The latest minor moves from around MLB via Matt Eddy of Baseball America…
- The Braves have signed 14 players to minor league contracts according to a press release, including righty reliever Adam Russell, utility man Drew Sutton, lefty reliever Dusty Hughes, and infielder Josh Wilson. The full list can be found here.
- The Mets signed outfielder Adam Loewen, according to Eddy. Loewen, the fourth overall selection in the 2002 draft, successfully completed the transition from left-handed pitcher to outfielder in 2011. He posted a .306/.377/.508 line with 46 doubles at Triple-A before appearing in 14 games with the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays removed the Surrey, British Columbia native from their roster after the regular season, but maintained some interest in him.
- The Mariners signed left-hander Steve Garrison, according to Eddy. Garrison, 25, appeared in one game for the Yankees this past season and posted a 5.58 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 as a starter in the minors.
- The Red Sox signed right-hander Will Inman and left-hander Justin Thomas for bullpen depth, according to Eddy.
- The Twins re-signed left-hander Phil Dumatrait, according to Eddy.
Hopefully he can pitch and hit, mets need both. Im sure he could fill in the bench role for mets better than pridie or harris did.
I agree haha. He’s got a bit of pop in his bat and could be a nice left handed option off the bench. It’s also important to note that his stats are inflated by the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League. (average is .286/.359/.448)
Let’s be realistic: you or I could have done a better job than Harris did.
Congratz Adam Loewen!
I think the Mets bought Loew-en on this one. This could be a good pickup for them.
He could be an emergency pitcher if needed also in case of extra innings ya know. He could go in as OF and then take the mound in a pinch.
i’m pretty sure his pitching days are over
He can’t pitch anymore, shoulder injury I believe
I’d like to see Jake Fox finally get some success in the majors. He’s had a great minor league career, just can’t seem to get it together. Defense aside, he’s still got potential.
I definitely think he can become a platoon player with the pirates at 1b or 3b depending on where the pirates put alvarez. he can hit, especially against lefties
He certainly crushed the fastball when given an opportunity — catch is, Buck rarely played him and often cited Fox’s need to improve his defense.
Although, being the backup C to a GG Wieters is a tough gig.
I have followed Jake thru 3-4 years of minor league play and he was worth having. I don’t think any subsequent team had a spot for him to play even semi regularly. I have always thought he would prosper in a DH environment but I wish him well in Pittsburgh.
These are some nice signings for each of the respective teams. I wish them luck.
As a Jays fan I was upset to see that they released him earlier int he offseason. He’s a great story and I think he’s still got a lot of potential as a hitter. There was just no room for him the Blue Jays outfield and the front offuice wanted to give him the best opportunity to sign somewhere where he could play a lot more. I hope he does well.
They actually wanted him back, but needed to open a roster spot on the 40 man. I’m actually a little disappointed that he didnt give them the right to match any offer considering all the time they put into him over the last 3 years.
Loewen would be slitting his own throat if he did that given the number of outfielders Jays have on 40 man. They have six where two of them have assignment options.
I really like both of those signings for the Pirates.
yea martis was a pretty good prospect and had a few good starts for the nats as i remember. i think he had a no-hitter into the 7th once if i remember correctly
He was a good prospect for the Nats when the Nats had literally no prospects. Up there with the highly touted Brandon Watson, Kory Casto, and Colten Willems.
The guy throws 90 mph with fringy stuff. Few guys with that kind of makeup can succeed in the bigs. With that said, he is still young and I wish him the best.
awesome pick up. could be a 5th starter in the league
I thought there was a typo cause the “ox” in “fox” was cut off. This is what I read lol. “F off of its 40-man roster”
good to see the pirates making moves…even though nothing major. I’d really like to see them pull themselves back up after a disappointing second half.
Apparently Ben feels you can never have too many 6+ ERA pitchers for “depth”. As in using them would be the equivalent of a depth charge to the team’s chances of winning that game.
Did the Pirates sign Fox and Martis to minor-league deals? I can’t imagine they’d put either on the 40-man roster, unless two players (Garrett Jones and Jose Veras???) are about to be non-tendered.
that was a good one chico
speaking of chico, i miss matt chico. LOL
Fox would have been better served on an AL team where he could play DH. Going to the Pirates assures him again of not getting sufficient at-bats.
I disagree. I think Fox will get plenty of at bats because of the Pirates generally poor offense. If Jake Fox has another Spring Training showing like he did last year……he could very well be in the starting lineup on opening day and stay there. I think this is a big game changer for the Pirates and I think Fox would put up sick numbers over the course of a full year if he gets the opportunity. I know his defense is bad, but the Pirates may risk it.
He may be able to platoon with Jones at first and catch here and there, though they may want something better than that, I don’t think that would be a horrible situation.
Wanted to see the Phillies pick up Fox, oh well.
BTW, what is up with the Pirates obsession of catcher depth? 😉 Fryer, Pagnozzi, Jaramillo, Toregas, McKenry, Jeroloman (although he was just taken off the 40-man), now Fox are the catchers on the team (majors through minors), plus Tony Sanchez waiting in the wings lol.
Fryer and Jeroloman were both designated for assignment recently, so not sure if they are coming back or not. Toregas was brought back to be a coach this year, I believe.
Pagnozzi also dfaed
good luck jake fox—-orioles fan
The Marlins were interested in all of these guys I heard
Shairon Martis.. a 24-year old free agent. Crazy. I honestly think he might crack the Pirates rotation.