent seasons. The selection of ten prospects is highly atypical, but it’s a testament to the Guardians’ scouting and development staffs that they’ve managed to accumulate so much talent they’re afraid other teams might jump on. That’s particularly true on the position player side, with much of this group being hitters with advanced bat-to-ball skills who could factor onto the big league roster in relatively short order.

Freeman, Valera and Rocchio might be the most notable. All three appeared on FanGraphs’ Top 100 list entering the 2021 season. They’ve all topped out at Double-A Akron, where each posted above-average offensive performances despite being 22 years old or younger. Valera plays center field, while Freeman and Rocchio are middle infielders. Palacios is another infielder with great high minors numbers, while Lavastida is regarded as one of the better catching prospects in the minors.

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