Twins, Daniel Gossett Agree To Minor League Deal
The Twins have inked Daniel Gossett to a minor league contract, according to the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. It’s unclear whether the 29-year-old will receive an invitation to big league Spring Training.
Gossett appeared in the big leagues with the A’s between 2017-18. Oakland selected the right-hander in the second round out of Clemson in 2014, and he was ranked among their top 30 prospects in each of the three years preceding his debut. The bulk of Gossett’s MLB action came in his rookie season, when he made 18 starts and worked 91 1/3 innings. The South Carolina native made only five big league starts the following year and underwent Tommy John surgery that August.
Between his two big league seasons, Gossett posted a 5.91 ERA/4.90 SIERA over 115 2/3 frames. He demonstrated strong control (7.6% walk rate) but also didn’t miss many bats (16.3% strikeout percentage) and struggled significantly with the home run ball. The elbow procedure cost Gossett all of 2019, and he didn’t pitch in 2020 owing to the cancelation of the minor league season. He spent last year with the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate, posting a 4.22 ERA over 98 innings but with subpar strikeout and walk rates (19% and 10.8%, respectively).
The Twins have very little stability in their starting rotation at the moment. Bailey Ober earned a spot with a quality rookie showing, and Minnesota bought low on Dylan Bundy after a tough 2021 campaign. Top prospect Joe Ryan looks to have the inside track on a season-opening spot as well, but the Twins will likely have to add a couple starters whenever the lockout concludes. Having not pitched in the bigs since 2018, Gossett seems likelier to open the season with Triple-A St. Paul than to break camp with the big league club.
Orioles, Shed Long Agree To Minor League Deal
The Orioles are in agreement with free agent second baseman Shed Long on a minor league contract, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link). Long was outrighted off the Mariners’ 40-man roster and elected minor league free agency at the end of the season, making him eligible to sign a non-roster deal during the lockout.
Long was a well-regarded prospect coming up in the Reds’ farm system. A left-handed power bat, he posted above-average offensive numbers up through Double-A. Most evaluators were never enamored with his defensive ability, but he looked like a possible bat-first regular at the keystone. The Mariners acquired Long over the 2019-20 offseason as part of the three-team trade that sent Sonny Gray from the Yankees to Cincinnati.
The following season, Long had a fairly promising debut showing. He hit .263/.333/.454 over his first 168 MLB plate appearances, albeit with unimpressive defensive marks and batted ball metrics. That was enough for Long to open the 2020 campaign as Seattle’s starting second baseman, but his past two seasons have been plagued by injury. He played for much of that season with a stress fracture in his right shin, eventually undergoing surgery in September.
Unfortunately, the procedure didn’t work as planned. Long continued to experience inflammation in the area in 2021, delaying his season debut until early June. He played for a bit more than a month, struggling to post serviceable numbers, before winding up back on the injured list in early August. Long spent the reason of last season on the shelf, and Seattle cut him loose at the end of the year.
Altogether, he owns just a .216/.284/.376 line over 417 MLB plate appearances. It seems fair to assume he hasn’t been completely healthy in either of the past two seasons, though, making this a reasonable flier for the O’s to take. Long is still just 26 years old, and he can be controlled for four seasons if he earns a spot on the roster and finds his stride at the plate.
There should be plenty of opportunity for him to do just that if he shows well in Spring Training. Rougned Odor is currently pencilled in as the second baseman in Baltimore. He’s coming off a third straight well below-average showing, so the O’s probably aren’t wedded to Odor playing on an everyday basis. Long also has some experience in left field and could compete for a spot as a multi-positional bench bat, although it seems unlikely he’d take much playing time from Austin Hays in the grass.
Minor MLB Transactions: 2/16/22
Major League transactions remain frozen while the lockout drags on, but minor league transactions are still allowed — and the many independent leagues throughout the country are still up and running. It’s common for former minor league and major league players alike to suit up for teams on the indie circuit, regularly using them as a catapult back into affiliated ball. Here’s a quick look at a couple former big leaguers who’ve signed on with independent teams over the past week…
- Former White Sox outfielder Charlie Tilson has signed on with the Chicago Dogs of the American Association, per a team announcement. The 29-year-old’s last big league action came with the ChiSox in 2019, when he appeared in 54 games and batted .229/.293/.285 through 157 trips to the plate. Tilson, a 2011 second-round pick of the Cardinals, originally landed in Chicago in a trade that sent lefty reliever Zach Duke to St. Louis. It was a dream scenario for the Illinois native and childhood White Sox fan, who debuted with his hometown club just two days after the trade. Unfortunately, Tilson tore his hamstring during his MLB debut and required season-ending surgery. That’s a particularly problematic injury for a player whose speed was his top tool. Tilson, who swiped 46 bags in 134 Double-A games back in 2015, has stolen just 36 bases over his past 298 professional games since that surgery. He spent the bulk of his 2021 season with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate, where he hit .296/.361/.404 in 232 plate appearances. Overall, he’s a .246/.311/.290 hitter in 279 Major League plate appearances.
- Right-hander Rob Whalen signed with the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League, per the team. The former Braves and Mariners right-hander briefly retired a couple of years ago but returned to professional ball in 2020 when he signed a minor league pact with the Mets. That deal effectively went up in smoke when the Covid-19 shutdown prompted teams throughout the league to release the majority of its minor league signees due to the lack of a minor league season. Whalen pitched with the Wild Things last season as well, parlaying a strong 15 1/3-inning showing into a minor league deal with the Twins. He struggled with Minnesota’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, however, yielding 23 runs in 24 innings during his first stint in affiliated ball since 2018. Whalen has just a 5.75 ERA in 36 big league innings, but he sports a 3.73 ERA as a minor leaguer. Back in 2018, Whalen spoke with FanGraphs’ David Laurila about his battles with anxiety and depression, which prompted his brief retirement, and the importance of prioritizing mental health and seeking help when needed.
Matt Shoemaker Signs With NPB’s Yomiuri Giants
FEBRUARY 15: Shoemaker’s deal with Yomiuri is now official, according to an announcement from his representatives (on Twitter).
FEBRUARY 5: According to a Japanese-language report from Sports Hochi, Matt Shoemaker is nearing agreement on a deal with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (h/t to Sung Min Kim). If finalized, it’d be the first career stint outside of North America for the client of Beverly Hills Sports Council.
Shoemaker has pitched in the majors in each of the past nine seasons. He broke in with a one-start cameo for the Angels in 2013 but was a regular member of their starting staff over the next few years. Shoemaker worked 135+ innings every year between 2014-16, posting quality mid-rotation numbers throughout that run. Unfortunately, the righty dealt with recurring health issues over the next few seasons. He underwent surgeries to address nerve issues in his forearm during both 2017 and 2018 before suffering a season-ending ACL tear five starts into the 2019 campaign.
After returning to make six starts with the Blue Jays during the abbreviated 2020 schedule, the Michigan native signed a one-year deal with the Twins last offseason. The stint in Minnesota didn’t go well, as Shoemaker’s strikeout rate tumbled to a career-worst 14.1% while he struggled mightily to keep the ball in the yard. He was outrighted off the Twins’ 40-man roster in early July and released from Triple-A St. Paul a month later.
Late last season, Shoemaker hooked on with the San Francisco Giants on a minors deal. He fared better over nine appearances (eight starts) with their top affiliate in Sacramento. His 4.83 ERA there isn’t eye-catching, but Shoemaker both quieted his home run concerns and posted plus strikeout and walk numbers (26% and 4.3%, respectively). Nevertheless, he didn’t get a big league call with San Francisco and elected minor league free agency after the season.
Presuming a deal gets completed, Shoemaker will head to Japan owner of a 4.24 ERA/4.03 SIERA across 662 2/3 major league innings. He’ll likely take on a key rotation role with the Tokyo-based club, which has also landed recent big leaguers Gregory Polanco and Matt Andriese this winter. Shoemaker turned 35 years old in September, but given his lengthy track record, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him reappear on the MLB radar next offseason if he performs well in Japan.
Felix Doubront Signs With Mexican League’s Saraperos De Saltillo
Former big league southpaw Félix Doubront has signed with the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League, according to an announcement from the team (on Twitter). It’ll be Doubront’s second career stint with the Saraperos, for whom he made 17 starts in 2019.
Doubront, now 34 years old, split the 2019 season between the Saraperos and the Pericos de Puebla. After not pitching in 2020, he made the jump to Taiwan last offseason. The Venezuela native caught on with the Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. He went on to have a fair amount of success there, posting a 3.42 ERA across 84 1/3 innings, offsetting a lack of swing-and-miss (19% strikeout rate) with plus control (6.5% walk percentage).
In addition to his time in Mexico and Taiwan, Doubront spent the 2018 campaign in the Korea Baseball Organization. He’s better known to fans in the United States for the big league stint that predated those jumps to various foreign professional leagues. A well-regarded prospect during his days in the Red Sox’s farm system, Doubront got to the majors in 2010. He spent the next three-plus seasons with Boston, working as a regular member of the starting rotation for the Sox in both 2012 and 2013.
Doubront was solid in the latter season, pitching to a 4.32 ERA over 162 1/3 frames for the eventual World Series champions. He got off to a rough start in 2014, though, and he was traded to the Cubs at that summer’s deadline. Cut loose by Chicago after the year, he split the following season with the Blue Jays and A’s but struggled at both stops. He hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since then, and he rejoins the Saraperos owner of a career 4.89 ERA/4.23 SIERA in 513 2/3 MLB innings.
Minor MLB Transactions: 2/15/22
Major League free agency remains in a transactions freeze, but teams are still inking players to minor league pacts as we await a new collective bargaining agreement. Here’s a quick look at a couple former prospects of note who’ve agreed to deals in recent days…
- The Phillies signed former Red Sox prospect and Philadelphia native Josh Ockimey to a minor league contract, as announced by Ockimey himself (on Twitter). The 26-year-old slugger was Boston’s fifth-round pick back in 2014 and consistently ranked among the organization’s top 25 prospects at Baseball America throughout his time there, peaking at No. 10 in the 2016-17 offseason. A left-handed-hitting first baseman, Ockimey posted solid numbers up through Double-A before beginning to struggle in Triple-A. He’s still drawn his walks (16.6%) and hit for power (.221 ISO) at the minors’ top level, but Ockimey’s 31.4% strikeout rate in Triple-A has contributed to a .214/.349/.435 overall slash line in 933 plate appearances there. He’ll give the Phillies some additional depth at first and at designated hitter — assuming the universal DH is implemented after the lockout, as expected.
- Catcher Chris Betts is headed to the Dodgers on a minor league contract, per the transactions log at MLB.com. The 24-year-old was the No. 52 overall pick by the Rays back in 2015 but missed his first full season after requiring Tommy John surgery. He ranked among Tampa Bay’s top prospects at Baseball America up until the 2018 season but has struggled to stay healthy throughout his pro career. Betts appeared in a career-high 110 games with the Rays’ Class-A affiliate in ’19, hitting .210/.333/.400 in 472 plate appearances. He appeared in just 27 games and tallied only 89 plate appearances in 2021, but he’ll give the Dodgers a once well-regarded catching prospect to stash in the middle levels of their system in 2022, if healthy. Betts drew praise for his bat speed and raw power back when BA ranked him as the 2015 draft’s No. 28 overall prospect, but he’s a project for the Dodgers at this point.
Minor MLB Transactions: 2/12/22
Today’s minor league moves from around the baseball world…
- The Rockies signed right-hander Zach Lee to a minor league deal, as per the team’s official transactions page. The 28th overall pick of the 2010 draft, Lee was a regular on top-100 prospect lists during his time in the Dodgers farm system, but Los Angeles fans may remember Lee best as the player dealt to the Mariners for Chris Taylor in June 2016. Lee has pitched only 12 2/3 innings at the big league level and hasn’t appeared in an MLB game since 2017, bouncing around to several different organizations on minor league contracts. Still only 30 years old, Lee will now head to the Rockies’ camp to try and earn another trip back to the Show.
Mariners Sign Erick Mejia To Minor League Deal
The Mariners have signed infielder/outfielder Erick Mejia to a minor league deal, per Triple-A director of media relations Paul Braverman. Mejia was never on a 40-man roster in 2021, making him eligible to sign a contract during the lockout.
Mejia got a cup of coffee with the Royals in both 2019 and 2020, getting 43 plate appearances in 17 MLB games. In that small sample, he slashed .167/.244/.222. The Royals non-tendered him and then re-signed him to a minor league deal prior to the 2021 campaign. In 55 Triple-A games, he hit .246/.317/.409.
Despite that meager offensive production, the 27-year-old Mejia surely appeals to the Mariners due to his defensive versatility, something all MLB teams value these days. He has seen time at second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions, making him a fallback option should injuries damage either their infield or outfield depth.
This is Mejia’s second stint with the Mariners, as he was originally signed by the team back in June 2012 as an amateur free agent. After spending his first three-plus pro seasons in Seattle’s organization, the M’s traded Mejia to the Dodgers for Joe Wieland in January 2016. This wasn’t the only prominent trade of Mejia’s career, as he went to Kansas City in January 2018 as part of a three-team deal involving the Dodgers and White Sox.
Braverman also notes that the M’s have re-signed left-handed pitcher Ian McKinney, who joined Seattle’s farm system in 2019 after six seasons in the Cardinals’ organization. McKinney got off to a good start this past season, as he posted a 2.18 ERA and 37.6% strikeout rate (albeit with an 11.3% walk rate) over 33 innings over over six starts in Double-A. However, after a promotion to Triple-A, McKinney’s numbers went south, with a 6.04 ERA and 19.8% strikeout rate over 52 2/3 innings (starting 10 of 11 games).
Dodgers Sign Stefen Romero To Minor League Contract
The Dodgers have signed first baseman/outfielder Stefen Romero to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Romero was an intriguing prospect for the Mariners but wasn’t able to translate his minor league success to the majors. He saw action with Seattle over three seasons, from 2014 to 2016, getting 233 plate appearances in 94 games. Over that stretch, he hit .195/.242/.307.
Following the 2016 season, the Mariners released Romero to sign with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Romero took full advantage of that opportunity in Japan, slugging 96 home runs over the past five seasons, with an overall line of .264/.331/.497.
Now 33, Romero has seen his playing time in the field diminish in recent years, often slotting in as a designated hitter. The last time he played more than 50 games in the field in a given season was 2018, when he spent 66 of his 119 games on the outfield grass for the Buffaloes. It would be difficult for Romero to crack a Dodgers outfield that currently consists of Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and AJ Pollock. Max Muncy is lined up at first base, but that was also the case in 2021 when Albert Pujols got into 85 Dodger games as a platoon/bench bat. Both Pujols and Romero are right-handed, making it possible that Romero could be tasked with filling a similar role in 2022 as Pujols did last year. It’s widely expected that the National League will implement the DH as part of the next CBA, which would increase Romero’s chances of getting a shot at joining the Dodgers.
Phillies Sign Yairo Munoz To Minor League Deal
The Phillies have signed infield Yairo Munoz to a minor league deal, per the team’s transactions log at MLB.com. Munoz was outrighted off Boston’s 40-man roster in October and elected minor league free agency at season’s end, making him eligible to sign during the lockout.
Munoz, 27, has seen action in each of the past four MLB seasons, but with his playing time diminishing each year. After playing 108 games for the Cardinals in 2018, that went down to 88 in 2019. Munoz had shown some potential over those two seasons, slashing .273/.331/.391, with strikeout and walk rates of 21.2% and 7.3%. However, before the 2020 season, the Cardinals released Munoz when he left the team during spring training and flew home without notifying the club, reportedly dissatisfied with his lack of playing time.
He signed with the Red Sox a few weeks later and saw sporadic big league action with them over the past couple of seasons, 12 games in 2020 and five games last year. But in 88 Triple-A games last year, he hit .308/.340/.444, with a meager 4.2% walk rate but striking out in just 14.2% of his plate appearances. That amounted to a wRC+ of 109, along with 18 stolen bases to boot.
Munoz primarily lined up at third base last year, though also saw some time at second base, shortstop and all three outfield spots. For the Phillies, this is a no-risk way to improve their depth by taking a flier on a player who has some MLB experience but is still relatively young. They have some uncertainty in their infield mix, given the struggles of Alec Bohm and Didi Gregorius last year. If either player carries those struggles into the future, Munoz could be in line for another shot at the show. Along the same lines, the Phils also signed Johan Camargo to a major league deal just before the lockout began in early December.