A’s Re-Sign Francisco Perez To Minor League Deal
The A’s recently re-signed lefty Francisco Pérez on a minor league contract, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Oakland also brought back right-hander Aaron Brooks on a non-roster pact.
Pérez has the more recent big league experience of the duo. He pitched in a career-high 17 games for Oakland late last season. Pérez allowed 12 runs (11 of them earned) over 16 2/3 innings. He punched out 14 while issuing eight walks. Oakland kept him on the 40-man roster for the majority of the winter but outrighted him a few weeks back to make room for the Alex Wood signing. Pérez chose minor league free agency before quickly circling back on a new contract.
The 6’2″ southpaw has appeared at the MLB level in each of the last three seasons. He suited up with Cleveland in 2021 and Washington two years ago before making the move to Oakland. The opportunities come largely on account of the swing-and-miss upside he has shown in the minors. Pérez has punched out nearly 30% of opponents over parts of three seasons in Triple-A. He nevertheless owns a pedestrian 4.42 ERA at that level, reflecting significant control issues. Pérez has issued free passes to more than 15% of batters faced in his Triple-A career.
Brooks, 34 in April, pitched parts of three seasons at the major league level in an Oakland uniform. He has appeared in five big league campaigns overall, throwing 180 innings with a 6.55 ERA. Brooks last pitched in the majors with the Cardinals in 2022. He spent the ’23 campaign in Triple-A with the Padres, working to a 4.95 ERA over 63 2/3 frames as a long reliever.
Cubs, Dominic Smith Agree To Minor League Deal
The Cubs are in agreement with free agent first baseman Dominic Smith on a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (X link). Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the deal contains a $1.75MM base salary if Smith makes the MLB roster (on X). Murray adds that it could max out at $3.5MM if he hits all the available incentives.
Smith hit free agency when he was non-tendered by the Nationals. Washington signed the former top prospect to a $2MM deal last winter, taking a buy-low flier after Smith’s tenure in Queens had fizzled out. The first baseman had flashed significant offensive upside in limited work between 2019-20, hitting .299/.366/.571 in just under 400 plate appearances over that stretch.
Not only has Smith not maintained that form, he has been a below-average hitter in each of the last three seasons. The Mets moved on after the 2022 season. Smith logged a career-high 586 plate appearances a year ago in Washington. He didn’t make a huge impact, running a .254/.326/.366 slash. Smith kept his strikeouts to a personal-low 15.5% clip but didn’t provide the kind of power expected of a first baseman. He hit 12 homers and tied with Ty France for the lowest slugging mark among primary first basemen (minimum 400 plate appearances).
Murray reports that Smith underwent surgery to address a hamate injury in his wrist in early January. It’s unclear precisely when he suffered the injury, although he didn’t require any time on the IL a year ago. Murray indicates that Smith is expected to be at full strength by the end of exhibition play.
As is the case with tonight’s agreement with David Peralta, Chicago adds an experienced left-handed hitter coming off a down year. Both players made contact at better than average rates a year ago, albeit with minimal power. Smith is limited to first base, where he’ll vie for a job behind offseason trade pickup Michael Busch.
Cubs To Sign David Peralta To Minor League Contract
The Cubs are in agreement with corner outfielder David Peralta on a deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (X link). It’s a minor league contract, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (on X).
Peralta spent the 2023 season with the Dodgers. The veteran inked a $6.5MM free agent pact with Los Angeles last winter. He struggled through one of the worst seasons of his 10-year big league career. Peralta hit .259/.294/.381 through 422 plate appearances. He continued to make plenty of contact but hit only seven home runs, his lowest full-season tally since a 2016 injury-wrecked campaign. His on-base and slugging marks were each the lowest of his career.
Injuries presumably played a role in that diminished production. At season’s end, Peralta underwent surgery to repair a flexor tendon tear in his throwing arm. Reports at the time suggested he was expected to return to throwing and hitting by March. It’s possible Peralta will be behind in Spring Training. At the very least, he’s coming off an atypical offseason.
Between the middling offensive output, the injury and Peralta’s age (36), he was limited to minor league offers. He’s a quality depth pickup who was a solid contributor as recently as 2022. Peralta combined for a slightly above-average .251/.316/.415 batting line in 490 plate appearances with the D-Backs and Rays two years ago. He has garnered solid grades for his left field defense throughout his career and secured a Gold Glove in 2019. Assuming his arm strength is intact after recovering from the flexor surgery, he should be a stable outfield defender.
The Cubs don’t have a clear path to everyday playing time in the corner outfield. Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ have those positions settled. Peralta isn’t a candidate for center field, where Mike Tauchman and top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong are the projected top options (at least pending Cody Bellinger’s free agent resolution). If Peralta cracks the MLB team, he’d add a strong veteran presence to the bench and could log some outfield reps on days when Suzuki or Happ get a breather at designated hitter.
Orioles Acquire Kaleb Ort, Designate Peyton Burdick
The Orioles announced they’ve acquired reliever Kaleb Ort from the Phillies for cash considerations. Outfielder Peyton Burdick was designated for assignment to open space on the 40-man roster. Philadelphia had DFA Ort this morning as the corresponding move for the Whit Merrifield signing.
It’s another back-of-the-roster move for Baltimore. The O’s have been the sport’s most active team on the DFA market over the past few weeks. Ort himself has spent a decent chunk of time in DFA limbo. Since the 2023 season ended, he has gone from the Red Sox to the Mariners, Marlins, Phillies and now Baltimore via waivers or minor trade.
The 32-year-old righty has only ever pitched at the big league level in Boston. He appeared in parts of three seasons with the Red Sox, although all but one appearance came over the last two years. He owns a 6.27 ERA in 51 2/3 career innings, including a 6.26 mark over 23 frames a year ago.
While Ort hasn’t found much big league success, his various sojourns around the league suggest teams like him as a depth arm. He throws reasonably hard, averaging 95.8 MPH with his fastball at the MLB level last year. Ort’s arsenal has played at the Triple-A level. Over parts of four seasons there, he carries an impressive 3.09 ERA while striking out nearly 32% of opposing hitters. He still has a minor league option remaining. The O’s could send him to Triple-A Norfolk without putting him on waivers if they keep him on the 40-man roster.
Burdick, 27 next week, was one of the aforementioned recent DFA pickups by Baltimore. The O’s acquired from the Marlins in a cash trade last Wednesday. Within the next week, they’ll flip him themselves or try to run him through outright waivers.
The righty-hitting outfielder has appeared briefly at the MLB level in each of the past two seasons. Burdick has slumped to a .200/.281/.368 batting line while striking out nearly 40% of the time over his first 46 contests. Strikeouts have been an issue in the minors as well. The Wright State product fanned in an untenable 36.6% of Triple-A plate appearances last season. He has big raw power and has twice topped 20 homers in the minors — including 24 longballs in Triple-A a year ago — but he’ll need to take a significant step forward with his pure contact skills.
Pirates Claim Canaan Smith-Njigba From Mariners
The Pirates have claimed Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers from the Mariners, per announcements from both clubs. The outfielder was designated for assignment by the M’s on the weekend. The Pirates placed right-hander JT Brubaker on the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.
Smith-Njigba, 25 in April, returns to the Pirates after a brief uncoupling. He originally joined the club in the January 2021 trade that sent Jameson Taillon to the Yankees and was with the Bucs for about three years before being designated for assignment last month. He was claimed off waivers by the Mariners about two weeks ago, which briefly had him employed in the same city as his brother, Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seahawks. But the Mariners bumped Canaan off the roster when they claimed Levi Stoudt over the weekend.
The Bucs needed Smith-Njigba’s roster spot a couple of weeks ago to add Aroldis Chapman. At the time, the 60-day IL had not yet opened, as clubs can’t use it between the end of the World Series and the time when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. Now that they do have access to the 60-day IL, they were able to move Brubaker there and fit Smith-Njigba back onto the roster. Brubaker had Tommy John surgery in April of last year and it appears the club isn’t expecting him back soon. The “60 days” don’t start until Opening Day, so he won’t be eligible to return until late May.
If Smith-Njigba can stick on the Pirates’ roster this time, he’s likely to serve a depth role for the club this year. He’s hit just .135/.250/.243 in his 44 major league plate appearances thus far but still has an option remaining. He’s hit .279/.373/.452 in Triple-A over the past two years, leading to a 112 wRC+. He also stole 29 bases in those 157 games while playing all three outfield slots.
The Bucs are slated to have Bryan Reynolds in left and Jack Suwinski in center, but right field is a little bit more open. Players like Joshua Palacios, Edward Olivares, Connor Joe and Ji Hwan Bae are candidates to take some outfield playing time but Smith-Njigba will be in that mix as well, along with non-roster players like Billy McKinney and Gilberto Celestino. The designated hitter spot is likely to be taken by Andrew McCutchen on most days.
Phillies Designate Kaleb Ort For Assignment
The Phillies designated right-hander Kaleb Ort for assignment this morning, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The move clears space on the club’s 40-man roster for second baseman Whit Merrifield, whose signing was reported last week.
Ort, 32, has posted huge numbers in the minors but struggled to replicate those results at the major league level. But since he still has one option year remaining, that makes him appealing as a depth arm who is potentially on the verge of a breakout. That has made him just enticing enough for plenty of teams to want to take a shot on him, but his hold on a roster spot has been tenuous. He finished the 2023 season with the Red Sox but that club put him on waivers in October. He has since gone to the Mariners, Marlins and Phillies via waiver claims but has now lost his roster spot yet again.
Over the past three years, he has tossed 51 2/3 innings in the big leagues, allowing 6.27 earned runs per nine. He struck out 20.9% of batters faced while issuing walks at a 10.2% clip. Those numbers aren’t especially impressive but he averaged around 96 miles per hour on his fastball and had success on the farm. In the same three-year stretch, he has 97 2/3 innings of Triple-A work with a 2.76 ERA and 31.1% strikeout rate. The 10.9% walk rate was still high but the overall body of work has clearly been better at that level.
The Phils will have a week to trade Ort or try to pass him through waivers. Given the way his offseason has gone, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were changing teams yet again in the next week. If he were to pass through unclaimed, he would stick with the Phils as non-roster depth.
Mets To Sign Luke Voit To Minor League Deal
Feb 19: The sides have agreed to terms, per Newsday’s Tim Healey, and Voit has joined the Mets in camp. Healey adds that the contract is expected to be finalized later today.
Feb 17: The Mets are reportedly “moving toward” a minor league deal with Luke Voit, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. SNY’s Andy Martino reported earlier this afternoon that the sides were discussing a potential deal, which would include an invite to big league Spring Training.
Voit, who celebrated his 33rd birthday earlier this week, started the 2023 season with the Brewers but struggled through 22 games with the big league club, hitting just .221/.284/.265 with a 36.5% strikeout rate and just three extra base hits (all doubles) in 74 trips to the plate. That brief stint in Milwaukee was the only big league action Voit saw last year, though he did rake to the tune of a .263/.420/.615 slash line at the Triple-A level in 45 games split between the Brewers and the Mets, the latter of whom he signed on with in June of last year after being released by Milwaukee earlier in the month.
While Voit’s 2023 campaign certainly left something to be desired, he’s also enjoyed his fair share of success throughout seven seasons in the big leagues. Voit made his debut in 2017 as a member of the Cardinals and hit to roughly league average results during a 62-game stint on the club’s bench, though he wouldn’t remain in the organization for long as he was traded to the Yankees in the deal that sent Giovanny Gallegos to St. Louis. That kicked off an incredible four-year stint in the Bronx where Voit slashed a whopping .270/.362/.519, including a dominant showing in the shortened 2020 season that earned him a ninth-place finish in NL MVP voting.
Voit’s tenure with the Yankees came to an end after the club landed Anthony Rizzo in a deal with the Cubs prior to the 2021 trade deadline before deciding to extend him the following offseason. With Rizzo entrenched at first base for the foreseeable future, the Yankees decided to flip Voit to the Padres just before the start of the 2022 season. Voit appeared in just 82 games for San Diego before he was swapped once again, this time to the Nationals as part of the blockbuster that sent Juan Soto to San Diego (where, coincidentally, Soto would eventually find himself traded to the Bronx back in December.)
If the deal is completed, Voit would provide the Mets with a veteran slugger who sports a 121 wRC+ for his career in the majors. While Voit certainly won’t be usurping star slugger Pete Alonso‘s role as the club’s everyday first baseman, Voit could provide competition for youngster Mark Vientos for the role of the club’s primary DH to open the season if the deal is completed. All signs in recent months have pointed toward the Mets offering Vientos a chance to establish himself in the majors to open the 2024 campaign, though he’s struggled to a .205/.255/.354 slash line in 274 trips to the plate at this point in his major league career. If Vientos’s struggles continue, Voit’s presence could give the club a veteran fallback option as they try to remain competitive in 2024 while primarily focusing on building for the 2025 season and beyond.
Phillies Sign Austin Brice To Minor League Deal
The Phillies signed right-hander Austin Brice to a minor league deal this morning, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. The deal comes with an invite to big league Spring Training.
Brice, 32 in June, last made an appearance at the big league level for the Pirates back in 2022. The righty made his major league debut in 2016 as a member of the Marlins, though he would ultimately pitch just 14 innings with the club before being sent to Cincinnati as part of the deal that sent Luis Castillo to Cincinnati. Over two seasons with the Reds, Brice struggled to a 5.40 ERA with a matching FIP across 70 innings of work before the club designated him for assignment following the 2018 season. After a series of waiver claims, Brice found himself back in Miami ahead of the 2019 season and enjoyed the best season of his career as he pitched to a solid 3.43 ERA in 44 2/3 innings of work for the Marlins.
Unfortunately, that success at the big league level was short-lived, as Brice has posted a 5.85 ERA in 40 innings of work since the start of the 2020 season and spent the entire 2023 campaign in the minor leagues pitching for the Twins and Diamondbacks, for whom he posted a combined 6.92 ERA in 40 1/3 innings. Despite those brutal numbers last year, Brice’s overall body of work at the Triple-A level still features decent numbers. In 170 1/3 innings of work at the level across six seasons, Brice has posted a 4.54 ERA with a solid 25% strikeout rate against a 10.3% walk rate alongside a strong 47.4% groundball rate.
Those serviceable peripheral numbers are brought down, however, by Brice’s troubles with the longball. Brice has allowed a whopping 17.6% of his fly balls to leave the yard for home runs throughout his major league career, and allowed an even higher percentage at the Triple-A level last year. Given his solid peripherals and penchant for grounders, it’s easy to see how Brice could be a serviceable big league reliever if he can get his home run issues under control.
The right-hander will have a chance to prove himself capable in that regard with the Phillies this spring, where he’ll join fellow NRIs such as Ryan Burr and Nick Snyder in competing for a role in the club’s crowded bullpen. Should Brice fail to make the big league roster out of camp, he’ll likely serve as relief depth at the Triple-A level alongside depth options already on the 40-man roster such as right-handers Michael Rucker and Kaleb Ort.
Orioles Acquire Matt Krook From Yankees
The Orioles acquired left-hander Matt Krook from the Yankees today in exchange for cash considerations, according to an announcement from both clubs. Baltimore designated infielder Diego Castillo for assignment in order to make room for Krook on the club’s 40-man roster.
Krook, 29, had been designated for assignment by the Yankees earlier this week in order to make room for infielder Jordan Groshans on the club’s 40-man roster. Krook made his big league debut last year and struggled badly in four innings of work, walking six batters and allowing 11 runs during his brief cameo in the majors. Brutal as that start to Krook’s big league career was, the southpaw was dominant at the Triple-A level for the Yankees last year, pitching to a 1.32 ERA in 27 appearances while striking out a whopping 39% of batters faced.
The 2023 campaign was Krook’s first as a reliever. He had worked primarily out of the rotation in previous seasons and garnered solid results in previous years, including a 3.76 ERA in 215 1/3 innings of work at the Triple-A level from 2021-22. Unfortunately, he also walked a hefty 13% of batters faced over that same time frame, likely prompting his move to the bullpen last season. While Krook has evidently struggled with control throughout his career, there’s no question that the southpaw sports power stuff capable of succeeding in the majors if he can command it successfully.
Krook figures to join the bullpen mix in Baltimore, where Danny Coulombe, Cionel Perez, and Keegan Akin are the club’s southpaws projected to make the Opening Day bullpen as things stand. That leaves Krook likely to join the likes of right-hander Bryan Baker and lefty Nick Vespi as optionable relief depth, though they also figure to receive competition from non-roster invitees this spring such as Andrew Suarez and Nathan Webb.
As for Castillo, the infielder’s time on Baltimore’s 40-man roster comes to an end just two days after he was initially claimed off waivers from the Phillies. The 26-year-old has spent the past two months riding the transactional carousel, having been part of the Diamondbacks, Mets, Yankees, Phillies, and Orioles organizations at various points during that time. Castillo has notched 97 games at the big league level throughout his career and in that time has slashed just .205/.250/.380 across 284 trips to the plate. Despite that weak offensive performance to this point in his career, Castillo has performed well in the minors, with a strong .296/.410/.407 line across three seasons at the Triple-A level.
That sort of on-base and contact ability would make him an attractive bench piece for any club if he can translate it into big league production, particularly given his defensive versatility. Castillo has primarily played second base and shortstop throughout his career, though he’s also seen time at first, third, and both outfield corners. Now that he’s been designated for assignment once again, the Orioles will have seven days to either work out a trade or attempt to pass him through waivers. Castillo has not yet been outrighted in his career and, if passed through waivers successfully, can be retained in the minors as non-roster depth entering the 2024 season.
Giants Sign Jorge Soler
Feb 18: The Giants officially announced Soler’s deal this afternoon. The slugger will received a $9MM signing bonus in addition to $7MM in salary for the 2024 season and $13MM salaries for each of the 2025 and 2026 seasons. To make room for Soler on the club’s 40-man roster, right-hander Austin Warren was placed on the 60-day injured list.
Feb 13, 6:58AM: Soler’s contract with San Francisco guarantees the slugger $42MM, according to Mike Rodriguez (X Link). The deal is a nearly exact match with MLBTR’s prediction of a three-year, $45MM pact for Soler back in November as part of our annual Top 50 MLB free agents list.
1:02AM: The Giants have agreed to a three-year deal with free agent designated hitter/outfielder Jorge Soler, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The agreement is pending a physical. Soler is a client of the MVP Sports Group.
Talks between Soler and the Giants have been going on for at least the past week. As of this morning, the Giants were still reported to be in the mix but had balked at Soler’s request for a third guaranteed season. That, it seems, has changed over the course of the day.
Soler, 32, opted out of the final season of his three-year, $36MM deal with the Marlins back in November after belting 36 home runs while hitting .250/.341/.512 on the season (126 wRC+). Soler posted the second-best walk and strikeout rates of his career at 11.4% and 24.3%, respectively, and Statcast pegged him in the 81st percentile or better in average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel rate.
It’s the type of power profile that the Giants have lacked in recent years. The 2023 Giants ranked 19th in the Majors in home runs (174), 24th in runs scored (674), 28th in average (.235), 24th in on-base percentage (.312) and 27th in slugging percentage (.383). The Giants notoriously haven’t had a player deliver a 30-homer season since Barry Bonds in 2004, and they’ve only had one 20-homer hitter in their lineup in each of the past two seasons (Joc Pederson with 23 in 2022 and Wilmer Flores with 23 last year).
Soler brings a wholly different brand of power. Last year’s 36 big flies were only the second-most he’s hit in a season. Soler paced the American League with 48 homers for the Royals back in 2019, and while injuries have limited him to just two 30-homer seasons in his career, he’s averaged 32 homers per 162 games played in his career. Dating back to that 2019 breakout, Soler ranks 17th among 302 qualified hitters with a .248 isolated power mark (slugging minus batting average). Overall, he’s batted .240/.331/.488 during that time.
The path Soler takes to get to his production isn’t the most straightforward. He’s a streaky hitter in-season and a volatile one from a year-to-year standpoint, with his 2019 and 2023 output teetering on excellent while his 2022 numbers were decidedly below average. Even in the 2021 season that saw Soler catch fire following a trade to Atlanta and go on to be named World Series MVP, he was hitting just .198/.288/.377 in 360 plate appearances at the time Kansas City traded him. He slashed .269/.358/.524 following the change of scenery. A three-year deal with Soler figures to come with its share of peaks and valleys, but he’s the type of bat who can near-singlehandedly carry a lineup for brief stretches, given his top-of-the-scale power.
Though he has plenty of experience in the outfield corners, Soler isn’t likely to see much time there in San Francisco. His defensive grades have continue to decline over the years, and the Marlins only played him sparingly in right field — including just 241 innings last year. Soler has only twice reached 500 defensive innings played in a season. He’ll serve as the Giants’ primary designated hitter, though it’s possible he’ll make occasional appearances in left or right field.
That’s particularly true given that Soler does offer a nice right-handed complement to left-handed corner outfielders like Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski. Production against left-handed pitchers, in particular, was a problem for the 2023 Giants (.245/.306/.376). Soler’s mammoth .277/.393/.688 output against lefties last year represents an enormous boost to San Francisco in such situations.
Adding Soler to the lineup likely cuts into the playing time for J.D. Davis and/or Wilmer Flores against right-handed opponents, but that’s a trio of potent right-handed bats to be able to trot out against opposing southpaws. New backup catcher Tom Murphy (career 126 wRC+ against lefties) should help in that regard as well, as will a full season of switch-hitting catcher Patrick Bailey, who feasted off lefties but struggled against righties. Broadly speaking, the San Francisco lineup looks far more equipped to handle left-handed pitching than last year’s club.
At $14MM per year for Soler, the slugger’s decision to opt out his final year and $13MM in Miami was overwhelmingly the right call. Miami opted not to issue a qualifying offer to Soler, so they won’t receive any draft compensation for his departure, nor will San Francisco be required to forfeit a draft pick or any international money.
Prior to the deal with Soler, San Francisco’s rough $155MM payroll was more than $33MM from their 2023 levels and more than $46MM south of the team’s franchise-record payroll level. That leaves plenty of room for the Giants front office to remain aggressive in free agency, even if ownership isn’t willing to set a new highwater mark on player payroll. That’s true even if the dollars are evenly distributed over the life of the three-year term, but if the deal is at all backloaded there’ll be perhaps a bit more to work with for the upcoming season.
To that end, it’s worth noting that the Giants have been linked to high-profile names like Blake Snell, Matt Chapman and Jordan Montgomery in recent weeks. A deal with Soler shouldn’t preclude them from continuing those pursuits, although with Soler now penciled in as the primary DH, a Chapman signing could perhaps be a precursor to a trade of J.D. Davis. Time will tell whether that’s worth pondering much or goes down as one of many unanswered offseason hypotheticals. Regardless, it seems quite likely that Soler’s signing won’t be the Giants’ last significant addition this winter.