Twins Acquire Kyle Farmer
The Reds and Twins agreed on a Friday evening trade sending infielder Kyle Farmer from Cincinnati to Minnesota. The Reds landed right-hander Casey Legumina in return. Farmer is second year arbitration-eligible, and is projected to make $5.9MM, according to MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’ predictions.
Farmer, 32, turned in a solid, if unspectacular, season for the Reds, batting .255/.315/.386 with 14 home runs. That was good for a wRC+ of 90, or ten percent worse than league average. He split time between short (98 games) and third base (36 games), grading out better at third where he was worth two Outs Above Average, against -3 at shortstop.
Originally drafted as a catcher in the eighth round of the 2013 draft by the Dodgers, Farmer made his debut 2017 with L.A. He’d go on to make 97 plate appearances over the next two seasons, working mostly at catcher and third base, before going to the Reds as part of a blockbuster deal involving Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig and Alex Wood.
The Reds used him in 15 games at catcher in 2019, but he mostly bounced around the infield positions and that wound up being the last of his time behind the plate. He’d spent the next couple of seasons as a utility infielder before winning their starting shortstop job for 2021. While he turned in a .263/.316/.416 line with 16 home runs that year, he did play some above-average defense, earning six Outs Above Average.
While Farmer’s numbers have never really stood out, he’s generally been a sound contributor and has been worth 3.3 fWAR across 292 games over the past couple of seasons. He can be controlled via arbitration for two more seasons, so he won’t reach free agency until after the 2024 campaign.
It’s the second major trade of the day for the Twins, after they shipped out Gio Urshela and his projected $9.2MM salary. Urshela was a bit more valuable for the Twins last year (2.4 fWAR), but Farmer offers a saving of around $3MM, and greater positional flexibility. It’s entirely possible Farmer returns to a utility role in Minnesota. With Urshela out the door, the Twins could well go with Jose Miranda and Luis Arraez at the corners, with Jorge Polanco at second. That’d mean either Farmer or an external addition at shortstop, but regardless, the arrival of Farmer gives them a bit more flexibility there.
Legumina started 2022 at High-A but spent much of the season at Double-A. He struggled as a starter, making 16 starts this year with a 5.23 ERA, striking out 8.5 batters per nine innings. As a result of his struggles, the Twins moved him to the bullpen and he immediately stood out. There, the 25-year-old threw 22 1/3 innings of 3.57 ERA, with his strikeouts rising to 12.7 per nine innings. Legumina has a four pitch mix, combining a mid-90s fastball with a slider, changeup and curveball.
The eighth round draft pick from 2019 was added to the Twins 40-man roster a few days ago ahead of the Rule 5 draft protection deadline, so he’ll take a spot on the Reds 40-man moving forward as well.
Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of the Athletic first reported the Reds and Twins were in agreement on a trade sending Farmer to Minnesota. C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic was first to report Cincinnati would receive Legumina in return.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
American League Non-Tenders: 11/18/22
The deadline to tender contract to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7:00pm Central. Here’s a rundown of the players on American League teams that have been non-tendered today. This post will be updated as more decisions are revealed.
MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for all arb-eligible players last month. Onto the transactions…
Latest Transactions
- The Mariners announced that they have non-tendered three players: catchers Brian O’Keefe and Luis Torrens, as well as righty Luke Weaver. Weaver was just claimed off waivers from the Royals a few weeks ago but will now become a free agent.
- The White Sox announced three non-tenders: outfielders Adam Engel and Mark Payton, as well as infielder Danny Mendick. Engel is generally considered a strong defensive outfielder but he struggled at the plate in 2022. Mendick played all over the diamond while hitting .289/.343/.443 for a wRC+ of 125.
- The Guardians announced they have non-tendered lefty Anthony Gose and catcher Luke Maile. Gose was designated for assignment earlier in the week. Maile got into 76 games hit at a below-average level with roughly average defensive marks.
- The Angels announced four non-tenders: lefties Jhonathan Diaz and Rob Zastryzny, as well as righties Touki Toussaint and Nash Walters. The latter three names were designated for assignment a few days ago.
- The Rays have non-tendered Ryan Yarbrough, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa designated him for assignment earlier in the week.
- The Blue Jays announced that they have non-tendered outfielders Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer, as well as infielder Vinny Capra. The two former names were designated for assignment a few days ago.
Earlier Moves
- The Athletics announced that they did not tender contracts to three players: right-hander Deolis Guerra, left-hander Jared Koenig and infielder David MacKinnon. Guerra is the most seasoned of the trio, having made his MLB debut back in 2015 and made 136 appearances. Unfortunately, he required Tommy John surgery in April, missing the entire 2022 campaign and possibly some of 2023 as well.
- The Red Sox are non-tendering outfielder/first-baseman Franchy Cordero, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Cordero appeared in 84 games for the Red Sox this past season, but hit just .219/.300/.397 with eight home runs while grading out very poorly on defense. The Sox have also non-tendered infielder Yu Chang, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. The versatile infielder began the year with the Guardians but subsequently went to the Pirates in a trade, then went to the Rays and Red Sox on waiver claims. Across those four teams, he hit .208/.289/.315 for a wRC+ of 78.
- The Astros will part ways with reliever Josh James, as Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports they’re expected to non-tender him tonight. He spent the entire 2022 campaign in the minors, and underwent flexor tendon surgery in October and is without a timetable to return.
- The Rangers announced that right-hander Nick Snyder has not been tendered a contract. He only has 4 2/3 innings of MLB experience over the past couple of seasons. He spent most of 2022 in Triple-A, posting a 4.97 ERA over 38 innings, though with a 30.9% strikeout rate.
- The Royals opted to non-tender lefty Jake Brentz and right-hander Nate Webb, the team announced. That’s no surprise, as both players were designated for assignment earlier this week. They lost their 40-man roster spots as a result, but the non-tender means Kansas City won’t need to run them through waivers before sending them directly to free agency. Anne Rogers of MLB.com tweets that Kansas City is tendering contracts to the rest of their arbitration class, including Brad Keller and Amir Garrett — each of whom seemed to have a small chance of being cut loose after tough seasons.
Rays Trade Javy Guerra To Brewers
The Brewers have acquired right-hander Javy Guerra from the Rays in exchange for a player to be named later, tweets Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Tampa Bay had designated Guerra for assignment earlier in the week. The team has since announced the swap.
Guerra, 27, started the year in San Diego, but was DFA’d by the Padres after throwing just two innings for them. He was claimed by the Rays, but DFA’d by again them after a handful of appearances. This time, Guerra cleared waivers and was sent to Triple-A only to find himself back in Tampa six weeks later. Altogether, Guerra wound up with a 3.38 ERA across 16 innings of relief work for the Rays. His poor 12.9% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate suggested some regression, and sure enough FIP had him pegged at 5.30. He was a lot better at Triple-A, where he logged 41 1/3 innings of work for a 1.74 ERA.
Originally signed by the Red Sox as an infielder out of Panama, Guerra made his way to the Padres in the Craig Kimbrel deal of 2015. He made his debut for San Diego a few years later in 2018, playing 19 games and picking up two hits in 16 plate appearances. He returned to the minors in 2019 working as a pitcher, and after tossing 21 1/3 innings of 3.38 ERA ball, he was rewarded with a return to the big leagues in a relief role. He continued to work between Triple-A and the big leagues over the next few seasons, but never performed well enough to last in San Diego, and across four seasons there he owned an 8.46 ERA through 27 2/3 innings.
Guerra’s one year shy of arbitration, so won’t take much of a financial commitment from the Brewers. He is, however, out of options, so the Brewers will either have to carry them on their big league roster or expose him to waivers.
Marlins Non-Tender Brian Anderson, Nick Neidert
The Marlins have non-tendered third baseman Brian Anderson and right-hander Nick Neidert, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald (Twitter links).
Anderson, 29, isn’t far removed from being a core contributor and potential extension candidate with the Marlins. The former No. 76 overall draft pick posted respectable numbers through 95 plate appearances at age 24 in his MLB debut back in 2017, and by the 2018 season he’d established himself as a fixture in the Miami lineup. From 2018-20, Anderson appeared in 341 games, tallied 1419 plate appearances and recorded a solid .266/.350/.436 slash line. He never posted huge home run totals — career-high 20 in 2019 — but showed plenty of doubles power in the Marlins’ spacious home park, logging 74 doubles in that time.
Originally a third baseman, Anderson spent much of the 2018 season in right field before beginning to split his time between right field and the hot corner in 2019. He’s logged average defensive grades across the board at third base in his career and been an above-average right fielder in the estimation of Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating (though Statcast, notably, pegs him as a below-average defender in right).
The past two seasons haven’t been as productive. Anderson has been dogged by oblique, shoulder and back injuries dating back to Opening Day 2021. He’s still managed a .233/.321/.359 batting line in that time (93 wRC+), but Anderson has only been healthy enough to take the field for 165 games/647 plate appearances over the past two seasons. Coupled with a projected $5.2MM salary in arbitration (via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz), Anderson was cut loose by a Marlins club that is seeking offense upgrades at multiple positions. He’d have been a free agent next winter anyhow, given his five-plus years of MLB service time, but Anderson will reach the market earlier than scheduled and now be able to field interest from all 29 other clubs.
Neidert, 26 on Sunday, was a more straightforward decision. While he once ranked as one of the better pitching prospects in Miami’s system, he’s totaled 49 big league innings across the past three seasons and worked to a 4.59 ERA with just a 13.3% strikeout rate against an 11.8% walk rate.
Neidert has posted strong numbers in Triple-A over the past couple seasons, so it’s possible the Fish will take advantage of the fact that today is the only time of year a player can be cut loose without having to be subjected to waivers — immediately removing him from the 40-man roster and quickly looking to re-sign him to a minor league contract. Neidert has one minor league option year remaining, though, and could appeal to some pitching-needy clubs around the league.
Tigers Non-Tender Jeimer Candelario
The Tigers are non-tendering third baseman Jeimer Candelario, reports Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press (Twitter link). He’d been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $7MM salary.
Candelario has been the Tigers primary third baseman for the past five seasons. Originally acquired from the Cubs in a 2017 trade, he was manning the hot corner at Comerica Park by the start of the following year. Candelario posted below-average numbers for his first two seasons, but the switch-hitting infielder showed some promise with a .297/.369/.503 line in 52 games during the abbreviated 2020 campaign.
It never looked likely he’d replicate quite that level of production over a full season, but Candelario backed up his numbers with another impressive year. Through 626 trips to the plate in 2021, he posted a .271/.351/.443 showing with 16 longballs and 42 doubles. That brought his two-year line to .278/.356/.458 in more than 800 plate appearances.
Candelario looked like an above-average regular at the hot corner, a productive middle-of-the-order bat with capable defensive marks. Like much of the Detroit lineup, he fell off sharply in 2022. Candelario’s .217/.272/.361 line across 124 games proved a major disappointment. He had some unfortunate batted ball marks, with a .257 average on balls in play well shy of both the .290 league figure and the career .308 BABIP which Candelario carried into the season.
A rebound in his ball in play results would go a long way towards getting things back on track, but the dip isn’t solely attributable to poor luck. Candelario’s 34.6% hard contact rate was almost five percentage points lower than his 2021 mark and down 12 points from where it sat in 2020. He saw a similar decline in his average exit velocity. He hit more ground balls and pop-ups than he had the previous two seasons, while his line drive rate sunk.
Whether to place a roughly $7MM bet on Candelario to right the ship for his final season of arbitration was a key early decision for new president of baseball operations Scott Harris. Detroit opted against doing so, and they could look for third base help this offseason as a result. The Tigers have Ryan Kreidler as an in-house option to play somewhere on the infield, with third base now standing as the clearest path to playing time. Should Detroit add depth at the hot corner in the coming months, Kreidler could push Jonathan Schoop for playing time at second base.
Further thinning their infield depth, Detroit non-tendered utility players Harold Castro and Willi Castro. Both were eligible for arbitration for the first time and projected for salaries in the $2MM range. They each have some infield versatility and bat-to-ball skills, but neither draws many walks or hits for power. The Tigers will look elsewhere for bench depth. Detroit also non-tendered a number of players — Michael Papierski, Miguel Díaz, Kyle Funkhouser and Brendon Davis — who’d previously been designated for assignment.
Candelario, despite his down year, is one of the better free agent options available in a weak third base class. Justin Turner is the top option after being bought out by the Dodgers, while players like Evan Longoria, Jace Peterson and fellow non-tender Brian Anderson make up the next tier.
Nationals Planning To Non-Tender Luke Voit, Erick Fedde
The Nationals are planning to non-tender first baseman Luke Voit and right-hander Erick Fedde, according to Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post.
Voit, 32 in February, has been on quite the roller coaster over the past few years. Drafted and developed by the Cardinals, he went to the Yankees in a deadline deal in 2018 with Giovanny Gallegos and Chasen Shreve going the other way. There was a period where that seemed like a steal for the Yankees, as Voit hit 14 home runs in just 39 games after the deal in 2018. He followed that up with a generally solid 2019 campaign that saw him hit 21 long balls and slash .263/.378/.464 for a wRC+ of 126. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he somehow hit more home runs than the year prior, getting to 22, the most of anyone in the majors that year.
In 2021, however, he dealt with knee injuries for much of the campaign and only got into 68 contests. The club acquired Anthony Rizzo at the deadline to take over first base duties and then traded Voit to the Padres in the offseason. With San Diego, he posted a serviceable line of .225/.317/.416 for a wRC+ of 110, above league average but below his previous production. As the trade deadline neared, the Friars reportedly agreed to include Eric Hosmer in the trade that was to send Juan Soto and Josh Bell to San Diego. However, Hosmer used his limited no-trade clause to block the deal and the Padres sent Voit to Washington instead. After the deal, he hit .228/.295/.381 for a wRC+ of 90.
Voit initially qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player after 2020, meaning he was set to go through the process for a third time this winter. Because of his tremendous power, he earned a $4.7MM salary in 2021 and $5.25MM in 2022. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a raise to $8.2MM next year, but it appears the Nats aren’t willing to meet that price.
Voit will now become a free agent, joining a first base free agent market topped by names like Jose Abreu, Josh Bell, Trey Mancini and Yuli Gurriel. Given his tremendous power, Voit will surely garner some level of interest. But he’s a one-dimensional contributor, having never been considered a strong defender or a burner on the basepaths.
As for Fedde, 30 in February, he was a first-round draft choice of the club back in 2014. He appeared on Baseball America’s Top 100 list in three straight years beginning in 2015. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to deliver on that hype so far, posting a 5.41 ERA in 454 1/3 innings since debuting in 2017. His 48.9% ground ball rate in that time is fairly strong, but his 17.5% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate are both subpar. He qualified for arbitration the first time a year ago and got a pay bump to $2.15MM. He was projected to get up to $3.6MM for next year but it seems the Nats will move on after he posted a 5.81 ERA here in 2022. He’ll head to the open market and see if another team wants to take a shot on him based on his former prospect pedigree.
Cardinals Non-Tender Alex Reyes
The Cardinals announced they’re not tendering a contract to right-hander Alex Reyes or outfielder Ben DeLuzio. Both players head to free agency. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had predicted a $2.85MM arbitration salary for Reyes, while DeLuzio is not eligible for arbitration.
Reyes was once touted as one of the best prospects in all of baseball, regularly featuring on various publication’s top-100 lists, including a fourth-place ranking on Baseball America’s pre-2017 list of the best prospects in baseball. The foundation of that was some elite stuff, headlined by a triple-digit fastball and a lethal curveball.
After blowing away minor league batters, he made his big league debut in 2016 and didn’t disappoint. The then-21-year-old tossed 46 innings of 1.57 ERA ball, giving up just one home run and striking out batters 27.5% of the time. He looked every bit a major league pitcher, and looked certain to be a atop Cardinal rotations for many years to come.
Tommy John surgery prior would wipe out his 2017 campaign, but he looked like he was back to his best on minor league rehab stints in 2018, striking out 44 batters across 23 innings and four starts. Yet disaster would strike after Reyes was activated, as he went down just four innings into his first start back, and eventually undergoing season-ending surgery on a torn tendon in his lat.
He’d return in 2019, but walked six batters in three innings and was immediately optioned to the minor leagues. That began yet another injury-plagued year and Reyes would only add 37 1/3 innings of 6.03 ERA ball in the minors, as he again spent most of the season on the injured list.
The Cardinals brought him back in 2020, but now opted to utilize him out of the bullpen. While the walks were still a concern (16.3%), Reyes posted the best season since his 2016 effort, tossing 19 2/3 innings of 3.20 ERA ball, striking out batters 31.2% of the time. He followed that up with a lights out start to the 2021 campaign, pitching to a 1.52 ERA as St Louis’ closer and earning a trip to the All Star game. The second half was a different story though, and Reyes was dropped from the closer role and wound up with a dismal 5.52 second half ERA.
Injury problems returned again in 2022, and Reyes underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in May wiping out his season and leading the Cardinals to move on from him today. As it went, that rookie season accounted for 1.3 of his career 1.7 fWAR, an unfortunate return for a player who was once seen as a foundation piece in St Louis.
With that being said, his raw stuff still appears to be there, and despite all the injury problems his velocity has remained steadily in the upper-90s. Depending on his health, Reyes could make a very attractive reclamation project for any number of teams. He’s only 28, and teams would certainly love the opportunity to take a chance on an arm like his.
DeLuzio is the other Cardinal to be non-tendered. The center fielder appeared in 22 games in 2022, mostly as a defensive replacement as he made just 25 plate appearances, batting .150/.292/.200. Though many of the players being non-tendered today are arbitration-eligible, it’s not uncommon to see non-arbitration players informed they won’t receive a contract, as the Cardinals have done here to free up a 40-man spot.
Twins Tender Contract To Emilio Pagán
The Twins have tendered a contract to reliever Emilio Pagán, per Dan Hayes and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The news comes as at least a mild surprise, given Pagán’s struggles in recent years. The righty had a strong season with Tampa in 2019, posting a 2.31 ERA in 70 innings with a 36% strikeout rate and 4.9% walk rate. Unfortunately, the three subsequent seasons have been much less impressive for him. He went to the Padres prior to 2020 as part of the Manuel Margot trade but posted a 4.50 ERA that year while his strikeout rate dropped to 26.4% and his walk rate jumped to 10.3%. That might have been written off as an aberration from the bizarre circumstances of the pandemic year, but he posted a 4.83 ERA in 2021 despite dropping his walk rate to 6.8%.
He came to the Twins prior to 2022 in the Chris Paddack and Taylor Rogers trade. However, the change of scenery didn’t do him much good. He put up a 4.43 ERA on the year with his walk rate jumping back up to 9.5%. If the Twins saw reasons to be encouraged, it might have been with his strikeout rate jumping to 30.7% and his ground ball rate getting to 40.4%, that latter number being a career high. He was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a salary of $3.7MM in his final year before reaching free agency. He and the club have until January 13 to exchange figures in advance of a hearing, though they could agree to terms prior to that date.
Padres Meet With Kodai Senga
The Padres had a meeting with highly sought-after free agent pitcher Koudai Senga in San Diego yesterday, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic. He recently met with the Mets in New York, and has been drawing interest from a number of other teams, including the Angels, Red Sox, Rangers, Blue Jays, Mariners, Cubs and Dodgers.
Senga is seeking to make the move from Japan to the US after a sterling season in Nippon Professional Baseball. The right-hander tossed 144 innings of 1.94 ERA ball across 22 starts for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, striking out batters 27.5% of the time and walking them at an 8.6% rate. It’s an ideal platform year for a hurler who has been one Japan’s best for the past decade, and in over eleven seasons he boasts a 2.59 ERA across almost 1,100 innings.
The 29-year-old (30 in January) combines an upper-90s fast ball with a split-finger pitch to great effect, although there have been some concerns raised over his command and breaking pitch. With that being said, his track record in Japan speaks for itself, and it’s not surprising there’s a lengthy line of potential suitors showing interest.
For the Padres, Senga would be a boost to a rotation that already features Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, and the recently extender Nick Martinez. As Lin notes, Senga is close with Darvish and played with both Martinez and reliever Robert Suarez in Japan, so there’s some familiar faces in that pitching corps there that certainly wouldn’t hurt when trying to sell Senga on San Diego.
As Senga is a true free agent after reaching nine years of service time in Japan, his signing won’t require the acquiring team to pay a posting fee to Fukuoka. MLBTR predicted a five-year, $75MM deal for Senga recently. According to RosterResource, the Padres 2023 payroll is already projected to be right around their 2022 mark, although owner Peter Seidler hasn’t been afraid to make a big splash in recent seasons, so it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see their payroll increase next year.
Cubs Claim Rylan Bannon From Braves
The Cubs have claimed infielder Rylan Bannon off waivers from the Braves, according to a club announcement. Atlanta had designated him for assignment last week.
Bannon has moved around the league over the past couple months. A longtime Orioles farmhand, he was designated for assignment by Baltimore in early August. He moved to the Dodgers and Braves in rapid succession via waivers. He didn’t play in the majors with L.A. and only suited up once for Atlanta, appearing as a late-game defensive substitution. Bannon only has five games of big league experience overall, but he’s attracted interest from a number of teams as infield depth.
The 26-year-old has had some decent showings in the high minors. He’s a career .227/.337/.415 hitter at the Triple-A level. That includes a more impressive .249/.367/.421 line across 411 plate appearances this year. Bannon strikes out a fair amount, but he hit 13 home runs and walked in a stellar 14.4% of his trips to the plate. He’s also capable of playing either second or third base, making him a versatile depth piece.
With one minor league option year remaining, Bannon can be freely moved between Chicago and Triple-A Iowa next season if he holds his 40-man roster spot. His claim brings the Cubs 40-man roster tally to 39.