Minor MLB Transactions: 1/16/20
The latest minor moves from around baseball….
- The Astros have outrighted right-hander Dean Deetz to Triple-A, the club announced. Deetz cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. Over six seasons in Houston’s farm system, Deetz has some solid numbers overall but has struggled at the Triple-A level, with a 4.94 ERA and an unsightly 7.6 BB/9 over 113 innings. Deetz has 3 1/3 innings of Major League experience, coming over four games with the Astros in September 2018.
Astros Designate Dean Deetz
The Astros have designated right-hander Dean Deetz for assignment, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com was among those to report. The move makes room for the Astros’ acquisition of fellow righty Austin Pruitt from the Rays.
The 26-year-old Deetz has been with the Astros since they used an 11th-round pick on him in 2014. Deetz had a brief, 3 1/3-inning debut with the Astros in 2018, but he has otherwise spent the past several years in the minors. While Deetz was lights-out at the Triple-A level in 2018, when he posted a meager .79 ERA (with a worse but still-impressive 3.04 FIP) across 34 innings, last season was far more difficult.
Despite striking out 13.5 batters per nine in 2019, Deetz struggled to a horrid 7.15 ERA/7.38 FIP over another 34 frames. He walked almost 10 batters per nine and recorded a whopping 34.8 percent home run-to-fly ball rate in that span.
AL West Notes: Mariners, Deetz, Rangers
Tensions boiled over in the Mariners‘ clubhouse yesterday, as a physical altercation broke out and briefly spilled beyond the closed doors where the media waited on the other side, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times was among the many to report. According to Divish, Dee Gordon and Jean Segura may have been at the center of the quarrel after Gordon misplayed a ball in center field, though no players were willing to divulge any real details. Robinson Cano, one of the players who could be seen breaking up the skirmish, simply said following the incident that “Everybody’s good.”
Manager Scott Servais wasn’t in the clubhouse at the time but told reporters that such incidents are more common than most would think. “I played for 11 years in the big leagues and it’s almost every year with every team I’ve been a part of,” the manager explained. Seattle has fallen to 5.5 games back from a Wild Card spot as it attempts to end the game’s longest playoff drought. With a combined six games remaining against the Yankees and A’s, who currently hold those Wild Card spots, plus 10 games against the last-place Orioles, Padres and Rangers, there’s still time for the Mariners to turn things around.
More from the division…
- The Astros called up right-hander Dean Deetz as part of yesterday’s latest slate of September additions. The righty spoke to reporters about the 80-game PED suspension he served earlier this season, which will prevent him from being postseason-eligible this year regardless of how well he performs this month (link via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart). Deetz still maintained that he never knowingly took a banned substance and went through a roller-coaster swing of emotions upon learning he’d tested positive. “I got a call literally three or four days after I got put on the [40-man roster],” he said. “I went from being really excited to the toughest news I ever heard.” Deetz, 24, pitched to a ridiculous 0.79 ERA in 34 Triple-A innings this season, averaging 13.2 strikeouts, 4.8 walks and 0.26 homers per nine innings pitched. This promotion will be his first exposure to big league opponents, and he figures to be in the mix for a bullpen spot in Spring Training next year.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News looks ahead to the future of the Rangers’ rotation, delving into the possibility of the team adopting the increasingly popular “opener” trend in 2019 as well as the argument and reasoning for doing so. While there’s little in the way of certainty on the Rangers’ roster at present, Grant notes that veteran righty Edinson Volquez, who signed a two-year minor league contract last year, is progressing well in his rehab from Tommy John surgery and could be on the cusp of facing live hitters. Volquez is expected to vie for a starting job next year alongside Mike Minor and at least one young, internal option. Texas could opt to pursue a veteran piece who could develop into a trade chip this winter or could stick with internal options and focus on adding some relievers, depending on how aggressively Jon Daniels & Co. want to pursue the “opener” methodology.
Jon Singleton Receives 100-Game Suspension
Astros minor league first baseman Jon Singleton has received a 100-game suspension after a third positive test for a drug of abuse, the league announced today. Right-hander Dean Deetz, also in the Astros system, has received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance enhancing substance (dehydrochlormethyltestosterone). As Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper tweets, Deetz is ranked 22nd on BA’s unreleased ranking of the Astros’ top 30 prospects.
It’s been nearly four years since the Astros signed the now-26-year-old Singleton to a five-year, $10MM contract extension before the former top prospect had played a single day in the Majors. Singleton, viewed as a potential everyday first baseman at that point, was widely panned for selling himself short, though it now looks as if he made the correct call in taking the money when presented with the opportunity.
Singleton was called up to the Majors immediately upon signing the deal and homered in his big league debut, but that highlight proved to be one of the few he’d experience in the big leagues. The slugger went on to hit .168/.285/.335 with 13 homers in 362 plate appearances as a rookie, and he’s tallied just 58 plate appearances in the Majors since.
Singleton spent the 2016 season in Triple-A and the 2017 season back in Double-A, narrowly keeping his average above the Mendoza Line but still showing some pop and a penchant for drawing walks. Singleton is owed $2MM on that contract in 2018, though, he will not be paid during the 100-game term of his suspension. Houston had already outrighted Singleton in the 2016-17 offseason, so his suspension won’t free up a spot on the 40-man roster.
Deetz, 24, was Houston’s 11th-round pick back in 2011. He appeared in 25 games between the Astros’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates last season, totaling 84 2/3 innings with a 4.25 ERA, 10.3 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in that time. Unlike Singleton, he was on the Astros’ 40-man roster, so his placement on the restricted list will create an opening for Houston. Deetz has formally issued a statement denying any knowing use of a PED:
“Let me say first and foremost that I have never knowingly taken a performance enhancing substance of any kind. I come from a small town, and know how fortunate I am to call myself a professional baseball player. I would never jeopardize that opportunity, or betray those who have supported me along the way, by trying to cheat in order to gain an advantage. As I explained to the arbitrator in my appeal, I have no idea how I could possibly have tested positive and although I am disappointed with the outcome, I will abide by his decision. I would like to apologize to my family, friends, the Houston Astros organization, coaches teammates and fans that have been impacted by this situation. I will continue working diligently to clear my name and, in the meantime, rebuild the trust of those who have been affected by this result.”