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Blue Jays Claim Jesus Montero; Designate A.J. Jimenez For Assignment

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The Blue Jays have claimed Jesus Montero off waivers from the Mariners, according to a Toronto press release.  To create roster space, catcher A.J. Jimenez has been designated for assignment.

The move ends Montero’s four-year tenure with the Mariners, a stint that undoubtedly created frustration for both the player and the team.  Montero was acquired in a trade that sent Michael Pineda to the Yankees, a rare case of two blue chip prospects being swapped in the same deal.  The M’s were counting on Montero to become a fixture in their lineup, but instead he hit .247/.285/.383 with 24 homers in 796 PA as a Mariner.

Montero’s checkered time in Seattle included several trips to the minors, injuries, defensive issues that turned him from a catcher into a first baseman/DH, weight problems, a 50-game suspension as part of the Biogenesis PED scandal and a bizarre altercation with a minor league coach in 2014 that saw him banned for the last month of the season.

Despite all of this baggage, Montero was still putting up big numbers at the Triple-A level and is just 26 years old.  For a player who was considered a consensus top-five prospect in the sport just five years ago, Toronto may feel it’s worth a low-risk signing to see if a change of scenery unlocks Montero’s potential.

Montero is out of options, which complicates things for the Jays since they don’t have an obvious roster spot for him.  Edwin Encarnacion is the everyday DH with Chris Colabello and Justin Smoak splitting the first base duties, so as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm notes, the Blue Jays may have to try and sneak Montero through waivers again if they intend to keep him.

Jimenez has a reputation as a good defensive catcher and he has hit .272/.314/.381 over 1923 minor league PA.  Once considered a possible catcher of the future for the Jays, Jimenez was ranked as the 14th-best prospect in the club’s system by Baseball America prior to the 2014 season before slipping to 23rd in 2015 to out of the top 30 entirely this year.  His lack of progress at the plate was a factor in his slide down the rankings and he also has a significant injury history, including Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for much of 2012.  Like Montero, Jimenez was also out of options.

Tigers Release Bobby Parnell, Casey McGehee

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The Tigers have released right-hander Bobby Parnell and infielder Casey McGehee, the club announced.  Both players were in Detroit’s camp on minor league contracts.  As Article XX(B) players, Parnell and McGehee would’ve each been owed $100K bonuses if the Tigers wanted to keep them in the minors rather than put them on the Opening Day roster.

Parnell missed virtually all of 2014 and a good chunk of 2015 recovering from Tommy John surgery, as he pitched just 24 innings out of the Mets bullpen last season.  The former closer was looking for a new opportunity in Detroit, and while he hadn’t pitched well this spring, it’s a bit surprising to see the Tigers cut ties with Parnell given all the question marks (both performance-wise and injury-wise) in their bullpen.  It could be that Detroit tries to re-sign Parnell to a new minor league deal once the Article XX(B) deadline passes.

Prior to his Tommy John surgery, Parnell put up strong numbers with New York, posting a 2.79 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 3.01 K/BB rate over 213 innings from 2010-13, including a stint as the Mets’ closer in 2013.

McGehee signed with Detroit last month looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2015 season that saw him hit .198/.264/.274 with two homers over 258 plate appearances with the Giants and Marlins.  The 33-year-old has a career .259/.319/.389 slash line over 2990 PA since 2008, and he also spent the 2013 season in Japan with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Phillies Sign Will Venable To Minor League Deal

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The Phillies have signed outfielder Will Venable to a minor league contract, the club announced.  The deal contains an invitation to Philadelphia’s big league spring camp.  Venable is represented by Turner Gary Sports.

The move comes just a day after Venable was released from his previous minors deal with the Indians.  CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury reported earlier today that the Phils had a serious interest in adding Venable to their outfield mix.

Venable is a fit as a platoon partner in either left or right field for the Phillies, with his left-handed bat in tandem with either Peter Bourjos or Rule 5 draft pick Tyler Goeddel (both right-handed hitters).  The 33-year-old has spent much of his career as a part-time player with the Padres and Rangers, with 2601 plate appearances against right-handed pitching (with a .256/.324/.422 slash line) and only 526 career PA against southpaws.  Venable isn’t known much for his power, though he rather surprisingly socked 22 homers for the Padres in 2013.

The versatile Venable has been an above-average defender at all three outfield spots as per the UZR/150 and Defensive Runs Saved metrics over his career, though his numbers took a bit of a dip last season.  Venable is also considered to be an excellent baserunner, with 135 steals over 166 career attempts.

Venable would appear to have an advantage over the other left-handed hitting outfielders trying to make the Phillies’ roster, namely David Lough and Cedric Hunter.  Lough is known as a defense-first player with little pop, while Hunter’s MLB experience consists of six games for San Diego in 2011.

Braves Release Nick Swisher

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The Braves have unconditionally released first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher, the club announced.

Atlanta had been trying to trade Swisher for much of the offseason but will instead have to eat much of the $15MM owed to the veteran for 2016.  The Indians will also be covering a portion of that dollar figure, as the Tribe sent roughly $15MM to cover portions of Swisher and Michael Bourn’s salaries as part of the August trade that brought Chris Johnson to Cleveland in a swap of bad contracts.  If Swisher were to sign with a new team, that club would only be responsible for a prorated minimum salary while Atlanta and Cleveland would cover the rest of the $15MM.

Between the salary, Swisher’s age (35), his meager .204/.291/.326 slash line over 661 PA in 2014-15 and the double arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent in 2014, it’s not a surprise that Swisher didn’t generate much trade interest.  He did hit decently well during Spring Training, however, and he told MLBTR’s Zach Links earlier this month that he “feels great” physically.

With such a small financial cost attached, there’s a good chance at least one team will explore adding Swisher as a bench bat and a veteran clubhouse presence.  An AL team is more likely than an NL team for Swisher since senior circuit clubs wouldn’t have the benefit of the DH spot to preserve his knees.  This is just my speculation, but the White Sox stand out as a team that could use some first base/DH depth now that Adam LaRoche has retired.

Players Exercising Opt-Out Clauses: Monday

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As Opening Day approaches, teams will be making tough roster decisions involving their veteran players.  Some of these decisions pertain to Article XX(B) free agents who have their opt-out date on Tuesday, though other players have opt-outs today or later this week.  We’ll keep track of the players who opt out of their deals in search of new opportunities here:

  • Lefty Brian Duensing told reporters (including Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star) that he will be opting out of his minor league deal with the Royals, giving the team 48 hours to either release him or add him to the 25-man roster.  As per the terms of his contract, Duensing will make $2MM in base salary if he makes the team.  It isn’t yet clear if K.C. will part ways with Duensing or not; while the Royals are deep in relief options, most of them are right-handed.  Danny Duffy is the only southpaw slated for a bullpen job.
  • Roberto Hernandez has been told he isn’t making the Blue Jays roster, and the veteran right-hander is expected to exercise his opt-out clause today, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reports.  Hernandez signed a minor league deal in February that would’ve paid him $1.25MM in salary and another $750K in available bonuses he had made the Major League roster.  The 10-year veteran posted a 4.36 ERA, 4.5 K/9 and 1.62 K/BB rate over 84 2/3 innings with the Astros last season.

Carlos Quentin Elects Free Agency, May Retire

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11:40am: Ryan tells reporters (including LaVelle E. Neal III) that Quentin indicated that he will return to his family and retirement, rather than seek out another team.

11:04am: Veteran outfielder Carlos Quentin has rejected his Triple-A assignment from the Twins and is now a free agent, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger reports (Twitter link).  The Twins granted his release after Quentin asked to be let go, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets.

The minor league deal Quentin signed with Minnesota in February didn’t contain an opt-out date until June 1, though there was an unofficial agreement in place between the two sides that Quentin would be released if he didn’t make the club.  After Quentin was assigned to the minors, the Twins gave him a few days to decide on his next move, with GM Terry Ryan and manager Paul Molitor both hoping Quentin would stay in the organization since the veteran would almost assuredly get called up at some point during the season.

The nine-year MLB veteran last played in the bigs in 2014, as Quentin played just five games with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in 2015 before deciding to retire.  The virtual year off, however, eased a lot of pain in Quentin’s knees and shoulder and he decided to give playing another shot this offseason.

Injuries have long limited Quentin’s career, as he only cracked the 100-game plateau three times in nine seasons.  When he was on the field, however, Quentin swung a dangerous power bat.  As recently as 2013, he hit .275/.363/.493 with 13 homers over 320 PA with the Padres.  Despite this track record, it seems unlikely that Quentin would land a big league job without at least some time in the minors.

Phillies Have “Strong Interest” In Will Venable

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With the Phillies thin in the outfield, they’re “showing strong interest” in newly-available veteran Will Venable, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury reports.  Venable became a free agent after the Indians released him from his minor league contract yesterday.

Venable, 33, hit .244/.320/.350 over 390 plate appearances with the Padres and Rangers last season.  Though his batting numbers have declined quite a bit since his 22-homer season/.796 OPS season for San Diego in 2013, Venable has a decent .256/.324/.422 slash line against right-handed pitching over his career.  Beyond his bat, Venable perhaps has more value at this point due to excellent baserunning and his above-average defensive metrics at all three outfield positions.

Phillies GM Matt Klentak said last week that the team wasn’t necessarily actively looking for outfield help, despite losing both Aaron Altherr and Cody Asche to injuries.  Center fielder Odubel Herrera is expected to play every day but there’s plenty of uncertainty in the corner outfield spots, with Peter Bourjos, Cedric Hunter, David Lough and Rule 5 pick Tyler Goeddel all in the mix for playing time.  Goeddel and Bourjos are right-handed hitters, so they could mesh well with Venable in a platoon.

Added To The 40-Man Roster: Monday

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As Opening Day approaches, teams will be making tough roster decisions involving their veteran players.  Some of these decisions pertain to Article XX(B) free agents who have their opt-out date on Tuesday, though other players have opt-outs today or later this week.  We’ll keep track of the players who make the big league roster cut here:

  • The Indians announced that veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd has made the team.  The move guarantees Byrd $1MM in base salary.  Byrd signed his minor league deal with Cleveland just last week, and his addition will add some power (especially against left-handed pitching) to the Tribe’s unsettled outfield situation.
  • The Nationals will put right-hander Matt Belisle on the 25-man roster, manager Dusty Baker told MLB.com’s William Ladson.  Though Belisle was an Article XX(B) player, his opt-out date was actually yesterday.  Making the Nats roster will earn Belisle a $1.25MM base salary in 2016, as per the terms of the minor league deal he signed with Washington last month.

Braves Notes: Grilli, Moore, Lefty Relievers

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Here’s the latest out of Atlanta…

  • Jason Grilli’s return from a ruptured Achilles tendon and the 93-mph fastball he’s displaying in the Braves camp has generated trade buzz, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes.  Grilli was enjoying a very strong season as Atlanta’s closer last season (2.94 ERA, 4.5 K/BB rate, 45 strikeouts in 33 2/3 IP) before hitting the DL in early July.  Were it not for that season-ending injury, Grilli could very well have changed uniforms at the trade deadline since several teams were rumored to be interested in his services.  Cafardo speculates that Grilli could be a fit for the Red Sox now, as manager John Farrell is a fan of the reliever and Carson Smith is on the disabled list.
  • The Braves will be responsible for all of the $900K owed to the newly-acquired Tyler Moore in 2016, James Wagner of the Washington Post reports (Twitter link).  Moore got his first taste of arbitration eligibility this offseason and agreed to the $900K deal with the Nationals well before figures had to be exchanged.
  • Atlanta’s trade for Eric O’Flaherty may not be the only move the club makes to add a lefty reliever, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman hints.  Alex Torres is the only other southpaw reliever still in the Braves’ big league camp, and the club isn’t even sure if Torres is a fit for the Opening Day roster.

Red Sox Release Carlos Marmol

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The Red Sox have released veteran reliever Carlos Marmol, who was in camp on a minor league deal.  The Sox announced the release along with several other roster moves this morning (hat tip to Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald).

Marmol was looking to return to the big leagues for the first time since 2014, though his career-long control problems resurfaced in Boston’s spring camp.  Though Marmol only pitched four spring innings, he walked seven batters (to go with five strikeouts) while posting a 6.75 ERA.  At age 33, the question of whether Marmol has thrown his last Major League pitch has to be asked, though his track record and still-tantalizing ability to miss bats may get him another minors deal with another team.

The former Cubs closer has long been defined by his high strikeout and walk totals, posting an 11.6 K/9 and 6.2 BB/9 over his 577 career innings with the Cubs, Dodgers and Marlins from 2006-2014.  He spent most of the 2015 season pitching for the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate.

With this morning’s flurry of moves, Boston now has 27 players in its Major League camp as the Sox prepare to get down to 25 men for Opening Day.

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