Dodgers Sign Miguel Rojas To Contract Extension
The Dodgers and infielder Miguel Rojas have agreed to a contract extension that will keep Rojas in Los Angeles through at least the 2024 season, according to Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase (Twitter link and link to the Spanish-langugage full story). Rojas was already set to earn $5MM in 2023, but this new deal reworks that money into a $3.5MM salary and a $1.5MM signing bonus. Rojas will then earn another $5MM in 2024, and the Dodgers hold a $5MM club option on Rojas for 2025, with a $1MM buyout.
All told, it adds up to another $6MM in guaranteed money for the Beverly Hills Sports Council client. Rojas had previously been playing on a two-year, $10MM deal signed when he was a member of the Marlins, and that extension covered the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Breaking into the majors with the Dodgers in 2014, Rojas was dealt to the Marlins during the 2014-15 offseason and then established himself as a leader on and off the field in Miami. Rojas moved from a utility role to regular duty as the Marlins’ shortstop, and his consistently strong defense provided value to club even if his offense was generally below average. Rojas had a 91 wRC+ from 2015-21, but he dropped to a 73 wRC+ in 2022 on the heels of a .236/.283/.323 slash line over 507 plate appearances.
Wrist problems may have contributed to Rojas’ underwhelming season, as he underwent surgery on his wrist back in October. Reports circulated last month that Rojas was also going to undergo another procedure, and the infielder told reporters (including the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett) today that he had a loose piece of bone removed from his right hand three weeks ago. The surgeries won’t appear to have set Rojas back, as he is already hitting off a tee and has expressed interest in playing for his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic if healthy.
Despite the injuries and the 2022 numbers, the Dodgers still traded for Rojas in January, as L.A. dealt Jacob Amaya (a strong-fielding prospect with some questions about his bat) to Miami in the straight-up swap. With Trea Turner now a Phillie and Gavin Lux slated to take over as the everyday shortstop, adding Rojas gives the Dodgers a capable veteran who can perhaps fill in at short if Lux has any trouble adjusting, and otherwise serve as depth around the infield.
The extension is a nice early birthday present for Rojas (who turns 34 later this month) and it also underscores the Dodgers’ belief that the veteran can be a key contributor to the roster. Shorter-term extensions have been a favored tactic for president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman as of late, as Los Angeles also inked such players as Max Muncy, Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson, and Austin Barnes to deals that give the Dodgers up to two years of extra control. In the first three of those instances, the Dodgers made an early guarantee on a 2023 club option, and added another club option year to the back end of the contract.
Rojas’ deal is a little different since he was already under contract for 2023. From a luxury tax perspective, the extension slightly raises Rojas’ tax number from $5MM to $5.5MM, which is the new average annual value of what is technically a two-year deal (since his 2023 salary was reworked) for accounting purposes. While Los Angeles had soared over the Competitive Balance Tax threshold in each of the last two seasons, there was some thought that the club might look to duck under the line and reset its tax penalty status, with an eye towards going back into CBT territory next winter. But, with the Dodgers now projected to be slightly over the $233MM threshold, Friedman said this week that the Dodgers were “doing all we can to win a championship this year,” rather than keep an eye on the tax bill by trading players.
Red Sox Sign Jake Faria To Minor League Contract
The Red Sox have signed right-hander Jake Faria to a minor league deal, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter links). The contract includes an invitation to Boston’s big league Spring Training camp, and a guaranteed $735K salary if Faria makes the active roster.
Since the start of the 2019 season, Faria has pitched only 51 1/3 MLB innings — 32 2/3 frames with the Diamondbacks in 2021, and 18 2/3 innings split between the Rays and Brewers in 2019. In between those stints in the majors, Faria also pitched at the Triple-A level with the Angels in 2021 and with the Twins last season, with a cumulative 6.64 ERA over 80 innings over the last two years.
It has been a tough ride for Faria in recent years, after he came up through Tampa Bay’s farm system with a lot of promise, and had a quick start to his MLB career with a solid 3.43 ERA over 86 2/3 innings in his 2017 rookie season. Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom was working in the Rays’ front office during Faria’s tenure in Tampa, so the minor league deal will give Bloom a chance to see first-hand if Faria can recapture any of that old form.
Not counting those 2017 numbers, Faria otherwise has a 5.65 ERA and underwhelming strikeout and walk rates over 116 1/3 innings as a Major League pitcher. Home runs have been an issue, as Faria has allowed 19 homers in that limited 116 1/3 inning sample size. While Faria has still regularly worked as a starter at Triple-A, he has mostly been utilized as a reliever in the majors since 2018, so the Red Sox likely view him as a multi-inning reliever at best if he can win a job in their bullpen.
Giants Sign Roberto Perez
TODAY: The Giants officially announced Perez’s deal, which is a minor league contract. Perez can earn a $2.5MM guaranteed salary if he makes the big league roster, with another $1.5MM available in incentives.
JANUARY 29: The Giants have reached a deal with catcher Roberto Perez, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter links). It seems as though the Red Sox were the other finalist for Perez’s services, as Boston “made an aggressive bid” for the veteran backstop.
The Pirates (Perez’s former team) and Cubs were also reportedly interested in Perez this winter, but the 34-year-old will instead head to the Bay Area to join a catching mix led by Joey Bart. While Bart has yet to hit much over parts of three seasons and 408 career plate appearances, the Giants still have faith in the former top prospect, to the point that president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said a few weeks ago that the Giants would likely stick to minor league signings for any future catching depth.
Perez joins Austin Wynns as the top competitors for the backup catching job, plus the presence of Rule 5 Draft pick Blake Sabol is another notable factor. As per the regulations of the R5 Draft, Sabol has to remain on the Giants’ active roster for the entire season, or else the Giants have to offer him back to the Pirates. (The Reds actually selected Sabol in the Rule 5 Draft but the Giants traded for Sabol’s rights.) Wynns was recently outrighted off the Giants’ 40-man roster, and Sabol can also play the outfield, adding more wrinkles to the team’s possible plans behind the plate.
On paper, Perez adds some certainly to the mix due to his strong defense. Long known for his glovework, game-calling, and his ability to work with pitchers, Perez is a two-time Gold Glover and Fielding Bible Award winner. This defensive play kept Perez in at least a part-time role as Cleveland’s catcher from 2015-21, even if he has only a wRC+ of 77 over 1752 career plate appearances. Perez did surprisingly break out for a 24-homer season in 2019, though that performance seems like an outlier due to the livelier baseball used by the league that year.
Injuries have been Perez’s biggest issue over the last few seasons, as he has played in only 65 games since the start of the 2021 season. (He also played only 32 games out of 60 in the shortened 2020 season.) A fractured finger, shoulder problems, and hamstring surgery have all combined to limit Perez’s playing time, with his hamstring injury ending his Pirates tenure after only 21 games last year.
The presence of Wynns and Sabol gives San Francisco some insurance if the injury bug bites Perez again, but naturally the Giants’ biggest hope is that Bart takes a step forward as a reliable MLB starter, so the other backstops are relegated to pure backup roles. With Perez now on board, the Giants are probably done shopping for catchers, perhaps unless an injury situation emerges in Spring Training.
Nationals Sign Chad Kuhl To Minor League Deal
The Nationals announced that right-hander Chad Kuhl has been signed to a minor league deal, and invited to Washington’s big league Spring Training camp.
Kuhl had a 5.72 ERA and well below-average strikeout (17.8%) and walk (9.4%) rates over 137 innings with the Rockies last season, and he also missed most of August due to a hip strain. The righty was again placed on the injured list right at the very end of the season with a triceps strain, and it isn’t known how that injury might’ve impacted Kuhl’s shaky performance in September, or how it affected his free agent market.
Over six MLB seasons, Kuhl has a 4.74 ERA over 576 2/3 frames with the Rockies and Pirates. 2017 was Kuhl’s best year, but that 2.2 fWAR performance over 157 1/3 innings with Pittsburgh is the clear high mark of an inconsistent career. Since that borderline breakout season, Kuhl has thrown only 348 2/3 total innings — he missed 2019 recovering from Tommy John surgery — and amassed 1.0 fWAR.
Even despite these lackluster numbers, Kuhl has shown some flashes of being able to pitch at a higher level, and he has been frequently mentioned as a trade candidate during his career (though, pitching for non-contenders has also played a role in that status). The contract with Washington represents another new chapter in his career, and while the Nats also seem on pace for a losing season, Kuhl can at least work in a more normalized pitching environment than the thin air of Coors Field, or even the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League at the Triple-A level.
Of course, pitching for the Rockies isn’t the sole reason Kuhl’s 2022 season was such a struggle. As per Statcast, his sinker was the single least-effective pitch thrown in the majors last season, with a -26 Run Value. Kuhl threw his sinker 42.2% of the time, the most of any of his offerings. Compounding the problem, Kuhl’s average fastball velocity was 92.8 mph, a significant drop from his 94.8 mph career average in his previous five seasons.
The Nationals’ coaching staff will have plenty of fixes to make as they take a look at Kuhl in camp, though the minor league deal represents a pretty risk-free move for the team. If Kuhl can get on track, he provides a good veteran depth arm for a rotation that will lean heavily on younger pitchers. The District is hoping that at least one of Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore, or Cade Cavalli can take a step forward and become a reliable MLB-level pitcher in 2023. As for more seasoned hurlers, the Nationals simply don’t know what to expect from Patrick Corbin after three mediocre seasons, or whether or not Stephen Strasburg can finally get healthy and be a regular contributor.
To this end, the Nats signed Trevor Williams to a two-year deal earlier this winter, adding some veteran experience to the rotation mix. Swingman Erasmo Ramirez was also re-signed, and Wily Peralta (who has worked as a starter in the past) was signed on a minor league deal as further depth for the rotation or bullpen. While the Nationals’ priority is on getting a look at their younger starters, the rotation is enough of an open book that there’s plenty of opportunity for Kuhl or other pitchers to make a mark in Spring Training.
Pirates Sign Juan Minaya To Minor League Deal
The Pirates have added veteran right-hander Juan Minaya on a minor league deal, per John Dreker of Pirates Prospects.
Minaya, 32, appeared in six games for the Twins last season, tossing 9 2/3 innings of 5.59 ERA ball. Just a year prior he had been an effective member of the Twins’ bullpen, working to a 2.48 ERA over 40 innings. That 2021 season did include a sky-high 85.3% strand rate, so sustaining a mid-two ERA was never likely and it’s particularly telling that the Twins non-tendered him at the end of the season, and it wasn’t until March that he re-signed with them on a minor league deal for the 2022 season. That was just a small sample of work in Minnesota last year, and his peripherals didn’t deviate much between 2021-22 as he maintained an above-average strikeout rate and a below-average walk rate, although his fastball did see a slight drop in velocity last season.
With that being said, Minaya has a solid track record of relief work over his six seasons in the big leagues. Originally signed by the Astros out of the Dominican Republic back in 2008, Minaya made his debut for the White Sox as a 25-year-old in 2016. He’d turn in four years of service for Chicago, providing them with 128 1/3 innings of 3.93 ERA ball in that time.
While Minaya had a challenging 2022 season, there’s enough there that the veteran hurler could work his way into the Bucs’ bullpen plans with a strong spring training.
Twins Re-Sign Aaron Sanchez To Minor League Deal
The Twins are bringing back veteran right-hander Aaron Sanchez, re-signing him to a minor league deal, according to his MLB transaction log.
Sanchez joined the Twins in June last year after an unsuccessful stint with the Nationals. He was a solid option in Minnesota, working to a 4.71 ERA over 28 2/3 innings (three starts, five relief appearances). While it was a small sample size, he did lift his strikeout rate back above 20% for the first time since 2016. Prior to that, he’d made seven starts for Washington in 2022, working to an 8.33 ERA with a meager 11.4% punch-out rate.
Sanchez, a first round pick by the Blue Jays in 2010, was once one of the brightest young pitchers in the sport, featuring regularly among baseball’s top-50 prospects prior to his 2014 debut. The hype appeared to be for real when Sanchez delivered a brilliant 2016 campaign, tossing 192 innings of 3.00 ERA ball for the Blue Jays, earning a trip to the All Star game and finishing seventh in AL Cy Young voting.
Unfortunately for him, various injuries have derailed his career and Sanchez has never passed the 150 inning mark since that 2016 season. He’s also seen his performance drop off significantly, working to a 5.29 ERA over 367 2/3 innings between 2017-22 for the Blue Jays, Astros, Giants, Nationals and Twins.
Now 30, Sanchez will presumably compete for long relief role in the Twins bullpen in the spring, or head to Triple-A as a depth starter.
Dodgers Sign Luke Williams, Yusniel Diaz, Robbie Erlin To Minor League Deals
The Dodgers announced a number of non-roster invitees to Spring Training this afternoon. While the bulk of the group had been previously reported, Los Angeles has brought back a trio of players who have prior experience with the organization: utilityman Luke Williams, outfielder Yusniel Díaz and left-hander Robbie Erlin.
Williams, 26, has played for the Phillies, Giants and Marlins over the past two seasons. He’s gotten into 137 MLB games, tallying 244 plate appearances of .240/.299/.316 hitting. He’s picked up just two home runs while striking out at a 27.5% clip against big league pitching. The former third-round pick swiped 11 bases in only 79 games last season, though, and he’s played every position on the diamond aside from pitcher and catcher.
Los Angeles nabbed Williams off waivers from Miami at the start of the offseason. They opted not to tender him a contract just ten days later, sending him to free agency. That’s not an uncommon path with players whom teams hope to keep in the organization without dedicating a 40-man roster spot. The non-tender meant the Dodgers didn’t have to place Williams on waivers themselves. While he was free to shop for other opportunities as a free agent, the Dodgers circled back to add him on a non-roster pact.
Díaz, also 26, entered pro ball as a high-profile signee by the Dodgers out of Cuba back in 2015. At that point, teams weren’t strictly limited by hard-capped bonus pools for international amateur free agents. Los Angeles gave Díaz a hefty $15.5MM signing bonus (and paid a matching amount in taxes) back when he was 18 years old. He spent the next couple seasons as one of the more highly-regarded players in the system before being traded to Baltimore in 2018 as the headlining piece of a package for Manny Machado.
The following offseason, Díaz appeared among Baseball America’s top 50 overall prospects. Initially praised for his offensive polish and a patient plate approach, his productivity stalled out over the next few seasons. Díaz spent three years in the upper minors with Baltimore, managing only a .210/.295/.313 line through 495 plate appearances for their top affiliate in Norfolk. Fringy athleticism also pushed him primarily to the corner outfield after some early-career work in center. Díaz wound up playing in just one big league contest for the Orioles, striking out in his only MLB plate appearance to date.
At the end of last season, the O’s outrighted him off their 40-man roster. He qualified for minor league free agency and heads back to his original organization in search of a rebound. He joins Jason Heyward, Bradley Zimmer and Steven Duggar among non-roster outfield options who’ll be in Dodgers’ camp. Díaz is likely to start the upcoming season with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Erlin is the only member of this trio who has appeared in an MLB game for the Dodgers. He came out of the bullpen twice last year, allowing two runs in as many innings. The 32-year-old southpaw was on the roster for less than a week before being designated for assignment in early May. He spent the majority of the season in OKC, where he worked 77 innings across 21 outings (including 14 starts).
The hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League gave Erlin trouble, as he allowed just over seven earned runs per nine innings. He struck out 19.1% of opposing hitters against a 9.7% walk percentage. Despite the middling results, the longtime Padre caught the L.A. front office’s attention enough for a return showing as a depth starter. Erlin has pitched in parts of eight big league campaigns, posting a 4.87 ERA over 341 2/3 innings.
Mariners Outright J.B. Bukauskas
The Mariners announced that reliever J.B. Bukauskas has gone unclaimed on waivers. He’s been sent outright to Triple-A Tacoma and will be in big league camp as a non-roster Spring Training invitee.
Bukauskas didn’t have a particularly long stay on the Seattle 40-man roster. Claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks on January 17, he lost his spot earlier this week when the M’s grabbed Tayler Saucedo from the Mets. Seattle quickly ran Bukauskas through waivers and will now be able to retain a former first-round draftee and highly-regarded prospect without allocating a 40-man spot.
The 26-year-old was the 15th overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Astros. Houston flipped the UNC product to Arizona two summers later as part of a four-player package for Zack Greinke. A starter early in his minor league days, Bukauskas has come with questions about his ability to hold up in a rotation because of inconsistent command dating back to college. Those concerns have borne out over the past two seasons, as the Snakes moved him to relief after adding him to the roster over the 2020-21 offseason.
Bukauskas made his MLB debut in April ’21, eventually getting into 21 contests. He was hit hard for 19 runs through his first 17 1/3 big league innings despite averaging 94.5 MPH on his fastball and generating plenty of whiffs on his mid-80s slider. An elbow strain cost him a chunk of that season, and a lat injury suffered in Spring Training sidelined him for the first half of last year.
While he didn’t return to the mound until July, Bukauskas closed out the 2022 season with a nice run at Triple-A Reno. Pitching in an extraordinarily hitter-friendly park, he posted a 2.66 ERA with a solid 23.8% strikeout percentage and an excellent 5% walk rate. Nevertheless, he never got another MLB opportunity in a below-average Arizona bullpen and has found himself squeezed off two clubs’ rosters in a matter of weeks.
Bukauskas will try to pitch his way back onto the radar in spring camp and, if necessary, with Tacoma to open next season. The M’s already have a strong bullpen, with Andrés Muñoz, Paul Sewald, Diego Castillo, Matt Brash, Trevor Gott and likely Penn Murfee penciled into jobs. Matt Festa is out of minor league option years and has a strong case to hold onto a roster spot, while whomever of Marco Gonzales and Chris Flexen doesn’t win the #5 starter role could be in the bullpen. The M’s would also have to carry Rule 5 draftee Chris Clarke on the active roster or waive him and, if he clears, send him back to the Cubs. Bukauskas joins Taylor Williams, Casey Sadler, Riley O’Brien and Kyle Tyler among the non-roster depth options in the organization.
Diamondbacks Sign Yairo Munoz To Minor League Contract
The Diamondbacks have signed utilityman Yairo Munoz to a minor league deal, as indicated on the team’s list of non-roster invitees to Spring Training. Munoz elected free agency after being outrighted off the Phillies’ 40-man roster following the season.
Munoz signed a minors deal with Philadelphia last winter and ended up appearing in 29 games for the NL champions, hitting .211/.250/.404 with three homers over 60 plate appearances. His time on the active roster mostly coincided with Jean Segura‘s stint on the 60-day injured list, as Munoz saw a lot of action at second base while Segura was recovering from a broken finger. Most of Munoz’s other playing time came as pinch-hitter, pinch-runner, or late-game defensive sub.
Beginning his career as a shortstop, Munoz has settled into a role as a versatile fill-in at second or third base, or either corner outfield spot in a pinch. Josh Rojas has a similar role in more of an everyday capacity with the D’Backs, and might be bounced around the diamond a bit more in 2023 now that Evan Longoria could handle some third base action when not DH’ing. Emmanuel Rivera, Geraldo Perdomo, Diego Castillo, and other non-roster invites Jake Hager and Phillip Evans are among the names who will be competing with Munoz to win a job on Arizona’s bench.
Munoz has appeared in each of the last five Major League seasons, with 108 of his 242 career games coming in his 2018 rookie season with the Cardinals. After an impressive .273/.350/.413 performance over 329 PA in that first season, Munoz has since struggled to recapture that form, and left the Cardinals under rather controversial circumstances during Spring Training in 2020. Munoz then caught on with the Red Sox, appearing in only 17 MLB games with Boston in 2020-21.
White Sox Acquire Franklin German, Designate Jason Bilous
The White Sox have acquired right-hander Franklin German from the Red Sox in exchange for righty Theo Denlinger. Both teams have announced the trade, and the White Sox also announced that right-hander Jason Bilous was designated for assignment to create roster space.
Boston designated German for assignment earlier this week, in a bit of a surprising move given that the Red Sox had named German their minor league pitcher of the year. German had a 2.72 ERA and a very impressive 32.49% strikeout rate over 49 2/3 total innings between Boston’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, all in bullpen work. This performance earned German his first bit of Major League action, though he had an 18.00 ERA over his four innings in the Show.
2022 was German’s first season as a full-time reliever, as he started to run into some struggles working his way up the ladder as a minor league starter. It could be that the move to the bullpen might be a turning point for the 25-year-old German, and the White Sox seem interested in seeing if his 97mph fastball can translate to consistent results as a relief pitcher.
On the flip side, the Red Sox are also picking up a live arm in Denlinger, who has a 35.02% strikeout rate over 65 innings in the minors. Denlinger only began his pro career in 2021 when Chicago drafted him in the seventh round, but the 26-year-old already advanced to Double-A last season, albeit with a 4.70 ERA over 38 1/3 frames with Double-A Birmingham. Home runs contributed to that total, so if Denlinger can improve on keeping the ball in the park, a Triple-A promotion and maybe even a cup of coffee in the majors isn’t inconceivable for 2023.
Bilous, 25, was added to Chicago’s 40-man roster last offseason in advance of the Rule 5 Draft, though he was coming off a shaky season at the high-A and Double-A levels. Unfortunately for Bilous, those struggles continued into 2022, as he posted a 6.30 ERA over 105 2/3 combined innings (83 2/3 at Double-A, 22 at Triple-A). While his strikeout rates were still respectable, Bilous’ walk rate spiked to 15.74%. It is possible that a bullpen move could conceivably be in Bilous’ future as well, though his four-pitch arsenal might lead the White Sox or another club to continue to explore a future as a starter.