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Archives for March 2016

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/26/16

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Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball:

  • The Angels have acquired right-handed pitcher Troy Scribner from the Astros in exchange for cash considerations, tweets Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. Scribner, 24, spent the entire 2015 season at High-A ball. He posted a 5.49 ERA with 9.99 K/9 and 5.13 BB/9. His best campaign came in 2014 when he showed substantially better command and topped out at Double-A.
  • The Phillies have released outfielder Andrew Amaro, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The Amaro surname is no coincidence. Amaro, a 35th round pick in the 2015 draft, is the nephew of former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. This marks the second minor leaguer of a famous parent who was released today. Trevor Gretzky, son of hockey hero Wayne Gretzky, was cut loose by the Angels earlier today. Incidentally, Gretzky was once traded for Matthew Scioscia, son of Angels manager Mike Scioscia.

Michael Brantley Unlikely To Be Ready For Opening Day

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Indians star Michael Brantley does not appear likely to be ready play Opening Day, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer writes. “I don’t think you’ll see him playing in a Major-League game this week, that’s for sure,” says manager Terry Francona. “How we go about the next three or four days, we’ll have a better idea later today.”

Brantley had labrum surgery on his shoulder in November. He was initially pegged for a May return, but he had been ahead of schedule in his rehab. He played in Spring Training games Saturday and Monday, raising hopes that he might be able to play Opening Day. He has not appeared since, however, with Francona saying that Brantley was being shut down for a short time because his shoulder was not improving as much as anticipated.

Francona seems hopeful that Brantley’s delay won’t be a long one. “It might be a week later … it might be 10 days,” he says. “But he’s going to be just fine. We just have to do it right.”

Among Indians outfielders, Tyler Naquin, Lonnie Chisenhall and Rajai Davis have made the team, Hoynes writes. If Brantley starts the season on the DL, that leaves Collin Cowgill (who is on the 40-man roster) battling with minor-league invitees Marlon Byrd, Will Venable, Shane Robinson and Robbie Grossman for two remaining outfield spots out of camp.

Orioles Continue To Look For Lefty Relief, Could Pursue Sean Burnett

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Despite the recent additions of Zach Phillips and Edgar Olmos, the Orioles continue to look for lefty relief help and could pursue veteran southpaw Sean Burnett, Rich Dubroff of CSN Mid-Atlantic writes. Burnett is currently with the Nationals on a minor-league deal, but has an April 1 opt-out in his contract. If the Orioles decide their interest in Burnett is serious, they could potentially either make a small trade to get him now or wait until his opt-out date. With lefties Oliver Perez and Felipe Rivero likely set to make the Nationals’ bullpen, Burnett would appear to be on the outside looking in, unless the Nats elect to carry three lefties.

Burnett did not pitch in 2015 after having Tommy John surgery, and injuries also limited him in the two seasons before that. He has been impressive this spring, however, allowing no runs and one walk while striking out four in 6 2/3 innings. The Orioles have been hunting for lefties because of uncertainty surrounding the health of Brian Matusz, who has only pitched two innings this spring while dealing with a back injury.

AL Notes: Trades, Quentin, Gretzky

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The Red Sox are unlikely to make a significant deal before Opening Day, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes. Britton notes that, since 2000, 111 trades have been made between March 25 and April 5, and almost all of them have been small. That’s because, with rare exceptions (like the Padres’ acquisition of Craig Kimbrel last April 5), most teams focus on setting their rosters and making minor deals at the end of Spring Training. If they had intended to make bigger moves, they likely would have made them earlier. That’s why the Red Sox are unlikely to acquire, say, a top starter from the Indians, or Sonny Gray from the Athletics, at this point in time. Here’s more from the American League.

  • The Twins have announced that they’ve reassigned veteran slugger Carlos Quentin. Via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (on Twitter), the organization is allowing Quentin a few days to decide whether to accept a minor-league assignment. Quentin had a good spring, hitting two home runs while batting .250/.333/.500, but it’s tough to imagine him getting a big-league job without first taking a minor-league assignment, since he struggled with injury and performance in 2014 and spent most of the 2015 season away from the game after retiring last May.
  • The Angels have released outfielder Trevor Gretzky, as noted on the MILBmoves Twitter account. The release of a 23-year-old Class A player might normally pass by unnoticed, but we mention this one because of Gretzky’s background. He’s the son of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, and the Cubs drafted him in the seventh round back in 2011. The Angels then acquired him two years ago for Matt Scioscia, the son of Angels manager Mike Scioscia. Gretzky hit .242/.312/.318 for Class A Burlington last year.

Indians Roster Notes: Thatcher, Gorzelanny, Joba, Urshela

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Here are a few quick notes on recent Indians roster decisions:

  • The Indians have told veteran lefty Joe Thatcher that he will not make the team, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian writes. Thatcher was an Article XX(B) free agent, so he will get a $100K retention bonus and a June 1 opt-out date if he accepts a minor-league assignment. He has until Tuesday to decide if he’ll do so. Thatcher allowed just one run in 6 2/3 innings in Spring Training and also got fairly good results in a partial season with the Astros last year, but that apparently wasn’t enough to earn a spot.
  • The Indians have also told one of Thatcher’s competitors for a bullpen job, Tom Gorzelanny, that he won’t make the team either, Bastian tweets. Gorzelanny, too, was an Article XX(B) free agent, but as the Akron Beacon Journal’s Ryan Lewis tweets, the Indians are hoping he winds up with them at Triple-A. The 33-year-old Gorzelanny was coming off a rough season in Detroit and struck out only three batters in 7 2/3 innings in Spring Training, during which he allowed three runs. If the Indians do carry a bullpen lefty, it appears it will be either Kyle Crockett or Ross Detwiler.
  • One veteran reliever who has made the team is righty Joba Chamberlain, Bastian tweets. The Indians signed Chamberlain to a minor-league deal in December after a mediocre 2015 season in which he posted a 4.88 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 27 2/3 innings with the Tigers and Royals. Chamberlain also walked five batters in eight Spring Training innings this season. At 30, though, he’s fairly young, and he’s demonstrated mid-90s velocity.
  • The team also optioned infielder Giovanny Urshela, pitcher Austin Adams, outfielder Joey Butler and infielder Erik Gonzalez. The most notable of those is Urshela, who played in 81 big-league games last season and hit well this Spring but didn’t figure to make the team thanks to the presence of Juan Uribe and Jose Ramirez.

Reds Sign Ross Ohlendorf To Big-League Deal

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The Reds have signed righty Ross Ohlendorf to a Major League deal, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. The Reds have announced that it’s a one-year deal. Ohlendorf is a client of Jon Fetterolf.

The 33-year-old Ohlendorf opted out of his minor-league deal with the Royals earlier this week. He figures to provide help for a Reds bullpen that lacked stability behind closer J.J. Hoover.

Ohlendorf missed a chunk of the 2015 campaign due to a groin injury but pitched decently when healthy, posting a 3.72 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 19 1/3 innings with the Rangers and also showing a good strikeout rate in 36 2/3 innings in Triple-A. It was his first big-league season since 2008 spent primarily in the bullpen, and he experienced the bump in velocity typical of starter-to-reliever conversions, throwing his fastball at an average of 93.8 MPH. Ohlendorf has played parts of eight seasons in the big leagues, also appearing with the Yankees, Pirates, Padres and Nationals.

Will Smith Has Torn LCL

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Brewers reliever Will Smith has a torn lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, and it’s unclear whether he’ll opt for rehab or surgery, Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel writes. In a freak occurrence, Smith suffered the injury while taking off his shoe in the clubhouse.

“I was standing on one leg, trying to take the shoe off and I pulled hard and it stayed on. My knee just went up and popped,” Smith says.

Whether or not Smith’s injury requires surgery, it appears he’s in for a significant stay on the Brewers’ disabled list. Smith figured to be part of the Brewers’ mix at closer, along with Jeremy Jeffress. The injury likely means that Jeffress will have the role to himself, at least for awhile.

Smith has been one of the better lefty relievers in baseball the past three seasons, and he was terrific in 2015, with a 2.70 ERA, 3.4 BB/9 and an impressive 12.9 K/9 in 63 1/3 innings working in a setup role. He figured to become a trade candidate for Brewers at some point, since an electric lefty reliever seems like a luxury for a rebuilding team, although his current injury could delay that possibility. Smith is making $1.475MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility in 2016 as a Super Two player.

Astros Likely To Acquire Backup Catcher From Outside

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The Astros are looking for a backup catcher, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Drellich suggests there’s a 60% chance the Astros will find that catcher outside the organization.

The Astros have recently been connected to Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy in trade rumors, although he would obviously be a starter if they acquired him. It appears their current focus is more on catchers to back up Jason Castro.

Max Stassi is out for six weeks after having hamate surgery, leaving minor leaguers Tyler Heineman and Roberto Pena as the Astros’ top backup catching options. The Astros have shown at least some interest in Bryan Holaday of the Tigers and A.J. Jimenez of the Blue Jays, both of whom are out options. There could be other, more speculative possibilities as Spring Training reaches its end as well. The Rays, for example, have two out-of-options catchers in Rene Rivera and Curt Casali, in addition to Hank Conger. Red Sox veteran Ryan Hanigan could be another potential option (although perhaps not a terribly likely one now that Sox manager John Farrell has said Christian Vazquez isn’t likely to start the year with the big club).

Cuba Could Consider Adding Defectors To National Team

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Cuba could at some point consider adding famous defectors to its national team to play in the World Baseball Classic, FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi writes. “Everything is on the table,” says Cuban baseball commissioner Heriberto Suarez, in Spanish.

“There’s a set of rules as to who can play for whom. Federations ought to put the best teams out there . . . That serves to make the event the best it can possibly be,” says MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. “That’s a decision they have to make. We certainly would be open to it.”

The potential inclusion of Jose Fernandez, Yoenis Cespedes, Jose Abreu, Aroldis Chapman, Yasiel Puig and other high-profile players — many of whom left Cuba under incredibly dangerous conditions — to Cuba’s national team would be hugely important for the WBC and for baseball, and would also be important symbolically for US-Cuba relations. Morosi points out, however, that there would be significant obstacles to those players’ participation. There would need to be a working agreement between MLB, the players association, and the Cuban and American governments, with Cuba receiving some sort of posting free allowing Cuban players to sign MLB contracts while remaining Cuban citizens.

Manfred has said that it’s likely some sort of agreement on Cuban players would be reached in talks for the next Collective Bargaining Agreement. But the current CBA expires in December, when the US embargo against Cuba (which would prohibit posting fees) will likely still be in place. MLB is reportedly working with the White House to find a solution that allows the movement of players from Cuba to MLB.

Week In Review: 3/19/16 – 3/25/16

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Here’s a look back at the past week at MLBTR.

Key Moves

  • The Cardinals signed shortstop Ruben Tejada to a one-year deal.
  • The Phillies extended manager Pete Mackanin.
  • The Blue Jays restructured manager John Gibbons’ contract to guarantee his salary through 2017.

Trades

Claimed

Outrighted

Released

Retired

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