Marlins Win Arbitration Case Against Jazz Chisholm Jr.
The Marlins and outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. went to an arbitration hearing with the arbiters siding with the club, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The outfielder will make a salary of $2.625MM this year instead of the $2.9MM that he and his representatives were seeking.
It’s an unwelcome birthday present for Chisholm, who turns 26 years old today. He’s now played parts of four big league seasons, showcasing incredible talent but also having trouble staying on the field. He’s appeared in 302 games, hitting 53 home runs and slashing .245/.304/.452 for a wRC+ of 103. He’s also stolen 59 bases in 77 tries. His defense has been a mixed bag as he has been moved around the diamond to suit the club’s roster needs.
But health has been an ongoing issue, particularly in the past two years. A stress fracture in his back limited him to just 60 contests in 2022, while a turf toe injury to his right foot and then a left oblique strain capped him at 97 games last year.
Despite that missed time, MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a salary of $2.8MM this year, his first time qualifying for arbitration. He and the club couldn’t come to an agreement, with each filing a proposed figure just barely on each side of the projection. Arbiters can’t choose a middle ground figure and must choose one or the other, opting for the club’s number in this case.
The decision won’t have a huge impact on the Marlins in 2024, given the narrow gap between the two numbers. But it could lead to some modest savings in the next two years since Chisholm’s future arbitration raises will be calculated from a lower starting point. For Chisholm, that will give him a bit less earning power as he approaches free agency.
The Marlins still have two players with undetermined salaries for this year. Infielder Luis Arráez filed at $12MM with the Marlins at $10.6MM, while reliever Tanner Scott requested a $5.7MM salary as the team filed at $5.15MM.
Cubs Designate Michael Rucker For Assignment
The Cubs have designated right-hander Michael Rucker for assignment, per Bruce Levine of WSCR. That moves opens a roster spot for Héctor Neris, whose signing is now official.
Rucker, 29, has been on the Cubs’ roster since the end of July 2021. He stayed with the big league club for the remainder of that season and has been serving as a frequently-optioned depth arm for the past two years. In the past three years combined, he has appeared in 96 big league games and logged 123 1/3 innings, allowing 4.96 earned runs per nine. His 22.6% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate and 46.6% ground ball rate are all around league average.
As mentioned, he was frequently sent on optional assignments, meaning he’s also thrown 76 innings of Triple-A ball over those three seasons. He posted a 3.20 ERA at that level over that time period, pairing a 26% strikeout rate with a 7.1% walk rate, while also getting grounders on nearly half of the balls in play he’s allowed.
Despite those generally solid results, he’s been nudged off the club’s roster this winter. The Cubs added Michael Busch and Yency Almonte in a trade with the Dodgers and have also signed free agents Shota Imanaga and Neris.
They will now have one week to trade Rucker or attempt to pass him through waivers. He could garner interest from other clubs based on his track record and roster flexibility. He still has one option year remaining and won’t need to be carried on an active roster. His service time clock is also just shy of two years, meaning he’s at least a year away from qualifying for arbitration and could be retained well into the future. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he could stick with the Cubs as non-roster depth.
Angels Sign Caleb Hamilton To Minor League Deal
The Angels have signed catcher Caleb Hamilton to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com.
It’s a bit of an early birthday present for Hamilton, who will turn 29 on Monday. The backstop has 26 games of major league experience, 22 with the 2022 Twins and four more with the Red Sox last year. His 29 plate appearances resulted in five walks but also 19 strikeouts.
That’s a tiny sample and difficult to draw conclusions from, but it’s not terribly dissimilar from his minor league work. His 480 Triple-A plate appearances have featured 148 strikeouts, a 30.8% rate. But he’s also drawn 64 walks at that level, a 13.3% clip. He also hit 17 home runs in that time, leading to an uneven slash line of .199/.308/.369. Defensively, Baseball Prospectus has generally given him solid grades for his framing and blocking, both in the majors and minors.
He was outrighted by the Red Sox in July and was able to elect free agency at the end of the season. He’ll now join the Angels and jump onto their depth chart. The Halos only have two backstops on their 40-man roster at the moment in Logan O’Hoppe and Matt Thaiss. Francisco Mejía and Chad Wallach have signed minor league deals to give them some non-roster depth, with Hamilton now joining them.
Hamilton can also play a little bit the infield corners, which could appeal to the Angels. They have Nolan Schanuel set to be their first baseman even though he was just drafted last summer. At third, Anthony Rendon is going into his age-34 season and hasn’t played 60 games in a season since 2019. Players like Brandon Drury and Luis Rengifo give them some cover but there’s no harm in a little extra depth. If Hamilton is added to the roster at any point, he has a couple of options remaining.
Diamondbacks Sign Brandon Hughes To Minor League Deal
The Diamondbacks announced Thursday that they’ve signed left-hander Brandon Hughes to a minor league contract. The former Cubs reliever will be in camp with the D-backs as a non-roster invitee this spring.
Hughes, 28, was a key reliever for Chicago in 2022 but missed the majority of the 2023 season owing to a left knee injury that required a debridement procedure back in June. He pitched just 13 2/3 innings this past season and was non-tendered in November.
While Hughes was tagged for a 7.24 ERA in his tiny sample of 2023 work, his 2022 season was excellent. He pitched 57 2/3 frames for the Cubs, working to a 3.12 earned run average with a sharp 28.5% strikeout rate against a respectable 8.8% walk rate. The Cubs put him in the ninth inning late in the season, and he recorded eight saves in that tole. Home runs were an issue for the southpaw (1.72 HR/9), but he also saw a disproportionate number of his fly-balls (17.8%) turn into long balls; the league average that season was 11.4%.
Beyond his strong work in the 2022 season, Hughes has a terrific minor league track record. His Triple-A numbers are a bit skewed by this year’s performance, most of which came as he made his way back from the aforementioned knee surgery. But even with the 11 runs he yielded in 11 frames this season, Hughes has a career 4.64 ERA in Triple-A and a 2.72 mark across all minor league levels. Prior to making his debut in 2022, he pitched 16 2/3 shutout innings with 22 strikeouts and three walks between Double-A and Triple-A.
The Diamondbacks have lefties Andrew Saalfrank and Joe Mantiply likely ticketed for spots in the big league bullpen, and Kyle Nelson is also on the 40-man roster as an option. A healthy Hughes could challenge any of that trio for a spot, however, and there’s enough uncertainty regarding the final spot in Torey Lovullo’s relief corps that carrying three southpaws is a possibility. As it stands, the Snakes will have Paul Sewald, Kevin Ginkel, Miguel Castro, Ryan Thompson, Scott McGough, Saalfrank and Mantiply likely penciled into spots. Out-of-options righty Luis Frias and righty Peter Strzelecki could both compete for that final spot, but spring injuries and performances could open up additional opportunities for Hughes and other non-roster invitees.
If Hughes is eventually added to the roster, he’ll offer the D-backs plenty of flexibility and long-term control. He has all three minor league option years remaining, and with just a one-plus year of MLB service, he can be controlled all the way through 2028 season.
Guardians Sign Tyler Zuber To Minor League Deal
The Guardians have signed reliever Tyler Zuber to a minor league contract with an invitation to MLB Spring Training, the team announced. The righty joins the third organization of his professional career.
Zuber’s major league time has come exclusively in the AL Central. He was a sixth-round pick of the Royals in 2017. He made Kansas City’s roster during the shortened 2020 season, appearing in 23 of their 60 games as a rookie. He pitched 31 times the following year, working 27 1/3 innings.
Between the two seasons, he pitched to a 5.29 ERA over 49 1/3 frames. Zuber fanned around a quarter of opposing hitters but didn’t show the kind of control necessary to hold an MLB spot. He walked almost 17% of batters faced. Zuber also allowed home runs at an elevated 1.82 per nine clip.
Zuber has not pitched at the MLB level since that point. He opened the 2022 season on the injured list due to an impingement in his throwing shoulder. He underwent surgery that May and missed the whole year. K.C. waived him at season’s end and he landed with the Diamondbacks when they placed a claim. Arizona ran Zuber through outright waivers themselves a couple weeks later.
The Arkansas State product stuck with the organization into 2023. He pitched in 16 games for Triple-A Reno, turning in a 5.23 ERA across 20 2/3 frames. His strikeout rate dipped to 20% while he handed out free passes at an 11.1% clip. The Snakes released him at the start of July. He spent the rest of the year in free agency but has pitched this winter in the Dominican Republic.
While injuries and command issues have sidetracked him in recent years, Zuber posted solid minor league numbers during his time in the K.C. system. He owns an impressive 3.20 ERA in parts of five minor league seasons despite last year’s middling production in Reno. Before the surgery, he worked primarily with a 94-95 MPH fastball and a mid-80s slider at the MLB level.
Giants Re-Sign Cody Stashak To Minor League Deal
The Giants have re-signed right-hander Cody Stashak to a minor league deal, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America. He had signed a minor league deal with the club in August of last year but will now return to the organization for this year.
Stashak, 30 in June, made his major league debut with the Twins in 2019 and the start of his big league career went well. He threw 25 innings for the Twins that year and another 15 in the shortened 2020 season. He had a 3.15 earned run average after those two campaigns, having paired a strong 26.1% strikeout rate with a tiny 2.5% walk rate.
In 2021, he made 15 appearances with his ERA jumping to 6.89, though bad luck may have played a role in that small sample. His walk rate jumped to 13.3% but he also punched out 34.7% of hitters. A .389 batting average on balls in play and 62% strand rate were both on the unfortunate side of average. He didn’t get a chance for those numbers to regress as a left back disc injury prevented him from making an appearance after the month of May.
He made 11 appearances in 2022, with his ERA falling to 3.86 in those, but then he required season-ending surgery to repair a labrum tear in his throwing shoulder. He was outrighted by the Twins at the end of the year and then joined the Lancaster Barnstormers of the independent Atlantic League, but signed with the Giants after just a couple of appearances. He made five appearances for Triple-A Sacramento late last year, allowing seven earned runs in five innings.
Though the results weren’t ideal in that brief look, the Giants were nonetheless intrigued enough to bring him back. After so much missed time, it’s hard to know what form he will be in, but he has generally had strong strikeout and walk numbers all throughout his career. In 383 minor league contests, he has punched out 25.3% of batters faced while giving out free passes at just a 5.8% clip. If he gets over his recent health woes, he’ll provide the Giants with some non-roster depth. If he gets added to the roster, he still has a couple of options and just over three years of service time.
The club’s bullpen figures to have a core of Camilo Doval, Luke Jackson and the brothers Tyler Rogers and Taylor Rogers. But the remaining spots could be taken by guys with options and limited experience, such as Ryan Walker, Sean Hjelle, Erik Miller or Randy Rodríguez. If Stashak is healthy and throwing well, there could be a path open for him to get back to the majors.
Mets Sign José Rondón To Minor League Deal
The Mets have signed infielder/outfielder José Rondón to a minor league deal, as listed on his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The infielder announced the move on Instagram last week.
Rondón, 30 in March, has 169 games of major league experience, getting part-time action in four different seasons from 2016 to 2021. He bounced around from the Padres to the White Sox, Orioles and Cardinals in that time, making 380 plate appearances. He hit .216/.274/.353 in that time while playing all four infield positions, the outfield corners and even tossing an inning on the mound.
He was non-tendered by the Cardinals after that 2021 campaign and headed into the open market. In April of 2022, it was announced by Major League Baseball that Rondón was one of three players who received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Boldenone.
He didn’t end up signing with an affiliated club that year, but joined the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League for the 2023 season. In 72 games for that club, he slashed .286/.367/.465. He then joined Leones del Caracas of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League for winter ball, hitting .338/.413/.624 in 56 games for that club.
It appears those solid numbers in Mexico and/or the gaudy numbers in Venezuela attracted the attention of the Mets. It’s possible he’s more of an outfielder now, as that’s where he has been playing for the Leones, while the Toros only gave him brief time on the infield last year.
The Mets are set to have an outfield of Brandon Nimmo, Harrison Bader, Starling Marte and Tyrone Taylor this year, but all of them have dealt with significant injuries, either recently or in their career generally. DJ Stewart is on the roster but he’s considered a poor fielder and best suited for a designated hitter/bench bat role. Jeff McNeil could be in the outfield at some point but is slated to be the everyday second baseman for now.
To improve that depth, the Mets have signed guys like Trayce Thompson and Taylor Kohlwey to minor league deals but will now add Rondón into that mix as well. The Mets also have questions at third base, with Ronny Mauricio potentially missing the upcoming season due to a torn ACL. That leaves them with unproven younger players like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos alongside veteran utility guy Joey Wendle. If Rondón can still play the hot corner, that could be another path for him to get big league playing time if he can continue hitting the way he has been in winter ball.
Nationals, Robert Gsellman Agree To Minor League Contract
The Nationals have agreed to a minor league contract with reliever Robert Gsellman, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post (X link). He’ll be paid at a $900K rate for any time spent on the MLB roster.
Gsellman returns to affiliated ball after a year and a half in Japan. The right-hander initially signed with the Yokohama BayStars midway through the 2022 campaign. He turned in a 2.66 ERA in 20 1/3 innings down the stretch to secure a new contract last winter.
His second season in Yokohama wasn’t as successful. He allowed 4.45 earned runs per nine over 64 2/3 frames at the highest level. The BayStars sent him to the minors for a point, where he posted a 4.85 ERA through 52 innings. Throwing strikes was an issue for the 30-year-old hurler. He walked 11.3% of batters faced in his time at the NPB level. He paired that with a middling 14.7% strikeout percentage.
The Southern California native has spent over a decade in the professional ranks. Drafted by the Mets in the 13th round in 2011, he pitched his way towards the top of the New York farm system before his 2016 debut. He spent parts of six seasons in Queens, moving to the bullpen by 2018. Gsellman pitched to a 4.59 ERA over 350 2/3 frames as a Met. New York non-tendered him after the 2021 campaign. He saw limited action with the Cubs in ’22 before signing with the BayStars.
Washington had a well below-average bullpen last season, which isn’t surprising for a rebuilding team. The Nats finished 27th with a 5.02 ERA from their relief corps. Kyle Finnegan, Jordan Weems, Dylan Floro, Hunter Harvey and Tanner Rainey are strong bets to hold Opening Day jobs. That could leave two or three middle relief spots up for grabs, although they’re likely carry at least one left-hander in the group.
Joe Smith Announces Retirement
Veteran reliever Joe Smith announced his retirement on Wednesday, calling it a career after spending parts of 15 seasons in the Major Leagues. Via his representatives at Excel Sports Management, Smith issued a lengthy statement thanking the Mets, Guardians, Angels, Cubs, Blue Jays, Astros, Mariners and Twins organizations in addition to his coaches, teammates, trainers and family for supporting him throughout his career.
Selected by the Mets in the third round of the 2006 draft, the now-39-year-old Smith was in the majors less than one year later and practically never looked back. That’s in large part thanks to the fact that Smith established himself as a quality big league reliever right out of the gate, pitching 44 1/3 innings of 3.45 ERA ball with a 22% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate as a rookie.
That set off a remarkable run of 13 straight seasons with an ERA of 3.83 or better for Smith — including five years with a sub-3.00 mark and two with a sub-2.00. While the sidearming Smith was rarely thrust into the ninth-inning spotlight (30 career saves), he’s one of the most consistent and prolific setup men in the game’s history. Since holds began being tracked, Smith’s 228 rank him in the top five all-time. His blend of durability and consistently strong performance kept him in leverage spots for more than a decade.
Smith wasn’t on the 2016 Cubs’ World Series roster after missing most of the final month of the season due to injury, but he did take home a ring that year and pitched in parts of five other postseasons (including in 2019, when he pitched in the World Series as the Astros finished runner-up to the Nationals). As was the case during his regular-season performances, he remained quite strong in October. In 14 career playoff innings, Smith yielded only four earned runs on eight hits and three walks with 13 strikeouts (2.57 ERA).
All told, Smith will walk away from the game with 762 1/3 innings of 3.14 ERA ball under his belt. In his career, he pitched for eight MLB clubs, notching a 55-34 record with 30 saves, 228 holds, a 21.1% strikeout rate and an 8.1% walk rate. Smith didn’t post an ERA over 4.00 until his age-37 season in 2021, and in 15 MLB seasons he never had a single year where he ERA climbed to 5.00 or higher. He picked up more than 13 years of Major League service time and earned more than $51MM in salary over the course of a quietly excellent career. Best wishes to Smith and his family in whatever lies in store for his post-playing days.
Astros Acquire Trey Cabbage From Angels
The Angels announced that they have traded infielder/outfielder Trey Cabbage, who was recently designated for assignment, to the Astros. In exchange, the Angels will receive minor league right-hander Carlos Espinosa. The Astros designated right-hander Declan Cronin for assignment to open a roster spot for Cabbage, per Ari Alexander of KPRC 2.
Cabbage, 27 in May, made his major league debut with the Angels last year, making 56 plate appearances in 22 games. He hit just .208/.232/.321 in that time, pairing a 3.6% walk rate with a 46.4% strikeout rate.
But his minor league results have naturally been much better. In 107 Triple-A games, he hit 30 home runs last year. His 30% strikeout rate was still on the high side but his 9.5% walk rate was strong. Even in the hitter-friendly environs of the Pacific Coast League, his .306/.379/.596 batting line still led to a wRC+ of 128. On top of that, he stole 32 bases in 35 attempts while lining up at first base and all three outfield spots.
“If we could somehow get a left-handed bat, preferably an outfielder with some speed, that type of package we’ll pounce on it.” Those were the words of Astros general manager Dana Brown last week, after the club signed Josh Hader. Cabbage doesn’t have any major league success yet but he ticks those boxes for Houston, as he does indeed hit from the left side.
The Astros have lefties Yordan Álvarez and Kyle Tucker set for regular action, but the rest of their lineup skews right-handed. That includes outfielders Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers, as well as depth option Corey Julks and utility player Mauricio Dubón. If Cabbage can have his major league offense make progress towards what he’s done in the minors, he could be a nice complement to the club’s current roster. He still has two options and doesn’t need to be on the active roster right away.
In order to add Cabbage to the organization, the Astros have removed Cronin from their 40-man. The 26-year-old was just claimed off waivers from the White Sox a few weeks ago. Similar to Cabbage, he just made his major league debut in 2023 with uninspiring results. He tossed 11 innings for the Sox, allowing 11 earned runs in that time.
But also like Cabbage, his work in the minors was more impressive. He tossed 51 2/3 Triple-A innings last year, allowing 3.83 earned runs per nine. His 18.7% strikeout rate was subpar but his 54.5% ground ball rate was very strong. That’s been a hallmark of his career, as he’s kept more than half of balls in play on the ground at every level of the minor leagues and in that brief major league debut as well.
The Astros will now have a week to trade Cronin or pass him through waivers. He still has a full slate of options and limited service time, which could help him appeal to a club in search of some bullpen depth and roster flexibility.
As for the Angels, they nudged Cabbage off their roster a few days ago when they signed Matt Moore, but they were able to salvage some value from him by sending him across the division in exchange for Espinosa. The 22-year-old Cuban has limited experience in affiliated ball, having only played in the Complex League and Single-A. He has thrown 84 1/3 innings at those levels with a 3.74 ERA, 27% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate.
Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin of FanGraphs gave Espinosa a brief mention on last year’s list of Houston’s top prospects. They noted that the righty was throwing in the mid-90s, while also featuring a slider and a changeup.