Mariners Sign Kelby Tomlinson, Jaycob Brugman
The Mariners have signed infielder Kelby Tomlinson and outfielder Jaycob Brugman to minor league contracts, per Roster Roundup.
The 28-year-old Tomlinson is best known for a long run with San Francisco, which selected him in the 12th round of the 2011 draft. Tomlinson stayed with the organization through last season, the fourth straight year in which he logged major league action. The righty-hitting Tomlinson was an offensive bright spot as a part-time player with the Giants from 2015-16, but his numbers cratered thereafter. Tomlinson ended his Giants tenure with a .265/.331/.332 line (84 wRC+), three home runs and 19 steals over 687 plate appearances.
San Francisco outrighted Tomlinson after last season, leading to a minor league opportunity with the division-rival Diamondbacks. However, Tomlinson opened 2019 by hitting an unappealing .218/.320/.276 with no HRs across 100 PA with Arizona’s Triple-A club. As a result, the D-backs released him May 12.
Brugman, 27, has spent most of the season on the minor league injured list with the Orioles, who released him last week after he came off the IL. He had been with the O’s since they acquired him from the Athletics for right-hander Jake Bray in November 2017 . Brugman’s only major league experience came in ’17 as a member of the A’s, with whom the left-hander hit a respectable .266/.346/.343 (90 wRC+) and totaled three home runs in 162 attempts. Otherwise, Brugman has mostly played at Triple-A over the past few seasons. He carries a .276/.342/.403 slash with 14 homers in 856 PA at the minors’ top level.
Diamondbacks Release Marc Rzepczynski
The Diamondbacks have released left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski, according to Roster Roundup. He had been with the organization since signing a minor league deal in February.
The journeyman Rzepczynski has been an effective reliever for most of his career, which began with the Blue Jays in 2009, but hasn’t seen much action at the game’s highest level of late. After a 31 1/3-inning season with the Mariners in 2017, “Scrabble” threw just 10 1/3 frames between the M’s and Indians last year. Opposing offenses battered Rzepczynski during that small sample, collecting eight earned runs on 16 hits and 10 walks.
Prior to his release, Rzepczynski recorded mediocre numbers across 25 2/3 innings with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate in Reno. The 33-year-old pitched to a 3.86 ERA/4.74 FIP with 6.31 K/9 and 4.21 BB/9, though he did log a superb 60.5 percent groundball rate. Rzepczynski has also induced grounders at a high clip in the majors (59.7 percent), where he has posted a 3.89 ERA/3.88 FIP and 8.47 K/9 against 4.24 BB/9 in 434 2/3 innings. Most of his success has come at the expense of same-handed hitters, whom he has held to a .227/.296/.305 line.
Angels Select John Curtiss, Designate Matt Ramsey
The Angels have selected the contract of reliever John Curtiss. He’ll take the roster spot of fellow righty Matt Ramsey, who was designated for assignment. To create an active roster opening, the club optioned down Jake Jewell.
Curtiss, 26, came up to the majors for a single appearance earlier this year and was promptly designated. He has also seen limited MLB action in each of the prior two campaigns. He was carrying a 5.91 ERA in 21 1/3 innings over 13 outings to open the year at Triple-A, recording 29 strikeouts but also issuing 13 walks.
Ramsey is following the course of Curtiss’s first look. He spun a scoreless frame of work after being summoned for his first trip to the majors, but now finds himself ticketed for a return to Triple-A on outright assignment — unless another team puts in a claim. Like Curtiss, Ramsey has been charged with more than five earned per nine during his time this year at the offensively charged environment of Salt Lake City. He posted a 15:8 K/BB ratio in 13 2/3 innings there and does have a history of racking up swings and misses in the upper minors.
Rangers Select David Carpenter
The Rangers have selected the contract of righty David Carpenter, per a club announcement. He’ll take the place of outfielder Zack Granite, who was optioned back.
Carpenter will see MLB action for the first time in quite some time. He last appeared with the Nationals back in 2015, with health problems halting what had been a productive career.
After some indy ball action and a Driveline makeover, Carpenter earned a shot with the Rangers this spring. The 33-year-old has turned in 15 1/3 innings of 1.76 ERA ball thus far at Triple-A, allowing just ten hits and posting a strong combination of 17 strikeouts and four walks.
Rays Designate Erik Kratz, Activate Mike Zunino
The Rays announced that they have designated catcher Erik Kratz for assignment. His roster spot will go to fellow backstop Mike Zunino, who has been activated from the injured list.
Kratz turns 39 in mid-June and still hasn’t topped a thousand career MLB plate appearances, but he has carved out a second act as a trustworthy journeyman reserve. Unfortunately, he has managed only five hits and two walks in 53 plate appearances this year with the Giants and Rays.
Zunino ended up missing three weeks with a quad strain. It may have felt like a lengthier duration than that for a Tampa Bay team that has received next to nothing offensively from the catching position. Zunino hasn’t exactly torn it up at the plate himself, turning in a familiar blend of good pop and unsightly on-base numbers. But he has been much more productive than Kratz and Travis d’Arnaud, who have stepped in amidst a dizzying run of injuries for Rays catchers. (Michael Perez and Anthony Bemboom are still on the IL.)
Royals Designate Chris Owings, Select Cheslor Cuthbert
The Royals announced today that they have designated utilityman Chris Owings for assignment. He’ll be replaced on the active and 40-man rosters by third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert, whose contract was selected.
Owings has just not found a groove in Kansas City since signing a $3MM deal over the offseason. The club will remain on the hook for the balance, less any pro-rated league-minimum earnings he’s able to record with another organization. Because he has more than five years of MLB service, Owings can reject an outright assignment and still keep all he’s owed.
The Royals obviously hoped for more out of Owings, who they targeted after he was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks. He’s striking out at an untenable 37.9% clip despite non-existent power. The resulting .133/.193/.222 slash line equates to an awful 7 wRC+.
With Owings departing, the Royals will welcome back a familiar face that failed to stick around previously. The 26-year-old Cuthbert has not produced much at all in his prior major-league opportunities, with a .252/.303/.378 slash over 830 plate appearances. He’s off to a nice start to the year at Triple-A, turning in .310/.370/.528 batting line and eight long balls across 219 trips to the dish.
Reds Claim Ruben Alaniz
The Reds have claimed righty Ruben Alaniz off waivers from the Mariners, per an announcement from the Seattle club. It’s not yet clear what the M’s will do with the open 40-man slot.
Alaniz, who’s closing in on his 28th birthday, was knocked around in four outings earlier this year for Seattle. He signed a MLB pact despite qualifying as a minor-league free agent at the end of the 2018 season.
Things haven’t gone well this year at Triple-A, either. He has shown better there in the past, however. In 100 2/3 total frames at the highest level of the minors, Alaniz carries a 4.02 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.
Reds Add Eric Stout On Minor League Deal
The Reds have purchased the contract of left-hander Eric Stout from the Kansas City T-Bones of the independent American Association, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan reports (via Twitter). The team has yet to announce the move or the affiliate to which Stout will report.
Stout, 26, made his MLB debut with the Royals last season after spending four years in their minor league system. He appeared in just three games and struggled, allowing a pair of homers in his 2 1/3 innings of work, but Stout has a solid track record in the upper minors. A 13th-round draft pick back in 2014, the lefty joins the Reds organization with a career 3.76 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 124 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level. He had a 13-to-3 K/BB ratio through nine innings in his brief time with the T-Bones this year.
Stout spent Spring Training 2019 with the Padres organization but wasn’t able to secure a spot on the big league roster and was given his release at the end of camp. He’s worked primarily as a reliever in his career, and lefty relief has been a weak point in Cincinnati this season beyond the excellent Amir Garrett. Wandy Peralta (recently optioned) and offseason signee Zach Duke (on the IL) have both struggled, while Brandon Finnegan has yet to pitch for an affiliate. Ian Krol has had a nice season with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville thus far and could eventually emerge in the Majors as a second lefty option, and Stout will add another depth piece to that mix.
Draft Prospect Carter Stewart To Sign With Japanese Team
TODAY: Stewart will receive roughly $6.2MM in guaranteed money, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets, though incentives could make the total in the range of $11MM-$12MM, plus even more is available in awards bonuses.
MAY 21, 8:25pm: Stewart will sign a six-year contract worth more than $7MM, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (via Twitter). He’ll start off in the minor leagues over in Japan.
One can only wonder if Stewart’s decision will ultimately inspire other domestic amateurs to pursue similar opportunities overseas. By securing a $7MM+ guarantee, he’ll almost certainly eclipse what he’d have made in terms of his bonus in next month’s draft. While he’s now locked in his salaries for more than a half decade and put a fairly hard cap on what he can earn, Stewart would’ve likely been years away from even being a consideration for an MLB roster — at which point he’d have been another three years away (at least) from reaching arbitration eligibility. It could very well have taken him as long, if not longer, to reach the point where he could’ve locked in a guaranteed $7MM by playing in Major League Baseball — if he ever reached that level of earnings at all.
1:55pm: Stewart will receive more than $4MM under the deal, MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports (Twitter link).
8:37am: Amateur pitching prospect Carter Stewart will continue to take an unusual career path, foregoing the upcoming amateur draft in favor of a stint with Japan’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the agreement (Twitter links).
Though precise terms aren’t yet known, Rosenthal indicates that Stewart will be subject to Nippon Professional Baseball’s typical ten-year player-control system. Whether there are any further understandings or agreements regarding his future aren’t known. Stewart was “believed to be seeking” a $7MM guarantee, per Rosenthal. It’s not yet known whether he’ll receive that level of promise from Fukuoka, and in what form (bonus vs. salary) it’ll be paid.
Stewart is widely considered one of the most talented amateur pitchers in the world. Indeed, the Braves selected him out of high school with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 draft. The sides failed to agree to a contract after the club got a closer look at the medicals. A ligament issue in Stewart’s wrist led the club to lower its offer.
Rather than take the reduced bonus, Stewart enrolled at Eastern Florida State College. By going to a junior college, he preserved the ability to reenter the draft this year. Meanwhile, Stewart and his representatives initiated a grievance regarding the negotiations with the Braves. It was ultimately resolved in the team’s favor. The Braves hold a compensatory pick in this year’s draft.
In the intervening year since the ’18 draft, pundits have soured a bit on Stewart. He delivered excellent results and is still said to have shown top-shelf stuff at times, but also dealt with some inconsistency and saw a few other questions crop up. As of today, Stewart was rated 38th overall by Baseball America and landed just inside the top sixty players on the Fangraphs and MLB.com draft prospect lists.
Heading to Japan hardly means that Stewart won’t have a chance at the majors. But it does make for quite a different — and frankly fascinating — career course. It seems reasonable to presume that Stewart will be counted against the Hawks’ limit of four foreign players — if and when he’s added to the active roster. He’d be eligible to be posted back to MLB teams (with a transfer fee capped at $20MM) at any time, at the election of his new team.
There’s some risk in heading abroad, but it’s hard to ignore the appeal. Stewart will have a heck of a cultural experience. He will presumably enjoy much greater earnings out of the gates, though bonus and salary details aren’t yet known. Neither is it clear whether Stewart is expected to jump right into the team’s NPB rotation out of the gates, but it stands to reason that he’ll be competing in consequential games in front of thousands of passionate fans much sooner in Japan than he would have in North America.
The international transactional landscape continues to evolve in fascinating ways. Shohei Ohtani pushed for an early move to the majors after previously dabbling with a decision to come straight over as an amateur player. Last fall, the Diamondbacks nabbed a promising Japanese amateur player in unusual fashion. We have continued to see North American players head to Japan and other Asian nations in efforts to earn better money and revive their careers, though roster limitations effectively cap the number that can do so. Now, there’s a potential new talent pipeline heading west across the Pacific.
Mariners Release Christian Bergman
The Mariners have released right-hander Christian Bergman from his minor league contract, as per Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto (Twitter link). Seattle signed Bergman in April, after the righty was released from a previous minor league deal with the Cubs during Spring Training.
Bergman, 31, didn’t have much success with Triple-A Tacoma, posting a 9.57 ERA over 26 1/3 innings, allowing a whopping 10 homers over that brief stint. Home runs have been a significant issue for Bergman throughout his career, with a 1.7 HR/9 over 215 2/3 Major League innings with the Rockies and Mariners from 2014-18. This left Bergman with little room for error in his control-heavy arsenal, which lacked a high-velocity fastball or the ability to miss many bats (career 5.4 K/9).