The Marlins have signed right-hander Freddy Tarnok to a minor league deal, Aram Leighton of Simply Baseball Media writes. The contract consists of an invite for Tarnok to attend Miami’s large league Spring Coaching camp.
Tarnok made his MLB debut within the type of a single look and two-thirds of an inning for the Braves in 2022, and Atlanta then dealt him that winter as a part of the three-team, nine-player commerce that noticed Sean Murphy head to the Braves and William Contreras and Joel Payamps land in Milwaukee. The Athletics’ finish of the commerce noticed them get hold of Tarnok and 4 different gamers, solely two of whom (Esteury Ruiz and Royber Salinas) are nonetheless with the A’s simply over two years in the past.
Tarnok’s personal time on Oakland’s large league roster was restricted to 5 video games and 14 2/3 innings in 2023, with the righty delivering a 4.91 ERA in that restricted pattern whereas additionally permitting 4 homers and 11 walks. Shoulder and hip accidents hampered Tarnok for a lot of the 12 months, and he ended up having hip surgical procedure in August 2023. Some rust wasn’t sudden after Tarnok’s restoration, however he managed solely a 7.39 ERA in 31 2/3 Triple-A innings this previous season.
That point in Triple-A was spent with each the Athletics’ high affiliate and within the Phillies’ farm system, as Philadelphia claimed Tarnok off waivers this previous June. The Phils outrighted Tarnok off their 40-man roster in the beginning of November and he elected to change into a minor league free agent.
A rise in each his stroll and residential run totals plagued Tarnok within the higher minors in addition to in his transient time within the majors. These points have led to a 4.68 ERA over 92 1/3 profession Triple-A innings, in addition to an 11.97% stroll charge and 23.44% strikeout charge.
Whereas Tarnok has some potential to overlook bats, his incapability to maintain the ball within the park or hold batters off the basepaths has left him searching for a recent begin getting into his age-26 season. It’s potential a wholesome Tarnok get again to his far more stable pre-injury type, and for the minimal value of a minors contract, the Marlins are betting that he can change into at the least a depth swingman now that he’s additional faraway from his hip surgical procedure. Leighton writes that Miami will once more give Tarnok an opportunity to start out video games.
