As the offseason nears, a number of players elect minor league free agency each week. These players are separate from six-year MLB free agents, who’ll reach the open market five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Eligible minor leaguers can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season wraps up. These players were all outrighted off a team’s 40-man roster during the year and have the requisite service time and/or multiple career outrights necessary to reach free agency since they weren’t added back to teams’ rosters.
Electing free agency is the anticipated outcome for these players. There’ll surely be more to test the market in the coming weeks. We’ll offer periodic updates at MLBTR. These transactions are all reflected on the MiLB.com or MLB.com logs unless otherwise stated.
Infielders
- Jose Barrero (Rangers)*
- Bobby Dalbec (Red Sox)*
- Kevin Smith (Yankees)
- Jamie Westbrook (Red Sox)*
Pitchers
- David Buchanan (Reds)
- Shintaro Fujinami (Mets)
- Brad Keller (Red Sox)*
- Josh Maciejewski (Yankees)
- Darren McCaughan (Marlins)
- Anthony Misiewicz (Yankees)
- Nick Ramirez (Dodgers)
- Naoyuki Uwasawa (Red Sox)
* Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that Dalbec, Westbrook, and Keller have elected free agency. Francys Romero reported that Barrero has elected free agency.
Barrero was with the Rangers last year.
Yeah, waiver claim.
I thought he had retired already
Bobby D is hitting at least 30 bombs next year
…in the Mexican League.
He’s not hitting 30 in Mexico. He’ll be playing Independent league somewhere then fade into oblivion
In the KBO?
Long Island Ducks?
He just might I’m guessing he is going to sign with the Athletics and provide some big time pop with Rooker.
he might hit 30 hrs but he’ll strike out 250 times.
So you believe hitting 30 HRs in the MLB in a season is a bad season simply because they struck out 250 times? Aren’t you forgetting to evaluate his OBP, his average, his Doubles besides his home runs to truly evaluate a player’s season?
Yes usually striking out 250 times is a major problem and I didn’t say he’d be doing that for a MLB team.. further striking out greater than 1/3 of time doesn’t lead to MLB success which is exactly what happened to Dalbec. He’s a fringe MLB player who will most likely get a minor league deal or head over seas.
If you want to talk about BA and OBP they were atrocious over his big league career so I don’t anticipate them getting better.
“Bombs” is an expression that needs to be laid to rest. Just like “Taking the bump”.
“Bombs” doesn’t bother me but in the name of everything holy can we all stop calling them “dongs”?
Why?
@Misty Moobs
Far too many issues with him. He needs a reset and to focus on the following things if he wants to return to The Show:
Improving Contact Rate
Strength Training and Power Development
Approach at the Plate
Not In mlb
If a decent hitting coach gets him and he has Lasik surgery on his eyes. They messed him up like Blake Swihart. Definitely pulling for Bobby to hit 40 in the show one day
Baseball he definitely has that kind of power but he has to recognize and stop chasing slaters away off the plate. There are times he swings at sliders that end up three feet off the plate. If you make a mistake middle,middle look out few hit it harder then him.
He could hit 40 hrs but as long as he’s striking out 30-40% of the time he won’t get that chance.
guru,
Better to have LASIK on his eyes than on his ears. The latter would mess him up more than Swihart.
The spend all of their lives trying to get to the top, and when they get there, they go 6 for 40, and they’re done after 20 games..
At least they took their chances and got there. Even if it’s just a brief time they will know that they played at the top level of their chosen profession.
Crackers, Naoyuki Uwasawa has a lot of vowels in his name. He’d be very expensive on Wheel of Fortune, Cookie. He hasn’t thrown a lot of biscuits at the highest level. He probably won’t cost too much bread. And he might help a team get out of a jam. Happy Punday.
Shintaro Fujinami hasn’t had good numbers in his career but the guy has some really good stuff. I gotta feel like he will put it all together at some point.
Yeah. I’d like to see him in one of the pitching factories (Dodgers, Rays, Brewers) and see what happens.
Elect Free agency for president 2024
Make AAA great again.
A rogues gallery of might-have-beens. Some of them are candidates for the AAAA Hall of Fame. Any of these guys will be lucky to be invited to ST on a minors contract.
Barrero and Smith might not, but I’m pretty confident that unless they retire, every pitcher on that list will get a ST invitation. Even McCaughan, because someone somewhere will think “I can fix him!”
I’ll hire a few to put up my Christmas lights
5 Pirates elected free agency on Thursday, but this site didn’t even mention it
Which Pirates?
To be fair, the Pirates probably didn’t even notice.
All kidding aside, the 5 players were players on expiring contracts and were free agents this winter regardless. The players mentioned in this article elected minor league free agency rather than staying with their organizations
Jose Barrero, I’m going to help you get back to The Show.
In 2024, you had above-average plate discipline (BB%) but struggles with contact (high K%) and lacks power (low ISO). You’re likely a high-risk, low-reward type of hitter. Despite a decent BABIP, the high strikeout rate drags down their average, limiting their offensive value.
To improve, this player might benefit from working on contact skills to reduce strikeouts, potentially through pitch recognition drills or adjusting their swing approach.
If you want to work on this over the winter, call me up and I’ll find some time to fit you into my schedule.
They elected free agency but the election was rigged. They’re no longer free agents. Now watch as moderators ban this post
Have they started banning nonsensical posts?
That entire list will be starting on opening day for the Angeles.
“Angeles?”
Do you mean the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, or the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles?
The Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim California.