Minor MLB Transactions: 7/21/19
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Blue Jays outrighted Nick Kingham to Triple-A after the right-handed cleared waivers, according to a team announcement. Kingham was acquired from the Pirates in mid-June, and he posted a 3.50 ERA over 18 relief innings for Toronto before being designated for assignment earlier this week. Formerly a top-100 prospect during his time in Pittsburgh’s farm system, Kingham has only a 6.23 ERA over 128 2/3 career frames at the big league level.
Giants Designate Derek Holland, Ryder Jones
The Giants have designated left-hander Derek Holland for assignment, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. In addition, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Ryder Jones has also been designated for assignment, clearing a second spot on the Giants’ 40-man roster.
Holland, formerly with the Rangers and White Sox, joined the Giants entering 2018 on a minor league contract. He was coming off multiple rough seasons at the time, but Holland made his way to San Francisco last year and enjoyed a career renaissance. Holland’s output a year ago was enough to convince new president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi to make the 32-year-old his most expensive free-agent signing in a modest winter for the club.
The Giants inked Holland to a one-year, $7MM guarantee with a matching club option for 2020. They’re now likely have to eat the approximately $2.67MM remaining on Holland’s deal, as it’s difficult to believe a team would take on him and his money in light of the subpar production he has put up this season.
Holland got off to such a poor start out of the Giants’ rotation this season that they shifted him to their bullpen. Neither job has worked out that well in 2019 for Holland, though. Across 68 2/3 innings, Holland has pitched to a 5.90 ERA/6.08 FIP with 9.31 K/9, 4.59 BB/9 and a 41.4 percent groundball rate. Home runs helped lead to the death of Holland’s Giants tenure, as he yielded them on 23 percent of fly balls this year en route to his designation. He did, however, stymie same-handed hitters, who batted .182/.276/.195 against him. With that in mind, perhaps a team will take a chance on Holland as a LOOGY. Regardless, his next deal will likely be of the minor league variety.
Jones, meanwhile, has largely failed to live up to expectations after the Giants made him a second-round draft selection in 2013. With just four home runs and a .133 ISO in his Major League career, he has yet to show the power that is necessary for a lumbering corner infielder. Jones’s struggles this season—the first under Zaidi—may have sealed his fate; the 25-year-old has managed just a .529 OPS across several levels of the minor leagues, though injuries have limited his availability, having appeared in just 12 games. Jones could be an intriguing case for teams eyeing the waiver wire, given his draft history, age, and raw power.
Mariners Acquire Matt Magill
The Mariners announced the acquisition of right-handed reliever Matt Magill from the Twins in exchange for cash considerations. Minnesota designated Magill for assignment Thursday. As MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk noted then, the Twins stood a good chance of losing the 29 year-old on waivers. Instead, they acquire some amount of cash from a Seattle club who would have otherwise claimed him.
Magill has been a solid but unspectacular middle reliever for Minnesota over the past two seasons. This year, he logged a pedestrian 4.45 ERA thanks to a plethora of free passes, but he also struck out an eye-opening 27.1% of batters. He’s averaging 95.92 MPH on his four-seam fastball, per Brooks Baseball, and features slightly above-average spin rates on both his fastball and curveball, per Statcast. There’s some raw material here to work with, especially for a Mariner bullpen light on established performers.
At the same time, Magill’s out of options, meaning he needs to stick with the major-league club or else run the risk of being exposed to waivers. He’s also been hit exceptionally hard despite his quality stuff, so he’s far from certain to bring stability to the club himself.
If things do click in Seattle, he’s controllable for four seasons beyond this one via arbitration, where his lack of an established track record should result in low starting salaries.
Padres Promote Michel Baez, Adrian Morejon
SUNDAY: The promotions of Baez and Morejon are official. The Padres made room for them by optioning outfielder Josh Naylor and righty Trey Wingenter to Triple-A El Paso. They also transferred injured pitchers Adam Warren and Miguel Diaz to the 60-day IL.
SATURDAY: Righty Michel Baez‘s promotion to the Padres from Double-A Amarillo is “imminent,” per the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee. Baez, who was a nominal starter prospect – and near-consensus top-100 name – prior to the 2019 season, has worked strictly in relief for Amarillo since returning from a back injury in mid-May.
It’s the third in a string of high-profile prospect promotions for the plummeting Padres this weekend, who also recalled INF Luis Urias from Triple-A El Paso and are set to select the contract of touted lefty Adrian Morejon, also from Double-A. The San Diego ‘pen has been in shambles lately: apart from the untouchable Kirby Yates, who’s on pace for one of the best reliever seasons in MLB history, the revolving high-leverage door for the Friars hasn’t yielded a single reliable arm.
Baez’s prospect stock has slid considerably this season, with FanGraphs now characterizing his once-solid command as “fringe” and bemoaning an unforeseen velocity drop in the latter stages of the 2018 season. The 6’8 righty’s size can be a “hindrance,” per Baseball America, who notes that Baez has struggled to repeat his delivery of late. MLB.com is the high team on the 23-year-old: they place him at a solid #70 on the site’s top 100 list.
In 27 innings for Amarillo this year, Baez has set down 38 and walked 11 en route to a 2.00 ERA. Like soon-to-be teammate Morejon, Baez isn’t on the club’s 40-man roster, so two players will need to be jettisoned from the group shortly. The club also must make room for lefty Jose Castillo, who’s set to return soon from a lengthy injury absence.
Rockies Designate Mark Reynolds For Assignment
10:38 am: Hoffman will work out of the Rockies’ bullpen instead of replacing Senzatela in the rotation, tweets Nick Groke of the Athletic. The club’s fifth starter, who is scheduled to start Thursday, remains up in the air.
9:32 am: The Rockies announced they have designated first baseman Mark Reynolds for assignment, clearing space on the 40-man roster for left-handed pitcher Sam Howard. Additionally, the club has optioned right-hander Antonio Senzatela to Triple-A Albuquerque, recalling fellow righty Jeff Hoffman in his place.
The move brings to an end Reynolds’ second stint in Colorado. Soon to turn 36, the longtime power hitter simply hasn’t performed at the plate in 2019. Through 162 plate appearances, Reynolds sports a woeful .170/.290/.311 slash despite calling the most hitter-friendly park in baseball home. While he has continued to sport a keen eye at the plate, evidenced by a 13.6% walk rate, his 35.2% strikeout rate simply became unpalatable. Reynolds is only one year removed from solid offensive production with the Nationals and has a long track record of hitting for power, but as a right-handed hitter who can only play first base, he’s a difficult roster fit. He’ll almost certainly be released in the coming days, before he can explore interest on a minor-league deal from suitors searching for a power-hitting depth piece who’s respected in the clubhouse.
Howard will get his first base of big-league action in 2019 after throwing four innings for Colorado last season. A soft-tosser, Howard converted to relief full-time this season and has seen his production take off in Albuquerque. His strikeout rate in Triple-A is up ten points from where it was last season, perhaps reflecting an uptick in stuff in shorter stints, although his 11.9% walk rate this year is also a career-high. There’s little to lose in giving Howard a look, as the Rockies’ bullpen has a pedestrian 4.93 ERA on the season.
The club’s rotation has fared even worse than the relief corps, with Senzatela partly to blame. Through 17 starts, he’s posted a woeful 6.29 ERA. The 24 year-old does have an above-average 52.8% ground-ball rate, but his 12.3% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate give him the worst K%-BB% of any starter in baseball in 2019 (minimum 80 innings).
In his stead, the Rockies will turn to Hoffman, a former top prospect who, like most of the team’s arms, has struggled in the majors this year. Through seven starts, Hoffman has a 6.75 ERA, having been undone by the home run ball (1.89 HR/9). He’s been even worse in Albuquerque, but unlike Senzatela, he at least has flashed some strikeout stuff and a mid-90’s fastball. That Hoffman is in the majors at all following his abysmal performance this season, though, sums up the freefalling club’s surprising inability to find competent arms to trot out, just a year after boasting one of the best pitching staffs in franchise history.
Phillies Announce Drew Smyly Signing, Designate Fernando Salas
The Phillies announced the signing of left-hander Drew Smyly, who will start Sunday. The club designated reliever Fernando Salas for assignment to make room for Smyly.
This is already the second time the Phillies have designated Salas since signing him to a minor league contract June 7. As was the case before, the 34-year-old will have the option of declining an outright assignment to the minors if he clears waivers. Salas hasn’t been part of the solution for the Phillies’ bullpen, though he has only thrown 2 2/3 major league innings this year.
Desperate for help in their starting staff, the playoff-contending Phillies are now turning to the once-respectable Smyly at the expense of Salas’ roster spot. The 30-year-old Smyly endured a disastrous stint earlier this season as a member of the Rangers, with whom he mustered an 8.42 ERA/8.06 FIP in 51 1/3 innings. Smyly then joined the Brewers on a minors pact July 1, but he opted out of it Thursday to accept another big league chance with the Phillies.
Orioles Designate Keon Broxton For Assignment
The Orioles announced today they’ve designated outfielder Keon Broxton for assignment. Right-handed reliever Branden Kline is up from Triple-A Norfolk to take Broxton’s place on the active roster.
So continues a lost season for the 29-year-old Broxton, who enters DFA limbo for the second time in three months. A former third-round draft choice of the Diamondbacks, Broxton was most famous for his time in Milwaukee, where he totaled 796 plate appearances between 2016 and 2018, showing flashes of plate discipline, power and elite defense in center field. The Brewers’ outfield depth, combined with concerns about Broxton’s huge swing-and-miss tendencies, led the club to flip him to the Mets in January for a package of three fringe prospects.
Broxton’s strikeouts have gotten completely out control in 2019, though, leading the Mets to send him to Baltimore in May for cash considerations. Those problems have gotten only more worrisome since, leading the Orioles to cut bait on the out-of-options outfielder. It’s not out of the question he’ll draw some interest around the league given the tools he’s shown in the past, but his .184/.244/.289 slash line and 43% strikeout rate make it seem more likely he’ll clear waivers for the first time in his career.
As for Kline, the 27 year-old rookie has gotten off to a slow start to his big-league career. Like seemingly every Oriole pitcher, Kline’s been plagued especially by the home run, allowing 2.49 HR/9, en route to a 6.75 ERA, with a 21.6% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate in 25.1 innings.
Giants To Select Zach Green
The Giants will select corner infielder Zach Green from Triple-A Sacramento prior to Sunday’s game, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The team will need to make corresponding 40-man moves to create space for Green and the promotion of left-hander Conner Menez.
Green entered the professional ranks as a third-round pick of the Phillies in 2012, but the Northern California native left the organization as a free agent last offseason to sign with the Giants. Since then, the right-handed 25-year-old has slashed an outstanding .302/.402/.698 with 23 home runs in 264 plate appearances. Even in the offense-driven Pacific Coast League, Green’s production has been 55 percent better than average, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric. It has also been markedly superior to the numbers Green put up in 2018, his first year at the minors’ top level, as he hit .248/.312/.412 (108 wRC+) with three HRs in 138 PA to conclude his Phillies tenure.
The promotion of Green will give a suddenly contending Giants team more corner depth in the wake of starting third baseman Evan Longoria‘s placement on the injured list this week. Although Pablo Sandoval has taken the reins at the hot corner in Longoria’s absence, it’s up in the air how much longer the Kung Fu Panda will remain with the organization. After all, Sandoval’s an impending free agent on a team that might sell by the July 31 trade deadline, despite its recent success.
Dodgers Outright Zac Rosscup
The Dodgers have outrighted left-handed reliever Zac Rosscup to Triple-A Oklahoma City, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets. It’s unclear whether Rosscup will accept the assignment or reject it in favor of a trip to free agency.
Rosscup joined the Dodgers via the open market June 12, which came after he turned down an outright from Toronto. However, this past Monday, the Dodgers became the third team of the season to designate Rosscup for assignment. The Blue Jays and Mariners previously did the same.
The 31-year-old Rosscup is in his second stint as a member of the Dodgers, with whom he threw 11 1/3 innings last season. He only totaled three frames with the club this season before it jettisoned him, though. Also a former Cub and Rockie, Rosscup has mustered 18 innings of 5.00 ERA/4.94 FIP pitching this season. While Rosscup has struck out 13 per nine and induced grounders at a 55.1 percent clip, serious control problems have helped undermine his efforts. Rosscup has walked more than a batter per inning (19) and given up 22 hits.
Nationals To Select Michael Blazek
The Nationals will select right-hander Michael Blazek‘s contract from Triple-A Fresno on Sunday, Jamal Collier of MLB.com tweets (Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan was first to report the news). Adding Blazek will require corresponding 40- and 25-man moves.
Blazek’s just over two months into his tenure with the Washington organization, which signed him to a minor league contract May 13. Since joining Fresno’s roster, the 30-year-old Blazek has posted an ugly 5.54 ERA with a paltry 22.9 percent groundball rate in 26 innings, though he has struck out 9.69 batters per nine while walking 3.46.
Assuming Blazek winds up seeing action with the Nationals, it’ll be his first major league experience since he threw 8 2/3 innings with the Brewers two years ago. A 35th-round pick of the Cardinals in 2007, Blazek amassed 123 frames of 4.39 ERA/4.98 FIP pitching with 7.61 K/9, 4.32 BB/9 and a 42.7 percent groundball rate as a member of the Redbirds and Brewers from 2013-17. It’s not the most appealing track record, but the playoff-contending Nationals are continuing to leave no stone unturned in their search for much-needed bullpen help.