Eric Hacker Rumors

Minor Moves: Escobar, Rays, Samson, Palmer

We’ll track the day’s minor moves here...

• The Brewers announced they have signed right-hander Kelvim Escobar to a minor league deal.  Escobar turns 37 in April and has appeared in just one Major League game since 2007 (a five-inning start with the Angels in 2009) due to various arm injuries but has pitched well in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason.  Escobar posted a 4.15 ERA in 411 Major League games with the Blue Jays and Angels between 1997 and 2009.
• The Rays have signed catcher Craig Albernaz, outfielder Jason Bourgeois and right-hander J.D. Martin to minor league contracts with invites to Major League Spring Training camp, the club announced.
• Nate Samson signed a minor league deal with the Reds, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned. The 25-year-old infielder spent the 2012 season in the upper minors of the Cubs' system, posting a .273/.320/.346 batting line in 283 plate appearances.
• The Dodgers signed right-hander Matt Palmer to a minor league deal, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. Palmer, 33, appeared in three games for the Padres this past season, but spent most of the year at Triple-A, posting a 5.66 ERA in 98 2/3 innings.
• The NC Dinos are in the final stages of signing right-hander Eric Hacker, the KBO expansion team announced (via Dan Kurtz of myKBO.net). Hacker, who joins a staff including Adam Wilk and Charlie Shirek, appeared in four games for the 2012 Giants and has experience in two other MLB seasons.

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Eric Hacker Elects Free Agency

Right-hander Eric Hacker has rejected his outright assignment to pursue opportunities in Japan or Korea, reports Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). The Giants designated him for assignment earlier this week and then outrighted him to Triple-A today.

Hacker, 29, allowed six runs in 9 2/3 innings with San Francisco earlier this season. He spent the bulk of the year with Triple-A Fresno, posting a 4.01 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 25 starts and one relief appearance. Hacker has a 4.76 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in five Triple-A campaigns.

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Outrighted To The Minors: Eric Hacker, Oscar Tejeda

Here are the day's outright assignments...

• The Giants have outrighted Eric Hacker to Triple-A, reports Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter). The 29-year-old right-hander was designated for assignment earlier this week. Hacker has allowed six runs in 9 2/3 innings for San Francisco this year, otherwise pitching to a 4.01 ERA in 150 1/3 Triple-A innings.
• The Pirates have outrighted Oscar Tejeda to the minors according to MLB.com transactions page. The 22-year-old outfielder was designated for assignment earlier this week after hitting .242/.292/.364 in 221 plate appearances for Pittsburgh's Double-A squad. They claimed him off waivers from the Red Sox in June.

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Giants Designate Eric Hacker For Assignment

The Giants have designated Eric Hacker for assignment, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).  The right-hander saw just nine innings of work for the Giants this season, including one six inning start in April.

Hacker spent the bulk of the year with Triple-A Fresno, posting a 4.01 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 25 starts and one relief appearance.  The 29-year-old has a 4.76 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in five Triple-A campaigns.

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Pirates Sign Jeff Clement

Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves...

• The Pirates announced that they have signed first baseman Jeff Clement to a minor league contract. Clement, 28, posted a .201/.237/.368 line for the 2010 Pirates, but didn't appear in the Major Leagues in 2011. The former third overall pick spent this past season in Pittsburgh's minor league system, where he posted a .733 OPS in 106 plate appearances.
• The Giants have signed right-hander Eric Hacker to a minor league deal, according to the player's agency, Sosnick Cobbe Sports (Twitter link). Hacker spent 2011 in the Twins organization, starting 25 games with Triple-A Rochester and making two relief appearances with Minnesota.
• The Nationals announced nine minor league signings today.

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Odds & Ends: Francoeur, Theriot, Braves, Hacker

Links for Tuesday, as the American League Gold Glove winners are announced...

• Rangers outfielder Jeff Francoeur is expected to clear waivers and become a free agent by week's end, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Francoeur would have been non-tendered on December 2nd, otherwise.
• Speaking of non-tender candidates, Dodgers second baseman Ryan Theriot told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick he hopes to return next year.   
• Yahoo's Jeff Passan provides his top 164 free agents.
• ESPN's Keith Law says Arthur Rhodes is a player to avoid, in his relievers buyer's guide (Insider required).
• David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution speculates on outfield options for the Braves.
• Minor league free agent Eric Hacker signed a big league deal with the Twins, agent Matt Sosnick told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link).  Hacker, 28 in March, posted a 4.57 ERA, 7.0 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, and 1.1 HR/9 in 165 2/3 Triple-A innings for the Giants' affiliate this year.

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Odds & Ends: Resop, Gamel, Santana, Bumgarner

Happy birthday, Jayson Werth!  Let's celebrate by reading these news items...

• FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi outlines the unique contract situation of right-hander Chris Resop, who has been a revelation as a starting pitcher this season for Atlanta's Triple-A team.
• A bit further down the FOX Sports Buzz page, Morosi notes that Mat Gamel's time playing first base during his rehab assignment isn't necessarily a hint about Prince Fielder's fate in Milwaukee.
• In response to a piece about the Dodgers' spending under Frank McCourt, Fanhouse's Tom Krasovic relates how L.A. shipped Carlos Santana to Cleveland in the Casey Blake deal rather than pick up $2MM of Blake's salary.  If Santana becomes the star catcher that he's projected to be for the Tribe, Dodger fans might be regretting that $2MM worth of savings for a long time.
• Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says the Giants may have Eric Hacker replace the struggling Todd Wellemeyer in the rotation.  Star prospect Madison Bumgarner has pitched well in Triple-A this season, but Schulman thinks the Giants want the young left-hander to have more innings at that level before they bring him up to the majors.
• Troy Renck of The Denver Post writes that the recently DFA'ed Willy Taveras worked out in Houston this week.  The Astros offered Taveras a minor league deal over the winter, so Taveras' workout could represent a rekindling of the club's interest, or it could've just been a courtesy extended to a former Astro.
• Terry Pluto of The Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks Michael Brantley and the Indians would both be better served by having the outfield prospect back in the majors.  Pluto points out that if the Tribe are trying to stall Brantley's service time, then they shouldn't have had him start with the club on Opening Day.
• The Rays have had almost as many key injuries as the Yankees this season, but Tampa Bay's depth made them better prepared to deal with it, writes Steve Slowinski of the DRaysBay blog.
• Speaking of those Yankee injuries, Brian Cashman said today that the club would look within their system to fill the holes, reports Chad Jennings of The Journal News.

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Pirates Designate Three For Assignment

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the Pirates designated three players for assignment today: righthanders Virgil Vasquez and Eric Hacker, and catcher Steve Lerud. All three were sent to Double-A Altoona.

Vasquez, 27, had two stints with the Pirates in 2009, pitching to a 5.84 ERA in 44.2 IP. The 26-year-old Hacker was acquired from the Yankees in May, and allowed two runs in three innings this year, his Major League debut. Lerud, 24, hit just .240/.339/.336 in Double-A this season, though Baseball America ranked him the club's 21st best prospect coming into 2009.

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Pirates Acquire Hacker For Sanchez

2:21pm: According to MLB.com's Noah Coslov, the Yankees will receive right-handed reliever Romulo Sanchez.  The 25-year-old was one of the Pirates' first cuts this spring.  As of Friday, he had a 4.38 ERA and 15/5 K/BB ratio in 12 1/3 innings for Triple-A Indianapolis. 

1:17pm: According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic, the Pirates have acquired minor league right-hander Eric Hacker from the Yankees.  It's not yet clear who, or what, the Yanks were given in return.

Hacker, 26, was designated for assignment by the Yankees last Saturday.  He posted a 2.43 ERA and a 115/37 K/BB ratio in 144 1/3 innings last season between Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton.  He was tried at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season and had a disappointing 7.88 ERA in three starts, prompting his departure.

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Yankees DFA Eric Hacker

Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that the Yankees have designated right-hander Eric Hacker for assignment.  The 25-year-old was 1-1 with a 4.11 ERA this season in three starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  The Yankees needed his 40-man roster spot for Brett Tomko, who was added to the bullpen mix this afternoon.

Hacker posted a 2.43 ERA and a 115/37 K/BB ratio in 144 1/3 innings last season between Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton.  He's likely to latch on with another organization.

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