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Orioles Rumors

Industry Notes: MASN, Wright, Mariners, Amateur

By Jeff Todd | November 14, 2018 at 8:54am CDT

Over at The Athletic, Meghan Montemurro takes a fascinating look at how monster free agent contracts are negotiated. Subscribers will certainly want to read the entire piece for themselves, but there are a few notable takeaways that are worth discussing here. Notably, Montemurro’s efforts at canvassing prior signings reveals that heavy and early ownership involvement is a staple in major, long-term deals. Every front office/ownership dynamic is different, of course, but unsurprisingly the level of coordination required increases as the deal size goes up.

Ultimately, there’s no way to separate the higher-level business considerations from the hot stove — or, indeed, the game itself. With that in mind, here are some recent industry notes …

  • The Nationals are hoping that a hearing later this week will represent a major step toward the resolution of their longstanding dispute with the Orioles over television rights fees, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports. A three-person panel consisting of Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, Mariners CEO Kevin Mather, and Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro will hear the case. A prior arbitration proceeding way back in 2014 was invalidated by the courts owing to a finding of a conflict of interest in the Nats’ choice of counsel; that decision ultimately led back to this new MLB-constituted panel. As Janes explains, the arbitral proceeding will address a pair of five-year rights-fees periods for the jointly-owned (and Orioles-controlled) Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, with hundred of millions of dollars at stake. Even if the Nationals get the outcome they hope for of course, there’ll still be a possibility of further appeal, though the odds are long against upsetting a properly convened arb panel (which is why the original Baltimore victory, though procedural, was so notable). It’s not entirely whether the Nats’ immediate roster plans will be much affected, but Janes does conclude by noting that, “if the Nationals do get the revenue they are owed, their ability to sign elite free agents will improve, according to those familiar with the organization’s plans.”
  • There’s less at stake for the division-rival Mets, but they too face an upcoming date of note for resolving a financial matter. As Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reports, the wind-down of the David Wright contract is not quite as complete as was generally supposed. The Mets stand to receive coverage for three-quarters of the $27MM left on Wright’s deal, but there’s one wrinkle. While his playing career is now over, Wright remains on the club’s 40-man roster … even as the deadline for protecting players from the Rule 5 draft approaches (November 20th). Because he was activated late last year for a brief farewell, the first 59 games of the 2019 season are, by the terms of the insurance policy, not covered. And the club still has not worked out a settlement that will enable it to trim Wright from the roster (he otherwise must remain on it for the team to collect) and thereby open up a roster spot to utilize as the organization sees fit.
  • Allegations arose recently of racist statements from key baseball operations figures with the Mariners — a worrying situation, unquestionably, the future course of which remains unclear. Regardless of how things shake out, writes Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, “the stain from this episode will cling to the organization for a long time.” Even as Stone rightly advises that it’s too soon to issue any final judgment on the specifics of the case, he explains that this matter coincides with other, preexisting issues with the organization’s management.
  • MLB has now announced the formation of a new Prospect Development Pipeline League, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports recently reported. The idea here is to present a showcase opportunity each year for top high-school draft prospects. Such chances exist already, of course, but they are run by a private entity (Perfect Game) and may not be within the means of many prospects. This new PDP development will also allow team to access physical testing and data-tracking on the participating players. That’s something of a concern to the MLBPA, per Passan, though the union is said to be on board. As he puts it, “any fear is mitigated by the recognition that the youth system, as currently constituted, is broken.”
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Baltimore Orioles New York Mets Seattle Mariners Washington Nationals David Wright

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Rosenthal’s Latest: Greinke, Santana, Angels, Harper, Orioles, Machado

By TC Zencka | November 12, 2018 at 9:33am CDT

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal suggests teams in need of pitching should take a second look at Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke. With Arizona set to lose Patrick Corbin and A.J. Pollock to free agency, the Dbacks are, unwittingly maybe, staring down a period of transition. The $34.8MM the 35-year-old Greinke is owed yearly might seem like a bitter pill to swallow, but there are ways of diverting a portion of that cost to make the contract palatable. The Rangers and Diamondbacks, for instance, reportedly discussed a Greinke deal last offseason wherein the Rangers would have offset the AAV by sending Shin-Soo Choo the other way. Another strategy to offset that cost is straight cash. However it’s done, getting Greinke’s AAV down to the range of $20MM to $25MM might make him an attractive, shorter-term alternative to a free agent like Dallas Keuchel on a five-year pact, given that Greinke is now essentially on a three-year deal. So long as he’s priced appropriately, the Diamondbacks could move him. Whether or not they should depends on the cost. Be sure to check out the entire article here (subscription link), but for now, here are more snippets from Rosenthal on high-priced veterans from around the league…

  • Unlike the Dbacks with Greinke, the Mariners are likely stuck with their veterans, given the sticker price of right-hander Felix Hernandez, third baseman Kyle Seager and Robinson Cano. In the context of the Greinke conversation, moving Cano almost seems plausible, as he’s only a year older than Greinke and owed almost $15MM less per season, but whereas Greinke isn’t much diminished from peak form, Cano is not long removed from an 80-game suspension, signed for two years longer and likely to move down the defensive hierarchy next season, from second base to either first or designated hitter.
  • Rosenthal quotes a rival executive who says the Phillies are “shopping the hell” out of first baseman Carlos Santana. If they could move off the two years and more than $35MM owed to Santana, the Phils would love to move Rhys Hoskins back to first, since he recorded an unsightly -24 DRS in left field last season. Adam Dunn is the only left fielder to record less defensive runs saved in a single season since 2003, when Sports Info Solutions introduced the data. For Santana’s part, he’s been decent defensively at first over the last few seasons with the Indians and Phillies, even managing 1 DRS in 119 innings at third for the Phils last year. Still, he’s probably more of an asset to an American League team where he could cycle in and out of the designated hitter slot.
  • The Angels, as well, are looking to shed salary in the form of Kole Calhoun or Blake Parker. Matt Shoemaker, after missing most of last season, is a non-tender candidate as well. The Angels are wary of dipping into their farm system to improve the major-league squad, as they’ve worked hard to rebuild their prospect pool. Still, they have a relatively desperate need for pitching and are, therefore, looking to shed salary where they can.
  • Rosenthal quotes an anonymous agent with an interesting take on the Bryce Harper saga in Washington. The agent theorizes that GM Mike Rizzo is largely extricating himself from the process moving forward, instead moving aggressively to fill the Nationals’ other needs and leaving ownership to make the final verdict on Harper. Of course, creating a better baseball situation in Washington surely won’t hurt in the pursuit of Harper either.
  • Also in Washington, the Nats could see a boost to their finances if their dispute with the Orioles over rights fees from the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) is settled, as expected, by MLB’s internal arbitration panel. An appeals process could still be at hand, but baseball officials hope both teams will live with whatever verdict comes down from the Revenue Sharing Definition Committee, which consists of Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, Mariners CEO Kevin Mather and Toronto CEO Mark Shapiro. In dispute is over $200MM in rights fees from 2012 to 2016. If the hearing goes as expected, the Nats will see an influx of cash that should grant them future payroll flexibility. Before you ask – no, the matter will not likely be settled in time to aid in the wooing of Harper.
  • For the Orioles part in the above dispute, Rosenthal suggests it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Orioles’ next front office hires to include someone in good standing with the MLB office. Along with the more explicit organizational issues, Baltimore has also apparently had a poor relationship with the league office as well. A portion of the discord stems from the above dispute with the Nationals over rights fees for the Orioles’ owned MASN, but there’s also suspicions that Camden Yards has somewhat unfairly been passed over for the All-Star game in recent years. Camden Yards was a forerunner for the way modern sports facility are built, but they have not hosted an All-Star game since its second year of existence in 1993. Other organizations have longer droughts in this regard, but the missed opportunity to honor the 25th anniversary of Camden Yards in 2017 still stings.
  • As for the free agent market’s other big fish, Rosenthal quotes the Athletic’s Jayson Stark who hears that the Yankees are doing more than their due diligence to get first-hand accounts of Manny Machado’s character. They likely won’t be disappointed by what they hear, as those close to Machado have nothing but good things to say, while recognizing the occasional on-field gaff.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Baltimore Orioles Free Agent Market New York Yankees Newsstand Philadelphia Phillies Seattle Mariners Washington Nationals Carlos Santana Manny Machado Mike Rizzo Rhys Hoskins Robinson Cano Zack Greinke

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AL Notes: Twins, McCullers, Rays, Zunino, Orioles

By Connor Byrne | November 11, 2018 at 1:06pm CDT

Center fielder Byron Buxton and third baseman Miguel Sano were among the Twins’ best performers during their 2017 playoff season, but both players took massive steps backward during the team’s disappointing 2018 campaign. Now, the down seasons the pair endured are affecting the Twins’ offseason plans, Dan Hayes of The Athletic explains (subscription required). Had those two remained strong contributors last season, Minnesota would’ve been more willing to go “full speed ahead” this winter in an attempt to catch the AL Central rival Indians, Hayes writes. Instead, the Twins’ primary focus right now is to help those two bounce back in 2019. If Buxton and Sano do rebound, Twins ownership would give the team’s front office “the green light to take more of an aggressive step forward with this unit of players,” general manager Thad Levine said, adding he and chief baseball officer Derek Falvey “would feel much more emboldened to take that step forward.”

Here’s more from the American League:

  • Even though the Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr. pitched in September and October, the right-hander tells Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (subscription required) that he was aware by then that he needed Tommy John surgery. McCullers revealed that he received the news when he met with surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Aug. 30, but the 25-year-old – with the blessing of ElAttrache and the Astros – put the procedure on hold until the offseason. While pitching through a partially torn UCL was “painful,” McCullers wasn’t going to make the injury worse by doing it, and he knew he’d miss 2019 no matter what. McCullers ended up going under the knife this past Tuesday, and is aiming for a spring 2020 return. Kaplan’s full piece is worth checking out for more from McCullers.
  • Catcher Mike Zunino, whom the Rays acquired from the Mariners on Thursday, looks like a solid addition from an on-field standpoint. The Rays also place a great deal of value on Zunino as a person, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes, noting he should help fill the veteran leadership void left by free agents Sergio Romo and Carlos Gomez. Indeed, GM Erik Neander said that “[Zunino’s] somebody that we see that could take a leadership role with our group.’’ In terms of what Zunino provides as a defender, Neander offered a rave review, pointing to “how he navigates a staff, how he manages people, what kind of teammate he is, the care factor, the confidence that he is putting down the right fingers.”
  • Unsurprisingly, the Orioles won’t be big players in free agency, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com hears. However, Kubatko relays that they will prioritize adding infielders, likely on short-term deals. Assuming the rebuilding Orioles don’t contend in 2019, they could then try to trade those additions over the summer, Kubatko notes. Of the infield options currently on Baltimore’s 40-man roster (Chris Davis, Tim Beckham, Jonathan Villar, Renato Nunez, Breyvic Valera, Steve Wilkerson and Engelb Vielma), only Villar and Nunez offered passable major league production last season.
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Baltimore Orioles Houston Astros Minnesota Twins Tampa Bay Rays Byron Buxton Lance McCullers Jr. Miguel Sano Mike Zunino

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Latest On Orioles’ GM Search

By TC Zencka and Jeff Todd | November 10, 2018 at 11:18am CDT

It’s a time of change for the Orioles. Most notably, John and Lou Angelos have taken over regular operations from their father, Peter Angelos. The club has been without a manager since dismissing Buck Showalter, though that post figures to remain open for the time being. That’s because there’s an even more important hire in the works for the Angelos brothers, who are working to identify the person who’ll head up their baseball operations department.

In the interim, there is a small group of executives left over from Dan Duquette’s regime who are currently responsible for overseeing the roster moves in Baltimore this offseason. Brian Graham, the director of player development, is said to be handling the day-to-day operations as the interim GM. VP of baseball ops Brady Anderson and amateur scouting director Gary Rajsich are also present to weigh in on the offseason’s earliest action.

To this point, the Baltimore organization hasn’t settled on a job title for whomever becomes the organization’s top baseball decisionmaker. In and of itself this doesn’t mean much, but as the Athletic’s Dan Connolly pointed out in early October, there is a perplexing lack of clarity regarding division of labor moving forward. Brady Anderson, for one, has had significant negotiating responsibilities in the past, so his continued involvement is certainly notable, despite ownership’s claim that the new hire will have “final determination on all baseball matters”.

Here are the latest on the Orioles search:

Latest Updates – 11/10/18

  • UPDATE: The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal now tweets that Tigers AGM David Chadd is no longer under consideration for the position in Baltimore. This coming on the heels of Chadd supposedly being a finalist for the position as of two days ago. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale had named Chadd as a finalist for the top spot in Baltimore (via Twitter), but that appears to no longer be the case.
  • The Orioles are keeping most of the details regarding their GM search close to the vest, but Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reminds us (via Twitter) that their first priority is identifying the executive to head their baseball ops – that hire will have the prerogative to name their top assistant. The original plan was for the top hire to be given the title of President, but the exact nomenclature (more than the responsibilities) remains TBD. Presumably, this will depend upon who they bring aboard and what kind of title bump that individual requires.
  • Regardless, there will be two eventual new hires to head up the O’s front office, and some names are starting to emerge. The oft-mentioned AGM of the Houston Astros Mike Elias remains in consideration, per the Athletic’s Dan Connolly, but two new names have entered the field as well: Phillies assistant GM Ned Rice and MLB Diversity Pipeline Director Tyrone Brooks. Before moving to the Phils front office in 2016, Ned Rice was an official with the Orioles for 11 years. Tyrone Brooks, for his part, took on the responsibility of driving diversity hires throughout MLB’s administrative levels in 2016 after Commissioner Rob Manfred created the role. He does has front office experience as well: he was a scout in the Indians organization before serving as an assistant GM with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2009-2016.
  • Also of note, vice president Brady Anderson did not represent the Orioles at last week’s GM meetings, despite his home being only an hour away. Connolly wonders if this might have been a signal from ownership that the runway is, in fact, clear for the next hire to run things without demonstrative input from incumbent front office holdovers like Anderson.

Click to review the potential names under consideration and prior updates to the process:

Read more

Previous Updates – 11/6/18

  • Astros assistant GM Mike Elias is seen as a top potential candidate to run things in Baltimore, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). He was boosted to an AGM role under Jeff Luhnow after David Stearns left Houston to run the Brewers’ baseball ops department. Elias is said to focus on player intake, including the draft and international amateur market.
  • Several other executives have emerged as possible candidates, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). Phillies assistant GM Ned Rice, whose roots are in the Orioles organization, has taken an interview. Likewise, John Angelos (who’s said to be running the process) has chatted with Tigers AGM David Chadd.
  • There’s still no indication, however, that the process will move particularly quickly. Sherman tweets, in fact, that the O’s may not settle on a choice for several more weeks, explaining that ownership is “valuing thoroughness rather than overemphasizing this offseason’s work.” We heard recently that the club is also using the interview process to study other organizations, per Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun.
  • While thorough deliberation seems a sensible approach on the whole, it’ll likely mean missing on some opportunities in the meantime. (Though indications are that the Orioles are open for business. According to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, all players are open for discussion in trade talks.) Beyond the potential impact on the team’s roster decisions, the internal uncertainty will impact personnel. Indeed, the organization just lost its top analytics employee, Sarah Gelles, per Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com (via Twitter). Her departure for the stats-savvy ’Stros will surely represent a big loss for the O’s fledgling statistical department. Previously, the Orioles moved on from several other key members of their organization: Triple-A manager Ron Johnson, director of Dominican baseball operations Nelson Norman, East Coast scouting supervisor Kirk Fredriksson, special assistant Matt Haas, area scout Dana Duquette, as well as senior advisor Joe McIlvaine and special assignment scout Wayne Britton.

 

Under Consideration

  • Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun lists several names potentially under consideration, though he notes their current status is not quite clear. Blue Jays baseball ops VP Ben Cherington, former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, assistant general manager for the Oakland A’s Dan Kantrovitz, and Houston Astros assistant general manager Mike Elias have at least drawn some consideration.
  • Two of those men have experience at the helm of other organizations. Cherington, the former Red Sox GM, has previously expressed interest in building an organization from scratch, and the Orioles would certainly check that box. Colletti, meanwhile, has been in “consistent contact” with Orioles ownership. Way back on October 5th it was reported that Colletti had met with Orioles president John Angelos during the summer – but that meeting was before Duquette had been let go, and it remains unclear if Colletti’s discussions with ownership are at all related to a possible candidacy.

Other Potential Candidates

  • At present, per Meoli, the Orioles do not plan to sit down with MLB executive Kim Ng. It’s still possible she’ll be brought into the search, however. Meoli also notes it’s possible the O’s will now look to speak with some of the executives who had been tied up in the World Series, though it’s not yet evident whether that’ll be the case.
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Baltimore Orioles Discussion Ben Cherington Brady Anderson Mike Elias Ned Colletti Peter Angelos Tyrone Brooks

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Quick Hits: Mets, Rangers, Escobar, Trumbo

By Mark Polishuk | November 4, 2018 at 12:54pm CDT

Some stray items from around the league…

  • It isn’t yet known if assistant GM John Ricco or special assistant J.P. Ricciardi will remain with the Mets in the front office of new GM Brodie Van Wagenen, though MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (Twitter link) reports that both Ricco and Ricciardi are expected to join Van Wagenen and Omar Minaya at the GM Meetings this week.  The Mets reportedly want to retain both Ricco and Riccardi, though club COO Jeff Wilpon did say prior to Van Wagenen’s appointment that the new general manager would have hiring authority.
  • Are Nomar Mazara and Jurickson Profar extension candidates or trade candidates for the Rangers?  Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News feels the team should hold off on a Mazara deal at least for now, as Texas would be selling low on a former top prospect who has yet to really display that ability at the big league level (.258/.320/.425 with 60 homers over 1720 career PA, with just 1.5 fWAR over three seasons), plus Mazara is only entering his age-24 season and could still break out as a Rangers cornerstone.  Profar was once seen as the best prospect in baseball, yet injuries have stalled his career, making it unlikely that the Rangers would invest in an extension for a player they still don’t know if they can count on as a long-term piece.  By that same token, Profar probably doesn’t have a ton of trade value if Texas shops him around to rival teams.
  • From that same piece, Grant argues that the Rangers should try to acquire a quality starting pitcher this winter as “seed money” towards a future contender.  Grant feels Texas probably won’t be ready to contend until 2021, though since the Rangers have a huge need for pitching right now, the club could acquire a notable starter as something of a “relevancy tax” to help keep fan interest up, and then conceivably trade this pitcher for future assets later.
  • With free agency upon us, Eduardo Escobar chose to sidestep the open market entirely by re-signing with the Diamondbacks on a three-year, $21MM contract.  Multiple rival executives felt the deal was a good one for the D’Backs, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal writes (subscription required), with one exec speculating that Escobar’s price tag could’ve reached as high as four years and $40MM.  As Rosenthal noted, however, the market is crowded with several other infield options, and Escobar could have found himself forced to take the sort of below-market contract that many other free agents had to settle for last offseason.  Since Escobar enjoyed his time in Arizona, Rosenthal wonders if other players could prioritize a good situation rather than take the risk of a protracted free agent stint.
  • The Orioles will be open to moving any and all veterans as they rebuild, but it doesn’t seem likely that they’ll be able to deal Mark Trumbo this winter, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko writes.  Owed a hefty $13.5MM in 2019, Trumbo was already going to be a tough sell in trade talks, but his season-ending knee surgery at the end of August almost surely ruined his stock for any potential suitors.  Trumbo’s surgery isn’t expected to limit him for the start of Spring Training, and the O’s will have to hope that he performs well in the first half of the 2019 season to potentially become a trade candidate by the deadline.  Trumbo rebounded from a sub-replacement level season in 2017 to hit a solid .261/.313/.452 with 17 homers over 358 PA in 2018, though he’ll need to significantly top those solid numbers to increase his trade value, given his salary and defensive limitations.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Baltimore Orioles New York Mets Texas Rangers Eduardo Escobar J.P. Ricciardi John Ricco Jurickson Profar Mark Trumbo Nomar Mazara

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AL East Notes: Rays, Cron, O’s, Beckham

By Connor Byrne | November 3, 2018 at 6:37pm CDT

Rumblings on a pair of American League East clubs…

  • It seems the Rays’ main offseason objective is to acquire a right-handed power hitter they can pencil into the middle of their order, suggests the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin, who names Nelson Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, Josh Donaldson and ex-Ray Wilson Ramos as free agents who would qualify. Topkin adds that it continues to appear as if Tampa Bay will move on without righty-swinging first baseman C.J. Cron, who belted 30 home runs in 2018. The Rays could trade Cron prior to the Nov. 30 non-tender deadline, Topkin observes. Even though Cron performed well this past season and will be affordable in 2019 (MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $5.2MM salary), the Rays want a more “feared” hitter, according to Topkin.
  • More from Topkin, who also lists a righty-hitting catcher, a reliever to replace free agent Sergio Romo and “possibly a starter” on the Rays’ offseason wish list. Topkin wonders if the Rays will pursue free-agent catcher Robinson Chirinos, whom the Rangers surprisingly cut ties with Friday. The 34-year-old already has one stint with the Rays under his belt, as they acquired him from the Cubs in a 2011 blockbuster which saw Matt Garza and Chris Archer, among others, change teams. Chirinos ultimately racked up just 60 PAs with the Rays, who dealt him to Texas in 2013. It was an unheralded move at the time, but Chirinos turned into a quality offensive backstop as a Ranger, posting a .768 OPS in 1,546 PAs with the club.
  • Orioles infielder Tim Beckham and catcher Caleb Joseph are “at risk” of being non-tendered before the deadline, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes. Swartz projects Beckham to rake in $4.3MM via arbitration, and that would’ve been a reasonable sum had the 28-year-old looked something like his 2017 self this past season. Beckham instead took several steps backward, hitting .230/.287/.374 (79 wRC+) with minus-0.5 fWAR in 402 plate appearances. Joseph, who’s projected to earn $1.7MM, was also ineffective, evidenced by a meager .219/.254/.321 line (54 wRC+) in 280 trips to the plate. Moreover, the 32-year-old was among the majors’ worst defensive catchers in 2018, per Baseball Prospectus.
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Baltimore Orioles Tampa Bay Rays C.J. Cron Caleb Joseph Tim Beckham

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Minor MLB Transactions: 11/3/18

By TC Zencka | November 3, 2018 at 8:25am CDT

In this post we will track the minor moves from around the MLB today…

  • Right-handed pitcher Pierce Johnson is now a minor league free agent after clearing waivers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Pierce was a first-rounder for the Cubs back in 2012 and appeared regularly on their organizations’ list of top prospects. He spent last season shuttling between the San Francisco Giants and their Triple-A club. With the big league club, the 27-year-old appeared in 37 games, pitching to a 5.56 ERA, with a not-too-promising 7.4 K/9 to 4.53 BB/9. His numbers in Triple-A were much more heartening: 17 games, 3.57 ERA, 11.91 K/9, 3.97 BB/9. If he can figure out a way to translate those minor-league strikeout numbers to the big leagues, he could certainly develop into a useful bullpen piece.
  • The Baltimore Orioles re-signed left-handed pitcher Sean Gilmartin, per John Meoli of the Baltimore Sun. This after being outrighted by the Orioles two days ago. The 28-year-old lefty appeared in 12 games for the Orioles last season after spending the previous three with the New York Mets. Despite the low number of appearances, Gilmartin soaked up a number of innings for the Orioles, throwing 27 innings with a 3.00 ERA. He also spent time with the Orioles and Cardinals Triple-A affiliates in 2018. Gilmartin returns to the Baltimore organization on a minor league deal. Unfortunately, his peripheral metrics don’t rate so highly as that sparkling ERA: 5.39 xFIP, 5.00 K/9, 3.67 BB/9. For his major league career, he has appeared in 78 games with a 3.84 ERA (4.43 xFIP) for the Mets and Orioles.
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Baltimore Orioles San Francisco Giants Transactions Pierce Johnson Sean Gilmartin

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Orioles Outright Four Players

By George Miller | November 1, 2018 at 5:31pm CDT

The Orioles announced Thursday that they have outrighted four players off the 40-man roster. Left-hander Sean Gilmartin and right-hander Gabriel Ynoa, along with infielders Corban Joseph and Jace Peterson, will be outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. While Gilmartin and Peterson have elected free agency, the club has agreed to terms with Joseph and Ynoa on minor league contracts for the 2019 season. The move leaves the Orioles with 36 players on their 40-man roster.

The 30-year-old Joseph will remain with the Orioles for 2019. In 2018, he appeared in the majors for the first time since 2013, when he broke in with the Yankees. Though he played in 14 games with the Orioles in 2018, he spent the majority of the year in Double-A, where he tallied a .312/.381/.497 slash line and hit 17 homers. In his time in the big leagues, Joseph went 4-for-18.

Ynoa, who was acquired by the Orioles prior to the 2017 season after debuting with the Mets in 2016, was the other player to sign a minor league contract with the O’s. Coming off a solid 2017 campaign in which he started four games for Baltimore, the 25-year-old Ynoa was expected to compete for a spot in the starting rotation out of spring training. However, because of a bout with shin splints and rotator cuff inflammation, he was unable to play for the Orioles in 2018. Ynoa was limited to just two Double-A starts in a brief rehab assignment, before he missed the remainder of the season. He figures to be a depth option for the Orioles in 2019.

Gilmartin, 28, signed with the Orioles in July after he was released by the Cardinals. In 12 appearances with Baltimore, he posted a solid 3.00 ERA, though his peripherals lagged behind his results. Originally a first-round pick of the Braves in 2011, Gilmartin began his major-league career with the Mets in 2015 as a Rule 5 pick and enjoyed encouraging results, striking out 54 batters in 57  1/3 innings. However, Gilmartin has struggled since that strong rookie season, being designated for assignment by the Mets and later released by the Cardinals. Still, as a controllable left-handed arm with the capability to start, he should find somewhere to play in 2019.

After beginning the 2018 season with the Yankees, Peterson was claimed off waivers by the Orioles in April. He played all over the diamond for the team, appearing in 93 games for the O’s. Although he finished the season with just a .195 batting average and unspectacular power numbers, he posted an above-average walk rate, drawing 31 bases on balls in 246 plate appearances. Additionally, Peterson stole 13 bases for the O’s, while being caught just twice on the basepaths. With 4.003 years of major-league service time, Peterson can still be controlled by a team for two more seasons. Though he hasn’t lived up to his prospect pedigree, Peterson’s defensive versatility, on-base skills, and platoon splits still make him a useful depth option for a team.

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Baltimore Orioles Transactions Corban Joseph Gabriel Ynoa Jace Peterson Sean Gilmartin

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Mariners Claim John Andreoli, Select Joey Curletta

By Jeff Todd | October 31, 2018 at 2:05pm CDT

The Mariners have claimed outfielder John Andreoli off waivers from the Orioles, per club announcements. Seattle also added first baseman/outfielder Joey Curletta to its 40-man roster.

Andreoli, 28, debuted in the bigs last year with the Seattle organization before landing with the O’s via waiver claim. That’s now reversed, though it remains to be seen whether he’ll keep his roster spot throughout the winter. Andreoli did not hit much in limited MLB opportunities, but posted a .287/.397/.401 slash in 388 Triple-A plate appearances last year.

As for Curletta, 24, the move will prevent him from achieving minor-league free agency. Primarily a right fielder during his prior minor-league campaigns, Curletta appeared mostly at first base last year at the Double-A level. He ended up posting a career-best output, with a .282/.383/.482 batting line and 23 long balls over 556 plate appearances.

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Baltimore Orioles Seattle Mariners Transactions Joey Curletta John Andreoli

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Orioles Select Contract Of Branden Kline

By Jeff Todd | October 30, 2018 at 2:38pm CDT

The Orioles announced today that they have selected the contract of right-hander Branden Kline. He would otherwise have qualified for minor-league free agency.

Kline, 27, was a second-round pick out of the University of Virginia back in 2012. His path up the ladder in the Baltimore system was slowed by arm injuries, however. Kline missed most of 2015 and the entirety of the following two seasons owing to a terrible run of injuries.

Now that he has battled through a surgically repaired broken leg, Tommy John surgery, and other procedures, Kline will likely feature only as a reliever. But he showed quite some promise in that capacity in 2018, when he threw 65 2/3 innings over 44 appearances at the High-A and Double-A levels, working to a 1.64 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.

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Baltimore Orioles Transactions Branden Kline

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