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Blue Jays Claim Joel Payamps

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The Blue Jays won a waiver claim to acquire righty Joel Payamps from the Red Sox, per TSN’s Scott Mitchell (via Twitter). Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com had tweeted that the move appeared to be in the works.

Payamps has never appeared with the Boston organization, which claimed him earlier in the offseason only to designate him for assignment when a roster need arose. The 26-year-old first reached the upper minors in 2017 but has only received limited MLB chances to this point. It’s certainly possible he’ll end up on the DFA carousel as teams compete to see who’ll be able to slip him through waivers in hopes of stashing him for depth.

Mets Designate Corey Oswalt

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The Mets have designated righty Corey Oswalt for assignment, per a team announcement. His roster spot will go to Albert Almora, whose previously reported deal is now official.

Oswalt, 27, has received several MLB opportunities over the past three seasons. All told, he carries a 6.19 ERA with a 16.4% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate, and 41.3% groundball rate through 84 1/3 innings of action.

None of those stats jump off the page. Likewise, Oswalt doesn’t throw particularly hard and didn’t produce gaudy peripherals in the minors. That said, he has produced full-season, sub-3.00 ERA efforts at the Double-A and Triple-A levels and could hold appeal elsewhere as a depth arm.

Reds Claim Max Schrock

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The Reds have claimed infielder Max Schrock off waivers from the Cubs, per a team announcement. Chicago had recently designated Schrock for assignment. The move fills the Reds’ 40-man roster.

Schrock, 26, was a 13th-round pick by the Nationals back in 2015 but has since been traded to the A’s (in return for Marc Rzepczynski) and the Cardinals (in exchange for Stephen Piscotty). He made his big league debut with the Cards in 2020, going 3-for-17 with a home run, but was then claimed off waivers by the Cubs at season’s end. The Reds’ claim will put Schrock on his third NL Central roster in a span of just four months.

While Schrock won’t do much for the Reds’ glaring lack of a shortstop — he’s played just 78 innings at the position in his pro career — he gives them a left-handed bat with experience at second base and at third base. He’s never shown much power, but Schrock is a career .300/.354/.406 hitter in five minor league seasons, including a .260/.324/.350 line in 760 Triple-A plate appearances.

Athletics Sign Jed Lowrie To Minor League Deal

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The Athletics announced Wednesday that infielder Jed Lowrie is returning to the organization on a minor league contract. The Excel Sports client will be in Major League Spring Training and compete for a job.

Lowrie, 37 in April, rejoins the A’s on the heels of a disastrous two-year stint with the Mets — one which fans would surely prefer to forget. It was an unexpected match at the time, but now-former general manager Brodie Van Wagenen signed Lowrie to a two-year, $20MM contract in his first season in charge of baseball operations for the Mets. New York already had a largely full infield mix, but Van Wagenen nevertheless brought in one of his former clients — surely in hopes of cultivating the type of depth that is so often seen on today’s championship clubs. As a switch-hitter capable of playing all four infield slots, it was reasonable to expect that Lowrie could provide value in a semi-regular role, even if there wasn’t a clear-cut starting position available  to him.

As it turned out, though, Lowrie only tallied seven plate appearances over his two years with the team. A knee injury suffered in Spring Training 2019 wound up costing him nearly the entire season. It also set in motion a bizarre chain of non-updates on Lowrie’s medical status.

Even with a new front-office regime and new manager in place, the Mets were as vague and nebulous as ever in divulging information about Lowrie’s ailments. Timelines were always presented in muddy fashion, and the eventual reveal of Lowrie’s diagnosis proved similarly perplexing when Van Wagenen revealed this past summer that Lowrie had “posterior cruciate ligament laxity” in his left knee. Lowrie did not play in 2020.

While the circus-like nature of his tenure in New York is something both Lowrie and the Mets surely hope to put behind them, it should of course be pointed out that a healthy Lowrie is a very fine player. Lowrie landed that $20MM deal with the Mets after turning in a .272/.356/.448 batting line in 1325 plate appearances with Oakland from 2017-18. That performance earned him an All-Star nod in ’18.

Injuries have slowed Lowrie throughout his career, but from 2012-18 he was a decidedly above-average hitter, slashing .264/.338/.415 in more than 3500 plate appearances despite the bulk of those PAs coming at Oakland’s cavernous home park. He’s never been an especially strong defender at any position but has been playable at shortstop, second base and third base throughout his career. It’s unlikely that he can still handle shortstop at age 37 and with two seasons of knee injuries behind him, but Lowrie ought to be in the mix to win a roster spot and take at-bats at second base.

Phillies Sign Matt Joyce To Minor League Deal

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The Phillies have signed veteran outfielder Matt Joyce to a minor league contract, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced to reporters Wednesday (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Matt Gelb). The ACES client will compete for a job in Spring Training.

Joyce, 36, had a noticeable dip in power with the Marlins in 2020 but remained a strong on-base threat, as is typical for the 13-year big league veteran. In 148 plate appearances with the Fish, Joyce batted .252/.351/.331 with a pair of homers and four doubles. A career-worst 27.7 percent strikeout rate does create some cause for concern, but that came in a small sample and punchouts have never been too large a problem for Joyce.

Dombrowski is quite familiar with Joyce, having selected him in the 12th round of the ’05 draft, developed him with the Tigers (for whom he made his MLB debut) and traded him to the Rays (in exchange for the also-well-traveled Edwin Jackson when both were still in their mid-20s). The pair will reunite with a Phillies club that is largely set in the outfield, where Andrew McCutchen, Adam Haseley, Bryce Harper, Roman Quinn and Scott Kingery are all options. (Dombrowski said on today’s call that the club hasn’t decided whether Odubel Herrera will be invited to Spring Training.)

Joyce, however, can give the Phils the quintessential “professional” bat off the bench. He walked at a 13.5 percent clip this past season and hasn’t posted a walk rate south of 10.6 percent in any year since 2011. He’s a lifetime .253/.355/.448 hitter against righties.

Rangers Designate Adolis Garcia For Assignment

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The Rangers announced Wednesday that they’ve designated outfielder Adolis Garcia for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, whose previously reported one-year contract is now official.

Garcia, 27, went 0-for-6 with a walk in seven plate appearances with Texas in 2020. That marked his first and now perhaps his only season with the organization. The Rangers originally acquired him from the Cardinals in exchange for cash in Dec. 2019.

Garcia has only 24 big league plate appearances to his name, and he hasn’t done much with them. He was an accomplished hitter in the Cuban National Series before defecting and eventually landing with the Cardinals, for whom he’s spent considerable time in Triple-A. Garcia’s free-swinging ways have resulted in a paltry OBP, but his power is readily apparent. In 1104 plate appearances with Triple-A Memphis, he’s a .260/.299/.505 hitter with 57 homers, 58 doubles and a dozen triples.

Garcia has some speed, as evidenced by those triples and by 26 stolen bases. However, he’s not particularly efficient on the basepaths either; he’s been caught 14 times. Texas will have a week to trade him, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. Garcia does have a minor league option remaining, so it’s possible an outfield-needy club will take a shot on his right-handed power despite the lack of plate discipline.

Rangers Sign Mike Foltynewicz

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Feb. 10: The Rangers have announced the signing.

Feb. 5, 5:22pm: Foltynewicz will earn $2MM with incentives, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, who tweets that the deal is done pending a physical. The incentives could reach $500K, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com relays.

2:54pm: The Rangers are closing in on a one-year, Major League contract with free-agent right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, reports Kiley McDaniel of ESPN (via Twitter). Foltynewicz is a client of Excel Sports Management.

Foltynewicz was a quality starter earlier in his career with the Braves, especially in 2018. That year, he threw 183 innings of 2.85 ERA/3.77 SIERA ball while averaging a career-high 96.4 mph on his fastball and posting a well-above-average strikeout percentage of 27.4. But Foltynewicz’s production dropped off in 2019, in which the Braves demoted him to the minors. And though he did enjoy a late-season rebound in 2019, he wasn’t able to carry that into last year.

Foltynewicz made one appearance with the Braves in 2020 (on July 27) and allowed six earned runs on four hits and and four walks in 3 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old’s fastball averaged a startlingly low 90.5 mph in that contest, and the Braves then booted him from their 40-man roster. He went unclaimed on waivers, as no club was willing to pick up the remainder of his salary, and he spent the rest of the year at their alternate site before electing free agency earlier in the offseason.

The right-hander could have elected free agency at the time he was outrighted, but doing so would’ve meant forfeiting the remainder of his salary, as he was just a couple weeks shy of the five years of service time required to reject an outright assignment while still retaining salary. Because he’s shy of that five-year service mark, he’s now controllable for the Rangers through the 2022 season via arbitration.

Foltynewicz will get a chance to bounce back from his horrid 2020 as a member of the Rangers, whose rotation was among the worst in the game last year. Kyle Gibson, Jordan Lyles and Kolby Allard had terrible years a season ago, though Foltynewicz and new acquisitions Dane Dunning and Kohei Arihara could provide reasons for hope.

Twins Re-Sign Nelson Cruz

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Feb. 10: Cruz has passed his physical, and the Twins have formally announced his one-year deal for the 2021 season.

Feb. 2: The Twins have agreed to re-sign designated hitter Nelson Cruz to a one-year contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports. He’ll earn $13MM on the deal, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Nelson Cruz | Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Cruz, long one of the majors’ top hitters, has been a member of the Brewers, Rangers, Orioles, Mariners and Twins since he started his big league career in 2005. Amazingly, despite the fact that he’s now 40 years old, Cruz’s first two seasons with the Twins from 2019-20 rank among his best. He slashed a tremendous .308/.394/.626 (163 wRC+) and amassed 57 home runs in 735 plate appearances during that span.

It’s no surprise the Twins are bringing back Cruz, though questions centering on whether a universal DH would stick around in 2021 surely delayed the re-signing. The MLBPA rejected the league’s 154-game proposal for 2021 on Monday, which could limit the DH to the American League this year, and that may have impacted Cruz’s decision.

Cruz reportedly wanted a two-year deal earlier in the offseason, but despite his excellence, that never seemed all that likely for someone his age and need for a dedicated DH spot in the lineup. MLBTR predicted he would receive a one-year, $16MM guarantee at the start of the winter, and while that proved a bit bullish, Cruz’s $13MM salary for 2021 will fall right back in line with the annual rate of his previous two seasons in Minnesota.

Cruz is the latest addition for a Twins club that was quiet for much of the offseason but has recently become more active. The Twins inked Andrelton Simmons to a one-year, $10.5MM contract and have also added lefty J.A. Happ on a one-year deal worth $8MM. The club has gravitated toward one-year arrangements this winter, which should help to preserve financial flexibility next winter when a much deeper free-agent class will present the Twins with various trajectories to retain their status as one of the top teams in their division.

Phillies Re-Sign Didi Gregorius

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Feb. 10: The Phillies have formally announced their new two-year deal with Gregorius.

Jan. 30: The Phillies are in agreement on a two-year deal with shortstop Didi Gregorius, reports Jayson Stark of the Athletic (Twitter link). It’s a $28MM guarantee, adds the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. The deal contains deferrals, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).

Didi Gregorius | Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports

Gregorius returns to Philadelphia after originally joining the Phils on a one-year contract last winter. That marked a prove-it deal of sorts after Gregorius struggled in 2019, and the veteran shortstop made good on the opportunity. He started 56 of the team’s 60 games at shortstop and hit a strong .284/.339/.488 with ten home runs over 237 plate appearances.

Given how well he performed in 2020, it makes sense the Phillies were happy to keep Gregorius in the fold. His return allows the club to leave Jean Segura at second base, where he played last season. That also keeps the Phils from having to pencil Scott Kingery into an everyday role after he struggled through a brutal 2020. Corner infielders Rhys Hoskins and Alec Bohm can now flank the Gregorius-Segura pairing on the dirt on most days.

Gregorius was often grouped with Marcus Semien and Andrelton Simmons at the top of this winter’s free agent market for established big league shortstops. All three agreed to terms this week, with Gregorius finding the most lucrative guarantee. Semien and Simmons each signed one-year deals (although Semien’s $18MM beats Gregorius’ $14MM average annual value), while Gregorius received a multi-year arrangement. However, his $28MM total figure comes in south of the MLBTR staff’s projection of $39MM over three years entering the offseason.

That could reflect teams’ trepidation over Gregorius’ batted ball metrics. His 83.8MPH average exit velocity last season ranked in the second percentile league-wide. He was near the bottom of the league in hard contact rate and barrel rate as well. Gregorius has never been one to hit the ball particularly hard, although his average exit velocity was closer to league average over his final two seasons with the Yankees.

Of course, Gregorius has found plenty of success despite those underwhelming contact quality metrics. He has been an above-average hitter in three of the past four seasons, with 2019, in which he made a midseason return from Tommy John surgery, standing as his lone down year. Gregorius puts the ball in play at an elite rate, leading to decent batting averages. He’s also established a knack for hitting the ball in the air to right field, enabling him to hit for a solid amount of power in games despite lacking huge raw strength and physicality.

On the other side of the ball, Gregorius has gotten mixed reviews from defensive metrics. Ultimate Zone Rating has long rated him as a roughly average shortstop, while Defensive Runs Saved has soured a bit on him recently. Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric, meanwhile, has pegged Gregorius as a below-average defender every year since being introduced in 2017. Over a two-year term, the 30-year-old (31 in February) shouldn’t have any problem sticking at the position, even if he’s no longer the defender he was earlier in his career.

The Phillies have managed to keep both of their top potential free agent departures, signing Gregorius a week after bringing back catcher J.T. Realmuto on a five-year deal. The Phils’ payroll now sits at an estimated $187MM, per Roster Resource, right in line with last season’s $185MM mark prior to proration (although the yet-undisclosed deferrals on Gregorius’ deal could drive that present figure down somewhat). The organization’s estimated $195.3MM in luxury obligations leaves a little less than $15MM for further additions if ownership is willing to spend up to the first tax threshold. Even after signing Matt Moore, Philadelphia could stand to add to the pitching staff if they hope to keep pace in a talented NL East.

From a broader market perspective, the Gregorius signing removes the last obvious everyday caliber shortstop from free agency. Teams without a clear option there, the Reds and Athletics among them, may now be left turning to the trade market to solidify the position.

Tigers Sign Renato Nunez

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The Tigers announced Wednesday that they’ve signed infielder/designated hitter Renato Nunez to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training. They also confirmed their previously reported minors pact with infielder Greg Garcia. The Atheltic’s Cody Stavenhagen first reported talks between the Tigers and Nunez, who is represented by Octagon.

Nunez, 26, was designated for assignment by the Orioles back in late November and run through outright waivers. Baltimore would’ve owed him a raise in arbitration and clearly wasn’t keen on paying that out to a player with a rather one-dimensional skill set, and the league largely agreed based both on Nunez clearing waivers and on him settling for a non-guaranteed deal in mid-February.

It’s true that Nunez has been a generally above-average hitter over the past couple seasons, batting at a .247/.314/.469 batting line that translates to a 106 wRC+ and OPS+. Put more simply: he’s been about six percent better than a league-average hitter when adjusting for his league and his home park.

Nunez has some clear pop in his bat, with 43 home runs from 2019-20, but he rarely walks and also has a penchant for both strikeouts (25.4 percent) and infield flies (42). Since Opening Day 2019, 30.6 percent of Nunez’s plate appearances have resulted in a punchout or a pop-up. Add in a below-average 7.5 percent walk rate and questionable defense at both infield corners, and it becomes less surprising that clubs were wary about offering him a guaranteed pact.

All that said, it’s hard to fault Detroit for bringing in an above-average bat to compete for a roster spot this spring. With the Tigers, Nunez will vie for playing time at first base with Jeimer Candelario. He could also make the club as a bench bat, but with Miguel Cabrera still on the books all the way through the 2023 season at $30MM+ per year, there won’t be any DH at-bats available for Nunez anytime soon, barring another lengthy injury absence for Cabrera. And if Nunez does take a step forward, either in terms of his on-base skills or with the glove, Detroit could control him through the 2024 campaign via arbitration.

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