Padres Select Rougned Odor, Domingo Tapia
The Padres announced a few transactions as they set their Opening Day roster. Rougned Odor and reliever Domingo Tapia both made the team, with San Diego formally selecting their contracts. The Friars also confirmed the previously reported addition of outfielder David Dahl to the 40-man. San Diego needed to create two 40-man vacancies. They’ve done so by designating righty Michel Báez for assignment and placing southpaw Adrián Morejón on the 60-day injured list with an elbow sprain.
Additionally, San Diego placed a handful of pitchers on the 15-day IL. Joe Musgrove, Robert Suarez, Drew Pomeranz and José Castillo will all start the season on the shelf.
Odor is entering his tenth season at the big league level. The longtime Ranger second baseman has bounced around the league over the past few seasons. He’s been a below-average hitter overall due to dismal on-base numbers but continued to draw interest thanks to some left-handed power. Odor appeared in 135 games for the Orioles last season, hitting 13 homers but posting just a .207/.275/.357 line in 472 plate appearances.
Signed to a minor league deal over the offseason, Odor impressed in Spring Training. He put together a .316/.422/.474 slash with a pair of homers in 38 at-bats. The career second baseman also saw some corner outfield action in exhibition play to broaden his defensive flexibility off the bench. He could join Dahl and Matt Carpenter in taking some right field work until Fernando Tatis Jr. returns from suspension.
Tapia, 31, inked a minor league deal over the winter. He threw 17 innings for the A’s last year, allowing 16 runs with more walks than strikeouts. While it wasn’t a particularly encouraging season, Tapia averaged around 98 MPH on his fastball and posted a 1.76 ERA in 30 2/3 innings with Triple-A Las Vegas. He nabs an Opening Day bullpen job in San Diego after tossing eight innings of two-run ball with 11 strikeouts and no walks this spring. Tapia still has a minor league option year remaining, so the Friars could bounce him between San Diego and Triple-A El Paso throughout the season.
Báez has pitched at the MLB level in three of the last four seasons. The bulk of that came in 2019, when he made 24 appearances. Báez pitched only twice in the majors last year. He threw 21 1/3 innings for El Paso, allowing an 8.44 ERA while walking a huge 16.7% of opposing hitters. The Padres will now have a week to deal him or put him on waivers.
Morejón is now officially out until the end of May. He returned from Tommy John surgery to make 26 appearances out of the bullpen last season. Elbow soreness cropped back up this spring, an alarming development considering that history. Initial imaging didn’t reveal any structural damage, with the club first calling the issue inflammation. Terming it a sprain — which inherently involves some stretching of the ligament — is a little more concerning and will keep him out of action for a while.
Astros Designate J.J. Matijevic, Bligh Madris For Assignment
The Astros announced Thursday that they’ve designated first baseman J.J. Matijevic and outfielder Bligh Madris for assignment. Their spots on the 40-man roster will go to third baseman/outfielder Corey Julks and catcher/first baseman Cesar Salazar, whose previously reported selections to the 40-man roster are now official.
Matijevic, 27, was Houston’s second-round pick back in 2017. He made his big league debut in 2022 but received only 71 plate appearances, during which he posted a dreary .209/.254/.328 slash with a pair of home runs but a 35.2% strikeout rate. Matijevic’s Triple-A track record is far more impressive. He’s totaled 599 plate appearances there across parts of two seasons, batting .263/.347/.530 with 32 home runs, 35 doubles, five triples, 14 steals (in 16 tries) and an 11% walk rate — albeit against a more concerning 27.7% strikeout rate.
Scouting reports on Matijevic praise his power and an improved approach in recent seasons, but there are questions remaining about his hit tool and lack of defensive upside. He’s played first base and left field in the minors, but he’s not a great defender at either position. He does have a pair of minor league options remaining, so a team looking for a lefty bat and perhaps some depth at first and/or in left field could take a look.
Madris, 27, made his big league debut in 2022, splitting the season between the Pirates and Rays. He didn’t appear in the Majors with Tampa Bay following a mid-September waiver claim but did log 39 games with the Pirates, struggling to a .177/.244/.265 batting line through his first 123 Major League plate appearances.
The lefty-swinging Madris, however, has been far better in Triple-A Indianapolis, where he notched a combined .297/.366/.510 batting line with 11 homers, 22 doubles and four triples. He has two option years remaining. Madris handled right-handed pitching particularly well in 2022, batting .272/.345/.492 between the big leagues and Triple-A. He’s played primarily right field but does have some experience in the other two outfield slots and at first base. Madris had a solid spring, batting .273/.385/.333 in 39 plate appearances with the Astros.
Houston will have a week to trade both players or else attempt to pass them through outright waivers.
A’s Select Carlos Perez
The A’s announced they’ve selected catcher Carlos Pérez onto the 40-man roster. Oakland already had a 40-man vacancy following yesterday’s trade of outfielder Cristian Pache to Philadelphia.
Pérez, 32, signed a minor league deal with Oakland a couple weeks ago. He breaks camp as the backup to Shea Langeliers after the expected #2 backstop, Manny Piña, was sent to the injured list by right wrist pain. The A’s needed to add another catcher to the 40-man roster, and the veteran earned the job over former fourth-round pick Kyle McCann.
A right-handed hitter, Pérez has played 212 MLB games with the Angels, Braves and Rangers. He’s a career .215/.257/.319 hitter over 670 plate appearances. That came from 2015-18, so this’ll be his first big league action in nearly a half-decade. Pérez spent last year in Triple-A with the Rockies, where he connected on 31 home runs with a .254/.341/.524 line in 117 games.
Royals Select Jackie Bradley Jr., Matt Duffy, Franmil Reyes
March 30: The Royals have now added all three of Bradley, Duffy and Reyes to their roster, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com (Twitter links). To make room for those three additions, they traded left-hander Richard Lovelady to Atlanta and placed left-hander Jake Brentz and outfielder Diego Hernandez on the 60-day injured list. Brentz is going to miss most of the season due to Tommy John surgery while Hernandez will be out for a few months with a dislocated shoulder.
March 27: Outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. and infielder Matt Duffy have been informed that they’ll be on the Royals’ Opening Day roster, tweets Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Both were in camp as non-roster invitees, so they’ll need to be added to the 40-man roster. Designated hitter/outfielder Franmil Reyes, also in camp on an NRI, is “likely” to make the roster, Rogers continues, adding that outfielder Edward Olivares and utilityman Nate Eaton are both going to be on the Opening Day squad as well. Olivares and Eaton are already on the 40-man roster. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman first indicated over the weekend that Bradley was expected to make the roster.
Bradley, 33 in April, has long been considered among the best defensive outfielders in the sport, having collected a whopping 58 Outs Above Average since the start of the 2016 season, including a +3 mark in 2022. His history at the plate is far more complicated, however. From 2015-2020, Bradley oscillated between being a decently above average (118 wRC+ in 2016) and slightly below average (89 wRC+ in 2019) bat from year to year, ultimately posting a 102 wRC+ in 709 games over that six-year period.
Since then, however, Bradley has been nothing short of brutal at the plate: In 266 games in the past two seasons for the Brewers, Red Sox, and Blue Jays, Bradley has slashed just .182/.245/.285, good for a wRC+ of 46 that indicates Bradley was 54% worse than the average major-league hitter over that timeframe. Looking at the underlying metrics, it’s easy to see that Bradley’s struggles are borne of regression in virtually all aspects of his game since his days as an average bat with the Red Sox. Notably, his walk rate has dropped from 9.6% to 6.5% while his ISO has plummeted from a solid .191 down to just .103.
Even with his strikeout rate staying mostly stagnant (it ticked up slightly from 24.6% during the 2015-2020 season to 26.2% the past two years), that loss of power and declining ability to elicit free passes leaves Bradley highly unlikely to contribute meaningfully to the Royals with the bat in 2023. Still, with Drew Waters expected to open the season on the injured list and Michael A. Taylor getting shipped to the Twins in trade earlier this offseason, Bradley will provide the Royals with valuable depth in center field behind Kyle Isbel.
As for Duffy, he’ll give the Royals a veteran utility presence who can handle any of third base, shortstop and second base. The 32-year-old spent the 2022 season with the Angels, for whom he posted a .250/.308/.311 batting line in 247 plate appearances. Duffy’s right-handed bat could be a natural complement to left-handed-hitting second baseman Michael Massey, and his versatility provides some insurance in the event that Hunter Dozier‘s struggles continue and/or Massey needs further seasoning in Triple-A Omaha.
Duffy once rated as a plus defender at the hot corner but has posted closer to average defensive grades around the infield in recent seasons. He’s never hit for much power, but the limited pop in his bat has dwindled as well. The diminished defensive ratings and power are perhaps partially due to foot and ankle injuries that have taken their toll on him over the years.
Reyes, 27, certainly isn’t lacking for power. He boasts a pair of 30-homer seasons and has clubbed 106 long balls in 2013 Major League plate appearances dating back to his 2018 debut with the Padres. However, strikeouts have become an increasingly problematic issue for the slugger, evidenced by last year’s career-worst 33.2% mark. If Reyes walked at the rate one might expect for someone with his prodigious power, the lack of contact might be more forgivable, but he drew a free pass in just 6.3% of his plate appearances between the Guardians and Cubs in 2022 — more than two percentage points worse than the league average. He also saw his power output curiously drop off, resulting in a career-worst .221/.273/.365 slash.
Assuming Reyes indeed makes the roster, he’ll likely be used as a designated hitter, a righty bat off the bench and perhaps an occasional option in the outfield corners, though he grades as a poor defender and the Royals have plenty of alternatives. Reyes, who hit .372/.438/.674 with three homers and four doubles in spring training, will need to keep up an above-average level of production as he hopes to fend off prospect Nick Pratto, who was optioned to Triple-A last week. Pratto and Vinnie Pasquantino give the Royals a pair of powerful first basemen, but to this point in their careers it’s Pasquantino who’s proven better equipped for big league pitching. Still, if Pratto’s raking in the minors and Reyes is again struggling, there’s room for both Pasquantino and Pratto to share time at first base and designated hitter over the long term.
Marlins Select Yuli Gurriel; Jose Iglesias To Remain In Organization
March 30: The Marlins officially selected Gurriel’s contract today, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. To open a spot for him on the 40-man, right-hander Max Meyer was placed on the 60-day injured list. Meyer underwent Tommy John surgery late last year and will miss most of the upcoming campaign.
March 26: The Marlins will select the contract of first baseman Yuli Gurriel, GM Kim Ng said today during the team radio broadcast (hat tip to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald). Both Gurriel and Jose Iglesias recently signed minor league deals with the Fish, and both had the ability to exercise opt-out clauses in those contracts yesterday if Miami didn’t place them on the Opening Day roster. Ng said that Iglesias won’t break camp with the team, but the veteran infielder has chosen to pass on his opt-out in order to remain in the minors.
Signs were pointing towards the Marlins’ decision yesterday, since the club was leaning towards utilityman Jon Berti as the right-handed complement to Joey Wendle at the shortstop position, rather than Iglesias. Jordan Groshans, Jacob Amaya, and Garrett Hampson also provided further shortstop depth at Triple-A, making Iglesias less of a true need as Wendle’s timeshare partner. By contrast, the Marlins have a lot less depth at first base, giving Gurriel an opportunity to join with Garrett Cooper as Miami’s top two options at the position. Cooper can also play in the corner outfield, and naturally either player could serve as the DH whenever Jorge Soler is in the outfield.
The financial terms of Gurriel’s minor league deal weren’t reported, but he’ll lock in a guaranteed salary whenever Miami officially selects his contract prior to Opening Day. Gurriel and the Marlins were linked on the rumor mill for quite some time before he actually put pen to paper, with the result being a minors contract after the Fish reportedly took a one-year deal in the $2MM off the table earlier in the offseason.
From Iglesias’ perspective, his decision to decline the opt-out clause makes sense. Iglesias only just signed with the Marlins a little over two weeks ago, and he apparently preferred the opportunity to ramp up in the minor leagues over another trip into the free agent market. Iglesias also has two more opt-out dates built into his contract, as he can again decide on his future on May 1 and June 1 if Miami hasn’t already added him to its 26-man roster.
Miami still has to place Max Meyer (Tommy John surgery recovery) onto the 60-day injured list, which will create space for Gurriel on the 40-man roster. As for 26-man roster space, the Marlins have two spots to work with, since left-hander Steven Okert and right-hander Tommy Nance are both going to start the year on the 15-day injured list. Manager Skip Schumaker told McPherson and other reporters that Okert will miss a couple of weeks as the southpaw recovers from a left adductor issue, while Nance faces a longer recovery period from a bout of shoulder stiffness. Nance isn’t expected to start throwing until closer to the middle of April.
Guardians Select Cam Gallagher, Meibrys Viloria
The Guardians announced a few transactions as they set their Opening Day roster. Catchers Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria both make the club, as Cleveland will go with two depth options behind starter Mike Zunino.
Neither Gallagher nor Viloria had been on the 40-man roster after signing minor league deals over the winter. To create space, Cleveland designated right-hander Jason Bilous for assignment and placed righty Cody Morris on the 60-day injured list.
Gallagher has played in parts of six major league campaigns, all of which have come as a member of the Royals. Working as Salvador Pérez’s backup for the bulk of that time, he put together a cumulative .240/.302/.355 line over 469 plate appearances. Kansas City traded Gallagher to San Diego at last summer’s deadline, and he also spent time with the Orioles. He didn’t get an MLB chance with either club but now returns to the majors in Cleveland.
Viloria is a lefty-swinging catcher who also previously played in Kansas City. He’s gotten into 93 major league games as a member of the Royals and Rangers over the past five years, hitting .201/.270/.283. The 26-year-old had an excellent .280/.422/.440 line in 218 plate appearances for Texas’ Triple-A affiliate last year.
Neither Gallagher nor Viloria can be optioned to the minor leagues. Barring injury, the Guardians will have to continue carrying all three catchers in the majors or eventually make one of them available to other teams via trade or waivers. It’s unclear how long Cleveland will be able to maintain that level of roster flexibility but they’re comfortable doing so out of the gate.
Bilous was claimed off waivers from the White Sox last month. The Coastal Carolina product has yet to make his major league debut. He split the 2022 season between Chicago’s top two affiliates, combining for a 6.30 ERA across 105 2/3 innings. He’d posted better numbers in the low minors but has yet to find much success against upper level hitters. Cleveland will have a week to trade the 25-year-old or look to run him through waivers.
Morris impressed over seven appearances late last season as a rookie. He could’ve battled for a back-of-the-rotation spot if healthy but he’s been sidelined by soreness in the terms major muscle in his throwing shoulder. He won’t make his season debut until at least the end of May.
Tigers Designate Edwin Uceta For Assignment
The Tigers announced Thursday that they’ve designated right-hander Edwin Uceta for assignment. That move, coupled with yesterday’s outright of Rony Garcia, will open the two roster spots necessary to select the contracts of lefty Chasen Shreve and righty Trey Wingenter. Both relievers are now formally on Detroit’s Opening Day roster.
Additionally, the Tigers optioned lefty Tyler Holton to Triple-A Toledo and placed three players on the injured list. Infielder Tyler Nevin is headed to the 10-day IL with an oblique strain, while righties Beau Brieske (right upper arm discomfort) and Michael Lorenzen (left groin strain) have been placed on the 15-day IL.
The 25-year-old Uceta was a waiver claim out of the Diamondbacks organization back in January. He’s seen big league work in each of the past two seasons, first throwing 20 1/3 frames with the Dodgers in 20221 before logging 17 frames with the D-backs in 2022. Uceta’s results have been poor, as he’s served up a 6.27 ERA with a 23% strikeout rate and an elevated 11.5% walk rate. He’s struggled to limit the damage with men on base, but Uceta has solid spin and velocity on his four-seamer and a 30% strikeout rate in Triple-A.
Uceta appeared in eight spring games with the Tigers. He yielded six earned runs on 13 hits and four walks through 11 frames (4.91 ERA) but also fanned 14 of his 48 opponents (29.2%). The Tigers will have a week to trade him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. Uceta does have a minor league option remaining, which could add to his appeal.
Boone: Yankees Working On “Potential Deal” To Add Pitcher
The Yankees are working on a “potential” deal to add a pitcher to the staff, manager Aaron Boone told reporters prior to today’s season opener (Twitter link, with video, via SNY). Boone didn’t futher tip his hand as to whether the Yankees are talking to a free agent or discussing a possible trade. However, they’re opening the season with 14 position players and 12 pitchers on their roster, reflective of both a potentially incoming arm and an off-day on the schedule Friday.
“We’re going with just seven guys in the ‘pen, obviously with an off-day tomorrow, where we have a potential deal going that’ll probably change that moving forward in the next day or two,” said Boone. “…A pitcher could be in play for us, that we add or not. Whether or not we do, we’d be in a position to pull from the minor leagues, too.”
New York’s pitching staff has been hit hard by injuries, evidenced by the sheer number of players who are beginning the season on the injured list. The Yankees announced today that lefty Carlos Rodon (forearm strain) and righties Luis Severino (lat strain), Lou Trivino (elbow strain), Tommy Kahnle (biceps tendinitis) and Frankie Montas (shoulder surgery) have all been placed on the 15-day injured list. Right-handers Scott Effross (2022 Tommy John surgery) and Luis Gil (2022 Tommy John surgery) both were placed on the 60-day IL. Center fielder Harrison Bader (oblique strain) and catcher Ben Rortvedt (shoulder aneurysm surgery) are both on the 10-day IL.
Also of note from Boone’s media session today, the skipper indicated that not only will Oswaldo Cabrera get the Opening Day start in left field — but he’ll open the season as the team’s primary left fielder (Twitter link via Joel Sherman of the New York Post). Aaron Hicks will still get some time against left-handed pitching, and Cabrera’s versatility means he’ll occasionally line up at other spots, but it seems the current plan is for him to be the most frequently used option in left field.
The 24-year-old Cabrera made his big league debut in 2022, slashing .247/.312/.429 in 171 plate appearances. Originally expected to be in more of a versatile infield/outfield utility role, the switch-hitting Cabrera seized a more prominent role with a monster spring showing. In 57 plate appearances, he batted .340/.386/.623 with four homers, three doubles, four walks (7%) and 10 strikeouts (17.5%).
The Yankees also confirmed some previously known/reported moves. Top prospect Anthony Volpe‘s contract has been formally selected, and he’ll open the season as the Yankees’ primary shortstop. Right-hander Jhony Brito was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is expected to start the team’s third game of the season on Sunday. And, as was widely reported yesterday, the Yankees signed outfielder/first baseman Franchy Cordero to a Major League contract and formally added him to their Opening Day roster.
Reds Designate Nick Solak For Assignment
The Reds announced a series of roster moves prior to today’s season opener. They have selected the contracts of right-hander Derek Law, left-hander Alex Young and infielder Jason Vosler. To open places on the 40-man roster, right-handers Tejay Antone and Justin Dunn were placed on the 60-day injured list, while infielder/outfielder Nick Solak was designated for assignment. Additionally, infielder/outfielder Nick Senzel and first baseman Joey Votto were placed on the 10-day injured list while right-handers Tony Santillan, Lucas Sims and Luke Weaver were placed on the 15-day injured list.
Solak, 28, was once a highly-touted prospect who had a strong debut with the Rangers in 2019. He hit .293/.393/.491 that year in 33 games but has struggled since and now carries a career batting line of .252/.327/.372. That amounts to a wRC+ of 93, indicating he’s been about 7% below league average. Concerns about his second base defense also pushed him into the outfield corners, putting more pressure on his bat to provide value. He was traded to the Reds in November but had a rough spring, getting just two hits in 24 plate appearances. Despite his rough showing of late, he might get a shot elsewhere based on his prospect pedigree. He also still has an option remaining and can be stashed in the minors by any team willing to give him a 40-man roster spot.
Young, 29, spent most of last year with the Giants, posting a 2.36 ERA over 25 appearances with an 18.1% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and 54.2% ground ball rate. Despite that solid campaign, he was non-tendered at season’s end and landed a minor league deal with the Reds. He’ll give the club a second lefty in the bullpen alongside Reiver Sanmartin. The right-handed Law will also join that bullpen, which was reported earlier this week.
Vosler, 29, got into 77 games with the Giants over the past two seasons, hitting .228/.306/.421 for a wRC+ of 100. Like Young, he was also non-tendered by the Giants and got a minor league deal from the Reds. He’s played all four infield positions in his career, as well as the outfield corners, giving Cincinnati a versatile player to plug in around their younger players as needed.
Turning to the IL placements, none of them are particularly surprising. Dunn has a shoulder injury that will keep him out of action for a couple of months. Antone has a flexor strain in his forearm that may keep him out until the All-Star break. Votto is still recovering from last year’s shoulder surgery, Weaver is battling forearm discomfort, while Santillan and Sims are dealing with lingering back issues.
Offseason In Review Chat Transcript: Colorado Rockies
MLBTR is conducting team-specific chats in conjunction with each organization’s Offseason In Review posts. Click here to view the transcript of the chat about the Rockies’ offseason.