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Pirates Sign Kevin Plawecki To Minor League Deal

By Darragh McDonald | February 12, 2023 at 10:13am CDT

10:13am: Plawecki will make $1.5MM if he makes the club, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.

8:25am: The Pirates announced that they have signed catcher Kevin Plawecki to a minor league deal, as well as announcing their previously-reported deal with left-hander Caleb Smith. Both players will be in major league camp as non-roster invitees.

Plawecki, who turns 32 later this month, has appeared in each of the past eight MLB seasons, largely in a backup catcher role. His 79 games played with the Mets in 2018 are the most he’s tallied in a single major league season. He’s been primarily with the Red Sox for the past three seasons, faring quite well in the first two while backing up Christian Vázquez. Over 2020 and 2021, Plawecki got into 88 games and hit .305/.364/.414. His defense and framing were considered to be around league average as well.

Unfortunately, he took a step back in 2022, hitting .217/.287/.287 in 61 games for the Sox. As the season was winding down in September and the club was sliding out of the playoff race, they decided to give their playing time to younger backstops like Reese McGuire and Connor Wong, designating Plawecki for assignment.

Though Plawecki wasn’t having a great season, he appears to have a strong reputation as a veteran leader. It reportedly didn’t go down very well in the Boston clubhouse when he was let go, with players like Rich Hill and Nathan Eovaldi going on the record to comment on Plawecki’s intangible value to the team. After becoming a free agent, he was signed by an out-of-contention Rangers club, with then-interim manager Tony Beasley highlighting those same leadership qualities at the time.

Plawecki and the Pirates make a good pairing on a couple of levels. As a rebuilding team, the roster skews young and those leadership qualities should prove to be useful in spring and perhaps during the regular season as well. Plawecki will be reunited with Hill, who signed with the Pirates earlier this offseason and spoke so highly of Plawecki last year.

Adding a veteran catcher also makes sense for more straightforward baseball reasons, as the club could use some extra depth there. They only have two catchers on their 40-man roster right now, one of whom is prospect Endy Rodriguez. The young backstop reached Triple-A last year, but only for six games and will likely spend a bit more time there, especially at the beginning of the season. The only other catching option on the roster is Austin Hedges, who was signed in December and figures to get the bulk of the playing time in the bigs.

Assuming Rodriguez begins the year in the minors, the Bucs will need another catcher to pair with Hedges. Plawecki will be in camp trying to win that job, alongside other non-roster invitees such as Tyler Heineman and Jason Delay.

White Sox Sign Chris Shaw To Minor League Deal

By Simon Hampton | February 11, 2023 at 9:49pm CDT

The White Sox have signed left-handed hitter Chris Shaw to a minor league deal, according to his MLB transaction log.

Shaw, 29, last appeared in the big leagues in 2019 for the Giants. He spent the 2022 season in independent ball, where he hit .264/.401/.459 with 17 home runs for Kentucky.

Originally drafted 31st overall by the Giants back in 2015, Shaw put up good numbers coming up through San Francisco’s farm system. In 2018 he belted 24 home runs at Triple-A at earned his first call-up to the big leagues, slashing .185/.274/.278 in a 22 game stint (62 plate appearances) for San Francisco that year.

He’d start the following season at Triple-A, crushing pitching there to the tune of a .298/.355/.592 line with 21 home runs. Once again though a brief stint in the majors came without success, as Shaw picked up just one hit in 20 plate appearances for the Giants that year.

He was claimed off waivers by the Orioles at the end of 2020. He spent the bulk of the 2021 campaign on the minor league injured list, but picked up just four hits in 74 plate appearances in the minors upon his return and didn’t see any time at the major league level.

Marlins, Athletics Swap JJ Bleday For AJ Puk

By Simon Hampton | February 11, 2023 at 6:37pm CDT

The Athletics are acquiring JJ Bleday from the Marlins in a trade, according to the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Left-hander A.J. Puk is going the other way, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. The teams have now announced the deal.

Puk, 28 in April, had a quality year in 2022, working to a 3.12 ERA over 66 1/3 innings in Oakland’s bullpen. That came with above-average strikeout (27.1%) and walk (8.2%) rates. He was miserly against left-handed hitters, limiting them to just a .153/.250/.259 line.

That was the first full-season of work for Puk, who’d battled injuries and thrown just 24 2/3 innings at the top level since making his debut in 2019. He’d had mixed success in that time, working to a 4.74 ERA over those innings.

Puk was drafted and developed as a starter, but switched to the bullpen at Triple-A and hasn’t made a start at the big league level. With that being said, A’s GM David Forst said in December that Puk would prepare for the season as a starter and compete for a rotation spot in spring training. Given the Marlins plethora of starting options, it seems unlikely he’ll wind up anywhere other than the bullpen for his new team though.

Puk leans almost exclusively on a 97mph fastball and an 87mph slider, though he has thrown a changeup on occasion in the past. He’ll slot in as a third left-handed option in Miami’s bullpen alongside Tanner Scott and Steven Okert. Puk would’ve been close to being a Super Two player, but is under control at a pre-arbitration rate for 2023, before beginning his three seasons of arbitration in 2024.

In return, Oakland picks up Bleday, 25, a fourth overall pick by the Marlins in the 2019 draft. He had a strong year at Triple-A last year, and was rewarded with his first call up to the big leagues. Despite hitting .228/.365/.470 with 20 home runs at the top level of the minors, Bleday couldn’t continue that in the majors, hitting just .167/.277/.309 with five home runs over 238 plate appearances.

Bleday saw the majority of his time in center field last year, earning -3 Outs Above Average in 330 innings at the position. He’s generally been seen as a corner outfielder long term though, and defensive metrics liked him better in those positions.

Ramon Laureano is the only nailed-on starter in Oakland’s outfielder, and Bleday will compete with Cristian Pache and Esteury Ruiz for the other two spots. Bleday is under control for at least six more seasons, although he has all of his minor league options remaining, so the A’s could end up opting to give him a bit more time at Triple-A, which would of course delay his service time clock depending on how long he spends in the minors.

Dodgers Sign Rubby De La Rosa To Minor League Deal

By Simon Hampton | February 11, 2023 at 5:39pm CDT

The Dodgers have signed veteran hurler Rubby De La Rosa to a minor league deal, according to the MLB.com transaction log.

De La Rosa, 34 next month, has spent the past few seasons in Japan, and hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2017. Last year, he tossed 38 1/3 innings of relief for Yomiuri in Japan, working to a 2.58 ERA. That was his fourth season with the team, and he’s been a highly effective reliever over that period, finishing with a combined 2.53 ERA over 124 1/3 innings.

This move marks something of a homecoming for De La Rosa, who signed with the Dodgers out of the Dominican Republic back in 2007. The right-hander was well regarded coming through the minors, and made Baseball America’s top-100 prospects prior to the 2011 season. After a promising rookie year (3.71 ERA over 60 2/3 innings), the Dodgers shipped him to the Red Sox as part of the deal for Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett in 2012.

De La Rosa never did deliver on his promise, struggling in Boston after returning from Tommy John surgery before being traded to the Diamondbacks in 2014. He spent a couple of seasons in Arizona, but after working to a 4.59 ERA over 247 innings, De La Rosa required a second Tommy John surgery and the Diamondbacks let him go. They would re-sign him to a two-year minor league pact, but he’d never make it back to the majors.

De La Rosa’s starting days are probably behind him, but he’ll add a bit of minor league bullpen depth for the Dodgers. Even dating back to his big league days in the last decade he was long speculated as someone who could find a lot more success in the bullpen, and he certainly did in Japan, so it’ll be interesting to see how he fares in his first season back in the US since 2019.

Marlins Notes: Sixto, Wendle, Advisors

By Mark Polishuk | February 11, 2023 at 2:12pm CDT

Sixto Sanchez hasn’t pitched since his breakout 2020 rookie season, and naturally, “the frustration was really high” for the right-hander as he continued to battle through shoulder injuries. “It was really hard because it was just setback after setback, and just trying to come back and see that and trying to maintain that positive energy was very difficult. But thank goodness we’re here where we’re at right now and looking forward,” Sanchez told MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola and other reporters. After two full missed seasons and a pair of shoulder surgeries, Sanchez has thrown five bullpen sessions to date, and estimates that he is around 85% readiness as he heads into what he hopes will be a healthy and uninterrupted Spring Training.

It has been just over four years since the Marlins dealt J.T. Realmuto to the Phillies for a trade package that included Sanchez as a centerpiece. The right-hander looked to be living up to the hype in 2020, yet two lost years has basically led to a reset on Sanchez’s career. As he prepared to return to action, Sanchez’s commitment to health extends beyond just shoulder rehab, as he has also lost 46 pounds since last year after adopting new diet and training methods.

Rays Finalizing Minor League Deal With Kyle Crick

By Mark Polishuk | February 11, 2023 at 12:46pm CDT

The Rays and right-hander Kyle Crick are working towards a minor league contract, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). When finalized, the deal will include an invitation for Crick to attend the Rays’ big league Spring Training camp.

The 30-year-old Crick pitched for the White Sox last season, delivering a 4.02 ERA and a 28.8% strikeout rate, but also an ugly 16.7% walk rate. These numbers came over only 15 2/3 Major League innings, as Crick was sidelined due to right elbow inflammation in June and didn’t pitch again for the rest of the season. It seems like Crick is back to full health, as he recently took part in a showcase for scouts, and is now on the verge of a deal with the Rays.

The Giants drafted Crick 49th overall in 2011, technically within the first round of a draft that had an unusually large number of supplemental picks. Crick was a regular on top-100 prospect lists during his time in San Francisco’s farm system, though his rankings started to stall out as he ran into some major control problems at the Double-A level. The Giants pivoted by turning Crick into a full-time reliever in 2017, which led to his first taste of the big leagues and the first of six consecutive years for the right-hander with at least some MLB action.

After that 2017 debut for Crick, the Giants dealt the reliever along with Bryan Reynolds and some international bonus slot money to the Pirates in exchange for Andrew McCutchen in January 2018. Crick had a 2.39 ERA over 64 1/3 frames in 2018, and with Reynolds’ emergence in 2019, this trade looked like a major steal for Pittsburgh except Crick couldn’t remain consistent. As Crick battled both injuries and continued control issues, the Pirates released him in July 2021, with the White Sox quickly stepping in to sign Crick to a minor league deal.

Control has remained a thorn in Crick’s side throughout his big league career, as he has a 13.3% walk rate over 187 1/3 innings. That said, Crick’s career ERA is still a respectable 3.56, as he has posted some good strikeout numbers and done a very good job at inducing soft contact. If Crick can stay healthy and limit the free passes, he might have breakout potential as a reliable relief option.

Tampa Bay has a long history of rehabbing or reinventing pitchers that escaped the notice of other teams, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Crick found success in the Rays organization. A big performance might be necessary to stand out from the crowd, however, as Topkin notes that Crick (assuming the signing becomes official) would be the 80th player on the Rays’ spring roster.

Mariners Sign Carson Fulmer To Minor League Contract

By Mark Polishuk | February 11, 2023 at 11:55am CDT

The Mariners have signed Carson Fulmer to a minor league pact, according to the right-hander’s MLB.com profile page. Fulmer has been assigned to Triple-A Tacoma.

After pitching 130 2/3 innings and appearing in every season from 2016-21, Fulmer didn’t see any big league action in 2022. The Dodgers acquired Fulmer on a waiver claim last winter and briefly selected him to their active roster at the end of April, but Fulmer was designated for assignment a few days later without appearing in a game. Los Angeles then outrighted Fulmer to Triple-A, where he spent the rest of the season before electing minor league free agency in October.

The year at Triple-A had mixed results, as while Fulmer had a 2.86 ERA over 56 2/3 innings for Oklahoma City, his 25.6% strikeout rate was only decent, and his 14.5% walk rate was well below average. A .230 BABIP seems to have greatly aided Fulmer in limiting damage, which could partially be why the Dodgers didn’t give him another call-up despite that quality ERA.

The White Sox selected Fulmer with the eighth overall pick of the 2015 draft, and he made his MLB debut just a year later. However, the righty didn’t live up to high expectations, posting a 6.56 ERA over 94 2/3 innings with Chicago before being designated for assignment in July 2020. This move sparked a flurry of transactions for the out-of-options Fulmer, who went to the Tigers, Pirates, Orioles, again to the Pirates, then to the Reds on a series of waiver claims in a span of under eight months. Cincinnati’s claim in March 2021 ended the carousel to some extent, as Fulmer spent the entire 2021 season in the Reds organization, though he struggled to a 6.66 ERA over 25 2/3 MLB innings.

Jason Adam Wins Arbitration Hearing Against Rays

By Mark Polishuk | February 11, 2023 at 10:16am CDT

Right-hander Jason Adam has won his arbitration hearing with the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter link). Adam was seeking a $1.775MM salary for the 2023 season, while the Rays’ figure was $1.55MM.

2022 was Adam’s first season with the Rays, and the best season of his five-year MLB career. The righty had a 1.56 ERA, 31.6% strikeout rate, and 7.2% walk rate over 63 1/3 innings out of Tampa Bay’s bullpen, and added two more scoreless innings during the Rays’ Wild Card Series with the Guardians. That walk rate (while still above average) was basically the only one of Adam’s Statcast metrics that wasn’t ruby red, as his hard-contact, whiff rate, chase rate, and fastball spin rate were all at or near the top of the league.

It wasn’t entirely a breakout season, since Adam had delivered some quality numbers in his four previous MLB seasons, particularly with the Blue Jays in 2019 and with the Cubs in 2020. However, some control problems limited Adam’s effectiveness, and he also had to make a recovery from a severe injury suffered in fluke fashion during pregame warmups at Triple-A in 2021. Adam suffered a fracture and open dislocation of his left ankle, as well as severe ligament damage, but was able to return to the mound before the season was over. The Cubs non-tendered Adam in the 2021-22 offseason, and he caught on with the Rays on a split contract.

Though Adam has appeared in the last five MLB seasons, he only had enough service time to become arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter — as a Super Two player, Adam has an extra of arb-eligibility and is controlled through the 2026 season. The hearing victory gives the 31-year-old a bit of a higher salary boost as he begins his stint through the arb process, and Adam will certainly be in line for a notable raise next year if he continues his 2022 form, even if a lack of traditional counting stats might limit his overall earnings. Adam actually led the Rays with eight saves last season, but was one of several late-game options in Tampa Bay’s multi-faceted bullpen.

Adam was one of seven players who didn’t reach an agreement with the Rays prior to the filing deadline, though the team cut down on its arbitration caseload by reaching multi-year extensions with Pete Fairbanks, Yandy Diaz, and Jeffrey Springs. Topkin reported last week that Tampa also had some talks with Adam and his representatives about an extension, but obviously nothing was worked out before the two sides had to present their cases to the arbitration panel. Of the three remaining Rays players who also went to hearings, no decisions have yet been released about Colin Poche, Harold Ramirez, or Ryan Thompson.

Blue Jays Sign Luke Bard To Minor League Contract

By Mark Polishuk | February 11, 2023 at 9:40am CDT

The Blue Jays announced that Luke Bard has been signed to a minor league deal. The right-hander receives an invitation to the Jays’ big league spring camp.

Bard will continue his time in the AL East after pitching with both the Rays and Yankees in 2022. After signing a minors contract with Tampa in March, Bard pitched in eight games with the Rays at the MLB level before being designated for assignment in August. The Yankees claimed Bard off waivers, with the righty making only a single appearance in the pinstripes. Bard had a 1.80 ERA over his 15 total Major League innings last season, though with only eight strikeouts and seven walks.

At the Triple-A level, Bard had a 4.29 ERA, 25.85% strikeout rate, and 6.8% walk rate over 35 2/3 combined innings with the Rays’ and Yankees’ top affiliates. All in all, it was a respectable return season for Bard, who missed all of 2021 recovering from hip surgery.

Debuting in the majors with the Angels in 2018, Bard had a 5.05 ERA over 66 innings (as a reliever and an opener) with Anaheim from 2018-20. While Bard has yet to deliver much in the way of bottom-line results, he did have a 6.5% walk rate over those three Angels seasons, and he has consistently displayed an elite spin rate on his fastball. This particular stat could be why Bard has been of particular interest to such contenders as the Rays, Yankees, and now the Blue Jays, as Bard might still be something of an untapped resource if he can translate that spin rate into greater on-field success.

For the no-risk cost of a minor league deal, Toronto will get a chance to observe the 32-year-old in Spring Training and see if Bard can be a candidate for a bullpen job. Erik Swanson (obtained in the Teoscar Hernandez trade) was the Jays’ highest-profile relief addition this winter, while Paul Fry, Julian Fernández, Junior Fernandez, and Jay Jackson are also in camp on minor league deals. Chad Green signed a two-year Major League contract with the Blue Jays, but Green isn’t expected to be a factor until midseason as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery.

Twins Sign Three Pitchers To Minor League Contracts

By Mark Polishuk | February 11, 2023 at 8:50am CDT

The Twins have inked right-hander Connor Sadzeck and left-handers Tyler Webb and Sean Nolin to minor league deals, as per the team’s MLB.com transactions page. It wasn’t specified if any of the deals contained invitations to Minnesota’s big league Spring Training camp.

Sadzeck is the only member of the trio who pitched in the majors in 2022, albeit in cup-of-coffee fashion — Sadzeck tossed three innings over two games with the Brewers last season. The righty spent much of the season at the Triple-A level, with an impressive 2.20 ERA and 27.86% strikeout rate over 49 combined innings with the Brewers’ and Nationals’ top affiliates. Perhaps most importantly, Sadzeck’s walk rate was a palatable 9.95%, which represents an improvement over the control problems that plagued him in his last few seasons in the majors and minors.

Prior to 2022, Sadzeck’s MLB experience consisted of 9 1/3 innings with the Rangers in 2018 and 23 2/3 innings with the Mariners in 2019, with the latter season cut short by elbow problems. His 2.18 ERA over those 33 frames was perhaps a little lucky considering his elevated walk rate, though Sadzeck’s high velocity and ability to miss bats was enough to catch the eye of the White Sox, Brewers, and Nationals over the last two seasons.

Webb returns to affiliated baseball after posting a 2.93 ERA, 28.81% strikeout rate, and 5.5% walk rate over 55 1/3 innings with the independent Long Island Ducks in 2022. It was a nice rebound for the southpaw after a very rough 2021, as Webb had more walks (19) than strikeouts (14) while posting a garish 13.22 ERA over 16 1/3 innings with the Cardinals. More control problems followed Webb to Triple-A (a 14.33% walk rate and a 5.82 ERA over 21 2/3 innings with Louisville) after St. Louis outrighted him off its 40-man roster, and Webb chose to become a free agent after the season.

It wasn’t long ago that Webb seemed to be establishing himself as a fixture in the St. Louis bullpen, as he posted strong numbers after being claimed off waivers from the Padres in June 2018. Over his first 92 innings with the Cardinals from 2018-20, Webb had a 3.03 ERA, though his secondary metrics were much less flattering. Never much of a strikeout pitcher at the MLB level, Webb had limited the damage with strong hard-hit ball rates, but his big spike in walks (and a .362 BABIP) contributed to his brutal 2021 numbers.

Nolin had a 4.39 ERA over 26 2/3 innings with the Nationals in 2021, which represents his only MLB action since the 2015 season. Injuries sidelined him entirely for the 2016-17 seasons, and Nolin has since bounced around the minors, indy leagues (Nolin also pitched for the Long Island Ducks in 2019), and international leagues. The left-hander spent the 2020 season in Nippon Professional Baseball, and after returning to North America to pitch in the Nationals organization, Nolin headed back overseas for a one-year stint with the KBO League’s Kia Tigers. Nolin had a strong 2.47 ERA in 124 frames with the South Korean club, but the Tigers moved on from pursuing another contract with Nolin for 2023.

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