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Marlins Designate Brett de Geus For Assignment

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The Marlins have designated right-hander Brett de Geus for assignment, the team announced this morning. Right-hander Xzavion Curry’s contract was selected to replace de Geus on the 40-man roster, and righty Valente Bellozo was optioned to make room for Curry on the active roster.

de Geus, 27, was drafted by the Dodgers in the 33rd round back in 2017 but made his big league debut with the Rangers in 2021 after being selected in that offseason’s Rule 5 draft. The right-hander split the 2021 campaign between Texas and Arizona, struggling to an ugly 7.56 ERA in 50 innings of work along the way. He struck out just 17.2% of opponents while walking 10.5%, and after making it through the full 2021 campaign on a big league roster de Geus found himself shuttled back to the minors for the early part of the 2022 campaign before he was released by Arizona in June of that same year.

After spending a couple of seasons in indy ball and a brief stint in the Royals farm system, de Geus resurfaced with the Mariners last season. He once again struggled badly at the big league level, with a 7.15 ERA in 11 1/3 innings of work spread between Seattle, Toronto, and Miami. He finished the 2024 season with the Blue Jays but was designated for assignment by the club back in January. The righty was traded to Pittsburgh in a cash deal shortly thereafter but was once against DFA’d early on in Spring Training.

That led the Marlins to claim him off waivers late last month, and while he survived the club’s initial roster moves for Opening Day he’s now been DFA’d once again to make room for a fresh arm at the big league level. Going forward, the Marlins will have one week to either trade de Geus or attempt to pass him through waivers. If he goes through waivers unclaimed, they’ll have the opportunity to outright him to the minors as a non-roster depth option.

As for Curry, the 26-year-old was a 7th round pick by Cleveland back in 2019 and made his big league debut for the Guardians in 2022. That debut was just two spot starts where he surrendered seven runs (six earned) in 9 1/3 innings of work, but Curry got a larger audition in 2023 and proved to be a serviceable swingman for the club. In 95 innings of work spread between nine starts and 32 relief appearances, Curry posted a 4.07 ERA (104 ERA+) with a FIP of 4.50. Though he struck out just 16.6% of his opponents, he walked just 7.4% and avoided an outsized home run total in order to put up decent numbers.

Things came off the rails for Curry in 2024, however, as he surrendered a 5.84 ERA and 5.19 FIP in 24 2/3 innings of work with the Guardians before being designated for assignment in August. He was plucked off waivers by the Marlins and pitched well for the club down the stretch, however, with a 3.00 ERA and 4.22 FIP over his final 18 innings of work last year. That performance wasn’t enough to convince the Marlins to keep him on their 40-man roster all winter, as he was outrighted to the minors last month. He’s back on the 40-man now, however, and figures to provide length out of the bullpen for the club after yesterday’s extra-inning affair against the Pirates.

Diamondbacks Outright Rene Pinto

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Catcher Rene Pinto has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Reno by the Diamondbacks, according to Alex Weiner of AZ Sports. Pinto does not have the requisite service time or previous outright necessary to reject the assignment, so he’ll remain in the organization as non-roster depth going forward.

Pinto entered camp with Arizona in the mix to back up Gabriel Moreno alongside Adrian Del Castillo and Jose Herrera. The job ultimately went to Herrera, which necessitated the club designating Pinto for assignment as he had no minor league options remaining. The 28-year-old signed with the Rays out of Venezuela as an amateur and made his pro debut back in 2014. He’s spent his entire pro career in a Rays uniform prior to this winter, when the Rays DFA’d him in November and he was claimed off waivers by the Orioles. He stuck with Baltimore throughout much of the offseason but was DFA’d once again to make room for Charlie Morton on the club’s 40-man roster, at which point he was claimed by Arizona.

Pinto made his big league debut with the Rays back in 2022. The cup of coffee lasted only 25 games, and he hit just .213/.241/.325 during that time. Despite that meager performance in the majors, however, Pinto turned in a strong season at Triple-A as he slashed a strong .266/.320/.521 across 73 games at the level. That was enough to earn Pinto additional opportunities in Tampa, and he generally performed much better in them. 2023 saw Pinto appear in 38 games in the majors, hitting a respectable .252/.267/.456 with six homers in just 103 trips to the plate.

That intriguing combination of power and strong defense behind the plate was enough to make the Rays comfortable making Pinto their starting catcher to open the 2024 season. Unfortunately, Pinto didn’t last very long in the role. While he hit a respectable .214/.292/.429 that clocked in above league average over 19 games, those would be the only 19 games Pinto would play in the majors last year as he ceded playing time to a tandem of Ben Rortvedt and Alex Jackson. The catcher didn’t exactly go on to make a case for himself to get another shot in the majors upon being optioned to Triple-A, either, hitting just .191/.257/.373 in 53 games for the club’s Durham affiliate.

Now that Pinto has cleared waivers and been outrighted to the minors, he likely stands as the next man up to help out behind the plate in the event of an injury to either Moreno or Herrera. Normally, that role would appear more likely to go to Del Castillo given that he remains on the 40-man roster while Pinto does not, Weiner notes that Del Castillo has been placed on the minor league’s 7-day injured list. It’s unclear what ailment is bothering Del Castillo or how long he’ll be out of action at this point, but until he returns he won’t be able to serve as a fill-in catcher in the majors fro the Diamondbacks.

Pirates Outright Joshua Palacios, Peter Strzelecki

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The Pirates announced this afternoon that outfielder Joshua Palacios and right-hander Peter Strzelecki have both cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis. Palacios has been outrighted previously in his career and could reject the assignment in favor of free agency if he so chooses, but Strzelecki has neither the previous outright nor requisite service time necessary to reject the assignment and will remain in the organization as non-roster depth going forward.

Palacios, 29, was selected by the Blue Jays in the fourth-round of the 2016 draft and made his big league debut with Toronto in 2021. He hit just .200/.293/.200 across 13 games for the Jays before being plucked off waivers by the Nationals in 2022, for whom he appeared in 29 games while hitting a similarly lackluster .213/.245/.255 in 49 plate appearances before being outrighted off the 40-man roster. He came to the Pirates the following offseason by way of the Rule 5 draft’s minor league phase.

In Pittsburgh, Palacios got a more significant big league opportunity than he did in either Toronto or D.C. as he appeared in 91 games for the Pirates throughout the 2023 season. Unfortunately, the lefty failed to make the most of the opportunity as he hit just .239/.273/.413 in that time, though his 21 extra-base hits (including ten homers) in just 264 trips to the plate hinted at intriguing power potential and he showed the ability to play decent defense at all three outfield spots. Unfortunately, Palacios did not get another opportunity of significance with the Pirates last year. While he did appear in the majors, he was limited to just 23 games and 78 trips to the plate where he slashed a middling .224/.333/.343 while failing to demonstrate the power potential that made him an interesting piece the year prior.

While the Pirates opted to retain Palacios on their 40-man roster throughout the winter, they ultimately cut him just prior to Opening Day when the club opted to roster Jack Suwinski as a left-handed reserve outfielder instead. Now that he’s cleared waivers, he’ll have the opportunity to either stick in the organization as non-roster depth at Triple-A, where he slashed a solid .291/.372/.489 across 51 games at Triple-A, or head out to the open market in hopes of finding a better path to big league playing time elsewhere.

As for Strzelecki, the right-hander signed with the Brewers as an undrafted free agent back in 2018 and worked his way up to the big leagues during the 2022 season. His rookie campaign was quite impressive as he pitched to a 2.83 ERA (143 ERA+) with a 2.94 FIP and a 27% strikeout rate in 35 innings of work. Unfortunately for Strzelecki, his follow-up season in 2023 was less impressive as he posted a 4.38 ERA in 37 innings split between the Brewers and Diamondbacks.

The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks just before Opening Day 2024 and was eventually traded to the Guardians, for whom he pitched sparingly in the majors but posted a solid 2.31 ERA and 3.77 FIP in 11 2/3 innings of work. He was DFA’d just before the non-tender deadline over the offseason and found himself shipped to Pittsburgh, but ultimately was DFA’d for a third time prior to Opening Day. This time, he finally cleared waivers and now will look to get back to the big leagues with the club at Triple-A.

Orioles Acquire Cody Poteet

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The Orioles have acquired right-hander Cody Poteet from the Cubs in exchange for cash considerations, per an announcement out of Baltimore. Poteet had been designated for assignment by the Cubs prior to Opening Day to make room for right-hander Brad Keller on their 40-man roster. The righty has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk by the Orioles, whose 40-man roster now stands at 39.

Poteet, 30, was acquired by the Cubs over the offseason as the return in the trade that sent Cody Bellinger to the Yankees. Chicago’s priority in that trade was, of course, dumping the remainder of Bellinger’s contract after he decided against opting out last winter. Bellinger, who is now serving as the primary center fielder in the Bronx, was squeezed out of the Cubs’ lineup by the club trading for Kyle Tucker to man right field as well as the emergence of top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong in center. Given the nature of the trade, the club’s decision to DFA Poteet earlier this week was hardly a surprise despite frustration from many on the North Side over the issue.

For the Orioles, the move means adding some depth to a pitching staff that is currently without Grayson Rodriguez, Trevor Rogers, Chayce McDermott, Kyle Bradish, and Tyler Wells due to injuries. A fourth-round pick by the Marlins back in 2015, Poteet made his big league debut in Miami during the 2021 season as a starter, making seven appearances as part of the club’s rotation where he pitched to a 4.99 ERA (85 ERA+) with a 5.62 FIP. Those lackluster results in a rotation role led the Marlins to use him more as a swing man in 2022, and he did fairly well for himself in the role; Poteet threw 28 innings at the big league level in total spread between two starts and ten relief appearances that year, and his 3.86 ERA (106 ERA+) was decent despite a lackluster 18.4% strikeout rate.

Unfortunately, Poteet’s Marlins career would come to an end when he required Tommy John surgery in late 2022, leading Miami to designate him for assignment. He spent the 2023 campaign rehabbing and made a brief appearance in the Royals’ minor league system before landing a major league deal with the Yankees last January. The right-hander did reasonably well for himself in the Bronx, posting a strong 2.22 ERA in 24 1/3 innings of work at the big league level while pitching to a 3.40 ERA in 13 minor league starts last year.

Now on his third franchise in the past four months, Poteet heads to Triple-A to serve as depth behind the club’s rotation, which still includes a solid quintet of Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano, Dean Kremer, and Cade Povich even after the aforementioned injuries. Kyle Gibson figures to join that group at some point in the season’s first month or so after signing on with the Orioles earlier this month, but Poteet provides optionable insurance for the club against another injury in the meantime.

If a starter were to go down, it’s possible Poteet could slide directly into the rotation, although with veteran swingman Albert Suarez in the big league bullpen it seems more likely the Orioles would lean on Suarez to start while pushing Poteet into his spot in the bullpen. Poteet will likely be pushed further down the club’s depth chart once Gibson is ready to pitch, but an optionable arm capable of throwing either out of the rotation or in relief as needed is still a valuable asset to have in the fold over the course of a 162-game season.

As for the Cubs, the club already has plenty of optionable starting depth already that may have made it easier to part ways with the righty. Optionable righty Ben Brown is currently serving as the club’s fifth starter with southpaw Jordan Wicks standing as the likely next man up at Triple-A, though the eventual return of Javier Assad (who also has options remaining) from an oblique strain could push both youngsters down the depth chart in the future.

Rays Place Josh Lowe On 10-Day IL Due To Grade 2 Oblique Strain

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2:55PM: Lowe suffered a Grade 2 oblique strain, John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  This more severe level of strain likely means Lowe will miss at least 6-7 weeks in a best-case scenario, and multiple months on the IL is a distinct possibility.

TODAY, 11:05AM: The Rays placed Lowe on the 10-day injured list, announcing his injury as a right oblique strain.  Switch-hitting outfielder Jake Mangum has been called up to take Lowe’s spot on the active roster, and the 29-year-old Mangum will be making his Major League debut the first time he appears in a game.  Marc Topkin wrote earlier this month about Mangum’s unique career path, as his road to the majors has hit such speedbumps as the canceled 2020 minor league season and a pair of trades, including the deal that brought him from the Marlins to the Rays during the 2023-24 offseason.

MARCH 28: The Rays won their season opener over the Rockies in dramatic fashion, as Kameron Misner slugged a walk-off for his first career home run. Tampa Bay didn’t come out of the game completely unscathed, though. Josh Lowe was lifted for a pinch-runner after hitting a single in the fifth inning. The Rays announced that he experienced right oblique discomfort.

It’s likely he’ll wind up on the injured list. Manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times postgame that he expected Lowe “to miss some time.” The outfielder is headed for an MRI, which will reveal a more defined timeline. Even low-grade oblique strains tend to cost hitters a couple weeks. More significant strains can sideline players for multiple months.

The Rays won’t know until tomorrow how severe Lowe’s injury is. It’s the second straight year in which his right oblique has given him trouble. Lowe opened last season with a six-week IL stay after straining the oblique in the middle of March. That return was delayed somewhat by an additional bout of hamstring tightness. He was activated in the first week of May but returned to the IL with another oblique strain on May 23. That was a relatively minor problem, as he was able to make it back by June 3.

Lowe got the Opening Day nod in right field even though he’s coming off a down year. The lefty-hitting outfielder turned in a mediocre .241/.302/.391 slash with 10 homers across 387 plate appearances last season. He was far better in 2023, when he drilled 20 homers with a .292/.335/.500 line through 501 trips to the dish.

The start today came against a left-handed pitcher (Kyle Freeland). The righty-swinging José Caballero came off the bench to finish the game in right field. Misner, a lefty bat, could get the majority of the playing time if Lowe hits the IL. Caballero and Curtis Mead are right-handed hitters who could factor in off the bench. Jake Mangum, who has yet to make his MLB debut, is the only other healthy outfielder on the 40-man roster. Tampa Bay added utilityman Coco Montes to their 40-man yesterday. He played some outfield in Japan last season but has not done so in his MLB career.

Giants Outright David Villar To Triple-A

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The Giants announced that infielder David Villar cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A.  Villar was designated for assignment earlier this week.

Because this is Villar’s first career outright assignment, he doesn’t yet have the ability to opt into free agency rather than accept the assignment to Triple-A.  Villar now has that ability going forward in his career, perhaps making for some future transactional wrangling since he is also out of minor league options.  That out-of-options status is what required the Giants to DFA Villar, as the club had to first expose him to waivers before sending him down to the minors.

An 11th-round pick for the Giants in the 2018 draft, Villar had a nice rookie season in 2022, hitting .231/.331/.455 with nine home runs over 181 plate appearances.  Most of his playing time that year came at third base, but once J.D. Davis took the bulk of the hot corner work in 2023, Villar spent more time at first and second base during his time in the majors.  With Matt Chapman taking over third base in 2024 and the Giants’ infield becoming even more crowded with options, Villar played only first base over his 11 MLB games last season.

A lack of offensive production was the larger reason Villar couldn’t find a spot anywhere in the lineup.  He hit only .145/.236/.315 over 140 PA in 2023, and then .257/.270/.457 in 37 PA in 2024.  San Francisco often cycled Villar up and down from Triple-A for depth purposes during his time with the club, but now that his minor league options have been exhausted, the Giants chose to move onto bench players with more roster flexibility.

Braves Sign Eddys Leonard To Minors Deal

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1:22PM: The Braves signed Leonard to a minor league contract, KPRC2’s Ari Alexander reports.

7:53AM: The Tigers released Eddys Leonard from the Triple-A Toledo roster, according to the infielder/outfielder’s MLB.com profile page.  Leonard has spent the parts of the last two seasons in Detroit’s organization and re-signed a new minor league deal last December after being non-tendered and removed from the club’s 40-man roster.

A veteran of six minor league seasons in the Dodgers’ and Tigers’ farm systems, Leonard has yet to crack the big leagues during his pro career.  His chances at a call-up in 2024 might’ve been marred by injuries, as an oblique strain and a hamstring strain limited Leonard to only 82 total games (67 in Toledo, and 15 on the Tigers’ A-level teams as part of rehab assignments).

When Leonard did play, he hit .263/.326/.455 with 10 homers over 282 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.  This performance came on the heels of a .302/.374/.530 slash line in 171 PA with Toledo in 2023, so Leonard may have increasingly little to prove in the upper minors.  However, he hit poorly in Spring Training this year, perhaps costing himself a prime opportunity to break camp with a Tigers team was looking to fill some roster holes due to injury.

The 24-year-old Leonard will now return to the open market, looking to land with a team in need of some versatile depth.  Shortstop is Leonard’s primary position, but he has also seen a lot of time at second and third base and in center field, plus a handful of games in the other two outfield positions.  In 2024, Leonard stuck almost exclusively to infield work, which may have been related to his injury concerns rather than a distinct shift towards becoming an infield-only player.

Mets Designate Alexander Canario, Outright Jose Azocar

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TODAY: Azocar cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, DiComo reports.  There isn’t any word yet on Canario’s status.

MARCH 27: The Mets will designate outfielders Alexander Canario and Jose Azocar for assignment today, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. It was already reported earlier in the week that Canario didn’t make the club and likely would be removed from the 40-man roster. Both outfielders are out of minor league options and thus cannot be sent to Triple-A unless they first clear waivers.

It’s the second time Canario has been bumped from a 40-man roster this spring. The Cubs cut him loose and traded him to the Mets for cash earlier in March.

The 24-year-old Canario (25 in May) has light-tower raw power but staggering strikeout issues that have been apparent throughout his time in the minors and his brief time in the majors. He fanned in more than 30% of his Triple-A plate appearances last season and has gone down on strikes in 42% of his small sample of MLB plate appearances. Canario’s 63.5% contact rate in Triple-A last year would’ve ranked last in the majors by more than two percentage points, and in his 45 MLB trips to the plate he’s made contact at an even lower 59.8% clip.

It’s a glaring and troubling contact profile. Canario has big time power when he does put bat to ball, as evidenced by a 37-homer campaign on his minor league resume, but that came back in 2022. Canario’s offensive output has declined in each of the past two minor league seasons. He’s still hit at an above-average level, but the combined .257/.345/.502 output (115 wRC+) over those two years is a ways shy of the 133 wRC+ he posted during that 37-homer campaign. He’s had a nice spring, hitting .306/.419/.611 with three homers in 43 plate appearances, but the contact problems loom large; he’s also fanned 15 times — a 34.9% rate.

Canario is an average runner or slightly below and is generally considered a corner outfielder rather than a center fielder. A club looking for some low-cost thump in the outfield corners could certainly take a look, but Canario’s skill set (corner only, middling contact) is one that gives many front offices pause (hence the multiple DFAs this spring).

As for Azocar, he’s more of a prototypical, speed-and-defense focused fourth outfielder. The 28-year-old (29 in May) has played in three big league seasons with the Padres and posted a .243/.287/.322 slash in 397 plate appearances. He’s a career .288/.320/.438 hitter in 799 Triple-A plate appearances and logged a .250/.283/.318 line in 46 trips to the plate this spring. He has glaring platoon splits, but not in the manner most would expect; the righty-swinging Azocar is a much better hitter against right-handed pitching to this point in his young big league career.

Statcast credited Azocar with 91st percentile sprint speed in 2024, though he’s had some issues on the basepaths despite that plus speed, succeeding in only 18 of his 27 stolen base attempts (66.7%). Azocar can play all three outfield positions at a high level.

Both players will be in DFA limbo for a maximum of one week. The Mets can place them on waivers at any point in the next five days and can also explore trade possibilities during that time. If there’s no trade by day five, they’ll both be placed on waivers, which are a 48-hour process themselves.

Diamondbacks Extend Brandon Pfaadt

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The Diamondbacks announced that they have agreed to a five-year contract extension with right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. It runs from 2026 through 2030 with a club option for 2031 and a mutual option for 2032. Reportedly, he is guaranteed $45MM with the following breakdown: $2MM signing bonus, a $3MM salary in 2026 followed by subsequent salaries of $5MM, $8MM, $11MM and $15MM. Then there’s a $21MM figure on the ’31 club option and a $25MM mutual option in 2032, with each of those options having a $1MM buyout.

He will reportedly have a five-team no-trade from 2030 to 2032. Pfaadt was previously slated for free agency after 2029, so this buys out at least one free agent year and the club option extends the club’s window of control by another season. The deal also reportedly includes a five-team no-trade list covering the 2030-32 seasons. Pfaadt is represented by Frontline.

Pfaadt, 26, was a fifth-round selection of the Diamondbacks in 2020. He quickly raised his stock with some strong minor league numbers. In 2021, he tossed 131 2/3 innings over 22 starts, spread across Single-A, High-A and Double-A. He had a combined 3.21 earned run average, 30.2% strikeout rate and 5.3% walk rate. In 2022, it was 167 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A with a 3.83 ERA, 31.6% strikeout rate and 4.8% walk rate.

Going into 2023, he was considered one of the top prospects in baseball. He made his major league debut that year with 96 innings over 18 starts and one relief appearance. The 5.72 ERA doesn’t look amazing at first glance but Pfaadt’s 22.3% strikeout rate was around league average with a strong 6.2% walk rate. He held a spot in the rotation through the playoffs, making five postseason starts with a 3.27 ERA as the Diamondbacks took the National League pennant.

2024 was his first full season in the majors and he again performed better than his ERA would tell you. He allowed 4.71 earned run per nine over his 32 starts and 181 2/3 innings. His 24.3% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate were both strong numbers.

At this point, Pfaadt has a 5.06 ERA in 277 2/3 innings but that doesn’t tell the whole story. As mentioned, his strikeout and walk rates have been good. His .315 batting average on balls in play and 66.4% strand rate are both on the unlucky side. His 4.15 FIP and 3.86 SIERA point to him being roughly one run better than his ERA.

The Diamondbacks are presumably putting more stock in those under-the-hood numbers in committing to Pfaadt today. He was previously set to hit the open market after his age-30 season but they have instead locked him up through his age-31 season with a club option for his age-32 campaign as well.

Looking at MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, there have been a few recent extensions for pitchers in their pre-arb years. The top of the list has guys like Spencer Strider at $75MM, Brayan Bello at $55MM and Hunter Greene at $53MM. Those guys were all younger than Pfaadt is now and Greene also had the hype of being a second overall pick and high-profile prospect. Strider was just wrapping up a 2022 season with an insane 38.3% strikeout rate.

Pfaadt’s $45MM deal comes in just a hair under Tanner Bibee’s recent $47.2MM deal. That’s understandable since Bibee has a 3.25 ERA, 25.3% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate in 315 2/3 innings. Those numbers all put him a bit ahead of Pfaadt. He’s also a year closer to free agency, which gives him a bit of extra earning power.

For Pfaadt, he is kicking his free agency down the road, which will presumably lead to less future earning power. However, unlike some top prospects, he hasn’t been sitting on a multi-million-dollar bonus. He only got $100K when he signed and wasn’t slated to qualify for arbitration until after the 2026 season. This deal allows him to lock up some life-changing money ahead of schedule and before his career gets derailed by an injury, an ever-present concern for a pitcher.

For the Diamondbacks, they have been aggressive in locking up their incumbent players. In the past six weeks, they have given notable extensions to shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, reliever Justin Martínez and now Pfaadt.

The current rotation in Arizona is overloaded but the long-term picture is more open. For the 2025 season, they have Zac Gallen, Corbin Burnes, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodríguez and Pfaadt in five spots. Ryne Nelson is working in long relief even though he’s talented enough to pitch in the rotation of many other clubs.

But Gallen and Kelly are both impending free agents. Burnes has an opt-out after 2026. Rodríguez is guaranteed through 2027. As the next few years play out, it’s possible that each of those guys eventually leaves Arizona. Pitchers within the system could possibly replace them, with Nelson, Drey Jameson, Yilber Díaz, Cristian Mena and some other arms already in house. As that plays out, the Snakes are surely hoping that Pfaadt can be a constant in their rotation as one group potentially makes way for another.

The club is currently running a franchise-record payroll but has some decent money coming off the books. In addition to the aforementioned pitchers, Jordan Montgomery’s deal expires after 2025. He’s making $22.5MM this year but won’t pitch at all due to Tommy John surgery. Eugenio Suárez is making $15MM this year and also slated for free agency. That will potentially create a hole at third base but it’s possible that prospect Jordan Lawlar could provide a cost-effective replacement. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is only guaranteed through 2026 and Ketel Marte 2027.

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic first reported the $45MM guarantee. John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM in Phoenix relayed the option values. Robert Murray of FanSided reported the limited no-trade protection and then the annual salary breakdown. Gambadoro then relayed that the no-trade covered five teams.

Photos courtesy of Joe Rondone and Rob Schumacher, Imagn Images

Marlins Outright Seth Martinez

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The Marlins assigned reliever Seth Martinez outright to Triple-A Jacksonville, according to the MLB.com transaction log. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on Wednesday. Martinez lost his roster spot when the Fish acquired righty Tyler Phillips from the division rival Phillies.

Martinez bounced around the league over the offseason. The Astros waived the out-of-options righty early in the winter. Arizona claimed him and kept him on their 40-man roster for the bulk of the offseason. They designated Martinez for assignment when they signed Kendall Graveman in February. Miami claimed him, lost him on waivers to Seattle a couple weeks later, then claimed him back halfway through Spring Training.

For all the roster shuffling, Martinez hasn’t thrown a big league pitch with anyone other than the Astros. He spent parts of four seasons in Houston’s middle innings group. The 30-year-old worked to a cumulative 3.93 earned run average over 137 1/3 innings. He posted a 3.59 mark across 52 2/3 frames last season. That came with a career-worst 16.2% strikeout rate and a well below-average 8.9% swinging strike percentage. Martinez has subpar velocity for a reliever, averaging 91 MPH on his fastball.

Miami will keep Martinez in the organization as non-roster bullpen depth. He doesn’t have the previous outright or three years of service time necessary to elect free agency. He’ll head to Jacksonville and try to work his way into the big league bullpen.

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