Reds Sign Austin Romine, Alan Busenitz To Minor League Deals
The Reds announced this afternoon they’ve brought in catcher Austin Romine and reliever Alan Busenitz on minor league contracts. Both players will be in major league camp as non-roster invitees.
Romine, 34, returns to Cincinnati, where he spent the stretch run in 2022. Acquired in a deadline day trade with the Cardinals, the veteran played out the year in a depth role. He suited up 37 times for the Reds, hitting .147/.173/.263 across 99 trips to the plate. Cincinnati was one of three teams for Romine in 2022, as he also spent brief time with the Angels and St. Louis.
Between the trio of teams, the righty-hitting backstop posted a .155/.187/.248 line through 136 plate appearances. That was his most robust MLB workload since 2019, though he’s now appeared in the majors in 11 of the past 12 seasons overall. A longtime backup with the Yankees, Romine has played for five clubs since reaching free agency in advance of the 2020 season. He’s a .230/.268/.348 hitter in over 1400 career plate appearances.
Romine brings plenty of experience and some familiarity with the pitching staff to Reds camp. Cincinnati has already signed Curt Casali and Luke Maile to MLB deals this winter, bringing in a pair of depth options behind highly-regarded young backstop Tyler Stephenson. Barring injury, it’s hard to envision Romine cracking the Opening Day roster. He’s likely to start the season at Triple-A Louisville and remain on hand if the organization needs to call upon a veteran depth option.
Busenitz, 32, came out of the Twins bullpen 51 times between 2017-18. He worked to a 4.58 ERA through 57 innings. After the second campaign, Minnesota granted him his release to sign with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.
The right-hander has spent the past four seasons in Japan, where he carved out a career as a solid late-game option. Busenitz pitched to a 2.83 ERA through 155 2/3 NPB innings. His 18.8% strikeout percentage was fairly modest, though his 8.6% walk rate is manageable. The Kennesaw State product returns stateside on the heels of a 2022 campaign that saw him toss 31 2/3 frames of 2.27 ERA ball with a 20% strikeout rate at Japan’s top level.
Diamondbacks Sign Zach McAllister To Minor League Deal
The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Zach McAllister to a minor league deal, per Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America. McAllister will presumably receive an invitation to major league Spring Training, though no official announcement has been made.
McAllister, 35, appeared in eight big league seasons from 2011 to 2018 but hasn’t made it back since. He spent most of that big league tenure with Cleveland before getting released in 2018 and then making three appearances with the Tigers. He was a solid starter for a time, posting a 4.24 ERA over 22 starts in 2012 and then a 3.75 ERA in 24 starts in 2013. He struggled in 2014, however, and was transitioned into a bullpen role.
He had a good three-year run of effective relief from 2015 to 2017, posting a 2.99 ERA in that time while striking out 26.1% of batters faced and walking 8.6% of them. Unfortunately, his ERA ballooned to 6.20 in 2018, leading to his release. He’s been pitching in the minors since then, spending 2022 in the Cardinals’ system. He tossed 67 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 3.99 ERA, 30% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate. He’ll provide the Snakes with a veteran depth option who is coming off a season of solid results in the minors.
Pirates, Rich Hill In Agreement On One-Year Deal
The Pirates and left-hander Rich Hill are in agreement on a one-year, $8MM deal, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The deal is pending a physical. Hill is an ACES client.
Hill, 43 in March, has one of the most unique baseball stories. He had some success as a starter early in his career, which began with the Cubs. Back in 2007, he made 32 starts for the Cubbies, tossing 195 innings with a 3.92 ERA. However, injuries and underperformance led to an extended period of struggle for Hill. He didn’t reach 60 MLB innings pitched in any season from 2008 to 2015, often struggling with his health or command or both while bouncing to Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, the Angels and the Yankees.
Hill’s struggles were so pronounced that he wound up pitching for the Long Island Ducks for a spell in 2015, but he showed enough promise there to earn a minor league deal from the Red Sox. He got promoted late in the season and made four starts with an ERA of 1.55. That was enough for the A’s to take a gamble on him, as they signed him to a $6MM deal for his age-36 season. Hill cemented his improbable late-career comeback by posting a 2.12 ERA in 2016 over 20 starts and has continued to generally post solid results in each year since.
Hill isn’t a workhorse, as he hasn’t hit 160 innings in any season outside of that 2007 campaign with the Cubs. What he has been able to provide in recent years is generally strong innings on a rate basis. From 2016 to the present, he’s made at least 20 starts and logged at least 110 frames in five of the six full seasons, with 2019 being the lone exception when a forearm strain limited him to just 13 starts and 58 2/3 innings. In that time, he has a 3.39 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate, 8% walk rate and 39.7% ground ball rate, spending time with the A’s, Dodgers, Twins, Rays, Mets and Red Sox.
The southpaw hasn’t been quite as successful in the past three seasons, especially in the strikeout department. While he punched out 29% of batters faced from 2016 to 2019, it’s been just 21.6% since then. That’s pushed his ERA up as well, as he got to 4.27 with Boston in 2022, with a 20.7% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 40.2% ground ball rate this year. Nonetheless, he’s still found ways to be effective, as his hard hit rate was in the 79th percentile this year and his average exit velocity in the 56th.
Going into his age-43 campaign, Hill still garnered plenty of interest on the open market this offseason. The Orioles, Angels, Rangers and Red Sox all showed some interest, but it’s the Pirates that have secured his services for 2023. Hill is the second rotation addition the club has made this offseason, as they also added Vince Velasquez a few weeks ago. Those two should slot next to Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker and Roansy Contreras in the club’s rotation, bumping Bryse Wilson to a long-relief role in the bullpen. The club will have Johan Oviedo, Luis Ortiz and some other arms available as depth for inevitable injuries or future trades. For those clubs that missed out on Hill, the free agent starting pitching market is now topped by the likes of Nathan Eovaldi, Corey Kluber, Michael Wacha and Johnny Cueto.
The Bucs have been firmly in rebuild mode for a few years and are coming off a 100-loss season, but they’ve been fairly active in adding veterans for 2023. They acquired Ji-Man Choi in a trade with the Rays and have also signed Carlos Santana, Austin Hedges and Jarlín García, as well as adding Velasquez and Hill to the rotation. All of those players are lined up to be short-term additions, as they are each slated for free agency after 2023. Though those players could make the club more competent for the upcoming season, they’re also lined up to be trade candidates about half a year from now unless the Pirates suddenly take a huge leap forward in their rebuilding process. Regardless, they should all be able to impart some wisdom to the younger players from their years in the game, with Hill the most qualified to contribute in that capacity. The retirement of Albert Pujols leaves him as the oldest player in the majors.
Financially, this signing bring the Pittsburgh payroll up to $70MM, according to the calculations of Roster Resource. That puts the club well beyond last year’s $56MM, per figures from Cot’s Baseball Contracts, but well shy of their franchise record of just under $100MM. There’s no real long-term investment to speak of, as Ke’Bryan Hayes is still the only player under contract for 2024, but this winter’s crop of one-year deals represents the most aggressive additions for the team in a few years.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Mets Designate William Woods For Assignment
The Mets have made their signing of reliever Adam Ottavino official, announcing it today. They also announced that right-hander William Woods was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Woods, 24 later this week, was on Baseball America’s list of top 30 Atlanta prospects in each of the past two seasons, with BA highlighting a fastball that has been reaching triple digits after the minors were canceled in 2020. Injuries limited him to just 10 2/3 innings in 2021 but the club still added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
He made his MLB debut this year but was only given the chance to make two appearances in the show. He tossed 25 1/3 innings at various minor league stops, but posted a disappointing 6.04 ERA, along with a 24.1% strikeout rate and 9.8% walk rate.
He was designated for assignment in November and was claimed by the Mets, who were facing a huge bullpen exodus at the time. Edwin Díaz was quickly re-signed but Ottavino, Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Trevor Williams, Joely Rodriguez and Mychal Givens all became free agents. The Mets have since improved the situation by re-signing Ottavino, signing David Robertson and trading for Brooks Raley. Woods has now been squeezed off the roster and The Mets will have one week to trade him or pass him through waivers. He could stick with the organization if he were to clear those waivers, as he lacks the service time or previous career outright that would give him the right to elect free agency.
Mets Re-Sign Adam Ottavino To Two-Year Deal
December 27: The deal has now been officially announced by the Mets.
December 20: The Mets and right-hander Adam Ottavino are in agreement on a contract to bring him back to Queens. It will be a two-year, $14.5MM deal with Ottavino having the ability to opt-out after the first year. The deal is pending a physical. Ottavino is represented by WME Baseball.
Ottavino, 37, has had some ups and downs in his career but has an overall track record of effective relief pitching going back a decade now. He debuted with the Cardinals back in 2010 but came to prominence with the Rockies over a seven-year stretch from 2012 to 2018. In that timeframe, he pitched in 361 games and logged 390 2/3 innings, posting a 3.41 ERA with a 27.6% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate and 46.1% ground ball rate. His strikeout rate ticked upward over his time in Colorado, getting as high as 36.2% in 2018, though there were some control issues, as he walked 16% of batters faced in 2017 and 11.7% in 2018.
He reached free agency and signed with the Yankees going into 2019, signing a three-year deal worth $27MM. The first year of that deal went very well as he posted a 1.90 ERA in the Bronx, though that ballooned to 5.89 in 2020. That was a small sample of 18 1/3 innings in the shortened season, but it was enough for the Yanks to move on, flipping him to the Red Sox in a salary dump trade. Ottavino then posted a 4.21 ERA for Boston in 2021, with his strikeout rate dipping to 25.7% and his walk rate coming in at 12.7%.
The Mets signed Ottavino to a modest one-year deal for 2022 worth $4MM plus incentives and were rewarded with an excellent bounceback campaign. The righty made 66 appearances out of the Mets’ bullpen in 2022, finishing the year with a 2.06 ERA, striking out 30.6% of batters faced while walking just 6.2% of them. He also got ground balls on 51.9% of balls in play while racking up three saves and 18 holds for the year. Based on that strong comeback campaign, MLBTR predicted Ottavino could secure himself a two-year, $14MM contract, which he has narrowly exceeded here.
The Mets were facing a huge bullpen exodus this offseason, with Ottavino, Edwin Díaz, Seth Lugo, Trevor Williams, Joely Rodríguez and Trevor May all reaching free agency a few weeks ago. They have since addressed that situation by re-signing Díaz, signing David Robertson, trading for Brooks Raley and now bringing Ottavino back into the fray as well.
In addition to those moves, the club has been extremely active in free agency to address other parts of the roster. The rotation also had a number of holes appear, with Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker all becoming free agents. Those three were replaced by signing Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga and José Quintana. The club also bolstered its position player mix by re-signing Brandon Nimmo and signing Omar Narváez.
The Mets already had one of the highest payrolls in the league in 2022 and those moves have shot them up to incredible new heights. Roster Resource has them at $344MM before even factoring in the Ottavino deal, with a competitive balance tax figure of $356MM. Since the Mets are second-time payors and are well beyond the fourth CBT threshold of $293MM, they are now paying a 90% tax on any further spending. Ottavino will add $7.25MM to that CBT figure, leading to an extra $6.525MM in taxes, meaning the club is effectively paying $13.775MM for Ottavino’s services in 2022.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the Mets signing Ottavino and the two-year with opt-out structure (Twitter links). Jeff Passan of ESPN first had the dollar figures.
Braves Sign Jackson Stephens To Major League Contract
The Braves announced this evening they’ve signed reliever Jackson Stephens to a one-year contract. It’s a split deal that pays him at varied rates depending on whether he’s in the majors or minors. Stephens secures a 40-man roster spot, bringing Atlanta’s roster to capacity. Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Twitter link) the 28-year-old will be paid at a $740K rate for any time spent in the majors.
Stephens is coming off a solid season in the middle innings for Atlanta. He was called upon by skipper Brian Snitker for 39 appearances out of the bullpen. Stephens tallied a career-high 53 2/3 innings while posting a personal-low 3.69 ERA. His 20% strikeout rate was a bit below average, but he generated grounders at a solid 46.3% clip. Stephens averaged 94.1 MPH on his fastball and generated high-end spin but middling velocity on his 76.8 MPH curveball.
That marked the Alabama native’s first MLB action in four years. He’d previously pitched with the 2017-18 Reds. He spent 2019 in Triple-A, didn’t pitch with the cancelation of the minor league season the following year, then spent 2021 in Mexico. Stephens returned to affiliated ball on a minor league deal with Atlanta during the lockout. He cracked the MLB roster a week into the season and spent the rest of the season in the majors.
After acquiring Dennis Santana from the Rangers in mid-November, Atlanta designated Stephens for assignment. That was just days before the deadline for clubs to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible or pre-arbitration players. The Braves kept him in DFA limbo and non-tendered him, sending him directly into free agency without first needing to clear waivers. A month later, the front office circled back to bring Stephens back to the organization.
Stephens is out of minor league option years, meaning the Braves can’t send him to the minors so long as he’s on the 40-man roster. That they nevertheless agreed upon a split deal may indicate Atlanta plans to place him on outright waivers in the coming weeks. That’d be the only way to get him back to Triple-A Gwinnett, where his lower base salary would come into play, although it’d require him going unclaimed on waivers.
While the idea of signing a player to an MLB contract to subsequently run him through outright waivers might seem counterintuitive, it’s not unheard of. The minor league salary involved could come at a higher rate than is typical for a player who signs a straightforward minor league contract. That could serve as an incentive for the player to accept a minor league assignment if he clears waivers. Earlier in the offseason, the Orioles signed a pair of players — Anthony Bemboom and Jake Cave — to split deals shortly before trying to run them through waivers. The gambit was successful in Bemboom’s case, as he agreed to stick around at Triple-A upon going unclaimed, but didn’t pan out with Cave, whom the Phillies claimed.
That’s a speculative scenario at this point, to be clear. Stephens will take a spot on the 40-man roster for now. If he still holds that job come Spring Training, he’ll battle for a middle innings role at Truist Park for a second straight year. Atlanta has Raisel Iglesias, A.J. Minter, Joe Jiménez, Collin McHugh, Kirby Yates, Dylan Lee and Santana locked into Opening Day bullpen roles, though Stephens could battle with the likes of Nick Anderson, Seth Elledge and Michael Tonkin for lower-leverage innings.
Mark Payton Signs With NPB’s Seibu Lions
The White Sox re-signed Mark Payton to a minor league deal earlier this month, but it appears he’ll instead play the 2023 season in Japan, having signed with the Seibu Lions, per an official announcement from the team.
Payton made just eight appearances for the White Sox in 2022, tallying 25 plate appearances and picking up three hits. In a far bigger sample size at Triple-A, Payton hit 25 home runs and put up a .293/.369/.539 line in 539 plate appearances.
The 31-year-old was drafted in the seventh round of the 2014 draft by the Yankees, but never made it to the big leagues with New York. Instead, his first opportunity in the majors would come with Cincinnati in 2020. Over two seasons with the Reds, Payton would hit .175/.250/.200 over 44 plate appearances.
While Payton’s never really had an extended opportunity in the big leagues, he has posted strong numbers in Triple-A, putting up a combined .296/.370/.515 over 1,853 plate appearances in six seasons in the top level of the minors.
Tigers Sign Kervin Castro To Minor League Deal
The Tigers have added right-handed reliever Kervin Castro on a minor league deal, according to his MLB transaction log.
Castro, 23, split time between the Cubs and Giants in 2022, tossing 12 1/3 innings of 10.22 ERA ball while striking out batters at a 19.3% clip against a 12.3% walk rate. It was a disappointing step back after a promising first stint in the big leagues back in 2021. That year, Castro threw 13 1/3 innings without giving up an earned run and showing above-average strikeout and walk rates.
Originally signed out of Venezuela back in 2015, Castro came through the Giants system putting up solid numbers. In 2019 he made 14 starts and pitched to a 2.66 ERA in Low-A. With no minor league baseball in 2020, Castro went straight to Triple-A in 2021 and began working as a reliever, pitching to a 2.86 ERA in 44 innings and earning a first call-up to the big leagues.
While the results in 2022 weren’t encouraging, Castro’s shown some promise in the past and is young enough that there’s certainly a chance he’ll find some form again. In any case, he’ll provide the Tigers with a bit of minor league pitching depth going into the 2023 season.
Angels Sign Kevin Padlo To Minor League Contract
The Angels have added infielder Kevin Padlo on a minor league deal, according to his MLB transaction log.
Padlo, 26, bounced around the waiver wire a bit in 2022, tallying 34 plate appearances between stints with the Giants, Mariners and Pirates. He didn’t hit much, picking up just four hits in that time. He did spend plenty of time at Triple-A, putting together a .255/.331/.438 line with 12 home runs over 344 plate appearances across the three affiliates he played for.
Originally drafted in the fifth round in 2014 by the Rockies, they flipped him to Tampa Bay in a 2016 trade involving Corey Dickerson, German Marquez and Jake McGee. He was called up by the Rays for the first time in 2021 for a brief nine game stint, but was lost on waivers to Seattle later that year. All told, he’s put together a .109/.163/.152 line across 49 big league plate appearances for four teams.
Padlo’s spent the bulk of his time at the corner infield spots, but he did log a few innings at second in the minor leagues as well. He’ll give the Angels a bit of infield depth in the upper minors ahead of the 2023 season.
Giants, Ljay Newsome Agree to Minor League Deal
The Giants have signed reliever Ljay Newsome to a minor league contract, according to his transactions log at MLB.com. The 26-year-old joins the third organization of his professional career.
Newsome entered the pro ranks in 2015, selected by the Mariners in the 26th round out of Chopticon High School in Maryland. He’d spend the next five seasons working his way through Seattle’s system, eventually joining the big league club’s alternate training site during the 2020 season and appearing in five games at the major league level, throwing 15 2/3 innings but giving up 20 hits and nine earned runs.
Nevertheless, the righty broke camp with the club during the 2021 season but would suffer a UCL injury in May, ending his year. The Mariners placed him on waivers following the season and he was subsequently picked up by the Cardinals. Newsome made his return midway through the 2022 season, but struggled across at Single-A and Triple-A levels of minor league ball, pitching to a combined 6 ERA in nine innings while giving up 11 hits, albeit with a solid 8:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Following the 2022 season, Newsome was released but it did not take him long to secure a new home for 2023. Despite a poor cumulative 6.53 ERA in 30 1/3 innings at the major league level, he has shown elite control, walking only four of the 137 MLB hitters he’s faced (2.9%). Additionally, during his last full minor league season, Newsome pitched to a 3.54 ERA in 155 innings across three levels with a sparkling 169:17 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Newsome has flashed elite control and is coming off a season of rehab. He’ll presumably start next year with the Giants’ highest affiliate in Sacramento but could put himself in the mix for an MLB bullpen job at some point. Newsome has three option years remaining, so if he cracks the 40-man roster at any point, the Giants can freely move him between San Francisco and Sacramento.