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Minor MLB Transactions: White Sox, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Mariners

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.

  • The White Sox have announced that they’ve placed righty Reynaldo Lopez on the 10-day DL with a strained back. To take his place on the active roster, they’ve selected the contract of veteran righty Danny Farquhar. The extent of Lopez’s injury is unclear, although he left Thursday’s game with soreness in his ribcage, as MLB.com’s Scott Merkin notes. Farquhar pitched 35 innings in Tampa Bay’s bullpen earlier this season, posting a 4.11 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9 before being released.
  • The Blue Jays have announced that they’ve selected the contract of lefty T.J. House, optioning lefty Tim Mayza to Triple-A Buffalo to clear space. The 27-year-old House had pitched 130 2/3 innings in Buffalo’s rotation, posting a 4.27 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9, though he’s expected to pitch in relief in this stint in the big leagues. He appeared in the Majors with Cleveland each of the last three seasons, making 18 big-league starts in 2014.
  • The Jays also announced that they outrighted catcher Mike Ohlman to Buffalo. Ohlman was pressed into duty after a series of injuries to Jays catchers (including Russell Martin, Miguel Montero and Luke Maile) but was designated for assignment when Montero returned last week. The 26-year-old Ohlman collected 13 plate appearances with the Jays this year.
  • The Cardinals have announced that they’ve selected the contract of righty Josh Lucas, optioning fellow righty Mike Mayers (who allowed five runs against Pittsburgh yesterday) to Triple-A Memphis to clear space. The 26-year-old Lucas is a former 21st-round pick and took a slow path through the minors, but he’s generally fared well since converting to relief in 2014, and this year he’s posted a 3.34 ERA, 10.3 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 56 2/3 innings with Memphis.
  • The Mariners have signed lefty Ashur Tolliver to a minor-league deal, according to an announcement from the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, to whom he’s been assigned. This will be Tolliver’s second stint with the Travelers — he briefly pitched for them last season, when they were an Angels affiliate. The Astros released Tolliver last week after he posted a 7.13 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and an alarming 8.4 BB/9 in 35 1/3 innings of relief with Triple-A Fresno. The 29-year-old has pitched brief big-league stints for Baltimore and Houston the past two seasons.
  • The Phillies have announced that they’ve outrighted righty Pedro Beato to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. They designated Beato for assignment when they selected Pedro Florimon’s contract last week. Beato pitched just once for the Phillies before heading to the DL with a hamstring strain. He’s posted a 3.65 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 49 1/3 innings in Lehigh Valley’s bullpen this year.
  • The Athletics have outrighted righty Zach Neal, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The A’s designated Neal on Wednesday when they added lefty Sam Moll to their roster. The 28-year-old Neal struggled in 14 2/3 innings with the big club, posting a 7.98 ERA and five home runs allowed, albeit with ten strikeouts and just one walk. He has pitched 74 innings this year for Triple-A Nashville (including making 12 starts), with a 4.99 ERA and just 4.3 K/9, although with a very good 1.0 BB/9.

Dodgers To Option Joc Pederson

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In the wake of yesterday’s acquisition of Curtis Granderson, the Dodgers appear set to demote fellow outfielder Joc Pederson. There hasn’t been any official confirmation of the move, but various beat writers noted earlier today that Pederson’s locker was empty, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has seemingly confirmed the decision, telling reporters (including the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett on Twitter) that a stint in the minors will give Pederson an opportunity to “reset” while he works on changes to his swing.

As our own Jeff Todd noted yesterday, the Dodgers’ acquisition of Granderson gave them a wealth of outfield options, also including Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor, Enrique Hernandez and Cody Bellinger. Bellinger in particular bats lefty, as Pederson does, and figures to take some playing time in the outfield with Adrian Gonzalez returning from the DL.

The 25-year-old Pederson has been a fixture in the Dodgers’ outfield for the past three seasons and looked to be emerging as a core player after a strong 2016, but he has struggled badly of late, hitting a mere .127/.250/.309 in the past month and batting just 2-for-25 over the last two weeks. He’s also dealt with concussion issues and a groin injury this season. He has not played in the minors, other than in rehab assignments, since the Dodgers selected his contract in 2014. Notably, Pederson entered the season with two years and 28 days of service time, so there’s some chance his demotion could result in the Dodgers being awarded an extra year of control before he reaches free agency. It seems likely, however, that they’ll recall him when rosters expand in September, which would keep Pederson on track to become eligible for free agency following the 2020 season.

NL Notes: Phillies, Rockies, Cardinals, Price

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Phillies righty Zach Eflin left yesterday’s game with shoulder discomfort, and while there’s no indication yet that the injury is serious, it continues a pattern for Phillies starters that’s likely to lead to the team pursuing rotation help this winter, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes. The ten starters the Phillies have used this year include two pitchers who are now injured (Clay Buchholz and Vince Velasquez); Jeremy Hellickson, who’s now with Baltimore; and several younger pitchers who haven’t yet laid clear claim to more permanent spots. Their 2018 rotation now includes only two locks, Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff. That means they’re likely to pursue veteran starting pitching help this winter. A high-profile free agent like Yu Darvish seems unlikely, but the team could pursue any number of lower-tier options on the free agent and trade markets. Here’s more from the National League.

  • The Rockies have announced that they’ve optioned righty Jeff Hoffman and third baseman Ryan McMahon to Triple-A Albuquerque. Taking their places on the active roster are righty Scott Oberg and outfielder Mike Tauchman. The Rockies say they’re optioning Hoffman in order to give him a bit of rest, as MLB.com’s Max Gelman notes. Hoffman has struggled in the second half, with a 7.13 ERA and just 5.9 K/9, and his velocity has been inconsistent of late. “That’s a sign to us. ’Hey, is your arm fine?’” says pitching coach Steve Foster. “’Yeah, I feel great. I’m healthy.’ OK, well then let’s give you a little break.”
  • In the 2015-16 offseason, the Cardinals thought they were going to land David Price, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes. The Cards had reportedly offered Price $180MM, and they were located relatively near the Nashville area, where Price grew up. “We felt there were some synergies in his being a Cardinal — his Nashville roots, [and] he had made it fairly public that we were a team of interest,” says Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.” The Red Sox increased their offer to $217MM, and Price also says he liked the Red Sox’ young talent as compared to the Cardinals’. Price headed to Boston, and the Cards signed Mike Leake at a considerably lower price. As it turns out, the Cardinals’ miss on Price (who is currently on the DL with elbow trouble) turned out fairly well for them. “When I look at our organization, our pitching depth today is much stronger than it was in ’15,” says Mozeliak. “Those are always difficult negotiations and tough decisions that you do agonize over, trying to decide what’s best because of the long-term ramifications of what it could mean to your franchise. It could be quite punitive if it doesn’t work out.”

Cubs Claim Rene Rivera From Mets

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The Cubs have claimed catcher Rene Rivera off waivers from the Mets, the teams have announced. To clear space for Rivera on their roster, the Cubs have designated righty Aaron Brooks for assignment.

Rivera is the latest veteran to leave the Mets this month, following the trades of Jay Bruce, Neil Walker and Curtis Granderson. The 34-year-old Rivera has hit a modest .230/.278/.391 in 187 plate appearances this season and has never been an outstanding hitter, with a career .215/.266/.340 line in parts of nine big-league seasons with the Mariners, Twins, Padres and Rays in addition to the Mets. He has, however, long rated as a strong defender and framer, two skills the Cubs surely value. (The Cubs had, in fact, been connected to Rivera before they acquired Alex Avila last month.) With Willson Contreras on the DL with a hamstring strain, Rivera will presumably back up Avila. He is making $1.75MM this season and is eligible for free agency at season’s end.

The 27-year-old Brooks arrived from the Athletics organization prior to the 2016 season and initially looked like he would provide good starting pitching depth, but he missed most of that season with a hip issue and hasn’t been the same since, posting a 6.20 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and 27 home runs allowed in 138 innings this season with Triple-A Iowa. He pitched for the Royals and A’s in 2015 but has not appeared in the big leagues since.

5 Key Stories: Brewers Nab Walker, Dodgers Get Granderson

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Here are five top stories from throughout the week here at MLBTR.

"<strongBrewers acquire Neil Walker. The Brewers made a significant move to upgrade their infield, acquiring second baseman Neil Walker from the Mets (plus a bit of salary relief) for a player to be named later. Walker had previously cleared waivers, meaning the Mets were able to trade him to any team. The 31-year-old is batting 7-for-15 with a home run in his first four games with Milwaukee.

Dodgers acquire Curtis Granderson. The Mets had already moved Walker and Jay Bruce this month when they struck another deal Friday, sending Curtis Granderson to Los Angeles for cash or a player to be named. Granderson, who’s batting .228/.334/.481 with 19 homers this season, will join a Dodgers team that also includes fellow recent additions Yu Darvish, Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani. It remains to be seen how the Dodgers will use Granderson, as the team is currently loaded with potential outfield options.

Jered Weaver retires. Veteran righty and longtime Angel Jered Weaver hung up his spikes this week after a frustrating season with the Padres in which he struggled with hip troubles and made just nine starts. “While I’ve been working hard to get back on the mound, my body just will not allow me to compete like I want to,” Weaver said. Weaver finishes with a 3.63 ERA, 1,621 strikeouts and 150 wins in just over 2,000 career innings.

Astros acquire Tyler Clippard. The Astros acquired veteran righty Tyler Clippard from the White Sox for cash this week. It’s the second change of teams for Clippard in 2017, as he’d previously headed from the Yankees to the White Sox in the David Robertson / Todd Frazier / Tommy Kahnle trade. The Astros are also in the market for a starter and have discussed a deal for Justin Verlander, although those talks don’t currently seem to be active, and the team has downplayed the possibility that the team will make another big move before the end of the month.

White Sox extend Kenny Williams, Rick Hahn. This week it emerged that the White Sox extended the contracts of executive vice president Kenny Williams and GM Rick Hahn earlier this summer. The White Sox currently sit at 46-73 and in last place in the AL Central, but their front office has earned praise for a series of trades that has given the organization one of the game’s best minor-league systems.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

8 Candidates To Be Acquired Via Waiver Claim

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Following the July non-waiver trade deadline, revocable waivers present obstacles for teams wishing to trade players on their 40-man rosters. If a player clears waivers, his team can trade him anywhere. If he’s claimed on waivers, though, the player’s team can only trade him to the team that claims him.

Occasionally, though, when a player is claimed, his team will simply allow him to depart, in which case the player (and his contract) will head to the new team. Such moves are somewhat rare, perhaps for obvious reasons — the player must be good enough, and his salary favorable enough, for the new team to take on the contract, but he must not be a valuable enough asset for his old team to keep him or seek something in return. There has been one such move already this August — the Pirates claimed reliever George Kontos from the Giants, and the Giants simply let Kontos (and the remainder of his $1.75MM 2017 salary) depart. Higher-profile players also occasionally change teams in this manner. For example, Manny Ramirez went from the Dodgers to the White Sox via a waiver claim in August 2010, with the White Sox taking on $3.8MM in salary.

Here, we’ll speculate on players who could meet similar fates at some point this month. Before we begin, some caveats. First, these sorts of moves are hard to predict. If we’d written this list two weeks ago, for example, Kontos (who’s productive, has a reasonable salary, and is eligible for arbitration for two more seasons after this one) probably wouldn’t have been on it. Second, not all waiver activities make it into published reports, and it’s possible some of the players below have gone through the process already this month. Third, there are occasionally August trades that effectively function as waiver claims, in which a team claims a player, then pays only a nominal return for him. Such transactions officially are trades, but are very much like pure revocable waiver claims. The Pirates’ acquisition of Sean Rodriguez from the Braves earlier this month was one example.

With that in mind, here are a few players who could conceivably head from one team to another this month via a revocable waiver claim.

Rajai Davis and Santiago Casilla, Athletics. The 36-year-old Davis makes $6MM, is a free agent at the end of the season, and has not hit well this year, with a .236/.294/.358 line thus far. The Athletics might prefer to be rid of his salary, particularly since his departure would open opportunities for prospect Boog Powell. At the same time, a contender might value Davis’ experience and basestealing ability enough to claim him. Casilla would be a somewhat trickier proposition, since he’s owed about $6MM total through 2018 and is having a decent season (though he has hardly been flawless, as we saw last night). But the Athletics might decide to go in a different direction and shed salary, particularly since Casilla is 37. He could also potentially clear waivers, if he hasn’t already.

Carlos Gomez and Andrew Cashner, Rangers. Gomez’s comeback has continued this season, with 15 homers and a .251/.339/.455 line, but he’s making $11.5MM this year and is a free agent in the fall. Cashner also has a relatively hefty salary, at $10MM, and is also an impending free agent. It’s unclear how teams might value him, since his 3.32 ERA this season doesn’t match his poor 4.7 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9, but he did reportedly attract interest at the trade deadline.

Drew Storen, Reds. Storen is a former closer who’s making a not-insignificant salary ($3MM) and is a free agent after the season. Storen has been good enough this year to be useful to a contender (3.75 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 52.1 GB%) but not so good that the Reds would be able to seek much for him.

Lucas Duda and Steve Cishek, Rays. The Rays are still in the Wild Card race, but have lost four straight and are now behind five other teams in the densely packed AL field. Duda and Cishek are good players, but it seems possible the salary-conscious Rays could consider jettisoning the pending free agents if the team’s recent woes continue. Duda makes $7.25MM this season, while Cishek makes $6MM.

Dee Gordon, Marlins. This one seems like a longshot, but it’s worth at least noting here. Gordon is owed about $40MM through 2020. There was interest in him at the trade deadline, although his salary was a sticking point for some clubs. It’s unclear how the Marlins’ new owners might think about Gordon during a season in which he’s batting .299/.339/.361, and a team like the Angels might be inclined to claim him. There’s also precedent for a player with a contract as significant as Gordon’s changing teams via a revocable waiver claim — in 2009, the Blue Jays allowed Alex Rios and the $62MM remaining on his contract to depart for the White Sox. Of course, it would probably be terrible PR for Marlins ownership’s first significant move to be an enormous salary dump, and Gordon, despite his PED history and mediocre 2016 season, is still a useful player — and a fairly young one at 29.

Brewers Acquire Neil Walker

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AUGUST 15: Milwaukee took on $3MM of Walker’s salary, per an Associated Press report (via USA Today). New York sent just under $1.7MM in the deal to cover the rest of the obligation.

AUGUST 12: The Brewers have acquired second baseman Neil Walker and cash from the Mets for a player to be named later, according to announcements from both teams. Walker has nearly $5MM remaining on his contract, but it’s unclear how much the Mets will pay. The 31-year-old cleared waivers last week and was therefore eligible to be traded to any club.

Neil Walker

There might have been more buzz about Walker at the July trade deadline had he not just recently come back from a six-week stint on the DL with a partial hamstring tear. The Yankees reportedly had a deal in place to acquire Walker then, but it fell apart for medical reasons. Walker hit poorly in the week immediately following his return, but has had success lately, batting 7-for-18 in his past five games.

Injury aside, Walker is having a fairly typical season in 2017, batting .264/.339/.442 with his set of unspectacular but well-rounded offensive skills. He’s graded as approximately average defensively thus far this year, with UZR marking him as a bit better than most and DRS indicating he’s a bit worse. He’s making $17.2MM after accepting the Mets’ qualifying offer last winter and is eligible for free agency at season’s end.

Walker bolsters a Brewers infield that currently features Eric Sogard at second base. Sogard has batted a robust .283/.392/.405 this season, although that sort of offensive production is atypical for him, and he’s hit .108/.214/.108 in 43 plate appearances while battling injury over the past month. Another Brewers second baseman, Jonathan Villar, is in the midst of a disappointing .222/.281/.346 season after a 2016 breakout. The Brewers’ offense as a whole has been one of baseball’s worst since the start of the second half, with their 91 runs in that span placing ahead of only the Rays. That span has roughly corresponded to the team’s recent slide in the standings — the Brewers are 9-18 since the All-Star break. The team had apparently targeted second base as a potential area they might upgrade, with previous reports connecting them to Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler.

With Walker gone, the Mets will surely continue to give rookie Amed Rosario the bulk of the playing time at shortstop. Some combination of Asdrubal Cabrera and Wilmer Flores will likely man second and third.

FanRag’s Jon Heyman first tweeted that the teams had agreed to a Walker trade. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal was first to report that a deal was close (on Twitter). Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted that New York would include cash in the trade. Mike Puma of the New York Post noted (via Twitter) that the Mets would receive a player to be named later. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Quick Hits: Miller, Freeman, Nationals

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Differences between the levels of media attention in various markets can affect players as they change teams,writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Andrew Miller (who has played for teams like the Indians and Marlins with relatively small media contingents, as well as teams like the Red Sox and Yankees with large ones) says he prefers bigger media markets (although Cafardo also notes that Miller has enjoyed his time in Cleveland). “For me, the best thing that ever happened was coming to Boston,” says Miller. “I loved the big crowds and all of the attention paid to the team. I loved the adrenaline it gave me. But I know guys who prefer to just play baseball and not have to worry about outside things. Everybody is a little different.” Here are more quick notes from around the league.

  • Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman is pleased with how his organization’s rebuild is going, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. “It’s nice to see things starting to form into a team and not just form a minor league system,” says Freeman. “It’s been a tough two years; I don’t think anybody’s gonna sugarcoat that around here. We had a team where most teams said, ‘Oh, good, we’re playing the Braves.’ But I don’t think most teams say that anymore. Last year, we’d be 30 games under .500 at this point. It’s been so much better.” Kepner notes that Freeman has earned plaudits from teammates for his willingness to try third base recently to accommodate the team’s changing roster, even though Freeman himself is a veteran in the midst of an outstanding season. Freeman played 16 games at third, although he’s been back at first base recently, with Matt Adams in the outfield and Brandon Phillips at the hot corner.
  • Lefty Sean Doolittle was initially distraught by the recent trade that sent him from the Athletics to the Nationals, but he says being dealt along with fellow reliever Ryan Madson helped, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Madson had already been part of five organizations before heading to the Nationals, whereas Doolittle had only ever been with the Athletics. “It was awesome for me having (Madson) here because he kept me really centered,” says Doolittle. “My emotions were all over the place, and he has such a calming presence about him. That really helped me.” Nats manager Dusty Baker chose Doolittle to close ahead of Madson or another new acquisition, Brandon Kintzler, even though all three have been closers before. Baker cites Doolittle’s experience as a deciding factor, although it’s worth noting he has the fewest career saves of the three. Perhaps that’s missing the point, though — Baker seems to view his new relief trio as three essentially interchangeable hurlers who are all capable of pitching the late innings.

Reds Designate Arismendy Alcantara For Assignment

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The Reds have announced that they’ve designated infielder/outfielder Arismendy Alcantara for assignment. The move clears space for righty Scott Feldman, who returns from the disabled list to start tonight against Milwaukee.

Alcantara was once a top prospect who showed good basestealing ability and burgeoning power in the minors, but his stock has fallen in recent years as he’s passed through the Cubs and Athletics organizations. The Reds claimed him from Oakland last October, and he’s batted a very poor .171/.187/.248 (including a 35.2 K% and 1.9 BB%) in 108 plate appearances while playing six positions in the big leagues this season. He’s also out of options, further complicating any hopes the Reds might have had of continuing to carry him on their roster. In parts of four big-league seasons, Alcantara has batted just .189/.235/.315 in 459 plate appearances.

Rangers Claim Phil Gosselin From Pirates

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The Rangers have claimed utilityman Phil Gosselin from the Pirates and optioned him to Triple-A Round Rock. They’ve also outrighted infielder Tyler Smith to Round Rock.

The Pirates acquired Gosselin in a minor trade this spring after the Diamondbacks designated him for assignment. Gosselin has split his time between Pittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis this season, batting just .150/.190/.175 in limited duty in the big leagues and .266/.304/.336 at Triple-A. He can be optioned, but he doesn’t really play shortstop, giving him somewhat limited utility as a bench piece, and the Pirates likely thought he was expendable with the addition of Sean Rodriguez last week. The 28-year-old Gosselin has shown a bit of offensive ability in parts of five seasons in the big leagues, batting .272/.320/.368.

The Rangers claimed the 26-year-old Smith from the Mariners late last month. He’s hit  .237/.326/.342 at the Triple-A level this season and has mostly played shortstop. He collected three hits in brief big-league duty with Seattle earlier this year.

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