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Minor MLB Transactions: 3/31/16

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Here are Thursday’s minor moves from around Major League Baseball:

  • The Orioles have released lefty reliever Hideki Okajima, per Michael Mayer of Metsmerized Online (via Twitter). Okajima, who signed a minor league deal with the O’s last month, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2013. He spent the past two seasons in Japan and is best known in the bigs for his work in Boston’s bullpen from 2007-11.
  • The White Sox have released three minor leaguers – outfielder Scott Hairston, utility man Steve Lombardozzi and righty Maikel Cleto – Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter). Hairston, the most accomplished of the trio, signed with the White Sox in November after sitting out the 2015 season. The 11-year MLB veteran owns a lifetime slash of .242/.296/.442, though he has fared significantly better against left-handed pitchers (.268/.315/.489). Lombardozzi last played extensively in the majors in 2013, when he was worth -0.6 fWAR in 118 games with Washington. Control problems have beset the career of Cleto, who has put up a 6.60 ERA with an 11.6 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in 45 big league innings. He spent last season with the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate, Charlotte, and recorded a stingy 3.00 ERA in 51 innings to go along with a 10.76 K/9 and 4.24 BB/9.
  • The Angels signed outfielder Shane Robinson to a minor league deal, according to their Twitter account. Cleveland released Robinson earlier this week after he exercised his opt-out clause. Robinson has batted .237/.302/.313 in 649 career plate appearances over parts of six seasons. The 31-year-old has performed better defensively throughout his career, having received plus marks in defensive runs saved and ultimate zone rating.
  • The Twins have released outfielder Joe Benson, according to Mayer (on Twitter). Benson, whom the Twins signed to a minor league contract during the winter, hit just .125/.263/.188 in 19 spring plate appearances. Most of Benson’s career has been spent in the Twins organization since they chose him in the second round of the 2006 draft. His only big league action came in 2011, when he slashed .239/.270/.352 in 21 games with Minnesota.

Five Teams Interested In Miguel Gonzalez

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5:25pm: The Angels have some interest in Gonzalez, but they aren’t aggressively pursuing him, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). Gonzalez originally signed with the Angels as an amateur free agent in 2004 and was with the organization through 2007.

3:46pm: Four teams are known to be interested in Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, with the White Sox “aggressively pursuing” his services, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link).  The Athletics, Blue Jays and Marlins are also interested, he adds.

Gonzalez was placed on release waivers yesterday, and if he isn’t claimed within the 48-hour period, the O’s will be on the hook for roughly a quarter of his $5.1MM salary for the 2016 season.  A claiming team would take on the entire $5.1MM figure, so it only makes sense that some clubs are waiting until Gonzalez officially becomes a free agent to make a play for the 31-year-old.

The White Sox are set at the top of the rotation with Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon, though there’s uncertainty in the last two spots.  Offseason signing Mat Latos struggled in 2015 and has been hit hard this spring, while John Danks is looking to rebound after several rough seasons.  Though Gonzalez himself struggled last year, he would provide some experienced depth or even a rotation alternative for Chicago.

The A’s, Jays and Marlins could likewise use some extra pitching depth, as all three teams are using some fairly inexperienced arms.  While all have options behind the opening units, added depth never hurts. Toronto will go with Aaron Sanchez as its fifth starter to begin the season but Sanchez will eventually be moved to the bullpen as he approaches an innings cap. The A’s have Sonny Gray, Rich Hill, Kendall Graveman, Chris Bassitt and Felix Doubront slated as the starting five, with Henderson Alvarez expected to join the staff in May when he’s recovered from shoulder surgery.  Miami announced yesterday that Adam Conley, Tom Koehler and Jarred Cosart would back up Jose Fernandez and Wei-Yin Chen in its rotation; Justin Nicolino is likely the sixth man in the organization.

Gonzalez posted a 3.45 ERA, 6.45 K/9 and 2.22 K/BB rate over 435 2/3 innings with the Orioles from 2012-14, though advanced metrics were far less bullish on his performance due to a low BABIP and very high strand rate during those three seasons.  Those two statistics normalized last season and Gonzalez struggled, managing only a 4.91 ERA in 144 2/3 innings.  The Orioles avoided arbitration with the righty by agreeing to that $5.1MM contract but after Gonzalez struggled in Spring Training, cut him from the rotation in favor of Mike Wright.

Hyun Soo Kim Likely Won’t Make Orioles’ Roster

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TODAY: Kim is “resisting” a minor league demotion, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets.

MARCH 29, 8:55pm: Orioles GM Dan Duquette acknowledged on Tuesday that the team is planning to chat with Kim about going down to the minors, as Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun tweets. A return to South Korea is not in play right now, according to the GM, but he’s also not likely to make the team (Twitter link via Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com).  “I think in these cases, the transition takes some time and I believe he wants to give it some more time,” Duquette said (Twitter link via Encina).

Meanwhile, manager Buck Showalter says the O’s have twice talked to Kim about playing in Triple-A, Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic.com tweets.

2:52pm: Hyun Soo Kim likely won’t make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Kim has been notably absent from the Baltimore lineup over the last several spring games, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com noted earlier today on Twitter.

Kim has expressed his desire to continue his career in North America, Kubatko has also reported. The Korean outfielder would need to consent to being assigned to the minors, and Rosenthal notes he’s believed to be willing to do so. It’s not clear whether Baltimore would attempt to option Kim or instead expose him to waivers to remove him from the 40-man, but he’ll have some say in the matter given the contract clause.

The Orioles brass has been sending signals that it hasn’t seen what it hoped for out of Kim when he was brought over from the KBO on a two-year, $7MM deal. That contract seemed like a nice risk for a player that looked to have a chance at being a steady on-base threat, and it does have rather limited downside. But the O’s aren’t exactly overflowing with exciting options for the corner outfield, and it would be nice to have a higher-OBP presence in a lineup full of high-K sluggers.

There’s plenty of time for Kim to turn things around, but he may need to acclimate in the minors. Spring stats are of limited value, but they carry increased importance when trying to assess a player who has yet to perform in the majors, and Kim’s don’t inspire confidence. He’s carrying an anemic .182/.229/.182 batting line with just one walk and no extra base hits over 44 plate appearances in camp.

Orioles Notes: Snider, Wright, Gonzalez, Kim

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Ryan Powell’s pro baseball career consisted of four seasons in independent leagues before becoming a scout in 2013, and his mother Wendy never got to see her son play his final game.  With Wendy now suffering from brain cancer, the Orioles arranged for Powell (the club’s head of independent scouting) to play an inning during the team’s intrasquad game on Tuesday with both his parents in attendance.  MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli has the full story, which includes information on how you can donate to various cancer charities by bidding on one of Powell’s specialty bats, autographed by several MLB players.  Here’s more from Baltimore…

  • While the Orioles may still add a left-handed hitting outfielder and a lefty reliever, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko doesn’t expect the club to bring back former Orioles Travis Snider or Wesley Wright.  Snider and Wright are both free agents after being recently cut by the Royals and Diamondbacks, respectively.
  • The release of Miguel Gonzalez wasn’t a popular move within the Orioles clubhouse, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun writes, as Gonzalez was extremely well-liked by his teammates.  There was “a lot of anger” about the move both yesterday and today, Ghiroli tweets, and “guys are upset, shocked by the whole thing.”  The transaction has logic from a business perspective, as Gonzalez hasn’t pitched well and the O’s could recoup around $4MM of Gonzalez’s $5.1MM salary by releasing him now (or they could get the entire salary off the books if the righty is claimed by another team).  Gonzalez also had a minor league option remaining, however, so Baltimore’s decision to release him instead of sending him to Triple-A “has to scare practically every player in that clubhouse,” as Encina writes.
  • The Orioles have had their share of messy situations this spring, Encina noted in another article, including the fact that $7MM investment Hyun Soo Kim likely won’t make the Opening Day roster.  Kim’s contract stipulates that he can’t be optioned to the minors, and while the Orioles got out of a similar situation with another Korean player in Suk Min Yoon two years ago, that move was helped by Yoon being able to find a higher salary with a Korea Baseball Organization team.  According to Encina, the O’s are having a tough time finding a KBO club willing to top Kim’s $7MM salary over the next two seasons.  Between Kim, Yoon and the Orioles’ controversial signing of pitcher Seong-min Kim a few years ago, Encina wonders if the team is hurting its chances of signing future Korean talent.

Joey Rickard Makes Orioles' 25-Man Roster

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Outfielder Joey Rickard has been told that he’s made the Orioles’ roster, Roch Kubatko of MASN tweets. Of course, it comes as little surprise that Rickard, a Rule 5 pick from the Tampa Bay organization, would make the team after batting .390/.463/.576 this spring. Rickard could be having a significant impact on the Orioles’ roster composition, too, as FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan recently noted. Hyun Soo Kim is unlikely to make the Orioles’ 25-man and his immediate future is unclear, and while Kim’s .182/.229/.182 performance this spring is part of the reason why, but Rickard is part of the reason too. As Sullivan notes, Rickard doesn’t have much power (he only had two home runs all of last season in the minors) but was successful last year thanks to his abilities to hit for contact and control the strike zone. Rickard might also be able to add value with his defense and baserunning. If everything goes right, that could make him similar, as a player, to the late Ryan Freel, who was surprisingly productive for the Reds from 2003 through 2006. Here’s more from the East divisions.

Angels Acquire Chris Jones From Orioles

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The Orioles announced that they have acquired minor league outfielder Natanael Delgado and infielder Erick Salcedo from the Angels in exchange for right-hander Chris Jones.

Jones, 27, was designated for assignment less than a week ago.  Now, he has been traded for the third time in his career.  As Tim Dierkes noted on Wednesday, Jones was sent by the Indians to the Braves in October 2011 in the Derek Lowe trade. In April 2013, he was traded from Atlanta to the Orioles for Luis Ayala.  Last year, Jones made 22 starts and eight relief appearances for the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate.  In that span, he posted a 2.94 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9.  Jones will help provide rotational depth in Triple-A, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).

Delgado, 20, was ranked as the No. 27 prospect in the Angels’ system after the 2014 season by Baseball America.  Delgado signed with the Angels for $280K in 2012 and has tacked on muscle mass and strength since then, per BA.  Blessed with “extremely strong hands and above-average bat speed,” Baseball America believes that he’ll have to improve his hitting in order to have value going forward.

Salcedo, 23 in June, has seen time at shortstop, second base, third base, center field, and right field in the minors.  The Orioles’ press release indicates that his future will be in the infield, however.  Salcedo was ranked as the Angels’ No. 27 prospect after the 2013 season by BA.

Orioles Notes: Joyce, Tucker, Gausman

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Here’s the latest from Baltimore…

  • The Orioles are interested in Pirates non-roster outfielder Matt Joyce, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (Twitter link).  As an Article XX(B) player, Joyce must be informed by tomorrow if he’s making the Bucs’ 25-man roster or else the Pirates will need to pay him $100K to retain his rights on a minor league assignment.  With Hyun Soo Kim’s status in question, Baltimore is clearly looking other left-handed hitting outfield options that could be available.  Aside from Joyce, the O’s have also shown interest in David Murphy.
  • The Orioles talked to the Astros about outfielder Preston Tucker this offseason, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko reports.  Talks didn’t go anywhere, however, since Houston asked for Kevin Gausman in return.  Gausman was a popular figure in trade demands over the winter, and as you might expect, the O’s had no interest in dealing the former top prospect.  Tucker didn’t have quite the same prospect pedigree (Gausman was selected fourth overall in 2012 while Tucker was a seventh-rounder in that same draft) but the outfielder posted a very strong .867 OPS over 1530 plate appearances in the minors and hit .243/.297/.437 with 13 homers over 323 PA in the bigs last year as a rookie.  Tucker will serve in a backup role with Houston this season, as his path to more playing time may have been blocked when Colby Rasmus accepted a qualifying offer last fall.
  • Speaking of Gausman, the Orioles officially announced to media (including MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli) that the young righty will be placed on the DL to begin the season.  Gausman has been bothered by tendinitis in his throwing shoulder but the injury isn’t thought to be too serious.  Buck Showalter said Gausman could be activated in time for a start on April 10 against Minnesota.

Orioles Eyeing David Murphy

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Red Sox outfielder David Murphy can opt-out of his contract with the Red Sox today.  If he does, he might not be unemployed for long.  Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe expects Murphy to get calls from multiple teams and he hears from one major league source that the Orioles are among the clubs with interest.  Cafardo adds that Murphy is “likely” to exercise his opt-out clause today.

Murphy, 34, inked a minor league deal with Boston in late February, bringing him back to the organization that drafted him in the first-round of the 2003 draft.  The veteran’s big league journey took him to Texas for parts of seven seasons before he inked a two-year, $12.5MM contract with the Tribe.  That deal didn’t quite go as planned and last season, the Indians shipped Murphy to the Angels.  Between the two stops, he posted a combined .283/.318/.421 slash line with 10 home runs.

So far this spring, Murphy has looked solid and he feels as though he’s done enough to make a big league team.

“I feel I’ve had a decent camp and shown the Red Sox what I can do,” Murphy said. “I just want to end up in a major league uniform.”

By the same token, Murphy says that he would rather retire than play the 2016 season in the minors.  For his career, Murphy owns a .274/.333/.432 big league slash line over ten seasons with the Red Sox, Rangers, Indians, and Angels.

Orioles Have Discussed Releasing Hyun Soo Kim

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Roughly three months after signing outfielder Hyun Soo Kim, the Orioles are already having some buyer’s remorse on the deal.  The Orioles have internally discussed buying out Kim in a deal that would rid them of some of money owed to the player while allowing him to potentially return to the Korean Baseball Organization, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes.

Late last year, the Orioles inked Kim to a two-year pact worth $7MM.  That deal, as it turned out, had a pair of unique quirks.  First, Kim’s deal allows him to become a free agent upon completion rather than entering the arbitration process.  The contract also prohibits the Orioles from sending him to the minor leagues without his consent.  At the time of the deal, the Orioles probably didn’t think much of that second clause, but it has become quite relevant as Kim struggles in spring training.

Roughly one year ago, the Orioles and pitcher Suk-min Yoon tore up their three-year, $5.575MM deal, allowing him to return to the Kia Tigers of the KBO on a record-breaking four-year, $8.2MM pact.  When asked by Rosenthal over the weekend if he would consider such a move, Orioles general manager Dan Duquette said “I don’t know if we’re there yet.”

When the O’s signed Kim, they hoped that the KBO sensation would step in as their everyday left fielder.  However, Kim does not appear to be major league ready and Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard has been excelling in recent weeks.  Rickard is raking in spring and also offers solid defense, leading many within the club to favor him as the choice in left field, though one O’s official expressed concern that the team is putting too much stock into spring training performances.  Despite Rickard’s promise and Kim’s struggles, however, Duquette noted that he is not ready to give up on the 28-year-old Korean.

“These transitions, they take a while,” Duquette said. “You’ve got the language. You’ve got the culture. The baseball is a little different. There are better pitchers here.”

Dale Thayer Opts Out Of Orioles Contract

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Veteran right-handed reliever Dale Thayer has opted out of his minor league deal with the Orioles, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes has learned. Thayer is now a free agent. He allowed three runs and struck out six batters in six spring innings.

Thayer had an uphill battle for a roster spot in a relatively well-defined Orioles bullpen. Top candidates for relief jobs include Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Mychal Givens, Brian Matusz, Brad Brach, Vance Worley, T.J. McFarland, Odrisamer Despaigne, and out-of-options prospect Dylan Bundy. Those names only represent the most established options, making Thayer a long shot to crack the roster. For example, Zach Phillips was recently signed as an insurance policy to banged up southpaw Matusz.

Thayer struggled to a 4.06 ERA with 5.97 K/9 and 3.58 BB/9 with the Padres in 2015. He was remarkably better in previous seasons including a 2.34 ERA with 8.54 K/9 and 2.20 BB/9 in 2014. Over the course of his career, he’s posted respectable rates – a 3.47 ERA, 7.62 K/9, and 2.36 BB/9 over 251 innings.

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