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Minor Moves: Podsednik, Evans, Pena, Astros, Ray

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Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves…

  • The Phillies have signed outfielder Scott Podsednik to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 35-year-old did not appear in the big leagues last year, instead hitting .254/.340/.396 in the Phillies' and Blue Jays' farm systems.
  • The Pirates have signed Nick Evans to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, reports Andy Martino of The New York Daily News. The 25-year-old hit .256/.314/.403 line in 194 plate appearances with the Mets last season, playing all four corner positions
  • The Red Sox re-signed Tony Pena to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Stark. The converted shortstop would earn $625K if he makes the big league team.
  • The Astros signed catcher Carlos Corporan to a minor league deal and invited him to Major League Spring Training, according to Alyson Footer of the Astros (on Twitter).
  • The White Sox signed Brian Bruney to a minor league deal, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The right-hander would earn $600K for making the big league team.
  • Robert Ray signed a minor league deal with the Marlins, according to Crasnick.
  • The Phillies signed left-hander Pat Misch and infielder Kevin Frandsen to minor league contracts, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (Twitter links). Misch, 30, appeared in six games for the Mets this past season, spending most of the year with Triple-A Buffalo. He posted a 4.00 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 141 2/3 innings as a starter for the Bisons. Frandsen, who last appeared in the Major Leagues in 2010, spent the 2011 season in the Phillies' minor league system and posted a .309/.361/.430 line in 338 plate appearances.
  • The Diamondbacks signed right-handed reliever Jensen Lewis to a minor league deal, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned (Stark originally reported the Rangers signed him). Lewis, 27, would earn $675K in the Major Leagues, according to Stark. Lewis spent the 2011 season at Triple-A, but has a career ERA of 3.68 with 8.0 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in parts of four MLB seasons.

White Sox Release Brian Bruney

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AUGUST 15th: The White Sox released Bruney, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

AUGUST 6th: The White Sox have designated Brian Bruney for assignment according to Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). The move frees up a roster spot for Zach Stewart, who will start tomorrow and push Jake Peavy back to Sunday.

Bruney, 29, pitched to a 6.86 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 in 19 2/3 innings for Chicago this year. Stewart will be making his ChiSox debut after being acquired from the Blue Jays in the Edwin Jackson–Mark Teahen trade last weekend. Peavy appears to be getting an extra day of rest after throwing 115 pitches on Monday, his most since last May.

Quick Hits: Romero, Melky, Michael, Mondesi, Bailey

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Saturday evening linkage..

  • The Mets have signed infielder Niuman Romero to a minor league contract, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York (on Twitter). Romero appeared in two games for the Red Sox last season and hit .222/.294/.244 in 159 plate appearances in the Phillies' and Blue Jays' farm systems this year.
  • Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report that the Giants, Angels, and Phillies are among the teams with some level of interest in Melky Cabrera. The Melkman has delivered a .293/.332/.452 line for the Royals this season.
  • The Twins are making progress in talks with first round pick Levi Michael, tweets LaVelle E. Neal III of The Star Tribune. Michael was the 30th overall pick, which carries a slot recommendation of $1.1MM or so.
  • Adalberto Mondesi, the 16-year-old son of Raul Mondesi, is expected to sign for $1MM when eligible in two weeks according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (link in Spanish). Rojas says the Royals have the inside track, but the Yankees, Mets, Giants, and Athletics are also interested. Make sure you tell your friends about our Spanish-language sister site Rumores de Beisbol.
  • Yesterday we learned that the Athletics have received calls on closer Andrew Bailey.  Two sources tell Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that the Rangers are among those teams and the A's have at started looking more in-depth at Texas' farm system.
  • The Braves are in search of a bat, but Athletics outfielder Josh Willingham isn’t high on their list, a source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  Earlier today, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote that Willingham "is going to be traded at some point".
  • With their payroll already at an all-time high, the White Sox might be better off making in-house moves rather than deals, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  If GM Ken Williams & Co. do make a deal they may look to land a right-handed reliever, despite the emergence of Brian Bruney.
  • Rival evaluators say that the degree of separation in the standings could impact the the aggressiveness of the Phillies, Braves, and Giants before the deadline, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.  
  • The Cardinals have been one of the most aggressive teams in baseball as far as looking at starters, a source tells Morosi (via Twitter).

White Sox Sign Brian Bruney

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The White Sox signed reliever Brian Bruney to a minor league deal, reports Baseball America's Matt Eddy.  Bruney, 29 in February, struggled mightily in 17 2/3 innings for the Nationals this year after coming over from the Yankees in a trade.  After a May release he hooked on with the Brewers and Mets, but did not return to the Majors.  The Sox also re-signed 28-year-old minor league catcher Donny Lucy, according to Eddy.

Mets Sign Brian Bruney

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Well-traveled right-hander Brian Bruney will join his third team so far this season. Newsday's David Lennon reports (via Twitter) that the Mets have signed Bruney to a minor league deal.

The Nationals acquired the 28-year-old over the winter from the Yankees, but released him in May after 19 unimpressive appearances. Bruney then signed with the Brewers, but failed to crack their big league roster during his three weeks in the organization, and was released ten days ago. In 21 IP between the majors and minors for the Nats and Brewers this season, the righty has walked exactly a batter per inning.

Brewers Release Brian Bruney

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The Brewers released Brian Bruney, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter). Bruney signed with the Brewers earlier in the month, after the Nationals released him.

Bruney pitched 3.1 scoreless innings at Triple A Nashville after signing with Milwaukee. The right-hander's control evaded him at the big league level this year; he walked more than a batter per inning in 19 appearances with the Nationals. Bruney, who has struck out nearly a batter per inning in his major league career, had an acceptable walk rate as recently as 2008.

Brewers Sign Brian Bruney

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The Brewers signed Brian Bruney to a minor league deal, according to Jen Royle of MASN.com (via Twitter). The deal has an opt-out in a month, so Bruney could be a free agent again before long. The Brewers seemed like a natural landing spot for Bruney when the Nationals released him last week. The righty refused a minor league assignment after being designated for assignment. 

Bruney, 28, walked more than a batter per inning in 19 appearances for the Nationals this year. Though he has never been a control pitcher, he had an acceptable walk rate as recently as 2008, when he posted a sub-2.00 ERA for the Yankees. For what it's worth, Bruney's fastball hasn't had as much pep as usual this year; he's averaging 92 mph, down from 94 mph last year.

Cafardo’s Latest: Oswalt, Bruney, Pedro

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Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe examines the state of the designated hitter in his latest column, wondering if the game is better off with or without it. He also shares a few hot stove notes:

  • Roy Oswalt would want to play for the Cardinals, but the Astros are unlikely to trade their ace to a division rival.
  • Members of the Astros organization feel like Oswalt would prefer not to be dealt to an American League club, though he may be open to playing with his friend Jake Peavy in Chicago.
  • There are a few clubs interested in Brian Bruney, who was released by the Nationals last week.
  • Pedro Martinez is still mulling whether or not to make a comeback, and is staying in shape in the meantime. Cafardo says that the right-hander enjoyed pitching for the Phillies last year, but that it appears Pedro "has one foot under the mango tree."

Nationals Release Brian Bruney

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The Nationals released Brian Bruney, according to a team press release. They called catcher Carlos Maldonado up in a corresponding move. The Nationals designated Bruney for assignment last week and the reliever refused a minor league assignment after clearing waivers. The Nationals are responsible for Bruney's $1.5MM salary unless another team signs him, in which case the Nats will save about $300K.

Bruney, 28, had serious control problems in his 19 appearances this year, walking more than a batter per inning. He has never been a control pitcher, but had an acceptable walk rate as recently as 2008, when he posted a sub-2.00 ERA for the Yankees. 

The hard-throwing right-hander could sign with a team looking for minor league depth. The Brewers, who signed Jeff Bennett earlier today, would make some sense. Bruney still considers himself a major leaguer and hopes his time in pinstripes will help him find a big league job, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter).

Brian Bruney Clears Waivers

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FRIDAY, 7:04pm: Kilgore reports that Bruney has refused his minor league assignment.  The Nats now have a week to deal the reliever, and will probably release him if they can't find a trade partner.  Until Bruney signs with another club, Washington still owes Bruney his $1.5MM salary for 2010.

FRIDAY, 1:35pm: Bruney cleared waivers and now has 24 hours to accept or refuse a minor league assignment, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Bruney told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that he isn't sure if he'll accept the assignment.

SUNDAY: The Nationals have designated reliever Brian Bruney for assignment, according to MLB.com's William Ladson (via Twitter).  The move was made to create room for right-hander Drew Storen.  

Bruney, 28, has a 7.64 ERA with 16 Ks and 20 walks in 17.2 innings for the Nats this season.  Washington manager Jim Riggleman indicated yesterday that the club might make a roster move involving Bruney.  While the limited sample size should not be overlooked, it is worth noting that the velocity on Bruney's fastball has dipped from 94.6 mph last season to 92.8 mph in 2010.

Meanwhile, Storen has been outstanding this year in both Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse.  Between the two stops, Storen has a 1.12 ERA with 15 Ks and just three walks in 16 innings of work.  Baseball America's Prospect Handbook predicts that the 22-year-old – ranked third in the Nats' farm system – could be closing games in Washington by the end of the season.

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