Indians Sign Matt Belisle
9:06am: Belisle will earn a $1.5MM salary with a chance for more via incentives if he makes the Indians, Jon Heyman of FanRag tweets. There are $1.75MM in bonuses, Buster Olney of ESPN adds (via Twitter).
7:39am: The Indians have agreed to a minor league contract with reliever Matt Belisle, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports. The deal includes an invitation to big league camp.
The 37-year-old Belisle spent last season with Minnesota, one of the Indians’ AL Central rivals, and emerged as the Twins’ closer after they traded Brandon Kintzler in July. In all, the right-handed Belisle pitched to a 4.03 ERA, posted 8.06 K/9 against 3.28 BB/9 and recorded nine saves over 60 1/3 innings.
While Belisle only induced ground balls at a 40.7 percent clip, he made up for it with a 15.6 percent infield fly rate – the 17th-best figure among qualified relievers and a significantly higher number than his career mark (7 percent). And even though Belisle’s velocity dropped from the low-90s to the high-80s as the season progressed, he was far more effective in the second half of the year (1.71 ERA, 3.08 FIP across 26 1/3 innings) than the first (5.82 ERA, 4.83 FIP over 34 frames). Belisle helped his cause by stifling both same-handed hitters (.243/.319/.377) and lefty-swingers (.160/.244/.351).
Since debuting in the majors in 2003, Belisle has fared similarly against righties (.278/.322/.420) and lefties (.266/.333/.422), and has registered a 4.19 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 2.28 BB/9 and a 46.9 percent grounder rate across 894 1/3 innings. Also a former Red, Rockie, Cardinal and National, he’ll now attempt to join an Indians bullpen that was among the game’s elite in 2017. The Indians have since lost righties Bryan Shaw and Joe Smith to free agency, but Cody Allen, Andrew Miller, Zach McAllister, Dan Otero, Nick Goody and Tyler Olson remain on hand in a still-impressive group.
Minor MLB Transactions: 2/24/18
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Red Sox have signed left-hander Tommy Layne to a minors pact; he’d been playing in the MLBPA camp. Brian MacPherson (formerly of the Providence Journal) was first with the news; Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal has since confirmed the report. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe tweets that the deal does not include an invite to spring training. This’ll be the 33-year-old’s second stint with the Red Sox, for whom he pitched 95 1/3 innings and earned 20 holds from 2014-2016. He put up a 3.30 ERA during that span, but with an unsettling walk rate (4.63 BB/9). Originally a late-round pick by the Diamondbacks, Layne has also spent time with the Padres, Yankees and Dodgers organizations. He’ll compete for a spot on a Boston roster that has plenty of high-end lefty starters but little in the way of lefty relief options.
Reds Sign Oliver Perez To Minor-League Deal
11:17am: Sheldon tweets that Perez will earn $1.25MM if he makes the MLB roster, and has $500K available performance bonuses. He’ll be able to opt out of the contract at the end of camp if he isn’t added to the roster by then.
11:02am: The Reds have added left-hander Oliver Perez to their bullpen competition; he’ll receive a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training (hat tip to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com).
The 36-year-old veteran has spent parts of 15 seasons pitching in the major leagues (both as a starter and a reliever), and Cincinnati will be his eighth organization on that journey. Most recently, Perez completed a two-year, $7MM contract with the Nationals for whom he appeared in 114 games while pitching to a 4.81 ERA and 4.55 xFIP. His WPA was 0.46 during that time.
While Perez has experienced a wide variance in overall effectiveness throughout his major-league career, his reputation against left-handed hitters is solid. He’s faced them a total of 1,541 times and held them to just a .228/.318/.365 batting line. That skill has still managed to hold up as he’s aged, as evidenced by the .227/.301/.364 batting line of his lefty opponents in 2017.
The Reds’ bullpen was historically bad in 2016, and would’ve been below replacement level overall again last season if it hadn’t been for an excellent showing from closer Raisel Iglesias. That being said, Perez isn’t a lock to crack the club’s major-league roster. Fellow lefty Wandy Peralta is a solid incumbent who figures to be in the Reds’ bullpen come opening day, and Amir Garrett might also be in the mix if he doesn’t land a spot in the rotation. Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen are among the right-handers set to return, and the club also added Jared Hughes and David Hernandez on major-league deals to fill two more vacancies.
Twins Sign Erick Aybar
Feb. 24th: The Twins have announced the signing.
Feb. 23rd: The Twins have agreed to a minor-league deal with infielder Erick Aybar, according to LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune. The contract includes a MLB invite. Aybar’s potential salary is $1.25MM and there are some plate appearance-based incentives, too, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). The deal also includes an opt-out opportunity on March 27th.
Aybar signed on with the Padres last year in hopes of rebounding from a pair of tough seasons, but ended up struggling in San Diego. Over 370 plate appearances, Aybar slashed just .234/.300/.348 over 370 plate appearances and continued to post sub-par metrics at shortstop. The 34-year-old switch-hitter also missed time with a foot fracture.
Minnesota won’t be handing its regular shortstop job over to Aybar, of course, but it could allow him to compete for a bench spot. Ehire Adrianza currently seems like the favorite to function as a utility infielder, but Aybar will now join Gregorio Petit and Taylor Featherston as potential non-roster options in camp.
It has now been some time since Aybar was a quality regular, but he certainly was that and more earlier in his career with the Angels. In addition to being a quality defender, Aybar was a league-average hitter from 2009 through 2014.
Royals Sign Michael Saunders
6:38pm: Saunders can earn $1.5MM on the MLB roster with as much as $500K in available incentives, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets.
3:36pm: The Royals have announced the signing of outfielder Michael Saunders to a minor-league deal. It seems that the recent agreement between Saunders and the Pirates has been torn up.
When Saunders put pen to paper with Pittsburgh, he was slated to battle with Daniel Nava and others for a spot in the outfield mix. But the Bucs’ recent acquisition of Corey Dickerson left Saunders without much of a path to the MLB roster.
Saunders’s agent, Barry Meister, says the Pirates allowed his client to pursue other opportunities after the new development, per SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter links). Meister says the team “should be commended for their player-friendly, honest and transparent behavior.”
At the end of the day, then, Saunders will enter a different but perhaps even more promising situation in Kansas City. He’ll still need to earn his way onto the roster, but there’s a solid chance he can do so with a good performance this spring. Outside of Alex Gordon, the Royals are thin in terms of lefty outfield bats; Saunders will presumably compete with non-roster invitees Cody Asche and Tyler Collins in camp for a chance at a role in the majors.
Saunders is coming off of a miserable 2017 season and has a long history of injury troubles. But he has had some quality campaigns in the majors, including a 2016 effort with the Blue Jays in which he posted a .253/.338/.478 batting line over 558 plate appearances. At his best, he has also graded well in the field and on the bases, so it could be that the 31-year-old still has some productive seasons ahead of him.
Tigers Designate Jairo Labourt
The Tigers have designated lefty Jairo Labourt for assignment, per a team announcement. His roster spot will go to just-signed southpaw Francisco Liriano.
Labourt, who’ll soon reach his 24th birthday, reached the majors briefly for the first time in 2017. That was quite an achievement in and of itself, as he had never pitched above the High-A level entering the season.
Moving to the pen on a full-time basis seemed to unlock some potential for Labourt, who posted intriguing K:BB numbers at High-A and Double-A before ascending to the highest level of the minors. While he recorded a 2.45 ERA in 22 frames at Triple-A, though, he also recorded more walks than strikeouts — a less-than-promising development that continued in his six MLB innings.
With such a mixed bag in 2017, it’s far from clear whether other organizations will decide it’s worth occupying a roster spot to gain control over Labourt. He did show a 93 mph fastball in the majors, but went to his slider on two-thirds of his deliveries in his short time at the game’s highest level. Given the walk tallies and a pedestrian 7.2% swinging-strike rate, it seems quite a lot of refinement is still needed.
Tigers To Sign Louis Coleman
The Tigers have agreed to terms on a minors deal with righty Louis Coleman, according to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter). Additional terms of the accord are not yet known.
Coleman, 31, has spent parts of six seasons in the majors, most recently in 2016 with the Dodgers. Though he struggled in his 48 frames with Los Angeles, Coleman was at least able to show again that he could stay healthy after missing the bulk of 2015. He posted velocity and swinging-strike (12.4%) figures in line with his career norms, but ended the year with a 4.69 ERA and 8.4 K/9 against 4.5 BB/9.
It came as no surprise when Coleman settled for a minor-league agreement with the Reds last winter, but it also seemed reasonable to expect he could earn his way back to the majors. After all, prior to landing with the Dodgers, Coleman owned a lifetime 3.20 ERA through 177 1/3 MLB frames.
As it turned out, though, Coleman failed to crack the Reds’ dreadful pen and also could not earn a shot upon signing with the Diamondbacks in the middle of the 2017 campaign. But he did rack up quality innings at Triple-A through the year, ended with 64 frames of 2.25 ERA pitching over fifty outings. Coleman averaged a solid 10.8 K/9 on the year, though he also surrendered 4.5 BB/9, reflecting a longstanding propensity to hand out a few too many free passes.
Now, Coleman will join the mix at Tigers camp in hopes of earning a spot in the pecking order — if not a MLB job out of camp. The organization is not exactly loaded with sure things in the relief corps. Unsurprisingly, the Tigers have brought in a few non-roster players already, including pitchers such as Travis Wood and Enrique Burgos, to boost the depth and provide competition this spring.
Tigers Sign Francisco Liriano
3:08pm: Liriano is officially a member of the Tigers.
12:44pm: The Tigers have agreed to a one-year, $4MM contract with lefty Francisco Liriano, reports FanRag’s Robert Murray (Twitter link). The deal also contains another $1MM in available incentives tied to significant awards, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets. Murray had recently tweeted that the market for Liriano, a client of the Legacy Agency, was picking up some steam.
Liriano, 34, enjoyed a resurgence as a key member of the Pirates from 2013-15, somewhat quietly reestablishing himself as a considerably above-average big league starter.
The past two seasons, though, have been another story. Liriano has bounced from Pittsburgh to Toronto to Houston, working to a combined 5.05 ERA through 260 innings as the control issues that hounded him earlier in his career resurfaced (4.8 BB/9, 1.3 HR/9). Accordingly, Liriano’s swinging-strike rate dropped to 11.4 percent in 2016 and 9.6 in 2017 — the worst marks of his career.
Liriano still averages better than 92 mph on his fastball and can induce grounders at an average or better rate. He also held lefties to a fairly feeble .247/.300/.355 slash last season, though one would typically prefer to see a bit more dominance against same-handed opponents when considering a pitcher as a left-handed specialist. It’s not clear at this time whether he’ll function as a starter or a reliever with his new club, though in his run with the Astros last season, he worked exclusively out of the bullpen.
At present, though, the Tigers certainly seem like a team that could use some rotation depth. Ace Michael Fulmer is coming off surgery to re-position the ulnar nerve in his pitching arm, while Jordan Zimmermann battled neck and back injuries in what was a dismal overall season in his second year with Detroit.
Young lefties Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd have yet to cement themselves as quality big league options, even though each has flashed potential on more than one occasion. And righty Mike Fiers, signed earlier this winter to be the fifth starter, is coming off a poor season himself, which led to a non-tender from the Astros. Longtime setup man Alex Wilson is being stretched out as a potential starter this spring as well, and veteran non-roster invitee Travis Wood could also vie for a starting spot.
If Liriano is used in relief, he’ll join Blaine Hardy and Daniel Stumpf as southpaws in a bullpen, where Wood could also compete for a spot. The current composition of the Tigers’ bullpen is thin beyond closer Shane Greene, to put things delicately. Jason Martinez of MLBTR and Roster Resource currently projects Wilson (assuming he doesn’t start), Drew VerHagen, Hardy, Stumpf, Joe Jimenez and Buck Farmer to round out the relief corps behind Greene. Johnny Barbato, Zac Reininger and Jairo Labourt are all 40-man options in Triple-A, while Wood, Enrique Burgos and Victor Alcantara headline the non-roster invitees competing for jobs this spring.
Liriano is a known commodity for much of the Tigers coaching staff, as first-year Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire served as his skipper from 2005-12 with the Twins. Tigers bullpen coach Rick Anderson was Liriano’s pitching coach during his Twins days, while bench coach Steve Liddle and quality control coach Joe Vavra were also on Gardenhire’s staff when Liriano was with Minnesota.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dodgers Claim J.T. Chargois From Twins
The Dodgers announced that they’ve claimed right-handed reliever J.T. Chargois off waivers from the Twins. Left-hander Julio Urias has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported yesterday that Chargois had hit the waiver wire. Urias underwent shoulder surgery late last June and could miss the entire 2018 season.
The 27-year-old Chargois was Minnesota’s second-round pick out of Rice back in 2012 but has seen his development slowed by multiple injuries throughout his career, including Tommy John surgery and a stress reaction in his elbow this past season. When healthy, Chargois features a mid-90s fastball that can scrape triple digits. He’s dominated throughout his minor league tenure when healthy, working to a career 1.91 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9, but his injuries have limited him to just 113 1/3 innings in the minors and another 23 in the Majors, where he owns a 4.70 ERA and a 17-to-12 K/BB ratio.
For the Twins, they now have an open 40-man roster spot to work with. There’s been no corresponding roster move announced to go along with Chargois’ placement on waivers, though the Twins have been linked to various pitchers, both in free agency and trade, even after acquiring Jake Odorizzi from the Rays. They’ll now have an open spot to accommodate the acquisition of another arm or a right-handed bat — another asset they’re rumored to covet — though there’s no indication that any such move is looming in the immediate future.
Twins Place J.T. Chargois On Outright Waivers
Feb. 23: Chargois was actually placed on waivers on Wednesday, Berardino tweets, meaning the outcome should be known this afternoon.
Feb. 22: The Twins have placed righty J.T. Chargois on outright waivers, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (Twitter link). It seems the hope is that the injured Chargois will clear waivers while leaving the organization a 40-man spot to work with.
Chargois, a second-round pick in the 2012 draft, steadily moved up the Minnesota system as he worked to harness a big heater. In 2016, he impressed in his first attempt at Triple-A, posting a 1.29 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 over 35 innings. And while he struggled overall in a first attempt at the majors, Chargois did finish his debut effort with a strong final month.
The arrow pointed up heading into 2017, but Chargois stalled out. He took the mound only twice in competitive situations while dealing with an elbow problem that was ultimately diagnosed as a stress reaction. While he did not require surgery, there’s obviously some uncertainty as to how his career will progress from this point.
Given that Chargois held onto his 40-man spot throughout the winter, it seems the Twins have maintained at least some cause for optimism. On the other hand, the club is obviously now willing to take a chance at losing a pitcher who not long ago seemed a future closer possibility. Whether his early showing in camp impacted the decision is not clear, but it’s somewhat notable that Minnesota did not place Chargois on the 60-day DL, suggesting that he’s healthy enough that such a placement would not be warranted.