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Yankees Outright Esmil Rogers

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MONDAY: Rogers has accepted his assignment, Feinsand tweets.

FRIDAY: The Yankees have outrighted righty Esmil Rogers, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweets. Rogers has not yet decided whether to accept the assignment, Marly Rivera of ESPN Deportes tweets.

Rogers pitched today and allowed four runs, only one of them earned, in two innings. The seeds of his outright had likely already been planted, however. For the season, Rogers has a 6.27 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9, also allowing five home runs in 31 innings out of the Yankees’ bullpen. In parts of seven seasons (in which he’s also pitched for the Rockies, Indians and Blue Jays), Rogers now has a 5.60 career ERA, and he’s now 29. His good fastball and ability to start (he made 20 starts with Toronto in 2013) will likely continue to earn him chances, however.

Blue Jays Have Inquired About Tyler Clippard

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The Blue Jays have asked the Athletics about the possibility of trading for reliever Tyler Clippard, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. The Blue Jays are seeking upgrades for both their rotation and their bullpen, Crasnick reports. Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote yesterday that Clippard might become a target for the Blue Jays, who were also interested in Clippard last offseason.

The Jays have gotten good results this year from Roberto Osuna, Liam Hendriks, Steve Delabar and current closer Brett Cecil, but their bullpen has been an area of concern throughout the season, and they’ve recently also had trade discussions with the Phillies regarding Jonathan Papelbon.

The 30-year-old Clippard would be a somewhat lower-wattage addition, but he’s in the midst of an effective season, with a 3.20 ERA and 7.8 K/9. His walk rate is elevated at 4.6 BB/9, however, and he’s allowed fly balls at an alarming 64.9% rate that’s somewhat atypical, even though he’s never been a ground-ball pitcher. He’s saved nine games in his first extended stint as a closer since 2012, when he saved 32 games for the Nationals. He’s making $8.3MM in his last year before free agency.

Diamondbacks Designate J.C. Ramirez

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The Diamondbacks have announced that they’ve designated righty J.C. Ramirez for assignment. The move clears space on the D-backs’ active roster for Saturday starter Allen Webster.

The 26-year-old Ramirez had pitched 15 1/3 innings out of Arizona’s bullpen this season, posting a 4.11 ERA and a terrific 62.5% ground-ball rate while striking out 11 batters and walking four. Given that he was reasonably effective while regularly throwing in the mid-90s, it’s not impossible other teams could consider claiming him, even though he was a minor league signee last winter.

Ramirez spent all of 2014 pitching in the Indians’ system, and his only other big-league experience before this year came with the 2013 Phillies. He is perhaps best known for being one of three players (along with Tyson Gillies and Phillippe Aumont) the Mariners sent the Phillies for Cliff Lee in 2009.

Mets Claim Kirk Nieuwenhuis

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The Mets have re-claimed outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin tweets. The team has announced that it has moved reliever Jerry Blevins (forearm) to the 60-day disabled list to clear space on its 40-man roster.

The Mets designated Nieuwenhuis for assignment last month, then traded him to the Angels for cash. The Angels then designated him for assignment last week after 24 plate appearances for the club. Overall, Nieuwenhuis has posted a dismal .100/.156/.167 line in 64 plate appearances between the two teams this season. In the past, though, the left-handed hitter has been modestly productive, with a good eye and moderate power, and he posted a .259/.342/.482 line in 130 plate appearances last year. Nieuwenhuis can also play all three outfield positions, so he can be a useful player if he regains his stroke.

He is, however, out of options. Rubin thinks (again via Twitter) that the Mets might try to pass Nieuwenhuis through waivers again, as they’ll soon have to open spots for Dillon Gee (bereavement list), Ruben Tejada (paternity list) and Daniel Murphy (disabled list).

Mariners Designate Rickie Weeks For Assignment

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The Mariners have designated Rickie Weeks for assignment, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets. The move clears space for the Mariners to recall reliever Danny Farquhar, who will provide help for a Mariners bullpen that had to pitch 7 2/3 innings in a blowout against the Astros yesterday.

The Mariners signed Weeks to a one-year, $2MM deal in the offseason, and he was a disappointment, hitting .167/.263/.250 with just three recorded line drives (according to Fangraphs’ batted-ball data) in 95 plate appearances with the club. The 32-year-old Weeks had rebounded from a poor 2013 season to have a quality 2014 in a part-time role in his final season in Milwaukee, but that success obviously didn’t continue this year as a right-handed bench bat with the Mariners. Weeks also struggled defensively at second base in his last few seasons with the Brewers, and the Mariners used him exclusively in left field, where his bat played even worse than it would have at second. The result was that Weeks posted -0.7 fWAR in his brief time in Seattle.

Weeks isn’t far removed from some effective seasons with the Brewers, and he’s a career .260/.382/.445 hitter against lefties, so he’ll probably eventually make it back to the big leagues. His salary will likely be an obstacle to any team claiming him right now, however.

Blue Jays To Sign Jon Harris

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The Blue Jays have agreed to terms with first-round draft pick Jon Harris, Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi tweets. Harris still needs to take a physical, but the deal could become final tomorrow. Harris will receive the recommended bonus pool allotment for the pick, which is $1,944,800.

Harris, a righty from Missouri State, was the No. 29 overall selection in the draft. The Jays forfeited their regular first-round pick when they signed Russell Martin, but they received the No. 29 selection as compensation for the departure off Melky Cabrera. The Jays are drafting Harris for the second time, having also selected him in the 33rd round out of high school in 2012.

MLB.com notes that Harris throws in the 92-94 MPH and that there might be some potential for him to throw a bit harder as he matures. His slider, curveball and changeup are also potentially good pitches. Baseball America (subscription required) ranks Harris the No. 25 prospect in the draft, noting that control isn’t always his strong suit but offering praise for all four of his pitches and for his ability to work deep into games.

Central Notes: Lindor, Price, Cubs, Lynn

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If the Super Two threshold was ever a factor keeping top Indians prospect Francisco Lindor out of the big leagues, it does not seem to be anymore, Zack Meisel of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. The threshold has likely passed, and teams have promoted top prospects like Carlos Correa and Joey Gallo in recent weeks, but Lindor remains with Triple-A Columbus. Lindor is hitting .279/.346/.398, including .400/.429/.600 in June. The Indians, meanwhile, have undergone upheaval at the shortstop position, with Mike Aviles replacing the struggling Jose Ramirez. Here are more quick notes from the Central divisions.

  • David Price and the Cubs will be great fits for one another when Price becomes a free agent next winter, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago writes. Price’s former manager Joe Maddon is now in Chicago, and Price says he finds a young team like the Cubs appealing. “They have a lot of guys they can control for a long time,” he says. “It’s very similar to when I first came up in Tampa. Just a bunch of young guys out there having fun. That’s what it’s about. You have to be able to have fun. I don’t want to win and not have fun.”
  • Cardinals starter Lance Lynn has headed to the disabled list with a forearm strain, and the team has promoted Tyler Lyons to take his place, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. GM John Mozeliak says Lynn should be able to return after the minimum 15 days, as Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. “A little forearm strain, as it looks right now, should be a normal 15 days and make sure we get everything calmed down — make sure it’s not something that flares up as the year goes on and I don’t try to pitch through something and make it worse,” Lynn says. Lynn’s injury is, however, another blow to a franchise that also has Adam Wainwright, Matt Adams, Matt Holliday and Jordan Walden on the disabled list.

Braves Outright Yean Carlos Gil

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The Braves have outrighted lefty Yean Carlos Gil to Class A+ Carolina, according to their transactions page. The Braves currently have 37 players on their 40-man roster, so they don’t appear to have made this move to clear a spot for another player.

The 24-year-old Gil’s development had been slowed by Tommy John surgery in 2012, but he earned a spot on the Braves’ 40-man roster after a strong season in the Class A Rome rotation in 2014. He has struggled this year, however, with a 6.84 ERA, 6.5 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 11 starts. His peripheral numbers after being promoted to Carolina have been relatively similar to those he posted in 2014, albeit with a slight increase in walks, so perhaps he can rebound somewhat as the season continues. He does not currently rank in MLB.com’s list of the Braves’ top 30 prospects.

Week In Review: 6/6/15 – 6/12/15

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Here’s a look back at this week at MLBTR.

Key Moves

  • The 2015 MLB Draft took place Monday through Wednesday. The Diamondbacks selected Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson first overall, and here is a listing of all the picks in the first round. A number of top picks have already signed or agreed to terms, including pitcher Dillon Tate (Rangers – link), catcher Tyler Stephenson (Reds – link) and outfielder Nick Plummer (Cardinals – link).
  • The Astros promoted top prospect Carlos Correa.
  • The Cubs signed reliever Rafael Soriano to a minor league deal.

Signed / Agreed To Terms

Trades

Top Prospect Promotions

Designated For Assignment

Outrighted

Released

Retired

Key Minor League Signings

California Notes: Dipoto, Ethier, Giants

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Months ago, the Angels exercised their 2016 option on GM Jerry Dipoto’s contract, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. That news had not been reported until now. The option is the last one on Dipoto’s original contract, a three-year deal that included two options. That the organization has not extended Dipoto to this point might or might not be notable. The Angels have not always quite lived up to lofty expectations in the last few seasons, and Dipoto’s tenure has been shaped in part by an unfortunate contract and ugly dispute with Josh Hamilton (which, to be fair, were both at least partially the fault of owner Arte Moreno), but the team is coming off a 98-win 2014 campaign. Here are more notes from the West Coast.

  • Outfielder Andre Ethier has reestablished himself this year after a winter in which the Dodgers couldn’t trade him, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register writes. “I don’t think anybody wanted me either,” says Ethier. “It takes two to tango like in a lot of things. … At the same time, maybe they knew what they were doing. Maybe the reason it didn’t happen was because they were asking more than other teams were willing to give.” Now, Ethier is in the midst of a resurgent .287/.369/.506 season, and Plunkett points out that, as the dollars remaining on Ethier’s contract continue to shrink (he’s currently owed about $49MM more through 2017, including a buyout for 2018), it might become a lot easier for the Dodgers to trade him than it was last winter.
  • Giants executives Brian Sabean and Lee Elder were on hand to watch today’s Reds/Cubs game in Chicago, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal writes (all Twitter links). As Rosenthal points out, the natural conclusion is that Sabean and Elder were in town to watch Reds starter Johnny Cueto — Cueto will be a sought-after trade target this summer, and the Giants need rotation help. It could be, though, that the pair were at Wrigley for other reasons.
  • Giants outfielder Hunter Pence is headed to the disabled list with wrist tendinitis, as Rosenthal tweets. Pence has not played since June 2, so he should be able to return within a week if he’s ready. To take Pence’s place on the active roster, the Giants selected the contract of righty Mike Broadway today after promoting an outfielder, Jarrett Parker, earlier this week.

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