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The Best Minor League Deals Of 2021 (So Far): Position Players

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Minor league contracts don’t generally draw much of a reaction over the course of a baseball offseason, with some rare exceptions. Everyone loves to see an out-of-the-blue comeback story on a non-guaranteed arrangement, but most minor league deals of any note are injured veterans, struggling former prospects or fringe big leaguers who have never really solidified their status as a contributor at the game’s top level. Every year, however, a handful of these no-risk investments produce solid returns.

We’re about a quarter through the 2021 season, so let’s check in on a handful of non-guaranteed pacts that have already proven to be wise investments for their clubs.

  1. Tyler Naquin, OF, Reds: Naquin’s signing was met with a collective yawn, but one Ohio club’s leftovers have turned into another’s treasure. The former Indians first-rounder has mashed his way into a regular role in Cincinnati, raking at a .265/.346/.530 clip through 133 plate appearances. Naquin parlayed a strong spring and a March injury to Shogo Akiyama into an Opening Day roster spot, but he’s now fourth on the team in plate appearances and third in wRC+ at 135 (min. 20 PAs). He’s hitting so much better than struggling center fielder Nick Senzel that Cincinnati hasn’t hesitated to move Senzel to the infield in the wake of Joey Votto’s injury, creating more playing time for Naquin. This doesn’t appear to be a mere small-sample fluke, either. Naquin ranks in the 95th percentile of MLB hitters in average exit velocity and has similarly strong percentile rankings in hard-hit rate (84th), xwOBA (89th), xSLG (93rd) and barrel rate (90th). He’s also controlled through the 2022 season via arbitration. For an Indians club that has gotten virtually no production from its outfield over the past two seasons, watching Naquin’s start in 2021 has to sting, even if they’re happy for their former prospect on a personal level.
  2. C.J. Cron, 1B, Rockies: Cron’s ability to hit hasn’t really been in question since his 2014 MLB debut, but injuries have dogged him in recent years. Fresh off a season-ending knee surgery in 2020, Cron inked a non-guaranteed pact with the Rockies, made the club out of Spring Training and has unsurprisingly emerged as their primary first baseman. He’s out to an excellent start, hitting .300/.397/.500 in 116 plate appearances. Cron missed 10 days with a back strain and, unlike Naquin, is a free agent at season’s end, so he didn’t grab the top spot on this list. Still, he’s been a bright spot for the Rockies and could give them a summer trade chip if he can stay healthy. It’s still somewhat puzzling that the Tigers didn’t bring him back, given how poorly things have gone at first base in Detroit, but perhaps Cron simply liked the opportunity presented in Colorado better.
  3. Matt Duffy, 3B, Cubs: Duffy began with his MLB career with a stellar year for the 2015 Giants, in which he hit .295/.334/.428 and finished second behind current teammate Kris Bryant in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He never really followed up on that debut effort, though, as underperformance and injuries knocked him off track over the next two seasons. Duffy rebounded to play fairly well with the Rays in 2018 but wound up released after a difficult 2019 campaign. The veteran infielder spent 2020 at the Yankees alternate training site. This offseason, Duffy attracted interest from a few clubs in a coaching and/or front office capacity, but the Cubs offered him a chance to reinvigorate his playing career and have been rewarded for doing so. Duffy made the Opening Day roster and has come out with a .281/.375/.360 line over his first 104 plate appearances, his top offensive output since the aforementioned rookie season. The right-handed hitter isn’t a power threat, but he’s an above-average defensive third baseman with a good approach who makes plenty of contact. Duffy solidifying the hot corner has allowed Bryant to help out an otherwise shaky, inconsistent outfield.
  4. Jed Lowrie, 2B, Athletics: There’s something about Lowrie and the A’s that just clicks every time he dons the green and gold. In his third stint with the team after missing practically all of the 2019-20 seasons as a Met, Lowrie is improbably hitting .254/.329/.394 through 158 plate appearances. With offense down around the league and a cavernous home park, that’s good for a healthy 108 wRC+. The veteran switch-hitter’s bat has cooled since a torrid start to the season, but the early return on his no-risk minor league pact has been strong.
  5. Charlie Culberson, INF/OF, Rangers: A popular utility player wherever he goes, Culberson is well on his way to endearing himself to the Rangers’ fanbase. Through his first 97 plate appearances, the 32-year-old is hitting .264/.316/.429 with three homers. Culberson has made one-off appearances at second base, shortstop and in left field, but the bulk of his playing time has come at third base.
  6. Pablo Sandoval, INF, Braves: Atlanta fans might’ve groaned when the Braves brought the Panda back on another minor league deal, but Sandoval has thrived as a pinch-hitter and seldom-used bench bat. Sandoval has come to the plate as a pinch-hitter 26 times and homered in four of those plate appearances. On the whole, he’s hitting .250/.372/.583 through 43 plate appearances. No one expects the former All-Star to continue at this pace, and you can certainly argue that since Sandoval is effectively a dedicated pinch-hitter, this isn’t an ideal use of a roster spot. Still, it’s hard to argue with four pinch-hit dingers, and we’re talking about minor league deals here, after all.

We’ll check in on this year’s crop of minor league signees a few months from now, as it’s quite likely that we’ll see the tides turn on some of these (and other) contracts. A hot streak from Travis Shaw in Milwaukee could quickly make his deal look all the more prudent, and Connor Joe is out to a hot start with the Rox in a return from last year’s cancer diagnosis, which is a feel-good story in and of itself. At least through the season’s 25 percent mark, however, this group of bats is paying dividends for the teams that rolled the dice.

Rockies Place C.J. Cron On 10-Day IL

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The Rockies have placed first baseman C.J. Cron on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 7) with a lower back strain, per a team announcement.

This ailment has been an issue for the past several days for Cron, who last played May 5. It has temporarily derailed what has been an impressive start to the season by Cron, a minor league pickup over the winter. The 31-year-old has been the Rockies’ most productive hitter with a .290/.394/.495 line and five home runs across 109 plate appearances.

With Cron down of late, Colorado has utilized Matt Adams and Connor Joe at first base. They only have 27 plate appearances between them this year.

Rockies To Activate Antonio Senzatela From Injured List

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The Rockies are planning to reinstate Antonio Senzatela from the injured list, manager Bud Black told reporters (including Thomas Harding of MLB.com) yesterday. The righty will start this evening’s game against the Padres.

Senzatela went on the IL May 1 with a right groin strain, so he’ll return after spending the minimum ten days on the shelf. He has managed only a 5.76 ERA/4.67 SIERA over his first six starts. The 26-year-old throws a lot of strikes and induces plenty of ground balls, but he’s one of the league’s worst at missing bats. Senzatela’s 13.1% strikeout rate ranks 131st out of 136 starters with at least 20 innings pitched this season.

Black also provided updates on a handful of other health situations involving the club (via Harding). Lefty Kyle Freeland, a longtime rotation fixture, hasn’t pitched this season after suffering a shoulder strain in March. He’s scheduled to throw four exhibition innings at the team’s Spring Training facility in Arizona this week, but a timeline for his return to the majors is still unclear. Infielder Brendan Rodgers will join Freeland in Scottsdale as he rehabs from a left hamstring strain. Colorado’s presumptive regular second baseman, Rodgers has also yet to make his regular season debut after going down in March.

First baseman C.J. Cron has missed the past three games because of lower back soreness. Black told Harding the club is still evaluating whether he’ll need a stint on the injured list. Signed to a minor-league deal over the winter, Cron has emerged as the Rockies’ most productive hitter in the early going. He’s off to a .290/.394/.495 start with five homers over 109 plate appearances. As a low-cost impending free agent on a 12-22 team, Cron will be one of the sport’s most obvious summer trade candidates if he continues to mash. The Rockies have turned to Matt Adams and Connor Joe with Cron unavailable the past few days.

Quick Hits: deGrom, Mets, Robert, Mondesi, Cron

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Jacob deGrom is scheduled to start Sunday’s game against the Diamondbacks, as the Mets ace reported no ill effects after a bullpen session.  DeGrom was scratched from his last start on Tuesday due to inflammation in his right lat, but “as we did the due diligence and work on it, it wasn’t something that anyone thought was a major issue,” Mets GM Zack Scott told The New York Daily News’ Deesha Thosar and other reporters.

In other Mets injury news, Scott said that Seth Lugo and Noah Syndergaard will begin rehab outings “in a week or so,” with Lugo (bone spur removal surgery) expected to make his 2021 debut by the end of May, and Syndergaard (Tommy John surgery) still ticketed for sometime in June.  The news isn’t as good for infielder Luis Guillorme, as Thosar tweeted yesterday that Guillorme is still feeling discomfort in his injured right oblique when he takes swings.  Guillorme is eligible to be activated from the injured list on Sunday, but he might not return for another week.

More from around baseball…

  • Luis Robert is facing a long absence from the White Sox lineup, but the outfielder will apparently avoid surgery on his Grade 3 hip flexor strain, the team revealed in its pregame notes package (hat tip to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin).  That likely counts as a small bit of good news for Robert, though it probably won’t materially change the possibility that his season could already be over.  The Sox have already announced that Robert will need 12-to-16 weeks just to resume baseball activities.
  • Adalberto Mondesi has yet to play this season due to a right oblique strain, though Royals manager Mike Matheny provided reporters (including MLB.com’s Bill Ladson) with another positive update on the shortstop’s condition.  The switch-hitting Mondesi cannot yet hit from the left side of the plate, though he can take batting practice and swing normally as a right-handed hitter.  Mondesi will soon be working out at the Royals’ Spring Training facility, and it isn’t yet known when he might embark on a rehab assignment.
  • Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron has missed the team’s last two games due to lower back tightness, and manager Bud Black told The Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders and other reporters that it isn’t yet clear if Cron will require an IL placement.  “We’re hoping it resolves itself the next day or two, to avoid the injured list…I think tomorrow and Monday are really big days when we evaluate C.J.,” Black said.  Signed to a minor league deal during the offseason, Cron has been a huge contributor for the Rockies, hitting .290/.394/.495 with five homers over his first 109 PA in a Colorado uniform.

Rockies Select Contracts Of C.J. Cron, Chris Owings

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The Rockies officially selected the contracts of first baseman C.J. Cron and utilityman Chris Owings, the team announced.  Colorado already had one open spot on the 40-man roster, and another was created when righty Peter Lambert was placed on the 60-day injured list.  Lambert underwent Tommy John surgery last July and is likely to miss the entire 2021 season.

Both Cron and Owings signed minor league deals with the team within the last two months.  For Owings, he is returning for his second season with the Rox, after inking another minors contract last winter and then hitting .268/.318/.439 over 44 plate appearances in 2020.

Owings’ versatility already made him a pretty decent bet to break camp with the Rockies, but the decision was probably clinched after yesterday’s news that Brendan Rodgers will miss at least a month recovering from a strained hamstring.  Rodgers’ injury shuffled the team’s infield plans and made Owings’ ability to play second, third, and shortstop (not to mention the outfield) all the more valuable.

Cron was also making a strong bid to win a roster spot, as his demolition of Cactus League pitching this spring has the 31-year-old in line to serve as Colorado’s starting first baseman.  Playing for his fifth different team in as many seasons, Cron is surely looking to re-establish himself in one place, as his above-average offense didn’t stop the Rays and Twins from non-tendering him due to an escalating arbitration price tag.

Over 2586 big league plate appearances, Cron has hit .257/.312/.464 with 118 home runs, highlighted by a 30-homer campaign with Tampa Bay in 2018.  A knee surgery cut Cron’s 2020 season short after only 52 PA with the Tigers.

Quick Hits: Rockies, Cron, A’s, Mathias, Angels

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C.J. Cron appears to be the favorite to claim the Rockies’ open first base job, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post as part of a reader mailbag. Signed to a minor-league deal in February, Cron is competing with Josh Fuentes and fellow non-roster invitee Greg Bird. Installing Cron at first would allow Fuentes to see action at multiple corner positions off the bench. That might make it tough to also carry Bird as a lefty bench bat, although Saunders notes there’s a chance all three players make the season-opening active roster, particularly if Brendan Rodgers is forced to start the year on the injured list after straining his hamstring. Cron and Bird would each need to be added to the 40-man roster if they make the team, although Colorado currently has one open 40-man spot.

More from around the sport:

  • Athletics left-hander A.J. Puk made his Cactus League debut today. He threw approximately 30 pitches this afternoon and plans to toss around 45 in his next outing, writes Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. Manager Bob Melvin has mentioned Puk as a potential option for the season-opening rotation if Mike Fiers, suffering from hip inflammation, isn’t ready by the first week of April. It remains to be seen if Puk will have enough time to sufficiently build up strength for the start of the season himself.
  • The Brewers placed Mark Mathias on the 60-day injured list yesterday to create roster space for Travis Shaw. It seems Mathias will be on the shelf for significantly longer than that two-month minimum. The utilityman suffered a posterior labrum tear, he told reporters (via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Mathias is awaiting a second opinion on the possibility of rehabbing the injury without surgery; even if he can avoid going under the knife, the 26-year-old says he’s likely looking at a three to four month layoff. Mathias made his MLB debut last season.
  • Today’s news that Felix Peña likely won’t be available for Opening Day leaves the Angels’ bullpen down an important arm. After the injury, general manager Perry Minasian acknowledged the club might now go outside the organization to acquire additional relief help, Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic was among those to relay. Free agency still offers a few possibilities, with 32-year-old righty Shane Greene arguably the top arm available. Greene’s market has been rather quiet all offseason, but he continues to throw in anticipation of an opportunity, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).

Rockies Sign C.J. Cron To Minor League Contract

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The Rockies announced that first baseman C.J. Cron has been signed to a minor league contract, which contains an invitation to the team’s big league Spring Training camp.

Cron signed a one-year, $6.1MM free agent deal with the Tigers last winter and got off to a strong start in Motown, hitting four homers with some good on-base and slugging numbers (.194/.346/.548) over 52 plate appearances.  Unfortunately, Cron’s season was prematurely ended after he suffered a left knee injury that required surgery.  As one might expect, there hasn’t been much offseason buzz about a player coming off such a procedure, though as of last month, Cron was cleared for full activity and is expected to be ready to contribute in full during spring camp.

The 31-year-old Cron has delivered above-average offensive production (110 wRC+, 111 OPS+) over his seven Major League seasons, hitting .257/.312/.464 with 118 home runs over 2586 career plate appearances with the Tigers, Twins, Rays, and Angels.  Because Cron is a first base-only player whose bat is merely above-average and not elite, however, teams have found him expendable, as both Minnesota and Tampa Bay chose to non-tender him rather than pay Cron’s increasing arbitration salary.

An opportunity presents itself for regular playing time in Denver, as Cron now might be the favorite for the Rockies’ starting first base job.  He will be competing with Josh Fuentes and another minor league signing in Greg Bird, as Ryan McMahon looks to be shifting across the diamond to take over from Nolan Arenado at third base.  Cron is surely one of many veteran hitters hoping the NL ends up adopting the designated hitter again, as it would create another route for regular at-bats both in 2021 and in future years.

Trade/FA Notes: Bryant, Jays, Benintendi, Marlins, Cron

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The latest rumblings centering on the trade and free-agent markets in Major League Baseball…

  • The Blue Jays have touched base with the Cubs about the cost of acquiring former NL MVP Kris Bryant, tweets MLB Insider Jon Morosi. At this point, it was practically qualify as oversight if the Blue Jays hadn’t checked in on Bryant, as they’ve made inquiries into just about every big name on the market so far this winter. The two sides haven’t discussed a potential deal for a few weeks, however, suggesting that Bryant constitutes something closer to a back-up plan for the Jays. The Cubs don’t appear particularly close to moving Bryant, so Toronto likely has time to explore their other options before circling back, should Bryant ultimately become a more appealing target.
  • The Marlins are among the teams that have discussed outfielder Andrew Benintendi with the Red Sox, according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic. To this point, though, the two clubs have not been able to agree on compensation. Benintendi would fit the Marlins’ desire to add a corner outfield, having played the majority of his career in left since he debuted in 2016, though he would be a reclamation project for Miami. Once a superstar prospect and effective big leaguer, Benintendi posted average production in 2019 and then endured a nightmarish, injury-shortened campaign last season.
  • Free-agent first baseman C.J. Cron underwent season-ending left knee surgery last August, but he’s doing well now. Cron has been cleared for full activity and should be ready for spring training, Jason Beck of MLB.com tweets. Cron, who just turned 31 last week, looks like one of the best first baseman on an open market that’s low on impact players at that position. He has delivered above-average offensive production throughout his career, evidenced by his lifetime .257/.312/.464 line with 118 home runs in 2,586 plate appearances.

Tigers Select Casey Mize, Jorge Bonifacio

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The Tigers announced a series of roster moves Wednesday, formally selecting the contract of right-hander Casey Mize (as had been previously announced) and also selecting the contract of outfielder Jorge Bonifacio. They’ll both join the big league roster. Righty Dario Agrazal and first baseman C.J. Cron have also been transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 45-day injured list to open space on the 40-man roster. Meanwhile, utilityman Harold Castro is headed to the 10-day injured list due to a strained left hamstring.

Mize, the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick, will make his MLB debut against another debuting first-rounder: White Sox righty Dane Dunning. Mize is regarded as one of the game’s premier pitching prospects and a potential foundational piece of a rebuilding Tigers squad — one whom the club hopes can pitch atop its rotation through the 2026 season at least. He dominated opponents at Class-A Advanced and Double-A in 2019, working to a combined 2.55 ERA with a terrific 106-to-23 K/BB ratio in 109 1/3 frames.

Bonifacio is no stranger to the AL Central, having spent several years with the Royals as a right fielder and designated hitter. He’s a career .247/.319/.408 hitter in 713 Major League plate appearances and is looking for a rebound opportunity after a PED suspension more or less ended his tenure in Kansas City. Bonifacio did tally 21 plate appearances after being reinstated from that suspension, but he’d since been surpassed on the depth chart and was ultimately cut loose last November.

The injury to the 26-year-old Castro deprives the Tigers of some versatility off the bench. He’d appeared at shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield positions in 2020 already — all while posting a respectable .276/.364/.379 slash through 33 plate appearances.

C.J. Cron To Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

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August 15: Cron has indeed elected to undergo knee surgery, manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters, including Jason Beck of MLB.com. That will end Cron’s season, and likely his Tigers tenure, prematurely. With Cron no longer available, Jeimer Candelario is poised to step in at first base for the remainder of the year.

August 12: Tigers first baseman C.J. Cron hit the injured list due to a left knee sprain yesterday, and the outlook on the slugger doesn’t appear good. Cron spoke with Tigers beat reporters today, revealing that surgery to repair a ligament in his knee will likely be required (Twitter links via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com and Jason Beck of MLB.com). Cron’s hope, however, is that he can strengthen the ligament enough to return to play this summer and undergo any necessary procedure in the offseason. For now, he’s in a brace and gathering more information while the swelling goes down.

The play that caused the injury saw Cron drop to one knee to field a sharp one-hop grounder (video link). The first baseman explained that during his crouch, he sustained damage to a stabilizing ligament in his left knee that caused his kneecap to pop out of place. Cron was helped off the field by manager Ron Gardenhire and athletic trainer Doug Teter. He did not appear able to put any weight on his left knee.

“It’s kind of just floating around in there, so it could pop out at any time really,” Cron said of his kneecap (Twitter link via Beck). “That’s why, if we do this, we’re going to have to be super smart about taping it, bracing it and trying to keep that kneecap as stable as possible.”

It’s a tough blow for both Cron and the Tigers. The 30-year-old is playing the 2020 season on a one-year, $6.1MM contract and had hoped to position himself for either a raise or a multi-year deal as a free agent this winter. He was hitting just .190 through his first 52 plate appearances, but that was largely a function of a fluky .182 average on balls in play. Cron had belted four home runs and already drawn nine walks — he walked just 29 times in 499 plate appearances a year ago — resulting in an overall .190/.346/.548 slash. He ranked among the league leaders in terms of walk percentage and (per Statcast) barreled-ball percentage in the season’s early stages.

For the Tigers, meanwhile, they’re now left with a hole at first base for the foreseeable future. Gardenhire said yesterday that he doesn’t expect Miguel Cabrera to return to first base with regularity, though he may get an occasional start there. For now, it sounds as though the plan is for Jeimer Candelario to line up at first base with Dawel Lugo seeing regular reps at third base. That figures to represent an offensive downgrade for the surprising Tigers, who’ve gotten out to a 9-6 start on the season.

Speculatively speaking, it seems possible that the Tigers could look outside the organization for some alternatives at first base. Veteran Logan Morrison and promising-but-oft-injured Greg Bird were both designated for assignment this week and could make some sense. As far as in-house options go, first baseman Frank Schwindel is already in Detroit’s player pool. Fans may clamor to turn things over to 2020 top overall pick Spencer Torkelson, but starting his service clock the same year he was drafted seems both unlikely and sub-optimal from a developmental standpoint.

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