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Roster Notes: Brewers, Weeks, Abad, Phillies, Ramos, Pena

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Here’s a roundup of today’s notable roster decisions….

  • The Brewers announced that the contracts of right-hander Blaine Boyer and left-hander Chris Capuano have been selected.  Both pitchers were told they had made the team earlier this week, and the moves are now official that Milwaukee has created some corresponding roster space.  Sean Nolin and Yhonathan Barrios were both moved to the 60-day DL, while Will Smith was placed on the 15-day DL.
  • The Diamondbacks selected Rickie Weeks’ contract, the team announced.  Weeks, looking to rebound from a disastrous 2015 season, signed a minors contract with Arizona last month.  The D’Backs placed A.J. Pollock and Josh Collmenter on the 15-day DL in corresponding moves.
  • The Twins selected the contract of Fernando Abad, the team announced.  The southpaw signed a minor league deal with Minnesota in December after the A’s non-tendered him.  Abad posted a 4.15 ERA last season, with some unfriendly advanced metrics and uncharacteristically poor results against left-handed hitters.
  • The Phillies finalized their 25-man roster, announcing that they have selected the contracts of lefty James Russell, infielder Emmanuel Burriss and outfielder Cedric Hunter.  In corresponding moves, Cody Asche and Michael Mariot were put on the 15-day DL retroactive to March 25, and Matt Harrison, Aaron Altherr and Mario Hollands were each placed on the 60-day DL.
  • Left-hander Cesar Ramos has accepted an assignment to the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate to begin the season, Rangers executive VP of communications John Blake tweeted.  Ramos signed a minor league deal with Texas in January after being somewhat surprisingly non-tendered by the Angels.
  • Cardinals backup catcher Brayan Pena will begin the season on the DL and will require surgery to remove a body from his left knee, MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch writes (Twitter links). That means the Cardinals will add minor-league signee Eric Fryer to their roster to serve as their backup catcher until Pena can return, which should take two to four weeks. The 30-year-old Fryer played most of last season with Triple-A Rochester in the Twins system, batting .293/.367/.360. He’s appeared in bits of five big-league seasons with the Pirates and Twins.
  • Outfielder Jabari Blash, a Rule 5 pick from the Mariners, has made the Padres’ Opening Day roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com tweets. The 26-year-old Blash batted an impressive .271/.370/.576 and 32 homers in a 2015 season split between Double-A Jackson and Triple-A Tacoma, then followed that with a decent spring in which he hit .204 but with four homers and eight walks in 59 plate appearances. The Padres also announced that fellow outfielder Travis Jankowski has made the team.
  • The Rays have selected the contract of lefty Dana Eveland and optioned righty Andrew Bellatti and outfielder Mikie Mahtook, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes (Twitter links). The moves also mean righty Danny Farquhar has made the team. The 32-year-old Eveland pitched only briefly in the Majors last season, but got good results for three different Triple-A teams, posting a 1.95 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 55 1/3 innings.
  • The Braves have announced their Opening Day roster. The Braves were already in MLBTR’s pages today as they designated Michael Bourn and Emilio Bonifacio for assignment and selected the contracts of Drew Stubbs and Alexi Ogando. In addition, they reassigned Jhoulys Chacin to Triple-A Gwinnett. The idea, via David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter), is that he’ll make one start there and then join the Braves when they need a fifth starter, which should be April 12. Notable names who made the team include righty Dan Winkler, a 2014 Rule 5 pick, along with rookie righties Jose Ramirez and John Gant.

Poll: Who Will Be The AL And NL Champions?

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After a long winter of hot stove transactions, Opening Day is just around the corner.  For every trade, signing, release, waiver claim and DFA, fans ultimately have just one question about every move: how did this help my team improve?  What may be a minor transaction or an under-the-radar signing over the winter could pay huge dividends come October.

The beauty of baseball is that you just never know when “next year” will come.  The Rangers, Astros and Cubs had three of the eight worst records in 2014 yet made the postseason in 2015.  The Mets and Blue Jays each returned to the playoffs after years of frustration.  And, most of all, the Royals firmly erased any doubt that their 2014 AL pennant was a fluke when they broke through for the franchise’s second-ever World Series championship.

The 2016 season will undoubtedly have a lot of surprises, and come October, will the last two teams standing be preseason favorites, or could another unexpected club (or two) rise up to win a pennant?  With this in mind, give us your take on which two teams will square off in the World Series.  (MLBTR app users can weigh in here for the American League champion and here for the National League champion.)

Who Will Win The AL Pennant?
Blue Jays 23.03% (2,897 votes)
Astros 15.63% (1,966 votes)
Royals 11.63% (1,463 votes)
Red Sox 9.60% (1,208 votes)
Rangers 7.83% (985 votes)
Yankees 5.97% (751 votes)
Tigers 5.11% (643 votes)
Indians 4.15% (522 votes)
Orioles 4.08% (513 votes)
White Sox 3.48% (438 votes)
Mariners 2.61% (328 votes)
Angels 2.57% (323 votes)
Twins 1.69% (212 votes)
Rays 1.49% (188 votes)
Athletics 1.14% (143 votes)
Total Votes: 12,580
Who Will Win The NL Pennant?
Cubs 32.86% (3,863 votes)
Mets 14.58% (1,714 votes)
Giants 13.35% (1,570 votes)
Nationals 8.37% (984 votes)
Cardinals 8.24% (969 votes)
Pirates 6.38% (750 votes)
Dodgers 5.54% (651 votes)
Diamondbacks 3.73% (439 votes)
Braves 1.69% (199 votes)
Phillies 1.41% (166 votes)
Padres 1.08% (127 votes)
Reds 1.00% (117 votes)
Brewers 0.68% (80 votes)
Marlins 0.68% (80 votes)
Rockies 0.41% (48 votes)
Total Votes: 11,757

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/2/16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league:

  • The Angels announced that outfielder Todd Cunningham has cleared waivers and been outrighted off the roster (hat tip to Pedro Moura of the L.A. Times).  The Halos claimed Cunningham off waivers from the Braves in October, and the switch-hitting outfielder couldn’t simply be sent to the minors since he is out of options.  Cunningham hit .221/.280/.267 over 93 PA with Atlanta in 2015.
  • The Tigers released catcher Rafael Lopez, MLive.com’s Chris Iott reports (Twitter link).  Lopez has a .278/.366/.390 slash line over 1552 minor league PA, and his big league experience consists of seven games with the 2014 Cubs.
  • The Tigers have released outfielder John Mayberry Jr., Chris Iott of MLive.com tweets. They had signed Mayberry to a minor-league deal in January. Mayberry collected 119 plate appearances for the 2015 Mets, batting .164/.227/.318 while playing left and right field. He was little more impressive this season in Spring Training, posting a .119/.213/.238 line in 47 plate appearances.
  • The Rockies have released 2010 first-round pick Kyle Parker, Thomas Harding of MLB.com notes. The 26-year-old Parker played briefly with the Rockies in 2014 and 2015, compiling a total .182/.217/.295 line while playing outfield and first base. The Rockies had outrighted him over the winter, then brought him to camp as a non-roster player.

Dodgers Sign Dale Thayer To Minors Contract

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The Dodgers have signed right-hander Dale Thayer to a minor league deal, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports (via Twitter).  Thayer became a free agent earlier this week when he opted out of a previous minor league contract with the Orioles.  The righty is represented by O’Connell Sports Management.

2015 was a tough season for Thayer, as he posted a 4.06 ERA in 37 2/3 innings while posting the highest walk rate (3.6 BB/9) and lowest strikeout rate (6.0 K/9) of his career over a full season.  He was outrighted off the Padres’ 40-man roster in August and he elected free agency after the season.

Thayer posted some strong numbers out of San Diego’s bullpen from 2012-14, including a 3.02 ERA, 8.3 K/9 and 3.46 K/BB rate over 188 innings.  He spent his first two MLB seasons in Tampa Bay, so he’s a known quantity to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.  L.A. already has a pretty solid complement of right-handed relievers, though the club can probably use all the bullpen help it can get given the injuries in the rotation.

Reds To Sign Steve Delabar

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The Reds have agreed to terms with righty reliever Steve Delabar to a minor-league deal, radio pre-game host Lance McAllister writes. (The news was also reportedly on their radio broadcast earlier today.) Delabar is a client of Meister Sports Management. A Kentucky native, Delabar has history in the Cincinnati area, having pitched for the independent Florence Freedom in the Cincinnati suburbs before eventually making it to the big leagues.

The Reds currently have several key pitchers on the disabled list and have a number of apparent holes in both their rotation and their bullpen (leading to their recent additions of Ross Ohlendorf and Dan Straily). It’s easy to see how signing with the Reds could get Delabar back to the Majors in short order.

The Blue Jays released the 32-year-old Delabar earlier this week, paying him a fifth of the $835K salary to which he agreed this offseason. He was out of options. Delabar had a terrific 2013 campaign in which he struck out 12.6 batters per nine innings and earned a spot on the AL All-Star roster, but he has not been quite the same since a stint on the DL with shoulder soreness late that year (although it’s not clear that the shoulder issue has been the reason he’s struggled). His control, never a strength, left him in 2014, and he spent about half the season in the minors. Last year was similar, and he posted a 5.22 ERA and 4.3 BB/9 in 29 1/3 innings in the bigs. He did have 9.2 K/9 and mid-90s velocity, although he threw about 1.5 MPH less than he threw in 2013.

Rays Acquire Carlos Corporan From Yankees

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The Yankees have announced that they’ve traded catcher Carlos Corporan to the Rays for cash considerations. The 32-year-old Corporan will likely serve as catching depth for the Rays, who have Hank Conger and Curt Casali at the big-league level. The Rays were down a catcher after releasing Rene Rivera last week.

Corporan collected 121 plate appearances for the Rangers in 2015, hitting .178/.244/.299, after which Texas non-tendered him. The Yankees signed him to a minor-league deal over the winter. He’s played parts of six big-league seasons, also suiting up for the Brewers and Astros, and had established himself as a somewhat better hitter than he showed last year — in 780 career plate appearances, he’s batted .218/.280/.342.

Quick Hits: Morosi, Epstein, Trout

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Congratulations to Jon Morosi, one of the reporters most frequently cited here at MLBTR, who has announced (Twitter links) that he’ll now be working full-time for the MLB Network and MLB.com. He adds that he’ll continue working for FOX Sports as a game reporter and on FOX Sports 1 network shows. Here’s more from around the game.

  • Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has acquired an unusual reputation within the game and changed the qualifications typically associated with becoming a top team executive, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes in a lengthy profile. As Svrluga points out, ten of baseball’s GMs are now Ivy League products, and none were the year before Epstein took over the Red Sox GM job. The profile features a number of fascinating details about Epstein’s life in the game, like how he used to trade game tickets for class notes when he was working for the Padres and going to law school simultaneously, and how, with the Red Sox, he got access to 30 years of college baseball stats by sending interns to NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis to photocopy them.
  • With the regular season on its way, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe lists baseball’s 50 most important players, in his estimation. There are certainly some placements one might quibble with, but it’s hard to disagree too strenuously with Cafardo’s pick for No. 1, Angels superstar Mike Trout. Cafardo also lists 20 potential breakout candidates (topped by Phillies infielder Maikel Franco) and ten comeback candidates, including Josh Hamilton of the Rangers.

AL West Notes: Beltre, Parker, Mariners

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Rangers GM Jon Daniels says he will speak to Adrian Beltre’s agent, Scott Boras, this weekend, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes (Twitter links). Daniels apparently did not reveal much about the content of those talks, but said the Rangers would like to keep Beltre, who is eligible for free agency after the season. As Gerry Fraley of the Morning News notes, Beltre would prefer not to negotiate in-season, and the two parties would have to reach a deal by Monday to prevent that from happening. At last check, there was a “significant gap” between the two sides, with the soon-to-be-37-year-old Beltre looking for a hefty three-year deal. Both parties have, however, shown interest in reaching a deal. On a separate note, Daniels also suggested it was unlikely the Rangers would make an outside addition to their roster before Opening Day. Here’s more from the AL West.

  • Athletics righty Jarrod Parker has now undergone surgery, as expected, to repair his ulnar collateral ligament and flexor tendon, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The procedure was described as successful, but the 27-year-old faces yet another lengthy and uncertain rehabilitation process after already working back from two prior Tommy John surgeries. This time, of course, it will be even less straightforward (though he didn’t require a new UCL), since he’s also suffered two fractures to the medial epicyndyle area that typically anchors the UCL. The Chronicle’s Susan Slusser takes a closer look at the medicine involved.
  • It isn’t official yet, but the Mariners’ Opening Day roster appears set, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune writes. Steve Clevenger appears likely to win the backup catcher job over Rob Brantly. Both are out of options, so one will need to go through waivers. Relievers Charlie Furbush (shoulder) and Evan Scribner (lat), meanwhile, seem likely to head to the 15-day DL. 1B/OF Efren Navarro, outfielder Daniel Robertson and pitchers Donn Roach and Blake Parker appear likely to head to Triple-A Tacoma, leaving the Mariners with a 25-man that would require extra 40-man space only for non-roster reliever Joel Peralta.

Brewers Sign Carlos Torres

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10:49am: The Brewers have announced that they’ve signed Torres to a one-year big-league deal. To make room on the 40-man roster, they’ve moved outfielder Rymer Liriano (face) to the 60-day DL. To clear active roster space, they optioned Cravy to Triple-A Colorado Springs and placed Knebel on the 15-day DL with an oblique strain. The move seemingly sets the Brewers’ bullpen with Torres, Jeffress, Blazek, Thornburg, Capuano, Boyer and Pena.

8:37am: Righty Carlos Torres is “expected to sign” with the Brewers, 1500ESPN’s Darren Wolfson tweets. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweeted yesterday that Torres was attracting plenty of interest and seemed likely to get a big-league deal.

Earlier this week, Torres opted out of his minor-league deal with the Braves. The 33-year-old is coming off three useful years with the Mets in which he posted a 3.59 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9, pitching mostly out of the bullpen but occasionally also making starts (although he did not start at all last season).

That kind of versatility could prove helpful to any number of teams, but particularly a team like the Brewers, who aren’t outstanding in either the rotation or the bullpen. The Brewers recently lost closer Will Smith to an LCL tear, and starter Matt Garza recently left a spring game with shoulder soreness (although Garza’s injury does not appear serious), so the flexibility someone like Torres could provide could turn out to be helpful. The Brewers’ bullpen currently features Jeremy Jeffress, Michael Blazek, Tyler Thornburg, Corey Knebel and veterans Chris Capuano and Blaine Boyer, along with either Tyler Cravy or Ariel Pena.

Alex Presley Will Not Make Brewers, Has 48-Hour Window To Be Added Elsewhere

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Alex Presley has been told he will not make the Brewers’ Opening Day roster, MLBTR has learned. There will now be a 48-hour period in which other teams can decide whether they want to add Presley to their active rosters, and if someone does, the Brewers must allow him to depart or assign him to their own active roster.

Presley hit well in Spring Training while competing for a Brewers outfield job as a non-roster invitee, batting .289/.396/.556 in 53 plate appearances, but the Brewers’ decision indicates that they prefer Keon Broxton and Kirk Nieuwenhuis, with whom he was competing for two available outfield jobs. Presley is a career .259/.299/.393 hitter in parts of six seasons with the Pirates, Twins and Astros. He played briefly for Houston last season, spending most of the year with Triple-A Fresno.

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