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Curt Casali

Rays Sign Curt Casali

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The Rays have signed catcher Curt Casali, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports. It’s a minor league contract for Casali, whom the Rangers released Wednesday, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times.

Casali is headed back to familiar stomping grounds, having been a member of the Rays organization from 2013-17. He collected 466 major league plate appearances during that time, including a meager 13 last season, and batted .199/.285/.385. While Casali obviously wasn’t a significant offensive threat during that stretch, he did earn positive defensive grades, and he threw out 31 percent of would-be base stealers (29 percent was league average).

Now that he’s back with the Rays, the 29-year-old Casali will once again be part of a behind-the-plate mix headlined by starter Wilson Ramos and backup Jesus Sucre. Ramos and Sucre are the only catchers on the Rays’ 40-man roster.

Rangers Release Curt Casali

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The Rangers have released catcher Curt Casali, as Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (Twitter link). He’ll return to the open market in search of an opportunity elsewhere.

Several other veterans have also now been ruled out from the active roster. Righty Steve Delabar and outfielder Destin Hood have been so advised, as has third baseman Trevor Plouffe. As Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News adds on Twitter, Plouffe is considering his next steps and could request his own release.

The 29-year-old Casali came into camp in hopes of earning the back-up catching job behind starter Robinson Chirinos. But he has struggled with the bat in camp and evidently failed to beat out a variety of other possibilities.

As things stand, Juan Centeno is the most experienced option on the 40-man roster, with the recently outrighted Brett Nicholas and non-roster invitee Mike Ohlman also still on hand. Of course, it’s also still possible the Rangers could look outside the organization for a second backstop.

AL Notes: Rays Trades, Pineda, Rangers

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Even though they’ve traded Evan Longoria, more moves should be expected for the Rays before Opening Day, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Rays ownership has directed the front office to reduce payroll, and the team still projects to have a higher Opening Day payroll in 2018 (currently $83.6MM) than it did in 2017 ($70MM). There’s no indication that Tampa Bay has to cut it back to that $70MM level, nor is there a specific target that has been reported in recent weeks. But Topkin notes that the Rays are in a tough position of having to move veterans — possibly Denard Span, Jake Odorizzi, Alex Colome, Corey Dickerson or Brad Miller — while also still trying to fill out the roster. The bullpen, for instance, is lacking in experience, while Miller is projected to be the first baseman. If the Rays can clear enough cash, it stands to reason that they could reinvest some of those dollars in lower-priced options at those two positions (especially, I’d imagine, if Miller is one of the players to be jettisoned, thus creating a further opening at first base).

A bit more from around the American League as the sports world still buzzes about the Super Bowl…

  • Twins right-hander Michael Pineda tells reporters that he threw for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery yesterday, making 30 throws from a distance of 60 feet (video link via the Minneapolis Star Tribune). Pineda, who signed a two-year, $10MM contract with Minnesota, declined to specify which other clubs he considered in free agency this offseason but said the concept of joining the Twins was one that immediately interested him when presented by his agent. The big righty said his expectation is that he’ll be able to get back on the mound before the end of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on July 18, 2017, though obviously there’s a long road ahead of him.
  • Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram profiles a number of options for the Rangers as they head into camp uncertain about who will serve as Robinson Chirinos’ backup behind the plate. Brett Nicholas is the front-runner at this time, Wilson notes, though Juan Centeno, Jose Trevino and non-roster invitees Curt Casali and Mike Ohlman are all in the mix as well. Wilson notes that if the decision were to be made on defense alone, the organization would go with the 25-year-old Trevino, who many with the organization feel could be a plus MLB defender now. But, Trevino’s offense cratered in Double-A last year (.241/.275/.323) after a very good 2016 season in Class-A Advanced (.303/.342/.434). The Rangers undoubtedly hope he can be a long-term piece for them, so they’ll likely send him to the minors to further his development.

Rangers Sign Curt Casali

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The Rangers have announced the signing of catcher Curt Casali to a minors deal with an invitation to participate in MLB Spring Training. He had recently been released by the Angels after previously signing with that organization earlier in the winter.

Texas also announced that it will bring back outfielder Jose Cardona and righty Tayler Scott. Both also have minors deals with spring invites.

The 29-year-old Casali could battle with Juan Centeno, Brett Nicholas, and Mike Ohlman for the reserve job behind regular Robinson Chirinos. The losers of that fight, presumably, will line up as organizational depth or land with other organizations.

Casali has racked up 19 home runs in 466 career MLB plate appearances — all coming with the Rays in the past four seasons — but also carries a .285 on-base percentage at the game’s highest level. He’s a .246/.349/.352 hitter in 739 career plate appearances at Triple-A.

Of course, a variety of defensive attributes are often deemed most important for reserve catchers. Casali is generally considered a sturdy all-around asset behind the dish. He has graded well as a framer and has succeeded in cutting down would-be base stealers in the majors.

The 23-year-old Cardona reached the upper minors for the first time last year but managed only a .277/.316/.385 slash in 465 Double-A plate appearances. He became a minor-league free agent at the end of the year but will return to the only professional organization he has known.

Scott, 25, landed with the Rangers last season in the deal that sent Jeremy Jeffress to the Brewers. He was bombed in his 13 appearances at Triple-A, but had been more successful with the Brewers and could yet contribute at some point as a releiver.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/16/18

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Here are Tuesday’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Mariners announced 22 players that have received non-roster invitations to Major League Spring Training. Many of the minor league deals in that announcement have already been reported, though it’s of note that Seattle will bring veteran catcher Tuffy Gosewisch back to the organization. Right-handers Ryan Garton (who was outrighted off the 40-man roster in October) and Ryan Cook (who missed 2017 due to Tommy John surgery) will both be in big league camp as well. The 34-year-old Gosewisch went just 2-for-28 with the Mariners last season, though one of those two hits was a homer. He’s a career .190/.228/.271 hitter in 447 MLB plate appearances, though he’s also slashed a drastically superior .258/.318/.406 in his Triple-A career. Garton, 28, has a 4.55 ERA with 7.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 44 percent ground-ball rate in 61 1/3 innings between the Rays and Mariners over the past two seasons. Cook, of course, was briefly the closer in Oakland and looked like one of the game’s more promising young relievers in 2012-13. He’s pitched just 8 2/3 innings in the Majors dating back to Opening Day 2015 due to injuries, however.
  • The Angels have granted catcher Curt Casali his release from the organization, tweets Chris Cotillo of SB Nation. The former Rays backstop signed a minor league pact with the Halos earlier this winter with the intent of competing for a backup job in Spring Training, but those hopes were dashed when the Angels signed Rene Rivera to a Major League deal to pair with 2017 Gold Glove winner Martin Maldonado. Casali will again hit free agency in search of a new landing spot.
  • Cotillo also tweets that righty Gonzalez Germen is signing a minors pact with the White Sox after spending the past year in Japan. Germen, 30, posted a 2.68 ERA with 9.8 K/9 against 4.6 BB/9 in 47 innings of relief in his lone season in Japan, where he pitched for the Orix Buffaloes. In parts of four MLB seasons between the Rockies, Mets and Cubs, he’s worked to a 4.63 ERA with 129 strikeouts against 81 walks over the life of 144 innings.

Angels Agree To Minor League Deals With Curt Casali, Colin Walsh

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The Angels have agreed to a minor league contract with former Rays catcher Curt Casali, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports that Anaheim has also picked up former Brewers second baseman Colin Walsh on a minor league deal. Casali is a client of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, while Walsh is repped by the Ballengee Group. Both received invites to Major League Spring Training.

Casali, 29, has spent parts of the past four seasons with the Rays, showing decent pop but struggling to make contact, as evidenced by a .199/.285/.385 batting line and 19 homers in 466 trips to the plate. He’s thrown out a very strong 31 percent of would-be base thieves in that time and delivered average or better framing marks on a persistent basis, per Baseball Prospectus.

The right-handed-hitting Casali has managed just a .185/.268/.364 slash against right-handed pitching in his big league career but has authored a more palatable .230/.324/.434 line against lefties. He’ll head to camp with a chance to compete for a backup gig behind 2017 Gold Glove winner Martin Maldonado.

As for Walsh, he almost certainly won’t represent the Halos’ most significant second-base addition this offseason, but he’ll provide some depth with big league experience under his belt. The former Rule 5 pick logged 63 plate appearances with Milwaukee in 2016, though be posted an anemic .085/.317/.106 line in that time. The switch-hitting Walsh has a history of posting big OBP numbers in the minors and split the 2017 season between the Astros and D-backs organizations, batting a combined .256/.413/.435 with a dozen homers and a 94-to-101 BB/K ratio. He’s played all over the diamond, though Fletcher notes that GM Billy Eppler has said the Halos view Walsh as an option at second base and third base.

Outrighted: Twins, Phillies, Rays, Cardinals, Padres, Dodgers, Pirates

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A variety of teams cleared 40-man space today. Some of the moves are reflected elsewhere on the site, but we’ll round up the others right here:

  • The Twins have outrighted catcher Chris Gimenez and left Ryan O’Rourke, as MLB.com’ Rhett Bollinger tweets. Gimenez could have been retained for a projected $1MM arbitration salary, but Minnesota elected not to commit that much cash (and a roster spot) despite Gimenez’s 225 plate appearances of roughly league-average hitting in 2017. He tells Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer that he’ll likely elect to return to the open market, but would be open to a return (links to Twitter). As for O’Rourke, he was said to be exploring ways of hastening his return from Tommy John surgery, but Minnesota isn’t willing to gamble on the lefty’s recovery at this time.
  • Infielder Pedro Florimon and righty Jesen Therrien are now free agents after being outrighted off of the Phillies 40-man, per a club announcement. The 30-year-old Florimon has made his way onto a major league roster in each of the past seven seasons, compiling a .209/.269/.308 slash in 791 plate appearances but providing enough with the glove to keep earning return trips. The 24-year-old Therrien was knocked around in 15 relief appearances for the Phils this year, but did turn in 57 1/3 frames of 1.41 ERA ball (with 10.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9) during his time in the upper minors.
  • The Rays outrighted catcher Curt Casali, outfielder Cesar Puello, and righty Shawn Tolleson, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Casali played a bigger role on the 2016 MLB outfit and posted only a .698 OPS at Triple-A. The 26-year-old Puello has bounced around of late and struggled in a brief go at the bigs, but did manage a productive .327/.377/.526 slash in 379 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors (none of which came with a Tampa Bay affiliate). Tolleson required Tommy John surgery in May, so he’ll likely be looking for an organization to rehab with.
  • Departing the Cardinals’ 40-man were infielder Alex Mejia and catcher Alberto Rosario, according to MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch (via Twitter). Mejia struggled mightily in the bigs as a 26-year-old rookie, but slashed .291/.341/.413 in his 475 plate appearances in the upper minors. As for Rosario, who is thirty years of age, there just hasn’t been much opportunity for time behind the MLB plate.
  • Backstop Hector Sanchez and righty Tim Melville took free agency from the Padres after clearing outright waivers, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com (Twitter link). Sanchez, a 28-year-old switch-hitter who has seen action in each of the past seven MLB seasons, will surely be targeted as a depth acquisition by other organizations. Melville, who’s also 28, worked to a 2.95 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 76 1/3 Triple-A innings — his best results in the minors — but was bombed in brief MLB time.
  • The Dodgers outrighted first baseman/outfielder O’Koyea Dickson, as J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group tweets. Dickson, 27, briefly touched the majors in 2017 but spent the bulk of his time at Triple-A for the third-straight season. After putting up big numbers there in 2016, Dickson managed a career-best 24 home runs over 458 plate appearances in his most recent campaign, but slipped to a .328 on-base percentage.
  • Finally, the Pirates outrighted lefty Dan Runzler, MLB.com’s Adam Berry reports on Twitter. He’ll head back to free agency after refusing an assignment. Runzler, 32, made it back to the majors after a four-year absence, but only saw four innings in eight appearances. He pitched to a 3.05 ERA in 41 1/3 Triple-A innings, managing only 7.8 K/9 against 4.8 BB/9 but also generating typically strong groundball numbers.

Quick Hits: Rockies, Rays, Orioles, Rangers, Giants

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The Rockies and the Metropolitan Baseball Stadium District, which owns Coors Field, agreed to a 30-year, $200MM lease Wednesday to continue housing the team there, reports Nick Groke of the Denver Post. The two sides had spent four years negotiating the contract, which Major League Baseball approved Wednesday. The Rockies’ lease would have expired Thursday without an agreement, and that could have put their future in question. Instead, they’re now in line to remain at Coors Field through 2047. And, to the team’s credit, none of the pending $200MM in improvements to the stadium will come via taxpayer money. Coors opened in 1995 at a cost of $300MM, more than half of which ($162MM) was public money.

More from the majors:

  • If the Rays don’t pare down their 40-man roster by trading catcher Curt Casali, they’re likely to designate fellow backstop Luke Maile or right-hander Ryan Garton for assignment, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Topkin first noted last week, after the Rays had signed Derek Norris, that Casali or Maile might not be long for the organization. The team optioned the two catchers and Garton to the minors Wednesday.
  • The Orioles are aiming for a May 10 return for right-hander Chris Tillman, manager Buck Showalter informed David Hall of MLB.com. Tillman has been dealing with a shoulder issue since early in the offseason, though he does feel good about the progress he has made, per Hall. When he comes back, not only will Tillman try to help pitch the Orioles to another playoff berth, but the free agent-to-be will attempt to make a case for a rich contract.
  • Rangers righty Andrew Cashner seemed likely to return from biceps tendinitis by April 15, the first time the team will need a fifth starter, but that’s n0w in doubt. Pitching coach Doug Brocail told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that he’s “not real optimistic” Cashner will debut in two weeks, and noted: “I want to make sure that when we get him back, we get him back for the full year. I don’t want any setbacks.” In the meantime, Texas could turn to Dillon Gee and/or Nick Martinez to fill in for Cashner.
  • The Giants have chosen righty Neil Ramirez over southpaw Steven Okert for their final bullpen spot, Alex Espinoza of MLB.com was among those to report. The out-of-options Ramirez, who inked a minor league pact with the Giants over the winter, planned to opt out of the deal had he not made their roster, tweets FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. San Francisco “didn’t want to lose Ramirez,” said manager Bruce Bochy, whose bullpen will open the year with one lefty (Ty Blach).

AL East Notes: Yankees, Duffy, Sucre, Rutledge, Smith, Price

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The rotation picture is slowly coming into focus for the Yankees, who still haven’t made clear who’ll round out their staff. As George A. King III of the New York Post reports, though, the organization has decided that Adam Warren will open the year in the bullpen while Luis Cessa will start out in the minors. That leaves four remaining possibilities for the final two rotation jobs: Luis Severino, Bryan Mitchell, Chad Green, and Jordan Montgomery. While Montgomery has produced intriguing numbers in the upper minors last year as well as during camp this spring, he’s considered a “long shot,” per the report.

Here’s more news out of the AL East:

  • There’s some positive news for Rays shortstop Matt Duffy, who received a clean MRI on his still-ailing heel, Topkin tweets. But there’s still no timeline for his return with camp about to break. Given the delayed healing thus far, it seems likely the club will exercise plenty of caution. Meanwhile, the Rays have informed catcher Jesus Sucre that he’ll be on the active roster, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports on Twitter. He’ll function as the backup to the just-acquired Derek Norris, with Luke Maile and Curt Casali heading to Triple-A for depth.
  • While the focus has been on the pitching staff, it appears the Red Sox will be dealing with a few tough roster questions on the position-player side to open the year. Infielder Josh Rutledge is likely to start the year on the DL with a hamstring issue, skipper John Farrell told reporters including Tim Britton of the Providence Journal (Twitter links). What’s of added intrigue here is the fact that first baseman Mitch Moreland has been sent home with the flu, while Hanley Ramirez appears likely to be limited to DH duties. It seemed Rutledge had been slated to back up Moreland at the position; now, the club may be forced to press someone else into duty — Marco Hernandez and Steve Selsky were suggested as possibilities to take Rutledge’s roster spot — at least in a reserve function. Of course, it’s worth bearing in mind that this is likely only a short-term issue.
  • As for the Red Sox’ pitching, there are a few minor updates worth noting. Righty Carson Smith is backing down a bit on his Tommy John rehab after experiencing tightness following his first pen session, Britton reports. It’s considered more a typical part of the process than any kind of setback. Starter David Price, meanwhile, is continuing a long-toss program (two days on, one day off) for the time being, Britton tweets. It’s not clear just when or how the team will decide to ramp things up for the lefty.

AL Notes: Rays, Twins, Athletics

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The Rays are on the lookout for a right-handed bat, which would come in the form of either a shortstop or an outfielder, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Their preference is to to land an outfielder who has options and can back up center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, per Topkin, who lists Bryce Brentz, Peter Bourjos, Austin Jackson, Rob Refsnyder and Justin Ruggiano as possibilities. Former Ray Melvin Upton Jr. might be a candidate, too, if the Blue Jays dump him, Topkin writes.

Elsewhere on the Rays front, Jesus Sucre is likely to join the newly signed Derek Norris as one of their two catchers, according to Topkin. Tampa Bay still needs to add Norris and Sucre to its 40-man roster, which means the club could look to trade one of its other backstops, Curt Casali or Luke Maile (probably Casali), relays Topkin.

The latest on two other American League clubs:

  • The Twins optioned right-hander Jose Berrios to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, thus eliminating him from the competition for the final spot in their rotation. The job will go to either Adalberto Mejia or Tyler Duffey, whom Berrios fell behind while he was with Team Puerto Rico for 18 days at the World Baseball Classic. Berrios only threw 6 2/3 innings during that nearly three-week span, which hurt his chances of beginning the season in Minnesota, but he doesn’t regret participating in the tournament. “Playing for Puerto Rico is an honor; it makes me proud,” Berrios told Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press through an interpreter. “I know this is my team, it’s my job. This is who drafted me. This is who I’m going to make it with, but you don’t get to play for Puerto Rico every day or every year. That’s not how it is.” The 22-year-old Berrios, who has dominated in the minors, still seems likely to end up in the Twins’ rotation sometime in 2017. If that happens, the former premier prospect will try to bounce back from a rough rookie year in which he posted an 8.02 ERA, 7.56 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 over 58 innings.
  • It came as a surprise when the Twins designated DH Byung Ho Park for assignment in February, but he ultimately remained with the organization after clearing waivers. Nearly two months later, he has the inside track on a big league roster spot on account of Kennys Vargas’ less-than-ideal spring, per Berardino. Vargas, who was also with Puerto Rico at the WBC, has gone just 1 for 15 with three walks during the Twins’ exhibition season. His situation worsened when he fouled a ball off his left foot Friday, and is now on crutches. Although initial X-rays were negative, the Twins will send Vargas for further testing, writes Berardino. “If he doesn’t play for a week, it’s going to have an impact,” manager Paul Molitor said of Vargas’ chances of earning a place with the Twins. “He just hasn’t had many at-bats.”
  • Righty Jesse Hahn looks like the odd man out in the Athletics’ rotation battle, observes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Judging by the A’s pitching schedule, they appear poised to go with Andrew Triggs and Raul Alcantara for their final two starting spots, Slusser notes. Hahn was subpar at both the major league and Triple-A levels last season, and he hasn’t bounced back with a decent spring. The 27-year-old has yielded 15 earned runs on 25 hits in 15 1/3 innings.
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