Tag: minor league contract

Former Red Sox catching prospect Ronaldo Hernández agrees to minor-league deal with Diamondbacks

Former Red Sox catching prospect Ronaldo Hernandez has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks, according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. The deal comes with an invitation to major-league spring training.

Hernandez, 26, spent the last three seasons in the Red Sox organization after originally being acquired from the Rays alongside minor-league infielder Nick Sogard in the February 2021 trade that sent pitchers Chris Mazza and Jeffrey Springs back to Tampa Bay.

At that time, Hernandez was viewed as one of the top catching prospects in baseball. The native Colombian had already been added to the Rays’ 40-man roster in 2019 and maintained that status going into his first spring training with the Sox. He opened the 2021 campaign at Double-A Portland and posted an .825 OPS in 92 games there before earning a promotion to Triple-A Worcester in late September.

Hernandez spent the entirety of the 2022 season with Worcester as well, batting .261/.298/.451 with 27 doubles, 17 home runs, 63 RBIs, 50 runs scored, 21 walks, and 92 strikeouts over 105 games (437 plate appearances) for the WooSox. The right-handed hitter was called up by Boston on two separate occasions last year (once in April and again in August) but never got into a game, so he has yet to officially make his major-league debut.

The Red Sox removed Hernandez from their 40-man roster last December and subsequently outrighted him to the minor-leagues once he cleared waivers. He received an invite to big-league spring training, but was never really in consideration for a call-up this past season. Instead, he slashed .242/.336/.445 with 17 doubles, 17 homers, 70 RBIs, 49 runs scored, two stolen bases, 41 walks, and 69 strikeouts in 99 games (393 plate appearances) for Worcester while splitting time between catcher and designated hitter.

Hernandez, who became a free agent after hitting the open market last month, peaked as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system, according to SoxProspects.com’s rankings history. He carries with him a lifetime slash line of .279/.333/.461 with 91 home runs and 409 RBIs in 636 career minor-league games (2,616 plate appearances) dating back to 2015. At the Triple-A level specifically, Hernandez has batted .255/.319/.448 with 34 homers and 138 runs driven in across 211 games spanning 860 trips to the plate.

While defense has never been a strong suit for Hernandez, the 6-foot-1, 248-pound backstop should be able to provide the Diamondbacks with some bat-first catching depth in the upper-minors behind the likes of standout Gabriel Moreno and Jose Herrera (both of whom are currently on Arizona’s 40-man roster) heading into the 2024 season.

In the meantime, Hernandez has been playing winter ball for the Gigantes del Cibao of the Dominican Winter League. Coming into play on Wednesday, he has hit .245/.333/.283 with two doubles and three RBIs in 17 games (60 plate appearances) with the San Francisco de Macorís-based club.

(Picture of Ronaldo Hernandez: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox bring back Wyatt Mills on two-year minor-league deal

The Red Sox brought back injured reliever Wyatt Mills on a minor-league contract last week, per the club’s transactions log. It is a two-year deal that will cover the 2024 and 2025 seasons, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Mills, who turns 29 in January, was non-tendered by Boston earlier this month after not pitching at all this past season. The right-hander was originally acquired from the Royals for relief prospect Jacob Wallace last December and was expected to compete for a spot in the Sox’ Opening Day bullpen out of spring training.

After allowing just one earned run and striking out 10 over six innings his first four appearances of the spring, Mills was shelled for four runs on four hits, one walk, and two hit batsman in the sixth inning of a 16-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Blue Jays in Dunedin on March 13. He was then shut down to to an elbow issue and opened the season on the injured list.

Despite trying to rehab the injury, Mills ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery in early July. As a result, he will miss most — if not all — of the 2024 season, but the structure of his new contract allows the Red Sox to oversee his rehab and the potential benefits that come with it once he is presumably healthy in 2025.

Mills, a former third-round draft pick of the Mariners out of Gonzaga in 2017, first broke in with Seattle in May 2021 and was then traded to Kansas City last June. Between the two stops, the Washington state native owns a 6.21 ERA (but much more encouraging 3.84 FIP) with 37 strikeouts to 20 walks in 38 relief appearances (42 innings) at the big-league level.

As MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith noted earlier this summer, the Red Sox were intrigued by Mills because of how his profile mirrors that of fellow side-winder John Schreiber. Like Schreiber, Mills throws from a lower arm angle and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a four-seam fastball, a slider, and a sinker. He had also been planning on adding a changeup to his arsenal before going under the knife.

While proceeding with his rehab moving forward, Mills will remain in the Red Sox organization without occupying a spot on the club’s 40-man roster.

(Picture of Wyatt Mills: Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox sign former Mariners pitching prospect Jorge Benitez to minor-league deal

The Red Sox have signed free agent left-hander Jorge Benitez to a minor-league contract, per MiLB Central on X/Twitter. The deal comes with an invitation to major-league spring training.

Benitez, 24, was originally selected by the Mariners in the ninth round of the 2017 amateur draft out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico. The San Juan native signed with Seattle for $150,000 and made his professional debut in the rookie-level Arizona League that June.

After splitting the 2022 campaign between Low-A Modesto and High-A Everett, Benitez earned All-Star honors in the Arizona Fall League while forging a 2.08 ERA in nine appearances (13 innings) for the Peoria Javelinas. The lefty then broke camp with Everett this past spring before receiving a promotion to Double-A Arkansas in late April.

With the Travelers, Benitez posted a 2.14 ERA and 4.24 FIP with 74 strikeouts to 39 walks across 40 outings (59 innings) out of the bullpen. He also converted his lone save opportunity on the year while holding opposing hitters to a miniscule .190 batting average against.

Among the 92 Texas League pitchers who accrued 50 or more innings this season, Benitez ranked 17th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.29), 21st in strikeout rate (28.6 percent), fifth in opponents’ batting average, first in line-drive rate (14.4 percent), 16th in groundball rate (47 percent), 20th in swinging-strike rate (14.4 percent), third in ERA, and 29th in FIP, per FanGraphs.

While the punchout numbers and the like are certainly encouraging, Benitez also ranked 86th in walks per nine innings (5.95), 86th in walk rate (15.1 percent), and 59th in xFIP (4.92) when using those same parameters. That in itself suggests that the southpaw has had some issues when it comes to his command of the strike zone.

As Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser noted back in March, Benitez “annihilates left-handed batters with a 90-93 mph fastball from a low arm slot and a high-spin curveball in the mid 70s.” The 6-foot-2 hurler’s “tough angle also plays against righties and gives him a chance to be a low-leverage reliever.”

Benitez, who does not turn 25 until next June, is the second notable young lefty to sign a minors pact with the Red Sox this month, joining ex-Rockies prospect Helcris Olivarez. Like Olivarez, Benitez figures to provide Boston with high-upside pitching depth from the left side at Triple-A Worcester in 2024.

In the meantime, Benitez has been pitching for the Criollos de Caguas of the Puerto Rican Winter League this winter. Coming into play on Friday, he had yet to allow a run through his first six appearances (7 2/3 innings) of the season for the club.

(Picture of Jorge Benitez: John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

Red Sox sign former Twins outfielder Mark Contreras to minor-league deal

The Red Sox have signed free agent outfielder Mark Contreras to a minor-league contract, according to Baseball America’s transactions tracker. It is unclear if the deal comes with an invite to major-league spring training.

Contreras, who turns 29 in January, spent the better part of the last seven seasons in the Twins organization after originally being selected by the club in the ninth round of the 2017 amateur draft out of UC Riverside. The Moreno Valley, Calif. native broke in at the big-league level last May and appeared in 28 games for Minnesota, going 7-for-58 (.121) with one double, three home runs, six RBIs, nine runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and 21 strikeouts.

In December, Contreras lost his spot on the Twins’ 40-man roster when fellow outfielder Joey Gallo was signed to a one-year deal. He then cleared waivers and remained in the organization through the winter, ultimately breaking camp this past spring with Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul. With the Saints this season, the left-handed hitter batted .274/.352/.418 to go along with 17 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 54 RBIs, 52 runs scored, 23 stolen bases, 36 walks, and 99 strikeouts over 90 games (381 plate appearances) before being released in early August.

For his career at the Triple-A level dating back to 2021, Contreras is a lifetime .252/.334/.442 hitter with 64 doubles, four triples, 43 homers, 176 runs driven in, 178 runs scored, 58 stolen bases, 107 walks, and 341 strikeouts in 287 total games (1,198 plate appearances). On the other side of the ball, the 6-foot, 195-pounder has past experience at all three outfield spots in both the major- and minor-leagues. He recorded three of his four outfield assists from center while with St. Paul this year.

To that end, Contreras figures to provide the Red Sox with versatile, experienced outfield depth at Triple-A Worcester next season. As things stand now, he slots in behind the likes of Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Rob Refsnyder, Alex Verdugo, and Masataka Yoshida, all of whom are on Boston’s 40-man roster.

(Picture of Mark Contreras: David Berding/Getty Images)

Red Sox sign veteran outfielder Bradley Zimmer to minor-league deal

The Red Sox have signed free agent outfielder Bradley Zimmer to a minor-league contract, as was first reported by Beyond the Monster’s Chris Henrique and confirmed by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Zimmer, 30, was released by the Dodgers on Thursday after originally signing a minors pact with Los Angeles back in December. In 31 games with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City, the left-handed hitter batted .219/.322/.343 with four doubles, three home runs, 14 RBIs, 18 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 13 walks, and 46 strikeouts over 121 plate appearances.

A former first-round draft selection of the Guardians out of the University of San Francisco in 2014, Zimmer was once regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball. The California native broke in with Cleveland in 2017 and spent the first five years of his career there despite never being able to establish himself as a big-league regular.

In parts of five seasons with the Guardians, Zimmer compiled a .226/.310/.348 slash line with 29 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs, 86 RBIs, 103 runs scored, 39 stolen bases, 71 walks, and 285 strikeouts over 263 total games (858 plate appearances). He appeared in just 34 games in 2018 and nine games in 2019 after recovering from arthroscopic right shoulder surgery.

Though Zimmer made the Guardians’ Opening Day roster out of spring training last year, he was traded to the Blue Jays for right-hander Anthony Castro on April 8. He then spent the next four months with Toronto before being designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Phillies on August 18.

After just nine days with Philadelphia, though, Zimmer was once again designated for assignment and returned to Toronto via waiver claim on Aug. 29. Between the two clubs, Zimmer went 13-for-105 (.124) at the plate with five doubles, two homers, five RBIs, 18 runs scored, three stolen bases, five walks, and 45 strikeouts across a career-high 109 games. He was removed from the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster in November and elected free agency after clearing waivers.

Zimmer, who does not turn 31 until November, figures to provide the Red Sox with experienced outfield depth at Triple-A Worcester. He has already reported to the WooSox and was spotted taking batting practice at Polar Park earlier Friday afternoon.

As things stand now, the Red Sox already have four left-handed hitting outfielders on their major-league roster in Jarren Duran, Raimel Tapia, Alex Verdugo, and Masataka Yoshida. With that, it may be tough for Zimmer to make his way to Boston, especially when you consider the fact that he is out of minor-league options.

That being said, there is still a lot to like about Zimmer’s game even if the offensive production is lacking. Last year, for instance, the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder logged 369 2/3 innings between center and right field and was worth six defensive runs saved. He also has past experience in left field and still possesses quality speed.

With Oklahoma City, Zimmer made one start in left, eight starts in center, and 16 starts in right field. He will now join the likes of Wilyer Abreu, Greg Allen, Narciso Crook, Marcus Wilson, Ryan Fitzgerald, and Nick Sogard in making up Worcester’s outfield mix.

Zimmer is the latest depth addition Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has made through either a trade, a waiver claim, or minor-league free agency in recent weeks. Zack Littell and Pablo Reyes (acquired in separate trades) and Brennan Bernardino (claimed off waivers from the Mariners) have all appeared in big-league games for Boston this season.

(Picture of Bradley Zimmer: Christian Peterson/Getty Images)