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Hector Noesi Opts Out Of 2020 Season; Keone Kela Still Not In Camp

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Pirates hurler Hector Noesi has opted out of participation in the 2020 season, manager Derek Shelton told reporters including Stephen Nesbitt of The Athletic (via Twitter). Noesi cited family reasons in asking out of his minor-league deal.

In other Pirates news, top relief pitcher Keone Kela still has not appeared at camp, Shelton further advised. (Via MLB.com’s Adam Berry, on Twitter.) The organization has not provided further information on the matter. It certainly could be that Kela is in some stage of protocols relating to COVID-19, though it would be unwise to assume anything about his situation.

Noesi had been looking for another big league opportunity after appearing last year with the Marlins. He struggled quite a bit in his time in Miami, his first MLB action since 2015. In the interim, the journeyman hurler — once a small part of a busted blockbuster — had a few nice campaigns in the KBO.

Kela’s situation is of greater concern to the Pirates from a competitive standpoint. If the club struggles as most anticipated, he’d be an obvious mid-season trade piece as a 2020-21 free agent. Kela turned in 29 2/3 innings of 2.12 ERA ball last year.

Cubs Release Brandon Morrow

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The Cubs have released right-handed hurler Brandon Morrow, according to the latest transactions report from Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle. He had been with the organization on a minor-league deal.

This would appear to bring an end to the saga of Morrow’s tenure with the Cubs. He had already wrapped up a two-year deal that began with immense promise and ended in disappointment. An attempted comeback this season ran into trouble from the jump, as Morrow was sidelined early in camp with a calf injury.

Soon to turn 36, Morrow last threw in the majors in the first half of the 2018 season. But it sounds as if he’s still hoping to take another crack at getting his roller-coaster career back on track with another organization. Morrow is presently recovering from a “minor nerve procedure,” per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link), but will attempt to play in 2020.

It may seem like an unlikely quest, but it’s worth remembering just how good Morrow was when last we saw him. In 30 2/3 innings for the Cubs, he racked up 22 saves and allowed just five earned runs with a 31:9 K/BB ratio. When he first experienced mid-season forearm issues, the hope was that he’d only be out for a brief stretch. Unfortunately, that did not prove to be the case.

Morrow’s entire career has been marked by ups and downs, with health generally playing a significant role. The former fifth overall pick showed ample talent at times with the Mariners and Blue Jays, but never consistently delivered results while dealing with intermittent arm problems. He had some moments in a halting attempt to get back in a groove with the Padres, but only managed to throw 49 innings over two seasons.

It all finally seemed to come together with the Dodgers in 2017, as Morrow emerged as a late-inning force over the course of the season and through a run to the World Series. The L.A. organization came to rely upon him heavily, calling upon him for 13 2/3 innings over the postseason — including appearances in every single contest of the seven-game World Series. Morrow answered the bell repeatedly, outside of a Game 5 blip. While that showing ultimately earned Morrow a two-year, $21MM deal, it may also have set the stage for the eventual recurrence of the arm issues that had limited him earlier in his career.

Orioles Add Ryan Mountcastle, Mason Williams To Player Pool

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The Orioles have added top prospect Ryan Mountcastle and outfielder Mason Williams to their 60-man player pool, manager Brandon Hyde revealed to reporters at Summer Camp today (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Joe Trezza). That pair of additions brings the team’s total to 47 players.

Mountcastle, 23, was the No. 36 pick in the draft by the Orioles back in 2015 and has rated among the organization’s best prospects ever since. Questions persist about just where on the field Mountcastle will play — he was a shortstop in high school but has since played third base, left field and first base — but his bat is generally very well regarded. Mountcastle followed up 2018’s .297/.341/.464 slash (121 wRC+) in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting with a .312/.344/.527 slash (117 wRC+) in Triple-A last year. He doesn’t walk much but also doesn’t strike out at an alarming rate and has never batted worse than .281 in a full professional season.

Wherever Mountcastle settles in defensively, he’s viewed as a potential long-term piece who could fit into the middle of the team’s lineup. Given last year’s solid showing in Triple-A and the lack of a minor league season in 2020, it’ll be a surprise if Mountcastle doesn’t log significant at-bats with the Orioles.

As for Williams, he’s a former top prospect himself, although at 29 years of age, those days are behind him. Williams has seen MLB time in each of the past five seasons but has never found extended playing time or had much success in his fleeting big league auditions. He hit .267/.324/.300 in 11 games with the O’s last year and is a lifetime .286/.325/.382 hitter in the big leagues. That’s a generally respectable line, but Williams has never tallied more than 132 plate appearances in a Major League season. He’s a career .288/.341/.405 hitter in more than 1500 Triple-A plate appearances.

Angels Claim Jacob Rhame

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The Angels announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed right-handed reliever Jacob Rhame off waivers from the Mets. Rhame was in the Mets’ 60-man player pool, and the Mets have already announced that his spot will be filled by right-hander Ryley Gilliam. The Angels’ pool will grow to 57 with the claim — assuming Rhame is indeed added.

Rhame, 27, was originally a sixth-round pick of the Dodgers back in 2013 but landed in the Mets organization via the trade that sent Curtis Granderson from New York to L.A. He’s spent parts of three seasons in the Mets’ bullpen but has yet to find much success. In 47 2/3 MLB innings, Rhame has worked to a 6.23 ERA and 6.06 FIP with averages of 7.6 strikeouts, 4.5 walks and 2.08 homers per nine innings pitched.

That said, Rhame also averages just under 96 mph on his fastball and, in 2018, posted impressive swinging-strike and opponents’ chase rates (13.4 percent and 35.8 percent, respectively). The spin rate on both his four-seam fastball and his curveball ranked among the game’s elite that season, so the Angels are surely hoping that with some adjustments to his approach, Rhame’s raw abilities will translate to improved bottom-line results.

Rhame underwent ulnar nerve transposition surgery last August, but MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo tweets that he’s been throwing off a mound in Summer Camp, which bodes well for his readiness to return. He’s out of minor league options, so Rhame will either need to break camp on the team’s expanded 30-man roster or else once again be exposed to waivers.

Gilliam, 23, was the Mets’ fifth-round pick just two summers ago and quickly rose through the ranks in the system, topping out in Triple-A last year. The Clemson product breezed through Class-A Advanced in 2019 and posted respectable numbers in Double-A before being torched in 9 1/3 innings of Triple-A ball. But Gilliam has punched out 87 hitters in just 56 pro innings (14.0 K/9, 35.1 percent overall strikeout rate) and ranks inside the organization’s top 30 prospects at both MLB.com and FanGraphs. He’s said to have a pair of above-average to potentially plus pitches: his heater and curveball. With no minor league season in 2020, it’s possible that Gilliam will largely skip over Triple-A and make his big league debut at some point this summer.

Giants Add Three To 60-Man Player Pool

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The Giants announced Wednesday that they’ve added lefty Caleb Baragar, outfielder Alexander Canario and right-hander Sam Wolff to their 60-man player pool. They still have one vacancy if they wish to make another addition. Of the bunch, Canario is the most highly regarded prospect, but his inclusion is surely just for developmental purposes, as he is just 20 years old and has yet to play above short-season Class-A.

Baragar, 26, was the Giants’ ninth-round pick in 2016. He’s pitched in three Triple-A games but spent the vast majority of the 2019 campaign in Double-A, where he pitched to a 3.45 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 0.9 HR/9 in 120 innings as a starter. He’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher, evidenced by a tiny 28.7 percent ground-ball rate in those 120 frames.

Wolff, 29, is a pure reliever who came over to the Giants organization in the 2017 trade that sent Matt Moore to the Rangers. Despite his age, he’s scarcely pitched in Triple-A (28 1/3 innings), but he posted strong numbers in Double-A last year when he compiled a 1.78 ERA and a 42-to-11 K/BB ratio in 35 1/3 innings of work.

Canario signed as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in the 2016-17 international class, and the Giants look to have found something of a gem (relative to his meager $60K signing bonus, at least). He ripped through opposing pitchers in Rookie ball and Low-A, posting a combined .318/.377/.623 batting line with 16 home runs, 20 doubles and a pair of triples in just 265 trips to the plate.

Canario ranks in the club’s top 10 prospects at Baseball America (fifth), MLB.com (sixth) and FanGraphs (ninth) thanks to considerable raw power, average or better speed and a plus throwing arm. FanGraphs Eric Longenhagen notes that he needs a lot of work on his approach at the plate but has a “huge ceiling if the hit/approach component improves.”

Cubs Add Hernan Perez To 60-Man Player Pool

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The Cubs have added veteran infielder/outfielder Hernan Perez to their 60-man player pool, bringing their total number up to 51. He’ll report to Wrigley Field to work out with the team’s infielders tomorrow, tweets Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.

Perez, 29, has seen action in parts of eight big league seasons and is likely a familiar name for many Cubs fans after spending the past five seasons as a heavily used utility piece for the division-rival Brewers. The versatile Perez suited up for 572 games with Milwaukee, hitting .258/.288/.400 in just over 1700 plate appearances dating back to the 2015 season.

A poor walk rate has weighed down Perez’s on-base percentage throughout his career, but he’s shown off some modest pop and plenty of speed since establishing himself with the Brewers. That includes a 13-homer, 34-steal season back in 2016 (despite tallying just 430 plate appearances that year). Perez hasn’t approached those stolen-base levels since, but he still checked in with above-average speed in 2019, per Statcast.

On the other side of the ball, Perez has played everywhere on the field with the exception of catcher — including 7 1/3 innings of mop-up work on the mound (where he’s allowed six runs on 10 hits and four walks with three strikeouts). He’s been above-average at both third base and second base in his career, per Defensive Runs Saved, and while he’s not a good defender at shortstop he can at least handle the position should a need arise.

Perez isn’t on the 40-man roster and would need to be added if he’s to emerge as a legitimate Major League option in 2020. But given the expanded rosters early in the season and his ability to effectively play anywhere that manager David Ross asks, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see him log some big league time at Wrigley Field in 2020.

Nationals Add Taylor Gushue To 60-Man Pool

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The Nationals announced today that they have added catcher Taylor Gushue to their 60-man player pool. The move comes in the wake of Welington Castillo’s decision not to participate in the 2020 seaseon.

Gushue is not on the Nats’ 40-man roster. He would need to be added to it in order to take up a spot on the club’s active roster once the season gets underway. In all likelihood, the 26-year-old will be tasked primarily with working with the team’s pitching staff in its satellite training location while staying ready if a need arises.

A former fourth-round pick out of the University of Florida, Gushue has never rated as a significant prospect but is coming off of a nice 2019 season. In 288 plate appearances at Triple-A last year, the switch-hitter popped 11 home runs and posted a strong .312/.358/.517 batting line — good for a 108 wRC+ in a supercharged offensive environment.

Orioles Announce 2 Draft Signings

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The Orioles have announced the signings of third-round shortstop Anthony Servideo and fourth-round third baseman Coby Mayo, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com tweets. Mayo’s above-slot agreement of $1.75MM was first reported a little under a month ago.

Servideo, previously with Mississippi, also inked an above-slot deal. He signed for $950K, outpacing the $844,200 recommended value of the 74th overall pick, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports. MLB.com ranked Servideo as the 110th-best prospect available before the draft, crediting him for his ability to draw walks, his speed and his adeptness as a defender. While the 21-year-old Servideo only amassed 87 plate appearances during a shortened 2020 college season, he did bat an outstanding .390/.575/.695.

Servideo’s one of three members of this year’s Orioles draft class from the Southeastern Conference, joining first-round outfielder Heston Kjerstad (Arkansas) and supplemental first-round shortstop Jordan Westburg (Mississippi State). Those two have also already signed, as has second-round outfielder Hudson Haskin. The only recent O’s pick who’s not officially under contract is fifth-round pitcher Carter Baumler, as Joe Trezza of MLB.com notes, but it appears the two sides will finalize a contract sometime soon.

Cardinals Add Three To Summer Camp Roster

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The Cardinals have added right-hander Seth Elledge and lefties Zack Thompson and Rob Kaminsky to their Summer Camp roster at Busch Stadium, MLB.com’s Anne Rogers tweets. Doing so means each has been added to the team’s 60-man player pool. The Cardinals’ initial pool contained 44 players, and they’ve since added third baseman Elehuris Montero to camp as well (although he was recently diagnosed with COVID-19, as were southpaws Genesis Cabrera and Ricardo Sanchez).

Thompson, 22, is both the most highly regarded of today’s trio of additions and also the furthest from the Majors. The University of Kentucky product was the Cardinals’ first-round pick (No. 19 overall) in 2019 and ranks as their No. 5 prospect at FanGraphs and MLB.com. Thompson, however, only pitched two innings of Rookie ball and 13 1/3 frames with the Cards’ Class-A Advanced club in 2019. His inclusion is likely more for developmental purposes than due to his status a a legitimate option in 2020. He was seen as something of an injury risk in the ’19 draft but draws praise for a plus curve and above-average changeup. He was with the team during the initial Spring Training and tossed three perfect innings with three strikeouts.

Both Elledge and Kaminsky are more likely to be called upon should a need arise in 2020. Elledge, 24, is a pure bullpen prospect who came to the Cards in the trade that sent Sam Tuivailala to the Mariners. He posted a lackluster 4.26 ERA in 67 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last year, but his overall body of work as a pro is sharp — as was his work in the 2019 Arizona Fall League. Elledge has averaged nearly a dozen punchouts per nine innings pitched but also saw his walk rate jump in Triple-A last year (19 free passes in 34 1/3 innings). With John Brebbia out until 2021 (Tommy John surgery) and Jordan Hicks set to open the year on the IL while rehabbing his own Tommy John procedure, Elledge gives the Cards some right-handed relief depth.

Kaminsky, 25, was a first-round pick by the Cardinals back in 2013 but was traded to the Indians for Brandon Moss two years later. Things didn’t pan out for Kaminsky there, and after spending parts of five seasons in Cleveland’s minor league ranks, he became a minor league free agent this winter, ultimately landing with the Cards on a minors deal.

A 2017 forearm injury cost Kaminsky the entire year and may have helped prompt a shift to the bullpen. He was quite good as a reliever in Double-A both in 2018 and 2019, but he struggled in the supercharged offensive environment in Triple-A last year (5.11 ERA, 31-to-14 K/BB ratio in 24 2/3 frames). Like Elledge, he’s a non-roster player but could conceivably see some MLB action in 2020 if the Cardinals need to tap into their depth.

Brewers Add Dylan File To 60-Man Player Pool

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The Brewers are adding Double-A right-hander Dylan File to their 60-man player pool, The Athletic’s Emily Waldon reports (via Twitter). Milwaukee’s initial player pool was only 45 players, so it’s seemed quite likely some additional players will be added — be they internal add or external pickups. File is the first name added to the bunch.

A 21st-round pick back in 2017, the now 24-year-old File has delivered steady results while climbing through the system. The Dixie State University product tossed 136 1/3 frames of 3.96 ERA ball at Class-A during his first full pro season in 2018 and enjoyed considerably better results between Class-A Advanced and Double-A in 2019. File racked up 147 innings with a combined 3.24 ERA — though he spent more time in Double-A and pitched better there against most advanced competition. His 80 2/3 frames with the Brewers’ Biloxi affiliate resulted in a 2.79 ERA and a pristine 73-to-15 K/BB ratio with a 44.4 percent ground-ball rate.

FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranks File 17th among Brewers farmhands, calling him a “high-probability fifth starter” with plus command and an above-average curveball. MLB.com tabs him 24th in the system and is more bullish on his slider than his curve but generally offers a similar picture of File’s future as a back-of-the-rotation starter or a multi-inning reliever.

Given the Brewers’ somewhat piecemeal approach to putting together a rotation and their unconventional use of pitchers in general, it only makes sense that they’d continue deepening the stockpile of arms from which they can draw. File hasn’t been added to the 40-man roster yet, but his quick rise through the system and sharp results in Double-A a year ago have positioned him for a potential call-up at some point in this year’s abbreviated season.

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