Blue Jays Acquire Chris Leroux From Phillies
4:20pm: Toronto announced that Leroux has been acquired from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations. The 6’6″ hurler will pitch for Triple-A Buffalo.
3:34pm: The Blue Jays have acquired Chris Leroux from the Phillies, a source tells MLBTR (Twitter link). It’s not yet clear who and/or what will be going from Toronto to Philly in the swap.
The deal marks a homecoming of sorts for Leroux, who is a Montreal native. Leroux, who turns 32 later this month, last pitched in the big leagues in 2014 when he appeared in two games for the Yankees. Over parts of six big league seasons with the Marlins, Pirates, and Yankees, the hurler has a 6.03 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. In his 22-game stint with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate in 2015, Leroux posted a stronger stat line as he pitched to a 3.26 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.
In other Blue Jays news, the team signed Franklin Morales to a one-year, $2MM non-guaranteed deal over the weekend. And, on Friday, Mark Polishuk delivered a must-read in-depth recap of the Blue Jays’ offseason.
White Sox To Sign Miguel Gonzalez
The White Sox have agreed to sign right-hander Miguel Gonzalez to a minor league deal, according to Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
Gonzalez was released by the Orioles late last week. The Orioles made the right-handed hurler a “competitive” offer to pitch in the minors, but he apparently felt that he had a better opportunity waiting for him in Chicago. Gonzalez also received interest from the Yankees, but it was the White Sox who made the strongest push for his services.
The 31-year-old has been a member of the Orioles’ starting five since his MLB debut in 2012. From 2012 through 2014, Gonzalez pitched to a strong 3.45 ERA with a so-so showing in K/9 (6.4) and BB/9 (2.9). However, he was unable to replicate those results in 2015 when he posted a 4.91 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. 144 2/3 innings. Whether Gonzalez was the beneficiary of good luck in his first three big league seasons or he just suffered a down year in ’15, he’ll look to get back to his old form in the White Sox organization.
Indians Designate Giovanni Soto, Zach Walters For Assignment
The Indians have designated Zach Walters and Giovanni Soto for assignment, as Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets.
Soto, a left-hander, appeared in six games for the Indians in 2015 but spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A Columbus. In 46 Triple-A appearances (including one start), Soto posted a 3.69 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9. The soon-to-be 25-year-old is not to be confused with veteran catcher Geovany Soto, who is currently with the Angels.
Walters, 26, has appeared in 42 games for the Tribe over the last two years and has 82 big league appearances to his credit. The left fielder/shortstop came to the Indians in a 2014 deadline deal involving Asdrubal Cabrera. After belting seven homers in the final weeks of the 2014 season, Walters’ power did not re-emerge at the major league level in 2015.
As the MLBTR DFA Tracker shows, Soto and Walters will now join a long list of players caught in the ten-day waiting period.
Padres Designate Josh Martin For Assignment
The Padres announced that they have designated right-handed pitcher Josh Martin for assignment. In a related move, San Diego has selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Adam Rosales. The Padres now have 39 players on the 40-man roster.
Martin, 26, first entered the league as a tenth-round pick of the Indians in the 2012 draft. Last year, Martin ascended to Double-A Akron and pitched to a 3.07 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. This year, he found his way to the Padres but could not stick on their Opening Day roster.
Rosales, 33 in May, inked a minor league deal with the Padres in January. He’ll make $800K in the majors, Dennis Lin of U-T San Diego tweets.
To keep up with Martin and many more players in DFA limbo, keep an eye on MLBTR’s handy DFA Tracker.
Reds Designate Jake Cave For Assignment
The Reds announced that they have designated Jake Cave for assignment, as John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Cave, 23, was waived days ago by Cincinnati but was not claimed by another team.
Cave was plucked from the Yankees’ roster in December’s Rule 5 draft but he did not make enough of an impression on Reds brass in recent weeks to warrant a roster spot. In 56 Spring Training plate appearances, Cave slashed .224/.309/.306. Meanwhile, in 132 Double-A and Triple-A games (mostly Double-A) last year, Cave drew attention with a .278/.339/.359 line.
In a December preview of the Rule 5 draft, MLBTR’s Brad Johnson highlighted Cave’s ability to play all three outfield positions and his plate discipline. However, injuries prevented the lefty from fulfilling his potential and he now profiles as a fourth outfield type.
Rays To Release James Loney
The Rays will release first baseman James Loney, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. In late March, the Rays informed Loney that he would not be making the Opening Day roster, so his release was widely expected. The Rays are still on the hook for the $8MM that they owe the veteran for the 2016 season and they ostensibly could not find a trade partner willing to take on a portion of that money.
Injuries slowed Loney down in 2015 and limited him to a 104-game season. In 388 plate appearances, Loney slashed just .280/.322/.357 and posted his lowest OPS since 2012. Over the years, Loney has picked up a reputation for solid defensive play at first base, but the advanced numbers show that he has declined in that area recently. In 2015, he had a -5.4 UZR/150 and his 2014 UZR/150 of -1.8 was also poor. And, while Loney has multiple double-digit home run seasons on his resume, he doesn’t offer much in the way of power.
According to Baseball Reference, Loney has earned nearly $27MM in salary over the course of his big league career. His next deal probably won’t be the most lucrative contract of his career, but he’s also not hurting for cash. Prior to signing a three-year, $21MM deal with the Rays prior to the 2014 season, Loney spent six-and-a-half years with the Dodgers and had a short stint with the Red Sox.
Angels Sign Neal Cotts
The Angels announced that they have signed Neal Cotts to a minor league deal, as Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com tweets. The left-handed reliever was released by the Astros a little over a week ago.
The 36-year-old inked a minor league deal with Houston in February that would have paid him $1.5MM if he made the team’s big league roster. Cotts began the 2015 season with the Brewers before an August trade sent him to the Twins. Between the two clubs, the veteran posted a 3.41 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 63 1/3 innings. Over the course of ten big league seasons, Cotts owns a 3.96 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9. The Pro Star Management client held left-handed batters to a .186/.243/.330 slash last year and struggled against right-handers.
Nationals Release Reed Johnson
The Nationals have released outfielder Reed Johnson, as Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com tweets. The Nats also cut Sean Burnett on Sunday morning, though Burnett had already decided to opt-out of his deal.
Johnson, 39, inked a minor league deal with the Nats in November. The Wasserman Media Group client missed most of the 2015 season with a calf injury and was hoping to show the Nationals what he can do when healthy in 2016. Unfortunately, he was not able to break camp this time around and likely did not want to join the team’s Triple-A affiliate. Johnson owns a career .310/.363/.464 slash line against left-handers and could be a quality outfield depth option for another team.
Mariners Designate Rob Brantly For Assignment
The Mariners announced that they have designated catcher Rob Brantly for assignment.
Brantly, 26 (27 in July), was claimed off of waivers from the White Sox roughly three weeks ago. In Seattle, Brantly was given an opportunity to vie for the backup catcher job, but the team has ostensibly decided to go with Steve Clevenger as the primary understudy to to back up Chris Iannetta. In parts of three big league seasons (392 plate appearances), Brantly has posted a .225/.286/.317 batting line. In a larger sample size of 753 Triple-A plate appearances, Brantly has slashed .261/.295/.355.
Nationals Release Sean Burnett
SUNDAY: The Nationals have released Burnett, according to James Wagner of the Washington Post (on Twitter).
FRIDAY: Southpaw Sean Burnett didn’t make the Nationals’ roster in his attempt at a comeback, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports on Twitter. Burnett is set to exercise his opt-out clause at midnight tonight, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets, with agent Jim Munsey confirming that intention to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
Washington would surely like to keep Burnett on hand for depth, but the opt-out opportunity is hard to turn down with plenty of other clubs in need of southpaw pen pieces. Indeed, a major league opportunity seems reasonably likely; the Orioles have already been reported to have interest.
Now 33, Burnett was last a significant MLB contributor to the breakout Nats’ club of 2012. He has battled significant shoulder issues since, and hasn’t shown his former velocity levels. But he emerged in camp with 8 2/3 scoreless frames over which he permitted just six hits and one walk while retiring seven opposing hitters by strikeout.
The veteran lefty originally went to D.C. in the deal that sent Joel Hanrahan to the Pirates (and also included a swap of outfielders Nyjer Morgan and Lastings Milledge). He ultimately contributed 201 2/3 innings of 2.81 ERA ball, with 7.7 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9, over three-and-a-half seasons with the Nats. He left for the Angels via free agency, but managed only 10 1/3 innings over two seasons due to injury and sat out all of 2015.