Rangers Outright Lucas Harrell, Shawn Tolleson
TODAY: Tolleson has elected free agency, the team announced.
YESTERDAY: The Rangers have outrighted right-handed pitchers Lucas Harrell and Shawn Tolleson, according to an announcement from VP of communications John Blake. Both pitchers ended the year on the 60-day DL, and now have the option to elect free agency.
Harrell, 31, returned stateside after spending 2015 with Korea’s LG Twins. He didn’t pitch well at Double-A with the Tigers organization, but got a shot with the rebuilding Braves and turned in five useful starts for Atlanta.
That led to a trade to the Rangers, but things didn’t quite pan out in Texas. In his four outings, Harrell managed only 17 2/3 innings, coughing up 11 earned runs and permitting 13 walks to go with his 15 strikeouts. His year ended with a groin strain.
As for Tolleson, 28, the 2016 campaign was a bit of a nightmare. He had been quite a productive member of the Rangers bullpen for the two prior seasons, racking up 144 frames of 2.88 ERA ball and taking over the closer’s role. But he fell off of a cliff this year, allowing a 7.68 ERA over 36 1/3 innings.
While he still managed 7.2 K/9 versus 2.5 BB/9 in 2016, Tolleson allowed 53 hits and eight long balls in his partial-season work for the Rangers. Tolleson didn’t show any velocity decline, and was perhaps unlucky in some respects (.372 BABIP, 24.2% HR/FB rate). He was ultimately placed on the 60-day DL due to back issues. With a projected $3.6MM arbitration salary, Texas decided to move on.
It’s certainly possible that either of these hurlers could end up returning to the Rangers, though they’ll have a shot to test the open market first. Both figure to garner their fair share of interest: Harrell may at least represent a rotation depth option, while Tolleson’s recent history as a quality late-inning arm is intriguing.
Reds Designate John Lamb, Select Contract Of Ariel Hernandez
The Reds announced today that they’ve designated left-hander John Lamb for assignment and selected the contract of right-hander Ariel Hernandez. Lamb recently underwent his second back surgery in the past 10 months, giving him a chance to clear waivers.
Originally acquired from the Royals alongside Brandon Finnegan and Cody Reed (in exchange for Johnny Cueto), the 26-year-old Lamb has struggled in both of his two seasons with the Reds. Injuries have long plagued the once vaunted pitching prospect, as he also underwent Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer. There was a time when both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus regarded Lamb as one of baseball’s top 20 prospects, but it’s now been five years since he received that distinction. In 119 2/3 innings as a Major Leaguer, all with the Reds, Lamb has a 6.17 ERA, although his 110-to-50 K/BB ratio is somewhat encouraging. Home runs have been Lamb’s primary downfall, as he’s yielded 1.65 HR/9 to this point in his big league career.
As for Hernandez, the 24-year-old Dominican righty was originally signed by the Giants but ultimately wound up pitching in independent ball in 2015 before the D-backs gave him another chance. While Hernandez posted just a 6.04 ERA in 22 1/3 innings in the Arizona system in 2015, the Reds saw something they liked and picked him up in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft and were rewarded for that show of faith. While Hernandez was old to be pitching in the Class-A Midwest League and Class-A Advanced Florida State League, the combined 2.18 ERA, 10.7 K/9 rate and 54.6 percent ground-ball rate he compiled are nonetheless impressive. Control appears to be an issue, as he did average 5.7 walks per nine innings. Scouting reports on the right-hander are scarce, though Baseball America did list him as a “rising” prospect in the Cincinnati system in July, noting that he’s still “way too wild” but possesses one of baseball’s best fastball/curveball combos and has drawn some 80 grades from scouts on both pitches (BA subscription required and recommended).
Padres Outright Jemile Weeks, Jake Smith, Jose Dominguez
The Padres have announced that three players were outrighted off the club’s 40-man roster. Infielder Jemile Weeks and righties Jake Smith and Jose Dominguez all lost their spots.
Weeks, a 29-year-old switch hitter, managed only seven hits and three walks in 57 plate appearances on the year for San Diego. He has mostly functioned as a journeyman depth option over the last several years after failing to follow up on a highly promising rookie campaign with the A’s back in 2011. Weeks elected free agency, so he’ll be back on the open market this winter.
The 26-year-old Smith received his first brief crack at the majors this year, but only took the ball four times for the Padres. He struggled badly at Double-A for the Giants, with San Diego claiming him in July. While Smith’s six appearances at the same level in the Padres organization were more successful, it wasn’t enough for the team to dedicate a MLB roster slot to him going forward.
Dominguez, like Weeks, took free agency. The 26-year-old has appeared in the majors in each of the last four years and threw a career-high 35 2/3 innings in 2016. The results weren’t there, though, as he worked to a 5.05 ERA with just twenty strikeouts against 17 walks.
Astros Void Deal With Cuban Prospect Cionel Perez
10:10pm: A medical matter of some kind gummed up the arrangement, ESPN.com’s Keith Law tweets, though the precise issue isn’t known.
7:37pm: The Astros have voided their agreement with top Cuban pitching prospect Cionel Perez, sources tell Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs (via Twitter). It’s not yet clear what caused the deal to fall apart, though it’s certainly possible that a health problem was identified.
Perez, 20, reportedly agreed in September to a $5.15MM signing bonus to go to Houston. The team had already spent beyond its international bonus pool, meaning that it had to match that amount in an overage tax. Perez was (and will still be) subject to the international signing limitations given his age and lack of experience in Cuba’s top league.
The youngster has drawn rave reviews from prospect hounds. Longenhagen rated him the seventh-best player available in this year’s July 2 signing period — second only to fellow Cuba lefty Adrian Morejon among pitchers.
While he lacks a large frame and hasn’t quite fully harnessed his command, Perez features good arm speed and athleticism, per Longenhagen’s assessment. He works into the mid-nineties with his fastball and has shown several promising secondary pitches.
It’s not known whether Houston will look to renegotiate with Perez, but the team is stuck regardless with the max penalty (two years without $300K+ international bonuses) due to its other additions. Other teams could certainly jump into the mix, though presumably Perez won’t have quite the same earning capacity now. Reports at the time of his signing suggested that the Orioles, Padres, and Reds had chased the young southpaw, though Longenhagen noted that as many as ten teams were interested to some degree.
Athletics Claim Left-Hander Giovanni Soto From Cubs
The Athletics announced that they’ve claimed left-handed reliever Giovanni Soto off waivers from the Cubs. Soto was designated for assignment four days ago when the Cubs needed to clear a 40-man roster spot to send Kyle Schwarber to the Arizona Fall League in preparation for his improbable World Series return.
The 25-year-old Soto, not to be confused with the catcher that was the 2008 NL Rookie of the Year with Chicago (Geovany Soto), has pitched just 3 1/3 innings in the Majors — all of which came in 2015 as a member of the Indians. The southpaw spent the 2016 season with Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate, pitching to a 5.14 ERA with 10.1 K/9, 5.7 BB/9 and a 56.6 percent ground-ball rate in 49 innings out of the Iowa bullpen. Soto’s ERA was the result of his poor control more than opponents hitting him especially hard; though he allowed slightly more than a hit per inning, only three of those hits left the yard. Opponents hit .274 against Soto but slugged just .387. In 111 innings of Triple-A ball, Soto has a 3.96 ERA with with a 114-to-69 K/BB ratio.
Certainly, it’s not a given that Soto will survive the winter on Oakland’s 40-man roster. Players that are claimed early in this manner often bounce around the league over the course of the offseason, but the left-hander does have minor league options remaining, so if he makes it to Spring Training with the A’s, he can be sent down without the risk of first exposing him to outright waivers.
Aaron Barrett Elects Free Agency
The Nationals announced on Wednesday that right-hander Aaron Barrett has cleared waivers and elected free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Syracuse. The 28-year-old, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015, was placed on outright waivers over the weekend.
Barrett is now more than a year removed from Tommy John surgery, but he also suffered a setback in late July when he fractured his elbow and required a second surgery to repair that injury. Prior to suffering the ligament tear that preceded his initial operation, Barrett looked to be an emerging piece in the Nationals’ bullpen. In 70 Major League innings from 2014-15, he pitched to a 3.47 ERA with 10.8 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, a 44.9 percent ground-ball rate and a fastball that averaged 93.8 mph. The 2010 ninth-rounder was effective against both right-handed hitters and lefties alike, limiting righties to a paltry .225/.299/.294 while holding opposite-handed opponents to a .239/.333/.337 slash.
There aren’t yet specifics on Barrett’s timeline to return to the mound, though considering the second procedure took place just over three months ago, there’s probably a fair bit of time left in his rehab process. Nonetheless, it’s easy to envision Barrett attracting interest on a minor league pact and possibly working his way back to the Majors sometime in 2017. Certainly, given the nature of his injuries, a full comeback is no sure thing, but there’s little harm in a team taking a chance on a once-effective reliever that still has fewer than three years of Major League service time under his belt.
Had he remained on the Nationals’ 40-man roster, Barrett would’ve been arbitration eligible as a Super Two player and been in line for a nominal raise; MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a salary of just $700K next season. If he is ultimately able to return to the Majors, his new team would be able to control him for four years (including next season) based on the two years and 144 days of MLB service Barrett has accrued thus far.
Minor MLB Transactions: 10/26/16
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Brewers announced that they’ve re-signed right-hander Stephen Kohlscheen to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training. The 28-year-old spent the 2016 season with Milwaukee’s Double-A affiliate and logged a 2.54 ERA with strong rates of 12.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 49 2/3 innings of work. The former Mariners farmhand found himself traded from Seattle to San Diego alongside Abraham Almonte back in July 2014 — a trade that netted the M’s outfielder Chris Denorfia. Kohlscheen latched on with the Brewers after being cut loose by the Padres last March, and he’ll look to build off this past season’s impressive work and force his way into a Brewers bullpen picture that lacks certainty following the trades of established relief arms Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith.
Minor MLB Transactions: 10/24/16
Here are the latest minor moves, via Matt Eddy of Baseball America:
- The Marlins outrighted first baseman/outfielder Xavier Scruggs off of the team’s 40-man roster. He has seen brief time in each of the last three seasons at the major league level, hitting just .227/.292/.303 in his 130 total plate appearances. This year was his first with an organization other than the Cardinals. While Scruggs didn’t perform in his 24-game run with Miami, he did post an excellent .290/.408/.565 slash with 21 long balls over 382 plate appearances at Triple-A while walking in 15.2% of his trips to the dish (against a 23.6% strikeout rate).
- The Mariners re-signed lefty Brad Mills to a minor league pact. The 31-year-old has seen action in parts of six major league seasons, though he has compiled just 79 total MLB innings with a 7.97 ERA. Mills made nine starts at Triple-A in 2016, pitching to a 5.28 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 4.5 BB/9 over 44 1/3 frames.
- Catcher Jhonatan Solano will return to the Nationals on a minor league deal. The 31-year-old had cracked the bigs in each of the four preceding campaigns, but spent all of 2016 at Triple-A. He continued to struggle at the plate, as his .225/.286/.260 slash attests. With sturdy glovework behind the dish, though, he’ll function as organizational depth once again for the Nats — the only organization he has played for apart from a 2015 run with the Marlins.
Mariners To Sign Micah Owings
The Mariner have agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Micah Owings, as Jesse Burkhart of Fan Rag tweets and MLBTR has confirmed. He’ll receive a big league spring training invite as part of the deal.
Owings, 34, is expected to enter camp trying to pitch his way onto the Seattle roster. He has also attempted to crack the bigs as an outfielder in the past — specifically, in 2013 with the Nationals.
Despite hitting eight home runs and posting a .480 slugging percentage in 213 Triple-A plate appearances that year, Owings carried only a .305 OBP and never got a shot in the majors as a position player. Still, the fact that Owings can swing the stick doesn’t hurt his stock — even if it would be more interesting to see him suiting up for a National League team.
As a pitcher, Owings has appeared in parts of six MLB campaigns, racking up 483 innings of 2.79 ERA pitching with 6.5 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9. Though his last season at the game’s highest level came in 2012, Owings showed enough last year in a run with the indy ball York Revolution to draw a call from GM Jerry Dipoto — who overlapped with Owings when both were with the Diamondbacks.
It took the 6’5 hurler some time to find his groove after missing most of 2014 and all of 2015 with a variety of ailments, but he came on strong later in the year. He ultimately spun 106 2/3 frames for York in 2016, working almost exclusively as a starter and carrying a 4.30 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9.
Braves Agree To Minor League Deal With Joel De La Cruz
The Braves have re-signed right-hander Joel De La Cruz to a minor league contract after outrighting him last week, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy.
De La Cruz, 27, signed a minor league deal with Atlanta last offseason after spending the bulk of his professional career in the Yankees’ minor league ranks. The 2016 season saw De La Cruz make his big league debut, and the Dominican-born righty wound up pitching a fairly substantial 62 2/3 innings for the Braves. Splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen, De La Cruz posted a 4.88 ERA with 5.3 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 43.1 percent ground-ball rate. Per PITCHf/x data, Cruz averaged 91.3 mph on a sinker that he threw at a 51 percent clip, and he also utilized both a slider and a changeup.
In parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level, De La Cruz has a 4.15 ERA in 184 1/3 innings to go along with 5.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. This past season, he worked to a 4.68 ERA with Triple-A Gwinnett and posted a 47.3 percent ground-ball rate. De La Cruz will serve as a depth option for an Atlanta rotation that is currently rife with question marks. Julio Teheran figures to anchor the staff next season, and the Braves also have Mike Foltynewicz, Matt Wisler, Aaron Blair, Josh Collmenter, Williams Perez, Tyrell Jenkins and John Gant as internal options to round out the starting mix. GM John Coppolella has said that he’ll look to add a pair of Major League starters to complement that group, so De La Cruz could face an uphill battle when it comes to returning to the big league rotation, though he’ll make a handy depth option for the relief corps as well.