The Twins have announced their list of players who have been invited to participate in Spring Training. This includes several players who have previously signed minor league contracts, as well as right-handed pitcher Jeff Brigham and catcher Brian O’Keefe. Additionally, right-handers Jordan Balazovic and Daniel Duarte, who were recently designated for assignment, are also part of the group. According to reports, Balazovic has cleared waivers, while Duarte’s waiver claim has been confirmed.
Brigham, who will turn 32 on Friday, received an early birthday present with his invitation to Spring Training. He had a disappointing season with the Mets last year after being acquired from the Marlins in November 2022. Although he made 37 appearances with the major league club, his performance was underwhelming, as he allowed an average of 5.26 earned runs per nine innings. Despite a strong strikeout rate of 26.3%, he struggled with issuing walks to 11.3% of batters faced. His performance in Triple-A was also subpar, albeit in a small sample size of nine innings.
The Mets decided not to tender Brigham a contract for the upcoming season, instead opting to let him go. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected his arbitration salary to be $1.1MM. The Twins will now have the opportunity to evaluate Brigham during Spring Training without any financial risk. It’s worth noting that he had previously performed well, with a 3.38 ERA and impressive strikeout and walk rates in 2022. However, concerns have been raised about his declining velocity, as his fastball speed dropped from 96.6 mph in 2019 to 93.5 mph last year.
Brigham will provide the Twins with additional bullpen depth as a non-roster invitee. Other pitchers in the same category include Matt Bowman, A.J. Alexy, Hobie Harris, and Jared Solomon. If Brigham is eventually added to the roster, he still has an option year remaining and less than four years of service time.
O’Keefe, 30, has limited experience at the MLB level, having played in only 10 games for the Mariners over the past two seasons. During that time, he struggled at the plate, with a batting average of .136 and an on-base percentage of .240. In Triple-A, he has accumulated over 1,000 plate appearances and has posted a batting line of .247/.333/.475. However, it’s important to consider that most of his time in Triple-A was spent in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Baseball Prospectus has praised his skills in framing and blocking throughout his minor league career.
The Twins have already established Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vázquez as their catching duo for the upcoming season. Although Vázquez was involved in trade rumors during the offseason, no deal materialized. Jair Camargo is also on the roster but is likely to be assigned to Triple-A due to his remaining options. O’Keefe will likely join Camargo in a non-roster capacity and will be available in the event of an injury.
Balazovic, once considered a top 100 prospect, has seen his stock decline in recent years. He struggled with a 7.39 ERA in 22 Triple-A appearances in 2022, and his velocity has also decreased. In February 2023, it was reported that he had suffered a broken jaw off the field. Last season, he posted a 5.32 ERA in Triple-A and a 4.44 ERA in the majors, with unimpressive strikeout and walk rates.
With no remaining options, Balazovic would need both an active roster spot and a spot on the 40-man roster. Despite his previous prospect status, no team was willing to take a chance on him, leading him to accept an assignment with the Twins as non-roster depth. He does not have the necessary service time to become a free agent.
As for Duarte, 27, he has finally cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Reds in January. He then joined the Rangers on a cash deal before being claimed off waivers by the Twins. Last year, he had an ERA of 3.69 with Cincinnati but had a relatively low strikeout rate and a high walk rate. While his ability to induce ground balls was beneficial, it is unlikely that he will maintain a .218 batting average on balls in play or an 81.6% strand rate going forward.
Duarte’s appeal likely stems from his strong performance in Triple-A. In 35 innings at that level last year, he had a 3.34 ERA, a solid strikeout rate, a slightly elevated walk rate, and a high ground ball rate. Similar to Balazovic, he had no choice but to accept the non-roster assignment and remain with the Twins as additional depth.
According to the Source mlbtraderumors.com