Blue Jays Notes: Wells, Gonzalez, Batista, Jeffress
Jose Reyes says that he isn't sweating the Blue Jays' slow start and it doesn't sound like the front office is either. Here's the latest out of Toronto..
- The Blue Jays' claim of Casper Wells off of waivers likely means that Toronto will soon go with a seven-man bullpen, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. The club had been carrying eight relievers but that will soon change and it's probable that right-hander Edgar Gonzalez will be the one who is designated for assignment. Gonzalez was claimed off of waivers on Sunday.
- General Manager Alex Anthopoulos told reporters, including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, that Miguel Batista was signed primarily for minor league depth. The right-hander was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo after being picked up yesterday afternoon.
- Jeremy Jeffress hasn't been placed on waivers just yet and Anthopoulos noted that he has until Sunday to do so, Davidi writes. The club is also going to look and see if there's a deal for the reliever, but there's no interest just yet.
Nolan Ryan To Remain With Rangers As CEO
The Rangers will announce shortly that Nolan Ryan will stay with the club as CEO, a source tells Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Jeff Wilson's Twitter). Ryan met Sunday afternoon with principal owners Bob Simpson and Ray Davis to discuss the CEO's future for the first known meeting since a March 8th pow-wow in Fort Worth.
“After productive discussions the last several weeks with Ray Davis and Bob Simpson about the structure of our organization, together we are moving forward. In my role as CEO, I am focused on working closely with ownership and with [General Manager] Jon Daniels and Rick George to build on the success of the past five years and to bring a championship to Arlington," Ryan said in the press release.
Meanwhile, Davis and Simpson's statement in the release praised Ryan for the guidance that he has given Daniels and president of business operations Rick George over the years. There has been talk over the last few months that Ryan was unhappy with his perceived shrinking role within the organization. Daniels was recently bumped up to president of baseball operations, a move that Ryan believed would reduce his amount of control over personnel decisions.
East Links: Harang, Span, Romero, Halladay
Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes was surprised when Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports pointed out that his new team is off the the same 2-5 start as the Marlins were a year prior. Reyes, however, isn't worried about his team's outlook: "…there’s no concern at all. There’s way too much talent on this ballclub to continue to play the way we’re playing.” Here are some more links from baseball's two Eastern divisions…
- WEEI.com's Rob Bradford hears that the Red Sox are not interested in trading for Aaron Harang (Twitter link). Reports over the weekend linked Boston to the recently DFA'ed right-hander.
- Offseason acquisition Denard Span has given the Nationals a "new kind of offensive identity," writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The presence of Span and Jayson Werth atop the lineup forces pitchers to work, given the high volume of pitches the pair averages per plate appearance. Werth and Adam LaRoche both offer high praise for the Nats' new leadoff man, who was acquired from the Twins for Alex Meyer this offseason.
- Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca chronicles the early work that former Blue Jays ace Ricky Romero has done so far in his attempts to rediscover his mechanics. As Dividi notes, given the $7.5MM owed to Romero in each of the next three seasons, Toronto has no reason to rush and every reason to make sure they get it right.
- Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com that struggling ace Roy Halladay will have as long of a leash as he needs to get things sorted out: "If he needs 30 starts he’ll get it. As long as he’s healthy and he keeps working at it — as much as he needs."
- Chris Dickerson is set to be added to the Orioles' 40-man and 25-man roster today, but speculation that it could result in a Steve Pearce DFA doesn't make sense, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports, who hears that the upcoming move won't involve Pearce.
Minor Moves: Juan Apodaca
We'll keep track of today's minor moves from around the league right here…
- The Rays have acquired catcher Juan Apodaca from the Rangers in exchange for cah considerations, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Apodaca, 26, is a veteran of eight minor league seasons with the Dodgers, Red Sox, Indians and Cubs. He's currently on the DL at Triple-A Round Rock with a forearm strain, but owns a .251/.337/.368 minor league batting line. Topkin notes that this move is unrelated to the recent Robinson Chirinos trade.
Angels Sign Brad Hawpe
The Angels have signed Brad Hawpe to a minor league deal, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (on Twitter). Hawpe, who is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council, will report to extended Spring Training.
The 33-year-old Hawpe didn't appear in the Majors last season after joining the Rangers on a pair of minor league deals. His last big league action came with the Padres in 2011 when he batted .231/.301/.344 in 216 plate appearances before undergoing Tommy John surgery. From 2006-09, Hawpe was a middle-of-the-order threat for the Rockies, hitting .288/.384/.514 (124 OPS+) and averaging 25 homers per season.
Hawpe had signed a minor league deal with the Pirates this offseason but was released on March 23 after hitting .139/.225/.222 in 16 games (36 at-bats).
Blue Jays Designate Alex Burnett For Assignment
The Blue Jays announced that they have designated right-hander Alex Burnett for assignment, the team announced in a press release. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for Casper Wells, who was claimed on waivers earlier this afternoon.
Toronto claimed Burnett off waivers at the end of Spring Training when the Twins tried to remove him from the 40-man roster. Minnesota selected the 25-year-old out of high school in the 12th round of the 2005 draft.
Burnett's command has improved each year since his 2010 debut, but his strikeout rate has declined as well. In 170 career innings, he has a 4.61 ERA, 5.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9. Last year he struck out just 36 batters in 71 2/3 innings, though he managed a solid 92.7 mph on his fastball.
Mariners Close To Acquiring Aaron Harang
The Mariners are close to acquiring righty Aaron Harang from the Rockies, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He says the teams are working through the final details, including approval from the commissioner's office, since the Rockies will be sending cash in the deal. Rosenthal adds that the Rockies will receive a minor league right-handed reliever from the Mariners in the trade.
The Rockies acquired Harang and $4.25MM from the Dodgers for catcher Ramon Hernandez last week, and then immediately designated Harang for assignment. Harang earns $7MM this year and has a $2MM buyout after the season, and the Rockies will send money to the Mariners to cover some of that. The Rockies will have saved close to $2.5MM in the series of trades, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio, implying they're sending around $5MM to the Mariners in this trade. That would leave Seattle paying about $4MM to Harang.
Harang, 35 next month, posted a 3.61 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, 0.70 HR/9, and 38.6% groundball rate in 179 2/3 innings for the Dodgers last year. His peripheral stats from 2012 suggest an ERA close to 5.00. This isn't the Harang of his Reds glory days, when he pitched 230 innings a year with around four strikeouts for every walk. Harang will likely replace Blake Beavan in Seattle's rotation.
The Mariners and Rockies last matched up on a trade in December 2010, when Colorado acquired Jose Lopez for Chaz Roe. More recently, a pitcher jumped from the Mariners to the Rockies when Jon Garland exercised his opt-out clause to leave the Mariners in March and signed with Colorado.
Originally published April 11th, 2013 at 12:38pm.
Braves Acquire Luis Ayala
The Braves have acquired right-hander Luis Ayala from the Orioles in exchange for minor league lefty Chris Jones, the Orioles announced (on Twitter).
As Roch Kubatko of MASNsports notes (on Twitter), the move allows the team to call up outfielder Chris Dickerson and makes it easier to keep Rule 5 pick T.J. McFarland on the 25-man roster.
Ayala, 35, returned to baseball in 2011 after not pitching in the Major Leagues in 2010. Since his comeback, he's reinvented himself, compiling a 2.50 ERA, 6.2 K/0 and 2.3 BB/9 in 133 innings of work. While he's not a left-handed reliever, Ayala gives Braves' manager Fredi Gonzalez another late-inning option with Jonny Venters currently on the shelf.
The 24-year-old Jones has a 3.58 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 356 2/3 minor league innings. He's yet to pitch higher than the Double-A level, where he's maintained his solid strikeout numbers but owns a 4.11 ERA. He will report to Double-A Bowie for the Orioles.
Blue Jays Claim Casper Wells
The Blue Jays have claimed Casper Wells off waivers from the Mariners, according to Peter Gammons of the MLB Network (on Twitter). The Mariners designated Wells for assignment back on March 31.
Wells, 28, came the Mariners from Detroit as part of the Doug Fister trade. In 432 plate appearances for the M's, Wells hit .225/.304/.406 with 17 home runs. Wells is capable of playing all three outfield positions and has abused left-handed pitching to the tune of a .264/.349/.489 batting line.
The Mariners elected to go with an outfield mix of Michael Saunders, Michael Morse, Franklin Gutierrez, Raul Ibanez and Jason Bay, leaving no room for Wells on the 25-man roster. As MLB.com's Greg Johns notes (on Twitter), today was the deadline for the Mariners to make a decision regarding Wells' future.
Top Minor League Signings From 2011-12 Offseason
- Justin Ruggiano* (2.6): Ruggiano gets an asterisk by his name because he was technically acquired by the Marlins via trade, but that was only after he'd inked a minor league deal with the Astros. He hit .313/.374/.535 with 13 homers, 14 steals and terrific defense after spending years languishing in the Rays' minor league system.
- Luis Cruz (2.4): Cruz didn't play a game for the Dodgers until July 2, but he .297/.322/.431 with six homers and solid defense at three positions from that point on. He's filling in on the left side of the infield this season with Hanley Ramirez on the shelf.
- Brandon Moss (2.3): Once upon a time, Moss was a highly regarded Red Sox prospect (No. 72 in the game, per Baseball America). He was promising enough to be a component of 2008's Manny Ramirez/Jason Bay block buster, but Moss never took off. At least, not until last season when he hit .291/.358/.596 with 21 homers in just under 300 plate appearances with the Athletics. Moss broke camp with the A's in 2013 and launched a two-run homer in last night's game.
- Gregor Blanco (2.2): Blanco hit just .244/.333/.344 with five homers for the Giants last season but he also swiped 26 bags and played terrific defense — most notably saving Matt Cain's perfect game with a sprawling grab in center field. He, too, broke camp with his 2012 team this Spring.
- Jose Quintana (1.7): Quintana was released by both the Mets and Yankees before finally latching on with the White Sox and earning a crack at the bigs. He came to Chicago with six years of experience despite being just 23, and turned in 136 1/3 innings of 3.76 ERA ball. He's returned to the rotation in 2013.
- Andy Pettitte (1.6): Pettitte signed a minor league deal that eventually led to a triumphant return to the Yankees. He totaled just 75 1/3 innings because of an ankle injury but was still worth nearly two wins thanks to a 2.87 ERA (3.48 FIP), 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.
- Kevin Frandsen (1.5): Frandsen's success was driven by his .366 BABIP, but the Phillies, like any team would be, are probably more concerned with the results than how he got there. The journeyman hit .338/.383/.451 and gave Philly more than 400 innings of solid defense at the hot corner.
- Juan Pierre (1.4): Pierre parlayed a strong performance with the Phillies into a Major League deal with the Marlins this offseason. He's leading off for the Fish following a .307/.351/.371 batting line last season. His 37 steals in 2012 show that he can still fly on the basepaths.
- Miguel Gonzalez (1.1): Gonzalez was with the Angels and Red Sox for the 2006-11 seasons before signing with the Orioles as a minor league free agent last March. The Mexico native was called up at the end of May and never looked back, posting a 3.25 ERA, 6.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 105 1/3 big league innings. He's unlikely to repeat his 83 percent strand rate (which led to his 4.38 FIP), but he's in Baltimore's rotation once again.
- Cody Ransom* (1.1): Ransom split his value between the Brewers and Diamondbacks last season. His .220/.312/.411 batting line isn't overly impressive, but he cranked 11 homers and appeared at all four infield positions.
- Eric Stults* (1.1): Stults, like Ruggiano, didn't provide his value for the team that actually gave him the minor league deal. The White Sox signed Stults but the Padres plucked him off waivers after one start for the South Siders. He gave San Diego 92 1/3 innings of 2.92 ERA (3.76 FIP) with a 5.0 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.
- Jared Burton (0.8): Burton signed with the Twins hoping to crack the bullpen but emerged as one of the AL's top setup men thanks to a devastating "splangeup." WAR typically undervalues relievers, but he still managed nearly a full win and earned himself a two-year extension in December.
- Dale Thayer (0.6): Another former Rays farmhand, Thayer latched on with the Padres and gave them 57 2/3 strong innings: a 3.43 ERA (3.04 FIP), 7.3 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. Thayer even stepped up as a fill-in closer and recorded seven saves for the Friar's in Huston Street's absence.
There are plenty of other players who inked minor league deals last season and could yet make this list. For example, Casey Fien, Oliver Perez and Darin Downs didn't contribute many innings to their teams in 2012 but are all on the 2013 Major League rosters. Minor league deals may be long shots, but you never know when there's a surprise story waiting to unfold.