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Andrew Stevenson

NPB’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters Sign Andrew Stevenson

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12:50pm: Darren Wolfson of Skor North relayed the financials. Stevenson will be guarantee $850K with a club option that could make it $2.4MM over two years.

12:32pm: The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball have signed outfielder Andrew Stevenson, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

Stevenson, 30 in June, has 273 games of major league experience. Most of that was with the Nationals, though he was in the Twins’ organization in 2023. Broadly speaking, he has served as a glove-first outfielder in that time. He has eight home runs in 489 plate appearances, batting .243/.316/.352 overall for a wRC+ of 80. His glovework has resulted in four Defensive Runs Saved, three Outs Above Average and a grade of 4.8 from Ultimate Zone Rating.

He signed a minor league deal with the Twins back in March and was added to the roster in September. He had performed very well in Triple-A, hitting .317/.394/.522 while stealing 44 bases. He played 25 major league games down the stretch but hit just .189/.250/.216 in those, though he did swipe another four bags. He was outrighted by the Twins and elected free agency in October.

Despite his speed-and-defense, Stevenson has struggled to hold onto a big league roster spot in recent years, both due to his lack of hitting in the majors and because he burned his final option year in 2021. He didn’t get to the big leagues at all in 2022 and was just a September call-up in the most recent campaign.

Had he stayed in North America for 2024, he likely would have had to settle for another minor league deal. But by heading overseas, he will lock in a nice guarantee for himself. The financials of this deal aren’t publicly known but guys who move from MLB to NPB generally get paid a salary close to the MLB minimum. If he succeeds for the Fighters, that could perhaps lead to some more earnings in Japan and/or a return to North America down the line.

Twins Outright Jordan Luplow

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The Twins announced to reporters, including Dan Hayes of The Athletic, that outfielder Jordan Luplow elected free agency after being outrighted off the 40-man roster. Outfielder Andrew Stevenson and right-hander José De León, who were outrighted last week, also elected free agency. The removal of Luplow opens up another spot on Minnesota’s 40-man roster in advance of the offseason.

Luplow, 30, has bounced around the league quite a bit in his career, with teams often trying to deploy him as a lefty-mashing right-handed role player. He has shown enough flashes of promise in this role that he has been employed in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Tampa and Arizona in previous seasons. His best stretch was with Cleveland in 2019 when he hit .276/.372/.551 in 261 plate appearances for a wRC+ of 141, most of that damage being done against southpaws.

He was cut by the Diamondbacks at the end of 2022 and then signed with Atlanta on a one-year deal with a $1.4MM guarantee. But he was optioned to the minors to start the year and was designated for assignment in early April, never suiting up for Atlanta at the big league level. Waivers claims would take him to the Blue Jays and Twins as the season progressed and he eventually got into 39 games in the most recent season. He hit a paltry .154/.267/.154 against righties but his .235/.350/.412 line with the platoon advantage amounted to a wRC+ of 110.

Despite that solid work in his specific role, Luplow didn’t crack the club’s playoff roster. He could have been retained for 2024 via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a salary of $1.6MM, but it seems the Twins weren’t willing to keep him around at that price point. Since Luplow was outrighted, that means he passed through waivers unclaimed.

Players with more than three years of service time or a previous career outright can reject a further outright assignment in favor of free agency. Luplow qualifies on both accounts and will now head to the open market. He will likely garner interest from clubs this winter, likely for a similar depth role to the one he filled this year.

Twins Outright Andrew Stevenson, José De León

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The Twins have outrighted right-hander José De León and outfielder Andrew Stevenson, per the transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates both players were removed from the 40-man roster after passing through waivers unclaimed.

Stevenson, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Twins in March and was selected to the roster in September. He had a strong performance in Triple-A, hitting .317/.394/.522 while stealing 44 bases. He got into 25 games at the big league level down the stretch but hit just .189/.250/.216 in those, though he did add another four steals.

Any of the 30 other clubs could have added Stevenson via a waiver claim but he’s out of options, meaning he would need an active roster spot going forward as well. It seems none of them were willing to do so and he passed through waivers unclaimed. Since he has been previously outrighted in his career, he has the right to reject this assignment and elect free agency. His strong season at the Triple-A level will surely be enough to get him another minor league deal this winter.

De León, 31, was once considered one of the best prospects in the league but has been repeatedly setback by injuries. He tossed 17 1/3 innings for the Twins this year but required Tommy John surgery in June. It was the second such procedure of his career, the first coming back in 2018. He spent the latter months of the 2023 campaign on the 60-day injured list and will likely miss most of the 2024 season as well.

The righty would have been eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter but the Twins have removed him from the roster instead and the 29 other clubs passed on the chance to grab him, which is understandable given that he won’t be able to provide much in the upcoming season. Since he has over three years of major league service time, he has the right to elect free agency. Based on his prospect pedigree, he should be able to land a minor league somewhere, perhaps of the two-year variety since his 2024 is up in the air right now.

Twins To Select Andrew Stevenson

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The Twins announced that they have selected outfielder Andrew Stevenson to take one of the two spots on the expanded active roster, with left-hander Brent Headrick recalled to take the other. To open a spot on the 40-man for Stevenson, infielder José Miranda was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reported on Stevenson’s promotion prior to the official announcement.

Stevenson, 29, spent his entire career with the Nationals before reaching free agency after last year, after which he signed a minor league deal with the Twins. He’s played 106 games for Triple-A St. Paul this year, hitting 16 home runs and stealing 44 bases. His .317/.394/.522 batting line translates to a wRC+ of 129, indicating he’s been 29% better than league average, even in the heightened offensive environment of this year’s International League.

That strong performance will get Stevenson back to the majors. He already has 248 games of big league experience from his time with the Nats, hitting .248/.322/.365 in that time. He has played all three outfield positions in the majors and with the Saints this year, giving the Twins some extra depth all around the grass.

The club already has a fairly crowded outfield mix, with Michael A. Taylor the regular in center, with Max Kepler, Matt Wallner, Joey Gallo and Jordan Luplow all in the mix for playing time. Byron Buxton recently began a rehab assignment and has started playing center field again, after only serving as the designated hitter so far this year. Taylor is hitting just .228/.280/.417 against righties this year for a wRC+ of 89. That’s led to Gallo playing center on some days of late, but perhaps the lefty-swinging Stevenson could factor in there and push Gallo to a corner or first base.

Even if Stevenson can’t carve out regular playing time, he figures to be a useful bench piece. His 44 steals in Triple-A this year suggest he could be a pinch runner in key situations, at the very least. He won’t be able to reach the three-year service time mark this year, so the Twins could retain him for three more seasons via arbitration if they so choose. He is out of options, however, and can’t be sent back to the minors without first being exposed to waivers.

As for Miranda, he’s already been out of action close to 60 days, having landed on the IL on July 12 due to a right shoulder impingement. He’ll be eligible to be activated in a little over a week but has yet to begin a rehab assignment.

Twins Sign Andrew Stevenson To Minor League Deal

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The Twins have signed outfielder Andrew Stevenson to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com.

This will be just the second organization in the career of Stevenson, who turns 29 in June. He was drafted by the Nationals in 2015 and has spent his entire career in that organization thus far. That included 248 major league games from 2017 to 2021, wherein Stevenson hit .248/.322/.365. His 8.2% walk rate was around league average but he also struck out at a 28.1% clip. Overall, his production amounted to a wRC+ of 84, indicating he was 16% below league average.

Stevenson played all three outfield positions in that time and was generally graded well at all three. Looking at his outfield work in aggregate, he posted a +2 from Defensive Runs Saved, +1 from Outs Above Average and +2.7 from Ultimate Zone Rating.

He was outrighted in April of last year and spent the season in Triple-A, having a solid showing at the plate there. He hit 16 home runs and slashed .279/.344/.457 for a 111 wRC+, stealing 39 bases along the way. He didn’t get called back up to the big league squad and reached free agency at season’s end.

Stevenson is a solid depth add with his speed and defense, but he might have trouble cracking the Twins’ roster. They already have Byron Buxton and Michael A. Taylor set to handle center field duties, with a bunch of left-handed hitting options for the corners such as Max Kepler, Joey Gallo, Alex Kirilloff, Nick Gordon, Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner. Kirilloff could be playing first base everyday and Gordon could be in a super utility role, but it’s still a fairly crowded group.

If Stevenson is able to muscle his way in there and crack the roster, he’s out of options, limiting his roster flexibility. However, he does have less than three years of MLB service time, giving the club the ability to retain him for future seasons via arbitration if he breaks out at the plate.

Roster Notes: Nationals, A’s, Royals

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Andrew Stevenson of the Nationals has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, per the team. Stevenson can provide solid defense and baserunning, but those aren’t particular needs for a Washington team planning to start Lane Thomas and Victor Robles alongside superstar Juan Soto. Yadiel Hernandez and Gerardo Parra are the pure outfielders remaining in camp with a chance to win the fourth outfielder spot, while Ehire Adrianza is also capable of playing in the grass. As for Stevenson, he will have 48 hours to accept his assignment or elect free agency. Let’s check in on  some other roster updates from around the game…

Players Avoiding Arbitration: 11/29/21

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With the non-tender deadline on the horizon, expect quite a few players to agree to contracts for the 2022 season over the next 24 hours, avoiding arbitration in advance. In many (but not all) cases, these deals — referred to as “pre-tender” deals because they fall prior to the deadline — will fall shy of expectations and projections. Teams will sometimes present borderline non-tender candidates with a “take it or leave it” style offer which will be accepted for fear of being non-tendered and sent out into an uncertain market. Speculatively, such deals could increase this offseason due to a desire among players to avoid the potential uncertainty of a lockout and accompanying transactions freeze after the current collective bargaining agreement expires Wednesday evening.

View projected salaries by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz:

Today’s Agreements

  • The Athletics have agreed to deals with utilitymen Chad Pinder and Tony Kemp, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (via Twitter). Pinder will make $2.725MM, while Kemp lands a $2.25MM salary. Pinder, a career-long member of the organization, is headed into his final season of arbitration control. Kemp remains controllable through 2023. Pinder hit .243/.300/.411 in 2021; Kemp’s coming off a very productive .279/.382/.418 showing.
  • The Pirates announced they’ve agreed to terms with outfielder Ben Gamel. The 29-year-old will receive a $1.8MM guarantee, with the opportunity to earn an additional $200K in incentives based on plate appearance thresholds, reports Rosenthal (on Twitter). Gamel is entering his final year of club control, coming off a .247/.347/.388 showing over 400 plate appearances between Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
  • The Nationals announced agreement with outfielder Andrew Stevenson. He’ll receive an $850K salary, reports Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (on Twitter). The 27-year-old qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player and will remain under club control through 2025 so long as he sticks on the 40-man roster. He hit .229/.294/.339 with five homers over 213 plate appearances this past season.

Nationals Reinstate Starlin Castro, Outright Rogelio Armenteros

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The Nationals announced they’ve reinstated infielder Starlin Castro from the restricted list. Also returning to the active roster is right-hander Austin Voth, who’s been on the 10-day injured list due to a broken nose. Reliever Ryne Harper was optioned to Triple-A Rochester, while outfielder Andrew Stevenson has been placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to June 17, with an oblique strain. Additionally, righty Rogelio Armenteros, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Rochester.

Castro went on the restricted list earlier this week to attend a personal matter. He’ll return after a three-day absence. Castro, who has started 62 of the Nationals 65 games this season at third base, will return to his customary role at the hot corner. He’ll look to right the ship after a brutal start to the campaign. The 31-year-old has hit just .239/.287/.312 over 254 plate appearances, a far cry from his generally average offensive output the three seasons prior. Castro, who is in the final season of a two-year, $12MM contract with the fourth-place Nats, could be a potential trade candidate before the July 30 deadline, although he’ll need to substantially pick up his performance at the plate to attract much interest.

Voth returns after a minimal IL stint, a fortunate development given the scariness of his injury. The 28-year-old was struck in the face by a Vince Velasquez pitch during his first start of the season. Voth, who has otherwise spent the entire year working out of the bullpen, has pitched to a solid 2.73 ERA/3.70 SIERA in 29 2/3 innings.

The Nationals will keep Armenteros in the organization without devoting him a 40-man roster spot. Washington claimed the 26-year-old off waivers from the Diamondbacks last winter. Once a decently regarded prospect in the Houston system, Armenteros made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2019. He tossed 18 innings of 4.00 ERA/4.08 SIERA ball that year but missed last season with bone spurs in his elbow. The righty has spent all of 2021 in Rochester, struggling over seven starts. Through 29 1/3 Triple-A frames, Armenteros has managed just a 5.83 ERA while walking an uncharacteristically high 14.2% of opposing hitters. He’ll stick around with the Red Wings and look to pitch his way back onto the 40-man roster at some point this year.

Nationals Activate Juan Soto

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The Nationals have activated outfielder Juan Soto and right-hander Wander Suero from the injured list, the team announced. Outfielder Andrew Stevenson was optioned to the alternate training site to open one roster spot, while the team’s recent placement of Will Harris on the IL left them with an existing vacancy.

Soto isn’t in tonight’s lineup, manager Dave Martinez told reporters (Twitter thread via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com), but he’s available to pinch-hit. Soto himself told the club that he felt he needed at least another day to get up to speed for a full nine-inning game. The 21-year-old has yet to play this season since testing positive for Covid-19 on Opening Day and also missed much of the team’s Summer Camp, so he’s a bit behind. Recently signed utilityman Josh Harrison is getting the nod in left field in Soto’s place tonight.

The Nats have gone 3-4 in Soto’s absence. Their schedule has been partly interrupted by the Marlins’ Covid-19 outbreak, as the Nats were scheduled to face the Fish over the weekend but saw that series postponed due to ongoing health concerns with the Miami organization. In a way, the Nationals will benefit from that postponement, as they’ll now likely have Soto back in the fold for three games he’d have otherwise missed. For the time being, they’ll host the Mets for the first of a two-game set. Washington’s next dozen games will come against the Mets and the Orioles. Soto won’t be back in the everyday lineup right out of the gate, but he’ll be back in the heart of the order before long.

Nationals Option Six Players To Minor Leagues

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The Nationals optioned six players to their Triple-A and Double-A affiliates, as per a team announcement.  Right-hander Erick Fedde and catcher Tres Barrera are heading to Triple-A Fresno, while outfielder Andrew Stevenson, infielder Adrian Sanchez, and right-handers Kyle Finnegan and James Bourque are all going to Double-A.

Finnegan is the only member of the group who hasn’t seen any Major League action, with Barrera (two games) and Bourque (one game) each getting a cup of coffee in the bigs last season while Fedde, Sanchez, and Stevenson have all been somewhat regular members of Washington’s roster.

Fedde is perhaps the most prominent name in the group, owing to his status as the 18th overall pick of the 2014 draft.  His pro career got off to a delayed start due to the Tommy John surgery he underwent just a month before that draft, and despite some solid numbers in the minors, Fedde has yet to break out after pitching in parts of the last three seasons.  Over 143 2/3 career MLB innings, Fedde has a 5.39 ERA, 1.62 K/BB rate, and a 6.4 K/9.  That latter statistic is largely fueled by a 4.73 K/9 over 78 innings in 2019, as Fedde missed very few bats but still managed a 4.50 ERA due to an impressive 51% grounder rate.  Fedde has consistently posted high grounder rates both in the majors and minors, though he has also run into problems with the long ball against big league hitters, with a career 20.9% homer/fly ball rate.

The Nationals went into Spring Training with Fedde, Joe Ross, and Austin Voth all competing for the fifth starter role, though Fedde was facing something of an uphill battle since he was the only one of the trio who still had a minor league option remaining.  Fedde did at least help his cause with some good spring numbers, posting a 2.45 ERA and seven strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings of work.

It seems very likely Fedde will still play a notable role in the Nationals’ 2020 title defense season, as the shortened schedule will require every team to deploy a number of pitchers to keep everyone fresh.  The same will also be true on the position player side, so Stevenson and Sanchez (and quite possibly Bourque, Barrera, and Finnegan) are likely to factor into Washington’s plans.

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