Blue Jays Acquire Adam Cimber, Corey Dickerson
In one of the first deals of the summer trade season, the Blue Jays announced they’ve right-handed reliever Adam Cimber and left-handed-hitting outfielder Corey Dickerson from the Marlins in exchange for infielder Joe Panik and minor league righty Andrew McInvale. The swap comes barely a week after Toronto GM Ross Atkins acknowledged a desire to add bullpen help (and after the team was reported to be seeking left-handed bats on the trade market).
It’s a bit of a surprise move on a number of levels. Dickerson is presently on the 10-day IL with a foot injury, and it’s unclear when he’ll return to the field (although he’s eligible at any time having already spent more than 10 days on the shelf). Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets that Dickerson is still in a walking boot but feeling good as he progresses through rehab. Meanwhile, it’s a bit unexpected to see the Fish taking back a struggling veteran infielder such as Panik, but Miami does have a pair of infielders (Brian Anderson, Jose Devers) on the injured list at the moment.
What’s not surprising, from a broader perspective, is that the Marlins would be seeking a trade partner for Dickerson. The 32-year-old has been a roughly league-average bat since signing a two-year, $17.5MM deal with Miami in the 2019-20 offseason and is hitting .263/.324/.380 through 225 trips to the plate in 2021. But the Marlins have multiple young outfielders they’d like the chance to evaluate for the remainder of the 2021 season, including Jesus Sanchez, who now figures to get the bulk of the time in left field. The 23-year-old decimated Triple-A pitching, slashing .349/.400/.643 with nine homers, five doubles and three triples through 140 plate appearances prior to his promotion. He now has a clearer path to everyday at-bats in Miami than he would’ve with a healthy Dickerson eventually returning from the injured list.
For the Blue Jays, Dickerson figures to slide into a part-time outfield role. Toronto currently has Lourdes Gurriel Jr., George Springer, Teoscar Hernandez and Randal Grichuk in the mix for outfield and DH at-bats, but all four bat right-handed. Dickerson’s left-handed bat makes for a nice fit, particularly given his longstanding platoon splits. He’s held his own against lefties in his career, hitting .268/.305/.408, but has thrived against right-handers with a .287/.333/.514 output.
While Dickerson is the more recognizable name of the two going back to the Jays in this deal, Cimber is perhaps the key piece of this trade for the Blue Jays. The 30-year-old sidearmer has pitched in 34 1/3 innings so far with the Marlins and notched a 2.88 ERA — albeit primarily in low-leverage situations.
Cimber doesn’t miss many bats, but that’s often the case with sidearm and submarine pitchers. He’s posted just a 15.9 percent strikeout rate so far in 2021 — about nine percent lower than league-average — but also sports better-than-average walk and ground-ball percentages (7.9 and 49.5, respectively). He rarely gives up premium contact, sitting in the 81st percentile of MLB pitchers in terms of opponents’ average exit velocity and the 96th percentile in terms of opponents’ barrel rate, per Statcast.
For his career, Cimber has been far more effective against righties than lefties, but he’s been an absolute nightmare for left-handed opponents so far in 2021. It’s a sample of just 55 plate appearances, so the small-sample caveat certainly applies, but left-handed opponents have posted just a .196/.327/.283 slash against him. Right-handers, meanwhile, are slashing .269/.329/.333 against him.
Dickerson is a free agent at season’s end, so he’s a pure rental for the Blue Jays whenever he’s able to return to the field. Cimber, on the other hand, is controllable via arbitration through the 2024 season. He’s playing the current year on a $925K salary after avoiding arbitration as a Super Two player over the winter and will have three more trips through the arb process before he qualifies as a free agent. His inclusion in the deal gives the Jays a reliever with a career 3.69 ERA and 4.01 SIERA both for the remainder of the 2021 season and perhaps for multiple years to come.
Looking at the Marlins’ end of the swap, Panik will give them an experienced bench option and help provide some cover for those injuries and any others that may arise. (Both Miguel Rojas and Jazz Chisholm have already spent time on the IL in 2021.) He could also see increased time at third base, freeing versatile Jon Berti up to bounce around the diamond as he has in seasons past. Panik was productive in the first couple years of his career with the Giants, but he’s settled in as something of a journeyman utility player. Dating back to 2018, the former first-round pick is batting .246/.313/.332 — including a .246/.293/.351 hitter in 123 plate appearances so far in 2021.
Panik’s inclusion in the deal also serves as something of a financial counterweight to the Blue Jays’ additions of Dickerson and Cimber. The Marlins are also sending the Jays about $2.65MM as part of the trade. Overall, the Jays are adding about $4.4MM of Dickerson’s remaining salary and $482K of Cimber’s remaining salary, but shedding the remaining $982K on Panik’s deal and getting this $2.65MM in cash considerations. That leaves about a $1.3MM sum remaining to be added to the Toronto payroll.
As for the 24-year-old McInvale, he’ll add another arm to the upper levels of the Miami system. Although he was one of the Blue Jays’ final picks in 2019 (37th round and No. 1107 overall), McInvale has risen to Double-A and fared quite well this season. He’s pitched 20 2/3 innings out of the bullpen an impressive 31.8 percent strikeout rate and a massive 63.6 percent ground-ball rate. Command has been an issue, however, as McInvale has walked 13 batters (14.8 BB%), hit another pair and tossed three wild pitches.
McInvale didn’t rank among the Jays’ best prospects, as one would expect for a recent 37th-rounder who didn’t pitch in 2020. However, the Marlins are parting with an outfielder they’ve deemed superfluous and a right-hander they acquired from the Indians this past winter in exchange for cash ($100K, to be exact). Saving some of Dickerson’s salary and adding a pitcher who’s performed well at the Double-A level seems like a solid outcome to the whole gambit for them. As for the Jays, they’re effectively purchasing an experienced righty and rolling the dice on a veteran hitter with a strong track record against right-handed pitching. It’s not the flashiest of trades we’ll see this summer, but it’s one that ultimately feels fairly sensible for both clubs — even if it looks a little odd at first glance.
Craig Mish of the Miami Herald first reported that Dickerson was being traded to the Blue Jays and that the Marlins were sending some cash (all Twitter links). MLB Network’s Jon Heyman then added that Cimber, Panik and a Jays minor league pitcher were in the swap. The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath first reported McInvale’s inclusion. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reported (via Twitter) the Marlins’ inclusion of salary.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/29/21
Some minor moves from around the game…
- The Twins have signed lefty reliever Sean Gilmartin to a minor league contract, per his MLB.com transactions log. He had been pitching for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. Gilmartin has seen big league action in each of the past six seasons, although he’s only made three appearances over the past two years combined. Gilmartin had a strong rookie campaign with the Mets, pitching to a 2.67 ERA/3.44 SIERA over 57 1/3 innings in 2015. He’s never managed to follow up on that success, though. In 54 2/3 frames since the start of 2016, the 31-year-old has a 6.09 ERA/6.71 FIP.
- Catcher Ryan Lavarnway went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Columbus, per the Indians’ transactions log at MLB.com. Lavarnway has bounced all over the league for the past decade, logging big league time with eight different teams (primarily the Red Sox). He’s a career .216/.274/.344 hitter in 468 MLB plate appearances and a .271/.361/.432 hitter in parts of 10 different Triple-A seasons. Lavarnway has previously been outrighted (and also has the requisite three-plus years of service), so he can reject this assignment in favor of free agency if he chooses.
Rangers Designate Shaun Anderson For Assignment
The Rangers announced they’ve designated right-hander Shaun Anderson for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for the previously-announced selection of catcher John Hicks.
Texas claimed Anderson off waivers from the Twins two weeks ago. They promptly optioned him to Triple-A Round Rock, so it’s possible Anderson’s Rangers tenure will end without a big league appearance. He tossed three scoreless innings for the Express.
Anderson made his MLB debut with the Giants in 2019 and was traded to Minnesota over the winter. The 26-year-old allowed twelve runs (nine earned) in 8 2/3 innings with the Twins this year, bringing his career ERA to 5.48 in 120 big league frames. Anderson has a much better 3.61 mark across parts of three Triple-A seasons
Texas will have a week to trade Anderson or place him on waivers. Between his minor league track record and pair of minor league option years remaining, Anderson could hold some appeal to other clubs. The Rangers had the league’s fourth-highest waiver priority when they claimed Anderson, so it’s possible a team with a better record is hoping to have an opportunity to add him this time around.
Rangers Select John Hicks
The Rangers announced they’ve selected the contract of catcher John Hicks. Outfielder Jason Martin has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to clear active roster space. A 40-man roster transaction has yet to be announced.
Starting catcher Jose Trevino suffered a forearm contusion after he slipped and fell earlier today, notes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). With Trevino unavailable, Texas needed another backstop to pair with Jonah Heim. That’ll open up an opportunity for Hicks’ first big league run in two years. The right-handed hitter saw MLB action every season from 2015-19, the bulk of which came with the Tigers.
Hicks flashed some power during his time in Detroit, but he never drew many walks and has struck out in 30.1% of his career plate appearances at the highest level. The 32-year-old signed a minor league deal with Texas over the winter and has hit .275/.352/.440 with three homers across 122 plate appearances with Round Rock. That’s league average production in a hitter-friendly Triple-A West environment.
Cubs Place Ryan Tepera On Injured List, Select Adam Morgan
The Cubs announced they’ve placed right-hander Ryan Tepera on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain and optioned right-hander Trevor Megill to Triple-A Iowa. Righty Tommy Nance was recalled from Iowa, while southpaw Adam Morgan was selected to the big league roster. To create 40-man roster space for Morgan, infielder Matt Duffy was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.
Tepera has been quite productive this season. Through 37 2/3 innings, the righty has worked to a 3.35 ERA/3.28 SIERA. He’s punched out a strong 28.3% of opposing hitters- his second consecutive season missing plenty of bats- against a solid 8.3% walk percentage. Tepera has been a key piece of a Cubs bullpen that has surprisingly been one of the game’s best. Chicago relievers have a 2.95 ERA that trails only the Padres’ 2.85 mark, and they’re also near the top of the league in strikeout rate (29%), strikeout/walk rate differential (17 percentage points) and SIERA (3.67).
Morgan will try to emulate that work in his first taste of big league action this year. The 31-year-old pitched in the majors each season between 2015-20 with the Phillies, and he’ll now get an opportunity for a seventh straight campaign. While Morgan was generally underwhelming early in his career as a starting pitcher, he proved fairly effective upon a move to the bullpen. He has a 4.07 ERA/4.22 FIP with decent strikeout and walk numbers (25.5% and 9.1%, respectively) in 150 1/3 career innings as a reliever.
Unfortunately, Morgan was forced to undergo flexor tendon surgery last October. The Phillies outrighted him and he signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in January. He’s been fantastic over 16 1/3 innings with Iowa, working to a 2.20 ERA with a 32.3% strikeout rate and a 4.6% walk percentage.
Duffy went on the IL with a low back strain on May 23. Today’s transfer rules him out for sixty days from the date of his original IL placement, so he won’t return until at least July 22. The 30-year-old infielder has hit a solid .278/.377/.356 through 106 plate appearances this season.
Brewers To Select Aaron Ashby
The Brewers are planning to call up left-handed pitching prospect Aaron Ashby, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link). The 23-year-old is expected to work out of the bullpen initially, Passan notes. He isn’t on the 40-man roster, so a corresponding move is forthcoming.
Ashby is one of the game’s more exciting pitching prospects. Milwaukee selected him in the fourth round in 2018 out of Crowder Junior College, and his prospect status has steadily improved throughout his time in pro ball. Ashby had a strong couple months at Low-A during his draft year, and that continued the following season. Between Low-A and High-A in 2019, he worked to a 3.50 ERA with a strong 25.5% strikeout rate and an elevated 11.3% walk percentage.
Clearly, Ashby’s control can be an issue at times, but his low minors performance has impressed evaluators. Each of Baseball America, Keith Law of the Athletic and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked Ashby among Milwaukee’s top ten prospects entering the season. BA suggested he’d likely settle in as a back-of-the-rotation starter, while Law noted Ashby had mid-rotation raw stuff but needed to develop better control to reach that ceiling. Longenhagen was arguably the most bullish, placing Ashby at #127 in his top overall prospects list, praising his mid-90s fastball and pair of quality breaking pitches and calling the southpaw a potential impact multi-inning reliever.
It’s been more of the same for Ashby in 2021, which he’s spent at Triple-A Nashville. Through 38 innings, he’s managed a 4.50 ERA with a stellar 33.3% strikeout rate but a very high 14.3% walk rate. Milwaukee is clearly comfortable enough with his bat-missing prowess to tolerate some potential control issues, as he’ll be thrust into a tight division race. The Brewers lead the Cubs by four games in the National League Central. Milwaukee dealt a pair of relievers (Drew Rasmussen and J.P. Feyereisen) in the Willy Adames trade last month, likely in anticipation of Ashby contributing at some point this season.
Even if he’s in the majors from here on out, Ashby won’t accrue a full season of MLB service. He’ll be controllable through 2027, and he’s unlikely to be eligible for arbitration until after 2024. Future optional assignments could obviously change that service time outlook.
Mets Designate Jerad Eickhoff For Assignment
The Mets announced they’ve recalled left-hander Thomas Szapucki from Triple-A Syracuse. Righty Jerad Eickhoff was designated for assignment to create active roster space.
It’s the first big league call for Szapucki. New York’s fifth-round pick out of a Florida high school back in 2015, he’s been regarded as one of the more promising pitching prospects in the system for the past few years. Szapucki carved up low minors hitters over his first few pro seasons, drawing praise from scouts for low-mid 90s velocity and a pair of quality breaking balls. Unfortunately, he required Tommy John surgery in July 2017, knocking him out of action for almost two seasons.
Szapucki returned in 2019 and performed well across two levels of A-ball before earning a brief promotion to Double-A at the end of the season. Obviously, he didn’t log any game action last year due to the COVID-19 forced cancelation of the minor league season. Instead, he spent all of 2020 at the alternate training site, where reports suggested his velocity had fallen into the high 80s.
The injuries and diminished velocity took a small hit to Szapucki’s prospect status. He entered 2021 as Baseball America’s #16 farmhand in the organization, while Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs slotted him tenth in the system. Both outlets offered continued praise for his curveball, and Longenhagen noted that Szapucki’s velocity had bounced back into the low 90s during Spring Training 2021. He’s tossed 34 2/3 innings with Syracuse this season, working to a 4.41 ERA with a decent 23.8% strikeout rate but an elevated 13.8% walk percentage. Szapucki could be an option for a Mets rotation that lost Joey Lucchesi to Tommy John surgery last week.
When Lucchesi first went down, the Mets turned to Eickhoff. They were plenty familiar with the 30-year-old, who pitched for the division-rival Phillies from 2015-19. Eickhoff looked like a competent back-of-the-rotation starter early in his Philadelphia tenure, but he struggled over his last three seasons there and didn’t pitch in the majors last year.
Eickhoff’s return with the Mets lasted just two starts. Across ten innings, he allowed five runs on eleven hits (including an alarming four homers) with six strikeouts and four walks. The Mets will have a week to trade him or place him on waivers. Should Eickhoff clear outright waivers, he’d have the right to reject a minor league assignment and become a free agent.
Giants’ Gregory Santos Suspended For Performance-Enhancing Drug Use
Giants’ right-hander Gregory Santos has been suspended for eighty games after testing positive for the banned substance Stanozolol, Major League Baseball announced this afternoon. He has been on optional assignment to Triple-A Sacramento.
Santos, who entered the season as Baseball America’s #23 prospect in the Giants organization, made his MLB debut in April. He’s appeared in three big league games, tossing two innings of six-run ball. Santos has spent most of the year with Sacramento, where he’s worked to a 5.17 ERA with worse-than-average strikeout and walk rates (20.5% and 12.3%, respectively) across 15 2/3 relief innings.
The River Cats only have 74 games remaining this season, so today’s suspension will end Santos’ 2021 campaign. He’ll be placed on the restricted list, which will open up a spot on the Giants 40-man roster.
Marlins To Select Steven Okert
The Marlins are selecting the contract of reliever Steven Okert, general manager Kim Ng told reporters (including Craig Mish of SportsGrid). The club has vacancies on both the active and 40-man rosters following today’s trade of Corey Dickerson and Adam Cimber to the Blue Jays.
When he takes the mound, Okert will be making his first major league appearance in three years. The left-hander pitched for the Giants between 2016-18, tossing 48 1/3 innings of 4.28 ERA/4.01 SIERA ball. San Francisco outrighted him off the 40-man roster just before the start of the 2019 season, though, and he spent the entire year at Triple-A Sacramento. Okert elected minor league free agency after 2019 but didn’t sign anywhere during last year’s COVID-19 impacted campaign.
Okert returned to affiliated ball on a minors deal with the Marlins in February. He’s earned his way back to the highest level with a stellar 20 innings at Triple-A Jacksonville. The 29-year-old has pitched to a pristine 1.80 ERA with the Jumbo Shrimp, striking out an elite 38.2% of batters faced while walking a minuscule 5.3% of opponents.
Blue Jays Designate Travis Bergen For Assignment
The Blue Jays announced Tuesday that they’ve designated lefty Travis Bergen for assignment. Toronto needed to open a roster spot after this morning’s four-player trade, which sent righty Adam Cimber and outfielder Corey Dickerson from Miami to Toronto in exchange for infielder Joe Panik and minor league right-hander Andrew McInvale.
Bergen, 27, has a pristine 1.69 ERA in 10 2/3 innings this year, but the rest of his numbers don’t paint as rosy a picture. He’s yielded five hits (one homer), walked eight batters and plunked another pair while recording just six strikeouts. Bergen has faced 46 hitters this season and walked or hit 22 percent of them.
This marks the third season in which the left-handed Bergen has logged some Major League time. He’s totaled 38 2/3 frames of MLB work and notched a solid-looking 3.96 ERA, but a 20.9 percent strikeout rate and sky-high 15.6 percent walk rate are both notable red flags.
To his credit, Bergen has been excellent in the minors — when he’s been healthy enough to take the mound. Despite being a 2015 draftee, he’s only totaled 109 1/3 innings of minor league ball. Bergen tossed just five innings after being drafted in 2015 and spent the rest of that season on the injured list. He then had Tommy John surgery in 2016, which limited him to five innings that season and 18 frames in his return effort in 2017.
Bergen worked a healthy and dominant season in 2018, logging 56 1/3 innings with a 0.95 ERA, a 32.0 percent strikeout rate and a 6.5 percent walk rate between the Jays’ Class-A Advanced and Double-A affiliates. Toronto still left him off the 40-man roster, and the Giants took him in that December’s Rule 5 Draft. Bergen’s Rule 5 status in 2019 further limited his innings, and San Francisco eventually returned him to the Jays in August — shortly before the minor league season ended.
There were, of course, no minor league games for Bergen to work in 2020. He spent the summer at the Jays’ alternate training site before being traded to Arizona in return for Robbie Ray. The D-backs designated him for assignment over the winter — the trade of Ray was more about dumping the remainder of his salary at a time when he was struggling badly and had little trade value — and the Jays reacquired him for cash.
The end result of all this is a pitcher who, despite being six-plus years removed from his draft date, has just 148 professional innings under his belt. Bergen has a 1.81 ERA and 31.1 percent strikeout rate in the minors, but he’s also set to turn 28 in October and has far less experience than most in his situation would. That said, based on the minor league numbers and the fact that he has multiple minor league options remaining, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another club take a chance on Bergen — even with the spotty command and lack of experience. The Jays will have a week to trade him or try to pass him through outright waivers.