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Rangers Claim Nick Mears, Designate Eli White

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The Rangers announced that they have claimed right-hander Nick Mears off waivers from the Pirates. Mears had been designated for assignment earlier in the week. In a corresponding move, outfielder Eli White was designated for assignment.

Mears, 26, will join just the second organization of his career, as he’s spent it all with the Pirates up until now. An undrafted free agent, he burst onto the scene with a 2019 campaign that saw him go from Single-A to High-A to Double-A. He threw 46 2/3 combined innings at those different stops with a 3.28 ERA, 35.9% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate. He capped that season off 8 2/3 shutout innings in the Arizona Fall League.

That strong campaign was enough to get him attention from prospect evaluators. Baseball America ranked him the #19 prospect in Pittsburgh’s system going into 2020, highlighting a fastball that averaged in the mid-to-high 90s and could even reach 101 mph. FanGraphs put him as up in the #13 slot.

Mears was added to Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster in 2020 and has served as an optionable depth arm over the past three seasons. He has 30 1/3 big league innings over those three campaigns with a 4.75 ERA and 22.7% strikeout rate but a huge 14.9% walk rate. He spent most of 2022 in Triple-A with similar control concerns, walking 16% of batters faced.

The Rangers were evidently intrigued enough by the power to put in a claim and see if they can harness it. Mears has one option year remaining, allowing the club to keep him in the minors for another season of experimentation and development, if necessary. However, the price they are paying for that privilege is potentially losing White.

Originally drafted by the A’s, White came to the Rangers in the Jurickson Profar trade. Since then, he’s struggled to produce offensively and has dealt with injuries, though he’s been strong on defense. He’s played 130 games at the big league level over the past three seasons, hitting just .185/.260/.296, wRC+ of 56. His 2021 season was ended by elbow surgery and his 2022 finished by wrist surgery. On the glove-side of things, Defensive Runs Saved has given him a grade of +11 in the outfield so far, along with a +9.7 from Ultimate Zone Rating and 10 Outs Above Average.

The Rangers will now have a week to trade White or pass him through waivers. Though the bat hasn’t been great so far, his strong defense and two remaining option years could make him attractive to other clubs looking for outfield depth.

Tigers Claim Zach Logue, Designate Angel De Jesus

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The Tigers announced they have claimed left-hander Zach Logue off waivers from the A’s. Oakland had designated Logue for assignment earlier in the week. In a corresponding move, right-hander Angel De Jesus was designated for assignment. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported the claim of Logue prior to the official announcement.

Logue, 27 in April, was a ninth round pick of the Blue Jays in 2017 who got added to their 40-man roster after a solid 2021 season. Logue split that year between Double-A and Triple-A, making 24 starts and one relief appearance with a 3.67 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 5.3% walk rate. The A’s were intrigued enough to acquire him, with Logue being one of the four players that came over in the Matt Chapman trade.

Unfortunately, 2022 didn’t go as smooth for Logue. He was able to make his MLB debut, but he posted a 6.79 ERA over 14 appearances for the A’s. He limited walks to a 7.8% clip but only struck out 16.3% of batters faced. Things didn’t go much better in the minors, as he posted an ERA of 8.12 for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators. That club plays in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League but park factors alone can’t completely wave away those results. He also had subpar rate stats, striking out just 15.3% of batters faced there while walking 9.9% of them.

For the Tigers, it makes plenty of sense to put in a claim, even though Logue is coming off a down year. For one thing, Logue still has two option years remaining, allowing him to stay in the minors as depth until he’s needed. Secondly, there’s much rotation uncertainty in Detroit. Casey Mize underwent Tommy John surgery in June and will likely miss much of the upcoming season. Tarik Skubal underwent flexor tendon surgery in August and is a question mark for 2023. The club added Matthew Boyd and Michael Lorenzen to bolster their rotation, but they are both on one-year deals and could be deadline trade fodder if the Tigers aren’t in contention.

Boyd and Lorenzen should slot into a front five with Eduardo Rodriguez, Matt Manning and Spencer Turnbull. However, Manning also dealt with injuries in 2022 and only made 12 starts. Turnbull missed the entire season due to Tommy John surgery and will be an unknown quantity for 2023. If injuries and/or trades put a dent in the club’s rotation throughout the season, they will have depth options such as Joey Wentz, Beau Brieske and Alex Faedo, but Logue will now jump into that mix.

De Jesus, 26 in February, was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November of 2021 and spent 2022 as a frequently-optioned depth arm. He posted a 2.13 ERA over eight big league appearances but spent most of the season in Triple-A. In 47 2/3 innings down on the farm, he registered a 4.15 ERA with a 22.1% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate and 38.5% ground ball rate. The Tigers will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. He still has a pair of option years and could garner interest from clubs looking for extra bullpen depth.

Yankees In Agreement With Wilmer Difo

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12:10pm: Joel Sherman of The New York Post adds that Difo will have the right to opt out of the deal on July 1.

11:40am: The Yankees and infielder Wilmer Difo are in agreement on a contract, reports Robert Murray of Fansided. It’s  split deal that will pay him a salary of $1.2MM if he’s in the majors.

Difo, 31 in April, has appeared in each of the past eight MLB seasons, not offering much at the plate but proving to be quite versatile. Through 1306 plate appearances in his career, he has a batting line of .250/.311/.353 for a wRC+ of 74, indicating he’s been 26% below league average in that time.

That’s not terribly exciting offense, but his best attributes are in other parts of his game. Difo is a switch-hitter and has played every position on the diamond except for first base and catcher. His glovework on the infield is also generally graded as average or better, giving him plenty of avenues for helping out a club. He had to settle on a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks for 2022, eventually getting selected to the big league club but only appearing in three games.

The Yankee infield has some uncertainty in it right now. On paper, a potential alignment would feature Anthony Rizzo at first, Gleyber Torres at second, Josh Donaldson at third and youngster Oswald Peraza at shortstop. DJ LeMahieu could be a factor at various positions but he finished the season injured and his health is uncertain right now. There’s also young utility player Oswaldo Cabrera in the mix, though he might be on the outfield depth chart until the club makes upgrades there. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is also on the roster, seemingly having been bumped into a utility role by Peraza. That’s a lot of options but Torres, Kiner-Falefa and Donaldson have all been mentioned in trade rumors. Peraza and Cabrera each had solid debuts in 2022 but still don’t have much experience.

By adding Difo, the club has given themselves a glove-first veteran depth option on hand to be deployed as needed. He has less than five years of MLB service time, meaning he could be retained for 2024 via arbitration if he works his way into the team’s plans.

Tayler Scott Rejects Outright Assignment, Elects Free Agency

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December 23: The Phillies announced that Scott has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. A subsequent club announcement revealed that Scott rejected the assignment and elected free agency. He had the right to do so as a player that had previously been outrighted in his career.

December 16: The Phillies have designated right-hander Tayler Scott for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to righty Taijuan Walker, whose four-year contract has now been formally announced by the club.

Scott, 30, was a September waiver claim out of the Padres organization who never appeared in a big league game for the Phils. He appeared in eight games with San Diego last season, pitching to a 6.75 ERA with a 13-to-6 K/BB ratio in a dozen innings of work. That marked his first MLB action since his 2019 debut, when he pitched 16 1/3 innings between the Mariners and the Orioles.

One of two South African-born players in MLB history, Scott spent the 2020-21 seasons with the Hiroshima Carp of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He returned to North American ball on a minor league deal with the Padres last offseason and pitched to a 3.76 ERA with a terrific 30.4% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate in 40 2/3 Triple-A frames before his call  to the Majors. In all, he’s been tagged for 35 runs in 28 1/3 big league innings but carries a 4.33 ERA and 26.2% strikeout rate in 168 1/3 innings of Triple-A work.

The Phillies will have a week to trade Scott, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or release him.

The Opener: Christmas Signings, Correa, Dodgers

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Last chance for moves before Christmas

During the offseason, major holidays are occasionally used by teams and players as soft deadlines for deals to get done. Some free agents like to know where they’re going to live next year before a holiday, and GMs at the one-yard line on a trade may have a little extra incentive to get it over the line before they go home to celebrate. The day before Thanksgiving was rather quiet this year, perhaps partially because the flood gates of transactions really only opened once the Winter Meetings had begun. Will it be different today, the Friday before Christmas weekend?

2. When will we hear how Correa’s physical yesterday went?

Carlos Correa reportedly underwent his physical with the Mets yesterday, a necessary step toward finalizing their 12-year, $315MM deal. This is a typical, routine step in a new deal with a club, but it has taken on added significance in this case. That’s because the Giants pulled back from their 13-year, $350MM agreement with Correa after flagging something in his physical with them, which is what opened the door for the Mets to swoop in in the first place. With Correa’s physical completed, the Mets are reportedly expected to take roughly 24-48 hours to review the information before the deal is finalized, meaning if all goes well, Correa should be a Met before Christmas. It will be worth watching to see if word comes down about how the physical went, as that news could be available as soon as today, and in the event the Mets do find something concerning, as the Giants did, it would be another shocking turn of events in what’s already become one of the strangest forays into free agency by a player in recent memory.

3. With newfound payroll certainty, how will the Dodgers conduct the rest of their offseason?

Yesterday, a decision was handed down that Dodgers right-hander Trevor Bauer would have his suspension reduced to 194 games. This leaves him reinstated ahead of the 2023 season, meaning that LA will be on the hook for most of his 2023 salary (Bauer’s pay has been docked for the first 50 games of the 2023 season, which cuts into his final payday considerably). The news leaves the Dodgers barely $100K under the first luxury tax threshold, per RosterResource, giving them essentially no breathing room if they wish to stay under the luxury tax, as has been rumored following their unusually quiet offseason. If they truly wish to stay under the tax this year rather than face penalties as a third-year offender, it’s possible they’ll have to consider moving salary out, whether that’s in the form of a smaller, one-year commitment like Daniel Hudson or a more significant contract like that of Chris Taylor. Such a move would represent a considerable shift from LA, who has been one of the league’s biggest spenders in recent years, but it wouldn’t be unheard of. Prior to the 2019 season, the Dodgers swung a massive deal with the Reds, sending Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood, Kyle Farmer, and cash to Cincinnati in exchange for Homer Bailey, Josiah Gray, and Jeter Downs. The trade ended up a resounding success for the Dodgers, as it allowed them to duck under the luxury tax for the 2019 season and acquire two prospects who would grow into top-100 types in LA’s farm system before being flipped in buy-side trade to acquire Mookie Betts, Max Scherzer, and Trea Turner. While it seems unlikely that another deal of this impactful could come together, it still shows the Dodgers are quite willing to get creative in an attempt to duck under the luxury tax for a year to reset their penalties.

Reds Designate Mike Moustakas, Sign Curt Casali

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The Reds announced that they have signed catcher Curt Casali to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2024. In a corresponding move, infielder Mike Moustakas was designated for assignment. Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports that Casali will be guaranteed $3.25MM, which takes the form of a $2.5MM salary and a $750K buyout on the option. There’s also a $250K assignment bonus to be paid to him in the event he’s traded. Casali is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

Moustakas, 34, signed a four-year, $64MM deal with the Reds going into the 2020 season. At the time, he was coming off a five-year stretch with the Royals and Brewers where he hit 130 home runs and produced a batting line of .264/.325/.491. That amounted to a 111 wRC+, indicating he was 11% better than league average in that time. He had also diversified his defensive abilities, playing 47 games at second base with the Brewers in 2019 after being a primary third baseman prior to that.

The first season of the deal went fine enough, as Moustakas hit .230/.331/.468 for a wRC+ of 105. However, the past two seasons have been disappointing, with Moustakas battling various injuries, including a heel contusion and a calf strain, and struggling to produce when on the field. He played just 62 games in 2021 and 78 in 2022, hitting .211/.289/.356 for a wRC+ of 73.

Though Moustakas has one year remaining on his deal, it seems the Reds weren’t interested in letting him play it out. Over the past few years, they’ve seen Jonathan India take over the second base job and prospect Spencer Steer seems ready for an extended audition at third. Moustakas has also played a bit of first base, but the Reds have Joey Votto there and also added Wil Myers into the mix by signing him today. Catcher Tyler Stephenson could also factor in with the club now having three backstops. More on that below.

The Reds will now have a week to work out a trade or pass Moustakas through waivers but it’s unlikely they will find a deal. Moustakas is still owed $22MM in the form of an $18MM salary and a $4MM buyout on a club option for 2024. Given that he’s been injured and/or underperforming for a couple of years now, no team will want to take that on. The Reds could theoretically offer a prospect in a trade to sweeten the deal, but it wouldn’t make much sense to do that as it would merely subtract young talent from the rebuilding club. The most likely scenario is that Moustakas is released and becomes a free agent. Any team could then be able to sign him and pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on their active roster, with that amount being subtracted from what the Reds pay.

As for Casali, 34, he’s a perfectly serviceable big league catcher, though he’s never really been a club’s primary option. Though he has 462 career games played, he’s never tallied more than 84 in any individual season. He’s generally been a strong defender behind the plate, having tallied 16 Defensive Runs Saved in his career and a slightly above-average mark in terms of framing. He’s not a liability at the plate either, with a career batting line of .223/.316/.392. That amounts to a wRC+ of 92, which is 8% below league average overall but roughly average for a catcher. His 27.8% strikeout rate is definitely on the high side but he also has drawn walks at a strong 10.7% rate. He’s also drawn interest from the Giants and Cubs this winter but will instead go to Cincinnati, where he spent the 2018-2020 seasons.

Casali is the second catcher signed by the Reds this offseason, as they’ve also added Luke Maile earlier. Those two will join Tyler Stephenson to give the club a three-headed catching corps. Stephenson seemed to emerge as the club’s catcher of the future with a 2021 breakout that saw him hit .286/.366/.431 for a wRC+ of 110 along with solid defensive numbers. However, he was limited to just 50 games in 2022 due to a concussion, a broken thumb and a broken clavicle. He’s also seen some time at first base and could theoretically do that more this year, yielding some of the catching time to Casali and Maile while keeping his bat in the lineup.

The club’s payroll is now up to $81MM, per the calculations of Roster Resource. That’s still well shy of their $114MM figure from Opening Day 2022, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, though the rebuilding club might not add much more. C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic relays word from general manager Nick Krall, who says they’d “have to great creative” to add more money.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Angels, Luis Barrera Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Angels recently agreed to a minor league contract with outfielder Luis Barrera, according to his transactions log at MLB.com. He’ll receive an invite to big league camp, tweets Martín Gallegos of MLB.com.

Barrera, 27, has appeared in the big leagues with the division-rival A’s for the past two seasons. He’s gotten into 38 contests, compiling a .235/.290/.329 mark in 93 trips to the plate. Barrera was twice designated for assignment by Oakland this year, going unclaimed on waivers both times. He spent most of the season at Triple-A Las Vegas, hitting .263/.329/.436 over 348 plate appearances in an extremely hitter-friendly environment. Barrera only connected on eight home runs for the Aviators but he limited strikeouts to a solid 19.5% clip.

A 10-year minor league veteran, Barrera has drawn some attention from prospect evaluators for excellent speed. He has decent contact skills and enough athleticism to play all three outfield spots, though he’s worked primarily in the corners during his MLB time. The Dominican Republic native has a potential fourth/fifth outfield profile despite his modest power.

Barrera will compete for a depth role in Spring Training. The Halos have an outfield of Taylor Ward, Mike Trout and Hunter Renfroe. Former top prospects Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell presently project as the depth outfielders. If Barrera cracks the MLB mix at any point, he’d have to stick on the active roster or be made available to other clubs by virtue of his out-of-options status.

Braves Acquire Lewin Diaz From Orioles

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The Braves have acquired first baseman Lewin Díaz from the Orioles for cash, according to announcements from both teams. Atlanta’s 40-man roster count jumps to 39.

Díaz has bounced around the league in the past few weeks. Designated for assignment by the Marlins in advance of the deadline to add prospects to the 40-man to keep them out of the Rule 5 draft, Díaz has moved from the Pirates to the Orioles on successive waiver claims. Baltimore took him off their roster yesterday upon signing Mychal Givens, and his stint in the organization proves exceptionally brief.

Atlanta is near the bottom of the waiver order, so they jumped the line by sending some cash to Baltimore. In the process, they’ll add a player who’s clearly of interest to a few teams around the league. Díaz hasn’t managed much of an MLB track record, but he’s shown enough as a minor leaguer to have some appeal to clubs.

A left-handed hitting first baseman, he’s managed just a .181/.227/.340 line in 112 MLB games with Miami. Díaz took a personal-high 174 trips to the plate in 2022, posting a .169/.224/.288 slash with a 31% strikeout rate. He showed better during a more extended stretch at Triple-A Jacksonville, hitting .252/.323/.492 with 19 home runs and a 20.4% strikeout percentage across 368 plate appearances.

An aggressive offensive approach has given Díaz problems to this stage of his MLB career. He was a quality prospect for an extended stretch in the Miami farm system, though, with evaluators praising his power upside and defensive acumen. Public metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average have loved his glovework during his 753 2/3 MLB innings to date. He’s exclusively a first baseman, so despite the quality of his defense, he’ll need the bat to carry him if he’s to hold a roster spot. Atlanta obviously has Matt Olson entrenched at the position; Díaz will try to carve out a depth role behind him.

The 26-year-old is out of minor league option years. If the Braves carry him on their 40-man roster for the rest of the offseason, they’ll have to keep him in the majors or again expose him to other teams. It’s possible Atlanta tries to sneak him through waivers at some point before Spring Training, though no team has yet been successful in that attempt.

Royals Sign Mike Mayers To Minor League Contract

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The Royals have inked right-hander Mike Mayers to a minor league contract, the team announced. The team didn’t specify whether the deal contains a Spring Training invitation, though that seems likely given his MLB experience.

Mayers, 31, has pitched in the majors in each of the last seven seasons. His first four years came in St. Louis, where he was primarily deployed as a depth reliever. Claimed off waivers by the Angels over the 2019-20 offseason, he’d take on a larger role in Orange County. Mayers made 29 appearances and posted a 2.10 ERA during the shortened 2020 campaign. He had another solid showing the next season, working to a 3.84 ERA across 75 frames.

From 2020-21, Mayers tossed 105 innings of 3.34 ERA ball. He struck out upwards of 30% of opponents and held batters to a .225/.294/.380 line over that stretch. The former third-rounder looked like an underrated bullpen find for the Halos, but his production dropped in 2022.

Mayers tossed 16 2/3 innings through the season’s first couple months, allowing a 5.40 ERA. His strikeout rate plummeted to 18.7% and the Angels designated him for assignment at the end of May. He went unclaimed on waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake. The organization stretched him out as a starter, letting him soak up 33 innings through eight appearances. While the results weren’t great, Mayers returned to the majors at year’s end. He picked up three starts down the stretch, working into the sixth inning on two occasions. After the season, the Angels waived him again and he qualified for minor league free agency.

With the bulk of his career experience having come as a reliever, Mayers is probably better suited for that role. The late-season rotation work at least raises the possibility of Kansas City giving him a crack as starting pitching depth. If Mayers makes the Royals roster in either capacity, he’ll have to remain in the majors or again be designated for assignment since he’s out of minor league option years.

Mets Release Yoan Lopez

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The Mets announced they’ve released reliever Yoan López. The move frees a 40-man roster spot for infielder Danny Mendick, who has officially signed a one-year free agent contract.

It seems the López release was designed to facilitate his heading overseas. Francys Romero reported this week (Twitter link) that the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball were negotiating a deal with the Mets about buying out his contract. The Wasserman client will apparently make the jump to Japan’s highest level for the first time, securing a loftier salary than the one he’d have made if he spent much of next season shuttling on and off New York’s active roster.

López, 30 next month, has appeared in the last five MLB seasons. Formerly a high-profile international signee of the Diamondbacks, he played four seasons in the desert. The righty posted a 3.41 ERA over 60 2/3 innings in 2019 but otherwise put up subpar numbers at the MLB level. López bounced around via waivers last offseason before landing in Queens, where he worked as a depth reliever.

He appeared in eight MLB games as a Met, tallying 11 innings of eight-run ball. López threw 35 innings at Triple-A Syracuse, posting a 5.14 ERA. His underlying numbers at the top minor league level were more impressive, as he racked up grounders on over 57% of batted balls. López also struck out 23.8% of opponents against a 9.4% walk rate in Triple-A while averaging nearly 96 MPH on his fastball during his limited MLB time.

Additionally, New York announced agreement with left-hander Joey Lucchesi on a 2023 contract to avoid arbitration. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports he’ll receive a $1.15MM salary (Twitter link). That’s an identical match for this year’s salary, which isn’t surprising since the southpaw missed the whole year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He’s expected to factor in as a swingman or depth starter for New York next season, and he’ll be eligible for arbitration once more at the end of the ’23 campaign.

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