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Craig Breslow

Blue Jays Release Craig Breslow, Outright Matt Dermody

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Left-hander Craig Breslow has been granted his unconditional release by the Blue Jays, per a club announcement. The club has also outrighted fellow southpaw Matt Dermody to Triple-A Buffalo.

During Breslow’s best years, he was an incredibly effective lefty reliever. He never had a fantastic strikeout ability, but he had a penchant for limiting hard contact; a skill which seemed to help him outperform his peripherals virtually every year. That includes a 2013 season during which he managed to post a 1.81 ERA across 59 2/3 innings out of the Red Sox bullpen despite striking out just 4.98 batters per nine innings.

Recent years haven’t been as kind to Breslow, though. After playing below replacement level in 2014 and 2015, he only earned a spot on the mound 15 times during the 2016 campaign. He posted an ERA north of 5.00 and a WHIP north of 1.50 in 35 1/3 innings last season between the Twins and Indians, and spent time on the DL with what was described as rib cage soreness. He allowed five runs in 7 1/3 spring innings, and will cede a chance at a roster spot to the other non-roster invites still in camp.

Dermody, 27, was a late-round pick of the Jays back in 2013. He’s made 28 appearances out of Toronto’s bullpen between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, tossing 25 1/3 innings of 5.33 ERA baseball. While he’s not particularly good at striking batters out (7.11 career K/9), he’s generally proved effective at limiting walks (1.78 career BB/9), and should be able to help the Jays at some point this season.

AL East Notes: O’s, Cobb, Red Sox, Pomeranz, Blue Jays

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The Orioles officially signed Alex Cobb on Wednesday, but they weren’t serious suitors for him as of February because his asking price was too high, Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com hears. But Cobb told Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun and other reporters Wednesday: “They didn’t stop bothering me the whole offseason. They were very persistent, and I think that you notice that confidence they have in you just by the way they speak to you, and the questions they ask and not questioning anything that’s gone on.” The Orioles’ insistence on signing Cobb came from John and Lou Angelos, sons of owner Peter Angelos, according to Connolly, who reports that the duo recently made “a hard push” to add the right-hander, who landed a four-year, $57MM deal.

And now the latest on a pair of Baltimore’s division rivals…

  • While Red Sox southpaw Drew Pomeranz has recently made progress in his recovery from a mild flexor strain, odds are that he’ll start the season on the disabled list, Ian Browne of MLB.com writes. Meanwhile, Browne relays that there’s more hope for Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez and righty Steven Wright, each of whom underwent knee surgery last year. If they’re both ready to open the season on time, they’ll follow Chris Sale, David Price and Rick Porcello in Boston’s rotation. Otherwise, the Red Sox’s top fallback choices are lefty Brian Johnson and righty Hector Velazquez.
  • The Blue Jays have informed left-handed reliever Craig Breslow that he won’t make the team, Jon Heyman of FanRag tweets. Breslow will have a chance to opt out of his minor league contract Thursday. The 37-year-old has struggled in spring action, having allowed five earned runs on 10 hits and four walks, with five strikeouts, in 6 2/3 innings.
  • Blue Jays righty Joe Biagini is likely to begin the season at the Triple-A level, per Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. In doing so, he’ll continue developing as a starter. The Jays, with Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ, Marco Estrada and Jaime Garcia in their rotation, don’t have room for Biagini in their starting staff. Biagini was a key component of Toronto’s bullpen in 2016, his rookie season, but he went backward as both a starter and reliever last season.

Blue Jays Sign Craig Breslow To Minor League Deal

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Feb. 13: Breslow’s spring opt-out date is March 22, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter links). He can also earn up to $700K worth of incentives if he makes the big league roster. The Blue Jays have formally announced the deal.

Feb. 12, 11:59am: Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports that Breslow would earn a $1.25MM base salary if he makes the team (Twitter link). He’d also have the opportunity to earn more through incentives and has an opt-out date near the end of Spring Training.

11:33am: The Blue Jays are in agreement with left-handed reliever Craig Breslow on a minor league contract, tweets Robert Murray of FanRag Sports. Breslow, who is represented by the Baratta Partners, will vie for a bullpen job in Major League Spring Training.

Toronto has been stockpiling bullpen options on minor league deals lately, as they’ve now added Breslow, John Axford (link) and Jake Petricka (link) in the past week alone. Toronto also added Al Alburquerque on a minors pact earlier this winter. The 37-year-old Breslow will give the Jays an option to compete alongside Aaron Loup, Matt Dermody, Tim Mayza and fellow non-roster pitcher Chad Girodo for a spot as a lefty in the ’pen.

Breslow opened the 2017 season with the Twins on the heels of a winter in which worked to alter his mechanics and lower his arm slot. He didn’t fare particularly well in Minnesota (5.23 ERA in 31 innings), although that was largely due to the fact that other injuries throughout the bullpen (and some short outings from the rotation) early in the season forced the Twins to use Breslow against right-handed opponents far more than would be preferable. Breslow faced twice as many righties as lefties in 2017, and they clobbered him at a .330/.393/.542 clip. However, lefties were utterly befuddled against Breslow, hitting just .196/.294/.286.

Indians Select Craig Breslow’s Contract, Designate Diego Moreno

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The Indians have selected the contract of veteran left-hander Craig Breslow from Triple-A Columbus, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports (via Twitter).  In corresponding moves, lefty Ryan Merritt was optioned to Triple-A and right-hander Diego Moreno was designated for assignment.

Breslow signed a minor league deal with the Tribe earlier this month after being released by the Twins at the end of July.  Breslow posted a 5.23 ERA, 1.5 K/BB and 5.2 K/9 over 31 innings for Minnesota, though those unimpressive overall numbers mask some glaring splits.  Right-handed hitters accounted for much of the damage against Breslow this season, while he held left-handed hitters to just a .200/.279/.257 slash line (over 44 PA).

With Andrew Miller on the DL, Breslow adds some veteran depth to a Cleveland bullpen that only has one other left-hander (Tyler Olson, who is yet to allow a run over 10 innings pitched this season).  Miller isn’t expected to be out of action long, and when he returns after the September 1 roster expansion, so the Tribe will have their multi-inning threat as well as two southpaws in Breslow and Olson who can handle more specific situations against lefty bats late in games.

Moreno was claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay last month and he has since made six appearances for Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate.  Moreno has a 2.97 ERA, 9.3 K/9 and 3.7 K/BB rate over 424 2/3 career innings over ten years in the minors, as well as a 5.06 ERA over two brief stints in the big leagues (10 1/3 IP with the Yankees in 2015 and 5 2/3 IP with the Rays this season).

Indians, Craig Breslow Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Indians and left-hander Craig Breslow have agreed to a minor league contract, reports WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford (Twitter link). Breslow was released by the Twins shortly before the non-waiver trade deadline after being designated for assignment.

Breslow, 37 next week, put extensive work into revamping his mechanics this offseason and dropping to a more sidearm angle from the left side, but the results unfortunately didn’t line up with his efforts. Through 31 innings with Minnesota, Breslow averaged 5.2 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 with a 40.4 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 5.23 ERA. His new approach, however, did sufficiently stymie left-handed batters at the plate. When left-handed bats squared off against Breslow, the result was a brutal .180/.279/.257 batting line, albeit in a fairly small sample of 44 plate appearances.

The Indians just placed Andrew Miller on the 10-day disabled list, leaving the inexperienced Tyler Olson as their only southpaw option in the bullpen. Perhaps, given Cleveland’s impressive depth when it comes to right-handed relievers, the Indians will be able to use Breslow in more of a specialized capacity. Despite his dominance over lefties, Breslow was clobbered for a .344/.404/.573 batting line by righties. The Twins, though, generally lacking depth and quality in their relief corps, were forced to use Breslow against right-handed bats more often than they’d probably have preferred (99 PAs vs. righties).

Twins Release Craig Breslow

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July 30: The Twins announced that Breslow has been released.

July 23: The Twins have designated veteran left-hander Craig Breslow for assignment, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (Twitter link).

Breslow signed a minor league deal with Minnesota last winter that ended up paying him $1.25MM in guaranteed money when he broke camp with the team after Spring Training.  After getting off to a good start in his first 21 outings, Breslow struggled in June and then spent much of July on the DL with a rib injury.  Overall, Breslow has a 5.34 ERA, 5.3 K/9, 1.64 K/BB rate over 30 1/3 IP for the Twins.

Twins manager Paul Molitor told Berardino and other reporters that Breslow (who turns 37 on August 8) intends to continue his career.  Despite the lackluster overall numbers, there is still evidence that Breslow has something left in the tank — he held left-handed hitters to just a .176/.262/.235 slash line this season.  Since right-handed batters (.992 OPS) were responsible for much of the damage against Breslow this season, he could still provide value to another team in a strict specialist role.  With several teams looking for bullpen help, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Breslow get some calls should he hit the open market, or perhaps even a club could work out a minor trade to acquire Breslow from Minnesota during the DFA period.

10 Minor-League Free Agent Relievers Off To Strong Starts

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There’s no more fickle existence in Major League Baseball than that of a relief pitcher. Teams are generally more willing to tinker with their bullpens than their benches, and often need to make changes to account for overworked staffs.

But the tumult also brings opportunity. Relievers who are throwing well at the right moment can find themselves right back in the majors. And there are often wide-open Spring Training battles to be joined and won.

Plenty of relievers signed minor-league deals last winter. And a solid number of them ended up on MLB rosters within the first two months of the season. Despite failing to receive MLB guarantees on the free-agent market, these ten hurlers have provided quite a bit of value in the early going:

Matt Albers, Nationals: With the Nats’ pen struggling badly, Albers has been a desperately need source of reliable frames: 16 2/3 innings of 1.62 ERA ball. A strong 57.8% groundball rate and meager 1.6 BB/9 walk rate tend to support the results, though Albers isn’t getting enough whiffs (7.6 K/9) to keep up quite this level of pitching.

Craig Breslow, Twins: The lefty specialist has been everything the Minnesota front office hoped for when it bought into his new-look delivery over the winter. Like Albers, a minimal BABIP (.217 in this case) helps explain the sub-2.00 ERA, though in both cases the solid early work is enough to entrench these pitchers in their respective pens for the time being.

Jorge De La Rosa, Diamondbacks: A long-time starter, De La Rosa has averaged less than one inning per relief appearance in Arizona. But the results of that change in focus have been quite promising. It’s good enough that De La Rosa carries a 50% groundball rate with 8.8 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9, supporting a 2.35 ERA through 15 1/3 frames. But there could be more in the tank, as he’s also averaging a career-high 94.1 mph with his fastball and generating a huge 19.5% swinging-strike rate.

David Hernandez, Angels: Though he has completed just 11 innings thus far, after making his debut later than most of the names on this list, Hernandez has impressed. He’s showing the same kind of velocity and swinging-strike rates that made him a buy-low option last year for the Phillies, but the real question is whether he can continue to avoid the long balls that have plagued him in recent years.

J.J. Hoover, Diamondbacks: It was anyone’s guess whether the former Reds’ late-inning stalwart would rebound, but he’s showing well through fifteen frames in Arizona. Hoover is walking more than five batters per nine, but has also racked up 12.6 K/9 (on a career-high 12.6% swinging-strike rate) and owns a 3.00 ERA. So far, a new pitch mix (more two-seamers and sliders) seems to be working.

Jason Motte, Braves: After beating out Hernandez to become the next veteran reclamation project in Atlanta, Motte has ascended to the majors and helped stabilize the pen. His peripherals aren’t terribly inspiring — 6.4 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 53.1% groundball rate — but the results (1.59 ERA) have been there through 11 1/3 innings.

Bud Norris, Angels: The crown jewel of the Halos’ impressive slate of finds, Norris has thrived in the closer’s role that he took over out of necessity. Through 23 2/3 innings, he carries a 2.66 ERA with 11.8 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, and a 44.2% groundball rate. Norris is bringing more velocity (94.1 mph fastball) and swinging strikes (13.2%) than ever before.

Yusmeiro Petit, Angels: The veteran long man has been stellar, delivering 28 1/3 staff-preserving innings of 2.54 ERA ball through 16 appearances. Petit is carrying 9.5 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 on the year. (As if the trio of arms on this list weren’t enough, the Halos have also benefited from the strong work of Blake Parker, who had been outrighted off the 40-man roster over the winter.)

Anthony Swarzak, White Sox: There are some very strong performers on this list, but perhaps none has been quite as impressive as Swarzak. He has given the South Siders 19 2/3 breakout innings of 1.37 ERA ball, with 10.1 K/9 and just 0.9 BB/9 in that span. At present, he’s working at a 19.8% swinging-strike rate — about double what he carried over the prior two campaigns — making him quite an interesting potential trade candidate this summer.

Jacob Turner, Nationals: Though he isn’t carrying sparkly numbers, Turner has been an important contributor in D.C. He’s functioning in the swingman role that Petit occupied last year, providing 21 2/3 innings (over two starts and six relief appearances) of 3.74 ERA pitching thus far. While Turner is averaging only 5.8 strikeouts and 3.3 walks per nine, he is continuing to carry the velocity boost he showed last year. Interestingly, he is now working in the zone far more than ever before (50.2% versus 42.1% career average) — though it’s also important to note that his swings and misses are way down (4.8%).

Twins To Add Craig Breslow To 40-Man

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The Twins will add southpaw Craig Breslow to their 40-man roster, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (via Twitter). The veteran had an opt-out opportunity last night.

Evidently, Minnesota saw enough from Breslow — and his revamped delivery — to make the move, all but ensuring he’ll break camp on the active roster. Breslow will stand to earn $1.25MM on the year — with $1MM more in available incentives — under the minor-league deal he signed in early February.

After showcasing a new approach over the offseason, the 36-year-old drew some interest from organizations that hoped he might stage a late-career renaissance. Long a quality reliever, he had struggled to a 4.93 ERA over the past three seasons.

He has responded thus far with six innings of 1.50 ERA ball this spring, allowing just three hits but also seven walks against his five strikeouts. There are obviously still some kinks to work out, but Minnesota’s new front office clearly thinks there’s enough promise — and enough value in Breslow’s clubhouse presence — to give him another crack at the majors.

Twins News: Jay, Veterans, Stubbs, Breslow

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Here’s the latest from Minnesota…

  • Left-hander Tyler Jay, the sixth overall pick of the 2015 draft, will be used as a reliever going forward, Seth Stohs of Twins Daily reports.  The decision was mutually made between both Jay and the Twins.  Jay mostly pitched in relief in college, yet the Twins were intrigued enough by his four-pitch arsenal that they spent the high pick on him in order to test him as a starter.  The southpaw pitched well in 13 starts at High-A ball last season before battling some neck issues over five appearances (two of them starts) and 14 innings at Double-A.  Baseball Prospectus ranked Jay as 98th on their recent list of the 101 best prospects in baseball, and he also appeared on top-100 lists from MLB.com (60th) and Baseball America (80th) prior to the 2016 season.
  • Jay was drafted one spot ahead of Andrew Benintendi in 2015, and 1500 ESPN’s Darren Wolfson reports (Twitter link) that the Twins “had very little interest” in the outfielder who is now the game’s consensus number-one prospect.  Notables such as Carson Fulmer and Ian Happ were picked in the next two spots after Benintendi.  In fairness to Minnesota, however, Jay was highly regarded by the major prospect scouting pundits headed into the 2015 draft, so he likely wouldn’t have fallen much further than sixth had the Twins passed.
  • The Twins made a point of adding veteran leadership to their young clubhouse this winter, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes.  Matt Belisle, Ryan Vogelsong, Chris Gimenez, Drew Stubbs and Craig Breslow were all signed to minor league deals or low-cost MLB deals this offseason, providing Minnesota with inexpensive but experienced players who can help on the field and also serve as mentors.  “The idea at this stage of my career that I could impact an organization for longer than I may be playing for it is pretty powerful and pretty compelling,” Breslow said. “I’ve started to think about all of the players who have helped shape my career.  I certainly look to them with incredible deference.  If I have the opportunity to fill that role for somebody, it’s a legacy I would be really proud of.”
  • Also from Berardino’s piece, he notes that Stubbs will earn $1MM on his minor league deal should he crack the Twins’ big league roster.  Stubbs has bounced around with the Braves, Orioles, Rockies and (multiple stints with the) Rangers over the last two seasons, playing in 137 games and hitting .207/.302/.365 over 234 plate appearances.
  • Breslow’s contractual opt-out date is early next week, though Berardino tweets that the Twins will add him to their 40-man roster.  Trevor May will be moved to the 60-day DL (due to his torn UCL) in order to create space.

Twins To Sign Craig Breslow

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FEBRUARY 14: Breslow will earn $1.25MM if he makes the MLB roster, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). The deal includes $1MM in available incentives, per Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (via Twitter). Breslow will have an opt-out opportunity, too, with Berardino tweeting that the clause can be exercised “around 10 days before Opening Day.”

FEBRUARY 8: The Twins have agreed to a minor-league deal with lefty Craig Breslow, the veteran hurler tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Terms are not known at this time, though Breslow suggests he turned down potentially more lucrative offers from other organizations.

Breslow, 36, may have preferred Minnesota for its open staff opportunities, though it probably doesn’t hurt that he first fully established himself in the majors there back in 2008. After stops with the Padres, Red Sox, and Indians, Breslow checked in with the Twins before moving on to the Athletics. He threw well for three years in Oakland before moving to the Diamondbacks and then back to Boston, where he stayed for four years.

Most recently, Breslow contributed 14 frames to the 2016 Marlins. He allowed seven earned runs on 21 hits, with seven strikeouts and four walks, before being designated for assignment. Though he did not end up signing on with another MLB organization in 2016, Breslow spent the offseason overhauling his delivery in an attempt to stage a late-career renaissance.

While it may be optimistic to expect those new mechanics to spur a full-blown revival, Breslow tells Rosenthal that he hopes to be able to function as a force against left-handed hitters. And it’s only fair to note that the southpaw has long defied expectations. Chosen in the 26th round out of Yale, Breslow has accumulated over 500 innings of 3.35 ERA pitching across 11 MLB seasons.

[RELATED: Updated Twins Depth Chart]

For Minnesota, Breslow represents both another depth piece and a respected voice in camp. The club surely is in need of southpaw relievers, and Breslow figures to battle for a roster spot this spring with pitchers such as Taylor Rogers, Buddy Boshers, Ryan O’Rourke, and Mason Melotakis.

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