Ryan Langerhans Rumors
Minor Moves: Martinez, Spence, Shirek, Blue Jays
The latest minor moves from around MLB...
- The Brewers have agreed to a $50K contract with Dominican outfielder Geraldy Martinez, according to the Dominican Prospect League. Martinez, 17, hits from the right side of the plate and "hits the ball hard gap to gap with true power from [his] pull side," according to the DPL website.
- The Yankees announced that they have outrighted left-hander Josh Spence to Triple-A after Spence cleared waivers. Spence was claimed off waivers from San Diego earlier this month and designated for assignment by New York earlier this week to create 40-man roster space for Kevin Youkilis.
- The White Sox announced that they have requested unconditional release waivers on Charlie Shirek so that the right-hander can pursue opportunities in Asia. The 27-year-old spent this past season at Triple-A Charlotte, where he posted a 3.65 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 170 1/3 innings as a starter. Shirek, who does not have any MLB experience, will pitch in Korea, MLB.com’s Scott Merkin reports (on Twitter). Chicago’s 40-man roster now has 38 players.
- The Blue Jays announced that they signed right-hander Ramon Ortiz and outfielder Ryan Langerhans to minor league deals that include invitations to MLB Spring Training. The 39-year-old Ortiz spent the 2012 season with the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.45 ERA in 27 starts. Langerhans, 32, spent most of this past season with the Angels' Triple-A affiliate, but he did appear in two games at the MLB level. He posted a .250/.369/.446 batting line in 401 Triple-A plate appearances.
- The Blue Jays also signed minor league infielder Lance Zawadzki to a minor-league deal, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports (on Twitter).
Minor Moves: 28 Players Elect Free Agency
A total of 28 players -- all with big league time under their belts -- recently elected free agency after finishing the year in Triple-A. Here is the full list, courtesy of the International League and Pacific Coast League transaction pages...
- Infielders: Brian Bixler (Astros), Sean Burroughs (Twins), Blake DeWitt (Cubs), Alberto Gonzalez (Rangers), Angel Sanchez (Astros), Nate Spears (Red Sox), Drew Sutton (Pirates)
- Outfielders: Travis Buck (Astros), Ryan Langerhans (Angels), Mitch Maier (Royals), Darnell McDonald (Yankees), Jai Miller (Orioles), Trent Oeltjen (Dodgers), Jason Pridie (Phillies), Mike Wilson (Mariners)
- Right-handed Pitchers: Roman Colon (Royals), Mike Ekstrom (Rockies), Jack Egbert (Mets), Ryota Igarashi (Yankees), Evan Meek (Pirates), Scott Richmond (Blue Jays), Kip Wells (Padres), Randy Wells (Cubs), Dan Wheeler (Indians)
- Left-handed Pitchers: Alex Hinshaw (Cubs), Cesar Jimenez (Mariners), Zach Kroenke (Diamondbacks), Garrett Olson (Mets)
Angels Sign Langerhans, Hurley, Diaz
The Angels have signed outfielder Ryan Langerhans, right-hander Eric Hurley, and catcher Robinzon Diaz according to Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). All three players received minor league contracts.
Langerhans, 32 in February, hit just .173/.317/.346 in 64 plate appearances for Seattle in 2011. He did post a monstrous .311/.437/.573 batting line in 426 plate appearances split between the Mariners' and Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliates, however. The left-handed hitter has always been adept at drawing walks (13.0% of his career plate appearances), and the advanced metrics generally like his glovework.
Hurley, 26, returned to the mound in 2011 after missing all of 2009 and 2010 due to major shoulder surgery. The former Rangers' top prospect pitched to a 5.55 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 84 1/3 innings across 16 starts for Texas' Triple-A affiliate this past season. Hurley made five starts for the Rangers in 2008, allowing 15 runs in 24 2/3 innings.
Diaz, 28, also spent last season in Texas' minor league system. The backstop hit .318/.352/.444 in 211 plate appearances while throwing out just ten of 51 attempted basestealers (19.6%). Diaz hasn't appeared in the majors since 2009, and he's perhaps most famous for being the guy the Blue Jays traded to the Pirates for Jose Bautista back in 2008.
D'Backs Acquire Ryan Langerhans
The Mariners announced that they traded Ryan Langerhans to the Diamondbacks for cash considerations. The move clears a roster spot for former Diamondbacks outfielder Wily Mo Pena at Triple-A Tacoma. Langerhans will report to the Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate in Reno.
Langerhans, a nine-year Major League veteran, hit .173/.317/.346 in 64 plate appearances with the Mariners this year and has a .226/.333/.372 line over the course of his career. The 31-year-old was hitting well in Tacoma, where he had a .313/.416/.584 line in 255 plate appearances.
AL West Notes: Langerhans, Bedard, Rangers
The versatile Howie Kendrick has kept the Angels' offense afloat despite injuries and poor performance from key players. The Angels rank 10th in MLB in runs scored and, more importantly, are atop their division with a 21-16 record. Here's the latest on their AL West rivals...
- Ryan Langerhans cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to Triple-A Tacoma, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). Seattle designated him for assignment Monday.
- Stone reflects on the trade that sent Erik Bedard to Seattle for Chris Tillman, Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Kam Mickolio and others. Stone's conclusion three years later: a bad Mariners trade isn't quite as bad as it once seemed.
- Earlier tonight, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark noted that Bedard could be a trade chip again this summer (though the return would be considerably less impressive this time).
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com that though Texas is "not playing real well," he doesn't want to make an irrational knee-jerk move. The Rangers believe in their team, but are considering ways of making it better, including possible call ups, according to Daniels.
Mariners Designate Ryan Langerhans For Assignment
The Mariners announced they've designated Ryan Langerhans for assignment to make room for outfielder Mike Wilson, tweets ESPN 710's Shannon Drayer.
Langerhans, 31, hit .173/.317/.346 in 64 plate appearances for the Mariners this year after re-signing on a minor league deal in December. Langerhans is no stranger to the DFA, as this is the third time in his career. Other candidates to be removed from the roster, such as Milton Bradley and Chris Ray, live to see another day.
Mariners Must Clear 40-Man Roster Spot
27-year-old outfielder Mike Wilson is off to a blazing start for the Tacoma Raniers, with a .381/.429/.683 line in 70 plate appearances. He'll be called up to the Mariners before Tuesday's game in Baltimore, reports Ryan Divish of The News Tribune. Since he's not on the 40-man roster, the Mariners will need to clear a spot.
Divish ran through players who could be removed from the 40-man, and came up with minor leaguers Edward Paredes and Yoervis Medina as well as Mariners Chris Ray, Milton Bradley, and Ryan Langerhans. It's time to end the Bradley experiment, writes Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner. In the opinion of Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, it will down to Ray or Langerhans.
Releasing Bradley would require eating the remainder of his contract. He has just under $9.5MM remaining on the deal he signed with the Cubs in January of '09. Bradley has a .209/.298/.351 line in 393 plate appearances for the Mariners since the beginning of the 2010 season.
Mariners Sign Langerhans, Bautista, Gimenez, Ring
The Mariners announced they've signed four players to minor league deals with spring training invites today: outfielder Ryan Langerhans, reliever Denny Bautista, catcher Chris Gimenez, and reliever Royce Ring.
Langerhans, 31 in February, hit .207/.328/.351 in 254 plate appearances over the last two seasons with the Mariners, playing mostly left field. He was non-tendered by the Mariners a year ago, re-signed shortly thereafter, designated for assignment in April, and outrighted in November.
Bautista, 28, posted a 3.74 ERA, 11.8 K/9, 7.2 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, and 33.3% groundball rate in 33 2/3 innings for the Giants this year. He averaged almost 95 mph on his fastball, but clearly had control issues. In a 22 2/3 inning Triple-A stint, his walk rate was down at 3.6 per nine.
Gimenez, 28 later this month, has 197 big league plate appearances with the Indians to his name. This year at Triple-A, he hit .276/.341/.464 in 219 plate appearances while spending time at catcher and the outfield corners. He can also handle the infield corners.
Ring, 30 later this month, posted a 1.93 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, and 0.4 HR/9 in 42 Triple-A innings for the Yankees' affiliate this year. The southpaw posted a 9.8 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 against lefty batters.
Mariners Decline Options; D'Backs Claim Sweeney
The Mariners declined their 2011 options for Erik Bedard, Russell Branyan and Jose Lopez. The Mariners had a $5MM mutual option with Branyan and an $8MM mutual option with Bedard. Lopez is still arbitration-eligible, but he’s a candidate to be non-tendered next month.
The Mariners also announced that the Diamondbacks claimed righty Brian Sweeney off of waivers. Kevin Towers’ bullpen reconstruction has begun. Sweeney, 36, pitched for the Padres in 2004 and 2006 when Towers was the GM in San Diego. More recently, the right-hander posted a 3.16 ERA with 3.4 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 37 innings for the Mariners this year.
Outfielder Ryan Langerhans and catcher Guillermo Quiroz elected free agency after the Mariners outrighted them to Triple-A. The Mariners also outrighted lefty Ryan Feierabend, lefty Chris Seddon and righty Sean White to Triple-A and all three can become free agents.
Mariners Release Eric Byrnes
The Mariners have released Eric Byrnes, according to Larry LaRue of The News Tribune. The veteran outfielder has posted a .443 OPS this season in 34 plate appearances.
The 34-year-old agreed to a one-year deal with Seattle in late January. While Byrnes is earning $11MM in the final year of the three-year pact he signed with the D'Backs, the Mariners are responsible for just $400K of that sum.
Seattle has also made a trio of in-house adjustments, sending Matt Tuiasosopo to Triple-A while promoting Ryan Langerhans and Josh Wilson. All four roster moves have been confirmed by a team press release.
Shannon Drayer of ESPN Radio Seattle (via Twitter) points out that Langerhans and Wilson were not on the 40-man roster, meaning that another move is on the horizon. She later tweeted that the move will not be shifting a player to the 60-day DL and it will likely not involve a player on the 25-man roster (also via Twitter).
Earlier this evening, both Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner and Larry Stone of The Seattle Times predicted that Byrnes' days in Seattle were numbered.
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