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Minor MLB Transactions: 3/31/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:

  • Utilityman Munenori Kawasaki is heading back to Japan after inking a deal with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, his former NPB club, as Nikkan Sports reports (Japanese language link). The 35-year-old has enjoyed an interesting stint in North America, drawing plenty of attention for his clown prince role in the dugout. But he hasn’t played all that much, particularly over the past two seasons. If this is it for Kawasaki stateside, he’ll stand on a .237/.320/.289 slash line with one single dinger over 738 plate appearances.
  • Righty Mark Montgomery has landed a minor-league deal with the Cardinals after being released by the Yankees, Josh Norris of Baseball America reports (Twitter links). The 26-year-old has battled control problems at times, but has also shown his share of promise. Last year, over 45 2/3 innings in the upper minors, he worked to a 2.56 ERA with 12.4 /9 against 4.3 BB/9 while allowing only 31 hits.
  • The Indians released slugger Wily Mo Pena, the team announced. The 35-year-old hasn’t played in the majors since 2011, but had been quite productive during a stint in Japan. Over four years with three different NPB clubs, he slashed .264/.355/.460 with 71 long balls. Pena did not play last year and didn’t get much of a look this spring; it’s not clear at this point what his future intentions are.
  • Plenty of other players have also been set free by organizations that do not have anywhere to put them. Among them, the Braves have released first baseman Balbino Fuenmayor, MLBTR’s Steve Adams tweets. He has put up big numbers at times, most recently in the Venezuelan winter league, but has yet to receive a shot at the majors. Also hitting the open market, after spending camp with the Rangers, is righty Anthony Carter. (Also per Steve, via Twitter.) The 30-year-old, who’s also looking to stamp a ticket to the majors for the first time, did at least show that he’s back to health. And seven-year MLB veteran southpaw James Russell followed Pena out the door. He was cut loose today by the Indians, per a club announcement.

Giants Release Jimmy Rollins

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The Giants have released veteran shortstop Jimmy Rollins, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). The decision was reached after the organization consulted with the veteran, who had already been told he would not make the Opening Day roster.

It’s not clear what’ll be next for the 38-year-old, who struggled at the plate during camp. He will “take a little time” to weigh whether to continue playing, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link).

Rollins, a 17-year MLB veteran, had already posted two straight seasons with middling offensive production, and wasn’t able to find a home last year after being released in mid-season by the White Sox. That said, perhaps another organization will end up with a need at an opportune moment. Rollins would surely represent a respect veteran addition to any roster, having compiled over 10,000 career plate appearances and 49 fWAR/46 rWAR since he first cracked the bigs way back in 2000.

Nationals Outright Clint Robinson

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MARCH 31: Robinson has accepted an assignment to Triple-A after clearing waivers, the club announced.

MARCH 28: The Nationals have placed first baseman Clint Robinson on outright waivers, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports on Twitter. That opens a 40-man spot and also seemingly resolves the competition between Robinson and recent signee Adam Lind, who’ll presumably back up Ryan Zimmerman at first base, function as a lefty bench bat, and perhaps even see some time in the corner outfield.

This had long seemed the likely result, as the Nats have little use for both Robinson and Lind, the latter of whom had secured a guaranteed contract over the winter and has a much longer track record of MLB success. Whether or not the organization will end up with an opportunity to hold onto Robinson in the upper minors remains to be seen, but for now the team will allow a more versatile player to take the final bench role. It seems that outfielder Michael Taylor and infielder Wilmer Difo are battling for the final job.

Robinson, 32, had gone to the major league plate just 14 times before he joined the Nats in 2015. But he won a job in camp and ended up playing a significant role for the club. Over 352 plate appearances that year, he slashed a robust .272/.358/.424 with ten home runs while recording only 52 strikeouts against 37 walks. But Robinson produced more soft contact and less line drives last year, slumping to a .235/.305/.332 slash that just wasn’t enough, particularly given his lack of value on the bases and in the field.

Braves Outright Kevin Chapman

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The Braves have outrighted lefty Kevin Chapman off the 40-man roster, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman was among those to report on Twitter. He had been fighting for a pen spot after being claimed recently off waivers.

With Chapman’s departure from the roster picture, it seems that the final call comes down to out-of-options Chaz Roe and just-signed veteran David Hernandez. Atlanta could carry either or both of those righties to open the season.

Though he’s obviously seen as an intriguing talent, Chapman has long struggled with his control, having never finished a season as a pro with less than four walks per nine innings. And though he has compensated for that with a healthy strikeout rate in the upper minors, that hasn’t carried through in his 55 total MLB frames. Chapman also struggled last year at Triple-A, compiling a 4.87 ERA in 61 innings.

White Sox Outright Rymer Liriano, Giovanni Soto

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The White Sox have outrighted outfielder Rymer Liriano and lefty Giovanni Soto, the team announced (via MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, on Twitter). Both players cleared waivers and were assigned to Triple-A.

With four open spots on the 40-man roster, the club has the room needed to add non-roster invitees Cody Asche, Anthony Swarzak, and Geovany Soto (not to be confused with the similarly named reliever), Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago tweets. If those three make the active roster, as expected, the organization could have another spot to play with as teams around the league tweak their own rosters.

Padres Claim Jake Esch, Designate Cesar Vargas

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The Padres have claimed righty Jake Esch off waivers from the Marlins, per club announcements. San Diego has designated fellow righty Cesar Vargas for assignment to accommodate the addition.

Esch, who just turned 27, reached the majors for the first time last year. Though he didn’t have much opportunity to prove himself in only three outings, and surrendered four home runs in just 13 innings, he showed an arsenal that Pitch F/X classified as featuring six distinct pitches.

While Esch has hardly dominated in the minors, perhaps San Diego believes there’s a chance he could function as a useful starter or swingman. He has pitched in the upper minors in each of the past two seasons. In 2016, he recorded a 4.31 ERA with 6.1 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 over 142 frames, most of them coming at the Double-A level.

As for Vargas, 25, the move surely comes as a bit of a surprise. He had shown a solid K/BB rate in the upper minors over the past few seasons, mostly in relief, and earned a surprising shot at the Padres’ rotation in 2016. Vargas was bombed in his final outing before leaving with an injury that turned out to be a season-ending flexor strain. Prior to that unfortunate turn, though, he threw 32 2/3 innings of 3.34 ERA ball over six starts.

Pirates Release Jared Hughes

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March 31: Hughes has cleared release waivers and is now officially a free agent, the Pirates announced on Friday.

March 29: The Pirates have requested release waivers on righty Jared Hughes, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The team has since announced the move, noting that Hughes first cleared outright waivers. Pittsburgh had previously agreed to a $2.825MM arbitration with Hughes and will remain responsible for at least a portion of that amount — roughly $695K — unless another team places a claim (which seems unlikely, considering the fact that he’s already cleared outright waivers).

Hughes, 31, has turned in stellar results over the past three seasons, working to a 2.41 ERA across 190 2/3 frames. Though he has recorded only 5.0 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in that span, he has continued to draw grounders on about three of every five balls put in play against him.

Hughes largely continued to perform last year, which he ended with a 3.03 ERA, but there were some signs of trouble. His ground-ball rate fell to 57.9 percent after sitting at over 60 percent in the preceding two years, and he allowed a career-high 0.91 homers per nine innings pitched. And while he logged the second-best average fastball velocity of his career (93.0 mph), Hughes also allowed more hard contact (30.1 percent) and drew fewer swinging strikes (9.6 percent) than ever before. His control, too, trended in the wrong direction, as his BB/9 rate rose from 2.6 in 2015 to 3.3 in 2016.

Still, it wasn’t especially surprising to see Pittsburgh agree to terms at a fairly modest sum rather than non-tendering the veteran reliever. The concerns escalated this spring, though. Over 9 1/3 innings, Hughes was knocked around for a dozen earned runs on 16 hits while recording just five strikeouts against four walks.

Steven Moya Clears Waivers

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March 31: Moya went unclaimed on waivers, reports Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link), meaning he can now be sent outright to Triple-A and remain in the organization without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster. Indeed, the Tigers have announced that’s just what they’ve done.

March 29, 2:29pm: Moya is actually on outright waivers, not release waivers, Stark clarifies on Twitter. Regardless, he’s departing the 40-man roster and can be taken by another organization. If he does clear waivers, though, Detroit would be able to retain control.

2:20pm: The Tigers have placed outfielder Steven Moya on release waivers, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark (via Twitter). The move provides some clarity to the organization’s outfield situation and also clears a 40-man spot.

Moya, who’s still just 25, entered the season without any options remaining, so it was a make-or-break spring. The former organizational top prospect failed to impress, however, hitting just .192/.208/.288.

Long considered a risky prospect, showing big power but a suspect on-base approach as he climbed the ladder, Moya has seen his star fade of late. He has failed to show much at all in his brief time in the majors, slashing .250/.293/.452 with fifty strikeouts and just eight walks in 133 total plate appearances.

Moya did post a .500 slugging percentage in his 100 trips to the MLB plate last year, so there’s plenty of reason to believe the power will play at the game’s highest level. And he lowered his strikeout rate to 22.5% in his 426 Triple-A plate appearances in 2016, though he also walked just 3.5% of the time and managed only a .310 OBP.

Daniel Stumpf Clears Waivers

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March 31: Stumpf has cleared waivers, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter). The club announced he has been offered back to Kansas City, though as noted he could also elect free agency.

March 30: The Tigers have placed lefty Daniel Stumpf on waivers, the pitcher himself told reporters including Evan Woodberry of MLive.com (via Twitter). He was taken in the Rule 5 draft last winter from the Royals.

Because Stumpf was previously taken in the Rule 5 draft and returned to K.C. — last summer, he was shipped back from the Phillies — he’s in something of a unique situation, as Woodberry notes. If he clears waivers, Stumpf would have the right to reject an assignment with the Royals and instead take free agency.

Stumpf, now 26, only made a few MLB appearances last year because he first served a PED suspension. He was assigned to Double-A by the Royals, where he worked to a 2.11 ERA with 11.0 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 — thus setting up his latest Rule 5 adventure. He failed to follow up on that this spring, though, allowing four earned runs on five hits and five walks while striking out eight opposing hitters in 8 2/3 frames.

Added To The 40-Man Roster: Hoover, Diaz, Martinez, Nava, Stassi, Stammen

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We’ll use this post to track any notable 40-man roster additions that crop up as teams settle upon their Opening Day rosters:

  • The D-backs announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-handed reliever J.J. Hoover. He’ll fill the 40-man spot that was vacated earlier today when Christian Walker was sent outright to Triple-A. Hoover, 29, inked a minor league deal with the Snakes this offseason after spending parts of the past five seasons — the entirety of his Major League career — with the Reds. Hoover opened the 2016 season as Cincinnati’s closer but quickly lost that job and experienced a rapid decline that ultimately led to his outright off the 40-man roster. As recently as 2015, however, the righty tossed 64 1/3 innings of 2.94 ERA ball with 7.3 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9. Hoover will walk his fair share of batters (career 4.2 BB/9 rate), but he’s also punched out 240 hitters in 242 1/3 Major League frames. As a rather extreme fly-ball pitcher, he may find Chase Field more problematic than some pitchers, though he’s no stranger to homer-friendly parks, thanks to his time in Cincinnati.

Earlier Moves

  • The Indians are set to select the contracts of infielders Yandy Diaz and Michael Martinez, per a club announcement. Diaz, 25, enjoyed a strong season split between Cleveland’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, hitting .318/.408/.446 with nine homers and 11 stolen bases. The third baseman/second baseman/outfielder was terrific in Spring Training, hitting .429/.529/.667 with a pair of homers and four doubles during Cactus League play. The 34-year-old Martinez, no stranger to the Indians organization after spending 59 games and the postseason with Cleveland last year, had a similarly strong Spring Training. The veteran utility man batted .357/.379/.536 in 21 spring contests. In parts of six big league seasons, Martinez is a .197/.241/.266 hitter.
  • The final two spots on the Phillies’ bench have been won by the well-traveled Daniel Nava and veteran minor leaguer Brock Stassi, per Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link). Nava hit .362/.455/.489 this spring and can serve as a backup to corner outfielders Michael Saunders and Howie Kendrick in the Phillies’ new-look outfield. He also has some experience at first base and could serve as a left-handed complement to Tommy Joseph at times, though the same could be said of the 27-year-old Stassi. A veteran of six minor league seasons and the older brother of Astros backstop Max Stassi, Brock Stasi was emotional in discussing what will be his MLB debut (Twitter video link via Philly Voice’s Ryan Lawrence). A former 33rd-round selection, Stassi reached Triple-A for the first time last season and hit .267/.369/.437 before posting an outstanding .333/.397/.702 batting line and six homers this spring.
  • Righty Craig Stammen is back in the majors after being selected to the Padres’ 40-man, per a team announcement. The 33-year-old had long been a steady reliever for the Nationals before he required flexor tendon surgery early in the 2015 season. He didn’t earn a return last year after joining the Indians on a minors deal, but did show he was healthy in throwing 27 1/3 innings of 3.62 ERA ball. Stammen turned things up a notch this spring, allowing just a single earned run on nine hits and five walks over 11 2/3 innings, recording a dozen strikeouts along the way.

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