The latest in minor moves from around the game…
- Veteran catcher Chris Stewart has opted out of his deal with the Padres, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports. The 12-year MLB vet, a reliable backup for the Giants, Yankees and Pirates, among others, since his debut all the way back in 2006, will again look to provide defensive stability for a club in the stretch run. Stewart’s never hit much, with a career line of .230/.297/.291, but does flash occasional on-base ability and unexpected pop against quality lefties. In 73 plate appearances for Triple-A El Paso this season, Stewart slashed .277/.333/.354 with a lone homer. He led all MLB catchers in 2011 with 21 defensive runs saved in a mere 460 innings behind the dish.
- Righty Jeanmar Gomez has been placed on unconditional release waivers by the Rangers, per the club. The 31-year-old was designated for assignment by the club last week. Gomez was a capable performer for the Pirates and Phillies from 2013-16, but has fallen on hard times in recent seasons. He’s had particular difficulty with stranding runners – a 55.2% LOB mark in ’19 spelled his end in Texas, the latest in a disturbing trend that began in the 2016 season, when his grounder-heavy excellence began slowly to erode.
Glad Jeanmar is gone! Odor needs to be next with a minors reset…..
Stewart was throwing out 70% of would be base stealers in AAA with an RF well over 9. The bat wasn’t great by PCL standards, but it works. He should get a minors deal in short order. I’d peg St. Louis as a reasonable landing spot based on a familiarity with the NL Central
As for Gomez, he lost velocity for the second straight season, and while the peripherals suggest that his 8.22 ERA wasn’t necessarily accurate, they were still rather lackluster. He handled lefties well, but there was a total of 16 of them that he faced, so let’s be real, it doesn’t mean anything. I’d guess he gets another offer elsewhere, but probably won’t sniff the bigs again this season.
The giants will sign Chris Stewart
Stewart is the third AAA veteran to recently ask for their release from the Padres (joining Carlos Torres and Solis). 3 guys who would be better than players currently playing in San Diego. If they’re going for a wild card, they should have played the vets; if they’re still in a rebuild, they should release Kinsler and get whatever they can for Myers and go with options who might have a usable future.