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Outrighted To Triple-A: Frieri, Veal

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Here’s a look at the latest outright assignments..

  • The Rays outrighted Ernesto Frieri to Triple-A Durham, according to the MLB.com transactions page.  Frieri signed a one-year, $800K deal to join the Rays this winter but was designated for assignment last week.  The 29-year-old worked to a 4.63 ERA over 23 1/3 innings for Tampa Bay, striking out 7.3 and walking 4.2 batters per nine.
  • The Braves sent left-handed reliever Donnie Veal outright to their Triple-A affiliate, according to the transactions page.  Veal, 30, was also designated for assignment by the Braves back on May 5 and accepted an outright assignment to remain with the club.  The former second-round draft pick (Cubs, 2005) has appeared in five games with the Braves this year and allowed runs in each of them — seven total in just 4 1/3 innings. He has a career 5.48 ERA in the Majors, but he has a track record of success in the minors.
  • To keep up with the status of players who are designated for assignment, check out MLBTR’s DFA Tracker.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Cole, Trumbo, Trout

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On this date in 1989, the same game was played partly outdoors and partly indoors for the first time in major league history when the Blue Jays beat the Brewers, as Leo Panetta of NationalPastime.com writes.  The SkyDome’s retractable roof was open to start the game but had to be closed in the fifth inning due to rain.  Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..

Please send submissions to Zach at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.

AL Notes: Beltre, Tigers, Twins, Featherston

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The Blue Jays’ acquisition of Josh Donaldson now appears to be one of GM Alex Anthopoulos’ better moves, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets.  The third baseman has 15 homers and an outstanding .312/.372/.604 slash line through his first 227 plate appearances, and Donaldson’s 3.0 fWAR (entering today’s action) is topped only by Bryce Harper.  Donaldson is controlled through 2018 and looks to be a cornerstone piece for the Jays both now and in future seasons.  Here’s some more from around the American League…

  • Adrian Beltre left today’s game with a sprained left thumb and while x-rays were negative, he’ll very likely be placed on the 15-day disabled list, MLB.com’s Dave Sessions writes.  The Rangers have enough internal infield options that they aren’t likely to explore outside help unless Beltre is forced to miss an extended period of time.  The 36-year-old Beltre has been having a down season (.257/.294/.408 in 221 PA) but was still providing his customary excellent third base defense.
  • The much-maligned Tigers bullpen has become a strength for the team, Mlive.com’s James Schmehl writes.  Detroit’s relievers entered Sunday with a 2.91 ERA, the seventh-lowest bullpen ERA in baseball.  Advanced metrics (3.69 FIP, 4.07 xFIP) paint a more pessimistic view of the bullpen’s performance, yet the Tigers will happily take it after some frustrating relief breakdowns in recent years.
  • Twins GM Terry Ryan told reporters (including Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press) that his team will make the sixth overall pick in the amateur draft based on talent, and won’t be scared off from taking a player due to injury concerns.  This could be a reference to Brady Aiken or Michael Matuella, two top draft prospects who recently underwent Tommy John surgery.  ESPN1500’s Darren Wolfson tweets that the Twins and other clubs recently received some new information about Aiken and that Minnesota was “very high on” Aiken last year.
  • Rule 5 Draft pick Taylor Featherston is appreciating his time in the majors as a learning experience, though as Fangraphs’ David Laurila points out, having Rule 5 status isn’t necessarily a good thing for a player’s development.  Featherston has just one hit in 33 PA with the Angels and has appeared in just 25 games for the club.  He must remain on the Halos’ Major League roster all season or else be offered back to his old club (the Rockies) for $25K.
  • Also from Laurila’s notes piece, veteran catcher Eddy Rodriguez had more or less called it a career and planning to take a year away from the game before being offered a minor league contract from the Yankees.  “When the pinstripes come calling, it’s hard to say no,” Rodriguez said.  He is already unofficially working as a player-coach and mentor at the Triple-A level and seems a lock to find a coaching job once he finally hangs up his cleats.

This Date In Transactions History: Roger Clemens

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Roger Clemens went out in style in 2003.  After announcing that he would be retiring earlier in the year, Clemens went out and earned both his 300th career win and 4,000th career strikeout.  His farewell tour also included warm receptions from rival crowds, including the faithful at Fenway Park.  Clemens even got to make his final start in the World Series, notch a strikeout in his final at-bat, and receive a standing ovation from the Marlins’ crowd as he walked off.

Everyone wants to leave on a high note, but that’s easier said than done.  In 2004, Clemens inked a one-year deal to join up with the Astros.  In 2005, Clemens once again toyed with the idea of retirement, but was coerced to return to Houston with a one-year, $18MM deal.  After yet another World Series appearance, that was believed to be the end of the road for Clemens.

On this date in 2006, Clemens signed a deal to pitch for the Astros for the remainder of the season.  The pact was technically a record-setting one-year, $22MM deal, but because it was a prorated contract, Clemens received a little over half of that.  Even in his age 43 season, Clemens showed that he had plenty in the tank.  In 19 starts, the veteran pitched to a 2.30 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.  Had he pitched that way starting in April, there’s little doubt that the right-hander would have earned his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance.

Of course, this wasn’t Clemens’ final comeback.  In 2007, the Rocket showed up in George Steinbrenner’s box at Yankee Stadium to let everyone know that he’d be joining the Bombers.  “Thank y’all,” Clemens said to the Bronx crowd. “Well they came and got me out of Texas, and I can tell you its a privilege to be back. I’ll be talkin’ to y’all soon.”  Clemens would reemerge with the Sugar Land Skeeters in 2012, but the ’07 season would mark his last in Major League Baseball.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Krauss, Ishikawa

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We’ll keep track of today’s outright assignments here..

  • The Angels outrighted first baseman Marc Krauss to Triple-A Salt Lake after he cleared waivers, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets.  Krauss, 27, appeared in eleven games for the Halos this season, batting .143/.211/.286 with a homer and two doubles. A former second-round pick, Krauss has been up and down with the Astros and Angels over the past two seasons, totaling a .603 OPS.  He has a strong track record at Triple-A, however,where he’s batted .267/.376/.434 in parts of four seasons.
  • Travis Ishikawa has cleared waivers and is back with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate, Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com tweets.  Ishikawa, 31, was designated for assignment on May 25th.  The first baseman has not appeared in the big leagues this season.  He opened the year on the DL with a back injury and recently finished a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento.  The Giants avoided arbitration with Ishikawa this offseason by signing him to a $1.1MM deal, but there has yet to be a place for him on the 25-man roster.  For his career, Ishikawa has a .259/.322/.397 line in parts of seven seasons.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:

  • On this week’s installment of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast, host Jeff Todd was joined by David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to talk all things Braves, including the recent additions of Juan Uribe and Chris Withrow.  MLBTR’s Steve Adams also joins the show to talk about the Cardinals‘ first base options in the wake of losing Matt Adams.  A new episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast will be released every Thursday and can be accessed on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
  • If you haven’t already, we encourage you to sign up for the free MLBTR Newsletter.  Every week, the newsletter delivers an exclusive article to your inbox with site owner Tim Dierkes weighing in on deals, rumors, and hot stove-related topics.
  • Jeff looked at the Free Agent Stock of Howie Kendrick, who seems to be somewhat underappreciated.  There’s not much in the way of direct comps for a player like Kendrick, but Jeff figures that he’s likely to top Omar Infante‘s pre-2014 deal with the Royals which saw him earn $30MM+ over four years.  However, Kendrick’s market could be depressed if he gets hit with a qualifying offer by Los Angeles.
  • Steve fielded your questions in this week’s edition of the MLBTR chat.  Steve touched on topics including the Rockies’ pitching search and the Twins’ play so far this season.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Buchholz, Rays

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Didi Gregorius inherited Derek Jeter’s position, but so far it appears that he has not inherited his defensive intuition, Billy Witz of the New York Times writes.  Yankees manager Joe Girardi has said repeatedly that Gregorius is trying to do too much on the field, but Witz isn’t sure if instinctiveness is a trait that can be learned.  Here’s more from the AL East..

  • The Red Sox have a strong farm system despite a history of spotty selections in the draft, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald writes.  Prior to this season, the Red Sox’s system was ranked No. 2 by MLB.com and Baseball America, fifth by ESPN, and sixth by Baseball Prospectus. That lofty status was achieved in spite of the fact that their most successful first-round pick since Clay Buchholz was Daniel Bard in 2006.  There may not be a Bryce Harper or Mike Trout in the bunch, but there’s still plenty of talent there, Mastrodonato writes.  Boston holds the No. 7 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
  • Peter Gammons of Daily Gammons looked at some potential draft choices for the Red Sox. Unfortunately for Boston, this is a draft that does not have high profile college players and is regarded as a deep class rather than one loaded with future superstars at the top.  Gammons notes that Boston has spent a lot of time on University of Arkansas center fielder Andrew Benintendi and he could be a consideration for them at No. 7.
  • As May draws to a close, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times decided to look back at how new Rays baseball operations president Matt Silverman fared this offseason.  Topkin starts off by checking in on Ben Zobrist, who was traded as he was entering his final year before free agency.  Zobrist is expected to fill a role similar to the one he played in Tampa Bay now that he has returned from the DL, but the Rays felt that it was more important to get a package that helped them in the present and future.   Topkin also looks back at the trade of Jeremy Hellickson to the Diamondbacks and notes that he wasn’t worth $4.275MM given the Rays’ starting pitching depth.  If either infielder Andrew Velasquez or outfielder Justin Williams – the prospects received for Hellickson – make the majors, then it’s probably a bonus for Tampa Bay.

Red Sox Re-Sign Jeff Bianchi

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The Red Sox have re-signed infielder Jeff Bianchi, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).  Just yesterday, Bianchi rejected an outright assignment from Boston after clearing waivers.

Bianchi’s cup of coffee in the big time with Boston will last at least a little big longer this year.  He’s performed well at Triple-A, amassing a .302/.373/.340 slash line in 61 plate appearances.  From 2012 through 2014, Bianchi saw time in a combined 162 games for the Brewers.  In that span he posted a below average batting line of  .216/.251/.283.

To make room on the roster, left-hander Robbie Ross has been optioned to the minors.

Indians Designate Jerry Sands For Assignment

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The Indians announced (via Twitter) that they have designated Jerry Sands for assignment.  In a related move, Carlos Santana has been reinstated from the paternity list.

Today’s move marks the second time this year that Sands has been DFA’d by Cleveland. Sands’ first assignment came roughly one month ago when Sands was bumped in favor of right-hander Ryan Webb. Sands wound up getting outrighted and accepting his assignment rather than going elsewhere.

Sands has not received much opportunity at the big league level since a solid run at age 23 with the Dodgers when he slashed .253/.338/.389 in 227 plate appearance.  This year, he hit quite well in a limited sample size of 27 big league PAs while also performing well at Triple-A.  In 91 plate appearances for Columbus, Sans hit .257/.385/.473 with four homers.

As MLBTR’s DFA Tracker shows, Jerry Sands now joins Thomas Field, Grady Sizemore, Marc Krauss, Sergio Santos, Eric Stults, Alejandro de Aza, and Radhames Liz in DFA limbo.

Giants To Sign Kevin Frandsen To Minor League Deal

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The Giants are set to sign Kevin Frandsen to a minor league deal, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a return to the start for the well-traveled veteran who was drafted by the Giants in 2004.

Frandsen, who recently just turned 33, spent 2014 with the Nationals and hit .259/.299/.309 across 105 games.  After the season, the Nats avoided arbitration with him by agreeing to a one-year, $1MM deal that includes up to $300K worth of incentives. However, Washington wound up letting him go on April 1st, leading him to a minor league pact with the D’Backs.  Frandsen’s stint in Arizona only lasted one month after posting a a .309/.352/.333 slash line over 89 plate appearances for Triple-A Reno. and he’ll now try to stick with another NL West club.

The veteran will look to replicate his play with the Phillies in 2012 when he slashed .338/.383/.451 in 210 plate appearances.  He also offers versatility in the field with experience at first base, second base, third base, and left field.

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