Yankees Designate Thairo Estrada For Assignment
The Yankees announced that they have designated infielder Thairo Estrada for assignment and optioned right-hander Michael King to their alternate site. They made those moves to clear space for newly acquired infielder Rougned Odor.
This could bring an end to a long run in the Yankees organization for Estrada, who first joined the club as an international free agent from Venezuela in 2012. Estrada eventually became a prospect of note with the Yankees, topping out as Baseball America’s No. 8 farmhand for the team in 2018, but he hasn’t been a particularly productive hitter during his time in the pros. The 25-year-old has put together a .280/.337/.389 line with 26 home runs and 52 steals on 81 attempts in 1,949 plate appearances in the minors, and he batted .214/.267/.348 over 121 PA as a Yankee from 2019-20. Still, with another minor league option remaining, it’s not that far-fetched to think another team could take a chance on him in the next week.
King could return to the Yankees’ pitching staff sometime soon. However, after he threw six shutout innings in relief against the Blue Jays on Sunday, it was logical for the Yankees to send him down on at least a temporary basis and use fresher arms in the meantime.
Brewers Select Brad Boxberger
The Brewers announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of veteran right-hander Brad Boxberger. He’ll join the club for their matchup against the Cubs and take the recently traded Orlando Arcia‘s spot on the active roster. Righty Justin Topa was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Boxberger, 32, is a veteran of nine big league seasons who has ample experience as both a closer and setup man. He spent the 2020 season setting up for Brandon Kintzler in Miami, pitching to a 3.00 ERA with a 22.8 percent strikeout rate and 10.1 percent walk rate. It’s been awhile since his peak at this point, but Boxberger posted a 2.94 ERA through his first 177 1/3 MLB frames from 2012-15 and led the American League with 41 saves for the 2015 Rays.
In the five seasons since that stretch, Boxberger’s entire body of work has been solid enough, but he’s lacked consistency on a year-over-year basis. He’ll look to continue last year’s success while hopefully putting a rocky Spring Training effort behind him; in nine spring frames with the Brewers, Boxberger was tagged for eight earned runs on 10 hits, although his 14-to-1 K/BB ratio was certainly more encouraging.
Brewers Trade Orlando Arcia To Braves
The Brewers and Braves have lined up on a rare, early-season trade involving three players on the teams’ respective 40-man rosters. The Brewers are sending infielder Orlando Arcia to the Braves in return for right-handed relievers Patrick Weigel and Chad Sobotka, per announcements from both teams. Weigel and Sobotka will report to the Brewers’ alternate training site.
While it’s a bit surprising to see a trade of any note taking place so early in the season, Arcia’s role with the Brewers has diminished in recent years. The hope at one point was that he’d be the long-term answer at short, but Luis Urias now looks to be the preferred option at that position for the Brew Crew. Arcia has also seen some time at third base this year, but Travis Shaw made the Brewers’ Opening Day roster and is expected to serve as the primary option at the hot corner.
Arcia is off to a 1-for-11 start to his 2021 season, but he turned in perhaps the best showing of his career last summer when he slashed .260/.317/.416 through 189 plate appearances. That said, it’s somewhat disappointing for that output to represent a career-best showing for Arcia, given that he once ranked among baseball’s top 10 overall prospects at both Baseball America and MLB.com. Arcia’s glove always gave him a decent floor, but his bat simply hasn’t come around as hoped. Through 1876 plate appearances at the big league level, he’s managed just a .244/.293/.364 batting line with 42 homers and 39 steals.
The Braves obviously don’t have a need for an everyday shortstop — Dansby Swanson has the position locked down — but Arcia gives them a utility option with a solid glove. He has 4250 career innings at shortstop, so it’s not a surprise that Atlanta would be comfortable sliding him over to either second base or third base.
Ehire Adrianza had been filling that role with the club, although there’s some uncertainty surrounding his status at the moment. Adrianza left the club to tend to a personal matter recently, and he was reportedly in the process of going through intake testing to return to the club. David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets that Adrianza is expected to return to the club by this weekend.
Arcia joins Adrianza, Johan Camargo and Pablo Sandoval as utility options off the bench for skipper Brian Snitker, although the Braves can’t carry that many backup infielders simultaneously. Both Arcia and Camargo have a minor league option remaining. Arcia is the more expensive of the two, with a $2MM salary to Camargo’s $1.36MM, and it would stand to reason that if the Braves are giving up some pitching to acquire him, he’d get the nod. At some point, the acquisition of Arcia could place the roster spot of one of the other backup infielders in jeopardy.
Depending on how things play out for Arcia in Atlanta, he could be an option for them not only in 2021 but in 2022. He currently has four-plus years of big league service, which means he’ll be controllable through the 2022 season via arbitration.
In exchange for Arcia, the Brewers will pick up a pair of optionable relievers — one of whom once rated as one of the better arms in a pitching-rich Braves system. The 26-year-old Weigel ranked ninth among Braves farmhands on Baseball America’s list back in 2017 and still checked in 14th this past offseason.
His career has been slowed by 2018 Tommy John surgery, but Weigel’s 2019 return from that procedure created some optimism. In 79 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A, the righty worked to a 2.73 ERA — albeit with less-encouraging strikeout and walk rates (21.6 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively). Weigel pitched in just one game with Atlanta last year, allowing a pair of runs in two-thirds of an inning. That’s his lone MLB appearance to date.
Sobotka, 27, has displayed a knack for missing bats but has also battled control issues in parts of three seasons with the Braves. The righty boasts a fastball that averages better than 96 mph and a career 28.8 percent strikeout rate through 47 big league innings, but he’s also walked 14.2 percent of his opponents and plunked three more.
The trade gives the Brewers some flexibility on the pitching staff in a season where most teams figure to need it more than ever before, but it also closes the book on one of the organization’s most promising farmhands in recent memory. They’ll now turn the reins over to Urias, a former top prospect himself, in hopes of better results. While Urias himself hasn’t had any real big league success yet, he’s more than three years younger than Arcia and has a vastly better track record in Triple-A, where he’s put together a .305/.403/.511 line in 867 plate appearances.
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman first reported that the Brewers were in talks to trade Arcia. FanSided’s Robert Murray reported that a deal with an unknown club had been reached. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Braves were acquiring Arcia, and MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported that Weigel and Sobotka were headed to the Brewers.
Nationals Set Opening Day Roster
After having their first four games postponed due to positive Covid-19 tests within the organization, the Nationals have announced their roster for today’s season opener. Four Nationals players are said to have tested positive, with several more in the organization being deemed close contacts who are also going through protocol. Tuesday’s announcement was accompanied by a dizzying series of roster moves, which included placing catchers Yan Gomes and Alex Avila; left-handers Patrick Corbin, Brad Hand and Jon Lester; infielders Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer; first baseman Josh Bell; and outfielder Kyle Schwarber on the Covid-19 related injured list. Right-hander Will Harris was also placed on the 10-day injured list after his recent procedure to address a blood clot.
In a sequence of corresponding roster moves, the Nats recalled catcher Tres Barrera; right-handers Ryne Harper and Kyle McGowin; infielders Carter Kieboom and Luis Garcia; lefty Sam Clay; and outfielder Yadiel Hernandez from their alternate training site. Washington also selected the contracts of veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy and outfielder Cody Wilson. Wilson was specifically designated as a “replacement player,” indicating that he can be removed from the 40-man roster and sent back to the minors without clearing waivers as the affected Nationals players are cleared to return to the roster.
Notably, the Nationals’ Opening Day roster includes shortstop Trea Turner — a welcome development after Turner was absent from yesterday’s workout with the team. Manager Dave Martinez tells reporters that Turner was not cleared to be on the field yesterday (Twitter link via the Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty), so it seems he cleared protocols this morning. Turner will be joined in the Opening Day infield by Ryan Zimmerman, Hernan Perez (at second) and Starlin Castro (at third). The Nats will give Andrew Stevenson the nod in left field alongside Victor Robles and Juan Soto, while Lucroy draws the start behind the plate, catching Max Scherzer.
The Nationals will make up yesterday’s postponed contest against the Braves in a doubleheader tomorrow. It’s not yet clear when they’ll make up their three postponed games against the Mets, although given that they’re division rivals, the remainder of this season’s schedule will provide ample opportunity for those games to be played.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/5/21
The latest minor moves from around the game…
- The Nationals have re-signed first baseman/outfielder Yasmany Tomas and southpaw reliever T.J. McFarland to minor league contracts, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post relays. The team originally signed the pair of veterans to minors pacts during the offseason, but it released them shortly before the 2021 campaign began. Still just 30, Tomas was a star in his native Cuba, which led the Diamondbacks to sign him to a six-year, $68.5MM deal heading into 2015. However, Tomas had a rough time in Arizona, where he combined an underwhelming line of .266/.306/.459 (97 wRC+) in 1,175 plate appearances with poor defense, and hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2019. McFarland, another ex-Diamondback, spent last year as a member of the Athletics, with whom he registered a 4.35 ERA in 20 2/3 innings. The 31-year-old has induced grounders at a tremendous 62.8 percent clip and notched a 4.08 ERA/3.83 SIERA during his 401-inning run in the majors among Arizona, Oakland and Baltimore, though he has only recorded a strikeout percentage of 13.6.
- The Marlins have brought back lefty Brandon Leibrandt on a minors deal, Craig Mish of SportsGrid tweets. The 28-year-old Leibrandt picked up his first MLB experience with the Marlins last season and tossed nine innings of two-run, three-hit ball, but he succeeded in spite of issuing seven walks against three strikeouts. The Marlins outrighted him after the season. He’ll report to their alternate site, according to Mish.
Giants Claim Skye Bolt, Designate Ashton Goudeau
The Giants have claimed outfielder Skye Bolt via waivers from the Athletics and designated right-hander Ashton Goudeau for assignment, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.
The 27-year-old Bolt only spent a few days in limbo, as the Athletics designated him April 1. He joined the team as a fourth-round pick in 2015 and later ranked as one of Baseball America’s top 20 Athletics prospects on multiple occasions, but Bolt hasn’t gotten much major league experience yet. In 2019, the only season in which he made it to the bigs, Bolt collected one hit in 11 plate appearances. Bolt has been much more successful in Triple-A, where he has batted .269/.350/.459 over 347 trips to the plate.
Goudeau had a short stay on the 40-man roster of San Francisco, which claimed him from the Orioles on March 18. The 28-year-old previously spent time with the Pirates in the offseason, and he was in the Colorado organization before that. He made his MLB debut last year, but he totaled just 8 1/3 innings of seven-run ball. Goudeau did star during his most recent minors action, 2019, when he pitched to a stellar 2.07 ERA with similarly impressive strikeout and walk percentages (30.1 and 4.0, respectively) in 78 1/3 Double-A innings.
Rockies Outright Jairo Diaz
APRIL 5: Diaz has cleared waivers and been outrighted to their alternate site, the Rockies announced.
APRIL 1: The Rockies have designated right-handed reliever Jairo Diaz for assignment, per a club announcement. His spot on the roster goes to fellow right-hander Jhoulys Chacin, whose previously reported one-year deal with the Rox has now been confirmed by the club.
Diaz, 29, was a pleasant surprise for the 2019 Rockies, tossing 57 2/3 innings of 4.53 ERA ball — good for a 113 ERA+ at Coors Field in the juiced-ball season — out of the Colorado bullpen that year. Along the way, he turned in strong strikeout (25.7 percent), walk (7.8 percent) and ground-ball (49.4) rates, creating some optimism that he could be a piece for them moving forward.
That wasn’t the case in 2020, however, as Diaz was tagged for 17 earned runs in 20 innings of work. His average heater plummeted from 97.1 mph to 95.4 mph, and his strikeout rate fell to 16.4 percent while his walk rate ballooned to 13.2 percent. It was a brutal season all-around for Diaz, and Spring Training didn’t go any better; he surrendered 11 runs on 17 hits (four homers) and four walks in 9 2/3 frames. The fact that he was out of minor league options left the Rockies with little choice but to designate him for assignment. They’ll now have a week to trade Diaz, attempt to pass him through outright waivers or release him.
Yankees To Sign Mike Montgomery
The Yankees have agreed to a deal with free-agent left-hander Mike Montgomery, pending a physical, Robert Murray of FanSided tweets. It’s a minor league pact.
This is the second straight minors deal for the 31-year-old Montgomery, who signed with the Mets during the winter. He was unable to earn a roster spot with the club, though, as he yielded six runs (five earned) on 10 hits in 7 1/3 innings of work during spring training. That continued a difficult run for Montgomery, who pitched to an ERA around 5.00 in each of the previous two seasons and threw just 5 1/3 innings last year in Kansas City while dealing with a lat injury.
Recent issues aside, Montgomery has enjoyed a successful career as a swingman since he debuted in 2015. Also a former Mariner and Cub, Montgomery has recorded a solid 3.84 ERA in 541 innings and 183 appearances (70 starts), and he earned the save in Chicago’s historic Game 7 victory over Cleveland in the 2016 World Series. Now, with the Yankees’ bullpen facing injuries to the likes of Zack Britton and Justin Wilson, Montgomery could provide the unit some left-handed depth.
Marlins Place Elieser Hernandez, Garrett Cooper On 10-Day Injured List
The Marlins have placed right-hander Elieser Hernandez and first baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper on the 10-day injured list, the team announced. (Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald was among those to report the details.) Hernandez was placed on the standard 10-day IL while Cooper is on the COVID-related injury list. Right-handers Nick Neidert and Jordan Holloway will fill the two open spots on the active roster.
Cooper was placed on the IL due to an adverse reaction after receiving a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a fairly common side effect for some vaccinated patients. Because there is no 10-day minimum attached to the COVID list, Cooper could be back in action as early as Tuesday if he is feeling better, though the Marlins chose to sideline him.
Hernandez’s injury could be much more of a long-term problem, as his outing on Saturday was cut short in the third inning due to inflammation in his right biceps area. More will be known about his status once Hernandez completes a doctor visit later today.
The 25-year-old had a 3.16 ERA/3.17 SIERA and a very impressive 32.7% strikeout rate and 4.7% walk rate over 25 2/3 innings and six starts in 2020, and the Marlins were looking forward to seeing what Hernandez could do over a longer stretch of innings as a member of their rotation this season. That progress will now be set back for at least a little while, however, as Hernandez joins Sixto Sanchez and Edward Cabrera as Miami rotation candidates dealing with injuries.
This has created an opportunity for Neidert, who has a 3.20 ERA and 22.15% strikeout rate over 460 2/3 minor league innings in the Seattle and Miami farm systems. A second-round pick for the Mariners in the 2015 draft, Neidert was dealt to the Marlins as part of the trade that sent Dee Strange-Gordon to Seattle in December 2017. Neidert made his big league debut in 2020 with 8 1/3 relief innings over four games (posting a 5.40 ERA), and might have gotten more playing time had it not been for a stint on the COVID-19 injured list that cost him over a month of the season.
Holloway might also factor into the Marlins’ rotation plans depending on how the club opts to address its starting pitching situation, though he could also be a short-term addition if Cooper is able to make a quick return. Holloway has worked almost exclusively as a starter throughout his seven pro seasons, delivering a 4.64 ERA over 304 1/3 innings since the Marlins selected him in the 20th round of the 2014 draft. Like Neidert, Holloway spent much of the season on the COVID-related injury list, limiting his first big league season to just a single game (four batters faced over a third of an inning of work).
Padres Acquire James Norwood From Cubs
The Padres have acquired righty James Norwood from the Cubs in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Dauris Valdez, as announced by both teams. Norwood has been optioned to San Diego’s alternate training site, and righty Javy Guerra has been moved to the 60-day injured list to create roster space.
Norwood had been designated for assignment by Chicago earlier this week. Debuting in 2018, Norwood has appeared in each of the last three MLB seasons, amassing a 4.50 ERA over 22 total innings (with 21 strikeouts and 14 walks) for the Cubs. Shoulder problems limited him to just three games and 1 2/3 frame of work in 2020. The hard-throwing Norwood has posted some pretty solid strikeout totals in the minors, though control has been an increasing issue as he has worked his way up the minor league ladder — Norwood had an unimpressive 13.65% walk rate over 75 1/3 career innings at Triple-A.
The trade is, in essence, a swap of power arms who have hard some trouble getting the ball over the plate. Like Norwood, Valdez has also had some control problems while moving up to higher levels of the minor leagues, posting a below-average 11.77% walk rate over 108 2/3 innings at the high-A and Double-A levels in 2018-19. This said, there’s still plenty of potential for the 25-year-old, who was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 25 prospect in San Diego’s farm system. Valdez has a 65-grade fastball that “routinely hits triple-digits” according to Pipeline’s scouting report, and he also possesses a plus slider and a solid changeup as a third pitch.