Minor League Free Agents

35 Commments

1. Wow, that’s a lot guys we’ve followed here for a long time. Four of the five first-timers (with Mills as the exception) are career Nat farmhands, as are Bacus, Pena, and Self. I assume some will re-sign with the Nats, but most may leave, as Luke notes.

   Can this really be the last time Orange Marmolejos appears on these pages?! He, Ward, and Abreu were among the team’s top 10 prospects at various points.

   There are also a bunch of AAAA types who are career organization players who are out of options with the big club and may be leaving as well — Difo, Ad. Sanchez, Read, maybe even MAT and/or Fedde or Voth. Lots and lots of guys who have been part of our morning reading here for years. We wish them all well.

   (For the record, I would be surprised if Voth leaves. I think Fedde would have more trade value as a controlled potential starter for other teams than he does as a middle reliever for the Nats. In fact, he might net a couple of middle relievers in return.)

   1. Congrats to Scott Harris former Nats intern now 32 year young Giant GM

   2. Would McPhail reunite Fedde and Harper ??
      Fedde to Texas would be a good conversation for Rizzo if exploring trade bounty

   3. We’re there any bat slamming sounds coming from the Astros dugout during the WS??

      1. “let’s go to the videotape” or “to the Sports Machine” depending on your DC heritage

      2. I vote for Pirates to hire Stubby Clapp he has toiled like an old school baseball sage

   4. Boo. Rendon is the MVP America !! Sad sack droopy drawer voters

2. Plus Spencer Kieboom elected free agency after being outrighted, as I think has been previously noted in another post. So it’s possible we could end up with 10+ long-time Nats leaving the fold.

3. A few players whom I am pretty sure were eligible for minor league free agency are not on this list, including Mario Sánchez, Aldrem Corredor, Rafael Bautista, Luis Reyes, and Paolo Espino. They must have re-upped on minors deals.

   1. The one thing we have learned in nice years is how frugal the Nats are stocking the affiliates with extra bodies until the season embarks and the needs arise.
      Look at Fresno later in the campaign

      1. Perhaps the top bat to follow in 2020 is Kevin Strohschein.
         Danny Hernandez MIA 2019 interesting

   2. Espino is a nice AAA IP eater when healthy

4. Sao — All of those are worthwhile to re-sign, particularly Sanchez, so let’s hope.

5. Too bad for “Orange” and Ward, whose bats just didn’t develop well enough and are now free agents at a time when the Nats’ have no first basemen on the 40-man roster.

   I gather the upper minors are going to get a pretty big makeover this year as well, especially when you consider how little help the team got from there this past season. The reason the Nats had to do so much “dumpster diving” for players this year was that there just wasn’t much help available in house–especially position players.

   1. Ward had his looks @ AA/AAA ( inversion )

6. There were times when Orange and particularly Ward had some trade value. I remember Ward’s name coming up a few times at the deadline. He probably didn’t have much this year, though, between impending free agency and a ballooning K rate.

   The biggest issue for both of those guys was not developing enough HR power in this age of “three true outcomes,” particularly slow-footed fellas who had to play corner positions. Orange in particular was a doubles machine in the mid-minors but just couldn’t get that power farther than the gap.

   It would be nice to see them stay, but there’s probably more interest in them elsewhere, as well as more of a chance for them to possibly find their way to an MLB bench.

7. With all of the roster spots open now, I’m most surprised that the Nats did not add Ward, especially with Rendon still unsigned. I guess too many K’s.

   1. Hey , Grissom. How about that WS???
      With all the names being deleted from the AAA/AA ranks especially @ F- troop , I will bet a cyber hot fudge subdae that Nats sign UVa alum Jarrett Parker

8. Drew Ward (it was time to go) and David Masters were the last two in the minors from the Nats 2013 draft. Austin Voth is the only one from that draft to make it to the bigs with the Nats. Nick Pivetta made it to MLB with the Phillies (traded for Papelbon). 2B Garrett Hampson was drafted, but did not sign, when to Long Beach State, and was then a 3rd round pick of the Rockies and is now a MLB player. RHP Shaun Anderson was also drafted, did not sign, went to U of Florida and is now playing for the Giants.

   The Nats first pick of that draft (Nats forfeited their #1 pick) was 2nd rounder Jake Johansen. He topped out at AA.

9. Yes, but Johansen really filled out a uniform. Goodness, what a reach he was. He was never even good at Potomac. I do remember seeing something about how he was a real leader, though, so maybe he’s got a future in coaching.

10. I really hope that Marmolejos goes somewhere else where he might have an easier path (Orioles, Tigers, anyone?). He has been such a good citizen and above average player. I root for him to at least get the cup of coffee.

    1. Well said
       Banks on 40 man add?? Yeah or nay ??

       1. I’m gonna say no. I don’t think he’s likely to be taken since corner outfielders are a dime a dozen, he’s never been a top prospect, and he doesn’t have that much experience above A ball. Spring training invite? Maybe.

       2. He didn’t do that well in the AFL if you look at the numbers.
          All the Nats prospects who were good/great there were pitchers.

       3. As LH OF go, Yadiel Yea, Banks May.

          Mills only one year removed from the AFL. I guess they had time to gauge his trade value as a lefty coming off that high point for him. Other, better options pushing through the bullpen at AA.

          1. I just don’t see the Nats protecting 32-year-old Yadiel Hernandez. The Nats could have called him up in May, with the injuries they were having and Yadiel on a tear. Instead, they signed Gerardo Parra. Oh yeah, then they won the World Series.

11. I’m very happy that Dakota Bacus has been set free and can now go to a club that will like him.
    His numbers in the PCL/Beer league were terrific all year but someone in the f.o. just didn’t like him.

    Good luck to Drew Ward.

12. If a minor-league pitcher didn’t get more notice with the Menhart elevation, it’s probably not going to happen. I think he did get listened to about a few folks, Voth in particular.

    1. I have a Christmas wish that Ryan Tapani stretches out and pitches according to the Tapani blood line. .

13. All Voth did was pitch to a 3.30 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. Smallish sample size, but not bad for a guy who was pretty much left for dead, and a heck of a lot better than McGowin and Fedde did in their looks.

14. MPL confirms Nats stayed under the cap last year, good news!!

    1. MLB

       1. Thanks Alex, I’ve been trying to find out because it was close. Hate losing those draft picks.

          1. I may have overstated that MLB confirmed it when in fact the link below say MLBTR confirm it with MLB

             https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/11/three-teams-exceeded-2019-luxury-tax-threshold.html

15. Apologies for replying down thread. My browser doesn’t put my replies into the threads, for some reason.

    Anyway, Yadiel has one more year before he’s Rule 5 eligible, so no decision on that front right now. I do think the big club will have some interesting decisions regarding reserve OFs, so it’s possible he could get in the mix in the spring, but after they pretty much ignored what he was doing in Fresno all through last season, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

    Banks is Rule 5-eligible, but considering how little he did in the AFL, it’s hard to see a team thinking he could stick on an MLB roster. I haven’t given up on Banks by any means, and I was encouraged in general by the step forward he took in 2019. He’s at sort of a make-or-break age, though, so 2020 will be big for him.

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