Minor MLB Transactions: 4/13/18
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league, all courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise noted…
- The Angels have added right-handed reliever Jordan Jankowski on a minor league contract. The 28-year-old got his first taste of the big league in 2017, tossing 4 1/3 frames for the Astros before landing with the Dodgers via waiver claim. Jankowski has averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 177 1/3 Triple-A frames in his career, though he’s struggled with control since being selected in the 34th round of the 2012 draft as well.
- Former big league infielders Tyler Ladendorf and Darnell Sweeney have signed minor league pacts with the Blue Jays. Ladendorf, a former Twins second-rounder who was once traded to the A’s in exchange for Orlando Cabrera, logged 68 MLB plate appearances with Oakland from 2015-16 but hit just .123/.149/.154 in that brief time. He’s a career .258/.326/.350 hitter in Triple-A and has played second base, shortstop, third base and corner outfield as a pro. Sweeney, meanwhile, posted a .639 OPS in 98 plate appearances with the Phillies in 2015 after they acquired him from the Dodgers in the Chase Utley trade. He’s a career .258/.325/.394 hitter in Triple-A.
- The Giants released outfielder Daniel Carbonell, who they’d originally signed Carbonell to a four-year, $3.5MM contract back in 2014 after he left Cuba. Signed because of his defensive prowess and speed, Carbonell’s bat never came around, as he appeared in just two Triple-A games with the Giants after stalling out in Double-A. In 437 plate appearances at that Double-A level, the now-27-year-old Carbonell hit just .188/.227/.273.
Minor MLB Transactions: 9/23/2015
Here are today’s minor moves …
- The Giants are calling up veteran infielder Kevin Frandsen, reports Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area (Twitter link). As Pavlovic notes, the Giants’ position-player depth has been hit hard by injuries, so Frandsen can provide some depth for the final couple weeks of the season. He’s not on the 40-man roster and will thus require a 40-man move to accommodate his promotion.
- Giants outfielder Daniel Carbonell has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Carbonell was recently designated for assignment to free up 40-man space. It’s not terribly surprising that he cleared, as he is still in the midst of the four-year, $3.5MM deal that he signed with San Francisco as an international free agent out of Cuba. The 24-year-old advanced to Double-A this year after putting up solid-enough numbers in the lower minors, but sputtered to a .146/.173/.194 slash in 214 plate appearances there.
Giants Designate Daniel Carbonell For Assignment
The Giants announced that they have selected the contracts of outfielder Mac Williamson and catcher Trevor Brown from Triple-A. To clear room on the 40-man roster, Joe Panik has been transferred to the 60-day DL, and outfielder Daniel Carbonell has been designated for assignment, per Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area (Twitter link).
Carbonell, now 24 years old, signed a four-year, $3.5MM contract with the Giants last summer after defecting from Cuba. Though he performed exceptionally well last season in the low minors, he struggled in the Arizona Fall League and looked similarly overmatched in 2015, batting just .146/.173/.194 in 218 plate appearances at the Double-A level. Carbonell’s bat was said to be raw at the time of his signing, with scouts praising his glovework and speed over his bat.
Giants Sign Daniel Carbonell
12:45pm: Carbonell will earn $1MM in a signing bonus, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). He’ll earn $500K, $525K, $550K and $600K in each respective year of the four-year contract, and at least the first year of the deal is a split contract.
Also from Schulman (Twitter links), Giants VP/assistant GM Bobby Evans said that Carbonell is “more of a project” than other high-profile Cuban outfielders such as Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes. The club doesn’t expect Carbonell to reach the majors in 2014.
12:10pm: The Giants have signed Cuban outfielder Daniel Carbonell to a Major League contract, the club announced. Carbonell will earn a guaranteed $3.5MM in the four-year deal, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports, and the 23-year-old outfielder can earn another $3.5MM in bonuses. Because he signed before July 2, Carbonell’s bonus will not count against San Francisco’s international draft pool. Carbonell is represented by the Culture 39 agency.
Carbonell was rumored to be choosing between five suitors who were offering contracts of five-to-seven years in length, though he managed to find his desired four-year deal in taking the Giants’ offer. The 6’3″, 196-pound Carbonell is now on the Giants’ 40-man roster and he’ll report to camp in Arizona once he obtains his work visa, the team said.
In his most recent season for Camaguey, Carbonell hit .298/.369/.449 with five homers, 40 runs scored and 28 steals (in 29 attempts) over 223 PA. Baseball America’s Ben Badler has the scouting breakdown on Carbonell, with talent evaluators praising his speed and defensive potential, though his hitting is very raw.
AL West Notes: Ogando, Moss, Butler, Carbonell
It almost doesn’t seem fathomable, but the Rangers received even more bad news on the injury front today, as MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan writes that Alexi Ogando will be shut down for three weeks and could miss up to two months with inflammation and some minor ligament damage in his right elbow. An MRI showed “wear and tear” on the ligament, but not enough to require surgery, he adds. Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest tweets that the Rangers are officially terming the injury “acute inflammation.”
Here’s more from the American League West…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports takes an excellent in-depth look at Athletics slugger Brandon Moss, who admits that he almost quit the game on multiple occasions before latching on with the A’s. Moss tells Rosenthal that he initially chose to sign with Oakland because he knew he’d be hitting in the Pacific Coast League at Triple-A after his minor league deal, and he thought that league’s notoriously hitter-friendly environments would boost his power numbers and draw some interest from Japanese teams. Moss adds that he was preparing to become a firefighter in his native Georgia, should his last attempt with the A’s not pan out.
- The Mariners could be a potential landing spot for Billy Butler if the Royals end up moving him, reports Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. The team has long coveted Butler but would need to be convinced that his season-long slump is just that — a slump — rather than the beginning of a decline. Some scouts have told Dutton they don’t see diminished bat speed for Butler, which is a good sign. He adds that Kansas City has shown interest in Nick Franklin, though clearly a Butler-for-Franklin 1-for-1 swap isn’t realistic.
- Dutton adds that Mariners officials dismissed previous reports that have connected the team to Cuban outfielder Daniel Carbonell. It’s been reported previously that Seattle is one of two finalists for Carbonell’s services. Dutton does note that the Seattle front office’s denial could merely be gamesmanship.
Daniel Carbonell Weighing Five Offers
Cuban outfielder Daniel Carbonell has received five offers from Major League teams, all of which range from five to seven years in length, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports. Carbonell is said to be looking for a four-year deal. If he doesn’t sign by July 2, Carbonell’s signing bonus will count against his new team’s 2014-15 international signing period pool money.
FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported over the weekend that the Mariners and Yankees were two of the five finalists for Carbonell, though Chavez doesn’t believe either team has made the 23-year-old a concrete offer. The Dodgers also aren’t finalists and the White Sox, Red Sox and Braves are “not among the favorites to sign” Carbonell, though those teams showed interest in him earlier this year.
The only other team linked to Carbonell on the rumor mill is Minnesota, who attended his recent showcase and are “monitoring” him. 1500ESPN.com’s Darren Wolfson tweeted, however, that the Twins don’t seem to be “heavily involved” to the extent of other clubs like the Yankees.
Carbonell is a 6’3″, 220-pound switch-hitter with four years of pro experience in Cuba. Chavez notes that Carbonell “is known for his speed and power” and is considered by some scouts to be a five-tool talent.
Free Agent Notes: Burres, Carbonell, Coffey, Feliciano
Three clubs were willing to offer major league deals to Kyle Farnsworth, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Farnsworth chose the Astros in part because he could see high leverage chances and due to his relationship with manager Bo Porter. Here are some notes on a few other players who are still looking for their next professional opportunity:
- Brian Burres, who has been throwing well this year in the independent Atlantic League, has recently received interest from a few clubs, MLBTR has learned. The 33-year-old southpaw carries a 1.80 ERA through 20 innings, striking out 6.3 and walking 1.8 batters per nine. Burress has 358 1/3 MLB innings under his belt; he last saw MLB time in 2011 with the Pirates.
- The Yankees and Mariners are two of the five finalists to sign Cuban outfielder Daniel Carbonell, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports on Twitter. The Twins attended Carbonell’s most recent showcase, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, and are “monitoring” him. Carbonell, 23, was declared a free agent back in April.
- The Phillies are in on Todd Coffey, a source tells Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish (via Twitter). The Orioles, meanwhile, are likely out on Coffey after signing Heath Bell (link). Coffey has multiple offers in hand and could decide soon, according to sources.
- Lefty Pedro Feliciano is getting a hard look from the Cardinals, according to Steve Nations of KSDK Sports. Feliciano threw live BP to Cards minor leaguers yesterday, and will appear in a simulated game today in hopes of convincing the St. Louis brass to give him a minor league deal. The 37-year-old has seen time in nine MLB campaigns, returning to the bigs for 25 appearances (but just 11 1/3 innings) with the Mets last year, putting up a 3.97 ERA. His career mark stands at 3.33 earned per nine over 383 2/3 frames.