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Orioles Acquire Yohan Ramirez From Mets

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The Orioles have acquired reliever Yohan Ramírez from the Mets for cash, the teams announced. New York had designated the righty for assignment on Monday. Baltimore’s 40-man roster now sits at capacity.

Ramírez spent a couple months in the New York organization. The Mets acquired him from the White Sox in a cash deal in December. He held his spot on the 40-man roster for the rest of the offseason and broke camp. A pair of rough outings quickly squeezed him off the big league team, though. After recording one out in a scoreless appearance in his season debut, he allowed seven runs on nine hits over his next five innings.

The 28-year-old has played for five teams over the past four-plus seasons. Ramírez has tallied 129 1/3 innings at the highest level, turning in a reasonable 4.31 ERA. He has punched out a decent 23.1% of batters faced, yet he’s also struggled to throw strikes consistently. Ramírez has walked over 12% of big league opponents. The sinkerballer induced grounders at a huge 58.4% rate last season but has posted more pedestrian ground-ball numbers in every other year.

While his stuff has clearly intrigued a handful of teams, Ramírez’s scattershot command has made him something of a volatile middle reliever. Perhaps more importantly, he’s also out of minor league options. Teams can’t send him to Triple-A without first running him through waivers, which no club has yet achieved.

Baltimore entered the day with a pair of openings on the 40-man roster. They snagged infielder Livan Soto off waivers this afternoon before their evening bullpen pickup. Neither move comes at much cost, although the O’s will need to devote an MLB bullpen spot to Ramírez once he reports to the team.

The Orioles already have four relievers on the active roster who can’t be sent down: Craig Kimbrel, Mike Baumann, Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb. They’re not likely to send down any of Yennier Cano, Keegan Akin or Dillon Tate, while Jonathan Heasley is working as a long reliever. That’s a tough bullpen for Ramírez to crack, so it’s not out of the question that Baltimore tries to sneak him through waivers themselves in the next few days.

Mets Designate Yohan Ramírez, Select Cole Sulser

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The Mets have selected the contract of right-hander Cole Sulser and designated fellow righty Yohan Ramírez for assignment, with Tim Healey of Newsday Sports among those to relay the transactions.

Ramírez, 29 next month, was acquired by the Mets from the White Sox in a December cash deal. He’s made three appearances for the club so far this year but allowed seven earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six opponents but also gave out four walks. His outing on Saturday was particularly rough, as he entered the game in the bottom of the seventh with the Mets up 5-4 on the Reds. Ramírez pitched a scoreless frame but came back out for the eighth and then allowed five earned runs on four hits and two walks.

It seems that performance will get the righty bumped off the active roster and off the 40-man as well, since Ramírez is out of options. The Mets will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. He could garner interest based on his work in previous seasons, as he has a career earned run average of 4.31 in 129 1/3 innings with the Mariners, Guardians, Pirates, White Sox and now the Mets. His career walk rate of 12.6% is on the high side but his 23.1% strikeout rate and 44.2% ground ball rate are both solid and he’s generally done well at limiting hard contact.

As pitching injuries mount around the league, perhaps some club will be willing to take a chance on him. Ramírez has under three years of service time and therefore comes with years of potential club control. But if he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Mets as non-roster depth. He doesn’t have the service time or the previous career outright that would allow him to elect free agency instead of accepted an outright assignment.

His spot will go to Sulser, 34, who signed a minor league deal with the Mets in the offseason. He appeared to be in good form during the spring, tossing six scoreless innings while striking out ten opponents without issuing a walk. He’s made one Triple-A appearance since then, allowing an earned run while striking out one and walking one.

He has 132 2/3 innings of big league experience with a 3.87 ERA, 25.6% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate. Injuries have often played a role in limiting him from taking on larger workloads. He tossed 63 1/3 innings for the Orioles in 2021 with a 2.70 ERA but was held back by shoulder strains in each of the two subsequent campaigns. He still has an option remaining and could be sent back to the minors at a future date without being exposed to waivers.

Latest On Mets’ Roster Decisions

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Most of the Mets’ roster has come into focus with Opening Day approaching, and the team continued to make its final roster cuts this weekend.  MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo has the summary of the decisions, including the news that utilityman Zack Short and (somewhat provisionally) first baseman/outfielder D.J. Stewart will break camp with the team.  Stewart’s status is a little up in the air since he is the proverbial 26th man on the 26-man roster, and the Mets might yet replace him if a player they like becomes available on the waiver wire or in free agency, as rival teams also make their late cuts.

Short was claimed off waivers from the Tigers last November, and has been much more known for his defensive versatility than his bat (.174/.266/.308 in 450 career plate appearances) over his three MLB seasons in Detroit.  However, Short has looked really good at the plate this spring, while Stewart has struggled.  Ironically, Stewart has almost the opposite profile, as he has been productive if inconsistent in hitting .220/.339/.425 with 37 homers in 807 career PA, but isn’t known as much of a defender.  Stewart joined the Mets on a minor league deal last winter and hit a very solid .244/.333/.506 over 185 PA in his first season in Queens.

Short and Stewart got the nod ahead of a pair of minor league signings in Ji-Man Choi and Jose Iglesias.  The two veterans have opt-outs in their minors contracts but Choi told DiComo that he will report to the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate rather than re-enter free agency.  Iglesias also indicted that he will likely remain with the organization to await another possible opportunity later in the season.

One player who is somewhat unexpectedly heading to Triple-A is Mark Vientos, who was initially slated to be a part-time third baseman and DH heading into camp.  However, New York then signed J.D. Martinez this past week, and while Martinez will begin his season in the minors to make up for his lost spring prep time, Martinez’s presence will monopolize the designated hitter role.  As a result, Brett Baty and Short now could work as a third base platoon, since the Mets want Vientos to get steadier playing time in the minors.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns also noted that the team wants to see Vientos get more work in at third base.  Vientos’ defensive future has long been a question mark, as he is considered a subpar third baseman and playing at DH or first base with the Mets isn’t an option for at least 2024 due to the presence of Martinez and Pete Alonso.  Becoming even a passable third baseman could greatly help Vientos stick in the majors and keep him from being pigeonholed as a first base/DH type at most.  Vientos has hit just .205/.255/.354 with 10 home runs in 274 career PA in the big leagues, but the former second-round pick doesn’t have much left to prove in the minors after three seasons of crushing Triple-A pitching.

Assuming Stewart is indeed the last position player on the roster, the only remaining 26-man decisions facing the Mets are their last two bullpen spots.  DiComo writes that Michael Tonkin is “a heavy favorite for one” spot, and Yohan Ramirez and Sean Reid-Foley are competing for the other job.  All three pitchers are out of minor league options, DiComo notes that rival scouts have been watching Ramirez and Reid-Foley in anticipation of either pitcher potentially being available on the waiver wire.  The loser of the competition might end up traded rather than designated for assignment, if enough interest exists from teams in need of bullpen depth.

Mets Acquire Yohan Ramirez

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The Mets announced Monday that they’ve acquired right-hander Yohan Ramirez from the White Sox in exchange for cash. Ramirez was designated for assignment by the ChiSox last week.

Ramirez appeared in just five games for the White Sox, who acquired him from the Pirates via an early-September waiver claim. He yielded four runs in four innings with the South Siders but had pitched to a solid 3.67 ERA with a 20% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate in 34 1/3 innings.

Now 28 years old, Ramirez made his big league debut with the Mariners in 2020 and has appeared in every MLB season since. He’s totaled 124 innings of 3.99 ERA ball as a big leaguer, striking out 23.2% of his opponents against a 12.5% walk rate that’s well north of the league average. Ramirez was a fly-ball pitcher early in his career but switched from a four-seamer to a two-seamer in 2022 and has since been a pronounced ground-ball arm (54.1%).

Scouting reports on Ramirez from his prospect days praised his stuff across the board but noted that he lacked command. That’s played out through much of his big league tenure to date, but the pieces for a quality reliever are clearly present. He’s out of minor league options, so the Mets will have to either carry Ramirez on the Opening Day roster or else trade him, release him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers prior to the end of spring training.

White Sox Designate Yohan Ramirez For Assignment

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The White Sox have officially announced their deal with right-hander Erick Fedde, with fellow righty Yohan Ramirez designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Ramirez, 29 in May, was just claimed off waivers from the Pirates in September. He has 124 innings of major league experience to this point, having thrown for the Mariners, Guardians, Pirates and White Sox. He has an earned run average of 3.99 in that time, having struck out 23.2% of opponents and kept 44.9% of balls in play on the ground but also walking opponents at a 12.5% clip.

The righty burned his final option season in 2023 and will therefore be out of options going forward. That gives him a bit less appeal, since he can no longer be sent to Triple-A without first being exposed to waivers, therefore making it harder to utilize him as a depth piece.

The Sox have removed him from the roster now and will have a week to work out a trade or pass him through waivers. Ramirez is currently a bit shy of three years of MLB service time and doesn’t have a previous career outright. That means he wouldn’t be able to elect free agency if he were to make it through waivers unclaimed.

White Sox Claim Yohan Ramirez From Pirates

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The White Sox announced that they have claimed right-hander Yohan Ramirez off waivers from the Pirates. The righty will report to Triple-A Charlotte, per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago’s 40-man roster count is now at 39.

Ramirez, 28, has generally combined high strikeout and ground ball tallies in his career while also giving out his fair share of walks. In 34 1/3 innings for the Pirates this year, he had a 3.67 earned run average, striking out 20% of batters faced while walking 9% and keeping the ball on the ground at a 59% clip. In 22 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level, he had a 4.43 ERA, 33% strikeout rate, 12.4% walk rate and 54.2% ground ball rate.

The Bucs designated him for assignment last week to make room on the roster for their September call-ups and the White Sox have decided to grab him. The latter club had a couple of open roster spots anyway, having recently bumped out-of-options players Seby Zavala and Brent Honeywell Jr. off their roster. They have used one of those open roster spot to grab an intriguing arm to add to their depth.

Ramirez is in his final option season, meaning the Sox can stash him at Charlotte for the rest of the year while they get a look at him, but he will be out of options next year. If he continues to hold onto his roster spot, he can be retained for four more seasons beyond the current campaign.

Pirates Designate Calvin Mitchell, Yohan Ramirez For Assignment

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The Pirates announced some roster moves today, including the previously-reported selection of Miguel Andujar. They also reinstated righty Carmen Mlodzinski from the 15-day injured list to take the second extra spot on today’s expanded roster. Additionally, right-hander Max Kranick was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. To open spots on the 40-man for Andujar and Kranick, right-hander Yohan Ramirez and outfielder Calvin Mitchell were designated for assignment.

Mitchell, 24, was selected to the Pirates’ roster last year after a strong performance in Triple-A. He hit just .226/.286/.349 in his first 69 major league games and got optioned back down to the minors, but finished 2022 with a Triple-A batting line of .339/.391/.547. He’s only played two major league games this year, spending the majority of his season at Triple-A, where he’s had an unfortunate step back. He is hitting .264/.338/.426 for a wRC+ of 90 while striking out in 29.3% of his plate appearances, more than double the 14.6% rate he had in Triple-A last year.

Ramirez, 28, was acquired from the Guardians in a cash deal last summer. He had a tidy 1.25 earned run average through June 6 of this year but allowed 11 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings since then. In 22 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level this year, he has a 4.43 ERA. Control has generally been an issue for him, walking 12.5% of hitters in his major league career. He kept that to 9% in the majors this year but it’s been 12.4% in Triple-A.

The Bucs will place both players on waivers in the coming days. Mitchell is a former second-round pick who had a strong campaign last year. He still has another option year remaining after this one and less than a year of service time. Ramirez has been able to pair strikeouts with ground balls for much of his career but has struggled with the free passes. He can be optioned for the rest of this year but will be out of options next year. He can be retained for four seasons beyond this one but will have less roster maneuverability going forward.

Pirates Select Rob Zastryzny, Transfer Angel Perdomo To 60-Day IL

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The Pirates have selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny from Triple-A Indianapolis, the team has announced. To make room on the 26-man roster, they have optioned right-handed pitcher Yohan Ramirez to Triple-A. In addition, to open up a spot on the 40-man roster, left-hander Angel Perdomo has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

Zastryzny, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Bucs in the offseason and cracked the Opening Day roster. He’s been on and off the roster since then, having twice landed on the injured list, once due to discomfort in his throwing elbow and another due to forearm inflammation. He made 18 appearances around those trips to the injured list with a 5.29 earned run average and was designated for assignment at the end of his second IL stint.

He cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A. He has thrown 16 1/3 innings at that level this year with a 4.41 ERA but better peripherals. He has struck out 23.9% of opponents while issuing walks at a tiny 1.5% rate and keeping the ball on the ground at a 45.8% clip, leading to a 2.80 FIP at that level. That will get him another shot on the big league roster on a non-competitive Pirates club. He has between one and two years of service time, meaning he’s yet to reach arbitration and can be cheaply retained by the Bucs for future seasons, but he’s out of options and will need to stay on the active roster or else be removed from the 40-man again.

Perdomo, 29, landed on the injured list just a few days ago due to left elbow discomfort. The club hasn’t released any specifics on his condition but it seems it’s serious enough that they don’t expect him back this season, as this transfer eliminates any chance of him returning before the middle of October. He posted a 3.72 ERA in 29 innings this year, striking out 37.6% of hitters while walking 9.4%. Like Zastryzny, he has less than two years of service time and can be cheaply retained for next year if the Bucs so choose, but he’s also out of options.

Pirates Place Rob Zastryzny On 15-Day Injured List

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Prior to today’s game, the Pirates placed left-hander Rob Zastryzny on the 15-day injured list due to discomfort in his throwing elbow.  Righty Yohan Ramirez was called up from Triple-A to take Zastryzny’s spot on the active roster.

Zastryzny pitched just yesterday, facing four batters and recording one out in an appearance against the Cardinals.  With a hit and two walks amidst those four batters faced, Zastryzny clearly wasn’t sharp, and it’s safe to assume that his elbow issue impacted his performance.  The concern now is whether or not Zastryzny might be facing a more serious injury, as Pirates senior VP of baseball operations Bryan Stroh said today in a radio appearance that Zastryzny will be visiting a specialist when the club returns to Pittsburgh on Monday.

After being non-tendered by the Angels during the offseason, Zastryzny signed a minor league deal with the Pirates and broke camp with the club.  Even before Saturday’s outing against St. Louis, it hadn’t been smooth sailing for Zastryzny, as he has a 7.94 ERA over 5 2/3 total innings this season.  Control has been the biggest problem, as the lefty has almost as many walks (five) as strikeouts (six).

This is Zastryzny’s fifth MLB season, as he returned to the Show in 2022 after not getting any big league action in any of the previous three years.  The southpaw pitched for the Cubs in 2016-18, then spent the next three seasons pitching on minor league deals (with the Dodgers, Orioles, and Marlins) and with the independent Long Island Ducks.

With Zastryzny now sidelined, Jose Hernandez is the only left-hander in Pittsburgh’s bullpen, as Jarlin Garcia is on the 60-day IL due to a nerve injury in his biceps area.  Caleb Smith, Angel Perdomo, and Daniel Zamora are lefties with MLB experience who are pitching at Triple-A, but the Pirates would first have to make a 40-man roster move to add any of the three southpaws to their active roster.

Pirates Acquire Yohan Ramirez, Designate Aaron Fletcher

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The Pirates announced a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s contest. Right-handed pitcher Yohan Ramirez was acquired from the Guardians for cash considerations and optioned to Triple-A. Infielder Kevin Newman was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. That adds two players to the 40-man roster, which had been at 39. To open up one extra spot, left-hander Aaron Fletcher was designated for assignment. Furthermore, outfielder Bligh Madris was optioned to create room on the active roster for Newman, while right-hander Bryse Wilson was returned to Triple-A after serving as the 27th man during yesterday’s doubleheader. Catcher Tyler Heineman was also transferred from the paternity list to the family medical emergency list.

Ramirez, 27, was designated for assignment by the Guardians earlier this week. He has 58 2/3 innings of MLB experience since the start of the 2020 season, mostly with the Mariners. He fared well enough in 2020 and 2021, putting up a 3.35 ERA with a 29.3% strikeout rate, though that also came with subpar walk and ground ball rates of 15.4% and 25.7%, respectively. A tiny .182 BABIP was likely helping keep his ERA down, though his good luck ran out this year. He ran up a 7.56 ERA in 8 1/3 innings before the Mariners designated him for assignment and then sent him to Cleveland for cash.

The Guardians gave him just a single appearance at the big league level but 10 1/3 innings in Triple-A. His 4.35 ERA with Columbus isn’t awful, but that’s come despite an alarming 22.7% walk rate. The 27-year-old still has options and intriguing strikeout numbers, however, making him a fairly sensible add for a rebuilding Pirates club. They can continue giving him looks in the minors for the rest of this year as well as next year, as long as he continues to hold onto a 40-man roster spot.

As for Fletcher, 26, he’s had some very brief stints at the big league level with the Mariners and Pirates, going from Seattle to Pittsburgh on a waiver claim back in March. Combined, he has 19 2/3 innings of MLB experience with an unfortunate 9.15 ERA in that small sample. This year, his mark is 6.94, significantly better but still not great, though that’s an even smaller sample size of just 11 2/3 frames. He’s fared much better in the minors, throwing 18 2/3 innings at Triple-A this year with a 1.45 ERA. He’s typically been a ground ball pitcher, never racking up huge strikeout numbers at Triple-A or the majors. This year’s no exception, as he has a 55.2% grounder rate and an 11% strikeout rate for Indianapolis.

Left-handed relief is always in demand somewhere, making it likely Fletcher finds some interest from other clubs. He also has another option year remaining after this one, meaning an acquiring club could potentially keep him stashed in the minors as depth for another year and a half. The Bucs will have one week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him.

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