Nationals Sign Edgar Garcia To Minor League Deal
The Nationals recently signed reliever Edgar García to a minor league contract. He’s been assigned to the team’s Double-A affiliate in Harrisburg, where he made his organizational debut yesterday.
García, 25, pitched in the majors each season from 2019-21. He’s logged time with four different clubs — the Phillies, Rays, Reds and Twins — and totaled 57 innings over 52 appearances. He owns a cumulative 7.74 ERA as he’s struggled immensely both to keep the ball in the park and avoid free passes. The righty averaged 94 MPH on his fastball last season, though, and he’s generated swinging strikes on a decent 11.3% of his career offerings.
A native of the Dominican Republic, García has had a lot more success keeping runs off the board in the minors. He owns a 3.20 ERA across 78 2/3 career Triple-A innings. García struggled with his control at that level last season, but he’d had capable strikeout and walk numbers in the minors before the 2021 campaign. That track record had been enough to intrigue a few organizations in recent years, and the Nats will see if he can get on track in another new environment.
Should García get off on a good run in the upper minors, there should be a path back to the major leagues. That he’s been assigned to Double-A rather than Triple-A Rochester could indicate he’ll need an extended impressive performance to put himself on the MLB radar, but the Washington bullpen is largely wide open. The Nationals have the league’s fourth-worst bullpen ERA (4.59) and ninth-worst strikeout/walk rate differential (12.3 percentage points).
Blue Jays Select Matt Gage
The Blue Jays announced they’ve selected reliever Matt Gage onto the MLB roster. Jeremy Beasley was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to clear an active roster spot, while Nate Pearson was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding 40-man move.
Gage is headed to the majors for the first time after spending eight years in the minor leagues. Drafted by the Giants out of Siena College in the tenth round in 2014, Gage spent four seasons in the San Francisco farm system. He topped out at Triple-A before being released, then spent some time in the Mets’ system and in the Mexican League. The southpaw worked as a starter through his time in Mexico but converted to relief after signing a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks heading into 2021.
The New York native dominated over seven Double-A appearances with the D-Backs, but he struggled with home runs en route to a 5.57 ERA in a hitter-friendly environment at Triple-A Reno. Gage qualified for minor league free agency again at the end of the season, and he’s off to a career-best start in Buffalo. The 29-year-old has tossed 16 2/3 innings with the Bisons, working to a sparkling 1.08 ERA. He’s fanned an excellent 32.3% of opposing hitters against a solid 7.7% walk rate to get a big league crack.
Toronto just traded Ryan Borucki to the Mariners over the weekend, thinning the lefty relief mix. Borucki was out of minor league option years, though, so the Jays were limited from a roster perspective with him scuffling. Gage has a trio of options remaining, so he’ll add a more flexible arm behind Andrew Vasquez while Tim Mayza is on the injured list.
Pearson has been out all season recovering from mononucleosis. Today’s IL transfer is strictly a procedural move that doesn’t affect his eligibility window. He’s ruled out for sixty days from Opening Day, not today, which we’ve already surpassed. Pearson is on a rehab assignment at Buffalo and should be reinstated within a couple weeks.
Padres Designate Kyle Tyler For Assignment
The Padres announced they’ve designated reliever Kyle Tyler for assignment. San Diego also sent righty Pedro Avila — whom the club hadn’t previously indicated was in DFA limbo — outright to Triple-A after he went unclaimed on waivers. The moves clear a pair of 40-man roster vacancies for Adrian Morejón and Michel Báez, each of whom have been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to the minor leagues.
Tyler is no stranger to the DFA process, as he was something of the 41st man for a few teams earlier this season. The righty was successively designated for assignment and waived by the Angels, Red Sox, Padres and Angels a second time before being claimed off waivers by the Friars (for the second time in as many months) on April 12. At that point, he finally stuck on a 40-man roster for a couple months, but he’ll lose his spot yet again after a rough start to the season at Triple-A El Paso.
The 25-year-old has tossed 16 2/3 innings across 11 outings with the Chihuahuas, posting a 5.51 ERA. Tyler has punched out a solid 26.8% of batters faced but walked an untenable 19.7% of opponents. That marked a rather surprising turn of events for the former 20th-round pick, who had filled up the strike zone for essentially his entire minor league career prior to this season. That track record earned him his first five big league outings with the Halos last season and caught the attention of a few organizations during the first few weeks of this year. Tyler will now be traded or waived yet again in the coming week.
Avila has gotten to the big leagues in three of the past four years, but he’s made just four cumulative appearances. A well-regarded prospect early in his pro career, he’s seen his stock dip since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2019. He didn’t pitch in 2020 and spent almost all of last season in the upper minors after being non-tendered and re-signed to a minor league deal. San Diego selected him to make a start during last season’s final weekend after falling out of playoff contention, and he’d been on the 40-man roster since then.
He’s spent the bulk of this season as a member of the Chihuahuas, only making two MLB appearances. Avila has a disappointing 8.10 ERA in El Paso, where he’s allowed five homers in 23 1/3 frames and walked 15.6% of batters faced. That rough stretch cost the 25-year-old his roster spot. Avila has never been outrighted in his career and has barely any MLB service time, so he can’t refuse the assignment. He’ll remain in El Paso and try to earn another MLB crack.
Morejón will also be on that roster for the time being, as San Diego has optioned him to Triple-A. A one-time top pitching prospect, the southpaw opened last season in the Friars’ rotation. He required Tommy John surgery after just two starts, though, and the procedure obviously ended his campaign before it really got going. Morejón opened this year on the IL as he continued his recovery, but he’s spent the past few weeks in the minors on a rehab appearance. The 23-year-old has thus far topped out at three innings in a game as the team gradually builds his arm strength back.
Pitchers are allotted up to 30 days for rehab stints (although that can be extended for pitchers recovering from TJS with commissioner’s office approval). Whether the club applied for a lengthier rehab leash or not is unclear, but Morejón will now reassume a 40-man roster spot while the optional assignment provides him something of an unofficial rehab opportunity. The Padres already have a rotation logjam, so they can afford to take their time bringing along a young pitcher who is no doubt still viewed as a key piece of the organizational future.
It’s a nearly identical situation for Báez, who has been optioned to Double-A San Antonio. The 26-year-old reliever saw some MLB action between 2019-20, but he underwent a Tommy John procedure late last spring. He’s been on the IL since then but has made nine minor league appearances as he builds his arm back up.
Twins Sign Aaron Sanchez, Tyler Thornburg To Minors Deals
The Twins have agreed to a minor league contract with starter Aaron Sanchez, reports Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (Twitter link). Minnesota also signed reliever Tyler Thornburg to a non-roster deal over the weekend, assigning him to Triple-A St. Paul.
Sanchez began the season in the Nationals’ organization after signing a minor league deal in March. He opened the year in Triple-A but was selected to the majors in mid-April. The 29-year-old made seven starts with the Nats but was tagged for an 8.33 ERA as he struck out a career-low 11.3% of opposing hitters. Sanchez threw a fair amount of strikes and induced grounders on over the half the batted balls against him, but he surrendered six home runs in 31 1/3 innings while struggling to miss bats.
Washington designated Sanchez for assignment and outrighted him off their roster late last month, at which point he elected free agency. The Southern California native once looked like a potential rotation building block for the Blue Jays, making an All-Star appearance and leading American League qualifiers in ERA in 2016. Sanchez has assumed more of a journeyman role in the last few seasons, though, particularly since undergoing shoulder surgery in September 2019. After working in the mid-upper 90s at peak, he averaged just north of 90 MPH on his fastball with the Giants last year and a pedestrian 92 MPH for Washington this season.
Thornburg has also spent time in the NL East this year, as he began the season with the Braves. Atlanta had signed the veteran reliever to a $900K contract during Spring Training, and he opened the season in the big league bullpen. Thornburg allowed six runs (four earned) in 9 1/3 frames, striking out ten while issuing five walks. His early-season velocity was right in line with career norms, but Thornburg’s swing-and-miss rate was underwhelming and the Braves had consigned him to lower-leverage work. Atlanta designated him for assignment and released him in late May.
The 33-year-old has appeared in parts of nine MLB seasons, suiting up with the Brewers, Red Sox, Reds and Braves. Thornburg was quietly one of the league’s more effective late-game weapons in Milwaukee between 2013-16, but he’s struggled with injuries and underperformance in the years since then. Thornburg, who made his organizational debut with St. Paul yesterday, will try to pitch his way into a Minnesota bullpen that has been middle-of-the-pack thus far.
The rotation was generally expected to be a weakness, but Twins’ starters enter play Monday with the 7th-lowest collective ERA (3.54). That’s a big reason the club is currently sitting 32-24 and four and a half games clear of the competition in the AL Central, but they’ve been hit by a series of injuries over the past month.
Minnesota lost another rotation member this evening, announcing that right-hander Bailey Ober has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 3, due to a right groin strain. That’s the same issue that already resulted in an IL stint earlier in the season, as he was on the shelf for the first three weeks of May.
Ober made it back to the mound on May 22, and he’s made three starts since returning. The 26-year-old has allowed nine runs in 14 innings over that time, and he’ll apparently need some more time to recover. Ober earned himself a season-opening rotation spot with a solid 4.19 ERA showing across 20 starts as a rookie last year. He’d allowed only eight runs in 19 2/3 innings through four April outings prior to his first IL stint.
Minnesota is also without Joe Ryan — currently on the COVID-19 IL — and Sonny Gray, who hit the IL late last week due to a pectoral strain. Josh Winder has been out since mid-May dealing with a shoulder impingement, and the team lost Chris Paddack to Tommy John surgery last month. Dylan Bundy, Devin Smeltzer and Chris Archer are rotation locks, with Cole Sands probably the top depth option on the 40-man roster. Prospects Jordan Balazovic and Ronny Henriquez are already on the 40-man and starting games with St. Paul, but both have struggled mightily this year. Sanchez joins Chi Chi González as experienced, non-roster depth options with the Saints.
In additional procedural moves, the Twins reinstated four players — Max Kepler, Emilio Pagán, Trevor Megill and Caleb Thielbar — from the restricted list. Jharel Cotton and Ian Hamilton, both of whom had been selected to the roster as designated COVID-19 substitutes before the club’s weekend series in Toronto, have been removed from the 40-man and returned to St. Paul. That’s also true of González, who started Friday’s game but was returned over the weekend.
Astros Sign Yordan Alvarez To Six-Year Extension
June 6: The Astros have formally announced Alvarez’s six-year deal. They’ll hold a press conference this afternoon at 2:30pm CT.
June 3, 12:48pm: Alvarez’s contract breaks down in the form of a $5MM signing bonus followed by annual salaries of $7MM (2023), $10MM (2024), $15MM (2025) and $26MM (2026-28), Mark Berman of Houston’s FOX 26 reports (Twitter link). He’s already passed a physical.
12:19pm: The Astros have agreed to terms on a six-year, $115MM contract extension with Yordan Alvarez, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link). The contract begins next season and will cover the 2023-28 seasons. Alvarez is represented by the MVP Sports Group.
Alvarez, 25 later this month, was on pace to reach free agency following the 2025 season and would have hit the open market at at just 28 years of age. Instead, his new contract will buy out all three of his arbitration seasons and give the Astros control over what would have been Alvarez’s first three free-agent seasons. Alvarez technically won’t reach three years of Major League service time until tomorrow, but since the contract begins next year, it can effectively be viewed as the second-largest deal ever signed by a player in the three-plus service bracket, trailing only Freddie Freeman‘s eight-year, $135MM extension with the Braves back in 2014.
Acquired in a flat-out heist that sent reliever Josh Fields to the Dodgers, Alvarez burst onto the Major League scene in 2019 when he mashed at a .313/.412/.655 pace and crushed 27 home runs in just 369 plate appearances. Despite barely spending half the season in the Majors (87 games), Alvarez was the unanimous American League Rookie of the Year. While he missed nearly the entire 2020 season due to arthroscopic surgery that was performed on both knees, he was back in full force a year later, hitting .277/.346/.531 with 33 home runs in 598 trips to the plate.
Since making his big league debut, Alvarez has quite simply been one of the best hitters on the planet. He’s a career .287/.370/.576 hitter, and the resulting 156 wRC+ (indicating he’s 56% better than the league-average hitter) sits just ahead of Juan Soto and trails only Mike Trout (177) among all qualified MLB hitters in that span.
Alvarez achieves his dominance at the plate through a keen eye (10.8% walk rate), improving bat-to-ball skills (his 17.6% strikeout rate is down from his rookie year’s 25.5% mark) and, most importantly, through hitting the ever-loving snot out of the ball. Since 2019, Alvarez ranks third in the Majors in both average exit velocity (93.3 mph) and overall hard-hit rate (54.2%), as well as eighth in barrel rate (16.1%) per Statcast. He’s taken that pristine Statcast profile to new heights in 2022, as he’s currently leading the Majors in hard-hit rate, expected slugging percentage and expected wOBA.
While Alvarez is primarily a designated hitter and figures to spend even less time in the field as he ages, he’s still seeing a decent chunk of time in left field. He’s logged 155 innings there this year and 540 innings through 278 big league games. He doesn’t rate as a strong outfielder but also hasn’t necessarily drawn butcher-esque reviews for his defense to this point (-2 Defensive Runs Saved, 0.3 Ultimate Zone Rating, and a more bearish -5 Outs Above Average). No one is going to mistake Alvarez for a potential Gold Glove candidate, but as an occasional option to give the Astros’ regular outfielders a breather, he’s a passable enough option who can be relied upon to make the routine plays.
Alvarez is now signed longer than any other Astros player, surpassing Lance McCullers Jr., whose contract runs through the 2026 season. His extension gives the ‘Stros a hefty $107MM on next year’s books before the offseason even begins and with several key arbitration cases (e.g. Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier) to address. Houston has more than $100MM committed as far out as the 2024 season, although for a team that flirted with the luxury tax in 2021 and took its actual 2021 payroll upwards of $190MM last year, that’s not an dire outlay.
The Alvarez extension ensures that he, Tucker, Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve will continue to anchor the Houston lineup through at least the 2024 season (when the contracts of Alruve and Bregman are set to expire). Young shortstop Jeremy Pena has given every reason to believe so far that he can be counted among that core group of hitters, and the Astros are hopeful that prospects like Pedro Leon, Colin Barber and Korey Lee could eventually do the same.
White Sox Sign Mike Wright To Minor League Deal
The White Sox signed right-hander Mike Wright Jr. to a minor league contract, per an announcement from the team’s Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights. Wright actually started yesterday’s game for the Knights, tossing six innings of three-run ball while allowing three hits and two walks with one strikeout.
It’s the second ChiSox stint for Wright, who was with the South Siders in 2021 as well. He had a nice run with the Knights in 2021 when he pitched to a 3.40 ERA over the life of 95 1/3 innings, but Wright was tagged for 11 earned runs in 18 big league frames (5.50 ERA) with as many walks issued as strikeouts recorded (11 apiece).
Wright — who has also spent parts of five seasons with the Orioles, one with the Mariners and one with the Korea Baseball Organization’s NC Dinos — opened the 2022 season with the Dodgers’ Triple-A club after signing a minor league deal in Spring Training. He worked to a 4.46 ERA in 34 1/3 frames with their affiliate in Oklahoma City but posted a more concerning 13% walk rate against just a 16.9% strikeout rate. Overall, he’s pitched 276 big league innings but has just a 5.97 earned run average to his credit thus far.
Wright will give the Sox some needed depth after a series of injuries and some pronounced struggles from Dallas Keuchel have thinned out their starting depth in 2022. Lance Lynn has yet to pitch this season after undergoing spring knee surgery, though he’s on a rehab assignment and finally nearing his season debut. Vince Velasquez has struggled quite a bit himself and recently landed on the injured list owing to a groin strain. Keuchel, meanwhile, pitched himself off the roster entirely by logging a 7.88 ERA in 32 innings (eight starts). The Sox designated him for assignment and released him last week.
Lucas Giolito recently returned from the injured list, and the Sox have gotten a better-than-expected performance from former All-Star Johnny Cueto, who inked a minor league deal himself back in early April. Cueto blanked the Royals and the Yankees over six frames apiece in a pair of road outings to begin his White Sox tenure. He was tagged by the Cubs for five runs in his debut at Guaranteed Rate Field and has since tossed a quality start on the road against the Jays as well. Overall, he’s sporting a 2.92 ERA in 24 2/3 frames, cementing his place on the starting staff alongside Giolito, Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech and (barring any late setbacks) the soon-to-return Lynn.
Wright, then, will join rookie Davis Martin and fellow righty Jimmy Lambert as Triple-A depth. He’ll likely be behind that pair on the depth chart given that they’re already on the 40-man roster, but health issues and a slightly condensed 2022 schedule — thanks to the season’s late start — could create some opportunities for Wright down the line if he throws well in Charlotte.
Cubs Outright Robert Gsellman
Right-hander Robert Gsellman, whom the Cubs designated for assignment back on May 30, went unclaimed on outright waivers, as first indicated on the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. The longtime Mets right-hander has enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, but Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register tweeted this weekend that Gsellman has rejoined the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.
Non-tendered by the Mets last winter, Gsellman signed a minor league deal with Chicago and had has contract selected in early May after posting a tidy 1.17 ERA through 15 1/3 innings with the Cubs’ Iowa affiliate. Gsellman worked an identical number of innings in the Majors following that initial call to the big league roster, but he was tagged for 10 runs (eight earned) on 17 hits and three walks with nine punchouts prior to his DFA.
The 28-year-old Gsellman has battled his share of injuries but has at times been a solid middle relief/setup option for the Mets. Over the past five years in Queens, Gsellman has dealt with a hamstring strain, a ribcage fracture, a pair triceps injuries and, most recently in 2021, a lat strain that limited him to just 17 appearances. Gsellman sustained that lat strain in a June 19 appearance for the Mets last summer and didn’t return to the mound until the final weekend of the season, on Oct. 2.
Gsellman’s 93.5 mph average heater in 2022 was down from its 95.5 mph peak (2019), and his 41.2% grounder rate through those 15 1/3 frames was considerably south of the career 48.6% mark he carried into the 2022 season. He also allowed far too much hard contact, with exactly half the balls put in play against him clocking it at 95 mph or more. Given the inexperienced state of the Cubs’ bullpen — plus the looming likelihood of trades involving veteran arms like David Robertson, Mychal Givens and Daniel Norris — there ought to be future opportunities for Gsellman to work his way back into the big league mix if he continues performing well in Triple-A.
Padres Place Wil Myers On IL With Knee Inflammation
TODAY: The arthroscopic procedure is expected to keep Myers out of action for roughly a month, Kevin Acee writes.
JUNE 3: The Padres announced that they have placed outfielder Wil Myers on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 1, due to right knee inflammation. Fellow outfielder Brent Rooker was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
While there’s no timeline on Myers’ absence just yet, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune provides some more information, including speaking to Myers himself. “I don’t think this is something that’s (going to be) many months by any means,” he says. However, Acee adds that arthroscopic surgery is still being considered, a procedure that would be aimed at cleaning up a loose cartilage flap behind the patellar tendon in his right knee. Despite Myers’ apparent lack of concern, surgery would surely alter his recovery timeline.
This is Myers’ second IL trip this year, as he also spent almost two weeks on the shelf due to a thumb injury. Perhaps due to that ailment and this knee issue, he is having the worst season of his career. Acquired from the Rays at the end of 2014, he’s played in seven seasons in San Diego, producing above average production in six of them. His wRC+ has been 107 or higher in those six seasons, with 2019’s 97 being his only below-average campaign. However, this year, he’s hitting .234/.276/.306 for a wRC+ of just 66.
Despite a solid 30-21 record, the Padres haven’t gotten too much production from their outfield this year. Jurickson Profar is having a decent bounceback year, hitting .226/.326/.392 for a wRC+ of 109, but Trent Grisham is hitting .159/.275/.280 for a wRC+ of 67, just barely ahead of Myers. The only other outfielder to have played more than ten games on the year is Jose Azocar, who is hitting .254/.318/.305 for a wRC+ of 83. Nomar Mazara was added to the roster recently after a good showing in Triple-A, replacing Robinson Cano. Now Rooker, acquired in the Taylor Rogers–Chris Paddack trade, will enter the mix as well. Through 26 Triple-A games this year, Rooker has hit nine homers and produced a slash line of .242/.357/.568, 124 wRC+.
The long-term prognosis of this knee injury could have impacts down the line, as the 31-year-old is potentially heading to free agency at the end of the year. As part of the extension he and the club signed prior to the 2017 season, they have a team option for Myers’ services next year valued at $20MM, with a $1MM buyout.
Mariners Release Asher Wojciechowski, Ian McKinney
The Mariners have released right-hander Asher Wojciechowski and left-hander Ian McKinney from their minor league contracts, according to Triple-A Tacoma director of media relations Paul Braverman (Twitter link). Both Wojciechowski and McKinney initially re-signed with Seattle in February.
Wojciechowski has pitched in parts of five MLB seasons since 2015, including a single game with the Yankees during the 2021 campaign. After being released by New York last summer, Wojciechowski signed on with the Mariners on a minors contract but didn’t receive a call to the big leagues, and he elected free agency once the offseason began.
The righty has a 5.93 ERA over 202 career innings, in large part due to a whopping 45 home runs allowed. A first-round pick for the Blue Jays back in 2010, the 33-year-old Wojciechowski has become a journeyman, pitching with nine different organizations at the major and minor league levels across 13 pro seasons.
McKinney is only 27 years old, but has nine seasons in the minors on his resume, pitching in the Cardinals system from 2013-18 and then joining the Mariners in 2019 following a brief stint in independent ball. The southpaw didn’t reach the Triple-A level until 2021 but the results haven’t been good — McKinney has a 7.22 ERA, 15.86% strikeout rate, and 12.75% walk rate over 76 innings in Tacoma in 2021-22.
While neither pitcher was performing well for the Rainiers, the releases do remove two swingman/long relief options from the Mariners’ depth chart. The M’s have gotten a lot of stability out of their rotation this year, with Marco Gonzalez, Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert, and Chris Flexen all making their starts, and star prospect George Kirby stepping with some quality work after Matt Brash struggled over five outings.
Cardinals Place Corey Dickerson On 10-Day Injured List
The Cardinals placed outfielder Corey Dickerson on the 10-day injured list due to a left calf strain. Right-hander Jake Walsh was called up from Triple-A to take the open spot on the active roster, and in another move, Jake Woodford was also optioned back to Triple-A after serving as the 27th man for yesterday’s doubleheader.
Dickerson left the first game of that doubleheader in the second inning, so it isn’t surprising that he’ll now head to the IL. The injury adds to what has been a rough season for Dickerson, as he has hit only .194/.245/.286 over 106 plate appearances since signing a one-year, $5MM free agent in March. In a cruel twist of fate, Dickerson’s injury comes just a day after his best performance in a St. Louis uniform, as Dickerson hit his first two home runs of the season in Friday’s 14-5 win over the Cubs.
While Dickerson’s absence leaves the Cardinals more shorthanded in the outfield, Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson could be back from their own IL stints within a few days. Brendan Donovan has also emerged as a multi-position option, and Lars Nootbaar is on hand to more specifically fill Dickerson’s role as a left-handed complement within a largely right-handed lineup. Tommy Edman could also factor into the outfield picture when not playing shortstop, and Albert Pujols could get more DH at-bats against right-handed pitching while Dickerson is out.