« Light-Hitting Rays Willing To Wait For Wil Myers | Main | Which GMs Are Most Active On The Waiver Wire? »

Players Claimed Off Waivers Multiple Times

By Steve Adams [April 17, 2013 at 8:44am CST]

Waiver claims often strike us as nondescript transactions. The names we see in them sometimes are often unknown, but a lot of the players in these deals have enough fringe talent to make them coveted by multiple teams. This is evidenced by the number of times some players have been claimed in the past year alone. Using MLBTR's Transaction Tracker, here's a look at players who are desirable enough to be claimed multiple times but have had a hard time sticking on their new 40-man rosters...

Russ Canzler (4): The 27-year-old Canzler is one of three in the exclusive four-claim club over the past calendar year. He's been a beast in 274 Triple-A games, batting .291/.367/.513 with 43 homers. This offseason, he found himself claimed by the Blue Jays from the Indians, reclaimed by the Tribe, claimed by the Yankees and claimed by the Orioles all within a span of about six weeks. He's now with the O's Triple-A affiliate.
Sandy Rosario (4): Rosario was claimed by the Red Sox, traded to the A's, claimed back by the Red Sox, claimed by the Cubs and finally claimed by the Giants in a two-month span this offseason. The 27-year-old has fanned 11 in 9 2/3 innings for Triple-A Fresno thus far.
Chris Schwinden (4): Schwinden went full-circle in the summer of 2012. He was claimed by the Blue Jays from the Mets, then claimed by the Indians, claimed by the Yankees, and at last reclaimed by the Mets -- all in a span of 34 days! He wasn't even with Toronto long enough to make a start, but he did post a 3.21 ERA in 126 Triple-A innings last season.
Scott Maine (3): Claimed off waivers from the Cubs by the Blue Jays, Maine would go on to be claimed by the Indians and eventually the Marlins, where he's begun the season in Triple-A.
Guillermo Moscoso (3): The Royals plucked Moscoso off waivers from the Rockies, and he made it all the way to Spring Training with the club before being claimed by the Blue Jays and the Cubs within a matter of 12 days.
Cody Ransom (3): Few players are more synonymous with waiver claims than Ransom, who has played for 10 different organizations over the course of his 16-year professional career. He was claimed by the Brewers from the D-backs last season only to be reclaimed by Arizona months later. After signing a minor league deal with the Padres in the winter, Ransom made it about two weeks into the 2013 season before being claimed by the Cubs.
Mickey Storey (3): Storey was claimed by the Yankees from the Astros, reclaimed by Houston and then claimed by the Blue Jays in a month's time this offseason. He's with Toronto's Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, currently.
Eli Whiteside (3): Catching depth is always at a premium, which is part of the reason that Whiteside found himself going from the Giants to the Yankees to the Blue Jays to the Rangers in a five-week span this offseason. The veteran has settled in with Texas' Triple-A affiliate to open the season.

Meanwhile, Lars Anderson, Alex Burnett, Scott Cousins, Danny Farquhar, Thomas Field, John Gaub, Mark Hamburger, Willie Harris, David Herndon, Dan Otero, Steve Pearce, Todd Redmond and Josh Stinson were all claimed off waivers on two different occasions within the past year.

Some of these players, such as Burnett and Anderson, are young enough that they may well stick with their newest organizations. However, when it comes to some of the more veteran players, it's likely that these names will surface again. For guys like Ransom and Whiteside, waiver claims are just another part of the job.