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Brandon Brennan

Braves Sign R.J. Alaniz, Brandon Brennan To Minor League Deals

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The Braves have signed relievers R.J. Alaniz and Brandon Brennan to minor league contracts, according to Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America. Both right-handers picked up brief MLB action last season.

Alaniz made three appearances with the Reds during the final couple weeks of the year. That marked his first action at the highest level since 2019, when he combined for 12 appearances between Seattle and Cincinnati. Alaniz has allowed 18 runs in 18 1/3 career innings, but he’s coming off a nice season in Triple-A.

The 30-year-old made 33 appearances with the Reds’ top affiliate in Louisville. He tossed 39 innings of 3.46 ERA ball, punching out an impressive 26.9% of opposing hitters. He issued walks at a slightly elevated 10.2% clip, but he missed enough bats in the minors to get a late-season cameo in Cincinnati. The Reds outrighted him off their roster at the end of the year, at which point he elected minor league free agency.

Brennan, 30, was briefly a teammate of Alaniz with the Mariners in 2019. Seattle selected him out of the White Sox’s farm system in the Rule 5 draft the year prior, and he stuck on the active roster all year for a rebuilding M’s club. Brennan made 44 appearances, pitching to a 4.56 ERA with a decent 24% strikeout percentage but a 12.2% walk rate. Carrying him on the roster all season entitled the Mariners to his long-term contractual rights, but an oblique strain limited him to five appearances in 2020.

Seattle designated Brennan for assignment last April, and he landed with the Red Sox via waivers. He only made one appearance in Boston, tossing three scoreless innings but getting DFA the next day as the Sox needed fresh arms for the bullpen. He cleared outright waivers but was released in September after posting just a 5.97 ERA in 37 2/3 frames with Triple-A Worcester.

The Braves have quite a bit of their season-opening bullpen already locked in. They’ve added Kenley Jansen, Collin McHugh and Tyler Thornburg to a unit that already included Will Smith, Luke Jackson, Tyler Matzek and A.J. Minter, with Sean Newcomb and Dylan Lee perhaps factoring into the mix. There’s unlikely to be room for either Alaniz or Brennan in the early going, but they both figure to serve as experienced depth options with Triple-A Gwinnett.

Red Sox Release Brandon Brennan

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The Red Sox have released reliever Brandon Brennan, reports Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). He’d been with Triple-A Worcester after passing through outright waivers a couple months ago.

A Rule 5 draftee of the Mariners over the 2018-19 offseason, Brennan was a frequently-used bullpen option in Seattle in 2019. That year, he tossed 47 1/3 innings of 4.56 ERA ball, issuing a few too many walks but missing a fair amount of bats and racking up ground-balls at a 55.2% rate. The right-hander missed most of last season due to a severe oblique strain, though, and Seattle designated him for assignment this April.

The Red Sox claimed Brennan off waivers, but he’d only make one appearance with the big league club. He tossed three innings of scoreless relief but was designated for assignment the following night when Boston needed a fresh arm. Otherwise, Brennan has spent the year with Worcester, tossing 37 2/3 frames of relief for the WooSox. He’s only managed a 5.97 ERA, but his strikeout and walk rates (21.4% and 8.7%, respectively) weren’t far off the league average.

Brennan was plagued by opponents’ elevated .363 batting average on balls in play in Worcester and probably didn’t pitch as poorly as that run prevention mark would indicate. Nevertheless, he’d clearly fallen down the organizational depth chart, as the front office called upon other hurlers to come up in recent weeks while the big league pitching staff dealt with a series of COVID-19 related absences. Brennan will now be free to sign elsewhere, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see another club add the 30-year-old on a minor league deal to bolster their bullpen depth.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/16/21

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The latest minor moves from around the league:

  • The Red Sox announced that right-hander Brandon Brennan has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Worcester. Evidently, he’s accepted the assignment, as Brennan is listed on Worcester’s active roster. Boston designated him for assignment last weekend after he made one MLB appearance, tossing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He has a 2.16 ERA in 8 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level this year, with eleven strikeouts and five walks.
  • The Yankees announced they’ve activated outfielder Ryan LaMarre from the injured list and passed him through outright waivers. New York selected LaMarre, whom they signed to a minor league deal over the winter, to the roster when Aaron Hicks went down in mid-May. The 32-year-old LaMarre went down with an injury himself just three days later and went on the IL. He’s been outrighted before in his career, so he has the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.

Red Sox Select Ryan Weber, Designate Brandon Brennan

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The Red Sox announced they’re selecting the contract of right-hander Ryan Weber. Fellow righty Brandon Brennan has been designated for assignment to open active and 40-man roster space.

Weber makes his return to Boston, where he saw big league action in 2019-20. The sinkerballer pitched to a 4.73 ERA/4.89 FIP in 83 2/3 innings over that time. Weber doesn’t miss many bats, striking out a minuscule 15.3% of opponents with the Red Sox. He’s thrown plenty of strikes and kept the ball on the ground at an above-average clip, though. Weber was outrighted off the roster last offseason and began this year with Triple-A Worcester. He’s made seven appearances (six starts) with Worcester, managing a 4.63 ERA with a 22.4% strikeout rate and solid 6.8% walk rate.

The Sox claimed Brennan off waivers from the Mariners in early May. He spent his first month in the organization at Worcester, tossing 8 1/3 frames of two-run ball. Brennan struck out eleven against five walks at Triple-A, earning him a call-up yesterday. The 29-year-old worked three scoreless innings out of the bullpen in last night’s loss to the Blue Jays. Unfortunately for Brennan, his 42-pitch workload took him out of commission for the next day or two. The Red Sox ultimately decided to bring in a fresher arm in his place.

Boston will have a week to trade Brennan or place him on outright waivers. He still has all three minor league option years remaining, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another club bring him in. A former Rule 5 draftee, Brennan has a 4.21 ERA/4.61 SIERA over 57 2/3 MLB innings.

Red Sox Claim Brandon Brennan From Mariners

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The Red Sox have claimed right-hander Brandon Brennan off waivers from the Mariners.  Brennan has been assigned to Triple-A Worcester.  Righty Ryan Brasier was moved on the 60-day injured list to open up space for Brennan on Boston’s 40-man roster.

Seattle designated Brennan for assignment last week.  The 29-year-old righty came to the Mariners from the Rockies in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft, and posted a 4.56 ERA and an above-average 24% strikeout rate over 47 1/3 innings for the M’s in his 2019 rookie season.  Shoulder problems sidelined Brennan for over two and a half months of the 2019 season, and an oblique strain limited him to 7 1/3 innings in 2020.

Brennan hadn’t yet seen any MLB action this season, as he had been working at the Mariners’ alternate training site.  His addition will add a bit more relief depth to a Red Sox pen that has been without Brasier, who began the year on the IL due to a calf strain, and he was also recovering from a fractured pinky finger during the season.  It didn’t seem like Brasier was going to be back before June anyway, so his move to the 60-day IL is essentially just a procedural move on Boston’s part.

Mariners Claim Jacob Nottingham, Designate Brandon Brennan

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The Mariners announced that they have claimed catcher Jacob Nottingham off waivers from the Brewers. To make room for Nottingham, the Mariners designated right-hander Brandon Brennan for assignment.

Nottingham, whom the Brewers designated last week, will now join his fourth major league organization. He entered the pro ranks as a fourth-round pick of the Astros in 2013 and has also spent time with the Athletics. The 26-year-old was a prospect of some note in his younger days, but he hasn’t gotten an extended look in the bigs. Nottingham has so far amassed 85 plate appearances, all from 2018-20, and batted a playable .203/.306/.432 with five home runs. He’s out of minor league options, so he’ll have to stick on a Seattle roster that has received bottom-of-the-barrel production from catchers Luis Torrens and Tom Murphy in 2021.

The soon-to-be 30-year-old Brennan became a Mariner in December 2018 when they took him from the Rockies in the Rule 5 Draft. Brennan appeared with the Mariners from 2019-20, during which he dealt with oblique and shoulder issues and combined for 54 2/3 innings of 4.45 ERA/4.52 SIERA pitching with a 23.6 percent strikeout rate against a 12.7 percent walk rate. He still has three minor league options left.

Mariners Designate Jimmy Yacabonis, Active Brandon Brennan

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The Mariners have activated right-hander Brandon Brennan from the 45-day injured list, the team announced.  In corresponding moves, righty Jimmy Yacabonis was designated for assignment and right-hander Seth Frankoff was optioned to the team’s alternate training site.

Brennan only pitched in one game before a left oblique strain sent him to the IL on August 2.  The righty will get a bit of time left to try and build on a 2019 rookie season that saw Brennan post a 4.56 ERA, 1.96 K/BB, and 8.9 K/9 over 47 1/3 innings for Seattle.  The results were solid enough to make Brennan look like a nice pickup for the M’s after he was selected out of the Rockies organization in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft.

Seattle acquired Yacabonis from the Padres in August, and the right-hander appeared in two games for the Mariners (allowing one run in 2 1/3 innings).  After spending his entire pro career in the Orioles organization, Yacabonis inked a minor league deal with the Padres in the offseason and now could potentially be joining his third different team of 2020 if he is claimed on DFA waivers.  Yacabonis offers some innings-eating length as a swingman, though he has only a 5.71 ERA over 104 career frames in the majors.

Mariners Place Brandon Brennan On 45-Day Injured List

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The Mariners announced yesterday they have placed reliever Brandon Brennan on the 45-day injured list with a left oblique strain. The right-hander got into one game before the injury.

Brennan stuck with Seattle as a Rule V pick out of the Rockies organization last season. While he only managed a 4.56 ERA in 47.1 innings as a rookie, he also showed some intriguing swing-and-miss stuff. Brennan’s 15.1% swinging strike rate dwarfed the 11.1% league average and had positioned him as a likely key piece in a shaky Seattle bullpen.

Instead, he’ll be out for an extended period of time. The Mariners didn’t immediately make a 40-man roster addition, suggesting they simply had no expectation Brennan would be in position to return anytime soon.

Health Notes: Mize, Buxton, Astros, D-backs, M’s

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On Friday, one day after Casey Mize left his Double-A start early, the Tigers placed the prized right-hander on the minor league injured list with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Any shoulder injury for a pitcher obviously isn’t an ideal outcome, but it seems Mize and the Tigers dodged a bullet in this instance. Mize, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft and one of the majors’ elite prospects, had been utterly dominant in the minors this season before going on the IL. Between the High-A and Double-A levels, the 22-year-old has logged 78 innings of 0.92 ERA pitching with 8.7 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9.

Now for some major league health updates…

  • Center fielder Byron Buxton exited the Twins’ game Friday after taking a pitch off the right wrist from Royals starter Brad Keller. Luckily for Buxton and the Twins, though, he avoided a serious injury, La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune reports. “Byron’s doing fine. Wrist contusion,” said manager Rocco Baldelli, who added it’s “pretty positive news.” The 25-year-old Buxton looks to be on track for a career season, having hit .266/.324/.527 (120 wRC+) with nine home runs, 10 steals and 2.2 fWAR in 227 plate appearances.
  • Speaking of center fielders in fine form, the Astros’ Jake Marisnick departed their game Friday with left knee discomfort, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. It’s unclear whether the issue will force the Astros to send yet another player to the IL. Marisnick, 28, has paired above-average offense with his usual excellent defense en route to 1.3 fWAR in 156 trips to the plate this year.
  • An MRI on Diamondbacks righty Jon Duplantier’s shoulder confirmed he’s dealing with inflammation, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. Like Mize, it seems Duplantier has avoided a catastrophic injury. The D-backs placed the 24-year-old on the IL on Wednesday, cutting off an encouraging start to his career. Duplantier has pitched to a 4.32 ERA/3.83 FIP with 8.64 K/9 and 3.24 BB/9 in 25 innings (eight appearances, three starts).
  • The Mariners reinstated shortstop J.P. Crawford from the IL on Friday and placed reliever Brandon Brennan on the IL with a strained right shoulder, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Crawford had been out since suffering a left ankle sprain May 28. The injury to Brennan continues what has been a shaky season for the 2018 Rule 5 pick from the Rockies. Brennan leads Mariners relievers in innings (34) and has posted 9.26 K/9 with a 55.4 percent groundball rate, but a high walk rate (5.29 BB/9) has helped produce a 5.56 ERA/4.39 FIP.

AL West Notes: Bregman, Mariners, Chirinos

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There’s no defined timetable for when Alex Bregman will return to the Astros’ lineup, though the star third baseman tells Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) that an MRI of his ailing right hamstring didn’t reveal anything similar to the 2016 issue that cost him a few weeks of the season. For the time being, Bregman is simply considered day to day, and there’s yet to be any indication that a trip to the injured list is a particular concern for him or the team.

Here’s more from the division…

  • The Mariners’ analytics department identified the revamped changeup of right-hander Brandon Brennan as a pitch worth taking a chance on in the Rule 5 Draft, writes Greg Johns of MLB.com, and to this point the team’s investment has paid off nicely. Brennan has been unscored upon in 8 2/3 innings with a 7-to-2 K/BB ratio and a terrific 63.2 percent ground-ball rate. Brennan, who’ll turn 28 this summer, is older than most Rule 5 selections and spoke all the more appreciatively of the opportunity in his interview with Johns. Not only does he relish any big league opportunity as a 27-year-old rookie, but Brennan received the surreal experience of making his MLB debut in the same half-inning that Ichiro Suzuki was pulled from his final game to an uproarious standing ovation in his native Japan. The Mariners will have to carry Brennan all season or else expose him to waivers and, if he clears, offer him back to the White Sox for $50K. So far, he’s given Seattle no reason to do so.
  • Jake Kaplan of The Athletic takes a look at the changes Robinson Chirinos has made to his game since signing with the Astros (subscription required). Chirinos details the drills he worked on throughout Spring Training to change his setup behind the plate as well as the slight alteration to his throwing motion — made at the behest of pitching coach Brent Strom after noticing a mechanical flaw. The season is still extraordinarily young, but Chirinos has drawn slightly positive marks in pitch framing, per both Fangraphs and Baseball Prospectus, after ranking as one of the game’s worst in that regard for much of his career. He’s also halted two of the seven stolen-base attempts against him thus far after catching just 10 percent of thieves in 2018. Only time will tell if the changes yield quantifiable improvements, but that’ll be an interesting thread for both Astros and Rangers fans to follow over the course of the season.
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