Guardians Acquire Steve Hajjar From Reds To Complete Will Benson Trade
The Guardians and Reds finalized the deal that sent Will Benson to Cincinnati tonight, with left-handed pitcher Steve Hajjar, a second-round pick in the 2021 draft who the Reds acquired from the Twins in the Tyler Mahle trade last summer alongside Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, headed to the Guardians. Both teams have announced Hajjar’s inclusion in the deal.
Hajjar, 22, joins Justin Boyd, Cincinnati’s second round pick in the 2022, as the return going to Cleveland in exchange for Benson, who struggled in a 28 game big league debut for the Guardians last year. Benson, who slashed .252/.353/.479 in 116 games at the Triple-A level for his career, figures to open the 2023 season in the Reds starting outfield alongside TJ Friedl and Jake Fraley.
Hajjar, posted a 3.61 ERA in 52 1/3 innings of work in 2022, his first professional season. While Hajjar played in complex ball, Single-A, and High-A during his first season, the bulk of his innings came at Single-A, where he posted a 2.47 ERA in 43 2/3 innings. Boyd, meanwhile, appeared in 22 minor league games after last summer’s draft, struggling to a .203/.277/.270 line while spending most of his time at Single-A.
Rockies To Select Mike Moustakas, Ty Blach, Harold Castro
Infielder Mike Moustakas has told reporters, including Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette, that the Rockies have informed him that he’s made the club’s Opening Day roster. Moustakas, 34, signed with the Rockies after being released by the Reds earlier this offseason. As Moustakas is still owed $22MM of his four-year, $64MM contract with the Reds, the Rockies will only pay Moustakas the big-league minimum salary of $720,000 this season.
In addition, the Rockies are set to select the contract of left-hander Ty Blach, sources tell MLBTR’s Steve Adams. Allentuck adds that infielder Harold Castro will also be on Colorado’s Opening Day roster, and that Brendan Rodgers, Sean Bouchard, and Ryan Rolison were moved to the 60-day IL to clear 40-man roster space for Moustakas, Blach, and Castro.
Over twelve seasons as a big leaguer, Moustakas has proven to be a roughly league-average bat with a career slash line of .247/.308/.434 (97 wRC+). That being said, he was an above average regular from 2015 to 2020, as he slashed .262/.326/.490 with a wRC+ of 113 in 661 games for the Royals, Brewers, and Reds. The past two seasons have been difficult for Moustakas, however. In 140 games between 2021 and 2022, Moustakas has struck out in 24.6% of plate appearances, a significant leap from his career 16.8% rate. Between that strikeout rate and a dip in slugging (his .145 ISO from 2021-2022 is a step back from his career level of .187), it’s no surprise that the aging slugger struggled to a wRC+ of just 73 the past two seasons.
Despite his struggles, the Rockies decided to take a chance on Moustakas following Rodgers’s shoulder injury this spring, which will likely cause him to miss the 2023 campaign. Moustakas figures to be the everyday third baseman for the Rockies, with Ryan McMahon sliding over to second to cover for the injured Rodgers.
With top prospect Ezequiel Tovar entrenched at shortstop, Castro appears set to play for the Rockies in a utility role this season. Such a role is familiar to Castro, who has played every position on the diamond except catcher during his career. Since debuting with the Tigers in 2018, Castro has appeared in 351 games, slashing .284/.309/.377 for a wRC+ of 88, just below the league average of 100. Despite that mediocre slash line, Castro still provides a versatile lefty bat off the bench for the Rockies.
Blach, meanwhile, figures to slot into a long relief role for the Rockies. With 370 2/3 career major league innings under his belt, Blach has a 5.10 ERA, good for an ERA+ of just 82, though his 4.35 FIP and a strand rate of just 55.4% in 71 1/3 innings since the start of the 2019 season indicate there may be bad luck baked into his run prevention numbers. With his first season following Tommy John surgery in 2020 under his belt, the 32 year-old Blach will look to bounceback into the swing role he held for the Giants from 2016 until 2019.
Mets Option Brett Baty, Mark Vientos
The Mets have announced that they have optioned third baseman Brett Baty and first baseman Mark Vientos to Triple-A Syracuse. Both prospects were under consideration for the club’s Opening Day roster. Infielders Jose Peraza and Jonathan Arauz, catcher Michael Perez, outfielder DJ Stewart, righty Denyi Reyes, and lefty Zach Muckenhirn have also been reassigned to minor league camp.
Baty, 23, made his big league debut in 2022, though he struggled in his 11-game audition. Still, as a consensus top-25 prospect in the sport who had a torrid spring, posting an .885 OPS in 50 plate appearances during camp, Baty drew significant attention as a potential option for the Mets to open the season. Ultimately, with just 17 games of experience above the Double-A level and Eduardo Escobar currently entrenched at third base, the Mets decided Baty would be better served starting the season in the minors.
In the event that Baty comes up later in the season and plays his way into contention for the NL Rookie of the Year award, he could earn a full year of service time by finishing in the top two. If he places in the top three, the Mets will have missed an opportunity to acquire an extra pick in the 2024 draft by not placing Baty on the Opening Day roster. Vientos, meanwhile, has not met the prospect ranking requirement to earn the Mets an extra draft pick even if he had been added to the Opening Day roster, though a top two finish in Rookie of the Year voting could still earn him a full year of service time.
Vientos is in a similar position: also 23, the right-handed slugger struggled in his 16 game cup of coffee at the big league level last season, though with 112 games of experience at the Triple-A level over the past two seasons, and a clearly path to playing time as a DH alongside Daniel Vogelbach, Vientos seemed more likely to make the Opening Day roster than Baty. Nonetheless, he will join Baty at Triple-A to open the season, likely leaving the final spot on the Mets’s bench to either Darin Ruf or Danny Mendick.
While both youngsters seem all but certain to return to the big league roster at some point this season, the Mets have a deep position player corps that leaves the duo getting regular playing time at the Triple-A level until an injury (or under-performance by a big league regular) creates an opportunity in the majors.
Cardinals Select Taylor Motter; Option Juan Yepez, Génesis Cabrera And JoJo Romero
The Cardinals have made several roster moves, per their transactions tracker at MLB.com. Infielder Taylor Motter has been selected to the club’s 40-man roster, while infielder/outfielder Juan Yepez and lefties Génesis Cabrera and JoJo Romero were optioned to the minors. The Cardinals already opened up a spot on their 40-man roster last week when right-hander Freddy Pacheco was lost on waivers to the Tigers, meaning a corresponding move won’t be necessary for the addition of Motter.
Motter, 33, is a veteran journeyman utility guy, who has appeared in 161 major league games scattered over five different seasons. He’s spent time with the Rays, Mariners, Twins, Rockies, Red Sox and Reds. In that time, he’s hit .191/.262/.309 for a wRC+ of 55. With Cincy last year, he got into just two major league games, spending most of his time in Triple-A. He was released in July and then latched on with Atlanta via a minor league deal. Between the two organizations, he got into 81 Triple-A games and hit .254/.357/.523, wRC+ of 129.
Though he doesn’t have much of a track record of success hitting MLB pitching, Motter certainly can provide defensive versatility, having played every position on the diamond except for center field and catcher. That seemed to give him an edge on a roster spot when shortstop Paul DeJong suffered some back tightness that is going to have him start the season on the injured list. That left the club a bit light in the middle infield behind shortstop Tommy Edman and second baseman Brendan Donovan. Nolan Gorman can play second but doesn’t really play short, so Motter will give the club a bit of extra protection.
The optioning of Yepez comes as a bit of a surprise, as he hit 12 home runs in his 76-game debut last year, leading to a .253/.296/.447 batting line and a 109 wRC+. However, unlike Motter, he’s somewhat limited defensively, as he can only play the corner positions. Since the Cards have Nolan Arenado at third and Paul Goldschmidt at first, Yepez would be limited to the designated hitter spot and some corner outfield work, where his defense was graded poorly last year. The outfield is also getting pretty crowded, with Tyler O’Neill, Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson set to return and prospect Jordan Walker looking like he will make the team, though nothing had been made official there. It seems Yepez would have had a limited path to playing time in the big leagues and will instead get some regular at-bats in the minors.
The optioning of Cabrera is also somewhat surprising, given his track record. In 2021, he made 71 appearances in 2021 with a 3.73 ERA, striking out 26.0% of batters faced. His 12.2% walk rate was certainly on the high side, but it was a strong campaign nonetheless. In 2022, he dropped his walk rate to 10.3% but his strikeouts also vanished, dropping to 16.5% and leading to a 4.63 ERA. Despite that rough year last year, he was having a nice performance here in Spring Training, throwing seven innings with seven punchouts, no walks and a 2.57 ERA. But that evidently wasn’t enough to get him a nod for the Opening Day roster.
Romero, 26, came over from the Phillies in the Edmundo Sosa trade. He has a 6.25 ERA in 36 MLB innings thus far in his career. His option doesn’t come as a shock, but with him and Cabrera out of the picture, it seems possible that Zack Thompson and Packy Naughton might be the club’s lefty relief options to open the season.
As mentioned, today’s moves won’t require a corresponding move to open up a 40-man roster spot for Motter. However, if Walker is indeed going to make the team like many expect, he will need a spot in the coming days.
Twins Release Six Players
According to the MiLB transactions log, the Twins have released six players on minor league deals: catchers Chance Sisco and Grayson Greiner, left-handers Locke St. John and Tyler Webb, and right-handers Nolan Blackwood and Parker Bugg. These moves come as the Twins prepare to finalize their major- and minor-league rosters ahead of the start of the season, allowing the six players released to try to latch on with a new club before it begins.
Greiner and Sisco both signed with the Twins in January on minor league deals, providing catching depth behind the club’s tandem of Christian Vazquez and Ryan Jeffers. Greiner, 30, has played in 139 games the past five seasons as a member of the Tigers and Diamondbacks, struggling to a .583 OPS in those appearances. Sisco, 28, has 196 career games in the big leagues under his belt, having played for the Orioles from 2017 until partway through the 2021 season, when he was claimed off waivers by the Mets. Sisco has slashed .197/.317/.337 in his big league career to this point.
St. John, 30, has appeared in the big leagues twice: one in the 2019 season as a member of the Rangers, where he appeared in seven games, and once last season where he made a single appearance as a member of the Cubs. Though he’s struggled to a 7.27 ERA in his limited big league appearances to this point, he has a career 3.67 ERA in 532 1/3 innings of work in the minor leagues. He signed with the Twins on a minor league deal in February.
Webb, 32, has pitched in parts of five major league seasons as a member of the Yankees, Brewers, Padres, and Cardinals. Webb has a lackluster career 4.97 ERA in 121 1/3 innings of work in the big leagues, though he did excel during the 2019 and 2020 seasons as a member of the Cardinals, posting up a 3.29 ERA and 4.24 FIP in 76 2/3 innings of work. Webb last appeared in the majors in 2021. Like St. John, he signed with the Twins on a minor league pact in February.
Blackwood, 28, signed with the twins on a minor league deal in February and has spent six seasons in the minor leagues split between the Athletics and Tigers organizations. Over 323 2/3 innings in the minors, Blackwood has posted a 3.67 ERA.
Bugg, 28, signed with the Twins on a minor league deal in February and has spent six seasons in the minor leagues, all as a member of the Marlins organization, racking up a 4.18 ERA in 306 innings of work.
Robert Suarez Likely Headed To Injured List
Per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Padres reliever Robert Suarez is expected to begin the 2023 campaign on the injured list with arm stiffness and joint inflammation. An MRI revealed no structural damage, but the right-hander has remained shut down since March 12 nonetheless. A timetable for his return is currently unknown, though Acee notes that Suarez could resume throwing soon. If Suarez opens the season on the IL, he would first be eligible to return on April 7.
Suarez, who made his major league debut last season at the age of 31 following a lengthy run in Japan’s NPB, dominated to the tune of a 2.27 ERA (166 ERA+) and 3.22 FIP in 47 2/3 innings with the Padres last year. Following the 2022 season, Suarez re-upped with San Diego on a five-year, $46MM deal deal and entered the spring as the top option to set-up for closer Josh Hader. With Suarez likely starting the season on the IL, Luis Garcia and Tim Hill seem likely to see work in the late innings until Suarez and left-hander Drew Pomeranz are ready to return from injury.
With Suarez, Pomeranz, Jose Castillo and Adrian Morejon all set to start the season on the injured list, the door is wide open for San Diego’s pitching depth to make the roster, as Acee notes that in addition to one of Julio Teheran, Jay Groome, Ryan Weathers, or Brent Honeywell making the team as the sixth starter while Joe Musgrove recovers from a fractured toe, as many as two more of the aforementioned names could be rostered to open the season as long men out of the bullpen, as the number of pitching injuries plaguing the Padres leave plenty of innings to cover. Michel Baez and Jose Lopez are among other options who could stand to benefit from the available innings.
Without a clear picture of how much time Suarez will miss, it’s hard to say how much this injury will impact the Padres, who figure to lock horns with the Dodgers as frontrunners for the NL West this season. While injuries have tested San Diego’s pitching depth this spring, LA has struggled with injuries of its own, losing Gavin Lux for the season to a torn ACL while also expecting to start the season without right-hander Tony Gonsolin.
Giants To Select Roberto Pérez
Catcher Roberto Pérez is going to be on the Giants’ Opening Day roster, the backstop tells Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News. Pérez was in camp on a minor league deal and isn’t yet on the 40-man roster, so the club will need to make a corresponding move. He was one of several free agents with the ability to trigger an opt-out this weekend if he didn’t have a roster spot, though he won’t have to worry about that now.
Pérez, 34, has long been considered one of the better defenders behind the plate in the league. Going back to his 2014 debut, he’s posted 79 Defensive Runs Saved in his career. That’s the highest such tally among all MLB catchers in that timeframe. FanGraphs also considers his framing to be among the top 10 of all backstops in that same span.
His bat hasn’t been quite as strong, as he’s occasionally been decent there but not consistently. For his career, he has a .207/.298/.360 batting line for a wRC+ of 77. That’s not a disastrous line but it’s come in up-and-down fashion, as four of his seasons have finished with a wRC+ of 90 or higher while four of them have been 56 or lower. Last year, he was with the Pirates and hit .233/.333/.367 for a wRC+ of 102, though he only got into 21 games before he suffered a hamstring injury that was significant enough to require season-ending surgery.
Now back to health, the news that he’s made the team doesn’t come as a shock, as it was reported just yesterday that things seemed to be trending in that direction. He’ll join Joey Bart and Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol as catchers on the Giants, though Sabol might spend more time in the outfield for the time being. With outfielders Luis González, Austin Slater and Mitch Haniger all seemingly starting the season on the injured list, Sabol’s versatility figures to move him to the grass for a while.
Though Bart, 26, was a highly touted prospect, he hasn’t yet established himself at the big leagues. Last year, he hit 11 home runs but also struck out in 38.5% of his trips to the plate. He finished the year with a .215/.296/.364 batting line and wRC+ of 90. His glovework could also use some work, as he was given a -6 grade from DRS last year and poor marks for his framing as well. Perhaps having a veteran like Pérez around could have a positive influence on his defense, though he’ll also need to cut down on the punchouts.
Once this transaction is made official, the club will need to make room on the roster for Pérez. That shouldn’t be difficult, as González could easily be transferred to the 60-day IL since he’s set to miss the first half of the season. The club seems to be trending towards adding outfielder Bryce Johnson as well, which will require another spot. Thomas Szapucki and Luke Jackson are also candidates for a move to the 60-day IL, though their respective timelines are a bit less certain at the moment.
Luke Voit Opts Out Of Minor League Deal With The Brewers
First baseman Luke Voit has opted out of his minor league deal with Milwaukee in what Brewers manager Craig Counsell described to reporters (including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy) as a “procedural move.” Though Voit is no longer with the club, it remains possible that the Brewers re-sign him to a major league deal in the coming days. Until and unless that happens, however, Voit is now free to explore opportunities with other organizations.
Voit’s decision comes on the heels of yesterday’s announcement that Keston Hiura will not make the Opening Day roster in Milwaukee, which seemingly left Voit in prime position to take his place as a slugging right-handed complement to first baseman Rowdy Tellez. While that could still be the ultimate outcome, it won’t happen without Voit having the chance to field opportunities from the other 29 organizations.
Voit stands as one of the better hitters available in the run-up to Opening Day, sporting a career 123 wRC+ highlighted by a 144 wRC+ in 221 games across the 2018-2020 seasons. As he opened the 2022 season with the Padres, Voit was a solid, above-average bat at first base even though he wasn’t reaching the heights of previous seasons, slashing .225/.317/.416 (good for a wRC+ of 110) in 82 games. Unfortunately for Voit, he slashed just .228/.295/.381 (90 wRC+) down the stretch following a trade to the Nationals, leading Washington to non-tender Voit this past winter.
Even after struggling in 53 games for the Nationals last year, however, Voit seems likely to latch onto a major league roster somewhere as a quality, right-handed bat. Aside from the Brewers, the Phillies stand out as a potentially interesting possibility following the loss of first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who suffered a torn ACL last week. Though slugging lefty Darick Hall figures to get the lion’s share of plate appearances at first, Voit could be a right-handed complement to Hall at first base and draw starts at DH, where the Phillies figure to have no set regular until Bryce Harper returns from Tommy John surgery.
Kyle Crick Opts Out Of Minor League Deal With Rays
Right-hander Kyle Crick has opted out of his minor league deal with the Rays, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. He’ll head back to the open market in search of his next opportunity.
Crick, 30, has pitched in the majors in each of the past six seasons, getting his fair share of strikeouts but also dealing with significant control issues. For his career, he’s made 194 appearances with a 3.56 ERA, striking out 24.6% of batters faced but walking 13.3% of them.
With the White Sox last year, the righty made 14 appearances, posting a 4.02 ERA. He struck out 28.8% of guys who came to the plate but also walked 16.7% of them. He was placed on the injured list in June due to elbow inflammation and never returned. The Sox outrighted him off the roster in November and he elected free agency. In January, Crick was one of three free agent pitchers that held a showcase for interested clubs and he signed with the Rays two weeks later.
It wasn’t publicly reported that Crick had an opt-out in that Rays deal, but he will now return to the open market. His spring showing has been a mixed bag, as he’s tossed 7 2/3 innings with an ERA of 8.22. However, he has 11 strikeouts and just two walks in that small sample size. Despite his persistent control issues, he should be able to find himself another opportunity elsewhere based on his strikeout stuff. If he can keep the free passes down, he could be an intriguing pickup for a club looking to bolster its bullpen depth here with the season less than a week away.
Chris Owings Won’t Make Pirates’ Roster, Accepts Reassignment To Minor Leagues
Earlier today, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington informed Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that several veterans on minor league deals have opt-outs in their contracts. Infielder/outfielder Chris Owings and right-hander Tyler Chatwood can each opt out today if they are not going to make the Opening Day roster, while catcher Tyler Heineman has an upward mobility clause that will let him depart on Monday if another team is willing to give him a spot. Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic now reports that Owings has been informed he won’t make the club. Instead of triggering the opt-out, he will head to minor league camp on Sunday and begin the season in Triple-A. The fates of the other two players aren’t publicly known at this time.
Owings, 31, spent the first few seasons of his career with the Diamondbacks but has become a journeyman in recent years, suiting up for the Royals, Red Sox, Rockies and Orioles over the past few campaigns. His past two seasons form a textbook illustration of the perils of small sample sizes, in both directions. With the Rockies in 2021, he hit .326/.420/.628 while limited by a thumb injury to just 21 games. With the Orioles last year, he hit .107/.254/.143 in 27 games before getting designated for assignment. Overall, his career batting line is .239/.287/.366, wRC+ of 66.
Despite that tepid offense, Owings can provide defensive versatility. In his career, he’s played everywhere on the diamond except first base and catcher. The Pirates will likely have Bryan Reynolds, Jack Suwinski and Andrew McCutchen in the outfield most days, with Ke’Bryan Hayes at third and Oneil Cruz at shortstop. Second base is a bit less clear, with options on the roster including Rodolfo Castro, Ji Hwan Bae, Mark Mathias and Liover Peguero. Owings could have been considered for a bench role, but the club evidently feels they have sufficient coverage from those many infielders, as well as outfielders already on the roster like Connor Joe, Canaan Smith-Njigba and others. Owings could have returned to the open market but seems content to head to Indianapolis to try to work his way into a roster spot later on.
Chatwood, 33, is a veteran starter that has transitioned into a relief role in recent years. He made 32 appearances in 2021 between the Blue Jays and Giants, but with an unsightly 5.63 ERA and 14.5% walk rate. Control has long been an issue for Chatwood but he’s always tantalized with big strikeout totals as well. Last year, he joined the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball but shoulder surgery wiped out his season after just six appearances. This spring, he’s made five appearances, allowing nine earned runs while walking six and striking out four.
Heineman, 32 in June, was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays in May of last year. He hit .211/.277/.254 for the Bucs and was non-tendered at season’s end, but rejoined the club on a minor league deal. He’s hitting .095 here in spring thus far but seems to be in the running for a backup catcher job behind Austin Hedges. The only other backstop currently on the roster is prospect Endy Rodríguez, who has already been optioned to minor league camp. Kevin Plawecki was recently informed he won’t be making the team and he will be triggering his opt out. That seems to leave Heineman and Jason Delay as the frontrunners for the backup job, though the club will have to make a decision on Heineman soon.