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Diamondbacks Sign Mark Leiter Jr. To Minors Contract

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The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. to a minor league deal.  Leiter announced the move last week on his Instagram page, with the caption “new elbow, new team.”

Leiter missed all of the 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last March.  Given the normal 12-15 month timeline for TJ recovery, Leiter might not yet be ready to pitch even if the D’Backs did want to put him on their Opening Day roster, though he could also continue to recover and ramp up in the minors until he is ready for a potential big league return.  Assuming good health, Leiter provides the Diamondbacks with a versatile depth arm who has worked as both a starter and reliever.

Most recently a member of the Blue Jays roster, Leiter (who turns 29 next month) became a free agent after the season.  The righty has a 5.53 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 2.47 K/BB rate, and 48.2% grounder rate over 114 career MLB innings, all with the Phillies and Blue Jays in 2017-18.  While some ERA indicators (4.37 xFIP, 4.23 SIERA) hint that Leiter’s real-world ERA is unduly inflated, Leiter hasn’t helped himself by allowing 25 home runs over his 114 frames of work, averaging out to an untenable 1.97 HR/9.

Minor MLB Transactions: 2/23/20

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Let’s keep up to date with the latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Indians announced that they’ve inked left-hander Ty Boyles to a minor league contract. The 23-year-old southpaw, a 2013 draftee of the Reds, has spent his entire 7-year professional career in the Cincinnati organization, reaching as high as the Double-A level last year. After beginning his career as a starter, Boyles transitioned to a full-time relief role last year, getting into 47 games and working 66 total innings. He struck out 64 batters against 34 walks, notching a 4.36 ERA in his first full season in the bullpen. He was a 2018 participant in the Arizona Fall League. He’ll report to minor league camp with his new organization.

Red Sox Claim Phillips Valdez Off Waivers, Place Pedroia On 60-Day IL

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The Red Sox have claimed right-hander Phillips Valdez off waivers from the Mariners, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, Dustin Pedroia was placed on the 60-day injured list.

Valdez, 28, had been designated for assignment on Friday following the Mariners’ claim of Taylor Williams, another right-handed reliever. He debuted with Texas last year and was claimed off waivers by Seattle in November, but was unable to stay on the roster for the entirety of the offseason. In his brief Major League stint last year, he tossed 16 innings of 3.94-ERA ball, striking out 18 batters. He was deployed exclusively as a reliever after spending the majority of his minor-league career as a starter. We’ll have to wait and see how the Red Sox view his future role, but evidently they like Valdez enough to give him a shot with the team.

Pedroia’s placement on the 60-day IL isn’t reflective of any new developments in his recovery from left knee complications: after suffering a “significant setback” this winter, Pedroia targeted late May or June as the most optimistic date for his return to the field, meaning that those first 60 days were always out of the question. And with Pedroia having only appeared in nine games over the last two seasons, Boston surely hasn’t been planning around a sizable contribution from the former MVP.

Orioles Outright Richard Urena

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The Orioles announced today that they’ve outrighted infielder Richard Urena to Triple-A Norfolk after he cleared waivers. That means he’s no longer a member of the 40-man roster, but he’ll nonetheless be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee.

Urena had been designated for assignment on Friday when the O’s claimed Andrew Velazquez, another infielder. Urena will have a chance to compete with Velazquez and others for a reserve role with the Major League club, which currently has Hanser Alberto and Jose Iglesias installed as the starting middle infield. There’s a whole host of middle infielders with MLB experience—including the likes of Stevie Wilkerson, Richie Martin, and Pat Valaika—in competition for a bench spot on the Baltimore roster.

Urena, who came up as a shortstop, is a capable second and third baseman, and even occasionally suited up in left field for the Blue Jays last year. After parts of three seasons in the Majors, his offensive performance has not been especially impressive, as he’s notched a .636 OPS with just two home runs through 263 plate appearances. Urena spent the majority of the 2019 season at the Triple-A level, posting a .274/.314/.393 batting line with six home runs.

Mariners Sign Rymer Liriano

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The Mariners have signed outfielder Rymer Liriano to a minor-league contract with an invitation to MLB spring training, reports Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). The club has since confirmed the agreement.

Liriano hasn’t reached the majors since a brief stint with the 2017 White Sox. Between that time in Chicago and some work with the 2014 Padres, he has compiled 167 MLB plate appearances with a .220/.293/.287 slash (66 wRC+).

He spent 2019 with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse, where he hit .209/.346/.403 with ten home runs in 247 plate appearances. Still just 28 years old, Liriano came up as a center field prospect in the San Diego system but was used exclusively in the corners last season. He’ll presumably vie for a spot in an uncertain Seattle corner outfield mix this spring.

White Sox Sign Aaron Bummer To Five-Year Extension

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The Chicago White Sox signed Aaron Bummer to a five-year, $16MM contract extension, tweets USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The deal also includes two option years that could raise the overall value to $29.5MM, per Nightengale. Nightengale notes that it’s the “largest extension given to a non-closer who has yet to qualify for salary arbitration in #MLB history.” Bummer is represented by O’Connell Sports Management.

Bummer, 26, evolved into a reliable lefty out of the pen for the ChiSox last season, and he’s now set to burn worms on the Southside through the 2026 campaign. Bummer will make $1MM this season, $2MM in 2021, $2.5MM in 2022, $3.75MM in 2023, and $5.5MM in 2024. The option years are for $7.25MM and $7.5MM, respectively, with $1.25MM buyouts, per MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. The 2026 option could escalate to $9MM with a second- or third-place finish in the AL Reliever of the Year voting, or $10MM if he wins the award, according to The Athletic’s James Fegan.

The White Sox are getting one of the game’s premier groundball artists at rates that carry minimal risk. The investment signals both their confidence in Bummer, and their continued commitment to longevity for the incoming core. Bummer was among the best in the game at limiting barrels last season (2.3% barrel%) and well as opponents’ expected slugging percentage (.281 xSLG). Bummer’s sinker drives his arsenal, and it jumped in velocity last year to an average of 95.6 mph. In 58 games out of the pen last season, the southpaw produced a 72.1 GB%, ranking behind only the Yankees’ Zack Britton in that regard.

Big picture, Bummer joins Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez as White Sox to have been extended through 2026 (including option years). The ChiSox now have a long-term piece in their bullpen to add some stability to that area of the club. In an era of flame-throwing strikeout artists, Bummer also brings a different approach. Should he continue to pitch as he did last season (2.13 ERA/3.41 FIP), the Sox will happily charge him with care of their late innings.

White Sox Extend Leury Garcia’s Contract To Include 2021 Team Option

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The Chicago White Sox signed Leury Garcia to a one-year, $3.5MM guaranteed deal today, per MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. The deal includes a $3.25MM base salary for 2020 with a $3.5MM team option for 2021. The White Sox can decline next year’s option with a $250K buyout. Garcia’s deal takes the place of the one he signed in January to avoid arbitration, giving the team the option of a second season. Garcia is a client of Rep 1 Baseball.

Garcia, 29 in March, has been a longstanding member of the White Sox. He joined the club midseason in 2013 from the Texas Rangers in a trade for Alexis Rios. He had been a part-time player every season since the deal until last year when he started 135 games for Chicago, the largest chunk of which came in centerfield, though he spent time at every position except pitcher, catcher, and first base.

As for this season, Garcia may open the year as the regular second baseman, though whoever gets the at-bats in the early going will likely eventually yield playing time to Nick Madrigal. Regardless, he provides the team with a valuable safety net. He’s comfortable in the clubhouse, unlikely to kick up a fuss over playing time, and he can play wherever they need him on the diamond. His career .256/.292/.357 doesn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence, but as a bit player, he should continue to compliment the White Sox roster nicely at a low investment.

Victor Alcantara Receives 80-Game PED Suspension

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Free agent righty Victor Alcantara has received an 80-game suspension, per a league announcement. He tested positive for banned perforrmance-enhancing drug stanozolol.

Alcantara, 26, had appeared in each of the past three MLB campaigns. He was cut loose by the Tigers at the end of the 2019 season and had not yet signed on with another organization.

While he gets a good number of groundballs with his 94 mph sinker and carries a decent lifetime 10.5% swinging-strike rate (about average for a starter), Alcantara hasn’t found consistent success in the majors. Through eighty total frames, he carries a 4.28 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 along with a 52.3% groundball rate.

It was never likely Alcantara would land a major league deal, but he was also an obvious candidate to get a non-roster shot. No doubt he’ll still command another opportunity, though he’ll need to serve his suspension upon joining a new team.

Phillies, Hector Neris Avoid Arbitration

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1:38pm: The option is priced at $7MM, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter), but that value can move significantly north. It’ll cost an extra $50K for every five games finished, beginning at his 10th and ending at his 35th. The needle moves $100K at 40, 45, and 50 games finished. And the option price jumps $200K at numbers 55, 60, and 63. That adds up to $1.2MM in total potential escalators.

9:42am: The Phillies have announced their agreement with Neris, revealing that the contract also contains a club option for the 2021 season. That it’s not a straight one-year pact perhaps explains the reason that the team broke from the file-and-trial approach. If the team ultimately declines the option, Neris would still remain under club control as an arbitration-eligible player.

7:35am: The Phillies have avoided an arbitration hearing with right-hander Hector Neris, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports (via Twitter). The last-minute settlement will guarantee Neris a $4.6MM salary for the upcoming season. Neris settled slightly below the midpoint between his own $5.2MM submission and the club’s $4.25MM counter.

Neris, 30, racked up 28 saves as the Phillies’ primary closer in 2019, pitching to a strong 2.93 ERA with averages of 11.8 strikeouts, 3.2 walks and 1.33 home runs per nine innings pitched. He appeared in 68 games and tallied 67 2/3 innings en route to an impressive rebound effort from a down year in 2018. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for a third and final time next winter before reaching free agency in the 2021-22 offseason.

The one-year arrangement represents a rarity in today’s arbitration environment. Virtually all clubs utilize a “file and trial” approach to the process — meaning that once figures are exchanged with a player, negotiations on a one-year settlement cease, leaving the two sides to determine the player’s salary in a hearing. (Multi-year deals are typically still negotiated if there’s mutual interest, however.) Astros outfielder George Springer also avoided arb on a one-year deal last month, although that agreement was seemingly negotiated directly with owner Jim Crane after he dismissed president of baseball operations Jeff Luhnow.

The Phillies won an arbitration hearing over All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto yesterday, thus keeping his salary at the $10MM figure they submitted — as opposed to Realmuto’s own $12.4MM submission. With their arbitration cases now resolved, the Phillies should check in with a bottom-line payroll just north of $182.5MM and roughly $203.9MM in luxury tax commitments (per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez). That leaves them just over $4MM shy of the luxury tax barrier.

With Neris’ salary now in place, the last pending arbitration result is that of D-backs closer Archie Bradley (as reflected in MLBTR’s 2020 Arbitration Tracker).

Mariners Claim Taylor Williams, Designate Phillips Valdez

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The Mariners have claimed reliever Taylor Williams off waivers from the Brewers, per a club announcement. The Seattle org designated fellow 28-year-old righty Phillips Valdez to create roster space.

Williams, who recently lost his spot in the Milwaukee bullpen mix, seemed like a possible waiver target. While the hard-throwing righty hasn’t yet entrenched himself in a MLB relief unit, he turned in 54 innings of 2.83 ERA ball at the Triple-A level last year. He racked up 9.5 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 while carrying a strong 54.0% groundball rate.

As for Valdez, he was claimed earlier in the winter but didn’t last long in camp before losing his roster spot. If he clears waivers, he’ll presumably remain on hand as a non-roster player. Valdez debuted in the majors last year, recording 16 innings of 3.94 ERA ball, but spent most of the year as a swingman at Triple-A. He worked to a 4.92 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, and a 51.6% groundball rate in 78 2/3 innings of action in the PCL.

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