Tommy Milone – MLB Trade Rumors https://www.mlbtraderumors.com Sat, 28 Oct 2023 15:15:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 29 Players Elect Free Agency https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/10/29-players-elect-free-agency.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/10/29-players-elect-free-agency.html#comments Fri, 06 Oct 2023 21:33:51 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=788342 October brings postseason play for a handful of teams and their fanbases. Just over two-thirds of the league is now in offseason mode after being eliminated, however. As the season comes to a close, a number of veterans will hit minor league free agency.

These players are separate from six-year MLB free agents, who’ll reach the open market five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Eligible minor leaguers can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season wraps up. These players were all outrighted off a team’s 40-man roster during the year and have the requisite service time and/or multiple career outrights necessary to reach free agency since they weren’t added back to teams’ rosters.

Electing free agency is the anticipated outcome for these players. There’ll surely be more to test the market in the coming weeks. We’ll offer periodic updates at MLBTR. The first group, courtesy of the transaction tracker at MiLB.com:

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers

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Mariners Outright Tommy Milone https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/07/mariners-outright-tommy-milone-2.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/07/mariners-outright-tommy-milone-2.html#comments Thu, 13 Jul 2023 22:55:27 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=779418 The Mariners have sent left-hander Tommy Milone outright to Triple-A Tacoma, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment a week ago.

All players with a previous career outright or more than three years of major league service time have the right to reject outright assignments in favor of electing free agency. Milone meets both qualifications and could return to the open market, with no public reporting about his decision yet, though it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him stick with in the Mariners’ system. This is the second time he has been called up to make a spot start, getting promptly designated for assignment afterwards. The first time was back in April, which resulted in him clearing waivers and deciding to stay, which led to his second spot start last week.

Milone, 36, has suited up for Washington, Oakland, Minnesota, Milwaukee, the Mets, Baltimore, Atlanta, Toronto and Seattle in his career, which dates back to 2011. He’s appeared in 198 major league games but has been limited to an emergency option in recent years. Since 2019, he hasn’t been able to reach 40 innings or appear in 10 games in any individual campaign. When called upon, he has been relatively effective, allowing just two earned runs in nine innings this year, with a 5.83 ERA in 24 outings dating back to 2020.

The Mariners have four healthy starters in Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo. The fifth spot is open for now but it’s possible that Bryce Miller could take it after the All-Star break. He’s currently on the injured list due to a blister and is eligible to return this weekend. Left-hander Marco Gonzales is also on the IL but with a murky timeline as he is dealing with nerve issues in his elbow. The M’s recently grabbed Adam Oller off waivers from the A’s and also have Darren McCaughan on the 40-man roster.

Milone is clearly happy with the organization, having repeatedly stuck with them over the past two years despite having multiple opportunities to head elsewhere. There will undoubtedly be a great deal of roster upheaval in the coming weeks thanks to the August 1 trade deadline, which could create new opportunities, but it’s also possible he decides to report to Tacoma and wait for his next chance in the big leagues.

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Mariners Designate Tommy Milone For Assignment https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/07/mariners-designate-tommy-milone-for-assignment.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/07/mariners-designate-tommy-milone-for-assignment.html#comments Thu, 06 Jul 2023 18:20:12 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=778672 The Mariners are calling up right-hander Isaiah Campbell, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, with left-hander Tommy Milone designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Campbell is already on the 40-man roster but will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

Milone, 36, was selected to the club’s roster just yesterday and plugged in for a spot start to cover for the injured Bryce Miller. Milone was able to toss 4 1/3 solid innings, allowing four hits and four walks but just two runs, only one of which was earned.

Even before Milone took the hill, it seemed possible that this would be a one-and-done start. Miller’s injury doesn’t appear to be of the long-term variety, as it’s just a blister. With the All-Star break coming up, the club can survive with their four regular starters of Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo until then. After the break, that group should be rejoined by Miller, assuming that his blister is in better condition after two weeks of rest.

Milone was a regular starter earlier in his career, but this is the type of role he’s served in recent years. Since the end of 2019, he’s played for Baltimore, Atlanta, Toronto and Seattle, making fewer than 10 appearances and logging less than 40 innings in each season from 2020 to the present. This is the second time this year that the M’s have called on his services and promptly cut him from the roster immediately after. They will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. He has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment but is clearly comfortable with the organization and already chose to stay when he cleared waivers in April.

As for Campbell, 25, he has the rare distinction among major leaguers of being born in Portugal. According to Baseball Reference, the only other MLB player in that category was Frank Thompson, who played 12 big league games way back in 1875.

Campbell went to high school in Kansas and then attended the University of Arkansas. The Mariners selected him with the 76th overall pick in the 2019 draft. The minor league seasons were canceled by the pandemic in 2020, delaying his professional debut until 2021. He spent that year in High-A, tossing 19 1/3 innings with a 2.33 ERA. Last year, he split his time between High-A and Double-A, throwing 46 innings between those two levels with a tiny 1.57 ERA, striking out 33% of hitters while walking just 6.7%.

That performance was strong enough for the Mariners to add him to their 40-man roster in November, preventing him from being selected in last year’s Rule 5 draft. This year, he has a 2.63 ERA in 24 Double-A innings with a 28.4% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate. He was recently ranked the club’s #21 prospect at FanGraphs and #16 at MLB Pipeline.

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Mariners To Select Tommy Milone https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/07/mariners-to-select-tommy-milone.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/07/mariners-to-select-tommy-milone.html#comments Wed, 05 Jul 2023 19:15:32 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=778578 The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Tommy Milone. Right-hander Darren McCaughan was optioned in a corresponding move while righty Penn Murfee was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot for Milone on the 40-man. Milone is listed as the club’s starter for tonight’s game in San Francisco.

Milone, 36, has plenty of major league experience, serving as a regular rotation member with the Athletics and Twins in the early parts of the previous decade. In more recent years, he’s been in the role of a journeyman depth piece. Since the start of 2020, he’s suited up for Atlanta, Baltimore, Toronto and Seattle, not reaching 40 innings in any of those campaigns.

He’s already played this game with the M’s once this year, getting called up in April, making one start and getting designated for assignment promptly after. He tossed 4 2/3 innings in that outing, allowing just one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out three. He’s spent most of the season in Triple-A, making 11 starts there with a 4.47 ERA.

The Seattle rotation lost Bryce Miller to the injured list this week and needs another arm to be slotted next to Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo. It’s possible that this will be another one-and-done situation for Milone, since Miller’s IL placement was due to a blister and the All-Star break is coming up on Monday. Assuming Miller’s blister is healed up, he’ll be eligible to come off the injured list after the break and retake his rotation spot.

As for Murfee, it was reported last week that he would require season-ending UCL surgery, making this transfer an inevitable formality. He’ll spend the rest of the year on the 60-day injured list and won’t count against the club’s roster count, though he’ll need to be reinstated during the offseason when there’s no IL.

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Mariners Outright Tommy Milone https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/04/mariners-outright-tommy-milone.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/04/mariners-outright-tommy-milone.html#comments Thu, 20 Apr 2023 15:53:42 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=771252 Veteran left-hander Tommy Milone went unclaimed on outright waivers following this past weekend’s DFA, and the Mariners have assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma, per MLB.com’s transactions log. He has enough Major League service time to reject the assignment if he chooses, though Milone spent a good chunk of the 2022 season in Tacoma as well and re-signed with the Mariners organization over the winter, so he’s clearly comfortable there.

The 36-year-old Milone made a spot start for Seattle this past weekend, holding the visiting Rockies to just one run through 4 2/3 innings. With that start, the well-traveled lefty has now logged time in each Major League season dating back to 2011.

Milone was a regular in the rotation for the A’s and Twins for a few years earlier in his career, making 113 starts with a solid 4.16 ERA from 2012-16 between Oakland and Minnesota. He’s since become more of a journeyman southpaw, donning seven more big league uniforms since 2017 and posting a combined 5.77 ERA in 260 2/3 innings through a series of bullpen stints, spot starts and occasional relief appearances at the MLB level.

All in all, Milone has piled up 949 big league innings for nine different teams, pitching to a collective 4.59 ERA in parts of 13 big league seasons. He’s accrued more than eight years of Major League service time in the process.

Assuming Milone indeed sticks with the Mariners, he’ll provide them some depth both in the rotation and in the bullpen. He’s spent parts of ten seasons in Triple-A and has a lifetime 3.24 ERA in 497 innings there — including a tidy 2.68 ERA in 40 1/3 innings with Tacoma just last year.

MLB’s transactions log also indicates that the Mariners re-signed righty Konner Wade a few days back, and he indeed just started last night’s game in Tacoma. The 31-year-old Wade had a brief MLB look with the 2021 Orioles but has otherwise spent his career grinding through the minor leagues. He spent the 2022 season in Tacoma, making 23 starts and pitching to a 5.60 ERA in 115 2/3 innings there. Wade, a seventh-round pick of the Rockies back in 2013, has a career 4.42 ERA in Triple-A.

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Mariners Designate Tommy Milone, Select Jose Caballero https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/04/mariners-designate-tommy-milone-select-jose-caballero.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/04/mariners-designate-tommy-milone-select-jose-caballero.html#comments Sat, 15 Apr 2023 22:01:01 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=770681 The Mariners announced that left-hander Tommy Milone has been designated for assignment.  In a corresponding move, Seattle selected the contract of infielder Jose Caballero from Triple-A.

After originally signing a minor league deal with the Mariners prior to the 2022 season, Milone rejoined the club on a new minors deal this past winter, and was then selected to the MLB roster just yesterday.  Milone got the spot start and was solid (one ER on three hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings) in Seattle’s 5-3 win over the Rockies, and that game officially put Milone on the books for 13 Major League seasons.

Depending on what happens on DFA waivers, however, this cup of coffee could potentially be the end of Milone’s tenure with the Mariners, if another team in need of starting depth made a claim or worked out a trade with the M’s.  It perhaps seems more likely that Milone will clear waivers and then remain in the organization as a swingman or depth option, ready to be called back up to Seattle if another need arises in the rotation or bullpen.

Milone’s long career has seen him suit up with nine different teams at the big league level, and he has posted a 4.59 ERA over 949 career innings.  Between injuries and time in the minors, Milone has seen limited action over the last three seasons, with only 35 1/3 total innings pitched in the majors since the start of the 2021 season.

As Milone’s career takes its latest turn, Caballero may be on the verge of his MLB debut.  A seventh-round pick for the Diamondbacks in the 2017 draft, the M’s acquired Caballero in exchange for Mike Leake at the 2019 trade deadline.  Caballero has some solid numbers over his minor league career but he had trouble staying healthy, with only 53 total games played over the 2021-22 seasons.  He is off to a very nice start in his first taste of Triple-A ball this season, as Caballero has hit .333/.550/.593 with two homers over his first 40 plate appearances of the 2023 campaign.

It might be a short-lived stint in the bigs for Caballero, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times notes that the Mariners made the call-up since Sam Haggerty was shaken up after a dive in yesterday’s game.  If Haggerty ends up being okay, Caballero might end up back at Triple-A when Marco Gonzales returns from the paternity list later in the week.  In the meantime, Caballero’s ability to play shortstop, second base, and third base will help fill Haggerty’s utility role.

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Mariners Select Tommy Milone, Designate J.B. Bukauskas https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/04/mariners-select-tommy-milone-designate-j-b-bukauskas.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/04/mariners-select-tommy-milone-designate-j-b-bukauskas.html#comments Fri, 14 Apr 2023 22:43:28 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=770606 The Mariners announced that they have selected left-hander Tommy Milone. He will take the active roster spot of fellow lefty Marco Gonzales, who has been placed on the paternity list. To open a spot on the 40-man for Milone, right-hander J.B. Bukauskas was designated for assignment.

Milone, 36, is a veteran journeyman who has suited up for the Nationals, Athletics, Twins, Mets, Mariners, Orioles, Braves and Blue Jays in his career. Though he was capable of holding down a full-time rotation spot earlier in his career, he’s mostly been called upon for emergency spot start duties or long relief in recent years. Since the end of the 2019 season, he’s made 22 appearances, including 10 starts, posting a 6.33 ERA over 69 2/3 innings. He doesn’t rack up strikeouts but has strong control, with a 5.6% walk rate in his career.

Last year, Milone made seven appearances for the M’s, posting a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings. He also tossed 40 1/3 innings in Triple-A with a 2.68 ERA. He signed a minor league deal with the club over the winter and has already made one Triple-A start here in 2023, tossing five scoreless innings back on April 4.

The Mariners went into the season with six solid starters, pushing Chris Flexen to a long relief role in the bullpen. However, Robbie Ray landed on the injured list just a few days into the season, with a rough expectation of an absence of four to six weeks. That required putting Flexen back into the rotation and now Milone will step up to start tonight’s game while Gonzales steps away for the birth of his child. Stints on the paternity list are allowed for between one and three days, so it seems likely this will be just a single spot start for Milone.

That roster shuffling results in Bukauskas being designated for assignment for the third time in as many months. The former first round pick was let go by the Diamondbacks over the offseason. Seattle grabbed him off waivers but quickly DFA him themselves. He went unclaimed that time and stuck in the organization. The M’s brought him back last week but will take him back off the roster following one appearance.

Bukauskas has 22 MLB games under his belt. He’s allowed 21 runs in 18 2/3 innings at the highest level, though he did post a 2.66 ERA over 20 1/3 Triple-A frames last year. The Mariners will have a week to deal him or put him back on waivers. Because he’s already gone unclaimed once, Bukauskas would have the ability to elect minor league free agency if he clears waivers.

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Mariners, Tommy Milone Agree To Minor League Deal https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/mariners-tommy-milone-agree-to-minor-league-deal.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/mariners-tommy-milone-agree-to-minor-league-deal.html#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2022 05:32:26 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=758541 The Mariners have agreed to a minor league contract with Tommy Milone, according to Triple-A Tacoma’s director of media relations Paul Braverman (Twitter link). The veteran lefty also spent the 2022 campaign in the Mariners organization.

Milone, who turns 36 in February, got into seven MLB games for Seattle this past season. He tossed 16 2/3 innings in low-leverage relief, allowing 10 runs with six walks and five strikeouts. Milone spent a greater chunk of the year at Tacoma, where he started 10 of 11 outings. Over 40 1/3 innings, he provided the Rainiers a 2.68 ERA with a 24.4% strikeout rate and a 7.1% walk percentage.

A 10th-round pick in the 2008 draft, the USC product has spent a decade and a half in the professional ranks. That’s largely on the back of stellar command, as Milone consistently pounds the strike zone. He doesn’t throw hard or miss many bats, but his reliable control has earned him plenty of depth work as a journeyman.

Milone has gotten to the majors in 12 straight years, suiting up with Washington, Oakland, Minnesota, Milwaukee, the Mets, Seattle, Baltimore, Atlanta and Toronto. He has a 4.60 ERA over 944 1/3 innings in the majors, while he owns a quality 3.27 mark through nine years at Triple-A.

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Mariners Re-Sign Tommy Milone To Minor League Deal https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/08/mariners-re-sign-tommy-milone-to-minor-league-deal.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/08/mariners-re-sign-tommy-milone-to-minor-league-deal.html#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2022 23:48:57 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=747277 The Mariners brought back veteran southpaw Tommy Milone on a minor league contract this week, according to his transactions log at MLB.com. Seattle released him on trade deadline day to clear space on the 40-man roster for their acquisitions.

Milone was on the 15-day injured list at the time, having sustained a cervical muscle strain in the preceding days. The 35-year-old has not yet been assigned to an affiliate, so he’s yet to make an appearance since his most recent big league outing on July 29. That was the final of seven MLB outings during his run in the majors with Seattle. Milone worked 16 2/3 innings as a long reliever, posting a 5.40 ERA with six walks, five strikeouts and four home runs allowed.

That’s obviously not a great showing, but Milone excelled over seven starts with Triple-A Tacoma early in the year. He posted a minuscule 1.13 ERA through 32 frames, punching out 24.8% of opponents against a tidy 6.8% walk percentage. He’ll presumably return to that role with the Rainiers at some point as a rotation/long relief depth option.

Despite being one of the game’s softest throwers, Milone has continued to attract interest from myriad teams into his mid-30’s. He’s reached the big leagues in each of the past 12 years, working as a strike-throwing swing option of late. He’ll look to work his way back to the bigs with Seattle before the end of the season.

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Minor MLB Transactions: Deadline Day https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/08/minor-mlb-transactions-deadline-day.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/08/minor-mlb-transactions-deadline-day.html#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2022 01:18:24 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=745224 As is the case at every trade deadline, there’s a flurry of activity on deadline day. The most high-profile of the moves are the trades themselves, but the aftermath of that activity often results in a shuffle of minor moves of their own. Plenty of clubs have had to fill or create roster spots depending on the deals they’ve made in the last 24 hours. We’ll round up 40-man roster transactions not previously covered on the MLBTR pages here:

AL East

AL Central

  • Tigers: Reinstated right-hander Matt Manning from 60-day injured list
  • White Sox: Claimed right-hander Tobias Myers off waivers from Giants

AL West

NL East

  • Nationals: Designated left-hander Josh Rogers for assignment; transferred left-hander Evan Lee to 60-day injured list. Selected the contract of first baseman Joey Meneses
  • Marlins: Reinstated right-hander Anthony Bender from 60-day injured list
  • Phillies: Claimed left-hander Andrew Vasquez off waivers from Blue Jays

NL Central

  • Cubs: Claimed right-hander Kervin Castro off waivers from Giants
  • Brewers: Designated right-hander Luke Barker for assignment

NL West

Giants: Lost right-hander Tobias Myers on waivers to White Sox; lost right-hander Kervin Castro on waivers to Cubs

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Mariners Acquire Curt Casali, Matthew Boyd From Giants https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/08/mariners-to-acquire-curt-casali-from-giants.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/08/mariners-to-acquire-curt-casali-from-giants.html#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2022 21:42:00 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=745019 The Mariners added a backup catcher and strengthened their pitching depth just prior to Tuesday’s deadline, acquiring catcher Curt Casali and lefty Matthew Boyd from the Giants in exchange for minor league righty Michael Stryffeler and catcher Andy Thomas. The Casali and Boyd were initially reported separately but were announced by the teams as part of the same swap. Seattle announced that left-hander Tommy Milone has been released to make room on the 40-man roster for Casali. Boyd is on the 60-day injured list and does not yet require a roster spot.

Casali adds some depth behind Seattle starter Cal Raleigh. The 33-year-old backstop has had a nice showing in limited playing time with the Giants this season. Through 102 plate appearances, Casali is hitting .231/.325/.370, connecting on four homers and a trio of doubles. That’s a nice blend of power and patience from a depth catcher, even when paired with Casali’s typically lofty level of swing-and-miss. He’s also plenty familiar with newly acquired ace Luis Castillo from the pair’s days together in Cincinnati.

Seattle’s No. 2 backstop Luis Torrens has underwhelmed this year, hitting .208/.262/.225 in 42 games. Torrens can’t be optioned to the minor leagues, so Casali’s addition could conceivably squeeze him off the 40-man roster entirely. Raleigh will continue to play most days amidst a breakout season, and the M’s may not want to carry three backstops on the active roster. Casali is currently on the injured list after suffering an oblique strain last month, but he’s on a rehab assignment and should be reinstated to the majors shortly. Casali is making $2.6MM this season, around $928K of which has still to be paid. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end.

Boyd, 31, inked a one-year, $5.2MM deal with the Giants after a mostly solid four-year run with the Tigers. A brutal showing in 2020 skewed his numbers in his final few seasons with Detroit, but Boyd often flashed quality bat-missing ability and typically posted low walk rates throughout his time in the Detroit rotation. He twice looked as though he may be among the more appealing arms available at a trade deadline — first in 2019 when he was sitting on a 3.95 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 114 innings and again in 2021 when he’d posted a similar ERA and reduced home-run rate (albeit with a diminished strikeout rate).

The Tigers held onto Boyd both times, however, declining to move him in ’19 because they (justifiably) set a huge asking price given Boyd’s three-plus remaining seasons of club control. The 2020 season brought little opportunity to move Boyd, thanks to the aforementioned struggles (6.71 ERA in 12 starts), and by the time last year’s deadline rolled around, Boyd’s season was in jeopardy due to that forearm issue.

It’s unlikely that Boyd will be able to return and build up to a starter’s workload this season — but the Mariners, particularly after landing Castillo, don’t really need Boyd to step into the rotation anyhow. He could, however, provide them with an experienced left-hander to plug into the bullpen. Seattle hasn’t had much luck with its left-handed bullpen arms this season, so taking what’s surely a low-cost flier on Boyd is a sensible enough peripheral move at this stage of deadline season.

Stryffeler is a 26-year-old reliever who’s spent the 2022 campaign in Double-A. A right-hander, he owns an excellent 2.27 ERA through 35 2/3 frames. Stryffeler has fanned an elite 37.7% of batters faced but walked an elevated 12.6% of opponents. The Lake Erie college product will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter if he’s not added to San Francisco’s 40-man roster.

Thomas, meanwhile, was the Mariners’ fifth-round draft pick just last summer. He’s had a nice start to the season in High-A, where he’s posted a strong .264/.400/.444 with nine homers, a dozen doubles and a huge 16.2% walk rate. Thomas was a senior sign out of Baylor University, it should be noted, so he’s already 23 and is playing against notably younger competition. Time will tell how he fares against more advanced opponents, but the early results are promising. From a defensive perspective, he’s caught a roughly average 27% of attempted base thieves, but Baseball America questioned his overall receiving skills at the time of the draft.

Milone, 35, had been in his second stint with the Mariners. The journeyman southpaw has carved out a 12-year big league career, at times enjoying solid runs as a starter (2012-15, in particular) and as a reliever. The past several seasons have been a struggle for the soft-tosser, however, as evidenced by a 6.33 ERA in 69 2/3 frames. Milone was on the 15-day injured list due to a cervical sprain, but if he’s healthy in the season’s final couple months, he could latch on as a depth arm with another club.

In 944 1/3 innings at the big league level, Milone has a 4.60 ERA with a below-average 17.5% strikeout rate but an excellent 5.6% walk rate.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported that Casali was headed to Seattle in exchange for Stryffeler (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Boyd was going to Seattle as well.

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Mariners Designate Marcus Wilson For Assignment https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/07/mariners-designate-marcus-wilson-for-assignment.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/07/mariners-designate-marcus-wilson-for-assignment.html#comments Sat, 30 Jul 2022 19:37:23 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=744263 The Mariners announced Saturday that they’ve designated outfielder Marcus Wilson for assignment and selected the contract of left-hander Brennan Bernardino from Triple-A Tacoma. Left-hander Tommy Milone, meanwhile, has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a cervical muscle strain.

Wilson made his MLB debut earlier this season, when Seattle selected his contract from Triple-A in late June.  A member of the active roster for a little over a week, Wilson got into three games and made six plate appearances during this cup of coffee in the majors.  The 25-year-old is a veteran of eight minor league seasons with the Diamondbacks, Red Sox, and Mariners, breaking in as a second-round pick for Arizona in the 2014 draft.  Wilson came to Seattle via another trip to the DFA wire, as the Mariners claimed him away from Boston last year.

Wilson has a respectable .250/.352/.406 slash line and 66 home runs in an even 2800 PA in his minor league career.  Between this decent bat and the ability to play all three outfield positions, Wilson has some value to any team looking for outfield depth.

The veteran Milone has a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings this season, after Seattle selected his minors contract to the big league roster last month.  The M’s have been relatively short on left-handed relief options all season, as Ryan Borucki is the now the only veteran southpaw in the bullpen.  It stands to reason that the Mariners will explore adding more relievers before Tuesday’s trade deadline, but Milone’s injury also gives Bernardino the opportunity to make his Major League debut.

A 26th-round pick for the Reds back in the 2014 draft, Bernardino pitched in the Cincinnati and Cleveland farm systems for the first six seasons of his pro career.  He then turned to the Mexican League, and was pitching for Toros de Tijuana when Seattle inked him to a minor league deal earlier this season.  Bernardino’s return to affiliated ball has been quite successful, with a 3.07 ERA, 7.1% walk rate, and a whopping 40.5% strikeout rate in 44 innings as a starter with Triple-A Tacoma.

Berardino will likely be deployed in a long relief role for as long as he’s on the big league roster, and he could even be a spot starter candidate.  While the Mariners have six starters on paper, the club will be looking to limit the innings of George Kirby and Logan Gilbert, so Berardino could jump in as a piggyback starter or perhaps as a full-fledged starter.

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Mariners Select Tommy Milone, Designate Joey Gerber https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/06/mariners-select-tommy-milone-designate-joey-gerber.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/06/mariners-select-tommy-milone-designate-joey-gerber.html#comments Sun, 19 Jun 2022 01:00:27 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=740622 The Mariners announced some roster moves in between games of today’s doubleheader. They have selected the contract of left-hander Tommy Milone, with right-hander Matt Festa being optioned to create room on the active roster. In order to make space on the 40-man roster, righty Joey Gerber has been designated for assignment.

Milone, 35, is a veteran who appeared in each season from 2011 to 2021. As soon as he gets into a game here in 2022, it’ll mark his 12th straight MLB season. He’s appeared for many teams in that time, including a previous stint with the Mariners in 2019, as well as spells with the Nationals, Athletics, Twins, Mets, Orioles, Braves and Blue Jays. One of the softest throwers in the league, Milone is able to survive by limiting free passes. His 17.7% career strikeout rate is certainly low, given that this year’s league average is around 22%. However, his 5.6% walk rate is a few ticks below this year’s 8.3% league average.

Signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, Milone has made seven starts for Triple-A Tacoma this year. In 32 innings, he has a 1.13 ERA, with a 24.8% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate. That tiny ERA is certainly nice, but is likely being depressed by a .208 BABIP and 100% strand rate, neither of which are sustainable. Nevertheless, the Mariners will give him a shot to see if he can replicate those kinds of results at the big league level.

As for Gerber, 25, he was an eighth round selection of the Mariners in the 2018 draft. A pure reliever, he’s never made a start in his professional career. He pitched well in the lower levels of the minors and earned his way up to Double-A in 2019. In 22 2/3 innings there that year, he put up a 1.59 ERA with a whopping 31.3% strikeout rate, 7.3% walk rate and 37.5% ground ball rate. In 2020, the minor leagues were wiped out by the pandemic, but he was able to reach the majors, throwing 15 2/3 innings for the Mariners that year. Despite always racking up Ks in the minors, he only struck out 9.7% of hitters he faced in the bigs, though in a small sample size.

Despite those promising minor league numbers and making his MLB debut at the age of 23, he has since hit a wall due to injuries. Back surgery prevented him from pitching at all in 2021, either in the majors or minors. This year, a forearm strain has kept him out of action, except for a single-inning appearance in the Complex League on June 11. His current health situation isn’t publicly known, but will certainly have a bearing on next steps. Since injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, it’s possible that Gerber ends up on release waivers in the coming days.

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Mariners Expected To Sign Tommy Milone https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/mariners-expected-to-sign-tommy-milone.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/mariners-expected-to-sign-tommy-milone.html#comments Fri, 01 Apr 2022 03:44:04 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=733063 The Mariners are expected to sign Tommy Milone to a minor league contract, reports Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). The veteran left-hander will presumably open the year with Triple-A Tacoma.

Milone is a familiar face to Mariners fans, as he spent the 2019 campaign in Seattle. That season, he tossed 111 2/3 innings as a swingman, pitching to a 4.76 ERA. The M’s are one of nine different teams for which the 35-year-old has suited up at the big league level. The USC product has bounced around the league in true journeyman fashion, but he’s continued to earn big league looks along the way. Milone has pitched in the majors in each of the past eleven seasons, although his 14 frames with the Blue Jays last year marked a personal low.

One of the softer throwers in the game, Milone has never been known for his bat-missing prowess. Bizarrely, he did punch out an above-average 26.2% of opposing hitters on a strong 12.4% swinging strike rate last season despite averaging a career-low 84.2 MPH on his fastball. That’s probably little more than a sample size blip, as his 16.4% strikeout percentage in Triple-A more closely aligned with his career track record.

Without overpowering stuff, Milone has gotten by on excellent control. He’s never walked more than 7.1% of batters faced in a given season, and he’s doled out free passes at just a 5.6% clip for his career. (Last year’s league average walk percentage for starters, for reference, checked in at 7.8%). That strike-throwing reliability has made Milone a frequently-used depth option throughout his career. He has started 146 of his 189 MLB appearances, posting a 4.59 cumulative ERA.

The Mariners look likely to open the year with a top four of Robbie RayMarco GonzalesChris Flexen and Logan Gilbert. Top prospects Matt Brash and George Kirby look the likely options for the final spot, with Brash seemingly having the upper hand by virtue of last season’s late selection onto the 40-man roster. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic wrote yesterday that Seattle brass would prefer to add another starter to that group, but it’s not clear that’s possible at this stage of the offseason. Regardless of whether the M’s make another rotation move in the next week, Milone figures to begin the season in Tacoma and remain on hand in the event injuries necessitate a midseason call-up.

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Players Recently Electing Free Agency https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/10/players-recently-electing-free-agency-2.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/10/players-recently-electing-free-agency-2.html#comments Thu, 14 Oct 2021 21:56:52 +0000 https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/?p=571774 We’ve seen dozens of players elect minor league free agency over the past couple weeks, and that has continued to be the case in recent days. We’ll round up a few more players who are hitting the open market here, courtesy of the Triple-A transactions trackers.

Players can qualify for minor league free agency in a few ways. The most notable of these include: players with 3+ years of MLB service time who have been outrighted off their teams’ 40-man rosters this season, players who have been outrighted off a 40-man roster multiple times in their careers, and unsigned players not on a 40-man roster who have spent parts of at least seven seasons on a minor league roster or injured list.

Each of this group of players has hit the market within the past week and not yet been covered at MLBTR:

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