Russell Branyan, Garrett Atkins and Gary Matthews Jr. have been making headlines at the major league level, but some under-the-radar moves have been completed, too. Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the latest minor league transactions for June 14th-21st:
- The Padres released right-hander Mark Worrell, who had been pitching in Triple A. His 5.45 ERA isn't pretty, but his 9.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 suggest that the 27-year-old could contribute on a team whose bullpen is a little thinner than San Diego's.
- The Mariners released Ramon Vazquez, who appears to have signed with the Astros. The M's picked Vazquez up soon after the Pirates released him this spring, but the infielder wasn't the bargain pickup Jack Zduriencik was hoping for; Vazquez posted a .599 OPS at Triple A.
- The Mariners signed David Winfree not long after the Yankees released him. The 24-year-old has posted a .700 OPS while playing first base, left and right at Triple A in 2010.
Mark Worrell, for the record, was traded along with Luke Gregorsen to the Cardinals for Khalil Greene, and then promptly underwent season ending surgery. I think that given the time to recover, he could be a really solid option.
Who would have thought that Gregerson would be the only player to contribute anything out of that deal?
The Indians ought to give a look to Worrell. So should the D’Backs and Marlins. Those teams have nothing to lose, and maybe something to gain. He’s still in the process of working his way back from TJ surgery, so it’s possible that he will show improvement in the future.