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Rangers Option Nick Solak, Release Matt Carpenter

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The Rangers announced this afternoon that catcher Mitch Garver is returning from the 10-day injured list. To open space on the active roster, corner outfielder Nick Solak has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock. Texas also announced that veteran infielder Matt Carpenter has been released from his minor league contract, making him a free agent.

Garver returns after a minimal IL stint because of a muscle strain in his forearm. Texas acquired the power-hitting backstop in a key offseason deal with the Twins, and he’s thus far appeared in 22 games with his new team. Garver is off to a relatively slow start, hitting .205/.292/.346 with a trio of homers in 89 trips to the plate. Backup catcher Jonah Heim has been excellent all season, though, and he and Garver figure to share a fair bit of time behind the dish and at designated hitter.

Solak is a former second-round pick and highly-regarded prospect. Texas acquired him from the Rays in July 2019 for reliever Pete Fairbanks, hoping they’d landed their long-term second baseman. The right-handed hitter had put up excellent numbers in the Yankees and Rays farm systems before the deal, which continued down the stretch at Texas’ top affiliate. Solak made his MLB debut late that season and hit .293/.393/.491 through his first 33 games, a continuation of the offensive upside he’d shown in the minors.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t managed to build off that early success. Solak didn’t hit for much power during the shortened 2020 season, and he stumbled to a .242/.314/.362 line over a personal-high 511 plate appearances last year. He also rated poorly defensively at the keystone, echoing concerns about his glovework that have persisted since his days as a prospect. After Texas signed a new double-play tandem of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, they bumped Solak off the dirt entirely. He’s played exclusively left field and designated hitter to this point in 2022.

Falling further down the defensive spectrum only raises the pressure on the 27-year-old to hit. He got off to a strong start this year, primarily on the short side of a platoon. He hasn’t performed in May, however, and Texas will now send him back to the minors for more regular run. Through his first 75 plate appearances (more than half of which have come against left-handed pitching), Solak owns a .209/.293/.313 line.

Depending on how long he’s in the minors, the optional assignment could have an impact on Solak’s service trajectory. He’s on pace to hit free agency after the 2025 season, having entered the season with two years and 28 days of service time. Spending more than a month in the minors would jeopardize his ability to reach the three-year threshold after this season, although Solak will eventually need to perform better for the Rangers to tender him contracts throughout his arbitration years anyhow. With a .253/.327/.372 career line and currently squeezed off the active roster, Solak may find himself as a change-of-scenery candidate over the next couple months.

Carpenter, meanwhile, signed a non-roster deal during Spring Training. It marked a homecoming for the former TCU star, who had previously spent his entire career with the Cardinals. A three-time All-Star and two-time top ten finisher in MVP balloting in St. Louis, Carpenter saw his production turn sharply downwards by 2019. He had significant struggles in both 2020-21 and didn’t land an MLB roster spot after the Cards bought him out last fall.

The 36-year-old spoke over the offseason about the necessity to overhaul his hitting mechanics to rediscover his production at the plate. The early results have been encouraging, as Carpenter hit .275/.379/.613 and popped six homers in 21 games for Round Rock. Texas didn’t feel they had big league at-bats to offer, however, and the sides mutually agreed to part ways, relays Levi Weaver of the Athletic. It stands to reason there’ll be other teams willing to offer Carpenter a new minor league deal after his strong start for the Express.

Red Sox Notes: Trade Deadline, Bloom, Song, Hyers

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In an early look ahead to this year’s trade deadline, Joel Sherman of the New York Post identifies the 12-20 Red Sox as potential sellers. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom rebukes any notion that the team is preparing to punt on the season however, telling Sherman “We are not thinking that way [selling] at all […] The hole we are in is real, but it doesn’t reflect the talent on this club. We know it will take a lot to climb out, but we believe this group can do it.”

Accordingly, Sherman acknowledges how much baseball is left to be played this season and opposes a total teardown for a club that just last year made the playoffs. He does also cite Boston’s frequent record fluctuation this past decade (the team has finished first and last in the AL East four times apiece), however, as reason to brace for a disappointing final win tally. With a number of teams already ahead of them in the Wild Card hunt, to say nothing of their incredibly tough division, the Red Sox figure to have a harder time than most presumptive contenders in reaching the playoffs this year. Thanks to a handful of impending All-Star free agents and a wide open payroll next offseason though, there’s perhaps no team more qualified to reload at the trade deadline before trying for better results in 2023.

Some more news out of Boston…

  • Pitching prospect Noah Song was selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2019 draft but has since seen his baseball career be put on hold due to Navy commitments. As Alex Speier of The Boston Globe details, however, Song has now completed flight school and applied for a service waiver that may allow him to resume his professional baseball career. At the time of his draft selection scouts viewed the right-hander as a first-round talent with mid-rotation upside, albeit one with obvious signing roadblocks, so his return could be quite the boon for a farm system on the rise. It remains to be seen how a multi-year layoff from baseball might impact Song’s athletic abilities or if additional naval obligations will keep his service waiver from being approved, but the Sox for their part seem prepared and supportive of either outcome.
  • In an interview with Christopher Smith of MassLive, former Boston hitting coach Tim Hyers discussed his rationale for leaving the franchise this offseason to take an identical role with the Rangers. Familial considerations, challenge-seeking, and a desire to let current Red Sox hitting coach Peter Fatse rise to the occasion all informed his ultimate departure. Hyers of course has been one of the sport’s more productive hitting coaches in terms of results, as high-octane offense was the calling card of Red Sox teams dating back to his first year under manager Alex Cora in 2018. Hyers’ coaching presence, and lack thereof, seems to be felt by his old and new club so far this season, as the Rangers have improved relatively as a run-scoring unit while the Red Sox currently find themselves as a bottom-three team in MLB in that regard. If there’s one silver lining here in the early-going for Sox fans, it’s that Hyers was approached by the Yankees after leaving his post with Boston but politely rebuffed the club.

Rangers To Place Mitch Garver On IL, Recall Sam Huff

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The Rangers will place catcher Mitch Garver on the 10-day IL with a sprained flexor tendon, reports Kennedi Landry of MLB.com (Twitter link). They’ll recall catcher catcher Sam Huff from Triple-A Round Rock to take his place on the active roster.

It’s a tough break for the Rangers, as Garver was one of the team’s marquee acquisitions this winter in the deal that sent Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the Twins for a spell. Appearing in 22 of his team’s games, the 31-year-old Garver has yet to find a groove offensively, hitting just .205/.292/.346 (92 OPS+) with a trio of home runs.

The one-time Silver Slugger winner will need to do better than that when he returns, though he’s no stranger to rebounding from injuries, as he’s played in more than 100 games just once during his Major League career. While Garver’s hard-hit numbers are down, both his walk and strikeout rates compare favorably to his career numbers and the league average, perhaps portending improved performance when he returns from the IL.

Sam Huff returns to the big league team for the second time this season, following a one-game cameo at the end of April. Huff, a former top-100 prospect, was in the midst of another fine season in the minors, batting .260/.349/.575 with 7 home runs through 19 Triple-A games. He’ll slot in as the team’s number two catcher for the time being, behind the hot-hitting Jonah Heim, and will likely factor into the team’s DH mix as well.

Offseason In Review: Texas Rangers

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The Rangers teased an “active” offseason just before the free agent period opened. They followed through on that promise in a big way, surprisingly landing two of the market’s five high-end shortstops. It probably isn’t enough to take them from a last-place team to the playoffs, but they hope they’ve landed a couple foundational pieces for 2023 and beyond.

Major League Signings

Trades and claims

Extensions

  • None

Notable Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

The Rangers went into the offseason on the heels of their third last-place finish in four years. Texas was at least amidst a retool, if not a full rebuild, and it had shown at the major league level — particularly in the results of the pitching staff. As they moved some established veterans and auditioned younger players, they stayed quiet during the 2020-21 offseason. Their biggest commitment that winter was the two-year, $7.34MM investment (including posting fee) in Japanese starter Kohei Arihara, who was making the jump from NPB.

This time around, though, Texas teased more to come. As the offseason neared, both president of baseball operations Jon Daniels and general manager Chris Young hinted at a more exciting winter in Arlington. Daniels suggested the club wouldn’t rule itself out on anyone available in free agency; Young stated they’d be “very active” in bringing in upgrades. The Rangers entered the offseason as a team to watch, but few would’ve envisioned just how aggressive they’d ultimately be.

In early November, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported that Texas could add as much as $100MM in 2022 spending relative to last year’s payroll. That didn’t wind up happening, but it reinforced that the Rangers would play for stars. Whom would that be? The possibilities were boundless. With very few internal options locked in around the diamond and oodles of financial flexibility, the front office could cast a wide net.

The Rangers looked like a strong landing spot for any of the top five free agent shortstops. Dallas-area native Trevor Story was frequently speculated as a potential target, but Texas grabbing any of Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien or Javier Báez seemed viable. One could argue that Semien, as the oldest of the group, made the least amount of sense for a Rangers team in transition, but any could’ve been the team’s marquee pickup.

Texas was linked to each of Story, Semien and Seager in the offseason’s first few weeks, and they made the first strike of the shortstop market. The Rangers signed Semien in late November to a seven-year, $175MM deal that topped MLBTR’s projection by a year and $37MM. It was a big bet on a player headed into his age-31 season, but few players have been as productive as Semien over the past three years. He’s an excellent defensive second baseman, has been remarkably durable and typically offers well above-average offense at the top of the lineup (although he’s off to a slow start in 2022).

A top-three finisher in AL MVP voting in two of the last three yeras, Semien alone could’ve been the Rangers’ big addition. He received what wound up being the third-largest guarantee among free agents, and Texas surrendered a high second-round draft pick to bring him in. Yet even after they landed Semien, reports emerged that Texas was also making a push for Seager.

Indeed, the Rangers wooed Seager from L.A. on a massive ten-year, $325MM contract. It was the sixth-largest guarantee in MLB history and checked in 11th all-time in terms of average annual value. While no one knew it at the time, the Seager deal would also wind up being by far the biggest sum handed out over the offseason, as Correa pivoted to a short-term deal late in Spring Training. One could nitpick Seager’s long-term defensive fit and injury history, but there’s little question about his offensive upside. Headed into his age-28 season, he’s a prime-aged star who should be a middle-of-the-order presence for the better part of the 2020’s.

Seager’s a perfectly sensible long-term building block, and the Rangers (who had already forfeited their second-highest pick to sign Semien) paid a comparatively lower draft penalty than most other suitors would have to land him. Yet it still registered as a shock to see any team sign two of the five star free agents in the middle infield, particularly a last-place club.

While Seager and Semien went down as Texas’ most impactful moves, that wasn’t all they did in the days leading up to the lockout. The front office also found time to hammer out a four-year deal with former Rockies starter Jon Gray in between signing their star infielders. A former #3 overall pick with solid or better velocity, swinging-strike and ground-ball numbers, Gray was one of the more intriguing starting pitching options available. It was easy to dream on his promise outside of the league’s most hitter-friendly environment, even if Gray had been a bit up-and-down from a results perspective in Colorado. This inconsistency may have been one of the reasons the Rockies (somewhat bizarrely) passed on issuing Gray a qualifying offer, so he didn’t come attached with any further draft pick compensation. Gray’s $56MM guarantee exactly matched MLBTR’s pre-offseason projection.

In one final pre-lockout pickup, Texas snagged veteran corner outfielder Kole Calhoun on a one-year deal. The guarantee was a fairly modest $5.2MM, and the deal included a club option for 2023. It was a buy-low flier on a player who has typically been productive throughout his career. Calhoun, though, is now 34 and coming off an injury-hampered campaign.

The Rangers forcefully demonstrated their presence on the market during the pre-lockout spending spree. The work stoppage offered the front office a chance to reset and identify their next steps. Seager, Semien, Gray and Calhoun unquestionably made the team much better, but the roster still had room for a further shakeup. Reports during the lockout painted a broad picture of Texas’ plans whenever transactions could resume.

First, it became apparent Texas still had a pair of primary targets, including Dallas native Clayton Kershaw. From the beginning, it seemed as if Kershaw’s choice came down to a return to Los Angeles or signing with his hometown club, and the Rangers made no secret about their hope he’d take the latter route.

Texas also geared up for a run at A’s first baseman Matt Olson. A star player whom Oakland was obviously preparing to move, Olson was no doubt a priority target for many teams. Texas perhaps faced an uphill battle in convincing the Athletics to deal Olson to a division rival, although the Rangers’ incredibly deep farm system at least seemed to put them in the running.

There was also the question of how the club would proceed with previous shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He’d obviously been pushed out of the middle infield. Third base was a possibility, but top prospect Josh Jung was on the doorstep of the majors. They could always keep him around as a depth piece, but Kiner-Falefa was probably overqualified for such a role.

Once the lockout lifted, all three questions resolved themselves in fairly short order. Texas came up empty on their Kershaw and Olson pursuits. The future Hall of Fame southpaw went back to Los Angeles; Oakland dealt Olson to the Braves. Jung suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery and will cost him most of 2022, seemingly opening a spot for Kiner-Falefa to bounce back to the hot corner. Ultimately, however, the 27-year-old proved a more valuable trade piece after showing he could handle shortstop last season.

In what would go down as the Rangers’ biggest trade of the offseason, Kiner-Falefa and pitching prospect Ronny Henriquez were dealt to the Twins for catcher Mitch Garver. The righty-hitting backstop is controllable through 2023 and has had some injury concerns in recent years, but he’s typically been excellent when healthy. Garver was one of the sport’s best offensive catchers in both 2019 and 2021, marking a clear upgrade for a Texas team whose catchers were in the bottom five at the plate last year. (The Twins, of course, would go on to flip Kiner-Falefa to the Yankees and kick off the chain of events that led to Minnesota’s shocking Correa pickup).

With Jung injured and Kiner-Falefa dealt, third base was wide open. There was some brief speculation about the Rangers circling back to the still-unsigned Story and landing three of the top free agent infielders, but that didn’t come to be. Instead, Texas went more affordable with their final multi-year deal of the offseason, bringing in bat-first utilityman Brad Miller for two years and $10MM.

Miller’s not a great fit anywhere on the diamond, but he posted above-average hitting numbers every year between 2019-21. He’s capable of rotating between all four corner spots and second base (although the latter won’t be necessary so long as Semien’s healthy). Miller’s left-handed bat pairs with righty-swinging depth infielders Andy Ibáñez and Charlie Culberson, the latter of whom made the team after re-signing on a minor league deal. They also signed former TCU infielder and three-time All-Star Matt Carpenter to a non-roster deal, gauging if a swing overhaul can help the veteran bounce back from a few poor seasons.

The Miller deal more or less closed the book on the position player moves for Texas. The Rangers felt comfortable enough with their infield depth to send Yonny Hernández to the D-Backs for a low-level outfield prospect. With Garver on-hand as the new starting catcher, Texas traded backstop Jose Trevino to the Yankees for reliever Albert Abreu.

Garver and Jonah Heim formed the tandem behind the dish. Nathaniel Lowe is back at first base after a nice 2021 season. The Rangers were willing to supplant him for Olson, but that was always more about a run at a marquee player than a desire to move on from Lowe. Semien and Seager are the middle infield duo for the foreseeable future, with the aforementioned trio of Miller, Ibañez and Culberson plugging the hot corner.

Miller is also working into the corner outfield. He, Calhoun and Zach Reks (whom the Rangers picked up for cash after the Dodgers DFA’ed him in November) are left-handed hitting options on the grass and at designated hitter. That was also true of Willie Calhoun, although his future with the organization could be in question now that he’s gone public about his desire to be traded after being optioned to Triple-A. The righty-hitting Nick Solak is picking up left field/DH work against left-handed pitching, while 2021 breakout performer Adolis García remains as the primary center fielder.

There’s probably no team in MLB that did more over the offseason to improve its offensive group. Texas’ lineup still doesn’t have the depth of the game’s best units, but they’ve arguably added four or five above-average bats in a six-month span. If those players stay healthy, it’s not hard to picture the Rangers finishing in the top half of the league offensively.

The pitching staff, on the other hand, still looks to be among the league’s worst. Gray is an exciting addition, but he’s probably miscast as a staff ace. Dane Dunning is a capable back-of-the-rotation starter, but the other three spots were essentially up for grabs coming out of the lockout. To plug one hole, Texas brought back old friend Martín Pérez on a $4MM deal. The southpaw consistently posts an ERA in the 4.40-5.00 range, so while he should offer some affordable bulk innings, he’s not going to overhaul the staff from a results perspective.

Otherwise, Texas is left relying on many of the same pitchers who struggled last season. Taylor Hearn, Spencer Howard, Kolby Allard and (to lesser extents) A.J. Alexy and Glenn Otto all drew some praise as prospects. None has yet had much MLB success in the rotation, although Hearn fared alright in relief last year. The Rangers will continue to give those pitchers some run as they await the arrival of their next group of highly-regarded prospects like Jack Leiter, Cole Winn and Owen White.

They’re also playing a bit of a waiting game in the bullpen, although in that case, it’s in anticipation of a return of a pair of their top arms from Tommy John surgery. Both José Leclerc and Jonathan Hernández underwent the procedure in early 2021, setting them up as hopeful midseason returnees this year. Unsurprisingly, Texas had a below-average relief corps last year after losing arguably their two best late-game options. They’re seemingly content to hope that Leclerc and Hernández can reestablish themselves alongside pitchers like Joe Barlow and Brett Martin, as they didn’t make many major investments in the bullpen this offseason.

The one reliever signed to a big league deal was Garrett Richards, who received $5.5MM. The veteran righty has long tantalized with impressive velocity and spin, but he’s struggled with his control and gotten inconsistent results. Bumped out of the Red Sox’s rotation last August, Richards initially looked as if he might blossom in shorter stints, but he finished the year with a rough September.

Beyond Richards, the newcomers in the bullpen were low-cost pickups. Abreu, acquired from New York for Trevino, is out of minor league options and seemed to be on the fringe of the roster in the Bronx. He’s a power arm who has posted massive strikeout totals in the minors, but he has bottom-of-the-scale control. He’s an intriguing dice roll but far from a certainty. Veterans Greg Holland and Matt Moore both made the MLB roster after signing minor league contracts. Holland was released after four games; Moore has only allowed one run in 12 innings thus far, but he’s also issued nine walks and is coming off a poor season with the Phillies.

In all likelihood, the Rangers didn’t turn themselves into a contender. That was never really the goal of the offseason, though. “I don’t think we expect to just come out and be World Series contenders next season,” Young told reporters at the GM Meetings in early November. “That said, we expect to take major steps from where we were this year and continue to build this so that by 2023, we’re in a very good position and competing for the division and have the opportunity to make the playoffs and potentially win a World Series.”

Texas set out to install some foundational pieces for 2023 and beyond. They did just that, adding what they expect to be an elite middle infield, a mid-rotation or better arm, and a new catcher. Whether the Rangers’ overarching goal for the offseason was right can be debated. Waiting another season to push the chips in would’ve been more conventional for a rebuilding club, at the very least. One could even argue they didn’t do enough — that once they’d landed Semien and Seager, they should’ve attacked the pitching staff even more aggressively to push for the playoffs immediately. Yet Rangers brass clearly views 2022 as a stepping stone, the final year before everything clicks and they can realistically expect to compete at the top of the AL West. Those efforts will be anchored by the players brought in during a foundational winters for the franchise.

Jon Gray Activated, Abreu Heads To IL

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  • The Rangers meanwhile welcomed back right-handed starter Jon Gray from the IL today after he sprained in his knee in his previous start. Gray, one of several splashy signings made by Texas this offseason, has yet to get into a groove with his new club. The 30-year-old has already been placed on the IL twice during the young season, and was pulled after 60 pitches in tonight’s match against the Phillies. A rough first inning ballooned his ERA up to 7.50 on the season, but a quiet pair of ensuing innings is what the Rangers and their beleaguered pitching staff will be looking for more of moving forward. Right-handed reliever Albert Abreu, acquired from the Yankees in April’s Jose Trevino trade, heads to the IL in Gray’s stead with a sprained ankle. Abreu has managed a solid 3.57 ERA on the year, albeit with a worrying 11 walks in just over seven innings of action.

Rangers’ Willie Calhoun Wants To Be Traded After Demotion To Triple-A

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The Rangers optioned outfielder Willie Calhoun to Triple-A today, as part of the team’s efforts to pare down to 26 players in advance of Monday’s roster reduction deadline.  Calhoun’s demotion was seen as something of a surprise, and it appears as though he sees the move as something of a last straw.

“(I’m) gonna go to Triple A and put myself in a position to get traded.  I do want to be traded,” Calhoun told The Athletic’s Levi Weaver.  “I do want to be traded….I don’t know if I’ll play another game in a Rangers uniform.  And I let them know that.”

Once a top-100 prospect, Calhoun was the key piece of the three-player package Texas received from the Dodgers for Yu Darvish at the 2017 trade deadline.  It appeared as though Calhoun was on his way to becoming a fixture in the Rangers lineup when he hit .269/.323/.524 with 21 home runs over 337 PA in 2019, but injuries since played a role in his lack of production.  Calhoun suffered a broken jaw after being hit in the face by a Julio Urias fastball during Spring Training 2020, and then missed three months of the 2021 season after suffering a forearm fracture when Kris Bubic hit him with another pitch.

Since the start of the 2020 campaign, Calhoun has hit only .223/.288/.339 over 445 plate appearances.  That includes a .556 OPS over 53 PA this season, and the Rangers had seen enough to believe that Calhoun was expendable on the active roster.  Calhoun’s issues with the organization have clearly been building for a while, as he told Weaver that “I’ve been wanting out for the last year, year and a half.  I feel like I need a change of scenery.”

However, Calhoun also wasn’t pleased with how Rangers hitting coaches both old and new (Tim Hyers and assistant coach Seth Conner were hired over the offseason) tried to alter his swing and approach.  “I don’t agree with some of the hitting philosophies from the new guys,” Calhoun said.  “I don’t process that (information) too well.  I’m not 6-4, 230 pounds; I can’t hit pop-up home runs.  I don’t have that leverage.”

Rangers manager Chris Woodward told reporters Sunday the team wanted Calhoun “to work a little bit more vertical with his swing,” but Calhoun said this clashed with his ideal approach as the “line-drive, doubles guy” he was during his time in the Dodgers farm system.

There isn’t much leverage on Calhoun’s side to force a trade, as Texas still has control over his services through the 2024 season.  There was some speculation whether the Rangers would tender him a contract last winter, the two sides avoided arbitration in Calhoun’s first arb-eligible year by agreeing to a $1.3MM salary for the 2022 season.

When asked about Calhoun’s desire for a trade, Rangers GM Chris Young simply said that “we’re looking to get Willie going.  The game is about performance.  If he goes out and performs at a high level, there will be an opportunity for him.”

This statement doesn’t rule out the possibility of a trade, of course, as it could be that Calhoun’s next “opportunity” could indeed come with another team.  If the Rangers are ready to move on, they would naturally like to get some kind of decent return back, and as Calhoun noted, going on a tear at Triple-A would help him rebuild his stock for any teams interested in acquiring the 27-year-old.

Rangers Notes: Carpenter, Story

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  • Matt Carpenter was one of several veterans signed to minor league contracts who had the ability to opt out of their deals today, but Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports that Carpenter will pass on his opt-out clause and remain in the Rangers organization.  It isn’t surprising that Carpenter (a Texas native) elected to stay put, as he already passed on another opt-out opportunity when the Rangers sent him to the minors at the end of Spring Training, and Carpenter said anyway that he needed more time to ramp up and adjust to his overhauled swing.  The former Cardinals standout has performed decently well at Triple-A Round Rock, hitting .239/.327/.457 with two home runs in 52 PA.
  • Both the Rangers and Mariners were linked to Trevor Story’s market prior to the lockout, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that both AL West rivals offered Story a contract similar to the six-year, $140MM deal that the free agent eventually signed with the Red Sox in March.  At that earlier date in the offseason, Story’s reps countered with a much larger contract demands, leading both Texas and Seattle to go in different directions with their lineup plans.  The Rangers instead splurged on both Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, while the Mariners (who intended to use Story as a second baseman) acquired Adam Frazier from the Padres, and then added Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez to the position player side in another trade with the Reds following the lockout.  Interestingly, Rosenthal notes that Story has changed his representation since signing with Boston, and is now a client of the Wasserman Agency.

Several Veterans On Minor League Deals Have Sunday Opt-Outs

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The latest collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association is rife with contractual intricacies, as one would expect. MLBTR has confirmed that one of the new wrinkles set forth in this latest agreement stipulates that any Article XX(B) free agent — that is, a player with at least six years of service time who finished the prior season on a big league roster or injured list — who signs a minor league contract will have three uniform opt-out dates in his contract, so long as that minor league deal is signed 10 days prior to Opening Day. Those opt-out dates are five days before the start of the regular season, May 1 and June 1.

As the MLBPA announced at the onset of the most recent offseason, there were 188 players who became Article XX(B) free agents. The majority of those players signed Major League contracts. A handful retired, and some have yet to sign a contract at all. There were still more than two dozen players who signed minor league contracts, however, which makes them subject to the new uniform opt-out dates. Several of those players — Marwin Gonzalez, Matt Moore and Wily Peralta, to name a few — have already had their contracts selected to the Major League roster. Others signed their minor league deal after March 28, meaning they’re not covered under the uniform opt-out provision.

By my count, there are a dozen players who qualified as Article XX(B) free agents, signed minor league deals on or before March 28, and remain with those organizations but not on the 40-man roster. Each of the following veterans, then, will have the opportunity to become a free agent Sunday if they’re not called up to the current organization’s big league roster:

  • Tyler Clippard, RHP, Nationals: The 37-year-old Clippard had a strong 2019 season in Cleveland and pitched brilliantly with Minnesota in 2020. His 2021 campaign with the D-backs was solid but truncated by a strained capsule in his right shoulder. He missed nearly four months to begin the year but pitched to a 3.20 ERA in 25 1/3 innings upon activation — albeit with subpar strikeout and walk rates (19.8% and 9.9%, respectively). He’s had a rough go in Triple-A Rochester so far, yielding seven runs on six hits and a whopping 11 walks in 8 1/3 innings. He’s also picked up a dozen strikeouts.
  • Austin Romine, C, Angels: Romine is 2-for-15 with a pair of singles so far in Triple-A Salt Lake. He’s never provided much with the bat, but the longtime Yankees backup is regarded as a quality defender and receiver. He spent the 2021 season with the Cubs but only logged 62 plate appearances thanks to a sprained left wrist that landed him on the 60-day injured list for a significant portion of the season. Romine hit .217/.242/.300 when healthy last year and is a lifetime .238/.277/.358 hitter in 1313 Major League plate appearances.
  • Billy Hamilton, CF, Mariners: At 31 years old, the former top prospect is what he is now: an elite defender and baserunner who’s never been able to get on base consistently enough to capitalize on his 80-grade speed. Hamilton slashed .220/.242/.378 in 135 plate appearances with the White Sox last season and is out to a 7-for-32 start with one walk and 11 strikeouts so far with the Mariners’ top affiliate. Hamilton has four seasons of 55-plus stolen bases under his belt, but he also has a career .293 OBP  that’s gotten even worse (.269) over the past three seasons (524 plaste appearances).
  • Blake Parker, RHP, Cardinals: Parker, 36, has yielded three runs in 7 1/3 Triple-A frames but is brandishing a far more impressive 11-to-1 K/BB ratio. He split the past two seasons between Philadelphia and Cleveland, pitching to a combined 3.02 ERA with a 24.4% strikeout rate against a 9.1% walk rate. Parker has had an up-and-down career since debuting with the Cubs as a 27-year-old rookie in 2012, but the cumulative results are solid. He carries a career 3.47 ERA with 34 saves and 47 holds. When Parker’s splitter is working well, he can be a very effective late-inning option.
  • Derek Holland, LHP, Red Sox: The veteran southpaw has provided innings, but not necessarily at quality since transitioning into a bullpen role in 2019. Last season he appeared in 39 games for the Tigers, tossing 49 2/3 innings with a 5.07 ERA/3.96 FIP. Holland’s time with Triple-A Worcester hasn’t been smooth, as he has a 5.79 ERA and six walks over 9 1/3 innings.
  • Steven Souza Jr., OF, Mariners: Due to an ugly knee injury and some struggles at the plate, Souza hasn’t been a truly productive big leaguer since 2017. Looking to revive his career with the Mariners, Souza has hit .200/.383/.333 over 60 PA with Triple-A Tacoma.
  • Kevin Pillar, OF, Dodgers: This season marks Pillar’s first taste of Triple-A ball since 2014, and the veteran outfielder is overmatching pitchers to the tune of a .313/.415/.627 slash line over 82 plate appearances. One would imagine this performance will earn Pillar a look in Los Angeles or perhaps another team if the Dodgers don’t select his contract. Pillar’s minor league deal guarantees him a $2.5MM salary if he receives a big league call-up, which could be a factor for a Dodgers club that may be trying to stay under the third tier ($270MM) of the luxury tax threshold.
  • Cam Bedrosian, RHP, Phillies: After signing a minor league deal with Philadelphia last July, Bedrosian posted a 4.35 ERA over 10 1/3 innings with the club despite recording almost as many walks (seven) as strikeouts (eight). The righty inked a new minors deal with the Phillies over the winter but has yet to pitch this season due to injury.
  • Shelby Miller, RHP, Yankees: The former All-Star pitched well with the Cubs’ and Pirates’ Triple-A affiliates in 2021, and he has kept up that strong Triple-A performance now working as a full-time reliever.  Over eight innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barres, Miller has a 2.25 ERA with outstanding strikeout (31.3%) and walk (3.1%) rates. He also hasn’t allowed any homers, a notable stat for a pitcher who has had great trouble containing the long ball over the last few seasons.
  • Matt Carpenter, INF, Rangers: Carpenter got a late start to Spring Training, and upon Opening Day, he expressed a desire to take the necessary time to get himself up to speed. Through 52 plate appearances in Triple-A, Carpenter has slashed an improved .239/.327/.457 with a pair of home runs. While not standout numbers, they are an improvement over the .203/.235/.346 slash line Carpenter posted in 901 PA from 2019-21 with the Cardinals.
  • Carlos Martinez, RHP, Giants: Another former Cardinal looking for a fresh start, Martinez has yet to pitch for Triple-A Sacramento, as he is still rehabbing from the thumb surgery he underwent last July. With injuries and a nasty bout of COVID-19 factoring into matters, Martinez has only a 6.95 ERA over 102 1/3 big league innings since the start of the 2020 season.
  • Keone Kela, RHP, Diamondbacks: Kela has also been ravaged by injuries over the last two seasons, including Tommy John surgery last May. Given the usual TJ recovery timeline, Kela isn’t likely to be a factor for the D’Backs until at least midseason.

Of course, players remain free to negotiate additional out clauses into their minor league contracts. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports, for instance, that lefty Adam Morgan has an opt-out provision in his contract with the Astros today. Morgan doesn’t have enough service time to qualify as an Article XX(B) free agent, but he’ll nevertheless have the opportunity to become a free agent Sunday if he doesn’t like his chances of eventually being added to Houston’s roster.

Rangers Option Spencer Howard, Recall Zach Reks

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The Rangers announced a pair of interlocking roster moves today, optioning Spencer Howard to Triple-A and recalling outfielder Zach Reks. Howard has been shelled in 6 2/3 innings of work this season, working to a 12.15 ERA, but the demotion is reportedly more about building him up as a “full-fledged” starter, per Jeff Wilson of Rangerstoday.com (via Twitter). Whatever the reason for the move, the Rangers will surely want to see a more productive couple of appearances in Triple-A out of Howard.

Reks, meanwhile, steps right into the starting lineup, starting today’s ballgame in left field. It will be Reks first appearance with the Rangers after being acquired from the Dodgers this past November. In other roster moves…

Rangers Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Rangers announced a series of roster moves prior to today’s game. Right-handers Spencer Howard and Dennis Santana were reinstated from the injured list, with the latter coming off the Covid-IL. Fellow righty Spencer Patton will head onto the injured list with an oblique strain while yet another righty, Nick Snyder, was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock.

Howard and Santana each went on the IL on April 14 and return after the 10-day minimum. Howard had a blister/cracked fingernail issue while Santana was on the Covid-IL after reportedly showing symptoms. He wasn’t counted against the club’s 40-man roster while he was out. Now that he’s returned, the club’s 40-man roster is again full. It was at 39 before today and a corresponding move won’t be necessary to bring Santana back.

As for Patton, it’s an unfortunate break after a decent start to his season. In seven innings out of the Rangers’ bullpen, he has a 3.86 ERA. His 17.2% strikeout rate is below average, but his 52.6% groundball rate is strong. The club didn’t provide a timeline on his absence, but oblique injuries are notoriously tricky and can often keep players sidelined for weeks or months.

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