Minor MLB Transactions: 12/11/19

There’s been no shortage of front page news this evening, but with the winter meetings not yet halfway through, there’s plenty more to come. For now, let’s take a look at some of the smaller moves that may have snuck beneath the radar…

• The Pirates signed reliever Hector Noesi to a minor-league contract, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Noesi, 33 by Opening Day, saw his first major league action since 2015 this season with the Marlins. He appeared in 12 games, starting 4, recording a 8.46 ERA/6.39 FIP over that span. The right-hander doesn’t figure to be a primary player for the Pirates, though he certainly brings a fair amount of experience having appeared in the show with the Marlins, White Sox, Rangers, Mariners, and Yankees since his debut in 2011. He performed below replacement level in four of his six major league seasons, with the high water mark coming in 2014 when he made 27 starts for the White Sox. He made very brief appearance with the Rangers and Mariners that year, but it was in Chicago where he spent the brunt of his time, registering a 4.39 ERA/4.85 FIP across 166 innings on the south side.
• The Braves have brought back outfielder Rafael Ortega on a minor-league contract, tweets Baseball America’s Gabe Burns. Ortega formerly spent time with the Rockies, Angels, and Marlins. He received some prominent playing time opportunities for the NL East Division champs down the stretch in 2019. The 28-year-old appeared in 34 games, while stepping up to the plate just 96 times, hitting .205/.271/307 in those limited opportunities. Ortega represents a depth option for Atlanta, who could still be in the market for a big bat in the outfield, should they be unable to bring back Josh Donaldson. For now, Ortega falls behind Ronald Acuna Jr., Nick Markakis, Ender Inciarte, and Adam Duvall on the depth chart, while Johan Camargo and Austin Riley could also see time in the outfield corners.