Here are the day’s minor signings from around the league…
- The Angels have signed right-hander Javy Guerra to a minor league deal, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). The former Dodgers closer served a 50-game suspension last season for a drug of abuse but will look to work his way back into a big league bullpen with the Halos. Last year, Guerra was limited to a total of just 5 1/3 innings between the Majors and minors, due largely to his suspension. However, he tossed 46 1/3 innings of 2.91 ERA ball for the White Sox in 2014 and has high-leverage experience as well, having saved 21 games for the Dodgers as a rookie in 2011. All told, Guerra has a 2.87 ERA with 7.5 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and a 43.3 percent ground-ball rate in 150 1/3 innings between L.A. and Chicago.
- Infielder Brandon Hicks has agreed to a minor league deal and an invite to big league Spring Training with the Dodgers, SB Nation’s Eric Stephen tweeted yesterday. The most recent big league action for the 30-year-old Hicks came with the 2014 Giants, when he received 242 plate appearances across 71 games. While Hicks didn’t hit for average whatsoever, he did show some power. That did little to mask his 32 percent strikeout rate, though, and he finished with an overall batting line of .162/.280/.319 with San Francisco. Hicks struggled with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate last season but is a career .244/.327/.429 hitter in parts of six seasons at that level.
I believe Hicks was with the Giants in 2014- just a minor note
Excellent signing by the Angels…
I’m honestly suprised no one else really made an effort to sign him. Although, given his suspension, I guess it isn’t all that suprising, but still he does have some talent in his arm.
He should bounce back nicely for the Angels, and Guerra should set himself up nicely for a raise on his next contract…
Again, in what has been a relatively disappointing off-season for the Angels, this move could actually turn out to be a pretty good one. It is definitely a low-risk, low-cost and high-reward type of move, and it is almost a gaurentee that it turns out to work heavily in the Angels favor.
I agree. Not sure it’s “almost a guarantee” to work out. There’s a chance he could be suspended again, or maybe he is just done, but personally, I think it could be one of those minor league signings that people look at in September when evaluating unimportant moves that really paid off (like Ryan Madson last year, for instance)
Sneaky good signing, it’s hard not to root for a guy who at one time looked like he was going to be one of the premier young closers in the game when he broke in with the Dodgers.
It is a good signing, but personally I usually dont root for almost anyone who gets suspended for drugs, especially in cases like this where I believe you have to have tested positive twice to get 50 games. Hey, if he stays clean and has success, more power to him, no one’s perfect.