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Tigers, DJ Peters Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Tigers agreed to a minor league contract with outfielder DJ Peters, as first indicated on the transaction log at MiLB.com. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Toledo.

The 27-year-old Peters ranked among the Dodgers’ top 20 prospects at Baseball America from 2018-21, reaching the big leagues as a 25-year-old during the ’21 season but struggling in limited opportunities. Peters logged just 34 plate appearances with the Dodgers before being designated for assignment after they acquired Danny Duffy, at which point the Rangers claimed him off waivers.

While the Dodgers’ outfield was generally full at the time of that transaction, the Rangers had far more opportunity. Peters appeared in 52 games and tallied 206 plate appearances down the stretch in Texas, showing impressive power but also extremely shaky plate discipline. Overall, between the two clubs, Peters hit .197/.242/.422 with 13 home runs, nine doubles, a triple, a pair of steals, and 34.2% strikeout rate against a 5% walk rate in 240 plate appearances.

The Rangers retained Peters’ rights into the offseason but granted him his release in order to pursue an opportunity with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization. Peters improved on his K-BB profile in the KBO, fanning at a reduced 21.8% clip against a more palatable 7.3% walk rate. However, his .228/.299/.402 batting line in 354 trips to the plate still resulted in him being waived this past July.

Peters has long been touted for his above-average speed, huge raw power and the defensive tools needed to play center field, but he’s yet to break through in the game’s upper levels. He’s a career .240/.343/.415 hitter in parts of three Triple-A seasons, but he’s also punched out in 30.2% of his 540 plate appearances at that level. Unlike his brief stints in the Majors and in the KBO, Peters does have a strong 11% walk rate in Triple-A, at least.

It’s an intriguing set of tools overall, particularly for a Tigers club with little certainty in the outfield (as recently explored by MLBTR’s Anthony Franco). Former top prospect Riley Greene will presumably return to his role as the everyday center fielder, and he’ll be joined in the outfield by veteran Austin Meadows, who struggled at the plate in 2022 before missing time due to vertigo-like symptoms, a pair of Achilles injuries and eventually an agreed-upon absence with the team that allowed him to focus on his mental health, which he candidly disclosed to fans via social media.

The other outfield reps will be divided up among players like Akil Baddoo, Kerry Carpenter and trade acquisition Matt Vierling. Outfield prospect Parker Meadows — Austin’s younger brother — is also on Detroit’s 40-man roster, and they’ll have veteran speedster Jonathan Davis and well-regarded prospect Justyn-Henry Malloy (acquired from the Braves in exchange for Joe Jimenez) in camp as non-roster invitees. It’s feasible that the right-handed-hitting Peters could eventually play his way into that mix, especially when considering that each of Greene, Baddoo, Carpenter and both Meadows brothers bat from the left side of the plate.

Cardinals Acquire Anthony Misiewicz, Designate James Naile

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The Cardinals announced that they have acquired left-hander Anthony Misiewicz from the Royals in exchange for cash considerations. The Royals had designated him for assignment recently when Zack Greinke’s signing was made official. The create room on their 40-man roster, the Cardinals designated right-hander James Naile for assignment.

Misiewicz, 28, was drafted by the Mariners and broke into the majors with them in 2020. He struck out 30.1% of batters faced in that debut but an elevated .367 batting average on balls in play nudged his ERA up to 4.05. That strikeout rate was higher than anything he had done in the minors and now seems to have been a small sample blip. In the past two seasons, which included getting dealt to the Royals at last year’s deadline, he’s struck out 22.4% of batters faced but walked just 7%, as he posted a 4.52 ERA over 98 appearances.

It’s possible that Misiewicz deserved better than that ERA would indicate. His .321 batting average on balls in play and 70% strand rate over the past couple of years are each a bit on the unfortunate side of average. ERA estimators like his 3.88 FIP and 3.77 SIERA paint a bit of a nicer picture. Like most southpaws, he’s better against left-handed hitters. For his career, he’s held them to a .250/.288/.361 line while righties have hit .283/.348/.480 against him.

The Cardinals figure to have Génesis Cabrera as their primary left-handed option out of their bullpen, with other options on the 40-man roster including Packy Naughton, JoJo Romero and Zack Thompson. All of those players, including Misiewicz, have options and may end up shuttling between Triple-A and the majors as the season progresses unless one of them can separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

As for Naile, this is a very ill-timed transaction for him as today is his 30th birthday. After spending many years in Oakland’s farm system, he reached free agency and signed a minor league deal with the Cards last year. He pitched well enough to crack the club’s roster in June, eventually posting an ERA of 5.00 over nine MLB innings. In 73 1/3 frames at Triple-A, he had a 3.31 ERA, 20.2% strikeout rate, 6.6% walk rate and 53.4% ground ball rate. That latter number is his best selling point as he’s run kept the ball on the ground all throughout his minor league career.

The Cards will now have one week to trade Naile or pass him through waivers. He still has a couple of option years and hardly any service time, which could intrigue clubs looking for some extra pitching depth. Roster spots are at a premium at this time of year but flexibility is about to go up with the return of the 60-day injured list next week.

Astros Sign Bryan Garcia To Minor League Deal

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The Astros announced to reporters, including Mark Berman of Fox 26, that they have signed right-hander Bryan Garcia to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league Spring Training.

Garcia, 28 in April, joins just his second organization, as he’s spent his entire career with the Tigers up until this point. He got solid results in the shortened 2020 season, posting a 1.66 ERA over 26 relief appearances. However, his fortunes completely flipped the next year, with his ERA shooting up to 7.55 over 39 games in 2021.

2022 was a strange season for Garcia, as he started working in longer stints after previously working primarily as a single-inning reliever. In Triple-A, he made 11 starts and 28 relief appearances, logging 85 1/3 innings in that time with a 3.80 ERA. He also made four starts in the majors with a 3.54 ERA. He might have been quite fortunate to keep earned runs off the board in both cases. He struck out 19.4% of hitters in the minors and 20.2% in the majors, while walking opponents at a 9.6% clip in Triple-A and 11.9% rate in the bigs. His batting average on balls in play was .276 in the minors and .216 in the majors, while his strand rate was 78.9% in Triple-A and 83.3% in the show, with all of those numbers being on the fortunate side of average. That’s borne out by his 4.83 FIP with the Mud Hens and 5.28 mark with the Tigers.

It’s unclear if the Astros view him as a starter or a reliever, though he’ll serve as pitching depth either way. He’ll be competing with other experienced hurlers that will be in camp as non-roster invitees, such as Austin Davis and Ty Buttrey.

Phillies To Sign Kyle Hart To Minor League Deal

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The Phillies are in agreement with left-hander Kyle Hart on a minor league deal, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The southpaw will presumably receive an invitation to major league Spring Training.

Hart, 30, will join just his second organization, as he was drafted by the Red Sox and has spent his entire career with them up until this point. Working primarily as a starter in the minors, he had a solid showing in 2019, splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A. He made 24 starts and three relief appearances that year between those two levels, tossing 156 innings with a 3.52 ERA, 22% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate.

That season was strong enough that the Sox added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. In 2020, Hart made his major league debut but registered a 15.55 ERA in 11 innings. He was outrighted off the club’s roster in November of that year and has continued pitching in the minors, but not quite reaching that form he showed in 2019. In 2021, he had a 4.22 ERA in 106 2/3 Triple-A innings. Last year, he posted a 5.25 ERA in 82 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.

Hart reached free agency for the first time after the 2022 campaign wrapped and has used it to find a new opportunity. The Phillies will see if a change of scenery can help Hart get back on track after a few disappointing years. The club’s rotation will consist of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suárez and Taijuan Walker, with the final spot open for a battle between guys like Bailey Falter, Christopher Sánchez, Andrew Painter and Mick Abel. In the bullpen, the Phils will have a few lefty options in José Alvarado, Gregory Soto, Matt Strahm and Andrew Vasquez. It’s unclear if the Phils view Hart as a starter or reliever exclusively, but he could perhaps provide some depth in either area. If he makes it onto the club’s roster at any point, he still has a couple of option seasons and less than one year of service time.

Guardians, Phillip Diehl Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Guardians and left-hander Phillip Diehl are in agreement on a minor league contract, tweets Robert Murray of FanSided. The Dynamic Sports Group client will be in big league camp this spring.

Diehl, 28, has appeared in parts of three minor league seasons but tallied just 19 innings. He most recently spent time with the Reds in 2022, though he was tagged for seven runs in 5 2/3 innings in that brief stint. Diehl has never had an extended look in the big leagues and has been quite homer-prone in his brief looks with Colorado and Cincinnati, ultimately serving up 20 runs in his 19 MLB frames.

A 27th-round pick by the Yankees back in 2016, Diehl has fared much better in the minor leagues, where he carries a 3.50 ERA with plus strikeout and walk rates of 29.8% and 7.3%, respectively. The 2022 season was a struggle for him at all levels (5.90 ERA in 39 2/3 Triple-A innings), but as recently as 2021 he turned in 54 2/3 innings of 2.47 ERA ball with a hefty 33% strikeout rate and an excellent 5.6% walk rate for the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville.

As things stand, Sam Hentges is the only lefty who’s considered a lock in the Cleveland bullpen. Other options on the 40-man roster include Konnor Pilkington, Joey Cantillo and Tim Herrin — although Pilkington and Cantillo have both been developed as starting pitchers. Former Giants and D-backs southpaw Caleb Baragar was signed to a minor league deal and invited to spring training earlier in the offseason, and the Guards also invited 2019 32nd-rounder Andrew Misiaszek to camp. Diehl will join that group when pitchers and catchers report later this month, and if he doesn’t make the roster out of camp, he’ll give Cleveland a lefty with a bit more experience than many of their in-house options.

Mike Montgomery Signs With Mexican League’s Acereros De Monclova

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The Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League announced last week that left-hander Mike Montgomery has signed for the 2023 season (Spanish-language link). The Acereros also announced a deal with reliever R.J. Alaniz (on Twitter).

Montgomery, now 33, pitched in the majors in each season from 2015-20. A top prospect between 2010-12 while in the Royals’ system, he was involved in a pair of trades before breaking into the majors with the Mariners. Montgomery had a career-best showing in 2016, working primarily as a multi-inning reliever between the M’s and Cubs. He threw 100 innings of 2.52 ERA ball across 49 regular season appearances and famously earned the save in the tenth inning of that year’s classic World Series Game 7.

While that was obviously the highlight of Montgomery’s time in the Windy City, he remained a productive member of the pitching staff through 2018. He worked to a 3.68 ERA across 254 2/3 frames between 2017-18. Montgomery got off to a tough start in 2019, though, and Chicago flipped him to the Royals for Martín Maldonado at that year’s deadline. The southpaw’s return to K.C. was mostly tarnished by a lat strain that cost him virtually all of the shortened 2020 campaign.

After a brief stint in South Korea, Montgomery returned to the affiliated ranks last year. Signed to a minor league contract with the Mets, he spent the 2022 season with their top affiliate in Syracuse. He worked 69 2/3 innings through 22 outings (17 starts) and was hit hard to the tune of a 6.72 ERA. Montgomery induced grounders at a quality 50.9% clip but struck out fewer than 17% of opponents. He’ll try to put that season behind him and get back on track in Monclova.

Alaniz, 31, has pitched in 15 MLB games dating back to 2019. The bulk of that time has come as a member of the Reds. He spent last year on a minor league deal with the Braves. Injuries limited the righty to 20 appearances and 26 innings for Triple-A Gwinnett. Alaniz had strong numbers in that time, posting a 3.81 ERA with a massive 37.2% strikeout percentage against a reasonable 8.2% walk rate. Nevertheless, he never got a big league look in Atlanta and now heads to the Mexican League.

Marlins, Jon Berti Avoid Arbitration

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10:44pm: Berti’s deal guarantees him $2.125MM — taking the form of a $2.1MM salary for the upcoming season and at least a $25K buyout on the 2024 option, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams (Twitter link). The option has a $3.5MM base value and can escalate as high as $4.125MM depending on his plate appearance total for the upcoming campaign.

8:40pm: The Marlins announced they’ve avoided arbitration with Jon Berti on a one-year contract with a team option covering the 2024 season. The deal does not have any impact on Miami’s window of club control. Berti is represented by the Ball Players Agency.

Berti is wrapping up his fourth season in Miami. The speedy utility player had the best year of his career in 2022, stealing 41 bases to lead all major leaguers. That he managed to lead the league in any noteworthy counting stat is remarkable, considering he only played in 102 games. That was due both to inconsistent playing time early in the year and a left groin strain that cost him a month of action between August and September.

The 33-year-old’s profile is built around his elite baserunning and the ability to handle multiple positions on defense. Berti started games at the three infield positions to the left of first base and in both left and center field. The bulk of his playing time came at second and third base, while he eventually carved out a top-of-the-lineup spot by season’s end.

Berti hit .240/.324/.348 with four home runs through a personal-high 404 plate appearances. He walked at a strong 10.4% clip against an average 22% strikeout rate. The former 18th-round selection has never had much power, as he owns just 16 homers through 303 career big league contests.

Miami has revamped its infield this offseason. Jean Segura — another right-handed contact hitter/speedster — signed a two-year deal to man third base. Miami acquired Luis Arraez to play second base, thereby pushing Jazz Chisholm Jr. into center field. With Joey Wendle set to man shortstop on most days, Berti looks headed for a multi-positional role off the bench. His defensive flexibility gives him the ability to cover anywhere on the infield if injuries necessitate, while first-year manager Skip Schumaker figures to deploy him fairly frequently as a pinch-runner in games which he doesn’t start.

Berti has between three and four years of major league service. He first qualified for early arbitration last winter as a Super Two player, settling for $1.2MM. This year’s salary has not yet been reported, though it’ll land somewhere between Miami’s $1.9MM filing figure and his camp’s desired $2.3MM salary. He’ll remain eligible for arbitration through the end of the 2025 season. That’s true regardless of whether Miami exercises next year’s option, as the team could decline the option while still deciding to tender him an arbitration contract (as they did in a similar case with Wendle this offseason).

The agreement wraps up the Marlins’ arbitration business. Two players who did go to a hearing with the club — Arraez and left-hander Jesús Luzardo — both prevailed over the team. They’ll avoid that possibility with Berti, the only other player on the roster who hadn’t agreed to terms by last month’s deadline to exchange filing figures.

Blue Jays Place Matt Gage On Release Waivers

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The Blue Jays have placed reliever Matt Gage on unconditional release waivers, tweets Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. The southpaw had lost his spot on the 40-man roster a week ago once the Jays finalized their two-year free agent deal with Chad Green.

Gage joined the Toronto organization a year ago as a minor league free agent. He opened the season with their top affiliate in Buffalo and pitched well, working to a 2.34 ERA over 42 1/3 innings of relief. Gage fanned 27.4% of opponents, induced grounders at a quality 47% clip and walked 9.5% of batters. It was enough for the Jays to give him his first MLB call at age 29.

While Gage didn’t spend significant time at the big league level, he fared reasonably well in limited opportunities. He’d go on to make 11 appearances, allowing just four runs through 13 innings. His 12:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio wasn’t overly impressive, but he generated swinging strikes on over 14% of his offerings. The 6’3″ hurler now has a 5.22 ERA through 205 career innings at the Triple-A level across four seasons.

It looks as if the 2022 campaign will be Gage’s only year as a member of the Jays’ organization. If he goes unclaimed on release waivers, he’d hit free agency and have the ability to scour the market for other opportunities.

Toronto’s pitching staff skews very right-handed. Tim Mayza is the only southpaw who’s a lock for the season-opening bullpen. Yusei Kikuchi could get another look there if he struggles again as a starting pitcher, though he’s seemingly penciled into the final rotation job to open the year. The only other left-handed pitcher on the 40-man roster is Hyun Jin Ryu, who won’t be ready until around the All-Star Break at the earliest after last summer’s Tommy John surgery. Former Oriole Paul Fry will be in camp as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Jays look for another veteran depth option to join that mix.

Twins, Parker Bugg Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Twins have signed reliever Parker Bugg to a minor league contract, according to his transactions log at MLB.com. He’d reached minor league free agency at the end of last season following seven years in the Marlins’ system.

Bugg, an LSU product, entered the professional ranks as a 27th-round draftee in 2016. Despite that modest draft profile, he worked his way up to Triple-A by the 2019 campaign. Bugg spent a few seasons at the top minor league levels and earned his first big league call from Miami last August. He had split the season between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville, working to a 2.39 ERA across 37 2/3 combined innings at the time of his promotion. Bugg stayed on the active roster for a couple days but didn’t make it into a game before being designated for assignment and outrighted off the roster.

Upon clearing waivers, he finished the season with the Jumbo Shrimp. Bugg wrapped up his year with a solid 3.18 ERA through 39 2/3 frames of relief in Triple-A. He struck out a solid 25.9% of batters faced but walked hitters at an elevated 12% clip. All told, he owns a 4.18 ERA with a 27.4% strikeout percentage and 10.3% walk rate through 306 professional innings.

Bugg figures to open the 2023 campaign with Triple-A St. Paul. He’ll be on hand as a depth option for a Minnesota bullpen that was in the league’s middle third in both ERA and strikeout rate last season. Danny Coulombe, Oliver Ortega, Patrick Murphy and Locke St. John are among the other non-roster bullpen options who’ll be at the upper levels of the minors for the Twins’ front office.

Mets Claim Sam Coonrod, Designate Khalil Lee

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The Mets announced that they have claimed right-hander Sam Coonrod off waivers from the Phillies. The righty had been designated for assignment by the Phils last week to create room on their roster for infielder Josh Harrison. To create space on the roster for Coonrod, outfielder Khalil Lee has been designated for assignment.

Coonrod, 30, posted a 5.74 ERA with the Giants in 2019 and 2020 but had a nice breakout in 2021 after getting traded to the Phillies. He threw 42 1/3 innings that year with a 4.04 ERA, 25.9% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 57.1% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to keep the momentum of that season going into 2022, getting shut down in Spring Training with a shoulder strain. He eventually returned but posted a 7.82 ERA over 12 appearances down the stretch.

For the Mets, they will be taking a shot on a bounceback from the righty, with reasons to believe that’s possible. There was surely some ill fortune at play in his rough results last year, as his 48.5% strand rate was well below the 72.6% league average. ERA estimators like FIP and SIERA had his work graded much lower, coming in at 4.61 and 4.41, respectively. His fastball velocity could also tick up now that he’s further removed from his injury, since it was at 97 mph last year after being between 98 and 99 in the previous two years.

Coonrod has an option and won’t even need to be guaranteed an active roster spot, allowing him to serve as depth in the minors until needed on the big league club. The club’s bullpen chart is topped by Edwin Díaz, Adam Ottavino, David Robertson and Brooks Raley, while Coonrod will be trying to earn a spot further down against guys like Drew Smith, John Curtiss, Stephen Nogosek and others.

Lee, 25 in June, has served as an optionable depth outfielder for the club recently, getting into 13 MLB games in the past two seasons. He spent most of last year at Triple-A, hitting .211/.326/.366 for a wRC+ of 89 in 100 games. Last week, it was reported that he’s under investigation by Major League Baseball under the league’s domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. His ex-girlfriend filed a federal lawsuit that alleges that Lee assaulted her physically and verbally in May of last year.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported the transactions prior to the official announcements.

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