Here's a look at some of the Minor League signings that have come in tonight…
- The Brewers have re-signed infielder Hector Gomez to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, the team informed MLBTR via email. Other non-roster invitees for the Brewers currently include right-hander Darren Byrd and catcher Dayton Buller. The 24-year-old Gomez once cracked Baseball America's Top 100 Prospect list (No. 95 in 2008) but hit just .131 in 95 minor league plate appearances last season.
- The Athletics have signed right-hander Mike Ekstrom to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Jane Lee. Ekstrom pitched 15 2/3 innings out of the Rockies' bullpen this season, allowing 11 earned runs but posting a solid 9:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- The Twins have re-signed right-hander P.J. Walters to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, tweets MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. Walters' free agency didn't last long; he refused an outright assignment from the Twins just hours ago and elected free agency. The 27-year-old made a dozen starts for the Twinkies in 2012.
Why would PJ Walters accept a outright minor league assignment, then sign a minor league deal?
Mack, I think you mean Walters *rejected* the outrighting, before signing the deal. My guess is that he or his agent thought there was a specific major league team that would give him a contract, and when that didn’t pan out, he opted to stick with the organization he was already with rather than take a similar offer elsewhere. Probably the Twins gave him suitable encouragement about a callup to the majors. “We like you, go to Rochester and work on this and this, and then we’ll see…” Same as with most players who just miss being on the 40-man roster.