Brewers To Non-Tender Rowdy Tellez
The Brewers are planning to non-tender first baseman Rowdy Tellez, reports Robert Murray of Fansided. Tellez was projected by MLBTR’s Matt Swartz for a $5.9MM salary in his final trip through arbitration this offseason.
The 28-year-old Tellez smacked a career-high 35 home runs for the 2022 Brewers but was unable to replicate that production at the plate in 2023. This past season saw the slugger turn in a career-worst .215/.291/.376 batting line with just 13 home runs — a stark decline from the prior year’s offensive output.
Perhaps the Brewers might’ve been willing to give him another chance or find a trade partner if Tellez were a standout defender, but the 6’4″, 270-pound slugger is limited to first base and designated hitter only and draws below-average marks for his glovework. Tellez also generally requires a platoon partner; he hit just .174/.269/.261 against left-handers this year and owns a tepid .236/.308/.386 batting line in 438 career plate appearances versus same-handed opponents.
As his 2022 campaign showed, Tellez has the capability to be a source of booming power in the middle of a lineup, but his margin for error is rather slight, given the lack of defensive versatility and on-base issues. Now that he’s a free agent, a club with openings at first base and/or designated hitter and in the market for some low-cost power upside figures to take a look.
Mets To Non-Tender Daniel Vogelbach
The Mets are planning to non-tender left-handed slugger Daniel Vogelbach, reports Mike Puma from the New York Post. Vogelbach, 31 next month, slashed .233/.339/.404 in 104 games with the Mets this year and was projected for $2.6MM in his final trip through arbitration by MLBTR’s Matt Swartz. He’ll now hit free agency and be eligible to sign with any of MLB’s 30 clubs.
A second-round pick by the Cubs in the 2011 draft, Vogelbach made his MLB debut with the Mariners back in 2016, though he wouldn’t receive consistent playing time at the big league level until 2019. He was an All-Star for Seattle that year, slashing .208/.341/.439 with 30 homers in 558 trips to the plate. Vogelbach split his shortened 2020 campaign between the Mariners, Blue Jays, and Brewers before settling in with Milwaukee in a part-time role for the 2021 season.
After slashing an essentially league average .215/.343/.385 (101 wRC+) with 15 homers in 394 plate appearances from 2020-21, Vogelbach signed with the Pirates on a big league deal for the 2022 season. He hit fairly with the Pirates (116 wRC+) but really took off after a midseason trade to the Mets, for whom he slashed .255/.393/.436 (143 wRC+) in 183 trips to the plate down the stretch as a part-time DH. Vogelbach returned to Queens in that same role for 2023 but failed to replicate his 2022 production in the role with a wRC+ of just 104.
Vogelbach will enter the free agent market as a quality bench piece or part-time slugger for a club at first base or DH, though his glovework at first is generally regarded as questionable. While Vogelbach possesses a strong .240/.362/.452 slash line against right-handed pitchers for his career, same-handed pitching has crushed him during his time in the majors; he’s hit just .129/.248/.215 in 189 career games against southpaws, meaning any acquiring club would almost assuredly not be interested in Vogelbach for an everyday role.
Reds To Non-Tender Nick Senzel
The Reds are non-tendering Nick Senzel, tweets Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The former #2 overall pick had posted a farewell message to the organization on Instagram this evening.
Cincinnati selected the Tennessee product with the second pick in the 2016 draft. The right-handed hitter posted strong minor league numbers and was a consensus top prospect preceding his 2019 debut. Senzel never found consistent success against big league pitchers, though. Over parts of five seasons, he owns a .239/.302/.369 batting line.
Senzel spent the 2022 campaign as the Reds primary center fielder. Cincinnati hoped that a move back to his natural third base position would help him find another level offensively. While Senzel started the year hitting well, particularly against left-handed pitching, he encountered a slump in June. He finished the season with a .236/.297/.399 line with 13 homers across 330 MLB plate appearances.
The Reds briefly sent Senzel back to Triple-A in the second half. He finished the year in the majors but always seemed a likely non-tender. The Reds have a number of talented younger infield options, with Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz and Noelvi Marte taking a lot of reps on the left side. That didn’t leave much room for Senzel, whom MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected for a $3MM salary if tendered a contract.
A non-tender sends a player directly to free agency without being placed on waivers. The 28-year-old can now explore opportunities with other teams. Senzel’s status as a former top prospect and career .286/.334/.459 line with the platoon advantage could find him a big league deal elsewhere. The Nationals, A’s, Royals, Diamondbacks and Tigers stand out as speculative candidates for a flier on a third baseman.
A’s Claim Michael Kelly, Sign Daz Cameron To Minors Deal
The A’s announced this evening that the club has claimed right-hander Michael Kelly off waivers from the Guardians. In addition, the club announced that they have signed outfielder Daz Cameron to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training.
Kelly, 31, was designated for assignment by the Guardians earlier this week. A first-round pick by the Padres during the 2011 draft, Kelly has spent most of his career as a minor league journeyman. He spent the first several seasons of his career with San Diego before departing for the Orioles organization in 2018. He spent the 2019 season pitching in independent ball before returning to affiliated ball in 2021 with the Astros. After spending 2022 with the Phillies and 2023 in Cleveland, Kelly is now on to his fourth organization in as many seasons.
Kelly has performed fairly well in limited chances at the big league level, with a career 3.48 ERA and 3.52 FIP across 20 2/3 innings of work out of the bullpen with the Phillies and Guardians. He owns a solid 23% strikeout rate during that time, but pairs it with a worrisome 11.5% walk rate. Kelly’s issues with the free pass extend to his work at Triple-A, where he’s walked 11.7% of batters faced across six seasons. He owns a 4.69 ERA in that time, though that figure was a far more palatable 3.58 in 37 2/3 innings of work at the level this year.
As for Cameron, the 26-year-old outfielder was a first-round pick by the Astros in the 2015 draft. After heading to Detroit as part of the return in the Justin Verlander trade, Cameron played in parts of three seasons for the Tigers from 2020-22, accumulating a slash line of just .201/.266/.330 across 244 big league plate appearances during that time. Cameron played for the Orioles at the Triple-A level this season and did fairly well for himself, slashing .268/.346/.452 in 446 trips to the plate for what was the best full-season performance at the level of his career. The A’s currently project to utilize Esteury Ruiz, Seth Brown, and JJ Bleday in the outfield entering next season. That outfield mix leaves plenty of opportunities for Cameron to break camp with the team should his performance this spring warrant it.
Royals Designate Austin Cox For Assignment
The Royals announced this afternoon that they have designated left-hander Austin Cox for assignment. Cox’s departure from the 40-man roster makes room for the club’s acquisition of right-hander Nick Anderson from the Braves in a cash deal earlier today, which the Royals have now officially announced.
Cox, 26, was a fifth-round pick by Kansas City in the 2018 draft. The left-hander impressed in his full-season debut with the organization in 2019, pitching to a 2.76 ERA with a 24.1% strikeout rate across 130 2/3 innings of work split between Single-A and High-A. Unfortunately, the momentum Cox built up over that strong campaign screeched to a halt with the cancelled minor league season in 2020. Cox’s results upon returning to professional play in 2021 were somewhat mixed. Though he did well in his first taste of the Double-A level with a 3.00 ERA in 63 innings of work with a 21.5% strikeout rate, he struggled badly in a brief, two-appearance stint at Triple-A where he surrendered 10 runs on nine hits and five walks across five innings, striking out just four.
Those Triple-A struggles continued into the 2022 campaign, where Cox saw his strikeout rate plummet to just 16.2% across 147 1/3 innings of work at the level while his ERA ballooned up to 4.10. Things seemed to be looking up for Cox in 2023 as he posted a solid 3.61 ERA at the Triple-A level this year while getting his first cup of coffee in the big leagues, but his 2023 season was cut short in September when he suffered a full ACL tear and partial MCL injury that ultimately required surgery. That surgery, which figures to keep him out of action for much of the 2024 season, surely played a role in the club’s decision to designate Cox for assignment.
Going forward, the Royals will have one week to either work out a trade for Cox or expose him to the waiver wire. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, the club will have the opportunity to assign him outright to the minor leagues. Cox has not previously been outrighted in his career and lacks the necessary service time to reject the assignment and depart for free agency.
Brewers Acquire Jake Bauers From Yankees
The Brewers have acquired infielder/outfielder Jake Bauers from the Yankees, per announcements from both clubs. Minor league outfielders Jace Avina and Brian Sanchez are headed to the Yanks in return.
Bauers, 28, signed a minor league deal with the Yanks prior to the 2023 season and ended up getting into 84 big league games on the year. He struck out in 34.9% of his plate appearances but walked at a 9.9% clip and hit 12 home runs. His final batting line of .202/.279/.413 translated to a wRC+ of 89. He’s out of options and has qualified for arbitration for the first time, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a salary of $1.7MM next year. Tonight is the deadline for clubs to decide whether or not to tender contracts to arb-eligible players and it seems the Yanks preferred to exchange Bauers for some prospects as opposed to making him part of the 2024 club.
Though the results weren’t outstanding in 2023, Bauers has generally hit well in the minors and has continued to intrigue clubs around the league. Drafted by the Padres back in 2013, he was traded to the Rays as part of the Wil Myers deal, with Tampa later flipping him to Cleveland in the three-team deal that also involved Edwin Encarnación, Carlos Santana and Yandy Díaz. Bauers was dealt a third time, going to the Mariners in 2021, but couldn’t thrive at the big league level with any club.
He has hit .211/.302/.361 in his career as a major leaguer but has a much more impressive line of .257/.363/.438 at Triple-A. The Brewers will be the latest club to take a chance on him finally putting it together at the big league level, perhaps as a Rowdy Tellez replacement. Tellez hit just .215/.291/.376 this year and is projected to make $5.9MM in his final arbitration year, making him a speculative non-tender candidate. With Bauers projected at less than a third of of that price and also having two more seasons of club control, the Brewers are taking a bet that he will be better value for money.
The tender deadline is at 7 pm Central tonight, so the Brewers still have a few hours to work out a trade of Tellez or decide whether to keep him around. In addition to first base, Bauers has also played some corner outfield. That perhaps allows them both to fit on the roster but the club is fairly loaded with outfield options, having Christian Yelich, Tyrone Taylor, Joey Wiemer, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick and Blake Perkins, with prospect Jackson Chourio charging hard towards a major league debut.
In exchange for a player that likely wasn’t in their plans anyway, the Yanks will add a couple of pieces to their farm system, both long-term plays. Avina, who turns 21 in June, spent 2023 in Single-A. He hit .233/.373/.442 at that level for a wRC+ of 134. Sanchez is just 19 and was in the Dominican Summer League this year, hitting .297/.414/.446 for a wRC+ of 129. Neither are Rule 5 eligible at this point and won’t need a 40-man roster spot for the time being.
Royals Acquire Nick Anderson
The Royals have acquired right-hander Nick Anderson from the Braves, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (X links). The Braves will receive cash considerations in return.
Anderson is arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter, and is projected to earn $1.6MM in 2024. The deal removes yet another player from the Braves’ arbitration class, which is now down to six players from 13 at the start of the offseason. Since Anderson was a non-tender candidate anyway, the trade allows Atlanta to at least collect a small fee rather than lose the righty for nothing by cutting him prior to tonight’s 7pm CT non-tender deadline.
Best known for his two outstanding years as a bullpen weapon for the Marlins and Rays, Anderson posted great numbers in 2019-20, before running out of gas late in Tampa’s run to the 2020 World Series. The righty was never quite the same again, as injuries cost him essentially all of the next two seasons. Anderson threw just six innings in 2021 before a UCL injury put him on the shelf, and an internal brace procedure in his right elbow was eventually required. Between this surgery and then a bout of plantar fasciitis, Anderson didn’t see any big league action during the 2022 campaign.
It was just over a year ago that the Rays waived Anderson, only for the Braves to sign him to a split contract. The good news is that Anderson was able to return to a Major League mound, and he was pretty effective in posting a 3.06 ERA over 35 1/3 innings and 35 appearances, along with a 25.5% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. Unfortunately, injuries again sidelined the 33-year-old, as he missed over two months due to a shoulder strain and made only three minor league appearances after July 7. Even at a pretty modest arbitration salary, Anderson was deemed expendable by the Braves.
Matt Quatraro was a coach with the Rays during Anderson’s tenure in Tampa Bay, so the Royals manager is very familiar with what Anderson can do when healthy. Even the righty’s 2023 numbers indicated that he still has some of his old magic still in the tank, and for a Kansas City team in need of bullpen help, adding Anderson is a relatively inexpensive bet the Royals are willing to make. Since the Royals might be out of contention again next season, Anderson might also be an intriguing trade chip to be flipped at the deadline, particularly since he is controllable through the 2025 season.
Brewers, Yonny Hernández Agree To Minor League Deal
The Brewers and infielder Yonny Hernández are in agreement on a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, reports Robert Murray of FanSided.
Hernández, 26 in May, spent the 2023 season with the Dodgers but was mostly kept in the minors, only getting into 14 major league contests. In 93 games at the Triple-A level, he hit .252/.395/.342. He walked in 18.4% of his plate appearances and struck out just 19.9% of the time but hit just four home runs, with his overall production translating into a wRC+ of 93. He also stole 17 bases but was caught 12 times. Defensively, he lined up at shortstop, second base and third base.
The Dodgers outrighted Hernández off their 40-man roster in September and he was able to elect free agency at season’s end, allowing him to sign this deal with the Brewers. He will likely serve a similar contact-hitting depth role with his new club. He has generally had strong walk rates and low strikeout rates throughout his time in the minors but his four homers this year brought his career minor league tally to just nine.
The Milwaukee infield has plenty of question marks right now. Shortstop Willy Adames is the most surefire everyday player, but he is a speculative trade candidate since he’s going into his final arbitration season and has a projected salary of $12.4MM, with that figure courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. First baseman Rowdy Tellez is a non-tender candidate after a rough 2023 season. Players like Brice Turang, Andruw Monasterio, Owen Miller and Jahmai Jones all produced subpar offense in the majors this past season.
The club has been actively trying to improve the depth lately, having claimed Vinny Capra off waivers from the Pirates, acquiring Oliver Dunn from the Phillies and now bringing Hernández aboard in a non-roster capacity. If Hernández is selected to the roster next year, he still has an option remaining and less than a year of service time.
Marlins Sign Tristan Gray To Minors Contract
The Marlins signed infielder Tristan Gray to a minor league deal, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald (X link) reports. The Rays placed Gray on outright waivers earlier this month, and he became a free agent after clearing the waiver wire.
Gray had been a member of Tampa’s organization since February 2018, when the Rays dealt the infielder and Daniel Hudson to the Pirates for Corey Dickerson. Something of a flier prospect at the time, Gray worked his way up the minor league ladder to Triple-A Durham, where he played for almost all of the 2021-23 seasons. The exception to that extended Triple-A stint came this past September, when Gray made his MLB debut by appearing in two games for the Rays and homered and singled over five plate appearances.
Like many Rays products, Gray can play at multiple positions, with a lot of experience at every spot on the infield except catcher. Most of Gray’s playing time has come at shortstop and third base, making him an interesting candidate for a bench job in Miami. Jake Burger and Jon Berti are both right-handed hitters, so the left-handed hitting Gray could be a complement at either position or perhaps even a platoon partner with Berti depending on how the Marlins address the shortstop role.
Of course, new Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix is very familiar with Gray’s work due to Bendix’s past role as Tampa’s general manager, so it isn’t surprising that Miami has snapped up a potentially useful player who was a little expendable to the Rays. Gray is considered to be a decent but unspectacular fielder at his various positions, while the Rays are deep in infield talent. As well, Gray has shown quite a bit of power in the minors, but is something of a one-dimensional bat.
Gray has hit 71 homers over his 1300 career PA at the Triple-A level, hitting the 30-homer threshold in each of the last two seasons. However, Gray’s career slash line in Durham was a modest .233/.301/.474, as he posted 406 strikeouts and didn’t often walk. Gray turns 28 in March so he isn’t exactly still an up-and-comer, yet his power potential indicates that he could still possibly be a late bloomer and a more productive overall hitter if he can just make more consistent contact.
Dodgers Sign Eduardo Salazar To Minors Deal
The Dodgers have signed Eduardo Salazar to a minor league contract, according to the right-hander’s MLB.com profile page. The Reds outrighted Salazar off their 40-man roster back in August, and he elected minor league free agency after the season.
A member of the Cincinnati organization since 2017, Salazar is now changing teams for the first time in his professional career. His stint with the Reds saw Salazar post a 4.38 ERA over 468 1/3 minor league innings, which includes a rough 9.09 ERA over 32 2/3 career frames at the Triple-A level.
However, 2023 saw Salazar pitch well at Double-A and then over his first few career Triple-A outings, which earned him his first look at the Major League level. The righty ended up posting an 8.03 ERA in 12 1/3 relief innings for the Reds, with an even number of walks and strikeouts (five apiece) over his eight appearances. Salazar’s production started to go south in Triple-A after his struggles in the big leagues, leading Cincinnati to make that outright assignment.
The 25-year-old Salazar had worked mostly as a starter before becoming a full-time reliever in 2023, though his low-strikeout, grounder-heavy approach doesn’t fit the preferred model for bullpen work. Nonetheless, there’s no risk for the Dodgers in bringing Salazar aboard on a minors contract to see if he can unlock any new level of performance. At worst, Salazar is a long relief option at Triple-A, and perhaps even in the majors if L.A. needs a fresh arm on short notice.