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White Sox, Mike Pelfrey Agree To Minor League Deal

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1:58pm: Heyman tweets that Pelfrey has agreed to a minor league deal. He’ll head to Triple-A Charlotte for the time being.

1:51pm: Heyman reports that the two sides have agreed to a deal, though he doesn’t specify whether it’s a minor league pact that’ll send Pelfrey to Triple-A Charlotte for the time being or a Major League deal that will place Pelfrey directly onto the 25-man roster.

1:22pm: The White Sox are closing in on a deal with right-hander Mike Pelfrey, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). The 33-year-old Pelfrey was released by the Tigers last week.

The Tigers cut bait on Pelfrey prior to the start of the season, electing to jettison the struggling righty rather than stick with him in hopes of salvaging some value out of the ill-fated two-year, $16MM contract signed by Pelfrey in the 2015-16 offseason. Detroit will be on the hook for the entirety of Pelfrey’s $8MM salary in 2017, minus the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time the right-hander spends in the Majors with the White Sox (or any other club).

Pelfrey’s lone year in Detroit resulted in a lackluster 5.07 ERA with 4.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 52.2 percent ground-ball rate. His 92.8 mph heater and solid grounder rate do create some mild cause for optimism, but Pelfey’s struggles weren’t confined to his 2016 season in the Motor City. In fact, since undergoing Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for nearly the entire 2012 season, Pelfrey has logged an unsightly 4.97 ERA in 460 innings with the Twins and Tigers.

While not an exciting addition to the White Sox’ depth chart, Pelfrey can give the club an option at the back of a rotation that is currently rife with uncertainty. Following the trade of Chris Sale this offseason and an injury that will sideline Carlos Rodon up to six weeks (possibly more), the Chicago rotation features Jose Quintana, James Shields, Derek Holland, Miguel Gonzalez and Rule 5 pick Dylan Covey (with swingman Anthony Swarzak also waiting in the wings). Pelfrey, if nothing else, can eventually surface in the Majors and simply function as an innings eater and a bridge to some of the Sox’ electric young arms — including Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech and Reynaldo Lopez.

Jose Iglesias Switches Agents

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Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias has changed representation and is now a client of Magnus Sports, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Iglesias had previously been with the Boras Corporation.

The 27-year-old Iglesias logged career-highs in both games played (137) and plate appearances (513) last season and delivered characteristically strong defensive value for the Tigers in 2016. However, his offensive output took a tumble across the board, as he batted just .255/.306/.336 in that time. Iglesias’ batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage all fell well shy of the career .287/.336/.362 marks that he carried into the 2016 season.

Those struggles notwithstanding, Iglesias still landed a notable $2MM raise on last year’s $2.1MM salary in arbitration and will earn $4.1MM in the current season. He’ll be eligible for arbitration once more next offseason before hitting the open market upon completion of the 2018 campaign.

Iglesias’switch has been reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database, which contains representation info on more than 2,500 Major League and minor league players. If you see any notable errors or omissions within the database, please let us know: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Tigers Prospect Kevin Ziomek Retires

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Tigers prospect Kevin Ziomek has retired from baseball, as was first reported by MLB Pipeline (Twitter link). Rated as one of the better arms in the Tigers’ system — ESPN’s Keith Law had him 17th this offseason, and he’s rated as highly as No. 4 on the Tigers’ top 30 prospect list at Baseball America in recent years — Ziomek missed the majority of the 2016 season due to thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. I’m told that the left-hander’s velocity simply never returned following the operation. Ziomek posted a 3.07 ERA with 299 strikeouts against 93 walks across 290 innings during his pro career. Best of luck to him moving forward.

Tigers To Consider Melvin Upton Jr., But Deal Unlikely

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The Tigers will “look into” signing just-released outfielder Melvin Upton Jr., according to general manager Al Avila, though Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press relays that a deal sounds unlikely (Twitter links). With J.D. Martinez on the shelf because of a foot injury, Upton’s brother, Justin Upton, will enter the season as Detroit’s only established outfielder. The Uptons played together in both Atlanta and San Diego from 2013-15, but it doesn’t seem as if they’ll reunite in the Motor City. Meanwhile, it doesn’t appear the Giants will even consider signing Melvin Upton. He’s not on their radar, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Melvin Upton Jr. Won’t Make Blue Jays

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8:07pm: The Giants are content with their current outfielders, meaning they’re not inclined to go after Upton, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. However, Schulman doesn’t rule out a trade, noting it could come down to the caliber of prospect the Jays are seeking for Upton (Twitter links).

6:25pm: The Tigers won’t pursue Upton, either, adds Heyman (on Twitter).

6:07pm: The Orioles are “not a fit” for Upton, Heyman hears (Twitter link).

5:40pm: Outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. won’t make the Blue Jays’ Opening Day roster, reports Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Jays are listening to offers for Upton, tweets FanRag’s Jon Heyman, who lists the Tigers, Orioles, Rays and Giants as sensible fits.

Toronto hasn’t finalized its roster yet, though the last spot was reportedly down to Upton and out-of-options infielder Ryan Goins as of Tuesday. Notably, the Blue Jays signed utilityman Chris Coghlan to a minor league deal Saturday, so it’s possible he could factor into the mix.

The Blue Jays can’t option Upton to the minors without his consent. As such, whether via trade or release, it appears the 32-year-old’s short tenure with the organization is about to end. Upton joined the club prior to last July in a deal with the Padres, who ate all but $5MM of the remaining $22MM on his contract and acquired right-hander Hansel Rodriguez in return.

Upton is due $16.45MM this season, which will conclude the five-year, $75.5MM deal he signed with the Braves in 2012, and the right-handed-hitter seemed likely to spend the campaign as a platoon left fielder in Toronto with the lefty-swinging Ezequiel Carrera. But, statistically speaking, Upton made a poor impression down the stretch last year in Toronto, where he hit just .196/.261/.318 in 165 post-trade plate appearances. He followed that up with another weak line, .194/.216/.472, in 36 spring at-bats.

While Upton hasn’t performed well in Toronto, the once-valuable Ray revived his career to an extent in San Diego over the prior year and a half. Upton hit a decent .257/.313/.435 with 21 home runs and 29 steals in 602 plate appearances with the Padres, and he combined for nine Defensive Runs Saved and a 2.9 Ultimate Zone Rating in the field. Someone could take a flier on him, then, including the teams Heyman mentioned. Detroit’s only proven outfielders are Melvin’s brother, Justin Upton, and the injured J.D. Martinez; Baltimore tried to acquire Melvin Upton last summer; Tampa Bay, where Upton played from 2007-12, has been looking for outfield help (though the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin tweets the team won’t trade for Upton); and he could conceivably platoon in San Francisco with lefty-hitting left fielder Jarrett Parker.

Tigers Release Travis Blackley

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Saturday’s minor moves:

  • The Red Sox have selected the contract of right-hander Ben Taylor, who will open the season in their bullpen. Prior to Saturday, the 24-year-old hadn’t gotten above Double-A since the Red Sox selected him in the seventh round of the 2015 draft. Taylor held his own at that level last year, when the reliever recorded a 3.44 ERA, 11.12 K/9 and 3.18 BB/9 in 34 innings, and fared well in spring training as a non-roster invitee. MLB Pipeline ranks Taylor as Boston’s 19th-best prospect.
  • The Tigers have released left-hander Travis Blackley, per an announcement from the veteran (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). Blackley, who joined the Tigers on a minor league deal in December, didn’t pitch in the majors in any of the previous three seasons. Since 2014, the well-traveled 34-year-old has seen action in his native Australia, Japan, Mexico and Triple-A New Orleans. Blackley owns a 5.23 ERA, 6.17 K/9, 3.78 BB/9 and a 43.3 percent ground-ball rate in 192 2/3 major league innings (82 appearances, 26 starts).

Tigers To Re-Sign Daniel Stumpf

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The Tigers have agreed to re-sign lefty Daniel Stumpf to a Major League deal and added him to their 40-man roster, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Stumpf, who the Tigers had placed on waivers earlier this week, elected free agency after clearing waivers and before agreeing to his new deal.

The Tigers took Stumpf from the Royals in last winter’s Rule 5 Draft. He became eligible for free agency after clearing waivers because he had previously been selected in the Rule 5 Draft and returned — he pitched five innings for the Phillies in 2016 before being offered back to the Royals. It appears, then, that the Tigers were willing to re-sign him to a big-league deal after he declared free agency because they could then option him to the minors, despite his having been a Rule 5 pick previously and the fact that he will again occupy a spot on their 40-man.

Stumpf pitched a total of 41 1/3 innings of relief in the minors last season, posting a 2.83 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 with four separate affiliates in two organizations. He has a history as a starter and has shown the ability to pitch multiple-inning stretches. He threw his fastball in the 92-MPH range in his stint with the Phillies last season, also throwing a slider and change.

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.

Tigers Sign Bryan Holaday To Minors Deal

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The Tigers announced on Friday that they’ve signed catcher Bryan Holaday to a minor league contract. With the new contract, the 29-year-old Lagardere Sports client will return to the organization with which he spent the first six seasons of his pro career.

Holaday also spent the bulk of 2016 Spring Training with the Tigers, but as an out-of-options player he ultimately found himself traded to the Rangers. He’d go on to split the ’16 season between Texas and Boston, hitting a combined .231/.281/.359 in 129 plate appearances over the life of 44 games. That production bears a striking resemblance to the lifetime .245/.282/.346 batting line that Holaday has accumulated across 411 plate appearances in parts of five Major League seasons.

This past offseason, Holaday inked a minor league pact with the Phillies, but he exercised his opt-out clause earlier this week when Philadelphia elected to name young Andrew Knapp as the backup to Cameron Rupp.

The Tigers will send Holaday to Triple-A Toledo to start the season, as they’ll go with James McCann and Alex Avila as their primary catching tandem to open the season. Holaday, though, will give them a familiar face to serve as a depth option in the event of an injury to either McCann or Avila.

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