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Tigers Claim Jermaine Palacios, Designate Drew Hutchison

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The Tigers have claimed utility man Jermaine Palacios off waivers from the Twins, according to MLB.com’s transaction tracker. In a corresponding move, Detroit is designating starting pitcher Drew Hutchison for assignment. Chris McCosky of the Detroit News has confirmed the moves.

Palacios made his debut in the majors this year, appearing in 30 games for the Twins and slashing .143/.184/.229 with two home runs. That underwhelming offensive return was offset somewhat by the defensive versatility the 26 year old offered, logging time at all four infield positions. Palacios did hit a much healthier .283/.341/.462 with 14 home runs across 428 plate appearances at Triple A St. Paul, so there is some hope for his bat to develop a bit in the majors.

Palacios was signed out of Venezuela in 2013, and spent five years in the Twins organization before being dealt to the Rays in the 2018 trade for Jake Odorizzi. He elected minor league free agency at the end of 2020, and he rejoined the Twins that offseason and checked in as their 18th best prospect this year, according to MLB.com. He’ll add some defensive versatility in the Tigers infield, while they’ll look to unlock a bit of the potential he’s shown in the minors with the bat.

For Hutchison, it’s the third time he’s been DFA’d by the Tigers this year. After initially signing with the Tigers on a minor league deal he made the team out of spring training but wound up being DFA’d and released in May and June before immediately re-signing with the team. Hutchison logged 105.1 innings for the Tigers in 2022, pitching to a 4.53 ERA across 18 starts and ten appearances out of the bullpen. The 32 year old struck out just 14.7% of batters faced, while walking 9.1% of the time. Those numbers are largely in line with Hutchison’s career numbers, having pitched to a lifetime 4.89 ERA across nearly 600 innings in the big leagues.

Hutchison is arbitration eligible for another season, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him to receive a $1.8MM salary. That always made him a likely non-tender candidate, so it’s not surprising to see Detroit take him off the roster when a player of interest popped up on the waiver wire. Hutchison seems likely to clear waivers and elect free agency, where he’ll seek out another opportunity this winter.

Red Sox Claim Caleb Hamilton, Designate Abraham Almonte

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The Red Sox have claimed catcher Caleb Hamilton off waivers from the Twins, according to the transactions tracker at MLB.com. Outfielder Abraham Almonte was designated for assignment in a corresponding 40-man move. Chris Cotillo of MassLive confirmed the transactions (on Twitter).

Hamilton changes organizations for the first time in his career. The Oregon State product entered the professional ranks as a late-round Twins draftee back in 2016. He’s spent seven years climbing the minor league ladder and was rewarded with his first big league call when Ryan Jeffers landed on the injured list in mid-July. He appeared in 22 MLB games but only started four times and tallied 23 plate appearances. He struck out in 14 of them, an obviously untenable rate. He did, however, collect his first big league hit — a solo homer off José Quijada.

The 27-year-old spent the majority of the season at Triple-A St. Paul, where he had a solid showing. Over 251 plate appearances, he hit .233/.367/.442 with 11 home runs. He went down on strikes 26.7% of the time and didn’t post a particularly impressive batting average, but he showed the best power of his professional career and worked walks at a stellar 17.1% clip. That patient plate approach is clearly of some interest to the Red Sox, who add Hamilton to Reese McGuire, Connor Wong and Ronaldo Hernandez as backstops on the 40-man roster.

Hamilton only exhausted his first of three minor league options this year. If he holds his spot on the 40-man roster, the Sox can shuttle him between Boston and Triple-A Worcester for the foreseeable future. He’s still three years away from arbitration eligibility, so he’d be an affordable depth option for the Red Sox if they devote him a 40-man position.

Almonte is a journeyman who has gotten to the majors in each of the past nine years. He cracked Boston’s roster after the team had fallen out of contention in September, appearing in 15 games down the stretch. The switch-hitter picked up nine hits, including a homer, in 37 plate appearances. Still, it never seemed likely the Red Sox would tender him an arbitration contract this offseason. His projected $900K salary wasn’t onerous, but he always looked like a temporary stopgap for the season’s final few weeks.

The Red Sox will place Almonte on waivers in the next few days. He’s virtually certain to clear and elect free agency, as is his right as a player with more than five years of MLB service. The 33-year-old is coming off a .293/.417/.534 showing in Triple-A, so he shouldn’t have an issue finding another minor league opportunity with a Spring Training invitation this winter.

Orioles Claim Jake Cave, Designate Jake Reed

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The Orioles have claimed outfielder Jake Cave off waivers from the Twins, according to the MLB.com transactions tracker. Baltimore is designating reliever Jake Reed for assignment in a corresponding move. Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com confirms the news (Twitter link).

Cave has played parts of five big league seasons, all of them with Minnesota. He was initially drafted by the Yankees but dealt to the Twins before making his major league debut in 2018. The former sixth-round pick played well in part-time action during his first two seasons, hitting 21 home runs over 163 games. He’s had a tougher go over the last three seasons, largely due to increasing issues making contact. Dating back to the start of the 2020 campaign, Cave owns a .206/.262/.351 line in 478 trips to the plate.

The Twins ran Cave through outright waivers last offseason, but he made it back to the majors in early August. He posted a .213/.260/.384 showing with five homers in 54 games, swinging through 17% of pitches he saw. It wasn’t a great big league showing, but the 29-year-old had been very impressive during a longer run with Triple-A St. Paul. Cave popped 14 homers in 373 plate appearances with the Saints, posting an overall .273/.370/.509 line. His 24.9% strikeout rate was still a bit higher than average, but he showed solid power and walked at a strong 11.5% rate.

Cave adds some left-handed hitting outfield depth to Baltimore’s ranks, at least for the moment. He has a fair bit of experience at all three spots on the grass, although public metrics haven’t been fond of his work in center field. He’s a career .243/.314/.430 hitter against right-handed pitching, and he’s been essentially unplayable (.210/.240/.352) in 230 plate appearances against southpaws.

With between three and four years of major league service time, Cave is eligible for arbitration through 2024. He’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $1.2MM salary if tendered a contract. It’s possible Baltimore still elects to non-tender him next month (perhaps with hopes of re-signing him to a cheaper or minor league deal), but they’ll add him to the 40-man roster for the time being. Cave still has one minor league option year remaining, so the O’s could keep him at Triple-A Norfolk next year if he holds his spot on the 40-man.

Reed is a recent waiver claim himself, having been added from the Dodgers five weeks ago. The low-slot righty made eight appearances with the O’s, allowing six runs (four earned) in 5 2/3 innings. He suited up with three different teams overall in 2022, also pitching for the Mets and Dodgers. Between the trio of clubs, the 30-year-old posted a 7.02 ERA with a modest 16.9% strikeout rate in 16 2/3 frames.

Despite his lack of major league success, Reed has been a fairly frequent target for teams once he’s hit the waiver wire. That’s in large part thanks to his solid Triple-A track record, as he owns a 3.84 ERA through parts of six seasons at that level. Reed has fanned an above-average 25.6% of batters faced there while walking 9.5% of opponents.

Reed will hit the waiver wire again in the coming days. Like Cave, he still has an option year remaining and could serve as a depth player if another team were to put in a claim. If he passes through the wire unclaimed, he’d have the right to refuse an outright assignment and elect free agency based on his minor league service time.

Padres Activate Mike Clevinger For NL Division Series

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The Padres went to Queens and took two out of three to knock off the Mets last week. They’ll now start a five-game set looking to take down the Dodgers, a team that was 22 games clear of them for the lead in the NL West. San Diego makes one change to their roster from the Mets series.

Here’s how it all breaks down:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

The only adjustment for the Friars is the installation of Mike Clevinger onto the Division Series roster. The right-hander was sidelined by a non-COVID illness late in the regular season. While he reported to the team in Flushing, the Friars didn’t carry him on the roster for the series. Clevinger, who had a 4.33 ERA with a career-low 18.8% strikeout rate over 114 1/3 innings this year, may not have gotten a start over Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove during the three-game set regardless. With the potential for a five-game series this time around, San Diego adds an extra arm to the staff. Clevinger will step right into the mix with a Game One start after the Friars deployed their top three arms late last week.

As a result, the Padres swap out infielder Brandon Dixon. Carried as a right-handed bench bat during the first set, Dixon didn’t make an appearance. He won’t be an option for manager Bob Melvin this series unless he’s added as an injury replacement.

Eric Kay Sentenced To 22 Years In Prison For Drug Distribution Related To Death Of Tyler Skaggs

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Former Angels communications director Eric Kay has been sentenced to 22 years in prison after being convicted of drug distribution resulting in the death of Halos pitcher Tyler Skaggs, Gus Garcia-Roberts of the Washington Post was among those to report. Terry Means, a judge in the Northern District of Texas, handed down the sentence.

Kay was convicted by a Fort Worth jury in February of supplying Skaggs with fentanyl that led to his death in July 2019. The Angels were playing a road series against the Rangers at the time.

At the trial, a number of former Halos players testified they’d received opiates from Kay during their time playing in Anaheim. Matt Harvey, who admitted on the witness stand that he’d also supplied Skaggs with a controlled substance, was hit with a 60-game suspension by MLB in May for violating the joint drug agreement. Harvey was granted immunity from criminal prosecution for his testimony, and the trial jury found beyond a reasonable doubt the drugs supplied by Kay were those which caused Skaggs’ death.

The conviction carried a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison. Judge Means announced at the sentencing hearing he went above that minimum after hearing disparaging remarks Kay had made about Skaggs (which are excerpted in the Post’s report) while in prison. Kay’s mother tells Garcia-Roberts his family plans to appeal the conviction.

DJ LeMahieu Not On Yankees’ AL Division Series Roster Due To Foot Injury

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The Yankees were on a record wins pace early in the season. They hit a midseason lull and tailed off a bit down the stretch, but a strong month of September locked up the AL East title in convincing fashion. Their reward: a first-round bye as the AL’s #2 seed and an ALDS matchup with the Guardians, the Central division champs who dispatched the Rays in two games in their Wild Card round.

Here’s the roster the Yankees will roll out for this set:

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Designated Hitter

Injuries are much of the story for New York. Notably, infielder DJ LeMahieu is not on the roster, as he continues to battle a right foot injury. The veteran hitter was reinstated from the injured list on September 30 after missing three weeks with toe inflammation. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter link) that LeMahieu has a fracture in his foot/toe area that inhibits his ability to swing. While the Yankees aren’t ruling him out for the entirety of the postseason, he won’t be an option for this series and could be sidelined even if New York advances.

In LeMahieu’s place, the Yankees welcome back Matt Carpenter from the 60-day injured list. Carpenter has been out since the second week of August with a foot fracture of his own, his occurring after fouling a ball off his foot. While the 36-year-old hasn’t played in a game since the injury, he has taken live batting practice in recent days. Manager Aaron Boone informed reporters this afternoon he’s likely to deploy Carpenter as a left-handed bench bat but didn’t entirely rule out the possibility he sees some defensive action (Twitter link via Yankees Videos). Signed to a major league deal after being granted his release from a minor league pact with Texas in May, Carpenter ranked at a .305/.412/.727 clip in 47 games before going down.

There’s also a fair bit of intrigue in the bullpen. It was surprisingly revealed this morning that Scott Effross would require Tommy John surgery. He’s of course not on the roster, while Aroldis Chapman has been left off after missing a team workout last week. Boone told reporters that Chapman has been throwing in Miami over the past few days but “for now, he’s staying away” from the team (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Clay Holmes is on the roster after not pitching since September 26 due to a shoulder issue.

Guardians Announce ALDS Roster

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The Guardians defeated the Rays in the Wild Card round and will now face the Yankees in the ALDS. They have announced their roster for the second round, with a few changes from last time. Right-hander Nick Sandlin and left-hander Kirk McCarty have been replaced by righties Aaron Civale and Cody Morris. The full roster breaks down like this…

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catcher

Infielders

Outfielders

The removal of Sandlin is not surprising, as it was reported yesterday that he has a strain in his upper back/shoulder that will keep him out of action for the remainder of the postseason. That will deprive the Guardians of a reliever who tossed 44 innings in the regular season this year, posting an ERA of 2.25 while getting grounders on 55.9% of balls in play.

McCarty was one of two lefties on the club’s Wild Card roster and his removal for the ALDS leaves Hentges as the only southpaw for the Guards to deploy against the Yankees. The Yankees have a lineup that leans right-handed, with Anthony Rizzo and Matt Carpenter the only two who hit exclusively from the left side. They also have a handful of switch-hitters in Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Cabrera and Marwin Gonzalez. McCarty registered a 4.54 ERA in 37 2/3 frames at the big league level this year, though a much better 3.58 ERA over 65 1/3 innings in Triple-A. Hentges, on the other hand, had an outstanding campaign, throwing 62 innings with a 2.32 ERA, 29.4% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate and 61.5% ground ball rate. He also tossed the last three scoreless innings in the club’s 15-inning 1-0 victory over the Rays on Saturday.

Both Civale and Morris have the potential to give Cleveland some length, whenever they are needed. Civale made 20 starts this year and threw 97 innings. His 4.92 ERA isn’t especially impressive, though a lot of that damage was done over his first six starts. Since mid-May, he’s had a much more respectable 3.24 ERA. Morris missed the first few months of the season with a shoulder strain but eventually made 16 appearances between the majors and minors, which included five starts in the big leagues. This year’s ALDS features a unique schedule where there are off-days after the first and second games, with the final three being played on consecutive days, if necessary. After going with Quantrill, Bieber and McKenzie in the first three games, the Guardians could potentially turn to Quantrill on regular rest in game four and then Bieber on short rest in game five. Civale and Morris could contribute multiple innings at some point over the series, depending on how it progresses.

Pitching was the big storyline in the series against Tampa, as Cleveland held onto narrow victories of 2-1 and 1-0 in the Wild Card round. They will be facing a more potent offense this time around though, as Tampa’s .239/.309/.377 batting line for the year was just a hair above average, as evidenced by their collective 101 wRC+. The Yankees slashed .241/.325/.426 for a wRC+ of 115, the fourth-best mark in the majors.

Zack Meisel of The Athletic was among those to relay the roster changes prior to the official announcement.

Dodgers’ NLDS Roster Does Not Include Craig Kimbrel

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The Dodgers announced their roster for the NLDS today, with right-hander Craig Kimbrel not making the cut. Here’s who did make it…

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

The Dodgers are in the postseason for a tenth consecutive season, winning the NL West in each of those seasons except last year. However, 2022 was the most impressive of the bunch as the club went 111-51, the highest win total in franchise history. They will now face off against division rivals, squaring up against the Padres in a best-of-five series.

Kimbrel’s omission from the roster is the latest step in what has been an extremely mercurial portion of his career. From 2010 to 2018, Kimbrel was one of the most dominant relievers in the sport, pitching to a 1.91 ERA while striking out 41.6% of batters faced and racking up 333 saves.

Since then, however, it’s been a rollercoaster for the righty. He was issued a qualifying offer by the Red Sox after the 2018 season, which he declined. He lingered on the open market all the way until June, eventually signing with the Cubs once the draft had already taken place and he was no longer attached to draft pick forfeiture. After missing nearly half the season, Kimbrel struggled that year by putting up a 6.53 ERA, then struggled again the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign with a 5.28 ERA.

In the first half of 2021, he seemingly got the train back on the tracks, registering a 0.49 ERA over 36 2/3 innings, getting traded from the Cubs to the White Sox. However, the pendulum swung the other way after the trade, with Kimbrel posting a 5.09 ERA after moving across town. Nonetheless, they Sox picked up his $16MM option before trading him to the Dodgers for AJ Pollock. Kimbrel recorded 22 saves for Los Angeles but was eventually moved off the closer role in September and now seems to have dropped far enough on the bullpen chart to be excluded from their playoff plans, unless an injury opens a spot for him down the line. He has a 3.75 ERA on the season, with a 27.7% strikeout rate that’s above league average but well below any of his previous seasons.

The exclusion of Kimbrel might actually say more about the Dodger bullpen than it does about him. Overall, the club’s relievers posted a 2.87 ERA this year, second only to the Astros, though L.A.’s bullpen logged 85 2/3 more innings than Houston’s. Along with quality starting pitching, an elite offense and strong defense, it’s not hard to see how this was the best team in baseball this year.

Astros Announce ALDS Roster

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The Astros put up a 106-56 record this year, cruising to a second straight AL West title, a bye through the Wild Card round and a sixth consecutive postseason appearance.

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

The Astros have a well-rounded roster but arguably the most-impressive part of it this year has been the starting pitching. The club’s starters threw a combined 950 innings this year, easily the most in baseball, with Cleveland’s 907 frames a distant second. Houston’s starting core didn’t just provide quantity, as the quality was there as well. Their 2.95 ERA was bested only by the Dodgers, who put up a 2.75 mark but in a smaller workload of 870 1/3 innings. Advanced metrics such as FIP, xFIP and SIERA actually pegged the Astros’ starters at being a smidge better than their counterparts in Los Angeles.

Even during the regular season, the club’s rotation was so strong that a solid starter like Cristian Javier was bumped to the bullpen for a time. In a short playoff series, that gives the club plenty of flexibility. This year’s ALDS has an odd schedule that features off-days after both Game 1 and Game 2. That means Verlander could start Game 1 and then also take the ball in Game 4 on regular rest. With Valdez and McCullers starting the games in between, that pushes Javier, Garcia and Urquidy to the bullpen or perhaps starting a fifth game, though Valdez could also be tapped to go on short rest.

Perhaps the most notable thing about this roster is what it lacks: left-handed pitching. With Valdez being the only southpaw on the roster, the club will have no lefties available out of the bullpen. That’s nothing new, however, as the only lefties other than Framber to throw more than ten innings for the Astros this year were Blake Taylor and deadline-acquisition Will Smith. Taylor has missed most of the season due to injury and last appeared with the big league club in June, but the omission of Smith is notable. Acquired in a deadline deal that sent Jake Odorizzi to Atlanta, Smith was struggling a bit in the first half, registering a 4.38 ERA prior to the trade. He righted the ship somewhat after, putting up a 3.27 ERA after becoming an Astro, though it evidently wasn’t enough to get him a roster spot. Despite playing with a lack of lefties through most of the season, Houston still held left-handed hitters to a line of .202/.272/.319, meaning there’s little reason for them to worry.

Another notable absence is Phil Maton, who pitched to a 3.84 ERA over 65 2/3 innings this year. He will be done for the year after punching a locker in frustration last week and breaking a bone in his hand.

Phil Maton Done For The Season Due To Hand Surgery

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Astros right-hander Phil Maton told reporters today, including Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle, that he fractured the fifth metacarpal in his right pinkie finger after punching his locker on Wednesday. He has already had surgery and won’t be able to return this season.

Maton, 29, has just finished his sixth MLB season, throwing 65 2/3 innings out of Houston’s bullpen. He registered a 3.84 ERA along with a 26% strikeout rate, 8.5% walk rate and 38.2% ground ball rate. He moved into higher leverage positions this season, earning 14 holds after never previously cracking double digits.

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweeted video of Maton’s comments, where the reliever relays that he punched his locker because he was upset with how his outing went. It’s unknown if it’s related, but Wednesday was the final game of the season wherein his brother, Nick Maton of the Phillies, singled off him. Phil goes on to describe his actions as “short-sighted” and “selfish” before hoping that his absence doesn’t hurt the team. He says he’s expected to be in a cast for the next eight weeks but will be ready for Spring Training.

The Astros are set to begin their ALDS series against the Mariners and will now do so without Maton. He had a strong showing with Houston in the playoffs last year, throwing 12 1/3 innings with a 0.73 ERA, though he won’t be able to contribute this time around. Maton is earning $1.55MM this year and can be retained for one more season via arbitration. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects that Maton would earn a raise into the vicinity of $2.5MM for next year.

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