Jake Fox Rumors
Minor Moves: Jake Fox, Scott Patterson
Today's minor moves..
- The Phillies have signed catcher/outfielder Jake Fox to a minor league contract, according to Ryan Dunleavy of NJ Press Media (via Twitter). Fox, 30, will report to the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate after posting strong numbers for the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League.
- The Mets announced that they have signed right-hander Scott Patterson to a Triple-A deal. The 33-year-old was previously with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate and last appeared in the majors in 2008 with the Padres.
Minor Moves: Fox, Royals
Some of today's minor transactions from around the league...
- The Pirates released Jake Fox from Triple-A Indianapolis in order to make room for infielder Jordy Mercer, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). Fox, 30 in July, hit .236/.309/.366 in 139 PAs at Triple-A this season. He's seen Major League time with the Cubs, A's, and Orioles. His big league experience has come at catcher and all four corner positions.
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star tweets that the Royals released three minor leaguers (Twitter link): right-hander Parker Bangs, outfielder Runey Davis, and third baseman Jake Kuebler. Bangs was selected in the 31st round in 2010 and has just 27 2/3 innings of minor league action. Davis was selected by the Cubs in the 12th round of the 2009 draft, and Kuebler was a 17th round pick of the Royals in 2008.
Pirates Sign Jake Fox, Five Others
The Pirates announced six minor league free agent signings: Jake Fox, Brandon Boggs, Kyle Cofield, Jose Diaz, Shairon Martis, and Stefan Welch. Fox, Boggs, and Martis received non-roster invites to spring training. The signings of Fox and Martis were first reported yesterday by Baseball America's Matt Eddy.
Fox, 29, has a line of .237/.288/.425 in 534 plate appearances across parts of four big league seasons with the Cubs, Athletics, and Orioles. He's spent time at catcher and the infield and outfield corners. Fox has some powerful minor league performances on his resume.
Boggs, 28, hit .241/.381/.419 for the Brewers' Triple-A team this year, playing the outfield corners. Most of his big league experience came with the Rangers in 2008. Martis, 24, had 106 1/3 Major League innings in the Nationals' rotation from 2008-09. He spent 2011 with the team's Double-A affiliate, posting a 3.05 ERA, 9.9 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 133 innings.
Cofield, a 24-year-old minor league reliever, was acquired by the White Sox from the Braves for Scott Linebrink and cash a year ago. Diaz, a 27-year-old minor league reliever, posted a 1.41 ERA and 10.7 K/9 with 22 saves for the Orioles' Double-A club this year. Welch, a 23-year-old first baseman, hit 16 home runs in 514 plate appearances for the Mets' High-A team this year.
Minor Moves: Indians, Dodgers, Jake Fox
Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves...
- The Indians announced that outfielder Jerad Head elected free agency. The 28-year-old spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .284/.338/.526 line with 24 homers.
- Double-A right-hander Will Savage re-signed with the Dodgers on a minor league deal according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 27-year-old posted a 3.95 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 141 1/3 innings in 2011.
- Jake Fox refused an assignment to the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate and has elected free agency, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (on Twitter). Baltimore had outrtighted Fox off of its 40-man roster last week. The 29-year-old posted a .756 OPS in 67 plate appearances this year, appearing behind the plate, in left field and at first base.
AL East Notes: Jakubauskas, Fox, Yankees, Sabathia
AL East linkage..
- More on Jakubauskas as the pitcher says he'd like to reach a deal with the Orioles and remain in the organization, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Catcher/infielder Jake Fox is also expected to refuse his outright assignment and become a free agent.
- Orioles pitcher Chris Jakubauskas refused his outright assignment to Triple-A and elected free agency, tweets Kubatko. Jakubauskas posted a 5.72 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 72 1/3 innings in 2011.
- Over the years, the Yankees scouting department has been charged with looking into major free agents while also identifying key supplemental pieces, writes Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger. Their emphasis on "reclamation projects" has led them to such finds as Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon.
- As the Yankees look ahead to the offseason, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch wonders aloud if any team would bite on a trade for A.J. Burnett. In 190.1 innings this season, Burnett posted a 5.15 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Jakubauskas, Fox
Here are the latest outright assignments...
- The Orioles announced that they outrighted right-hander Chris Jakubauskas and catcher Jake Fox to Triple-A after the players cleared waivers. Baltimore now has 36 players on its 40-man roster. Jakubauskas posted a 5.72 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 72 1/3 innings in 2011. Fox, 29, posted a .756 OPS in 67 plate appearances this year, also appearing in left field and at first base.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Todd, Gibbons, Kouzmanoff,
Here's where we'll keep track of all players who get outrighted to Triple-A today...
- The Cardinals have outrighted Jess Todd to Triple-A, reports Rick Hummel of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Todd returned to the team that originally drafted him after being claimed off waivers last month.
- Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times reports (on Twitter) that Jay Gibbons has accepted his outright assigment with the Dodgers and will report to their Triple-A affiliate.
- The A's announced that they outrighted Kevin Kouzmanoff to Triple-A (Twitter link). Oakland initially demoted the third baseman on Monday and they outrighted him today to create a 40-man roster spot for Graham Godfrey.
- Jake Fox cleared waivers and the Orioles outrighted him to Triple-A, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link). Fox is expected to report to the minors this weekend, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Baltimore designated the utility player for assignment last week and were exploring possible trades, but rival teams, including the Pirates, weren't interested.
Pirates Looking For Catching Help, Fox Claim Unlikely
As if Ryan Doumit's fractured ankle wasn't enough, today the Pirates learned that catcher Chris Snyder will need surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back. Dusty Brown and Wyatt Toregas are holding down the fort down right now, and Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the team is searching around for some help behind the plate (on Twitter).
The recently waived Jake Fox is not a fit according to Biertempfel simply because he is too much of a defensive liability. Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun reiterates that such a claim is unlikely. The Angels are carrying three catchers (Hank Conger, Jeff Mathis, Bobby Wilson) and could match up as a trade partner, ditto the Padres (Nick Hundley, Rob Johnson, Kyle Phillips). Ivan Rodriguez's name has been popping up in rumors as well, though it's unclear if Pittsburgh is looking for a long-term solution or just a short term fix until Doumit returns.
East Notes: Phillies, Lawrie, Fox, Uggla
Some items from the eastern divisions....
- "You will not see a major move this year," Phillies GM Ruben Amaro tells Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com about his team's trade deadline plans. Amaro feels the Phils are already good enough to compete and it's just a matter of the club finding its peak form. He also notes that the team has very little payroll flexibility, but "for $170 MM-plus, we should be good enough to be a World Series contender.”
- Blue Jays prospect Brett Lawrie will be out for two-to-four weeks with a non-displaced fracture in his left hand, tweets Rogers Sportsnet's Arash Madani. Lawrie was tentatively scheduled to make his Major League debut last week before being hit by a pitch in a Triple-A game.
- Jake Fox was put on waivers by the Orioles earlier today and he might get some attention from the Pirates. Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes that the Pirates had some interest in Fox during Spring Training, and the Bucs might have need for a catcher since Chris Snyder left today's game with a back injury. (Twitter link)
- The Dan Uggla trade hasn't panned out well for either the Braves or the Marlins thus far, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
Orioles Likely Place Jake Fox On Outright Waivers
The Orioles have been unable to trade Jake Fox since designating him for assignment, and it appears likely the catcher has been exposed to outright waivers, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Any team can claim a player once he's on outright waivers.
Teams are not permitted to comment on waivers, but considering the lukewarm interest in Fox on the trade market and the time that's passed since he was DFA'd, this scenario appears likely, explains Zrebiec. If no team claims Fox during the 48-hour waiver period, the O's would probably outright him to Triple-A Norfolk.
Fox, acquired by the O's last season from the A's, was hitting .188/.250/.396 in just 52 plate appearances this season for Baltimore.
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