Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league — all courtesy of Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless otherwise noted…
- The Yankees re-signed infielder Gio Urshela to a minor league contract. The 27-year-old was traded from the Jays to the Yankees in early August and never appeared with New York in the Majors. Urshela is regarded as a quality defender at third base but has yet to deliver much in the way of offense at the big league level. In parts of three seasons with Toronto and Cleveland, he’s a .225/.274/.315 hitter (499 plate appearances). He’s a lifetime .274/.315/.411 hitter in Triple-A, however, and will give the Yanks some defensive-minded depth at the hot corner.
- Former No. 2 overall pick Danny Hultzen has re-signed with the Cubs on a minor league pact. The left-hander spent the 2018 season in the Cubs organization but threw fewer than 10 innings in the minors as he worked back from major shoulder injuries that have utterly derailed what once looked to be a promising career. Hultzen will turn 29 later this month and has never thrown a pitch in a Major League game but will continue his latest comeback attempt and aim to break that barrier in the 2019 campaign. Those interested in learning more about the former Virginia standout are recommended to check out Hultzen’s interview with the Washington Post’s Dillon Mullan from Aug. 2017.
- Right-handed reliever Evan Marshall has latched on with the White Sox on a minors deal. The 28-year-old has worked his way back from a near-fatal blow to the head from a comebacker line drive while pitching for the D-backs’ Triple-A club several years ago and has had brief MLB stints with the Mariners and Indians in each of the past two seasons. Marshall is still trying to rediscover the form he showed as a 24-year-old rookie in 2014, when he pitched to a 2.74 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 through 49 1/3 innings in Arizona. He did post a ridiculous 1.08 ERA with a 23-to-3 K/BB ratio in 24 minor league frames with the Indians last year, but he was tagged for six runs in seven MLB innings.
- The Mariners re-signed righty Ryan Garton to a minor league contract. The 28-year-old racked up 61 1/3 big league innings between the Rays and Mariners in 2016-17 but didn’t crack the big leagues with Seattle in 2018. He turned in a 3.16 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings for Triple-A Tacoma but also issued a hefty 24 walks (5.1 BB/9) in that time as well.
The list of players drafted after Hultzen in that draft is staggering: Lindor, Javy Baez, Bauer, Springer, Rendon, Bundy, Bradley, Story, Snell, Jose Fernandez (RIP), JBJ, etc…
That’s insane
Seattle (at the time) would’ve found a way to screw any of those players up.
Not that strange actually. I mean if you look at a list of every player drafted after #2 in ANY draft, the list would be equally staggering.
I am depressed.
RIP Jack Z! How about Bill Bavasi’s blunder in 2005? Picked a Catcher Jeff Clement at 3rd overall. Drafted after Clement- Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Ricky Romero, Tulowitzki, McCutcheon, Jay Bruce, Jacoby Ellsbury. Other than Arod and the Kid I can’t recall a Mariners first round pick truly succeeding for the Ms
Come on – tell me about Kris Bryant getting traded!!
Shame that there’s probably no chance of an intra-division trade.
No one said it had to be in the division…
Yeah, but as a fan of an NL Central team, it’s a shame that there’s probably no chance of an intra-division trade.
I would think that as a fan of an NL Central team you would prefer he leave the division rather than take the 25% chance he gets traded to your team instead of the 75% chance he gets traded to a different division rival.
Sure, the Cubs signed Danny Hultzen in order to dump Kris Bryant.
Insert Home Alone face here?!?!
Urshela has an amazing glove if he could find consitant play time he could turn into a plus defender with decent hitting to go with it.
This sight been slacking
Cubs listening to offers for Bryant
Was expecting 400 comments by now
Better get this sight some glasses
Better git this site’s commenters sum spelin lessins.
Considering Theo’s exact words when asked about Bryant and Rizzo were “We’ve never operated with untouchables, It sends the wrong message. Given what we’re trying to accomplish, it would be virtually impossible to envision the deal that would make sense to move them. I just don’t believe in untouchables. Why limit yourself?” it’s basically a non-story
Exactly, but it is fun to watch the trolls fall for it.
Sorry this thought process is not of this site it’s most of the newer/younger Successful GM’s point of view,just fact.Please pay attention to the league before you slobber all over yourself
You people amaze me. All Theo said was they’d listen to offers on anyone, that no one is truly untouchable.
You guys are click bait targets, if I’ve ever seen them.
The Yankees are filling up their 40 man with position players that will be needed for about 60 games. Infielders and catchers. But who is going to pitch? How about Cory Cluber?
He can be had but for the cost of mid range minor leaguer Andy a salary dump. Really?
You bet! The Yankees have some middle type prospect or a PTBNL and the taking of
Jason Kipnis 17 plus million for the next two years salary ( 14 plus next years 2.5 million buy out) If you add in Cluber’s 17.5 for this year and 17.5 for next. The total comes out to be about 51 million adding the next year 18.5 and basically you have Cluber for about 23.3 million which is about what a top tier pitcher is going for for three years!
And by the way if he goes bad in the late in the second year thee is a team buy out option of several millions, so what are the Yankees waiting on? The PTBNL?
Ok, so first off, the Indians may be trying to trade Kluber, but they’re not so desperate to shed salary that they’re going to give away their best player to do it. It’s a rebuild, not a garage sale.
Second, with Patrick Corbin being the top FA pitcher, Kluber would *easily* be the top pitcher available if the Indians go down this road. Nearly every contender and team looking to contend within 3 years will make an offer. And I’d be willing to bet that every last offer will be better than, “We’ll give you a prospect we won’t miss and save you some money.”
Third, your last paragraph assumes the holdup is on the Yankees’ side. They’re not waiting on the PTBNL in your scenario; they’re waiting for the entire Indians’ FO to take a massive amount of hallucinogens.
And finally, is it really so hard to look up Corey Kluber’s name?
Darn , rotten spell checker!
Sher, blaim it on th spel chkker.
Maybe, If the Yankees still do not want to carry all of Kipnis’s salary’, maybe they could ship him off to Colorado with Sony Gray. Maybe a Gray for Grey trade and some type of salary pick up by the Yankees on Kipnis, can get the deal done. So acquiring Cluber, Grey and getting rid of Kipnis and Gray. The Yankees may have some cash positive in the deal, but now they will have two starting pitchers for about 25.5 m plus or minus the Kipnis cash, oh and less one PTBNL!
It would cost you a LOT more than the Kipnis contract and a PTBNL to get Kluber. Cleveland will not give him away, Take of your Yankee fan glasses..