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Players Recently Electing Free Agency

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With the regular season over, a series of players are closing in on free agency. The highest-profile will be available as major league free agents, those with six-plus years of MLB service time not under contract with a team. But there will be dozens of players in the coming weeks who qualify for minor league free agency and more quietly reach the open market as well.

Players can qualify for minor league free agency in a few ways. The most notable of these include: players with 3+ years of MLB service time who have been outrighted off their teams’ 40-man rosters this season, players who have been outrighted off a 40-man roster multiple times in their careers, and unsigned players not on a 40-man roster who have spent parts of at least seven seasons on a minor league roster or injured list.

Many of these players won’t officially reach free agency until the start of the offseason, but some were let go by their teams a few weeks early once the regular season concluded. Each of the following players has elected minor league free agency within the past week, according to the MLB.com and Triple-A transactions trackers:

Indians Outright Ryan Lavarnway

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Sept. 17: Lavarnway cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Columbus, per the transactions log at MiLB.com.

Sept. 14: The Indians have designated catcher Ryan Lavarnway for assignment and reinstated fellow backstop Roberto Perez from the injured list, per a club announcement. They’ve also added righty J.C. Mejia as their 29th man for today’s doubleheader against the Twins.

The veteran Lavarnway, 34, appeared in nine games with Cleveland and went 7-for-28 with a pair of walks in 30 plate appearances. Once a fairly well-regarded prospect in the Red Sox system, Lavarnway has settled in as the consummate journeyman backup catcher. He’s spent time in the Majors in 10 of the past 11 seasons — 2016 being the exception — but has never topped 46 games or 167 plate appearances. In 486 trips to the plate at the MLB level, Lavarnway has batted .217/.272/.345.

The Indians were Lavarnway’s eight Major League team and his seventh in the past seven years. He’s had a strong season with Cleveland’s top minor league affiliate in Columbus, batting .278/.339/.583 in 166 plate appearances. He’s a career .272/.362/.438 hitter in parts of 10 Triple-A seasons. Lavarnway will now either be placed on outright waivers or release waivers.

Indians Activate Aaron Civale From Injured List

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The Indians announced they’ve reinstated right-hander Aaron Civale from the 60-day injured list. He’ll get the start for this evening’s game against the Twins, his first big league action since he sprained the middle finger on his right hand during his outing on June 21.

Before the injury, Civale had been one of the more productive pitchers in baseball. He logged 97 2/3 innings (at the time, an MLB-leading figure) of 3.32 ERA ball, offsetting a pedestrian 19.8% strikeout rate with a tiny 6% walk percentage and a solid 45.3% ground-ball rate. Civale’s performance was among the reasons the Indians stuck in playoff contention for the season’s first half, although the White Sox have long since pulled away from the pack in the American League Central.

While Cleveland’s hopes of competing this season are all but officially dashed, getting Civale some turns through the rotation over the final few weeks should be a nice boost. He’s assured a spot in next year’s season-opening rotation, but Civale picking up another 20-30 innings could assuage any concerns the club has about his ability to log a full season’s workload in 2022. The 26-year-old reached five innings during his most recent rehab start, so he should be able to get into the middle frames in his big league return tonight.

To create space on the 40-man roster to accommodate Civale’s return, Cleveland designated catcher Gianpaul Gonzalez for assignment. The Indians had selected the minor league veteran straight from High-A to serve as additional depth behind the plate after Wilson Ramos suffered a season-ending knee injury.

At the time, Cleveland’s Triple-A backstops were unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols, so Gonzalez got his first major league call. The 25-year-old didn’t get into a game, though, and he was optioned once Triple-A catcher Ryan Lavarnway was cleared to return. The Indians selected Lavarnway to the big league club last Friday to pair with Austin Hedges, and Gonzalez now loses his 40-man roster spot with Civale returning.

Cleveland also activated infielder Ernie Clement from the COVID-19 injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Columbus. Ramos was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list to accommodate Clement’s reinstatement, according to Mandy Bell of MLB.com (Twitter link).

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/29/21

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Some minor moves from around the game…

  • The Twins have signed lefty reliever Sean Gilmartin to a minor league contract, per his MLB.com transactions log. He had been pitching for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Gilmartin has seen big league action in each of the past six seasons, although he’s only made three appearances over the past two years combined. Gilmartin had a strong rookie campaign with the Mets, pitching to a 2.67 ERA/3.44 SIERA over 57 1/3 innings in 2015. He’s never managed to follow up on that success, though. In 54 2/3 frames since the start of 2016, the 31-year-old has a 6.09 ERA/6.71 FIP.
  • Catcher Ryan Lavarnway went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Columbus, per the Indians’ transactions log at MLB.com. Lavarnway has bounced all over the league for the past decade, logging big league time with eight different teams (primarily the Red Sox). He’s a career .216/.274/.344 hitter in 468 MLB plate appearances and a .271/.361/.432 hitter in parts of 10 different Triple-A seasons. Lavarnway has previously been outrighted (and also has the requisite three-plus years of service), so he can reject this assignment in favor of free agency if he chooses.

Indians Make Four Roster Moves

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The Indians announced a quartet of roster moves today, including the news that right-hander Aaron Civale has been placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to June 22) with a sprained middle finger on his throwing hand.  Also, catcher Ryan Lavarnway has been designated for assignment.  The two open roster spots will be taken by catcher Austin Hedges and right-hander Justin Garza — Hedges has been activated off the concussion-related injury list, while Garza’s contract was selected from Triple-A.

Civale is expected to be out of action for 4-to-5 weeks, in the latest blow to Cleveland’s injury-plagued rotation.  With Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac, and now Civale on the IL, the Tribe are missing their top three starters, leaving a makeshift starting five of very inexperienced pitchers tasked with keeping the team afloat in the AL Central race.

With several pitchers moving from the bullpen to fill these holes in the rotation, Garza gets the opportunity to make his MLB debut.  An eighth-round pick for the Tribe in the 2015 draft, Garza isn’t ranked by Baseball America or MLB Pipeline as a top-30 prospect in Cleveland’s farm system, but the righty has an 0.42 ERA over 21 1/3 combined innings at Double-A and Triple-A this season.  This is Garza’s first season working exclusively as a reliever, and the result is an uptick in his strikeout rate (to an impressive 35.36%), though also a 15% walk rate.

Lavarnway signed a minor league deal with the Indians this past offseason, and his contract was selected from Triple-A last week when Hedges was placed on the concussion-IL.  Lavarnway played in four games, officially putting him in the books as appearing (if sparingly) in ten different Major League seasons.  The journeyman backstop has appeared in just 160 games total over those 10 seasons, suiting up for eight different teams at the big league level.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/20/21

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Let’s round up some minor moves from around the game…

Latest Transactions

  • The Cubs have outrighted infielder Sergio Alcantara to Triple-A, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports (Twitter link).  Alcantara was designated for assignment earlier this week, and has been invited to the Cubs’ Major League spring camp.  Alcantara only joined the Cubs earlier this month via a waiver claim from the Tigers, as the 24-year-old looks to compete for a roster spot after making his big league debut (10 games, 23 plate appearances) in 2020.  Over 2611 career minor league PA, Alcantara has hit .256/.340/.318.
  • The Rangers announced that right-hander Jimmy Herget has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, though Herget will still be invited to the big league Spring Training camp.  Herget was designated for assignment earlier this week.  Selected off waivers from the Reds last winter, Herget posted a 3.20 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 19 2/3 innings for Texas last season, but control was a major issue, as he also walked 14 batters.

Earlier Today

  • The Indians announced the signing of Ryan Lavarnway to a minor league deal. The 33-year-old catcher has received an invite to spring training. The former Red Sox farmhand appeared in five games with the Marlins in 2020, collecting four singles in 11 plate appearances. He has generally served as catching depth with occasional stints at the big league level, though he hasn’t seen more than a few games worth of action since 2015. Since debuting with Boston in 2011, Lavarnway has gone on to log Major League playing time with the Orioles, Braves, A’s, Pirates, Reds, and Marlins. For his career, he owns a triple slash line of .215/.272/.344 in 456 plate appearances over nine seasons, with a 6.8 percent walk rate and 24.1 percent strikeout rate.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/25/20

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Checking in on the latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Phillies announced that they’ve outrighted reliever Deolis Guerra. The 31-year-old righty had been in limbo since the Phillies designated him for assignment last Saturday. Guerra threw 7 1/3 innings and allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 10 hits, two walks and eight strikeouts from Philly’s bullpen this season before the club booted him from its roster. In all, Guerra has combined for 103 major league frames with a few teams and put up a 4.81 ERA/4.78 FIP with 7.25 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9.

Earlier:

  • The Giants have added first baseman/outfielder Chris Shaw to their 60-man player pool, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. Shaw was a 2015 first-round pick (No. 31) who spent the subsequent few seasons as one of the Giants’ top prospects, but the 26-year-old hasn’t made a mark in the big leagues yet. Across 82 plate appearances at the game’s highest level, Shaw has batted .153/.244/.222 with one home run. But Shaw did enjoy a productive 2019 between Double-A and Triple-A, where he combined for a .294/.360/.559 line and 28 homers in 492 trips to the plate.
  • The Marlins have outrighted catcher Ryan Lavarnway to their alternate site, per a team announcement. Lavarnway got off to a 4-for-11 start at the plate this year, but the Marlins designated him for assignment last week to make room for the return of starting backstop Jorge Alfaro from the injured list. The 33-year-old Lavarnway has now seen regular-season action with seven teams since his career began in 2011.
  • The Brewers announced that left-hander Aaron Ashby is now part of their player pool. Ashby, a 2018 fourth-rounder, posted a 3.50 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 126 innings between Single-A and High-A last season. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranks Ashby as the fifth-best prospect in Milwaukee’s system, writing that the 22-year-old has “nasty” stuff that could work out of the team’s rotation or bullpen down the line.
  • The Rays have outrighted southpaw Sean Gilmartin, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. This is the second time this year the Rays have outrighted Gilmartin, who will head back to their alternate site. He has thrown 4 1/3 innings of four-earned run ball this season with seven hits and four walks (five strikeouts).

Marlins Activate Jorge Alfaro, Designate Ryan Lavarnway For Assignment

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The Marlins made a series of roster moves Friday, announcing that catcher Jorge Alfaro and lefty Richard Bleier have been reinstated from the injured list. Fellow catcher Ryan Lavarnway was designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Alfaro. Miami also confirmed its previously reported promotion of top outfield prospect Jesus Sanchez, optioned fellow outfield prospect Monte Harrison to the alternate training site and placed infielder Eddy Alvarez on the paternity list.

Alfaro, 27, is being activated for his first action of the 2020 campaign after spending the entire season to date on the injured list. He’ll take over primary catching duties from veteran Francisco Cervelli. Acquired as one of the main pieces in the blockbuster deal that sent J.T. Realmuto to Philadelphia, Alfaro hit .262/.312/.425 with a career-best 18 home runs in his first season with the Fish last year. He’s controlled through the 2023 season.

The well-traveled Lavarnway was 4-for-11 in his limited time with the Marlins, but his stay on the active roster always figured to be limited. Such is the life for the journeyman 33-year-old, who has appeared in the Majors in nine separate seasons for seven teams but never tallied more than 46 games or 166 plate appearances. Lavarnway is a career .215/.272/.344 hitter in 456 Major League plate appearances and a .272/.364/.426 batter in parts of nine Triple-A campaigns. The Marlins have a week to trade him, release him or run him through waivers.

Marlins Announce Numerous Roster Moves

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As they prepare to resume play, the Marlins have announced a flurry of additions to the active roster (as covered on Twitter by reporters including Jordan MacPherson of the Miami Herald). Just who’ll move to the COVID-19 injured list remains to be seen.

Most of these players were picked up in the last week or so as the organization’s coronavirus outbreak unfolded. The Fish will select the contracts of righties Nick Vincent and Josh A. Smith, infielders Logan Forsythe and Eddy Alvarez, and catcher Ryan Lavarnway.

Also coming up are a host of other fill-ins that had already gone onto the 40-man roster. Outfielders Matt Joyce and Lewis Brinson are coming off of the injured list. Righties Justin Shafer, James Hoyt, and Mike Morin will join lefties Josh D. Smith, Richard Bleier, and Brian Moran in the bullpen.

Most notably, perhaps, are the additions of youngsters Jordan Yamamoto, Monte Harrison, and Jorge Guzman. Yamamoto had 15 solid starts in 2019 and will be looking to lock down a job for the foreseeable future. As for Harrison, a former top-100 prospect, it’ll be his first taste of the bigs. Guzman is a live-armed young hurler who’ll get his first look.

In other news from Miami, both president Derek Jeter and manager Don Mattingly pushed back on the prevailing narrative surrounding the team’s coronavirus issues. While the leaders acknowledged that some players may have let their guard down, they rejected any rumors that players had recklessly engaged in risky activities away from the ballpark.

Jeter also rejected the notion that the Marlins’ players had made their own decision to take the field against the Phillies after several players tested positive. He says the organization simply played a scheduled game and noted that the league and opposing team had full knowledge of the testing results.

Marlins Sign Ryan Lavarnway, Josh A. Smith

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The Marlins announced a series of nine minor league signings on Wednesday, each of which contains an invitation to Major League Spring Training. In addition to confirming their previously reported signing of former All-Star Matt Kemp (more on that here), the Miami organization will bring two former big leaguers to camp: catcher Ryan Lavarnway and right-hander Josh A. Smith. Rounding out the list of non-roster invitees are catchers Brian Navarreto, Santiago Chavez and BJ Lopez; infielders Gosuke Katoh and Christian Lopes; and right-hander Aaron Northcraft.

Lavarnway, 32, has appeared in the Majors in eight of the past nine seasons — 2016 being the lone exception — but never tallied more than 166 plate appearances in a single MLB campaign. He’s a career .211/.270/.343 hitter in 445 trips to the plate at the big league level, and he owns a lifetime .272/.364/.426 batting line in 2055 Triple-A plate appearances spread across nine seasons. Lavarnway boasts a 31 percent caught-stealing rate in Triple-A but has struggled more in the Majors (20 percent).

Lavarnway has typically hovered around average in terms of pitch-framing in the upper minors (with the 2018 season being a notable outlier that saw him rate rather poorly). Miami has Jorge Alfaro and Chad Wallach on the 40-man roster but was thin at catcher beyond that, so the quartet of Lavarnway, Navarreto, Chavez and Lopez will add an influx of depth at the position.

Smith, also 32, pitched in 31 innings for the Red Sox in 2019 and has compiled 158 1/3 frames in the Majors between the Reds, A’s and Red Sox dating back to 2015. He has a career 5.40 ERA and a near-identical 5.37 FIP with averages of 7.5 K/9, 4.0 BB/9 and 1.65 HR/9 to go along with a 40.6 percent ground-ball rate.

The overall profile on Smith isn’t particularly appealing at first glance, but his curveball may have caught the attention of the Marlins. Smith ramped up the usage of his hook to a career-high 23.1 percent in 2019 and logged a career-high 12.1 percent overall swinging-strike rate (15.3 percent on the curve). Statcast pegged the spin rate on Smith’s curve in the 95th percentile among MLB hurlers, so perhaps the Marlins will look to more aggressively utilize that offering in hopes of coaxing better results out of the journeyman 32-year-old.

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