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Blaine Hardy

Blaine Hardy Signs With Sioux City Explorers

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The Sioux City Explorers of the independent American Association announced that left-hander Blaine Hardy has signed a one-year contract.  Hardy had just one inning of big league work last season, allowing two earned runs in one frame of work for the Brewers last August 3.

2021 was a comeback season for Hardy, as he was returning from a Tommy John surgery in March 2020.  Hardy had signed a minors contract with the Twins just a few months prior to his surgery, but ended up never pitching for the organization.  Hardy caught on with the Brewers on another minor league contract in the 2020-21 offseason and saw a good deal of work with Triple-A Nashville, posting a 2.63 ERA, 22.1% strikeout rate, and 10.4% walk rate over 68 1/3 innings.

It was a pretty solid set of numbers for the 35-year-old, though it didn’t result in any looks from MLB teams over the offseason.  Hardy will now head to indy ball for what will be his 14th professional season, and first outside of affiliated baseball.

Apart from his one inning as a Brewer, Hardy’s other 289 2/3 innings in the majors all came with the Tigers.  The southpaw posted a 3.73 ERA during his 2014-19 stint in Detroit, giving the Tigers some reliable innings out of the bullpen and also in the rotation in 2018 when the club gave Hardy 13 starts.

Brewers Activate Hunter Strickland, Return Blaine Hardy To Minors

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The Brewers announced they’ve activated reliever Hunter Strickland from the COVID-19 injured list. Left-hander Blaine Hardy, who was selected as a COVID replacement last week, has been removed from the 40-man roster and returned to Triple-A Nashville.

Because Hardy came up as a COVID replacement, he needn’t be passed through waivers to return to the minor leagues. The 34-year-old made one big league appearance since being selected on July 31, allowing three runs in an inning of work against the Pirates. That marked Hardy’s first big league action since 2019, as the longtime Tiger missed the entire 2020 season recovering from a Tommy John surgery. He’ll head back to Nashville, where he’s worked to a 3.50 ERA with nearly average strikeout and walk rates (22.4% and 8.9%, respectively) over 46 1/3 innings.

Reliever Jake Cousins — who landed on the COVID-19 IL ten days ago after testing positive at the same time as Strickland — is expected to be activated tomorrow, according to Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter link). Milwaukee has a vacancy on the 40-man roster to accommodate Cousins’ forthcoming reinstatement. The Brew Crew are still without Keston Hiura, Adrian Houser, Josh Hader, Eric Lauer and Jandel Gustave because of their subsequent positive tests.

Brewers Select Blaine Hardy

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The Brewers have selected the contract of left-hander Blaine Hardy.  The veteran will take the spot of Hunter Strickland, whose placement on the COVID-related injury list wasn’t made official until today.

Hardy underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2020, preventing him from taking the field last season and keeping him from benefiting from a minor league deal with the Twins.  The southpaw inked a new minors deal with Milwaukee back in January, and he returned from TJ rehab to post a 3.50 ERA over 46 1/3 innings for the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville.

Through six MLB seasons and 289 2/3 innings with the Tigers from 2014-19, Hardy posted a 3.73 ERA/4.31 SIERA with 18.6% strikeout rate.  Hardy has worked mostly as a reliever but did make 13 starts in 2018, and he started seven of his 17 games with Nashville this year.  Milwaukee could use Hardy as rotation depth, as a long reliever, or potentially both in a swingman capacity.

Brewers Sign Blaine Hardy To Minor League Deal

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The Brewers announced Thursday that they’ve signed lefty Blaine Hardy to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training. He’s represented by Only Baseball Players.

Hardy, 33, was with the Tigers from 2014-19 before inking a minor league deal with the Twins last winter. However, he sustained a torn ulnar collateral ligament early in camp with Minnesota and underwent Tommy John surgery in March. As such, he’s unlikely to be ready to pitch in camp with the Brewers, though he’ll report to their spring facility and continue his rehab there.

In 289 2/3 innings at the MLB level — most of it spent as a reliever — Hardy carries a solid 3.73 ERA with a less-optimistic 4.31 SIERA. The Tigers gave him the opportunity to stretch out as a starter in 2018, and while he had some success in that role in both the big leagues and Triple-A, he was eventually moved back to a bullpen setting after 13 starts.

Hardy has punched out 18.6 percent of the hitters he’s faced in the big leagues against an 8.3 percent walk rate. Lefties have hit him at a .232/.298/.412 clip, while righties carry a .271/.328/.407 clip against him. Hardy could give the Brewers some experienced depth in either the rotation or bullpen — possibly as a multi-inning option if the club is encouraged by his limited work in lengthier stints. If he makes it back to the big league roster, Hardy can be controlled through the 2022 season via arbitration.

Blaine Hardy Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Southpaw Blaine Hardy, who was in camp with the Twins on a minor-league deal, will now be sidelined until 2021. He underwent Tommy John surgery last Friday, according to Phil Miller of the Star Tribune. (Hardy’s wife notes on Twitter that elective procedures were fully permissible in Minnesota at the time it was performed.)

The 33-year-old Hardy has thrown plenty of innings against the Twins over his six seasons with the Tigers. His tenure in Detroit wrapped up after 289 2/3 innings of 3.73 ERA ball.

While he has turned in solid overall results over the years, Hardy has had some ups and downs and never really wowed with the peripherals. All told, he has averaged 7.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and a 43.1% groundball rate.

Hardy managed to get outs despite averaging less than 90 mph with his heater. Perhaps the Twins had extra ideas for how to maximize Hardy’s typical four-pitch mix. He’ll now have to mount a comeback next spring.

Twins To Sign Blaine Hardy, Juan Graterol, Ryan Garton

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12:11pm: Backstop Juan Graterol and righty Ryan Garton are also heading to the Minnesota org, according to Triple-A communications director Nate Rowan.

Graterol, 30, spent some time with Minny in 2018 and has appeared briefly in each of the past four MLB campaigns. Garton, who is closing in on his own 30th birthday, has thrown 64 1/3 innings of 4.90 ERA ball in the bigs. Last year, he provided the Mariners’ top affiliate with a 3.99 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 65 1/3 innings of action.

10:41am: The Twins have agreed to a minor-league deal with southpaw Blaine Hardy, according to MLB.com’s Jason Beck (via Twitter). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN had recently reported that the sides were nearing agreement (Twitter link).

This pact comes with an invitation to participate in the MLB side of spring camp for the Minnesota resident. But if an opportunity arises for him to pitch abroad — where he might have greater earning power — then the deal includes a provision requiring the Twins to grant him his release or put him on the MLB roster within 48 hours. Otherwise, there’s a standard opt-out date in June.

Hardy, 32, has been a consistent presence in the AL Central for quite some time now. He broke into the professional ranks with the Royals and reached the majors with the Tigers, ultimately throwing 289 2/3 innings of 3.73 ERA ball in Detroit.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Twins have some new tricks for Hardy to try out. The veteran managed to gut out a 4.47 earned run average last year but didn’t impress ERA estimators. He struggled in particular against same-handed hitters while generally succeeding against righties. Perhaps a few tweaks could unlock something for Hardy.

Quick Hits: Astros, Mariners, Haniger, Hardy

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The investigation into misconduct on the part of the Houston Astros continues, with details of commissioner Rob Manfred’s process coming out yesterday. In the newest report from ESPN, Jeff Passan covers similar territory, while also providing further anecdotal evidence of the paranoia that exists in the league around the Astros’ alleged sign-stealing program. One particularly striking example described a starting pitcher who wanted to use a whole new system of pitch calling that would include “jersey pulls, hat tugs, head shakes and glove placements.” The Nationals, for their part, managed to overcome any potential sign-stealing by the Astros during this year’s World Series, though Washington came into those games armed with five separate sets of unique signs to help forestall any extra efforts made by the Astros. They did, of course, manage to win all four games played at Minute Maid Park. While this investigation continues, let’s check in on some player news…

  • The Mariners have an overcrowded, if not star-studded outfield picture coming into 2020, with veterans like Mallex Smith, Mitch Haniger, and Domingo Santana competing for playing time with youngsters hoping to establish their MLB credentials (Jake Fraley, Braden Bishop and Kyle Lewis). With Daniel Vogelbach locked into the designated hitter role, they are without that resource for at-bats, not to mention the further overpopulation that comes from rostering the versatile skillsets of Dee Gordon, Shed Long, Austin Nola, Dylan Moore, and Tim Lopes  – all of whom are capable of spending time on the grass. Regardless, GM Jerry Dipoto is not tempted to sell-low and trade Haniger, per MLB.com’s Greg Johns. Despite Haniger’s injury-riddled 2019, Dipoto has not softened on his fervor for Haniger as a cornerstone player. Johns quotes Dipoto as saying, “He embodies almost everything about what we stand for and what we’re trying to set up in our systems and our programs.” Dipoto foresees Haniger returning to right field this season and occupying one of the 2 through 4 spots in the batting order.
  • Lefty reliever Blaine Hardy has begun to attract interest on the free agent market, per MLB.com’s Jason Beck (via Twitter). Beck names the Twins as one team that has shown interest, though multiple organizations appear to be in on the ex-Tiger. Hardy, 33 in mid-March, was drafted by the Royals, but spent the entirety of his MLB career with the Tigers. After Detroit signed him to a minor league deal following the 2012 season, Hardy would make his major-league debut during the 2014 season, pitching to a 2.54 ERA across 38 appearances. Outside the 70 appearances he made in 2015, Hardy has been up-and-down most seasons, making between 21 and 39 appearances in the majors every year from 2016 to 2019. In all, he amassed 233 appearances across 6 seasons with the Tigers (13 starts in 2018) with a 3.73 ERA/4.11 FIP and pretty even splits between lefties and righties.

Blaine Hardy Elects Free Agency

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4:21PM: Hardy has indeed officially elected to become a free agent, as per a team announcement.

1:50PM: The Tigers have placed left-hander Blaine Hardy on outright waivers, as per MLB.com’s Jason Beck (Twitter link).  The move all but officially ends Hardy’s tenure in the Motor City, as he will become a free agent if he goes unclaimed on the waiver wire.  On his personal Twitter feed, Hardy bid his farewells to the Tigers organization, fans, and the city of Detroit after seven seasons in the fold.

Hardy posted a 4.47 ERA, 2.23 K/BB rate, 48.5% grounder rate and 5.9 K/9 over 44 1/3 relief innings in 2019, just about all the while battling left flexor tendinitis.  The elbow issues resulted in a two-week injured list stint early in the season, and then Hardy’s year came to a premature end after he received a platelet-rich plasma injection in mid-August.

The abbreviated campaign was expected to result in a non-tender for Hardy, who was projected to earn $1.8MM via the arbitration process this winter.  The early release will give the 32-year-old a bit of an early jump on the rest of the market as he looks for a new contract.  While Hardy’s tweet sounded like a pretty definitive end to his time in Detroit, a return (at a lower price) probably shouldn’t be entirely ruled out, given how the rebuilding Tigers will be looking for low-cost pitching answers in both the rotation and bullpen.

Hardy has a 3.73 ERA, 2.25 K/BB rate, and 7.1 K/9 over 289 2/3 career innings, all in a Tigers uniform.  He has worked as a reliever in all but 13 of his 233 career games, though all of those starts came in 2018, perhaps making him more attractive to a new team looking to add a swingman or a “featured pitcher” (behind an opener) to its 2020 pitching mix.

AL Notes: Rays, O’s, Alberto, Tigers, Hardy

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Let’s kick off the week with updates on a trio of American League clubs…

  • The wild card-contending Rays haven’t set specific timetables for the returns of injured starters Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Yonny Chirinos, but the three figure to come back in that order, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Glasnow, who has been out since early May with a forearm injury and will finish 2019 as a reliever, could rejoin the team in the second week of September, per Topkin. Meanwhile, Snell is “probably 10 days behind [Glasnow] at least,” according to manager Kevin Cash. Snell, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow a month ago. Chirinos has been down for three weeks with an inflamed right middle finger – an injury that has thrown a wrench into a solid season for the 25-year-old.
  • Utilityman Hanser Alberto was waiver fodder last offseason, switching teams on multiple occasions before finally settling in with the Orioles for good in March. Since then, the 26-year-old has enjoyed what has easily been a career season. He’s slashing .314/.337/.440 with 10 home runs in 432 plate appearances, and the right-hander been downright dominant against lefties – whom he has victimized for a .402/.422/.540 line over 180 PA. A .446 batting average on balls in play has buoyed Alberto’s numbers versus southpaws, though, and Statcast isn’t really buying into his above-average production. Nevertheless, he’ll garner trade interest in the offseason, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com hears. It’s up in the air whether the O’s will strongly consider moving Alberto, who has played second and third with regularity this year and will enter arbitration for the first time in the offseason.
  • Tigers lefty Blaine Hardy’s season came to an end two weeks ago when he underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection in his elbow. Looking ahead to the offseason, Hardy realizes his Tigers tenure could conclude next. “You know and I know I might not be in Lakeland next year,” the 32-year-old told Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, referring to the team’s spring training home in Florida. Hardy has been a fairly successful reliever in Detroit since he debuted in 2014, but after elbow issues helped limit him to a 4.47 ERA/5.72 FIP with 5.89 K/9 and 2.64 BB/9 in 44 1/3 innings this year, it’s possible the Tigers will non-tender the soon-to-be out-of-options hurler as he readies for his second trip to arbitration. Regardless, Hardy’s glad he decided to call it a year instead of trying to gut out his elbow problems through the season. The Tigers were on the verge of demoting Hardy to Triple-A Toledo before his PRP injection, leading him to tell McCosky: “I had so many people in my corner say it would’ve been career suicide if I decided to go down to Triple-A and keep pitching through this. If something happened, and they found the tear at Triple-A, it would have been hard to retro it back to a big-league deal.”

AL Health Notes: Cole, Indians, A’s, Rays, Tigers

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The Astros made right-handed ace Gerrit Cole a late scratch from his start against the White Sox on Tuesday because of right hamstring discomfort, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic was among those to report. The severity of the injury isn’t known, but it’s worth keeping an eye on considering Cole’s importance to the Astros and his status as the game’s best pending free agent. As of now, the 28-year-old workhorse is on pace for his third consecutive 200-inning season. He has given Houston 156 2/3 frames of 2.87 ERA/3.11 FIP ball with 12.98 K/9 and 2.24 BB/9 in 2019.

  • Indians righty Carlos Carrasco has been battling leukemia, which has kept him out of action since May 30, but he’s champing at the bit to return, Mandy Bell of MLB.com explains. Carrasco, who fielded grounders off the mound at Progressive Field on Tuesday, is hoping to throw to hitters Friday. Manager Terry Francona wasn’t prepared to state whether that’ll happen, saying: “That’s still to be determined. I mean, the idea that he wants to, I think is terrific. But there’s got to be some sign-off from the medical people. But the fact he feels he’s ready to do that is tremendous.” Meanwhile, fellow key righty Corey Kluber was effective over four innings during a rehab start at the Double-A level Tuesday, Bell tweets. Afterward, Kluber called it “the last big step” in his rehab (via SportsTime Ohio). The two-time Cy Young winner has been out since fracturing his right forearm May 1, but the Indians have nonetheless gone 72-47. With a half-game lead in the AL Central, they have the inside track on a fourth straight division title.
  • Athletics southpaw Sean Manaea enjoyed an encouraging rehab start with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle details. Manaea, out since last September after undergoing shoulder surgery, fired 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and totaled 10 strikeouts. He and fellow rehabbing lefty Jesus Luzardo seem that much closer to giving playoff-contending Oakland a couple much-needed pitching reinforcements. Luzardo, also out all season (because of shoulder and lat troubles), will start for Las Vegas on Thursday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com tweets.
  • Rays infielders Brandon Lowe and Joey Wendle are moving toward rehab assignments, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Lowe went to the IL on July 4 with a right shin contusion, while Wendle has been down since the end of last month with a wrist issue. The 25-year-old Lowe had been a serious candidate for the AL’s top rookie honors prior to his injury, as he slashed .276/.339/.523 with 16 home runs and 2.5 fWAR in 307 plate appearances.
  • Tigers lefty Blaine Hardy has undergone a season-ending platelet-rich plasma injection, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reports. Hardy amassed 44 1/3 innings out of the Tigers’ bullpen this season and recorded a 4.47 ERA/5.72 FIP with 5.89 K/9, 2.64 BB/9 and a 48.5 percent groundball rate.
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