Jharel Cotton Elects Free Agency
Giants right-hander Jharel Cotton recently cleared waivers and elected free agency, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Cotton, 31 in January, spent most of the season bouncing on and off the Twins’ roster, frequently going unclaimed on waivers and sticking with Minnesota. However, the Giants swooped in for an interception in September, claiming Cotton for the final few weeks of the season. Between the two clubs, he tossed 43 innings this year with a 3.56 ERA, 21.5% strikeout rate, 11% walk rate and 29.4% ground ball rate.
The Giants, like many clubs at this time of year, are facing a roster crunch. They have placed numerous players on the 60-day injured list throughout the season, which those players not occupying a roster spot while on the shelf. However, there’s no IL between the World Series and Spring Training, meaning they will soon have many players needing to retake their spots and leading to some cuts.
Cotton was eligible for arbitration and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to get a raise to $1.1MM. The Giants evidently weren’t planning on tendering him a contract and placed him on waivers instead. Any player with three years of service time or a previous career outright has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. Cotton qualifies on both counts and will now return to the open market.
Danny Coulombe Outrighted By Twins, Elects Free Agency
The Twins have outrighted left-hander Danny Coulombe, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Coulombe cleared waivers and elected free agency.
Coulombe, 33 next week, has been on and off the Twins’ roster over the past few years. He was signed to a minor league deal prior to the 2020 season, got his contract selected but was designated for assignment shortly thereafter. He signed another minors deal for 2021 and spent a few months with the team before losing his roster spot at year’s end again.
A third straight minor league deal followed prior to 2022, with Coulombe getting selected to the big league team once again. He tossed 12 1/3 innings with a 1.46 ERA despite a 17% walk rate but made two trips to the IL due to a hip impingement that eventually required surgery. For his career, he’s thrown 192 2/3 innings with a 3.92 ERA, 22.1% strikeout rate, 9.9% walk rate and 52.5% ground ball rate.
The Twins suffered a large number of injuries this season, leading to them placing many players on the 60-day injured list. However, since there’s no IL between the World Series and Spring Training, those players will soon have to take up roster spots once again. In anticipation of that, the club has been placing some players on waivers in recent weeks, having lost Caleb Hamilton to the Red Sox, Jake Cave to the Orioles and Jermaine Palacios to the Tigers, in addition to outrighting Jhon Romero, Devin Smeltzer and now Coulombe. Players who have more than three years of MLB service time or who have been previously outrighted in their career are eligible to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. Coulombe qualified on both counts.
Given that Coulombe and the Twins have continued to re-engage each other in recent years, it’s entirely possible that they do so again. However, Coulombe will be free to pursue other opportunities for the time being, while the club will likely wait and see how the lefty recovers from his surgery.
Orioles Outright Louis Head
The Orioles have sent reliever Louis Head outright to Triple-A Norfolk, per his transactions page at MLB.com. Head was designated for assignment by the team on Friday.
Head, 32, was claimed off waivers by the Orioles in July after spending the first half of the season in Miami. Originally an 18th round selection by Cleveland back in 2012, Head spent nine years in the minor leagues before the Rays gave him a shot in the big leagues in last year.
At Tampa Bay, Head pitched to a 2.31 ERA across 35 innings. While he was never a big strikeout guy, Head kept the walks and home runs in check to provide strong innings out of the Rays bullpen, although he also benefited from a .216 opponent batting average on balls in play. The Marlins to acquired him in the off-season, but the results went south after the trade. Head’s walk rate jumped significantly to 9.9% while his home run rate more than doubled from his time at the Rays. As a result, he pitched to a 7.23 ERA across 23 2/3 innings before the Marlins exposed him to waivers in July.
Head only pitched five innings in Baltimore, but struggled in his time at Triple-A Norfolk as well, pitching to a 7.04 ERA. While Head has less than three years of service time and is being outrighted for the first time, as a player who has spent parts of seven seasons in the minor leagues, he can elect free agency.
Pirates Claim Ali Sánchez, Beau Sulser; Designate José Godoy
The Pirates have made a pair of waiver claims, according to their transactions tracker at MLB.com. Catcher Ali Sánchez was claimed from the Tigers and right-hander Beau Sulser was claimed from the Orioles. Additionally, the Pirates designated catcher José Godoy for assignment.
Sánchez, 26 in January, has a very limited MLB track record, getting into five games with the Mets in 2020 and two games with the Cardinals in 2021. The Cards kept him in the minors this year, before he went to the Tigers on a waiver claim in June. The Tigers also stashed him in Triple-A as depth, before designating him for assignment last week.
He is known as a glove-first catcher but showed some encouraging signs at the plate this year, walking in 12% of his plate appearances. His batting line in 291 trips to the plate this year was .262/.354/.389 for a wRC+ of 101, or 1% above league average.
The Bucs have a fairly wide open catching mix for next year, Jason Delay and Tyler Heineman getting the bulk of the work down the stretch in 2022. Neither of them hit much but they both posted strong defensive numbers. Delay hit .213/.265/.271 while Heineman slashed .217/.276/.268. They also have Zack Collins, though he spent more time at first base than behind the plate for Pittsburgh. Sánchez will be out of options next year and thus won’t be able to be sent to the minors without first being passed through waivers.
He seems to have replaced Godoy, 28, in the club’s catching plans. Godoy got into 10 MLB games this year between the Twins and Pirates, spending the bulk of his time in Triple-A. He only hit .197/.272/.299 down on the farm for the Twins but a much better .333/.357/.590 in Indianapolis. Still, it seems that wasn’t enough to hold onto a roster spot. Since he has been previously outrighted in his career, he would have the right to elect free agency if he passes through waivers again.
Sulser, 29 in May, began the year with the Pirates but went to the Orioles on a waiver claim in May. Between the two clubs, he threw 22 1/3 innings with a 3.63 ERA, 47.1% ground ball rate, 19.2% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate. In 56 2/3 Triple-A innings, he had a much stronger strikeout rate of 24.3%. He will still be optionable in 2023, meaning he can shuttled between Triple-A and the majors again next year.
Eduard Bazardo Elects Free Agency
The Red Sox announced this afternoon that right-hander Eduard Bazardo has gone unclaimed on outright waivers and elected free agency, as is his right with multiple career outright assignments. Boston had designated him for assignment last week upon claiming reliever Jake Reed off waivers from the Orioles.
Bazardo made 12 appearances for the Sox down the stretch after being selected to the majors at the start of September. He pitched to a 2.76 ERA over 16 1/3 innings, but he allowed four home runs while only striking out 16.9% of opposing hitters. The front office was clearly skeptical of his ability to continue to allow fewer than three earned runs per nine with those peripherals. He was bumped off the 40-man roster for the sidewinding Reed.
That late-season work was Bazardo’s longest stretch of play in the majors. His only previous big league experience was a two-game cameo in 2021, when he tossed three innings. The Venezuela native has otherwise spent his eight-year professional career climbing through the Boston farm system. He’s spent parts of the last two years at Triple-A Worcester, where he’s worked to a 4.33 ERA with an average 23.1% strikeout rate and a solid 7.7% walk percentage.
As he heads to the open market for the first time in his career, Bazardo represents an affordable option for teams seeking bullpen depth. He’s likely to receive a few minor league offers with big league Spring Training invitations.
Abraham Almonte Elects Free Agency
The Red Sox announced that outfielder Abraham Almonte (who was designated for assignment earlier this week) cleared waivers and was outrighted off the 40-man roster. Because Almonte has previously been outrighted in his career, he had the right to reject this assignment and become a free agent, and Almonte has indeed opted to hit the open market.
Almonte signed a minor league deal with the Brewers last winter, but didn’t get any time in the big leagues until the Red Sox acquired him in a late-July trade. Almonte ended up playing 15 games with Boston in September and October, hitting .257/.297/.400 over his small sample of 37 plate appearances.
It marked the 10th consecutive season of MLB action for Almonte, who has spent his 455 career games with seven different teams, and also spent time (without any Major League action) in the Brewers and Yankees farm systems. Rarely more than a bench option at any of his stops, Almonte has carved out a niche as a solid defensive outfielder capable of playing any of the three positions. He provided some helpful depth for the Braves in 2021, filling in in the outfield in the wake of Ronald Acuna Jr.‘s ACL tear and eventually earning the first World Series ring of his career.
Designating and outrighting Almonte essentially serves as an early non-tender for the Red Sox, as Almonte was eligible for arbitration and projected to earn $900K. The 33-year-old will now get an early jump in free agency and look to catch on with yet another club on another minors contract.
19 Players Elect Free Agency
Players hit minor league free agency on a daily basis during the postseason, as opposed to major league free agents who hit free agency following the World Series when their contracts expire. On Thursday, MLBTR covered 15 players who elected minor league free agency, and we will continue to provide occasional updates as players continue to hit the open market, as noted on the MiLB.com transactions log.
If a player is not on their organization’s 40-man roster at the end of the season, he will hit minor league free agency as long as he has at least 3 years of MLB service time, been assigned outright more than once in his career, and/or has played in the minor leagues for parts of seven or more seasons. Everyone on today’s list is part of that group of players, and most will search for another minor league deal this offseason, though a few may manage to latch onto a major league club and secure a bench or bullpen spot entering the 2023 season.
Infielders:
- JT Riddle (Mets)
Outfielders:
- Willie Calhoun (Giants)
- Monte Harrison (Angels)
- Magneuris Sierra (Angels)
- Dillon Thomas (Angels)
- Marcus Wilson (Mariners)
Pitchers:
- Kyle Barraclough (Angels)
- Drew Carlton (Tigers)
- Jesus Cruz (Braves)
- Julian Fernandez (Rockies)
- Carson Fulmer (Dodgers)
- Kevin Herget (Rays)
- Jake Jewell (Twins)
- Michael Kelly (Phillies)
- Matt Koch (Mariners)
- Adam Kolarek (A’s)
- Denyi Reyes (Orioles)
- Locke St. John (Mets)
- Tanner Tully (Guardians)
Reds Outright Three Players
The Reds announced yesterday that right-handers Ryan Hendrix, Raynel Espinal, and catcher Chuckie Robinson have cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Louisville. All three will become minor league free agents after the World Series unless added back to the 40-man roster.
Hendrix, 27, has spent the past two seasons shuttled between Triple-A and Cincinnati’s major league bullpen. He’s struggled mightily during that time, failing to post an ERA below 5.00 at either level during either season. Hendrix will search for a minor league deal this offseason and, having spent his entire professional career in the Reds organization, may benefit from a change of scenery.
Espinal, 31, played for three organizations in 2022. He opened the season pitching for the Giants at their Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, before being traded to the Cubs in exchange for minor league shortstop Dixon Machado at the trade deadline. After just 2 games with Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate in Iowa, he was released, and later signed a minor league deal with the Reds, for whom he served as an up-and-down pitcher during September, posting a 7.71 ERA in just 4 2/3 innings of work. After a similarly short stint with weak results in the Red Sox bullpen last year (9.00 ERA in 2 innings), Espinal will look for a minor league opportunity with yet another club this offseason.
Robinson, 27, struggled at the plate in 25 games with the Reds this year (60 PA), slashing just .136/.136/.271 in that time. Robinson fared better during his time in the minors this season, however, slashing a more respectable .266/.320/.399 in 58 games (219 PA) split fairly evenly between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Given the desirability of upper-minors catching depth, Robinson will likely find a minor league deal this offseason, whether with the Reds or another club.
Orioles Designate Louis Head, Beau Sulser; Claim Aramis Garcia, Mark Kolozsvary
The Orioles have added to their catching depth with a pair of waiver claims from the Reds, acquiring backstops Aramis Garcia and Mark Kolozsvary. To create roster space, Baltimore has designated right-handers Louis Head and Beau Sulser for assignment.
Both Sulser and Head were themselves acquired via the waiver wire in 2022, with the former obtained from the Pirates in May and the latter from Miami in July. Neither saw much action in an Orioles uniform, with Sulser pitching 12 2/3 MLB innings for the O’s and Head only five frames. Those 12 2/3 innings for Sulser marked his Major League debut, as he pitched in four games with Pittsburgh before moving onto six more appearances with Baltimore.
The younger brother of former Orioles hurler Cole Sulser, Beau worked his way up to the big leagues after being a 10-round pick for the Pirates in the 2017 draft. Though the Pirates gave the righty a long look at a starter at Triple-A in 2021, Sulser has pitched only as a reliever in his brief MLB career. Sulser has a 4.12 ERA over 373 1/3 career innings in the minors, with an improved strikeout rate in 2022 as he made the move back to mostly relief pitching.
Head made his Major League debut in 2021, posting a 2.31 ERA over 35 innings out of the Rays’ bullpen. Seemingly the latest product of Tampa Bay’s nonstop pitching pipeline, Head spent an unusual amount of time moving up and down that pipeline, as the Rays sent the right-hander up and down from Triple-A on 12 different occasions. Acquired by the Marlins in an offseason trade, Head struggled to a 7.23 ERA over his 23 2/3 innings with Florida’s other team, though he seemed to right the ship with an 1.80 ERA in his brief time with the O’s.
The additions of Garcia and Kolozsvary give the Orioles six catchers on their 40-man roster — an unusually high number even for a team that didn’t have a surefire starter in Adley Rutschman. However, Robinson Chirinos is a free agent and Cam Gallagher is a non-tender candidate, so bringing more backstops into the fold gives the O’s some flexibility in deciding who will ultimately work as Rutschman’s backup in 2023. (Anthony Bemboom is the other catcher on the 40-man.)
A second-round pick for the Giants in the 2014 draft, Garcia spent much of his career in San Francisco’s organization before being claimed by the Rangers in November 2020. That move sparked a whirlwind of movement for the catcher, as the Oriole are now Garcia’s fifth different team within the last 23 months. Garcia has seen MLB action in four of the last five seasons, totaling 320 plate appearances over 116 games with the Giants (2018-19), Athletics (2021) and Reds (2022).
Other than an .800 OPS in his first 65 PA with San Francisco, Garcia hasn’t shown much at the bat, hitting .216/.253/.332 for his career against big league pitching. Injuries have played a significant role in Garcia’s career, as he missed all of 2020 recovering from hip surgery, and a finger sprain sent him to Cincinnati’s 60-day injured list last season. Garcia is projected to earn $800K in his first offseason for arbitration eligibility, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Orioles non-tendered him prior to the deadline, depending on the team’s other plans for its catchers or its 40-man roster space.
Kolozsvary was a seventh-round pick for the Reds in 2017, and today’s waiver claim marks the first organization change of his pro career. After hitting .215/.326/.343 in an even 1100 PA in the minors, Kolozsvary topped off his Reds tenure by making his Major League debut in 2022, appearing in 10 games.
Tigers Claim Michael Papierski, Designate Ali Sanchez
The Tigers have claimed catcher Michael Papierski off waivers from the Reds. In a corresponding roster move, Detroit designated catcher Ali Sanchez for assignment.
With Tucker Barnhart heading into free agency, Papierski’s addition gives the Tigers some extra depth behind the plate beyond Eric Haase. Jake Rogers is expected to compete for playing time in Spring Training after missing 2022 due to recovery from Tommy John surgery, and prospect Dillon Dingler (who played all of last season at Double-A) might be in line for a late-season debut in the majors.
The waiver claim doesn’t preclude Detroit from making further or larger moves at catcher as the offseason rolls on, yet Papierski is a known quantity to new Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris. Formerly the Giants’ GM for the last three seasons, Harris oversaw the trade that sent Papierski from the Astros to San Francisco last May, which opened the door for Papierski to make his MLB debut. Papierski’s tenure with the Giants last just over a month before he went to Cincinnati on another claim.
An LSU product, Papierski was a ninth-round pick for the Astros in the 2017 draft. Over 1606 career plate appearances in the minors, the backstop has a .222/.356/.337 slash line and 30 home runs. Papierski couldn’t match this modest slash line in his first exposure to Major League pitching, as he hit .143/.228/.187 over 103 combined PA with the Giants and Reds last season.
Sanchez was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals back in June, but the 25-year-old didn’t see any MLB action with either St. Louis or Detroit in 2022. Receiving cups of coffee in both 2020 with the Mets and in 2021 with the Cardinals, Sanchez’s MLB resume consists of seven total games. Known more than his defense than his bat during his time in New York’s farm system, Sanchez has a career .262/.323/.343 slash line over 2045 PA, with six of his eight seasons coming in the Mets organization. Given the constant need for catching depth around the big leagues, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another club claim Sanchez off the DFA wire, but if he clears, he’ll get attention for minor league contracts this winter.