Ryan Flaherty

Braves Expect To Utilize Jose Bautista As Starting Third Baseman

By Jeff Todd | April 23, 2018 at 5:34pm CDT

Braves skipper Brian Snitker says the organization expects to install veteran Jose Bautista as the regular at third base once he’s brought up to the majors, Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Bautista signed a minors deal recently after sitting out Spring Training, so he’s still getting up to full speed.

At the moment, Bautista is playing at Triple-A after logging a few games down at the High-A level. Snitker says that he’s told Bautista is “close,” so it may not be long before we get a look at the veteran at the game’s highest level. Indeed, last we heard, the expectation was that the former Blue Jay would be playing in the majors by early May at the latest.

The decision to use Bautista in a starting capacity will bump Ryan Flaherty into a platoon role. He’ll surely get some opportunities to spell Bautista against righties, and perhaps will receive some time up the middle, but the news certainly will put a big dent in Flaherty’s playing time. The 31-year-old has been among the pleasant surprises in Atlanta; he’s carrying a .362/.471/.500 slash through seventy plate appearances.

Last year, under different front-office leadership, the Braves attempted an even more novel maneuver at third by slotting Freddie Freeman there after he returned from a lengthy DL stint. That experiment didn’t last long. In this case, though, new GM Alex Anthopoulos says that he has long believed Bautista can handle the hot corner. And Snitker says there are “nothing but good reports” streaming in at the moment.

There are obviously some questions about how Bautista will perform at 37 years of age, coming off of a season in which he hit just .203/.308/.366 while playing his accustomed corner outfield. But there’s upside aplenty here for the Braves and relatively little to lose by trying. Bautista is not far removed from being one of the game’s preeminent hitters and could be quite a valuable asset if he can bounce back at the plate and deliver even palatable glovework at third.

Braves To Sign Ryan Flaherty To MLB Deal

By Connor Byrne | March 25, 2018 at 2:23pm CDT

2:23pm: The contract should be worth around $750K, per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.

12:57pm: The two sides have agreed to a major league deal, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

12:36pm: The Braves are attempting to sign free-agent utilityman Ryan Flaherty, Mark Bowman of MLB.com tweets. It’s unclear whether he’d get a major league contract, but Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reported earlier Sunday that Flaherty is set to sign an MLB pact with someone. That may prove to be Atlanta.

The 31-year-old Flaherty was previously with one of the Braves’ NL East rivals, the Phillies, who added him on a minor league deal in the offseason. Flaherty ultimately decided to opt out of that contract on Thursday.

To this point, Flaherty has spent his entire major league career in Baltimore, where the left-handed hitter failed to pose a threat offensively (.215/.284/.355) over 1,270 plate appearances. He was versatile with the Orioles on the defensive side, though, as he lined up at every infield position (primarily second base) and also saw some time in the outfield.

Given the presence of rising star Ozzie Albies, the Braves are all set at the keystone, but Flaherty could back up him and shortstop Dansby Swanson. He could also function as depth at third base, where starter Johan Camargo will begin the season on the disabled list. For now, the Braves’ top reserve infielder is the out-of-options Charlie Culberson (depth chart).

AL Notes: Rays, Rangers, Rupp, Bird, Orioles, Brantley

By Connor Byrne | March 25, 2018 at 12:13pm CDT

Neither left-hander Dan Jennings nor righty Daniel Hudson will make the Rays’ roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The futures of both relievers are now in question, but the Rays expect a resolution in each case within 24 to 48 hours, according to Topkin. Jennings is due $2.375MM this year, though the majority of that’s not guaranteed because it’s an arbitration salary. As such, the Rays could release Jennings and only pay one-fourth of that sum. Hudson, on the other hand, has a guaranteed $5.5MM coming his way. However, his previous employer – Pittsburgh – is covering $1MM of that. The Pirates traded Hudson to the Rays in a deal for outfielder Corey Dickerson last month.

Phillies Release Ryan Flaherty

By Jeff Todd | March 22, 2018 at 10:10am CDT

The Phillies have released infielder Ryan Flaherty, per a club announcement. He had triggered an opt-out provision that required the team to add him to the MLB roster or set him loose.

Philadelphia had largely signaled its intentions already by adding veteran Pedro Florimon to the 40-man. He’ll likely serve as the team’s general utility option, a role that was up for grabs in camp this spring.

A reunion with the Orioles has already been suggested for Flaherty, who has a long history with the organization. The 31-year-old owns only a .215/.284/.355 lifetime batting line in the majors but is regarded as a valuable presence around the diamond. He has has also turned in a strong spring, with a .353/.395/.529 slash and just three strikeouts in 38 plate appearances.

NL Notes: Phils, Flaherty, Brewers, Mets, Pirates

By Connor Byrne | March 21, 2018 at 7:14pm CDT

Phillies utilityman Ryan Flaherty plans to opt out of his minor league contract, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com tweets. The Phillies will have 48 hours to add Flaherty to their 25-man roster or let him go. Odds are that they’ll grant him his release, per Zolecki. The 31-year-old Flaherty was a member of the Orioles from 2012-17, and Baltimore reportedly made an attempt to keep him before he joined the Phillies. Now, he could head back to the O’s, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com suggests.

East Notes: Walker, Reed, Nationals, Orioles, Rays

By Steve Adams | March 15, 2018 at 11:54am CDT

Neil Walker’s one-year, $4MM deal with the Yankees seems like one of the better bargains achieved by a team in an unprecedentedly slow offseason for free agents, and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post looks back to last offseason when the infielder was discussing a longer-term pact with the Mets. At some point last winter, the Mets floated a three-year extension for Walker that would’ve been worth “about” $42MM, per Davidoff. Presumably that would include the 2017 season, during which he was already set to be paid $17.2MM, as it seems unlikely both that the Mets would offer three new years with Walker returning from back surgery and equally unlikely that Walker’s camp would reject said notion (though that’s just my own speculation). If that number is indeed accurate, Walker will obviously come out behind ($21.2MM over the first two of those three seasons), though certainly no one saw this type of free-agent freeze coming. Davidoff adds that Walker’s camp tried to reignite those “contentious” discussions later in the winter, but the Mets declined.

Regarding his own free agency this past offseason, while there were some early rumblings connecting him and the Pirates, Walker tells reporters that there’s “no validity” to those rumors and that he and his agents “didn’t hear from them once the entire offseason” — even when it was clear recently that he’d come at a rather affordable rate (via Elizabeth Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

More out of the game’s Eastern divisions…

Addison Reed tells Alex Speier of the Boston Globe that playing for the Red Sox and pitching at the hallowed grounds of Fenway Park exceeded his expectations in 2017, adding: “…and I expected it to be pretty damn good.” However, Reed openly admits that a return to Boston wasn’t high on his list as he headed into free agency this winter. While he had nothing against the Red Sox and spoke glowingly of the organization, his preference was to end up with a Midwest team. (Speier notes that his wife is from Ohio.) Reed achieved that feat by landing a two-year deal with the Twins, and while he took a shorter deal than most predicted, it seems possible that that outcome was in part due to his self-imposed geographic limitations.
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo acknowledged to reporters today that right-hander Koda Glover’s shoulder is taking longer to heal than the team anticipated (Twitter link via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post). Glover’s uncertain status notwithstanding, Rizzo doesn’t feel the team needs to go outside the organization for additional bullpen help, Janes notes. The GM said he likes what he’s seen from right-handers Trevor Gott and Austin Adams this spring, and the Nats of course have deepened their bullpen over the past nine months with the acquisitions of Ryan Madson, Sean Doolittle, Brandon Kintzler and, earlier this spring, Joaquin Benoit.
Janes also tweets that Rizzo was adamant that the Nationals “would never” keep top outfield prospect Victor Robles in a bench role. While many Nats fans may be hoping that the ballyhooed 20-year-old can make the roster in a reserve capacity, Rizzo’s comments further reinforce the idea that the Nats will keep Robles in a regular role with Triple-A Syracuse until an everyday opening presents itself at the big league level.
The Orioles’ roster further took shape yesterday with the news that outfielder Joey Rickard has been optioned to Triple-A and veteran infielder Ruben Tejada was assigned to minor league camp. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com looks at the team’s utility infielder opening, noting that Engelb Vielma, Luis Sardinas and Danny Valencia are all candidates. While Valencia, of course, doesn’t have shortstop experience, the O’s have two viable shortstop options on the roster in Manny Machado and Tim Beckham. Kubatko adds that the O’s could take a look at Erick Aybar if he doesn’t make the Twins’ roster this spring, and he notes that Baltimore could also pursue a reunion with Ryan Flaherty if he does not break camp with the Phillies.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tackles a host of Rays roster scenarios as he strives to project the 25-man unit that’ll break camp for Opening Day. Interestingly, he paints veteran lefty Dan Jennings as a potential trade candidate and doesn’t project him to make it to the Opening Day roster, instead projecting starting pitching prospects Yonny Chirinos and Ryan Yarbrough (a fellow lefty) to crack the Opening Day bullpen. Topkin runs through playing time scenarios in the outfield and all around the infield, so Rays fans in particular will want to take a look at one of the more educated guesses you’ll come across for how things will shake out between now and Opening Day.

AL East Notes: Bautista, Rays, Orioles, Red Sox

By Connor Byrne | February 24, 2018 at 6:29pm CDT

Although the Rays have picked up a pair of right-handed hitters in Carlos Gomez and C.J. Cron since last weekend, they could add another outfield-capable righty-swinger, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. One free agent who might draw their attention is Jose Bautista, who’s “keenly interested in playing for the Rays, presumably knowing it would be for a low salary,” Topkin writes. The 37-year-old Tampa Bay resident has long been a rival of the Rays, having played with the Blue Jays from 2009-17. While Bautista was a terror for opposing pitchers for the majority of that run, he’s now coming off his worst year in nearly a decade, which helps explain why he remains on the market. Bautista took 686 trips to the plate in 2017 and batted a subpar .203/.308/.366, albeit with 23 home runs.

More on Tampa Bay and two of its AL East rivals:

The Rays have recently parted with several notable veterans, including Evan Longoria, Steven Souza Jr., Corey Dickerson and Jake Odorizzi, but their front office insists they’re not tanking and never have, as Topkin details in a separate piece. Rather, according to general manager Erik Neander: “This is a season, as things stand now, where on paper we’re somewhere in that middle territory yet again. But what’s been building underneath is getting awfully close to colliding with what’s a middle-of-the-pack team. And when those things come together, you’ve got a chance for something special.” And even though the Rays finished under .500 in each season from 2014-17, Neander believes there was serious progress behind the scenes. “As our teams have been kind of treading water, there’s been that wave that’s really building, really coming together, probably even better than I think we expect it,” Neander said. “It’s about there.”
In-house issues prevented the Orioles from signing free agent infielders Ryan Flaherty and Ryan Goins during the offseason, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports. Flaherty was with the Orioles from 2012-17 and wanted to re-sign with the club, even showing a willingness to take less money than he did to join the Phillies. Philadelphia made Flaherty an offer with a three-week deadline to accept it, but he wanted to hear from the Orioles before taking it. The O’s then submitted a counteroffer, though it “didn’t get club-wide approval in time to meet the Phillies’ deadline,” Encina writes. As a result, he said yes to the Phillies’ minor league proposal. Given that Flaherty has a late-March opt-out in his deal, it’s possible he’ll hit the market again and rejoin the Orioles before the season, Encina notes. Like Flaherty, Goins also settled for a minor league pact (with the Royals). However, he actually was set to sign a major league contract with the Orioles beforehand, according to Encina. Orioles ownership didn’t approve it in time, though, leading the former Toronto utilityman to head to Kansas City.
Red Sox reliever Robby Scott has changed representation and is now a client of Meister Sports Management, Rob Bradford of WEEI tweets. The 28-year-old, who’s currently vying to open the season as Boston’s top left-handed bullpen option, tossed 35 innings of 3.79 ERA ball and notched 7.82 K/9, 3.28 BB/9 and a 42.6 percent groundball rate in 2017. He won’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2019 campaign.

Phillies To Sign Ryan Flaherty

By Steve Adams | February 8, 2018 at 7:43am CDT

TODAY: Flaherty would earn at a $1.9MM rate if he makes the roster, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. He could also earn a further $300K in incentives and may opt out on March 22nd if he has not been added to the MLB roster.

YESTERDAY: The Phillies and free-agent infielder Ryan Flaherty have agreed to terms, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. Presumably, it’s a minor league deal for the CAA client, based on Crasnick’s note that Flaherty will “compete for a job in Spring Training.” He’ll join fellow veterans Adam Rosales and Pedro Florimon in competing for a utility infield spot with the Phils.

Baltimore was said to have interest in retaining Flaherty, who hit free agency this winter after spending the past six seasons with the Orioles. Instead, he’ll head to an organization that has several Orioles ties in the front office; Philadelphia president Andy MacPhail, GM Matt Klentak and assistant GM Ned Rice were all with the Phils at some point during Flaherty’s tenure with the team.

Flaherty, 31, missed a significant chunk of the 2017 season due to a shoulder strain and only took 43 plate appearances at the big league level last year. But, from 2012-16, the versatile utility man averaged 86 games and 245 plate appearances per year with the O’s, appearing at all four infield positions and in the outfield corners.

Flaherty isn’t much of a hitter, as evidenced by a career .215/.284/.355 slash. He does have a bit of extra-base pop, though (.140 ISO) and draws above-average grades for his defensive work at second base and third base. He can play shortstop in a pinch as well, though Defensive Runs Saved (-8) and Ultimate Zone Rating (-4.8) aren’t exactly bullish on his work in 391 innings at the position.

Orioles To Move Manny Machado To Shortstop

By Mark Polishuk | January 27, 2018 at 11:17am CDT

After weeks of speculation, Orioles manager Buck Showalter confirmed today to fans and reporters (including MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko) that Manny Machado would be moving from third base to shortstop, with Tim Beckham shifting over to the hot corner. This will at least be the club’s setup going into Spring Training, Showalter specified, though plans could still change down the road.

News broke in November that Machado was interested in a move back to his original position, despite developing into one of baseball’s best defensive players as a third baseman. Machado has played just 433 big league innings at shortstop over his six-year career, with the bulk of that action coming in 2016 (380 innings) when he filled in for the injured J.J. Hardy. Machado posted strong metrics that year (5.4 UZR/150, +3 Defensive Runs Saved) as a shortstop, though it’s hard to extrapolate from that small sample size how Machado could fare at the position over the long term.

Given that Machado is just a year away from free agency, it can’t be ignored that the position change widens Machado’s potential market. Proving that he can handle shortstop would only raises Machado’s already sky-high value heading into the 2018-19 offeason. While his first preference would seemingly be to find a team that would allow him to continue at short, Machado could also keep third base-needy teams in the picture or even explore scenarios that would see him play every day at one of the two positions.

The position change also has significant 2018 implications for the Orioles, who now could look to complement the right-handed hitting Beckham with a left-handed platoon partner at third. Given how Beckham impressed in his first month in an O’s uniform, however, the team might want to give him a clear shot at the everyday job. Executive VP Dan Duquette mentioned (via Kubatko) that the Orioles had been talking to long-time utilityman Ryan Flaherty about a possible return; such an addition wouldn’t be any significant threat to reducing Beckham’s status as the starting third baseman. Engelb Vielma or prospect Ryan Mountcastle could also eventually get into the third base or infield backup mix.

On the other hand, the Orioles could go big by moving Beckham into a multi-positional bench role and looking for a full-time third baseman. Mike Moustakas and Todd Frazier are the most notable hot corner names still available in free agency, with Moustakas carrying the bigger price tag (both in terms of salary and draft pick compensation) but his left-handed bat is also a better fit in Baltimore’s lineup. Making a big signing or trade splash for third base could be difficult, however, given that the O’s have a more pressing need in their rotation.

Orioles Outright Ruben Tejada

By Steve Adams | August 17, 2017 at 1:23pm CDT

The Orioles announced that infielder Ruben Tejada has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk. Tejada’s removal from the roster clears way for Ryan Flaherty, who has been reinstated from the disabled list, according to the team.

Injuries to Flaherty and J.J. Hardy created an opening for Tejada on Baltimore’s big league roster, but the longtime Mets infielder struggled at the plate through 41 games in an Orioles uniform. In 124 trips to the plate, Tejada batted just .230/.293/.283 with six doubles prior to being outrighted back to Triple-A. Those struggles are similar to the ones Tejada experienced in limited action with the Cardinals and Giants in 2016. His last reasonably productive season came with the 2015 Mets, when he hit .261/.338/.350 in 116 games (407 plate appearances).

The 31-year-old Flaherty has been on the disabled list since late May due to a shoulder strain. He carries a mere .216/.285/.356 batting line in 1261 career plate appearances, though he gives manager Buck Showalter plenty of versatility off the bench. Flaherty has more than 390 innings at each of shortstop, second base and third base under his belt in his career, and he’s also capable of handling corner outfield duties on occasion.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Ryan Flaherty

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect