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Marlins To Sign Alex Sanabia

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The Marlins have agreed to terms on a minor league deal with right-hander Alex Sanabia, who will head to the team’s Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans, reports Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (Twitter link). The Paragon Sports International client was released by the Diamondbacks on Monday.

For Sanabia, the agreement marks a return to the club that originally selected him in the 32nd round of the 2006 draft. From 2010-13, he totaled 138 1/3 innings of 4.15 ERA ball with the Fish, averaging 5.6 strikeouts and 2.9 walks per nine innings pitched. A fly-ball pitcher, Sanabia has struggled with home runs throughout his career, and they were again his undoing in the D’Backs organization; Sanabia posted a bloated 8.10 ERA in 23 1/3 innings for Triple-A Reno due to the fact that he yielded an alarming eight long balls in that time.

The Marlins have developed some enviable pitching depth, with Jose Fernandez, Nathan Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez fronting their rotation. Jacob Turner could factor into the mix as well now that he’s been activated from the disabled list, and Tom Koehler has been a very serviceable fourth/fifth starter for the team. Additionally, Miami has names like Andrew Heaney, Justin Nicolino, Anthony DeSclafani and Brian Flynn in its minor league ranks — each of whom is nearing the bigs (or has previously reached them, in Flynn’s case).

Twins Designate Kenny Wilson For Assignment

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The Twins announced that they have designated outfielder Kenny Wilson for assignment as part of a series of roster moves. Minnesota has purchased the contract of Chris Parmelee and also activated outfielder Aaron Hicks from the seven-day concussion list. Their 25-man roster spots were opened yesterday when the team optioned Pedro Florimon and Chris Herrmann to Triple-A Rochester.

Wilson’s tenure with the Twins has been short-lived, as the 24-year-old defensive whiz was recently claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays. Minnesota claimed the center fielder to replace outfielder Darin Mastroianni, whom the team was forced to DFA in order to make room for waiver claim Sam Fuld. Wilson didn’t hit much for the Twins and has struggled all season between Minnesota and Toronto, slashing just .204/.276/.291 in 118 PAs at the Double-A level.

Parmelee was outrighted off the team’s roster during Spring Training, and the former first-round pick again displayed the ability to pummel minor league pitching after being sent to Triple-A. Parmelee batted .305/.378/.542 with seven homers in 135 PAs in Rochester — numbers that aren’t too different from his career line of .295/.395/.530 at that level. However, the 26-year-old hasn’t been able to carry that success to the Majors, as he’s compiled a career triple-slash line of just .246/.322/.395 in 631 PA. Most of the damage he’s done in the Majors came in a brilliant 21-game September call-up back in 2011. He’s posted a .666 OPS in 543 PAs since.

Shawn Camp Elects Free Agency

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FRIDAY: Camp has elected free agency, the team has announced.

THURSDAY: The Phillies have outrighted veteran reliever Shawn Camp, the team announced. In a corresponding move, Philadelphia called up fellow righty Luis Garcia.

Camp, 38, can refuse the assignment and elect free agency. In three appearances this year, Camp gave up two earned runs on seven hits. Though he avoided any free passes, he mustered only one strikeout. In parts of 11 big league seasons, Camp has compiled a lifetime 4.41 ERA in 592 1/3 innings, all in relief. His last effective season as a big leaguer came in 2012, when he led the league with 80 appearances and registered a 3.59 ERA for the Cubs.

Garcia is a 27-year-old who has seen his only MLB time with the Phillies. In 31 1/3 innings of relief last year, he put up a 3.73 ERA while both striking out and walking 6.6 batters per nine. Garcia was throwing well at Triple-A this year, going 13 2/3 frames without giving up an earned run while posting a much more attractive 8.6 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9. He becomes the latest hurler to receive a chance to settle a Phillies bullpen that has struggled to a 4.97 ERA out of the gate.

AL East Notes: Morales, O’s, Francisco, Yankees

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Orioles executive VP Dan Duquette appeared on Buster Olney’s podcast today and discussed a variety of topics, including Kendrys Morales (Duquette appears around the 27:00 mark). Asked by Olney about the speculation that Morales could help his team, Duquette replied, “We don’t have any plans to add anybody to our ball club right now … Matt Wieters, with the issue he has in with his elbow, is going to take some at-bats in our DH position, so we’re all set. When we signed Nelson Cruz, that pretty much closed the door on that speculation.” Duquette also talked about his team’s strong start to the year in spite of several injuries as well as Manny Machado’s elite defense. More from that interview and the rest of the AL East below…

  • Duquette also fielded questions on the contract status of Wieters and Chris Davis (around the 36:20 mark), noting that the club has twice tried to extend Wieters and once tried to extend Davis as well. “I like Chris and Matt on the ball club, but having said that, we’ve already made that effort, and I’m not really going to be discussing that this year during the season with those players.” Both Wieters and Davis are Scott Boras clients, which makes the task of hammering out a long-term deal a more difficult one, as Boras typically encourages his players to go year-to-year and test the open market.
  • Shifting gears from the O’s to the Blue Jays, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm tweets that the main reason behind Juan Francisco choosing to sign in Toronto was a recruiting pitch from Edwin Encarnacion. After Francisco was cut by the Brewers in Spring Training, Encarnacion called his countryman and pitched Toronto, and the result has been a .311/.403/.623 batting line with five homers in 72 PAs for Francisco.
  • In a special piece for ESPN New York, Danny Knobler writes that the perception of the Yankees as an “old-school” team is misleading. Knobler spoke with Astros GM Jeff Luhnow, who called the Yankees “way more [progressive] than people think.” Knobler also points out that the Yankees trail only the Astros in terms of infield shifting this season, a fact that isn’t lost on division rival Joe Maddon. The Rays skipper told Knobler: “They’re exceeding us. It doesn’t surprise me. It disappoints me. I much preferred when they thought we were nuts, that we were bastardizing the game.”

A’s Sign Five International Prospects

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Though activity on the 2013-14 international prospect front is a mere fraction of what it was last summer, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports five new international signings for the A’s (Twitter links). Oakland has inked 17-year-old Colombian right-hander Jean Carlos Ruiz, 18-year-old Panamanian right-hander Jorge Martinez, 18-year-old Dominican left-hander Alexander Calderon, and Venezuelan right-handers Santiago Rodriguez (17) and Gerardo Vilchez (16).

It’s unlikely that any of this quintet signed for a significant bonus, as the A’s had already spent $2.1MM on international signings as of Baseball America’s February update — roughly $174K over their assigned bonus pool of $1.926MM (an eight percent overage). That penalty would result in a 75 percent tax on the overage and an inability to sign a player for more than $500K in the coming 2014-15 international draft class.

NL East Notes: Marlins, Alderson, Flores, Nats, Uggla

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In his latest piece for FOX Sports, Rob Neyer examines the hot starts of both the Marlins and Rockies to see if either club can sustain its success and make a playoff run. While Miami’s trio of Jose Fernandez, Nate Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez is imposing, he also points out that the club’s hitters are playing over their heads. A year after finishing last in the Majors in scoring, Miami is second in the NL in runs after adding Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Garrett Jones and Casey McGehee but doing little else. As for Colorado, they’ve posted the NL’s lowest strikeout-to-walk ratio, and it’s tough to buy the starts of Charlie Blackmon and Brandon Barnes, Neyer believes.

More links pertaining to the Senior Circuit’s Eastern division…

  • Though the perception is that Omar Minaya left a mess in New York for Mets GM Sandy Alderson, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the remnants of that mess are keeping the Mets afloat. He states that one could argue the team’s best players this season were acquired during Minaya’s tenure. Sherman calls Matt Harvey Minaya’s “parting gift” to the team, adding that the trades of Carlos Beltran and R.A. Dickey were made possible because Minaya’s regime brought them in to begin with. He notes that “this is not a final report card” as Alderson hasn’t been in charge long enough for a total transformation, but also points out that none of Alderson’s draftees have made the Majors yet.
  • Baseball America’s Matt Eddy profiles Wilmer Flores for Mets fans as the team prepares to install him in its infield, noting that his bat is his ticket to the Major Leagues, but fans shouldn’t expect him to come close to replicating the .318/.357/.524 batting line he’s compiled in the PCL. He also has defensive flaws, as “his slow first step and well-below-average speed make him an imperfect fit at any spot but first base,” says Eddy.
  • The Nationals have weathered injuries to Bryce Harper, Doug Fister and Wilson Ramos in large par due to a dominant bullpen, writes the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore. Kilgore notes that offseason acquisition Jerry Blevins has been dominant to this point, and indeed, Blevins has a sub-3.00 ERA with the best strikeout rate (11.15 K/9) of his career in this season’s small sample.
  • Despite his well-documented struggles, Dan Uggla isn’t likely to be released by the Braves, writes MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The Braves don’t appear comfortable biting the bullet on his remaining $24MM, but they also aren’t comfortable with him as their starting second baseman. Atlanta is likely to evaluate its other options — Ramiro Pena and Tyler Pastornicky — in the coming weeks before turning to prospect Tommy La Stella for assistance, adds Bowman.

AL Central Links: Indians, Carroll, Tigers, Guerrier

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In his latest piece for Fangraphs, Tony Blengino breaks down the Indians’ pitching staff and why the team’s ERA has yet to live up to its peripheral stats. Blengino points out the lack of quality infield defenders as well as some difficulties in limiting contact that make it unlikely for Corey Kluber and Zach McAllister to live up to their own peripherals. Blengino concludes that while the staff is better than its 3.97 ERA, it’s not as good as its 3.40 FIP would indicate, and it isn’t good enough to save Cleveland from a mediocre defense and middling offense that ranks 12th in the AL in runs, 12th in OBP and last in slugging percentage.

More out of the AL Central…

  • Scott Carroll, who is on the mound for the White Sox against the Cubs tonight, may not have been in the Majors were it not for a stroke of good luck, writes Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago. Carroll was home rehabbing from Tommy John surgery when he saw an “HBO Real Sports” special in which Steve Delabar explained how a weighted ball program saved his career following an injury. Carroll decided to try the program, and eight months removed from surgery, he had his fastball up to 94 mph.
  • While many Tigers fans are calling for Corey Knebel to replace Phil Coke in the team’s bullpen, Chris Iott of MLive.com looks at why that’s unlikely at this time. While the club will likely have to switch to six right-handers eventually, it’s more likely that that scenario will happen when Joel Hanrahan is ready to join the team. Iott spoke with GM Dave Dombrowski, who said: “It is good for [Knebel} to continue his development. At this point, we have not discussed moving him, but that does not mean it cannot happen if we decide this is the best thing for him.”
  • Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes that the Twins never officially asked Matt Guerrier to move back his opt-out clause before selecting his contract today. Guerrier says that he’s very happy to be back with the Twins, with whom he spent the first six years of his career. “This is where I wanted to be,” said Guerrier.

Matt Treanor Retires

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Veteran catcher Matt Treanor has officially retired from his playing career, according to the Triple-A International League’s transactions page. MLBTR’s Zach Links has confirmed the news (Twitter link).

The 38-year-old Treanor signed a minor league deal with Cleveland this offseason but didn’t get into a game for the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Columbus as he dealt with a hamstring injury. After a setback in his rehab and with the birth of his first child nearing, Treanor has elected to spend time with his wife (three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Misty May) and child rather than pursue further rehab of the injury, according to Links.

In parts of nine Major League seasons between the Marlins, Rangers, Tigers, Royals and Dodgers, Treanor posted a .221/.313/.305 batting line and gunned down 26 percent of the baserunners who attempted to steal against him — highlighted by a league-leading 47 percent for the 2006 Marlins.

Padres Designate Hector Ambriz, Outright Xavier Nady

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The Padres announced that they have designated right-hander Hector Ambriz for assignment and recalled fellow right-hander Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso (Twitter link). Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (via Twitter) that in addition to that move, outfielder Xavier Nady has been outrighted to El Paso. Nady, was designated for assignment earlier in the week to clear room for Kyle Blanks, will have three days to accept or reject the assignment.

Ambriz was with the team for less than 24 hours, making one relief appearance and allowing an earned run on two hits and two walks with a strikeout in two innings of work. Ambriz was excellent in 16 2/3 innings at Triple-A this season, allowing just three earned runs and posting a 13-to-3 K/BB ratio in that time. Overall, in his big league career, the 29-year-old Ambriz has a 5.35 ERA in 106 innings between the Indians, Astros and Padres.

In a return to the team that originally drafted him, Nady batted .135/.238/.405 with three home runs in 42 plate appearances — his first taste of big league action since 2012.

Giants, Romo Unlikely To Discuss Extension During Season

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The Giants are interested in locking up closer Sergio Romo, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, but the two sides aren’t likely to talk about a new contract during the season. According to Heyman, while the sides are “open” to re-engaging, Romo and the Giants have agreed to not let the talks disrupt the season for the time being.

That, of course, does not mean that the 31-year-old Romo is a lock to reach free agency. The Giants hammered out an extension for Hunter Pence last September just prior to the season’s completion, and they negotiated a new two-year deal for Tim Lincecum before he filed for free agency. San Francisco GM Brian Sabean has shown an affinity for retaining his players, recently signing Angel Pagan, Marco Scutaro, Santiago Casilla, Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez to new multi-year deals upon the expiration of their previous deals with the Giants. He also signed Matt Cain to a five-year extension (with a sixth-year option) to keep the right-hander from hitting the open market.

Romo is off to a nice start to the 2014 season, having pitched to a 1.88 ERA with 7.5 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and a 52.8 percent ground-ball rate. ERA estimators such as FIP and xFIP aren’t as bullish on his work to this point, but such metrics have, in the past, agreed that Romo’s skill set is that of an elite reliever. In 308 innings at the Major League level (all coming with the Giants), Romo has a 2.25 ERA (2.59 FIP, 2.98 xFIP) and has averaged better than 10 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

Should he hit the open market, Romo could be perceived as the prize of the reliever market next offseason. He’d be joined by names like Jason Grilli, LaTroy Hawkins, Jim Johnson, Casey Janssen and potentially Rafael Soriano, assuming his $14MM option is declined. Huston Street could hit the open market as well, though it stands to reason that his $7MM club option will be exercised as long as he is healthy. If not, he wouldn’t provide much competition for Romo anyhow.

Romo is a client of Meister Sports Management, as shown in MLBTR’s Agency Database. A look at MLBTR’s Extension Tracker shows that Meister Sports was the agency behind Romo’s previous two-year deal with the Giants (which bought out his remaining arbitration years) as well as the four-year, $12MM extension signed by Cory Luebke with the Padres and the three-year, $16.5MM pact inked by Sean Marshall with the Reds. Clearly, a deal to buy out multiple free agent seasons for Romo would top those contracts with relative ease.

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