Jorge Lopez Elects Free Agency
The Orioles announced this morning that right-hander Jorge Lopez has cleared waivers and elected free agency. He’ll test the open market this offseason alongside a bevy of right-handed relief options who figure to be available this offseason.
Lopez, 30, made his MLB debut back in 2015 with the Brewers and bounced around the league as a swing option for several years, struggling to a 6.04 ERA and 5.15 FIP from 2015-21 while playing for Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Baltimore. Prior to the 2022 campaign, the Orioles moved Lopez to the bullpen full time, and the early returns on that decision looked to be nothing short of revelatory: the righty was among the most dominant relievers in baseball for Baltimore in 2022, earning his first career All Star appearance while posting a 1.68 ERA with a 2.99 FIP and 27.6% strikeout rate across 48 1/3 innings of work.
On the back of those career-best numbers, the Orioles shipped Lopez to the Twins for a prospect package that included right-hander Yennier Cano and lefty Cade Povich. While the trade was a controversial one at the time thanks to the young Baltimore squad’s impressive run to that point in 2022, the move proved prescient. While Cano has broken out as an elite set-up man for the Orioles in 2023 and Povich is one of the club’s best pitching prospects, Lopez regressed with the Twins last year, posting a 4.37 ERA and 4.35 FIP in Minnesota that was 10% worse than league average by measure of ERA+.
While the Twins brought Lopez back to open the 2023 campaign, his struggles grew even worse this year. After 35 1/3 innings of 5.09 ERA baseball, Minnesota agreed to a change-of-scenery swap with the Marlins that sent Lopez to Miami in exchange for veteran righty Dylan Floro. Lopez continued to struggle in Miami to the point where the club designated him for assignment, leading him to return to the Orioles. His return to Baltimore saw his 2023 struggles continue, and he ended the season with a 5.95 ERA and 5.76 FIP in 61 appearances.
While Lopez’s huge success with the Orioles last season will surely pique the interest of clubs, his struggles this season figure to give even the most intrigued clubs some level of pause. It’s certainly possible he’ll be limited to minor league offers this offseason and have to earn his way back onto a major league roster for 2024 during Spring Training.
Five Reds Elect Free Agency
Five players who spent time with the Reds in 2023 are now free agents, per the transaction log on MiLB.com: Michael Mariot, Alejo López, Matt Reynolds, Kevin Herget, and Alec Mills. All five were designated for assignment and sent outright to Triple-A at some point during the year. Following the conclusion of the regular season, they had the right to elect free agency, a right which they have now exercised.
Mariot pitched in one game for Cincinnati in 2023, marking his first big league appearance since 2016. Over the past seven years, he has signed minor league deals with the Reds, Padres, Royals, Phillies, and Tigers, as well as contracts with teams in the Atlantic League, the Mexican League, the American Association, and the Chinese Professional Baseball League. While his MLB stint with the Reds didn’t last long, it’s undeniably impressive that the 34-year-old righty made it back to the big leagues after so much time away. In all likelihood, he will look to sign another minor league contract for 2024.
Unlike Mariot, who has bounced around quite a bit throughout his professional career, López has played in the Reds organization since the team selected him in the 27th round of the 2015 draft. The utility man made his major league debut in 2021 and earned semi-regular playing time in 2022, appearing in 61 games with a .645 OPS. Unfortunately for López, he was designated for assignment before the 2023 season, and with so much infield depth on the roster, the Reds only selected his contract for a couple of brief stints with the big league club; he appeared in one game, hitting a double and scoring a run. Still just 27 years old and with an option year remaining, he’ll look to latch on with a new club in need of infield (and outfield) depth this offseason.
Despite playing 92 games for the Reds last year, Reynolds didn’t stick around long in 2023. He was DFA’d in January but had his contract selected again in April after Wil Myers hit the injured list. He remained on the roster for just over a week, appearing in two games. Out of minor league options, he was DFA’d again once Myers returned and spent the rest of the season at Triple-A, splitting his time between all four infield positions. Reynolds has played in the majors in six of the past seven seasons, and after posting an .865 OPS at Triple-A, the versatile infield defender and former second-round pick should be able to find another minor league deal over the winter.
Following an impressive performance at Triple-A, Herget made his MLB debut last season at 31 years old. In three appearances for the Rays, he gave up six runs in seven innings of work, but evidently, he did enough to earn a more extended look with the Reds in 2023. After signing a minor league deal with Cincinnati over the offseason, Herget had his contract selected in early April. Across five separate stints with the big league club, he threw 24 1/3 innings, winning a game and collecting a save. While he gained more MLB experience this year, Herget failed to produce encouraging numbers at either the major or minor league level, posting an ERA over five at each. As a free agent, he will have the opportunity to negotiate a new minor league deal. Alternatively, he could choose to return to independent league ball, having previously played in the Atlantic League and the American Association.
Mills is perhaps best remembered for his 2020 campaign with the Cubs, his only season as a full-time starting pitcher. He finished with five wins in 11 starts, including a no-hitter against the Brewers on September 13. Following a less effective season in 2021 and an injury-marred campaign in 2022, Mills was sent outright to Triple-A and elected free agency after the season. He signed a minor league deal with the Reds in 2023 and spent most of the year at Triple-A Louisville, posting a 6.10 ERA in 12 games (nine starts). In his lone MLB appearance, he gave up five runs (two earned) in a single inning of work. While it has been a couple of years since he last looked like a capable big league pitcher, the 31-year-old righty will presumably look to sign a new minor league deal.
Eric Haase Elects Free Agency
Catcher Eric Haase elected free agency on Tuesday, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. He was eligible to become a free agent after having been designated for assignment and sent outright to Triple-A earlier this season. He is perhaps the most notable of several players to hit the open market on Tuesday, including Zack Collins, Cole Tucker, and Josh Lester.
Once a top-30 prospect in the Guardians system (per Baseball America), Haase played a handful of games for Cleveland during the 2018 and ’19 campaigns. During that time, the backstop hit .094/.147/.188 across 19 games, prompting a DFA during the 2019-20 offseason. The Tigers scooped him up for cash considerations, and after another disappointing season in 2020, he broke out the following year. He finished with 22 home runs and a .745 OPS in 98 games – 66 at catcher and a handful in left field. The 2022 season was more of the same, and he posted a respectable .748 OPS in 110 contests. The righty batter was especially impressive that September, slashing .295/.329/.564 over the final month of the season.
Unfortunately, Haase could not build upon that success in 2023, as he struggled out of the gate and only continued to flounder as the year went on. The Tigers gave him plenty of time to turn things around, but eventually, the club decided to take a chance on a different backup catcher, signing Carson Kelly and designating Haase for assignment. The Guardians scooped him up for a reunion, but it wasn’t long before he lost his roster spot to bigger-name waiver-wire additions Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Matt Moore. With the September 1 deadline for postseason eligibility having passed by that point, Haase chose to accept an outright assignment to Triple-A. He finished out the season with the Columbus Clippers, slashing .154/.233/.269 across eight games.
While Haase had a rough year at both the major and minor league levels, he shouldn’t have trouble finding a job for 2024. Capable defensive catchers are always in demand, and his ability to cover the outfield corners is a valuable skill. What’s more, he’s only a year removed from two straight seasons as an above-average offensive catcher. He’ll certainly draw some interest this winter, especially if any teams think he can rediscover his 2021-22 form.
Diamondbacks Extend GM Mike Hazen
The Diamondbacks and GM Mike Hazen have agreed to a new contract extension, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Hazen is now under contract through the 2028 season, and the D’Backs hold a club option on his services for 2029. In addition to extending Hazen, Piecoro reports (via X) that assistant GMs Amiel Sawdaye and Mike Fitzgerald also got new contracts.
Club president/CEO Derrick Hall said a couple of weeks ago that the D’Backs had spoken with Hazen about a new deal, so today’s news isn’t particularly surprising. Hazen’s previous contract ran through 2024 with a club option for 2025, so technically, there wasn’t any overt urgency for Arizona to work out an extension this quickly. However, given that the Red Sox also reportedly had some interest in speaking with Hazen (who formerly worked with Boston and hails from Massachusetts) about their own front office vacancy, that might’ve also spurred Arizona to act sooner than later in locking Hazen up for the rest of the decade.
Hazen took over Arizona’s front office following the 2016 season, and immediately ended a string of three losing seasons by taking the Diamondbacks to a wild card berth in 2017. Two more winning (though non-playoff) seasons followed, as Hazen attempted the tricky task of retooling the D’Backs roster and reducing payroll while also keeping the team competitive. The trade of Paul Goldschmidt to the Cardinals in December 2018 was the best example of how Hazen tried to better position the Diamondbacks for future, even if it meant making the call to part ways with a homegrown superstar.
The difficulties of Hazen’s strategy manifested themselves with three straight losing seasons from 2020-22, with the nadir of a 110-loss campaign in 2021. Still, Hazen resisted the urge to tear the roster down entirely, and to some extent doubled down by signing such notables as Ketel Marte and Merrill Kelly to extensions rather than trading either player for younger talent. As it happened, Arizona was still able to add quite a bit of younger talent anyway in other transactions and through the draft, to the point that the Diamondbacks now have one of the higher-ranked minor league systems in baseball.
This three-year period also brought infinitely more pain to Hazen off the field, as his wife Nicole was diagnosed with brain cancer in May 2020 and passed away in August 2022. The Washington Post’s Zach Buchanan recently wrote about the Hazen family’s strength and struggles during this time, and the GM took a temporarily physical leave of absence from the Diamondbacks in 2021. Upon Nicole’s passing, Hazen considered leaving his job altogether, but his four sons unanimously encouraged their father to continue as general manager.
The D’Backs went 84-78 this season, getting back to both winning baseball and the postseason, earning the final NL wild card slot after a hotly-contested pennant race that came down to the regular season’s final days. Virtually the entirety of the Snakes’ roster was acquired under Hazen’s watch, ranging from homegrown draft picks (i.e. Corbin Carroll), shrewd trade pickups (Zac Gallen, Gabriel Moreno, Lourdes Gurriel Jr.) and under-the-radar acquisitions (i.e. Kelly, Christian Walker) that have paid big dividends. With Carroll the NL Rookie of the Year favorite, Jordan Lawlar just beginning his MLB career, and top prospect Druw Jones in the pipeline, the Diamondbacks look in good shape to contend for years to come.
The extensions for Sawdaye and Fitzgerald are also noteworthy, as the two assistant GMs are well-regarded in their own right. Sawdaye has a long history with Hazen dating back to their time working in the Red Sox front office, and Sawdaye has been a candidate for the Giants’ and Angels’ most recent openings for president of baseball operations and general manager, respectively. Fitzgerald has been with Arizona since 2016 and was promoted to the AGM role after previously working as the team’s director of analytics.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
White Sox Claim Alex Speas
The White Sox announced this afternoon that they have claimed right-hander Alex Speas off waivers from the Rangers. Speas had been designated for assignment by Texas earlier this week to make room for right-hander Matt Bush on the club’s 40-man roster. To clear space for Speas on Chicago’s own 40-man, outfielder Tyler Naquin was released.
Speas, 25, made his major league debut for the Rangers back in July. He ultimately made just three appearances with the club, during which he allowed three runs on two hits and five walks while striking out four. Speas’s control issues were immediately apparent in his cup of coffee this summer, and a look at his numbers in the minors quickly reveals it’s been a persistent issue throughout his career. His 15.5% walk rate in the minors this season was actually the lowest of his career. Still, it’s easy to see why the White Sox were interested in taking a chance on Speas given his big-time stuff, including a four-seam fastball that touches 100 mph along with a mid-90s cutter and a low-90s slider.
As for Naquin, the 32-year-old outfielder appeared in just five games in the majors this season, ultimately striking out in seven of his eight plate appearances with the White Sox in 2023. Still, Naquin has now appeared in each of the past eight big league seasons, posted a decent .257/.317/.408 slash line at the Triple-A level this year, and was a roughly league average contributor in the big leagues as recently as last year, when he slashed .229/.282/.423 in 105 games split between the Reds and the Mets. Naquin’s recent history of big league success should leave him with little trouble finding a job ahead of the 2024 campaign, though it’s fair to expect that he’ll once again have to settle for a minor league deal and the opportunity to earn a roster spot during Spring Training.
Christian Arroyo Elects Free Agency
Christian Arroyo elected free agency on Monday, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. The Red Sox designated him for assignment in August after he slashed .241/.268/.369 in 66 games for the big league club. He played for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox for the rest of the month, going 4-for-42 with only one extra-base hit in 12 games. He spent much of September on the injured list, dealing with inflammation in his right ankle.
Arroyo was one of many DFA’d players to elect free agency following the last day of the regular season; others included Archie Bradley, Daniel Norris, and fellow WooSox player Caleb Hamilton. Still, Arroyo is perhaps the most notable name of the bunch. He was the Opening Day second baseman for the Red Sox, having put together a respectable .277/.323/.426 slash line over the previous two seasons. Unfortunately, he didn’t look like that player in 2023.
Never a disciplined hitter or a power threat, his already-low walk rate fell even lower and Arroyo struggled to make hard contact. His average exit velocity fell by more than two miles per hour, while his hard-hit rate dropped by 10% (per Statcast). Meanwhile, his glove was capable at second base, and he filled in on occasion at shortstop and third, but his defense wasn’t enough of an asset to outweigh his struggles at the plate.
Arroyo will have the chance to sign with a new club this offseason. While his 2023 campaign was a disappointment, he is still just 28 years old and one year removed from a solid performance in 2022. Given his defensive versatility – he can play all four infield positions, plus the outfield corners – he should draw some interest in free agency.
Ehire Adrianza Elects Free Agency
TODAY: Adrianza has elected free agency, reports Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
OCTOBER 1: Adrianza cleared waivers and was outrighted off the 40-man roster, according to Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (X link). There isn’t yet any word on whether or not Adrianza has accepted the assignment.
SEPTEMBER 25: The Braves have reinstated Ehire Adrianza from the 60-day injured list and designated the infielder for assignment. Adrianza was initially placed on the 10-day IL due to elbow inflammation at the start of May, but then suffered a shoulder strain that has elongated his stay on the IL to almost the entire 2023 campaign.
Adrianza has only appeared in five MLB games during this lost season, though even that small amount of time on Atlanta’s active roster locked in a $1MM salary, as per the terms of the minor league contract he signed with the Braves last winter. Adrianza had previously been a part of the Braves’ championship team in 2021, and after signing a big league free agent deal with the Nationals during the 2021-22 offseason, was subsequently dealt back to Atlanta at the 2022 trade deadline.
After recovering from his injury, Adrianza returned to the field to play in 11 minor league rehab games in September, and thus the Braves had to a make decision about his roster status. Today’s transaction indicates that Atlanta feels good about its 40-man roster as the playoffs loom, leaving Adrianza as the odd man out in DFA limbo. Chances are that Adrianza clears waivers and he has more than enough MLB service time to elect free agency in the event of an outright assignment. This means he might opt to get an early jump on the free agent market, or Adrianza could potentially also re-sign with the Braves on a new minor league deal, staying in the organization as an emergency option for a postseason roster spot in the event of injuries.
Known for his multi-positional versatility, Adrianza has appeared in each of the last 11 Major League seasons, playing 616 games with the Twins, Giants, Nationals, and Braves. The switch-hitter has mostly been a bench or part-time option throughout his career, with a slash line of .238/.308/.352 over 1550 plate appearances.
Erasmo Ramirez Clears Waivers
TODAY: Erasmo Ramirez has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment, the Rays announced. He will report to the team’s alternate training site in Sarasota, where he will be available in case he’s needed as an injury replacement for the postseason.
SATURDAY: The Rays announced that right-hander Erasmo Ramirez has been designated for assignment. Right-hander Cooper Criswell was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding transaction.
After first pitching for the Rays during the 2015-17 seasons, Ramirez made his return to Tampa when he signed a minor league deal with the club back in June. He has been on the MLB roster since the end of July, and has a 6.48 ERA over 33 1/3 innings and 15 appearances in a Rays uniform this season. This includes a tough outing yesterday, when Ramirez allowed six runs (four earned) over three innings in a long relief effort in the Rays’ 11-4 loss to the Blue Jays.
Ramirez’s numbers with the Rays aren’t much different than the 6.33 ERA he posted in 27 innings with the Nationals to begin the season, before Washington DFA’ed and then released the 33-year-old in June. It was just last year that Ramirez seemingly resurrected his career with a 2.92 ERA over 86 1/3 innings for the Nats, but the veteran now finds himself once more looking to turn a new page.
Ramirez will surely clear waivers and might end up being released again, since it didn’t seem like he was going to be part of Tampa Bay’s postseason roster plans. In the event that Ramirez clears waivers and is then outrighted off the 40-man roster, he has more than enough service time to reject a Triple-A assignment and choose free agency anyway, so it could be that he’ll be getting a jump on the rest of the free agent market.
Now in his 12th MLB season, Ramirez has mostly worked in a swingman capacity, able to both step into a rotation on occasion or just soak up innings as a long reliever. Ramirez has pitched with six different teams at the Major League level, mostly with the Rays (356 2/3 innings) and the Mariners (314 1/3).
Brewers Release Brian Anderson
October 2: The Brewers released Anderson today, per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. The move officially rules out Anderson for the club’s postseason roster, though it was already unlikely the club would have added him back to the 40-man roster to make him eligible for the postseason. Anderson heads into the offseason early, where he’ll look to catch on with a new club as he attempts to return to the form he demonstrated from 2018-2020.
September 28: The Brewers announced that outfielder Garrett Mitchell has been activated from the 60-day injured list. In the corresponding move, third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson was designated for assignment.
Mitchell’s official return to the active roster has been expected for a couple of days, after he rejoined the Brewers upon the completion of the Triple-A season. The outfielder played in only 16 games in April before undergoing shoulder surgery, leaving some doubt to whether or not Mitchell would even make it back before the end of the 2023 campaign. Fortunately, Mitchell was able to start a Triple-A rehab assignment earlier this month, and played in eight games in the minors.
The 25-year-old figures to get a bit more time to ramp up over the Brewers’ last few games of the regular season, as Milwaukee has locked up the NL Central title and the third seed in the NL bracket. This gives the Brew Crew some extra time to rest some regulars and figures out who might make the cut for the playoff roster before the start of the Wild Card Series on October 3.
The 20th overall pick of the 2020 draft, Mitchell made his MLB debut last season and was expected to see regular action this year, even beginning 2023 as Milwaukee’s Opening Day center fielder. Mitchell naturally still figures into the Brewers’ future plans, and what might’ve been an entirely lost season for the younger can be salvaged if he can play a role in any postseason success. Mitchell likely won’t be line for regular duty ahead of Blake Perkins or Sal Frelick in center field, but he could contribute off the bench as defensive or pinch-running depth. With Mitchell as an additional outfield option, the Brewers could use then use Mark Canha more regularly at first base or DH rather than in the outfield corners.
While Anderson’s DFA doesn’t technically rule him out of contention for the postseason roster if he clears waivers and is then eventually re-added to the 40-man roster, the writing has seemed to be on the wall that Anderson isn’t in the Brewers’ plans. His start in yesterday’s game marked his first time in the lineup since August 22, and he has played in only 11 games total since returning from a 10-day IL stint on August 3.
The Marlins non-tendered Anderson last offseason after a pair of injury-riddled down years, and the Brewers signed him to a one-year, $3.5MM deal in the hopes of a bounce-back. The experiment seemed to be working great in the first few weeks of the season, but Anderson quickly faded after that hot start, and he has a .226/.310/.368 slash line and nine home runs over 361 plate appearances while seeing a lot of action at third base and in right field.
Andruw Monasterio essentially took over the starting third base job after the All-Star break, though his own struggles led the Brewers to make the low-cost signing of Josh Donaldson on a minor league deal. Donaldson hasn’t been overly impressive since joining the active roster, though his .191/.296/.447 slash line in 54 PA in a Brewers uniform is at least better than the .659 OPS he posted in 120 PA with the Yankees. With Anderson now likely out of the picture, the Brewers look to be using Donaldson as their chief third base option for the postseason, with Monasterio perhaps acting as a utility infielder backing up Donaldson, shortstop Willy Adames, and second baseman Brice Turang. Canha, Carlos Santana, and Rowdy Tellez are the first base/DH options.
Julio Teheran Elects Free Agency
TODAY: Teheran rejected the outright assignment and opted for free agency, according to MILB.com’s transactions page.
OCTOBER 2: The Brewers sent righty Julio Teheran outright to Triple-A Nashville, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. Milwaukee had designated the veteran for assignment last week.
Teheran going unclaimed on waivers was a virtual lock. He is headed back to free agency at season’s end and would not have been eligible for postseason play with another team. There was no incentive for anyone else to claim him. Teheran has more than enough experience to reject the assignment and hit the open market a couple weeks early, though he could elect to stick with the organization on the chance they’d decide to call upon him during a playoff run.
The 32-year-old signed a big league contract with Milwaukee in May. It marked his return to the majors after spending 2022 in independent ball and the Mexican League. Teheran logged 71 2/3 innings across 14 appearances, his heaviest MLB workload since a 2019 season that marked the end of a nine-year run in Atlanta. He provided the Brew Crew with a 4.40 ERA, striking out a below-average 17.4% of opponents but limiting his walks to a meager 4.5% clip. Teheran should find some interest as a depth starter this offseason, though it might be limited to minor league offers.
Milwaukee will open their Wild Card Series against Arizona tomorrow with Corbin Burnes against rookie Brandon Pfaadt. They’d seemed set to turn to Brandon Woodruff to oppose Zac Gallen in Game 2 before the unfortunate revelation that Woodruff would miss the series (at least) with a shoulder issue. Their starter for Wednesday’s contest is still listed as TBD, though Freddy Peralta seems the likely choice. Wade Miley, Adrian Houser and Colin Rea would be the top options if the Brewers wanted to hold Peralta for a potential Game 3 matchup with Arizona’s Merrill Kelly.