Rangers Release Prince Fielder
9:00pm: Texas has indeed negotiated a deal with the insurance company, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Per Grant, the agreement is believed to defer the payment of policy benefits but otherwise leave them intact.
12:12pm: The Rangers announced that they have released first baseman Prince Fielder. With the move, the club will be able to utilize a 40-man roster spot that had previously been tied up owing to financial considerations.
Fielder had previously announced that he would no longer play after undergoing neck fusion surgery late in the 2016 season. But the veteran slugger did not formally retire at that time, as he is still entitled to earn $24MM per season through 2020 under the massive free-agent deal he signed back in 2012 with the Tigers.
Of course, a big chunk of that salary was being paid by the Tigers and, since the surgery, an insurer. Cutting Fielder loose would have opened a roster spot, but also would have meant sacrificing the right to collect an estimated $9MM annually.
Details on the move aren’t yet clear, but it’s hard to imagine the Rangers have simply decided not to worry about the $27MM they could still collect in insurance proceeds. It seems more reasonable to expect that the move was made after some sort of settlement was reached — though that’s still speculative at this point.
Henderson Alvarez, Kevin Siegrist To Elect Free Agency
The Phillies announced today that right-hander Henderson Alvarez, left-hander Kevin Siegrist and infielder/outfielder Ty Kelly have cleared outright waivers and intend to elect free agency. Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer first reported that Kelly would elect free agency after clearing waivers.
It’s not terribly surprising to see the trio return to the open market after helping to round out the roster for a rebuilding Phillies organization in 2017. All three could have been kept — the former two via arbitration — but the Phils decided to keep the 40-man roster spots (and funds) open for other opportunities.
Though Alvarez made only three appearances in the majors, they were his first since early in 2015. He held opposing hitters to seven earned runs in 14 2/3 frames, but allowed 11 walks while recording just six strikeouts. Alvarez also worked only in the 91 to 92 mph range with his fastball, well off his peak, though he’s sure to get a look with some organization in Spring Training. Once a productive starter with the Marlins, Alvarez is still just 27 years of age.
Siegrist, 28, was claimed by the Phillies after being cut loose by the Cardinals and seemingly was a candidate to be tendered a contract. Upon landing in Philadelphia, he threw five frames, recording seven strikeouts against two walks while allowing two earned runs. Siegrist likely would not have commanded much more than his $1.6MM salary from 2017, and would have come with another year of arbitration control, but evidently he didn’t show enough to convince the Phillies’ front office.
As for Kelly, he still hasn’t shown much indication that he’ll do enough damage offensively to be more than a utility player in the majors. The 29-year-old now carries a .211/.297/.340 slash through 176 MLB plate appearances. He has been fairly productive over six seasons at Triple-A, earning a .382 on-base percentage by walking nearly as often as he strikes out (233 of the former and 237 of the latter through 1,612 plate appearances), though his power has lagged (.385 slugging percentage) at the highest level of the minors.
Joba Chamberlain: No Plans For Comeback Attempt
Veteran right-hander Joba Chamberlain tells George A. King III of the New York Post that he won’t pursue further opportunities to continue his playing career. Chamberlain, who tells King it’s “time to be a dad,” will walk away from the game after parts of 10 big league seasons to spend time with his young family.
The 32-year-old Chamberlain was one of the game’s top regarded prospects after the Yankees selected him with the 41st overall pick in the 2006 draft. The Nebraska product spent barely a year in the minor leagues before debuting with one of the more memorable stretches of dominance for any rookie pitcher in recent memory.
Chamberlain debuted with the Yankees on Aug. 7, 2007 and went on to reel off 16 brilliant innings with a 0.00 ERA to open his career. He was eventually scored upon with one unearned run and a lone earned run, but his rookie season ended with a comically dominant 0.38 ERA and a 34-to-6 K/BB ratio in 24 innings of work.
Between that short sample and a strong overall rookie campaign in 2008 (2.60 earned run average, 10.6 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 in 100 1/3 innings between 30 relief appearances and 12 starts), Chamberlain appeared poised for greatness. However, a full-time move to the starting rotation in 2009 yielded middling results, and Chamberlain lacked his typical relief dominance when moved back to the bullpen in 2010.
Yankees fans can undoubtedly recall a divide within the organization as to which role best suited Chamberlain, and the dreaded “Joba Rules” that the organization put in place to protect the prized young righty’s arm ultimately failed to achieve their goal. A torn ulnar collateral ligament and Tommy John surgery in 2011 limited him to 48 2/3 innings over a two-year period. Chamberlain’s final season in Yankee pinstripes came in 2013 and resulted in an ERA just south of 5.00 with diminished strikeout and walk rates.
Over the next three seasons, Chamberlain bounced around the American League Central, spending time as a member of the Tigers, Royals and Indians while finding varying levels of success. He turned in a solid 2014 season with the Tigers and quietly gave the Indians 20 very strong innings of relief as recently as 2016. But the dominance that Chamberlain showed during his impressive minor league stint and his first 124 big league innings never really resurfaced following his surgery. He was in minor league camp with the Brewers this year but never signed another contract after failing to make the team out of Spring Training.
All said, Chamberlain’s career will come to a close with a 25-21 record, seven saves and a 3.81 ERA over the life of 555 1/3 innings between the Yankees, Tigers, Indians and Royals. Though he never reached the heights that many projected early in his career, Chamberlain still appeared in four different postseasons, taking home a World Series ring with the 2009 Yankees. Between his signing bonus out of the draft and his salaries over parts of 10 big league seasons, he took home roughly $12MM as a player. Best wishes to Joba and his family as he embarks on his post-playing days.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
White Sox Outright Five Players
The White Sox announced Wednesday that they’ve outrighted catcher Rob Brantly, outfielder Rymer Liriano, left-hander David Holmberg and righties Chris Volstad and Brad Goldberg off the 40-man roster, dropping their 40-man count to 33 in the process. Brantly, Liriano, Holmberg and Volstad will all become free agents, while Goldberg (who lacks the service time of the other players) will stick with the ChiSox as a non-roster player.
Both Brantly and Holmberg were in their second stints with the White Sox organization. Brantly appeared in 14 games with the Pale Hose in both 2015 and 2017. spending a year as a member of the Reds organization in the interim. He’s a career .230/.294/.333 hitter in parts of four big league seasons.
Holmberg, meanwhile, was a second-round pick by the ChiSox back in 2009 but was traded to the D-backs along with Daniel Hudson in exchange for Edwin Jackson before ever appearing in Chicago. He tossed 57 2/3 innings for them this year after returning on a minor league deal, though, working to a 4.67 ERA. That was the most significant experience the 25-year-old has had in the Majors to date. Holmberg has struggled in 119 2/3 big league innings, pitching to a 5.49 ERA with more walks (69) than strikeouts (66).
Liriano, once a top prospect in the Padres organization, came to the Sox via waivers but put up uninspiring numbers between both Triple-A and the Majors. Even with a paltry .740 OPS in 500 Triple-A plate appearances this season, the 26-year-old is a lifetime .286/.365/.453 hitter in parts of three Triple-A campaigns.
Volstad’s return to the Majors was somewhat remarkable, as the 31-year-old entered the year with just 10 1/3 MLB innings under his belt dating back to the 2012 season. He didn’t perform especially well in either Triple-A Charlotte or in 19 1/3 innings with the Sox, but he could aim for a similar minor league opportunity this winter.
Goldberg, 27, was the White Sox’ 10th-round pick back in 2013 and debuted in the Majors this year with unsightly results. In 12 innings he was shelled for 11 runs on 14 hits and 14 walks with just three strikeouts. He did post a 3.35 ERA with a much more palatable 47-to-22 K/BB ratio in 40 1/3 Triple-A frames, however.
Reds Outright Asher Wojciechowski, Alejandro Chacin, Nick Travieso
The Reds announced that they’ve outrighted right-handers Asher Wojciechowski, Alejandro Chacin and Nick Travieso off the 40-man roster after each of the three cleared waivers. Cincinnati also announced that righty Luke Farrell failed to clear waivers and was claimed by the division-rival Cubs. The cuts drop Cincinnati’s 40-man roster to a total of 36 players.
Wojciechowski, 28, logged the most time with the Reds this season, soaking up 62 1/3 innings for an injury-marred Reds staff that was one of the worst collective units in all of baseball. In his 25 appearances (eight of them starts), Wojciechowski was hit hard, logging a 6.50 earned run average. While his 9.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 marks were solid, Wojciechowski was one of the more extreme fly-ball pitchers in baseball, inducing grounders at just a 29.1 percent clip as compared to a 51.1 percent fly-ball rate. While the 15.1 percent of Wojciechowski’s fly-balls that turned into homers is certainly an above-average rate, it’s not exorbitant by 2017 standards (league average was 13.7 percent). However, the sheer volume of fly-balls surrendered by Wojciechowski led to far too many long balls.
Chacin, 24, only pitched six innings for the Reds after having his contract selected in late August. The 24-year-old did post a 2.60 ERA through 69 1/3 innings of Triple-A ball this year, though, averaging 8.2 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 with a 42.1 percent ground-ball clip in Louisville. That solid but not dominant performance apparently wasn’t enough to get him a look on another club’s 40-man roster, though, and he’ll now be able to explore other opportunities in minor league free agency.
The outright of Travieso is an unfortunate outcome for a player whom the Reds selected with the 14th overall pick of the 2012 draft. Travieso entered the year as a candidate to make his MLB debut at some point in 2017, but as Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported back in June, he required shoulder surgery that will sideline him for nine months. Travieso didn’t throw a pitch in the minors this year, though he did log a 3.84 ERA in 117 1/3 innings in Double-A as a 22-year-old last season.
Cubs Claim Luke Farrell From Reds, Designate Felix Pena
The Cubs announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Luke Farrell off waivers from the Reds and designated righty Felix Pena for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
Farrell, whose father manages the Boston Red Sox, made his big league debut with the Royals in 2017 but has bounced from Kansas City to the Dodgers to the Reds to the Cubs in minor trades and waiver claims over the past several months. His lone outing in Kansas City produced nightmarish results (five runs on seven hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings), but he enjoyed better success in a larger sample with Cincinnati. In 10 1/3 innings as a Red, he allowed three runs on just five hits, though he also walked seven in that time. Overall, Farrell’s first taste of the big leagues resulted in a 5.54 ERA and a 9-to-10 K/BB ratio in 13 innings.
Farrell has, however, produced solid Triple-A results in 2016-17, working to a combined 3.83 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and roughly a 36 percent ground-ball rate in 199 2/3 innings. He has a pair of minor league options remaining beyond this season, so if the Cubs choose to keep him on the roster this winter, they could option him to Triple-A Iowa next spring without first exposing him to waivers. Alternatively, the Cubs could try to pass Farrell through waivers themselves in hopes of retaining his arm as a depth piece without the need of committing a 40-man roster spot.
The 27-year-old Pena, meanwhile, averaged 93.4 mph on his heater in 34 1/3 innings with the Cubs this year. He also averaged a hearty 9.7 K/9 against a more troublesome 4.7 BB/9 and a sub-par 34.7 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 5.24 earned run average.
Minor MLB Transactions: 10/3/17
Here are the latest minor league moves from around baseball. All transactions were reported by Matt Eddy of Baseball America, unless otherwise cited.
- Right-hander Michael Ynoa has re-signed with the White Sox rather than test minor league free agency. Ynoa was outrighted off Chicago’s roster earlier this season after posting a 5.90 ERA over 29 innings. Once a highly-touted international signing as a teenager, Ynoa has struggled with his command in both the minors and at the big league level, with a 5.9 BB/9 over 59 career innings with the White Sox in 2016-17.
- The Angels signed righty Vicente Campos to a minor league contract, as Campos will return to the organization after being released in September. Campos posed an 8.22 ERA over 23 innings last season split between Triple-A, high A-ball and rookie ball as he worked his back from forearm surgery in September 2016. His Major League resume consists of 5 2/3 innings with the Diamondbacks in 2016.
Indians Activate Michael Brantley
The Indians have activated outfielder Michael Brantley from the 10-day DL, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets. That means the team will have the option of placing Brantley on its ALDS roster. Manager Terry Francona had previously said the team intended to give Brantley “every chance possible,” although Bastian tweets that Brantley is not in tonight’s lineup.
Brantley had been on the DL since early August after suffering an ankle sprain. Before that, he was productive, batting .299/.358/.445 over 372 plate appearances while returning from a 2016 campaign that was ruined by a shoulder injury.
The Indians are currently going with an outfield mix of Austin Jackson, Jason Kipnis, Jay Bruce, Lonnie Chisenhall and others. Brantley would give them another option in left field, and possibly off the bench as well, in the playoffs. The team is also currently missing center fielder Bradley Zimmer, who’s out with a hand injury, and Brandon Guyer is currently active but struggling with a sore wrist.
Minor MLB Transactions: 9/29/17
Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the game…
- The Dodgers have selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Tim Locastro, as per a team announcement. Outfielder O’Koyea Dickson was placed on the 60-day DL due to a shoulder injury to create space on the 40-man roster. Manager Dave Roberts told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and other reporters that the Dodgers are evaluating Locastro as a possible pinch-running specialist for the postseason, to the point that Locastro won’t receive any at-bats during his call-up. Locastro, a 13th-round pick for the Blue Jays in the 2013 draft, has a solid .293/.372/.402 slash line over his 2066 career minor league PA but has shown particular aptitude on the basepaths, stealing 143 bases out of 178 attempts.
- The Blue Jays announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Taylor Cole for the final series of the season, with righty Aaron Sanchez shifting from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. He’ll give the team an additional bit of bullpen depth for the final three games, though he’s already been removed from the 40-man once this season, so he’ll again be a candidate come off once the regular season ends. The 27-year-old Cole missed much of the regular season due to injury in the minors but threw 12 2/3 innings of scoreless ball across three levels before being promoted for his big league debut in early August. Cole was rocked for four runs on six hits in one inning of work in his lone big league appearance. He suffered a broken toe in that appearance and landed on the MLB 10-day DL before being released and re-signed to a new minor league deal once his DL stint was up.
Twins Activate Miguel Sano From Disabled List
The Twins have activated third baseman Miguel Sano from the 10-day disabled list, as per a team announcement. The slugger last played on August 19, a day after fouling a ball off his left shin and causing a stress reaction.
What was initially thought to be some minor soreness led to a pretty lengthy DL stint for Sano, and even some worry that he wouldn’t be able to return this season. However, Sano reportedly made some progress in recent days at swinging the bat, looking good enough that the Twins feel comfortable in activating him in time for their final regular-season series, and of course their upcoming AL wild card game appearance. Of course, there isn’t yet any guarantee about how much action Sano will see, whether he returns to the everyday lineup or is used as a pinch-hitting threat.
The Twins’ run to a wild card after a 103-loss season in 2016 is amazing enough, though it’s even more surprising that Minnesota was able to hold steady through September even without its top hitter. Sano has a .267/.356/.514 slash line and 28 homers over 475 PA, with a 126 wRC+ that leads all Twins hitters.
Given both the nature of Sano’s injury and the fact that he isn’t a speedy runner even at the best of times, one would think the Twins will be looking to use Sano as a designated hitter the rest of the way. Eduardo Escobar has filled in at third base in Sano’s absence and delivered some unexpected power, hitting .257/.299/.584 with eight homers over 107 September plate appearances.