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Archives for July 2022

Blue Jays, Vinny Nittoli Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Blue Jays are signing reliever Vinny Nittoli to a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). The 31-year-old recently opted out of a similar arrangement with the division-rival Yankees.

A former 25h-round pick, Nittoli has spent the bulk of his career in the Mariners organization. He reached the big leagues with Seattle last year, getting the briefest cup of coffee with one inning of relief in his only appearance. The M’s outrighted him off their 40-man roster and later released him, and he caught on with the Twins for the stretch run. That agreement with Minnesota didn’t result in a big league look, and Nittoli returned to the open market as a minor league free agent, where he caught on with New York.

Assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the entirety of the 2022 campaign, the right-hander worked 36 2/3 innings across 22 appearances. He posted a 3.44 ERA, punching out a strong 29.9% of batters faced against a fine 8.8% walk rate. He’ll add some non-roster depth behind a Toronto relief corps that ranks 21st in MLB with a 4.11 ERA.

White Sox Notes: Robert, Grandal, Bummer, Bullpen

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The White Sox placed center fielder Luis Robert on the 10-day injured list due to blurred vision before tonight’s contest with the Guardians. The placement is backdated to July 19, meaning he’ll first be eligible to return a week from now. He’s been dealing with lightheadedness for the past week, and the team will give him a bit more time to work through the issue.

It doesn’t seem to be a huge concern, as general manager Rick Hahn told reporters (including Vinnie Duber of CHGO Sports) the team was hopeful he could return after a week. Even if he’s back when first eligible, Chicago will have to go a couple pivotal series without arguably their top position player. Robert is hitting .301/.334/.461 with 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases across 323 plate appearances.

In a corresponding move, the Sox reinstated backstop Yasmani Grandal from the IL. Lower back spasms cost the switch-hitting catcher around five weeks. Now that he’s back to health, Grandal will try to get on track after struggling through arguably his worst couple months as a major leaguer. He carries just a .185/.294/.237 line through 201 plate appearances, a shocking downturn for a player who hit .240/.420/.520 last season.

In other injury news, reliever Aaron Bummer told reporters this afternoon he remains about three weeks from getting back onto a mound (via James Fegan of the Athletic). Bummer, who has been out since the second week of June due to a lat strain, is hoping to return to the major league club at some point in early September. That makes it a virtual lock he’ll be transferred to the 60-day injured list whenever Chicago needs a 40-man roster spot, and his still faraway return timeline will play a role in the team’s deadline approach.

Hahn told reporters that, in light of Bummer’s injury, relief pitching is “probably the most obvious need” for his club (via Jesse Rogers of ESPN). The Sox have invested heavily in the bullpen in recent seasons, signing Liam Hendriks, Kendall Graveman and Joe Kelly to multi-year free agent deals (in addition to a lengthy contract extension for Bummer). They’ve nevertheless been a middle-of-the-pack group this year, checking in 17th in ERA (3.90) and 13th in strikeout/walk rate differential (14.9 percentage points). That’s partially due to injury, as Bummer, Hendriks and Kelly have all spent time on the injured list.

Chicago has gotten strong work from both Hendriks and Graveman, as well as former starter Reynaldo López. Along with Kelly, that’s a formidable group of right-handers, but the Sox are down to Tanner Banks as their top southpaw with Bummer on the shelf. Banks has a respectable 3.05 ERA through 38 1/3 innings, but he’s only generating swinging strikes at an 8.4% clip and has a subpar 20.9% strikeout rate.

A southpaw feels like a logical target for Hahn and his staff over the next week and a half. The division-rival Tigers could market Andrew Chafin, who’s likely to decline his player option and hit free agency at the end of the season. Detroit also has hard-throwing Gregory Soto, but he’s controllable through 2025, so the Tigers probably aren’t keen on dealing him to a division rival. Other left-handed relief trade candidates include Joe Mantiply (D-Backs), Steven Okert and Richard Bleier (Marlins) and Matt Moore (Rangers). The Angels Aaron Loup could also draw some interest, although he’s playing on a $7.5MM salary in both this season and next, as well as having a $2MM buyout on a 2024 club option. That could make him a tough fit for a Chicago team running a franchise-record payroll even if the Halos were willing to move him.

Draft Signings: Angels, Mets, Braves, Cardinals, Brewers, Pirates

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A pair of top ten picks, Gavin Cross and Elijah Green, agreed to terms with their teams today. A host of other high picks are set to enter pro ball, as well. We’ll round up other signings among the top 40 here:

  • The Angels are in agreement with #13 overall pick Zach Neto, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (on Twitter). He receives a $3.5MM signing bonus, below the $4.41MM slot value associated with the pick. A 21-year-old shortstop out of Campbell, Neto was ranked the #16 prospect in the draft class by Baseball America. A well-rounded infielder, the righty-hitting Neto is seen as a possible hit-first shortstop at the major league level. He dominated Big South pitching over his three years with the Camels, including a .407/.514/.769 showing in 256 plate appearances as a junior.
  • The Mets announced they’ve reached an agreement with #14 selection Jett Williams. The 18-year-old infielder signs for a $3.9MM bonus, reports Tim Healey of Newsday (on Twitter). That’s a bit below the $4.24MM slot value that accompanies the #14 pick. Williams, a switch-hitter from a Texas high school, had been committed to Mississippi State. The #15 prospect in the class according to BA, he’s credited with advanced bat-to-ball skills and surprising bat speed for a player who’s listed at 5’8″ and 185 pounds. The outlet raises some questions about whether he can stick at shortstop but suggests he’s athletic enough to play up-the-middle in some capacity.
  • The Braves have an agreement with #20 selection Owen Murphy, Callis reports (Twitter link). It’s a $2.5569MM bonus, below the $3.4MM slot value.  A right-hander out of an Illinois high school, Murphy will forego his commitment to Notre Dame. BA rated the 18-year-old as the #45 prospect in the class, writing that he relies heavily on an upper 70s breaking ball that has the potential to be a plus offering.
  • The Cardinals announced they’ve signed #22 pick Cooper Hjerpe. Callis reports (on Twitter) that he’ll receive a $3.1822MM signing bonus that matches the pick’s slot value. Hjerpe was one of the top college pitchers in the country, tossing 103 1/3 innings of 2.53 ERA ball with a 39.6% strikeout rate during his junior season at Oregon State. BA rated Hjerpe as the #33 prospect in the class, praising the life he gets on his fastball at the top of the strike zone and his strike-throwing ability.
  • The Brewers announced an agreement with #27 pick Eric Brown Jr., which Callis reports is worth $2.15MM (Twitter link). The slot value for the selection is $2.7MM. A shortstop from Coastal Carolina, Brown was the draft’s #55 prospect according to BA. The outlet coincidentally likens his unusual hitting setup to the one Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell utilized as a player, but notes that Brown consistently posts solid exit velocity numbers and has a chance to stick at shortstop. The 21-year-old hit .330/.460/.544 during his junior year in Conway.
  • The Braves agreed to terms with #35 selection J.R. Ritchie, Callis reports (Twitter link). It’s a $2.4MM bonus, above the $2.0232MM slot value. A right-handed pitcher from a Washington state high school, Ritchie had been a UCLA commit. BA slotted the 19-year-old as the #52 prospect in the class, crediting him with a solid three-pitch mix (headlined by an above-average slider) and advanced control.
  • The Pirates announced a deal with #36 selection Thomas Harrington. The right-hander out of Campbell receives a $2.05MM signing bonus, reports Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). That’s a hair south of the $2.15MM slot value. Harrington was the #45 prospect available, according to BA, which projects him for a pair of above-average secondary offerings (slider and changeup) and possible plus control. The 21-year-old worked 92 2/3 innings of 2.53 ERA ball this season, fanning 30% of batters faced with a sparkling 4.9% walk percentage.

Nationals Sign First-Round Pick Elijah Green

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7:56pm: Green’s bonus checks in at $6.5MM, reports Carlos Collazo of Baseball America (on Twitter). That’s a sliver above the slot value.

7:25pm: The Nationals agreed to a deal with fifth overall pick Elijah Green, according to a team announcement. Bonus terms have not yet been disclosed; the fifth overall pick comes with a slot value of $6.4977MM.

Green, an outfielder out of IMG Academy in Florida, has been one of the highest-touted prospects in the 2022 class for years. Regarded as a possible candidate for the first pick early in draft rumors, Green was generally viewed as a top ten talent throughout the process. Each of Baseball America, ESPN, The Athletic and MLB Pipeline placed Green between third and seventh on their pre-draft class rankings. Only FanGraphs, which slotted him 11th, had him outside the top ten among the five major outlets.

Listed at 6’3″, 214 pounds, Green already has big league physicality at 18 years of age. Evaluators rave about his physical toolset, with most suggesting he’ll wind up with plus-plus (a 70 on the 20-80 scale) raw power and speed at his peak. Reports suggest he has a strong chance to stick in center field over the long-term, and his combination of power and athleticism give him superstar-caliber upside. Yet each outlet raised a question about Green’s propensity to swing and miss, both due to chasing secondary stuff outside the strike zone and getting beaten by fastballs in the zone.

Green had been committed to Miami (FL), but he’ll forego college and head to pro ball. There’s obviously risk inherent with the swing-and-miss in his profile, but he has arguably the class’ loftiest ceiling. He’ll add a possible marquee talent to a Washington farm system that had just one player (right-hander Cade Cavalli) on Baseball America’s most recent Top 100 prospects update.

Pirates Designate Michael Perez For Assignment

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The Pirates announced this evening they’ve designated catcher Michael Pérez for assignment. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for outfielder Greg Allen, who has been activated from the 60-day injured list.

It’s not the biggest move of the day for the Bucs, who announced the transaction alongside their trade of designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach to the Mets for reliever Colin Holderman. It does mark a transition behind the plate, though, as Pittsburgh is down to Tyler Heineman and Jason Delay as the two backstops on the 40-man roster. The Bucs lost starting catcher Roberto Pérez to a season-ending hamstring injury in May, selecting Michael Pérez to the majors at the time their primary backstop went down.

It was the second straight season in black and gold for Michael Pérez, but he’s struggled mightily at the plate. After hitting .143/.221/.290 through 70 games last year, he owns a .150/.209/.318 showing this season. Pérez has hit six homers (three of which came in one game against the Brewers last month) in 116 plate appearances, but he’s collected just ten other hits (all singles) over 39 contests.

The Bucs will have a week to trade him or, more likely, run him through waivers. If he passes through unclaimed, Pérez would have the right to refuse an outright assignment in favor of free agency, as he has both surpassed three years of MLB service time and previously been outrighted in his career.

Allen, meanwhile, is finally lined up to make his team debut. Pittsburgh grabbed the switch-hitting outfielder off waivers from the Yankees last winter, but he suffered a left hamstring injury in Spring Training and wound up missing the first three and a half months of the regular season. Once a well-regarded prospect coming up in the Cleveland farm system, Allen has struggled to a .241/.307/.348 line in 666 plate appearances as a big leaguer. The 29-year-old raked at a .326/.442/.465 clip in 73 games with the Yankees’ top affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, however, catching the attention of the Bucs front office.

Mets, Pirates Swap Daniel Vogelbach, Colin Holderman

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The Mets and Pirates have swapped a pair of big leaguers. New York announced they’ve landed designated hitter/first baseman Daniel Vogelbach from the Bucs, trading reliever Colin Holderman in a one-for-one deal.

New York has been on the hunt for another addition to the lineup. Team president Sandy Alderson told the New York Post last week they were seeking an upgrade at designated hitter. Vogelbach had emerged recently as a target, although Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports they’re still looking to add offense over the next ten days even with him in the fold.

Vogelbach had a decent showing over his three months in the Steel City. Pittsburgh signed the burly left-handed hitter to a modest $1MM guarantee during Spring Training. That takes the form of an $800K salary, a little less than half of which remains to be paid out, and at least a $200K buyout on a $1.5MM club option for next season. That option price looks more than reasonable given how Vogelbach has performed, and he’d remain arbitration-eligible for the 2024 campaign as well.

The 29-year-old has tallied 278 plate appearances across 75 games, hitting .228/.338/.430 with 12 home runs. It’s not an impressive batting average, but he’s walking at a massive 14.4% clip and hitting for strong power. By measure of wRC+, Vogelbach’s production has been 18 percentage points above league average after accounting for PNC Park’s pitcher-friendly nature.

Those kinds of numbers are par for the course for Vogelbach. This season’s .228 batting average is a career high, but he’s walked in more than 15% of his career trips to the plate and typically posts above-average slugging output. His 30-homer season in 2019 looks like a a bit of an outlier, but Vogelbach is a career .234/.358/.459 hitter against right-handed pitching. He’s done nothing against southpaws (career .137/.258/.230 line), but he’ll add a left-handed platoon option to the mix for manager Buck Showalter.

The Vogelbach pickup is the firmest indication the Mets plan to move on from at least one of Dominic Smith or J.D. Davis. The former, as a left-handed bat, seems the player most displaced by the Vogelbach addition. New York has already discussed Smith with teams like the Red Sox and Cubs, and Andy Martino of SNY wrote this morning they’re looking to deal him before the August 2 trade deadline. Smith landed on the 10-day injured list yesterday, but he can still be traded even if he doesn’t return to the field before then.

As for the Bucs, they’ll add a controllable arm who can step right into the major league bullpen. Holderman, 26, made his debut earlier this season. He’s tossed 17 2/3 innings of 2.04 ERA ball, striking out an above-average 26.9% of batters faced while inducing whiffs on a solid 12.4% of his offerings. Holderman has doled out a few too many free passes, but he’s averaged nearly 96 MPH on his sinker and gotten strong swinging strike numbers on his mid-80s cutter-slider.

Holderman has also performed well in Triple-A, posting a 2.51 ERA through 14 1/3 frames. The former ninth-round pick has fanned upwards of 30% of opponents in the minors this year, also inducing ground-balls at a huge 63.6% clip. He’s shown far better strike-throwing acumen in Triple-A than he has at the big league level to date, making him an interesting upper-level bullpen add for the Bucs.

Holderman is only in his first of three minor league option years, so the Pirates can freely shuttle him between Pittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis for the next couple seasons. He won’t reach arbitration eligibility until after the 2024 campaign at the earliest, and future optional assignments could push that trajectory back even further.

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported the Pirates were nearing a deal to send Vogelbach to the Mets. Jon Heyman of the New York Post was first to report the deal was agreed upon, and was first to report the Pirates would receive Holderman in exchange.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Red Sox Place Chris Sale On Injured List, Select Yolmer Sanchez

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The Red Sox officially placed Chris Sale on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to July 19, after the southpaw fractured his pinky on a comebacker during his final start before the All-Star Break. Brayan Bello has been recalled from Triple-A Worcester to take his active roster spot. Boston also selected infielder Yolmer Sánchez and optioned out catcher Connor Wong.

Sale’s timetable for a return remains unclear. He underwent surgery earlier this week, with the team announcing they anticipated he’d be back at some point this season. Manager Alex Cora acknowledged today he has “no idea” when the southpaw could return, adding “hopefully he can get back with us and dominate” (via Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald). Sale has pitched just twice this season after missing the first three months of the year with a rib fracture.

Boston also placed second baseman Trevor Story on the IL just before the Break, necessitating Sánchez’s call-up. The righty-hitting infielder adds some depth on the dirt, although rookie Jeter Downs looks the favorite for playing time at second base. Sánchez, a former Gold Glove winner with the White Sox, adds a solid defensive specialist to the bench. He’s a career .245/.300/.359 hitter through just under 2500 plate appearances at the big league level.

Sánchez also saw brief action as a COVID substitute earlier this season, appearing in a game during a series in Toronto. That promotion was always temporary, but this call-up represents a permanent addition to the 40-man roster. Boston was able to send the 30-year-old back to Worcester without passing him through waivers last time around, but they’d have to designate him for assignment to remove him from the MLB roster this time. Signed to a minor league deal over the offseason, Sánchez has posted a .247/.377/.413 line with the WooSox, walking in a massive 16.5% of his 303 plate appearances.

Boston had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was necessary to accommodate Sánchez’s promotion. Josh Winckowski is temporarily not counting against the 40-man while on the COVID list; Boston will need to create space to reinstate Wincowski whenever he’s ready to return.

Royals, First-Rounder Gavin Cross Agree To Terms

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The Royals have agreed to terms with #9 overall pick Gavin Cross, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter link). He’ll receive a bonus of $5.2029MM, the slot value associated with the selection.

Cross, an outfielder from Virginia Tech, was always expected to go right in the range with which he was actually selected. Each of Baseball America, ESPN, The Athletic and MLB Pipeline placed him as the #10 player in the class on their pre-draft rankings. FanGraphs rated Cross as the draft’s #15 talent. Evaluators were generally aligned on his projection, praising his combination of bat-to-ball skills and power upside. Regarded as a possible above-average hitter with above-average or plus power, Cross is one of the safer offensive prospects in the class.

The 21-year-old played center field during his junior season in Blacksburg. Evaluators suggest his average speed means he’s likelier to move to right field as a professional, but the general belief is he’s a good enough offensive player to withstand a move down the defensive spectrum. Cross hit .340/.412/.609 through three seasons with the Hokies, including a .328/.411/.660 line as a junior to help Virginia Tech to superregionals.

Dwight Smith Passes Away

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Former major league outfielder Dwight Smith has passed away, according to an announcement from the Braves. He was 58 years old.

“We are saddened by the passing earlier today of Dwight Smith, an integral member of our 1995 World Series Championship team,” the Braves said in a statement. “The 1989 NL Rookie of the Year runner up, Dwight enjoyed an eight-year major league career that included two postseason trips with the Cubs and Braves. Dwight was also a beloved alumni member, and his infectious smile will be missed around Truist Park. Our deepest condolences to his wife Cheryl, daughters Taylor and Shannyn, and son, Dwight, Jr.”

As the team mentioned, Smith broke into the majors with an excellent season. He hit .324/.382/.493 through 381 plate appearances with the Cubs in 1989, finishing runner-up to teammate Jerome Walton in that year’s Rookie of the Year balloting. He’d spend the next few seasons on the North Side of Chicago, seeing action all around the outfield. After a few down years, Smith rebounded to post a strong .300/.355/.494 showing across 111 games in 1993.

Smith split the 1994 campaign between the Angels and Orioles before joining Atlanta in advance of the ’95 season. He’d spent the next two years with the Braves as a part-time player, appearing in 204 regular season games between 1995-96. Smith saw a bit of playoff action that first year, which culminated in a World Series title. Altogether, he appeared in more than 800 contest over parts of eight seasons. He tallied just fewer than 2000 plate appearances, hitting .275/.333/.422 with 46 home runs, 42 stolen bases and 226 runs batted in.

MLBTR joins others around the game in sending our condolences to Smith’s family, friends, loved ones and former teammates.

Brewers To Sign Jake McGee To Major League Deal

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The Brewers are signing free agent reliever Jake McGee to a major league contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter link). The southpaw was released by the Giants last week. McGee is a Wasserman client.

McGee will try to find his footing in Milwaukee after a rough first half in the Bay Area. The veteran worked 21 1/3 innings though 24 appearances, posting a grisly 7.17 ERA. He punched out only 11.5% of opponents on a meager 8.7% swinging strike rate, a bizarre downturn in performance. McGee is only a season removed from serving as one of the Giants most trusted relievers. He posted a 2.59 ERA across 59 2/3 frames last season, punching out a solid 24.3% of batters faced that year.

While the extent of his struggles became too much for the Giants to overlook, it’s easy enough to understand why he found another opportunity rather quickly. Aside from a rough four-year stretch in Colorado, the 35-year-old (36 next month) has been a reliable reliever for the bulk of his 13-year MLB career. In addition to last year’s strong work, he was flat-out dominant with the Dodgers in 2020. During the shortened season, he posted a 2.66 ERA while striking out north of 40% of batters faced.

While McGee’s strikeouts and whiffs have fallen off, he’s not seen a notable drop in fastball velocity. He’s averaging 94.7 MPH on the heater to which he turns more than 85% of the time. That’s virtually unchanged from last year’s 94.9 MPH mark, and he’s continued to pound the strike zone effectively.

There’s little cost for the Brewers in seeing if they can get him missing bats again. McGee is playing this season on a $2.5MM salary, and he’ll take home a $500K buyout on what would’ve been a 2023 club option. The Giants remain on the hook for that money, with the Brewers paying McGee just the prorated portion of the $700K league minimum for whatever time he spends on the active roster. Milwaukee already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so they’ll only need to make a corresponding 26-man move once McGee reports to the team.

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