Tag Archives: Milwaukee Brewers

Gary Sánchez Signs One-Year Contract with Milwaukee Brewers

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Things are brewing for Gary Sánchez.

The Milwaukee Brewers have signed the 31-year-old Dominican professional baseball catcher to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2025.

Sánchez hit 19 homers last season while playing for the San Diego Padres and New York Mets.

In 75 games, he had a .217 batting average with a .288 on-base percentage, .492 slugging percentage and 47 RBIs.

He played three games for the Mets and 72 games for the Padres.

Sanchez owns a .225 career batting average with a .309 on-base percentage, 173 homers and 448 RBIs in 741 regular-season games with the New York Yankees (2015-2021), Minnesota Twins (2022), Mets and Padres.

The Brewers already have William Contreras returning at catcher after he batted .289 with a .367 on-base percentage, 17 homers and 78 RBIs last season to help Milwaukee win the National League Central title. Contreras was selected as the Brewers’ most valuable player last season by the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Milwaukee lost its backup catcher from last season when Victor Caratini signed with the Houston Astros, though the Brewers have since signed Eric Haase to a major league deal and Austin Nola to a minor league deal. The Brewers also could choose to have both Contreras and Sánchez in the lineup by making one of them a designated hitter.

To make room on the roster, the Brewers designated infielder Jahmai Jones for assignment.

The Brewers on Wednesday also made official their signing of injured right-hander Brandon Woodruff to a two-year deal.

The backloaded $17.5 million contract includes a mutual option for the 2026 season.

Woodruff is expected to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season while he recovers from shoulder surgery.

“I’ll take it day to day, week to week, month to month, see where I’m at, at the end of the year,” Woodruff said. “If it makes sense, maybe. If not, I’ll be ready to go for ’25.”

Woodruff will receive $2.5 million this year and $5 million in 2025. The deal includes a $20 million mutual option for 2026 with a $10 million buyout, half payable January 15, 2026, and the remainder July 15, 2026. The contract also grants Woodruff a full no-trade provision and a hotel suite on road trips.

Yasmani Grandal Reportedly Agrees to One-Year, $2.5 Million Contract with Pittsburgh Pirates

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It’s all hands on deck for Yasmani Grandal.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are adding the 35-year-old Cuban professional baseball catcher, a two-time MLB All-Star, according to multiple ESPN reports.

Yasmani GrandalThe Pirates and Grandal have agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth $2.5 million, according to the reports.

Pittsburgh is searching for depth at catcher with Endy Rodriguez — who started 57 games in 2023 as a rookie — already ruled out for 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in December. He got injured while playing winter ball in his native Dominican Republic.

Grandal would join a catching situation that includes 2021 first overall pick Henry Davis, Jason Delay and Ali Sanchez.

Grandal is a career .237 hitter while playing for four teams across 12 seasons, including the past four years with the Chicago White Sox.

Grandal hit .234 with eight home runs and had 33 RBIs in 118 games with the White Sox in 2023.

The Pirates have remained bullish that Davis can become an every-day catcher even though he spent the vast majority of his rookie season playing right field. Adding Grandal gives the Pirates a little bit of flexibility as Davis continues to refine his work defensively.

Grandal provided power at the plate during his prime. He has topped 20 home runs in a season five times, most recently with Chicago in 2021. He made a pair of All-Star teams earlier in his career, first in 2015 while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers and again in 2019 while with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Christian Arroyo Agrees to Minor League Deal with Milwaukee Brewers

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Things are brewing for Christian Arroyo.

The 28-year-old half-Puerto Rican professional baseball player has agreed to a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers that includes an invitation to major league spring training.

Christian Arroyo An infielder, Arroyo hit .241 with a .268 on-base percentage, 3 homers and 24 RBIs in 66 games for the Boston Red Soxlast season. He played primarily second base but also made appearances at shortstop and third base.

He also has big league experience at first base and right field.

Arroyo has a .252 batting average, a .299 on-base percentage, 24 homers and 120 RBIs in 295 regular-season games. He has played for San Francisco (2017), Tampa Bay (2018-19), Cleveland (2020) and Boston (2020-23).

Rowdy Tellez Agrees to $3.2 Million, One-Year Contract with Pittsburgh Pirates

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It’s all hand on deck for Rowdy Tellez.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a $3.2 million, one-year contract with the 28-year-old half-Mexican American professional baseball first baseman/designated hitter.

Rowdy Tellez Tellez can earn $800,000 in performance bonuses as part of the deal, which is pending a successful physical.

Tellez hit .215 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023. The left-handed Tellez is a career .233 hitter in six seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee.

The Pirates entered the offseason in need of help at first base. They began 2022 with Carlos Santana at the position before sending him to Milwaukee at the trade deadline. Connor Joe and Jared Triolo saw time at first, among others, over the final two months of the season.

Tellez should find the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park inviting. He is a career .277 hitter at PNC Park, with 5 home runs and 20 RBIs in 21 games.

Tellez is the second significant addition by the Pirates during free agency. Pittsburgh acquired left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales from the Seattle Mariners last week

Jorge Lopez Agrees to One-Year, $2 Million Contract with New York Mets

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Jorge Lopez has Mets an offer he can’t refuse…

The 30-year-oldPuerto Rican professional baseball pitcher has agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with the New York Mets.

Jorge LopezLopez’s hiring adds another reliever to a team that has spent the past week bolstering its organization depth.

Lopez struggled with three teams this year after a career-best 2022 in which he looked the part of a front-line reliever.

With a velocity bump from his move from the rotation to the bullpen, Lopez rode a 98 mph fastball and heavy curveball to a 2.54 ERA. The regression he showed after his midseason trade from the Baltimore Orioles to Minnesota Twins continued into 2023, when the Twins traded him to the Miami Marlins and he later went back to the Orioles without similar success.

Lopez nevertheless remained strong, and the Mets are hopeful he can return to form after posting a 5.95 ERA in 59 innings in 2023 with the three teams. New York, under new president of baseball operations David Stearns, in the past week claimed a pair of catchers (Cooper Hummel, Tyler Heineman) off waivers, signed two pitchers (Kyle Crick, Andre Scrubb) and an infielder (Jose Iglesias) to minor league deals, added another reliever (Michael Tonkin) on a split major league deal, and guaranteed $13 million to starter Luis Severino in hopes of a return to past excellence.

The Mets’ pitching depth going into the winter after a deeply disappointing 75-87 season called for significant additions, and Stearns is attempting to do what he did in Milwaukee, where often-overlooked relievers thrived and turned the Brewers’ bullpen into a weapon.

Lopez rejoins Mets closer Edwin Diaz, his teammate on Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, during which Diaz ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee celebrating a victory over the Dominican Republic. Diaz’s return deepens a bullpen with left-hander Brooks Raley the only other pitcher whose role is clearly defined.

Jeimer Candelario Agrees to Three-Year, $45 Million Contract with Cincinnati Reds

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Jeimer Candelario is seeing Red(s)… 

The 30-year-old Dominican American professional baseball third baseman has agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds, adding the veteran switch hitter to a plethora of young infielders as the Reds position themselves for a run at the National League Central title.

Jeimer CandelarioCandelario was non-tendered by the Detroit Tigers following the 2022 season but rebounded with a stellar 2023, setting career highs in home runs (22) and RBIs (70) while hitting .251/.336/.471 and playing first and third base for the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs. His deal with the Reds includes a club option for $15 million in 2027, sources said. 

He joins a Reds team that already features young infielders Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Noelvi Marte, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Jonathan India. Another infielder, Spencer Steer, is expected to move to left field, where he would complement outfielders TJ Friedl, Will Benson and Jake Fraley.

Candelario’s deal, first reported by MLB.com, could free up Cincinnati to use its depth to pursue a trade for a pitcher, though the Reds already have added right-hander Nick Martinez to their rotation and right-hander Emilio Pagan to their bullpen on two-year deals.

Cincinnati’s last postseason appearance in a full season came in 2013, and following an 82-80 performance in 2023, owner Bob Castellini said he intended to expand the Reds’ payroll with hopes of usurping the incumbent division winner, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Cubs. The Reds, typically among the lowest-payroll teams, have guaranteed $87 million to free agents.

Multiple teams pursued Candelario this winter, looking at his versatility as well as his ability to hit from both sides of the plate as pluses. Over his eight-year career, Candelario has hit .243/.325/.414 with 88 home runs and 318 RBIs in 746 games.

Victor Caratini Agrees to Two-Year, $12 Million Contract with Houston Astros

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Victor Caratini is catching a Texas-sized star…

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher has agreed to a two-year, $12 million contract with the Houston Astros, according to multiple reports.

Victor CaratiniCaratini can reportedly earn additional performance bonuses.

Caratini spent the past two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers and hit .259 with seven homers and 25 RBIs in 62 games this year as a backup to William Contreras.

Caratini is a .236 career hitter with 38 homers and 171 RBIs in seven major league seasons with the Chicago Cubs (2017-20), San Diego Padres (2021) and Milwaukee (2022-23).

Yainer Díaz is expected to be the Astros’ starting catcher next year, and the agreement with Caratini could mean Houston won’t re-sign Martín Maldonado. The 37-year-old has been with the Astros since 2019.

“I’ve been talking to Yainer once a week,” new manager Joe Espada said Monday. “We’re going to do some things in January leading into spring training to prep him for spring training. I don’t want us to get to spring training and start from scratch.

“So this is going to be starting right now having conversations about our staff, how to attack certain lineups, things that we know that we can help him with, receiving, throwing.”

Jackson Chourio Signs Eight-Year, $82 Million Contract with Milwaukee Brewers

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Things are brewing for Jackson Chourio…

The 19-year-old Venezuelan center fielder and the Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to an eight-year, $82 million contract with two club options and escalators that can take the total value of the deal to $142.5 million, according to ESPN.

Jackson ChourioThe deal guarantees Chourio more money than any player before his Major League Baseball debut.

Chourio, a Venezuela native who signed with the Brewers in 2021 as a 16-year-old, spent most of 2023 at the Double-A level, where he hit .280/.336/.467 with 22 home runs and ascended to the No. 3 prospect in baseball in ESPN’s rankings.

Pre-debut long-term deals are rare, and all five of the previous players to sign one — Eloy Jimenez with the Chicago White Sox, Scott Kingery with the Philadelphia Phillies, Luis Robert with the White Sox, Jon Singleton with the Houston Astros and Evan White with the Seattle Mariners — were either 22 or 23 years old.

If both options are exercised, Chourio would hit free agency at 29.

The deal significantly increases the likelihood of Chourio breaking camp with the Brewers. A small-market team whose payroll last finished in the upper half of Major League Baseball in 2012, Milwaukee would have been incentivized to keep Chourio at Triple-A — where he played his final six games this season — to delay his eventual free agency by a year.

Even if he began the season in the minor leagues, Chourio could have won a full year of service finishing first or second in Rookie of the Year voting.

Félix Bautista Named the American League’s Reliever of the Year

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Félix Bautista is experiencing a bit of relief…

The 28-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles was the unanimous winner of the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award.

Félix BautistaBautista, nicknamed “The Mountain,” was 8-2 with a 1.48 ERA and 33 saves in 39 chances for the AL East champion Orioles.

The right-hander made his final appearance August 25 and had Tommy John surgery on October 9, which likely will cause him to miss the 2024 season.

Bautista, who made his MLB debut in 2022, was named 2023 MLB-All-Star.

Milwaukee Brewers‘ Devin Williams won the Trevor Hoffman National League honor Wednesday.

Miguel Andujar Agrees to One-Year Contract with Oakland Athletics

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Miguel Andujar is preparing for an Athletic(s) season…

The 28-year-old Dominican professional baseball third baseman and outfielder has agreed to a one-year contract with the Oakland Athletics alongside Abraham Toro.

Miguel AndujarOakland announced the deals on Friday.

Andujar’s contract is worth $1.7 million, and Toro receives $1,275,000 under his agreement.

The A’s also claimed right-hander Michael Kelly off waivers from Cleveland and signed outfielder Daz Cameron to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training.

Kelly, who went 1-0 with a 3.78 ERA in 14 big league games this year, was designated for assignment on Tuesday.

Andujar, who also can play the corner outfield spots, was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh on November 6.

Andujar batted .297 with 27 homers and 92 RBIs for the New York Yankees in 2018, but his production has dropped considerably. He has a .270 average with 39 homers and 149 RBIs in parts of seven big league seasons.

Toro was acquired in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday for minor league right-hander Chad Patrick.

The 26-year-old Toro hit .444 (8-for-18) with two homers and nine RBIs in nine games for Milwaukee this year and .291 with eight homers and 58 RBIs in 96 games at Triple-A Nashville.

A switch-hitter, Toro has a .211 career average with 28 homers and 108 RBIs in five seasons with Houston Astros (2019-21), Seattle Mariners (2021-22) and Milwaukee.

Oakland also announced that it had declined to offer a contract to infielder Kevin Smith. The 27-year-old Smith batted .185 with five homers and 11 RBIs in 49 games this year.