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Rangers, Nick Vincent Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran reliever Nick Vincent, reports MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (Twitter link). The right-hander will be invited to Major League camp in Spring Training. He’s represented by PSI Sports Management.

In Vincent, Texas is adding a nine-year Major League veteran who has a durable, effective track record. The 34-year-old spent the 2020 season with the Marlins, pitching to a 4.43 ERA and 4.52 SIERA in 22 1/3 innings, although nearly all of the damage done against Vincent came in his final two outings. He carried a 2.18 ERA into the final week of the season before serving up a combined six runs in two appearances at Atlanta’s Truist Park and Yankee Stadium.

As a soft-tossing righty in his mid-30s, it’s not a huge surprise that Vincent had to settle for a non-guaranteed pact, but based on his track record and the current state of the Rangers’ bullpen, he ought to have a good chance at making the club. The right-hander hasn’t been on the IL with an elbow or shoulder issue since 2014 — he did miss time in 2019 due to a pectoral strain — and has long been a steady source of quality innings. From 2013-19, Vincent punched out just under a quarter of the hitters he faced while walking batters at just a six percent clip (4.5 percent, if you throw out the intentional free passes).

On the whole, the former 18th-round pick has logged 399 innings at the Major League level, and he has a strong 3.38 ERA that is backed up by a near-identical 3.40 SIERA. Vincent’s strikeout rate dipped to 18.5 percent last year, and his hard-contact rate spiked to career-worst levels. Still, his walk rate remained strong and his track record is one that’s plenty worth a low-risk flier of this nature.

Reds Sign Nicky Delmonico

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The Reds announced this morning that they’ve signed outfielder/first baseman Nicky Delmonico to a minor league contract. The CAA client will be in Major League camp for Spring Training.

Delmonico, 28. has appeared in the big leagues with the White Sox in each of the past four seasons but has not recaptured the form he showed in a promising rookie campaign back in 2017. The former Orioles and Brewers prospect batted .262/.373/482 in 166 plate appearances during that excellent showing, but he’s managed just a .210/.287/.346 output in 408 trips to the plate over the three subsequent seasons.

Cincinnati already has a relatively crowded outfield mix, with Jesse Winker, Nick Senzel, Nick Castellanos, Shogo Akiyama, Aristides Aquino and Mark Payton among the options at the big league level. Delmonico could give them a left-handed bat off the bench or a depth option to stash at the Triple-A level, where he’s a career .262/.345/.424 hitter in 824 plate appearances.

Athletics Sign Deolis Guerra To Minor League Deal

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The Athletics have signed right-handed reliever Deolis Guerra to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training, the team announced.

Guerra, 32 in April, put up decent numbers with the Angels back in 2016-17 — 78 1/3 innings, 3.68 ERA, 17.8 percent strikeout rate, 5.8 percent walk rate — but he’s received few opportunities in the big leagues since that time. He spent the 2018 season with the Rangers and pitched well in Triple-A but didn’t get a call to the Majors. He was hit hard in a combined 10 games between the Brewers and Phillies in 2019-20.

Overall, Guerra owns a lackluster 4.81 ERA in 103 Major League innings, though his 3.94 SIERA is a bit more promising. His career 18.8 percent strikeout rate is noticeably south of the MLB average at this point, but his career 5.4 percent walk rate is better than average as well. Guerra has appeared in parts of eight Triple-A seasons and pitched to a strong 3.36 ERA through 343 frames there, carrying a much stronger strikeout rate (26.8 percent) with a slightly higher walk rate (6.9 percent) than he’s had in the big leagues.

Given the turnover in the Oakland bullpen, Guerra could have an opportunity to win a spot this spring. Closer Liam Hendriks has already signed with the White Sox, while each of Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria and T.J. McFarland are free agents.

Blue Jays, Francisco Liriano Agree To Deal

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10:00pm: Liriano will make a $1.5MM salary and could earn performance bonuses if he gets to the majors as a Jay, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet tweets.

9:12pm: The Blue Jays have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with left-hander Francisco Liriano, as Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun first reported. He’ll get an invite to major league spring training.

Liriano previously pitched for the Blue Jays from 2016-17, but they sent him to the Astros in the latter season in a deal that delivered outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to Toronto. Hernandez has since enjoyed quite a bit of success as a Blue Jay, though Liriano has been inconsistent dating back to the trade. He did, however, log a solid 3.47 ERA with 50.3 percent groundball rate in 70 innings and 69 appearances as a Pittsburgh reliever in 2019. The 37-year-old opted out of last season because of concerns centering on COVID-19.

Since his career began in 2005, Liriano has pitched for six organizations and piled up 419 appearances and 300 starts. He has put up a 4.15 ERA/3.93 SIERA with above-average strikeout and walk rates of 23.3 percent and 10.5 percent, respectively, over 1,813 2/3 innings. Liriano will presumably compete for a role in Toronto’s bullpen this spring.

Cubs, Andrew Chafin Agree To Major League Deal

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9:49pm: Chafin will earn $2.25MM in 2021, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, who adds that the deal includes a $5.25MM mutual option or a $500K buyout for 2022. Chafin could also make up to $500K in incentives based on games pitched in each of the two seasons, bringing his total guarantee to $2.75MM.

9:31pm: The Cubs have agreed to a major league contract with left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin, according to Zach Buchanan of The Athletic. Chafin is a client of Meister Sports Management.

Chafin ended last year with the Cubs, who acquired him from the Diamondbacks for young infielder Ronny Simon at the Aug. 31 deadline. A left finger sprain limited Chafin in Chicago late in the season, though, as he didn’t make his debut with the team until Sept. 20. The 30-year-old ultimately gave the Cubs three innings of one-run ball, though his finger issues held him to just 9 2/3 frames between the two clubs.

Since he debuted with the Diamondbacks in 2014, Chafin has notched a 3.67 ERA/3.60 SIERA with roughly average strikeout and walk percentages (25.0 and 10.1) and a solid groundball rate of 52.3 percent in 274 2/3 innings. He could enter this season as the most proven southpaw in a Cubs bullpen that’s largely devoid of established options in that respect.

Orioles Re-Sign Wade LeBlanc To Minor League Contract

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The Orioles have re-signed left-hander Wade LeBlanc to a minor league contract with an invitation to MLB camp, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets. LeBlanc will earn a $700K salary if he makes it to the majors this year.

The Orioles signed LeBlanc to a minors pact last offseason, and while he did ultimately earn a roster spot, he didn’t perform especially well or stay healthy. The journeyman ended up posting an 8.06 ERA/5.77 SIERA in 22 1/3 innings and six starts. LeBlanc’s season concluded near the end of August because of a stress fracture in his pitching elbow.

Although the soft-tossing LeBlanc wasn’t effective in 2020, Baltimore is still willing to take a low-risk chance on him again. The 36-year-old swingman does own a useful 4.55 ERA in 882 1/3 innings since he debuted in 2008, and the Orioles could use a veteran option – particularly if their potential Alex Cobb trade with the Angels goes through.

Yankees, Kyle Barraclough Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees have agreed to a minor league deal with free-agent right-hander Kyle Barraclough, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets. The contract includes an invitation to major league spring training.

In Barraclough, the Yankees are adding a hard-throwing 30-year-old who overcame control problems to prevent runs at a strong clip as part of the Marlins’ bullpen earlier in his career. Barraclough amassed 163 innings of 2.87 ERA ball from 2015-17, during which he logged a 31.7 percent strikeout rate against a 14.5 percent walk rate and averaged upward of 95 mph on his fastball.

Barraclough’s production declined during the next two seasons after his successful stretch, especially in a 2019 divided between the Nationals and Giants. He could only muster a 5.61 ERA in 33 2/3 innings that year, when his average heater dropped to 93.5 mph and his strikeout percentage hit a career-low 24.4. After the Giants cut ties with him, Barraclough signed a minors deal with the Padres last winter, but he elected free agency before the season started and didn’t catch on elsewhere.

Rangers Sign Spencer Patton To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers have signed right-hander Spencer Patton to a minor league contract, the team announced. The deal includes an invitation to major league spring training.

This will be the second Rangers stint for Patton, who pitched with the organization from 2014-15. Patton was most recently in the majors in 2016 as a member of the Cubs. In all, he has pitched to a 6.26 ERA/3.89 SIERA with a 23.7 percent strikeout rate and an 11.4 percent walk rate in 54 2/3 innings at the sport’s highest level.

After struggling in the bigs, Patton went to Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, where he spent the previous four seasons with the Yokohama BayStars. The 32-year-old put up a 3.68 ERA across 205 2/3 innings in Japan, and though he managed a much less impressive 4.92 mark in 2020, he did lead his league with 57 appearances. Patton then garnered interest from various MLB and NPB teams before choosing to return to the Rangers.

Red Sox Sign Enrique Hernandez

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TODAY: The Red Sox officially announced the two-year contract. Hernandez has a $6MM salary in 2021 and an $8MM salary in 2022, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, although the contract carries some heavy deferrals despite its affordable nature. Heyman indicates that $1.5MM of that 2021 salary will be paid in $250K installments from 2027-32, while $1MM of the 2022 salary will be paid in $250K installments from 2033-36.

JANUARY 22, 9:43pm: The contract includes deferrals, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets.

7:24pm: It’s a two-year, $14MM pact for Hernandez, Feinsand reports. As Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com points out, this is the biggest free-agent deal chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has given out since he took over Boston’s front office last offseason.

7:00pm: Boston has agreed to a multiyear deal with Hernandez, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Hernandez is a Wasserman client.

3:5opm: The Red Sox and free-agent utilityman Enrique Hernandez have made progress toward a contract and could have an agreement by the end of the weekend, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com.

A Boston-Hernandez agreement wouldn’t come as any surprise, as the two sides have been linked in rumors for at least the past few weeks. Plus, as Morosi notes, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was Team Puerto Rico’s GM in the 2017 World Baseball Classic when Hernandez was part of the club.

The 29-year-old Hernandez was a sixth-round pick of the Astros in 2009, but he has since been part of trades that have sent him to the Marlins and Dodgers. He found a home in Los Angeles from 2014-20, where he proved to be a useful cog as someone capable of playing all over the diamond (primarily second baseman and the outfield). He also recorded roughly league-average offensive production as a member of the Dodgers, with whom he batted .240/.312/.425 (98 wRC+) with 68 home runs 1,874 plate appearances. However, Hernandez’s numbers tailed off from 2019-20, so he shouldn’t come at an especially high price this offseason.

If he does join the Red Sox, Hernandez would be an obvious candidate to get significant reps at second base, where the club finished 25th in fWAR (minus-0.2) last season. Michael Chavis and Christian Arroyo are the only healthy second basemen on Boston’s 40-man roster at the moment. Of course, they also some have questions with Jackie Bradley Jr. a free agent and Andrew Benintendi a trade candidate, so Hernandez could also be a factor in the grass.

Phillies Sign Hector Rondon, David Paulino To Minors Deals

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12:25PM: Rondon will earn $1.5MM if he makes Philadelphia’s Major League roster, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link).  The righty can also earn up to $1MM in additional bonus incentives.

11:25AM: The Phillies announced that right-handers Hector Rondon and David Paulino have been signed to minor league contracts.  Both pitchers will receive invites to the team’s big league Spring Training camp.

Rondon hit the open market in October when the Diamondbacks bought out his $4MM 2021 club option for $500K.  It wasn’t an unexpected decision considering how Rondon struggled in his only season with Arizona, posting a 7.65 ERA over 20 innings with below-average 23.7% strikeout percentage and 12.4K-BB%.  Rondon also allowed six homers over his 20 frames of work.  This performance was a stark departure from the solid work Rondon delivered over his previous six seasons with the Cubs and Astros, so Philadelphia is surely hoping it has added some much-needed bullpen help at the lowered cost of a minor league contract.

Rondon posted a 3.06 ERA over 361 1/3 innings from 2014-19 with a 25.3K%, 18.7K-BB%, and 48.8% grounder rate, formerly serving as the Cubs’ closer and contributing to Chicago’s 2016 world championship team.  A consistent hard thrower over his career, Rondon’s fastball velocity dipped slightly to a 95.6mph average in 2020, though like all his stats, that could be attributed to the odd nature of the most recent season rather than a potential sign of decline heading into his age-33 season.

Paulino last appeared in the majors in 2018, pitching with the Blue Jays’ Triple-A club in 2019 after posting a 5.48 ERA over 42 2/3 career MLB innings with Houston and Toronto from 2016-18.  Once a top-100 prospect, Paulino has battled injuries and was issued an 80-game PED suspension in 2017.  Only a few days shy of his 27th birthday, Paulino could still be something of a late bloomer, so there’s no risk for the Phillies in bringing him to camp and seeing if some further potential can be unclocked.

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