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A’s Select Nick Allen, Four Others

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The Athletics announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of five players, including shortstop prospect Nick Allen. Also added to the 40-man roster were infielders Jonah Bride and Jordan Diaz, righty Jorge Juan, and outfielder Cody Thomas.

Allen, 23, was a third-round pick in 2017 and is regarded as an elite defensive prospect — ranking third among A’s farmhands at Baseball America andMLB.com, as well as fifth at FanGraphs. Listed at 5’8″ and 166 pounds, Allen’s slight frame has led to concerns about his eventual upside at the plate, though he looked just fine in 50 Double-A games this season, hitting .319/.374/.471 through 229 plate appearances.

Allen, who also won an Olympic Silver Medal with Team USA, did struggle in his first taste of Triple-A ball this past season, hitting .243/.302/.301. That was a sample of just 151 plate appearances, though, and Allen’s glove and speed alone would likely have led him to be selected in this year’s Rule 5 had he gone unprotected. With the A’s embarking on what looks to be a considerable step back, Allen ought to get a chance in the big leagues before too long — particularly if he produces more offense in his second run through Triple-A.

Diaz, a 21-year-old corner infielder, split his 2021 season between first base and third base while hitting .288/.337/.483 with 13 homers, 24 doubles and a triple in Class-A Advanced. He’s 11th among A’s prospects at MLB.com and 13th at Baseball America, drawing praise for his plate discipline and hit tool.

Listed at a towering 6’8″ and 250 pounds, the 22-year-old Juan has a fastball that can reach the upper 90s (and likely feels even faster given the extension he gets on that huge frame). He punched out 34.5% of his opponents between Class-A and Class-A Advanced this season, albeit in a small sample of 26 2/3 innings. As you’d expect for a young pitcher of this size, Juan has missed bats in droves but also struggled to command the ball (career 14.8% walk rate). He’s regarded among Oakland’s 25 or so best prospects, but there’s a good bit of risk with him as well.

Bride, 26 next month, is a 23rd-rounder from the 2018 draft who walked in more than 17% of his Double-A plate appearances this season. Splitting his time between third base, first base and second base, Bride slashed a combined .265/.407/.424 with as many walks as strikeouts (57).

Thomas, 27, came to the A’s alongside Adam Kolarek in the trade that sent Sheldon Neuse and Gus Varland to the Dodgers. While the Kolarek portion of Oakland’s return certainly didn’t go as hoped, Thomas utterly destroyed Triple-A pitching with a .289/.363/.665 batting line. In just 245 plate appearances, Thomas ripped 18 home runs, 20 doubles and four triples. Impressive as his lefty pop was, Thomas also fanned in 31.8% of his plate appearances, so there’s some obvious swing-and-miss concern with him. His 2021 season was cut short by an Achilles injury that kept him out of action beyond July 25.

Cardinals Sign Kyle Ryan To Minor League Deal

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The Cardinals have signed veteran lefty Kyle Ryan to a minor league contract, per a team announcement. Ryan, represented by Frontline, will receive an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

The Cards ought to be plenty familiar with Ryan, having watched the 30-year-old southpaw in the bullpen for the division-rival Cubs in each of the past three seasons. Ryan’s best year came back in 2019, when he logged a 3.54 ERA and 3.85 FIP with a 22.3% strikeout rate, 11.2% walk rate and huge 58.2% grounder rate in 61 innings.

While Ryan has scuffled with a 5.90 ERA in 29 frames since that time, he’s continued to post high-end ground-ball rates, which no doubt appeals to a St. Louis club that boasts an all-world defensive infield. Each of Nolan Arenado, Paul DeJong, Tommy Edman and Paul Goldschmidt are among the game’s best at their respective positions, with each of Goldschmidt, Arenado and Edman winning a Gold Glove this past season.

Ryan’s fastball sits at just 89 mph, but he’s never logged a ground-ball rate lower than 46.9%. He’s allowed eight home runs over the past two seasons in those 29 innings, but even with that uncharacteristic spike in round-trippers, he’s still averaged just 0.99 HR/9 in his MLB career. In 218 innings between the Tigers and Cubs, Ryan owns a 4.05 ERA and 54.8% ground-ball rate.

The Cardinals kicked off the winter be re-signing left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland to a one-year contract, and southpaw Genesis Cabrera could very well have a bullpen spot locked down after a solid season of relief work. Well-traveled lefty Brandon Waddell is also on the 40-man roster, but he still has a minor league option remaining.

Nationals Select Donovan Casey, Evan Lee

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The Nationals have selected the contracts of outfielder Donovan Casey and left-hander Evan Lee, per a team announcement. Both players will now be protected from this offseason’s Rule 5 Draft.

Casey, 26 in February, was one of the four players the Nats received from the Dodgers in the blockbuster deal that sent stars Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to Los Angeles. The 2017 20th-round pick split the 2021 season between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting at a combined .269/.329/.430 clip with 16 home runs, 26 doubles, two triples and 22 stolen bases (in 27 attempts). MLB.com ranks Casey, the a former two-way player at Boston College, as the organization’s No. 18 prospect and cites his strong arm, above-average speed and plus raw power as his best tools.

Lee, meanwhile, was Washington’s 15th-round pick back in 2018. He’s yet to pitch above the Class-A Advanced level, where he had a fairly pedestrian 4.32 ERA through 77 innings this past season. However, Lee also fanned more than 31% of his opponents at that level while recording a strong 47.8% grounder rate. Another two-way player in college, Lee has improved his velocity since being drafted and has run his heater up to 96 mph. He’s ranked as the team’s No. 21 prospect at MLB.com.

With Casey and Lee now added, the Nationals’ 40-man roster contains 39 players.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/18/21

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Some recent minor moves from around baseball:

  • The Orioles are re-signing righty Marcos Diplán to a minor league contract, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link). He’ll receive an invitation to big league Spring Training. Diplán made his first 23 big league appearances this past season, working 30 frames of relief. The 25-year-old managed a respectable 4.50 ERA, but that came with an unimpressive 19.5% strikeout rate and an elevated 12.2% walk percentage. The O’s outrighted Diplán off the 40-man roster after the season, but he’ll return to the organization and look to pitch his way back onto the big league club next spring.
  • The Reds agreed to a minors pact with righty Connor Overton yesterday, according to a report from Robert Murray of FanSided (on Twitter). The 28-year-old made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays in August, then landed with the Pirates via waivers the following month. Between the two clubs, he tossed 15 1/3 innings of 4.70 ERA ball with roughly league average strikeout and walk numbers. Overton had a great showing with the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate, posting a 2.03 ERA in 57 2/3 frames — working mostly out of the bullpen.
  • The Cubs reached agreement on a minor league deal earlier this week with catcher Tyler Payne, per a report from Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Payne made his big league debut on the final day of the regular season, going hitless in two plate appearances. Chicago outrighted him off the 40-man roster after the season but they’ll bring the 29-year-old back to bolster their organizational depth behind the plate. The right-handed hitting Payne posted a .231/.291/.363 line over 234 plate appearances with Double-A Tennessee this year.

Braves Select Drew Waters, Three Others

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The Braves announced that they’ve added four prospects — outfielder Drew Waters and right-handed pitchers Freddy Tarnok, Brooks Wilson and William Woods — to their 40-man roster. All four players would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft if not added to Atlanta’s roster before tomorrow evening’s deadline. The club’s 40-man is now full.

Waters is the highest-profile of the bunch. A second-round pick in 2017, the switch-hitting outfielder emerged as one of the sport’s most promising prospects early in his career. Waters hit very well in the low minors, flashing a strong combination of bat-to-ball skills, athleticism and defensive aptitude in center field. By 2019, he’d made it onto Baseball America’s top 100 overall prospects list. He remained one of the game’s top farmhands over the next few years, topping out at #32 entering this past season.

The 2021 campaign was something of a struggle, though, as the 22-year-old spent the entire year with Triple-A Gwinnett. He hit .240/.329/.381 with 11 homers over 459 plate appearances, striking out at an alarming 30.9% clip. As he’s climbed the minor league ladder, evaluators have increasingly raised questions about his aggressive approach at the plate. Waters’ issues against high minors pitching have dinged his stock a bit, but he still checked as the #6 farmhand in the system this offseason and was always a lock to be protected given his pre-2021 pedigree. Depending on how the Braves address their uncertain outfield mix this winter, Waters could be a big league option fairly early in 2022.

Tarnok, Atlanta’s third-round pick in 2017, has slowly progressed up the minor league ladder. The 22-year-old (23 next week) reached Double-A this season, where he worked to a 2.60 ERA over 45 innings with a fantastic 33.7% strikeout percentage and a manageable 8.3% walk rate. Keith Law of the Athletic wrote in July that Tarnok could be an above-average starter at his peak, praising his 93-96 MPH fastball, athleticism and curveball feel. He’s yet to reach Triple-A, though, so it seems likely the Braves will want Tarnok to get a bit more seasoning in the minors before bringing him up for his big league debut.

Wilson, 25, was a seventh-round pick out of Stetson University in 2018. He’s never appeared on an organizational ranking at either FanGraphs or Baseball America, but he had a very strong season between Double-A Mississippi and Gwinnett in 2021. Over 50 innings of relief, Wilson worked to a combined 2.34 ERA with an astronomical 41.4% strikeout rate and a 9.4% walk percentage. He could be an option for the MLB bullpen as soon as next season.

Woods, 22, was a 23rd-rounder in that 2018 draft out of a Tennessee junior college. Both BA and FanGraphs ranked him the #21 prospect in the Atlanta system entering 2021, praising his mid-high 90’s fastball and promising slider. Both outlets expressed reservations about his control but suggested his velocity could at least make him an effective option out of the bullpen. Injuries limited him to just four appearances at High-A Rome this year.

Cardinals Sign Anderson Tejeda

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The Cardinals announced they’ve agreed to minor league contracts with infielder Anderson Tejeda and right-hander James Naile. Both players will receive invitations to big league Spring Training. Additionally, St. Louis passed righty Ljay Newsome through outright waivers.

Tejeda has briefly appeared in the majors in each of the past two seasons, tallying 94 combined plate appearances with the Rangers. He’s hit just .220/.245/.385 in that time, and he’s coming off a tough season. The switch-hitting infielder posted just a .194/.266/.368 line over 318 plate appearances across three levels of the minors in 2021, leading Texas to outright him off their 40-man roster after the season. Tejeda had enough minor league service time to elect free agency.

It hasn’t been a great showing for Tejeda recently, but he’s still just 23 years old. Baseball America placed him among the top ten farmhands in the Texas system on three separate occasions, including entering this past season. He twice appeared on top 100 overall prospects lists at Baseball Prospectus. There’s little harm for St. Louis in taking a flier on a still young player to see if a change of scenery can yet unlock some of the power and middle infield defense that made him a highly-regarded prospect.

The Cards just claimed Newsome off waivers from the Mariners last month. He doesn’t have the requisite service time to elect free agency, so he’ll stick in the St. Louis organization as non-roster depth. The 25-year-old has twelve big league appearances (five starts) under his belt, with 30 1/3 innings of 6.53 ERA ball to show for it.

Newsome doesn’t throw especially hard or miss many bats, but he’s posted extremely low walk rates throughout his minor league career and can work as either a starter or multi-inning reliever. He underwent Tommy John surgery at some point this past summer, so it remains to be seen when he’ll be healthy enough to try to work his way back onto the 40-man roster.

Rockies Sign Elias Diaz To Three-Year Extension

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The Rockies are keeping their catcher around beyond next season, announcing a three-year extension with Elias Díaz. The deal buys out his final year of arbitration-eligibility and first two years of free agency. Díaz will reportedly be guaranteed $14.5MM over its entirety, with the specific salary breakdown yet to be reported.

It’s a nice birthday present for the MAS+ Agency client, who turned 31 yesterday. Díaz has spent the past two seasons in Denver, starting the majority of the team’s games behind the dish in 2021. He’s coming off a nice season, hitting .246/.310/.464 with 18 home runs across 371 plate appearances. Those bottom line results are inflated somewhat by playing his home games at Coors Field, but it’s decent production even after factoring in that favorable environment. By measure of wRC+ — which includes a park adjustment — Díaz’s hitting was about three percentage points better than that of the league average catcher.

That’s one of the better showings of his career. The right-handed hitting backstop entered the 2021 campaign with just a .248/.300/.355 mark across 888 plate appearances between the Pirates and Colorado. He made similar strides on the other side of the ball, rating as an above-average pitch framer (per Statcast) this past season for the first time in his five-year tenure. While he’s drawn mixed reviews as a receiver over the course of his career, he’s consistently done a strong job shutting down the running game. Díaz has cut down 30.4% of attempted base-stealers as a big leaguer, a mark that’s a few percentage points north of the league average in that time.

The Rockies clearly believe Díaz’s numbers this past season better reflect his true talent, and they’ll place a fairly modest bet he can continue to be a capable #1 catcher over the coming years. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected Díaz to land a 2022 salary in the $2.6MM range if he’d proceeded through arbitration. Essentially, the Rockies are tacking on around $12MM in additional money to buy themselves two more years of team control. That’s a bit below the $16MM the Braves guaranteed Travis d’Arnaud on a two-year extension in August (although d’Arnaud’s deal also contained a 2024 club option).

The Rox shouldn’t have much difficulty fitting Díaz’s deal on the books. Colorado entered today with a projected payroll in the $104MM range, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. That’s right in line with their 2021 season-opening tally, but they only have around $56MM in guaranteed 2023 commitments at the moment, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. With the Rockies planning to increase payroll over the coming two seasons, this extension shouldn’t serve as much of an impediment to future additions.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first reported the Rockies and Díaz had agreed on a three-year extension. Thomas Harding of MLB.com reported the $14.5MM guarantee.

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Sports.

Blue Jays Sign Jose Berrios To Seven-Year Extension

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12:45pm: Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reports that Berrios received a $5MM signing bonus and will be paid $10MM next season (Twitter link). He’ll then earn salaries of $15MM, in 2023, $17MM in 2024, $18MM in 2025-26, and $24MM in 2027-28.

That breakdown indicates Berrios’ opt-out decision will come with a total of $48MM remaining on the contract. However, Davidi adds that escalators based on Berrios’ 2025-26 stats could boost his 2027-28 salaries by $5MM apiece. If he triggers all the escalators, Berrios would decide between the remaining two years and $58MM or reentering the market in advance of his age-33 season.

7:30am: The Blue Jays’ first big move of the offseason is to lock up one of their own, as they announced Thursday that they’ve signed right-hander Jose Berrios to a seven-year extension that will reportedly guarantee him $131MM. Berrios is represented by Wasserman.

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected Berrios would earn just shy of $11MM for 2022 in his final trip through arbitration, meaning this extension effectively buys out six free agent years at $120MM, although the actual breakdown of the contract is not known at this point. Berrios will be able to opt out after the fifth year of the deal and has limited no-trade protection. There are also escalators in the deal that could increase the value of the contract by $10MM.

The 27-year-old Berrios was acquired from the Twins at July’s trade deadline and had been set to reach free agency after the 2022 season. Instead, the Blue Jays will keep him around for an extended stay, hoping that he anchors their rotation well into the future. This extension runs through 2028, which will be his age-34 season.

Prior to that trade, Berrios had spent his entire career in the Twins organization since they selected him in the supplemental first round of the draft in 2012, 32nd overall, out of Papa Juan High School in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. He had just turned 18 years old at the time. He quickly rose through the ranks of the minors, making his debut in April of 2016, a month before his 22nd birthday. Although he struggled in that first taste of MLB action, he broke out in a big way the following season. In 2017, he logged 145 2/3 innings with an ERA of 3.89 and has been remarkably reliable and consistent since then. He made 32 starts in each of 2018, 2019 and 2021, throwing at least 192 innings each year along with an ERA between 3.52 and 3.84. He also made 12 starts in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, with his ERA at an even 4.00. In the five-year stretch from 2017 to 2021, he threw a total of 793 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.74, strikeout rate of 24.4%, walk rate of 7% and groundball rate of 41.4%. His 15.4 fWAR in that time ranks 14th among all pitchers in baseball.

The Blue Jays clearly valued Berrios very highly based on the package they sent to the Twins, with both Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson being highly-touted prospects. At the time of the trade, Martin was only one year removed from being the 5th overall selection in the 2020 draft and was considered to be one of the top-25 prospects in the game by each of FanGraphs, Baseball America and MLB.com. Woods Richardson was not on Baseball America’s list but was 49th at FanGraphs and 68th at MLB.com. It was believed by many that this was a steep price to pay for a year and a half of Berrios’s services, but the Blue Jays have doubled down on their belief in him by locking him up for at least four more years on top of that.

This now ranks as one of the largest extensions ever for a starting pitcher between five and six years’ service time, trailing only the $215MM garnered by Clayton Kershaw, the $175MM by Stephen Strasburg and $144MM for Cole Hamels. If Berrios pitches well over the next five years, he can opt out after the 2026 campaign, which will be his age-32 season. That could give him the opportunity to hit free agency and land another solid payday, after having already banked over $100MM in career earnings.

The Blue Jays had some long-term uncertainty in their rotation, with Berrios and Ross Stripling set to reach free agency after 2022 and Hyun-Jin Ryu after 2023, leaving youngsters like Alek Manoah and Nate Pearson as the only future options. Locking Berrios down through 2028 provides some much-needed stability as they look to complement that group this offseason.

The club’s 2022 payroll is currently sitting around $115MM, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. Their opening day number in 2021 was $135MM, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, giving them about $20MM of space to work with before they reach last year’s number. However, the club may also increase spending this year, which would give them even more ability to supplement the roster. It’s unknown exactly how high they anticipate the budget to go between now and the spring, but they have run payrolls over $160MM in years past.

The club has already been connected in rumors to Justin Verlander, Andrew Heaney and Eduardo Rodriguez, the latter having signed with the Tigers yesterday. Despite winning 91 games in 2021, the Jays somehow finished fourth place in the AL East, one game away from a Wild Card berth. With Robbie Ray, Steven Matz and Marcus Semien all now free agents, the club still has work to do in order to stay afloat in that cutthroat environment. Extending Berrios doesn’t necessarily improve the 2022 club on paper, but it should serve as a signal to other free agents that the team is committed to do what it takes to be competitive for the foreseeable future.

Hector Jose Torres Donato (Twitter link) was the first to report the news of the seven-year extension. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet first had the $131 guarantee (Twitter link). Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the opt-out and no-trade protection (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first mentioned escalators (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of MLB Network first reported the $10MM value of the escalators (Twitter link).

Image Courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Mariners Select Julio Rodriguez, Two Others

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The Mariners announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of top outfield prospect Julio Rodriguez, thus adding him to the 40-man roster and protecting him from the 2021 Rule 5 Draft. Also added to the 40-man roster were fellow outfielder Alberto Rodriguez and lefty Ray Kerr. Seattle’s 40-man roster is now up to a total of 39 players.

Rodriguez was about the most obvious 40-man addition any team would make in advance of tomorrow afternoon’s deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft. The 20-year-old is heralded as a potential superstar, ranking as the sport’s No. 2 overall prospect at Baseball America and MLB.com and landing No. 6 over at FanGraphs.

Despite his youth, Rodriguez is expected to make his big league debut at some point in 2022 — if not on Opening Day then perhaps early in the year. (The looming collective bargaining talks could impact the timing.) Rodriguez, 21 in late December, split the 2021 season between Class-A Advanced and Double-A, turning in a dominant .347/.441/.560 against much older and more experienced pitching (particularly in Double-A). The Mariners are expected to be aggressive in free agency and in trades this winter as they look to launch themselves back into the postseason, but president of baseball operations has already stated there’s “no scenario” where Rodriguez or the other very best prospects in his system are traded (link via The Athletic’s Corey Brock).

As for Alberto Rodriguez, the Mariners picked up from the Blue Jays in the 2020 trade that sent Taijuan Walker to Toronto. About nine months older than Julio, Alberto split the 2021 season between Class-A and Class-A Advanced, hitting at a .289/.379/.470 clip with 10 home runs, 31 doubles, five triples and 15 steals. The 21-year-old’s best skill is his considerable raw power, per scouting reports at BA, MLB.com and FanGraphs, though there are concerns about his hit tool and defense in the outfield corners. The elder Rodriguez generally ranks in the No. 20-25 range on Mariners prospects lists, although Seattle has arguably the best farm system in baseball, so he’d place higher with most other teams.

Kerr, 27, joined the Mariners as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and has steadily risen through the system. After working as a starter early in his pro career, the 6’3″ lefty moved to the bullpen in 2021 and notched a combined 3.18 ERA with a huge 36.8% strikeout rate, a slightly high but manageable 9.8% walk rate, and a strong 53% ground-ball rate. A hard-throwing southpaw who can touch the upper 90s, miss bats and keep the ball on the ground at that rate in Double-A/Triple-A would surely have piqued the interest of other clubs. The Mariners’ selection of Kerr immediately thrusts him into the mix for a bullpen spot next season — particularly given the lack of proven southpaws in the relief mix at present.

Brewers Sign Three To Minor League Deals

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The Brewers have signed outfielder Jonathan Davis and right-handers Trevor Kelley and Jason Alexander to minor league contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Davis, 29, has spent parts of four years in the big leagues — all with the Blue Jays except for a brief 12-game stint with the Yankees late in the 2021 season. He’s never received regular playing time in the big leagues, as evidenced by the fact that last year’s 64 games played and 103 plate appearances were both career-high marks. Davis, often used as a late-inning pinch runner and defensive replacement by the Jays over the years, is 11-for-13 in stolen bases attempts at the MLB level but just a .171/.272/.248 hitter in 259 plate appearances. He’s been better in Triple-A, where he’s a .249/.356/.416 hitter in 640 trips to the plate.

The 28-year-old Kelley also comes to the Brewers organization with some big league experience, albeit a good bit less. He tallied 11 2/3 innings between the Red Sox and Phillies in 2019-20 but was tattooed for a dozen runs on 17 hits (four homers) and six walks with 11 punchouts. It’s not a great big league track record, but Kelley also posted a microscopic 1.52 ERA in 41 1/3 frames with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate last season and carries a lifetime 1.66 ERA in 130 innings at that level. Kelley has fanned 24.8% of his opponents in Triple-A and posted a 9.1% walk rate.

Alexander joins the Brewers after parts of four pro seasons split between the Angels and Marlins organizations. An undrafted free agent out of Cal State Long Beach, the now-28-year-old righty has a pedestrian 4.87 ERA in 281 minor league innings but much more encouraging rate stats. While Alexander’s 20.6% strikeout rate is below average, he’s walked only 6.1% of his career opponents and tallied a huge 56.2% ground-ball rate since turning pro. Alexander didn’t pitch much with the Marlins organization last year, but in 19 2/3 frames across three levels (including 14 2/3 innings in Triple-A), he logged a 1.37 ERA with a 22-to-3 K/BB ratio and an enormous 67.3% grounder rate.

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