Minor League Free Agent Signings - 12/29/23
A look at all the players that inked minor league pacts this week
Hey everyone, I’m back for another installment of “Recent Minor League Free Agent Signings.” These signings have all been made official via the teams, with only Brenan Hanifee being left off because I covered the signing in my first installment, which you can read here.
December 18th
The Rangers signed center fielder Michael Reed, reliever Reid Birlingmair, and former major league reliever Diego Castillo to minor league deals. Reed and Birlingmair are yet to make their major league debuts. Reed has appeared in just 134 games since 2019, with 100 games at Triple-A between the Athletics, Dodgers, and Brewers affiliates. In those 100 games, Reed hit .218/.318/.330. Birlingmair was originally a 28th-round pick with the Athletics, but after a stint with the independent ball Fargo-Morhead Redhawks, the Rangers signed him to a minor league deal last season. There he posted a 2.68 ERA across 40 innings between their Double-A and High-A affiliates. From his debut in 2018 until 2022, Castillo was among the best relievers in the league. According to Stathead, his 3.12 ERA over that span ranks as 21st among relievers who threw at least 200 innings. Over the past two seasons, Castillo’s strikeout rate has dropped significantly down from the 10+ K/9 he regularly posted to 8.6 K/9 in those last two seasons.
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