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Juan Graterol

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/10/18

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Rounding up the latest minor league deals….

  • The Mariners have signed catcher Jose Lobaton to a minor league deal, as per the Mariners Minors Twitter feed.  Lobaton will earn $1MM if he makes Seattle’s big league roster, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo adds, and the catcher will invited to the team’s Major League spring camp.  Lobaton amassed 57 PA over 22 games with the Mets last season, his lowest total in either category since 2011.  The 34-year-old veteran will head into camp to compete with David Freitas for the backup job behind newly-acquired Omar Narvaez.
  • The White Sox have signed infielder Ryan Goins to a minor league contract, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo tweets.  The deal contains an invitation to Chicago’s big league Spring Training camp, and Goins will earn at least $975K in guaranteed money if he reaches the majors.  Goins has never hit much over six years with the Blue Jays and Royals, though he has flashed an excellent shortstop glove in the past and offers depth at short, second base, and third base.
  • The Reds have re-signed outfielder/first baseman Jordan Patterson and catcher Juan Graterol to minor league deals, and also inked shortstop Christian Colon to a minors pact, the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Bobby Nightengale reports (Twitter link).  Patterson and Graterol are back with the organization after being non-tendered last week.  Colon was the fourth overall pick of the 2010 draft but hasn’t turned that potential into Major League production, with just a .252/.315/.315 slash line over 386 PA with the Royals and Marlins from 2014-17, though he did earn a World Series ring for his postseason role with the 2015 Royals.  He spent 2018 in the Braves and Mets organizations at the Triple-A level, and Colon does have a decent career slash line (.289/.358/.397) over 1833 career Triple-A plate appearances.

Reds Non-Tender Juan Graterol, Jordan Patterson and Aristides Aquino

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The Cincinnati Reds chose not to tender contracts to Juan Graterol, Jordan Patterson and Aristides Aquino, making them free agents. Per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, the Reds have interest in re-signing all three to minor league deals (Twitter links).

It’s been quite the couple of weeks for outfielder/first baseman Jordan Patterson, who only recently was acquired off waivers by the Reds. Shortly before that, the Mets had claimed him off waivers from the Rockies. The 26-year-old will now have some control over his own destiny, as there is clear interest in the former fourth round pick. Patterson’s only major league playing time came in 2016 with the Rockies when he managed to knock eight hits in eighteen at bats, but he is, at this point, a relatively proven commodity in the upper minors looking for an opportunity at the next level.

Graterol, 29, is a Venezuelan catcher with 106 career big league at-bats across parts of three seasons with the Angels and Twins. Graterol has done his share of traveling in recent years as well, as he was claimed off waivers five times since November 2016. After the Angels released him last June, he signed with the Twins as a free agent, appearing in three games at the ML level before the Reds selected him off waivers in October. While exhibiting very little in the way of power, Graterol has decent contact skills, hitting a combined .299/.330/.350 last season between the Angels, Twins and Triple A.

Aquino, 24, is a big-armed outfielder with good pop. Despite realizing some of his in-game power potential in Double A this season (.447 SLG), Aquino struggled to make consistent contact (25.2 K%). Still young, he has the potential to carve out a major league role for himself if he can refine his approach, but he will need to improve his pitch recognition in order to harness his raw power and make it as a right fielder in the bigs.

With the non-tendering of center fielder Billy Hamilton, the Reds 40-man roster is now down to 36.

Reds Claim Juan Graterol

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The Reds announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed catcher Juan Graterol off waivers from the Twins after he’d been placed on outright waivers. Cincinnati already had a pair of open 40-man roster spots, so not corresponding move is necessary.

Graterol, 29, only appeared in three games with the Twins after having his contract selected in late September. He’d previously appeared in 58 games at the Major League level with the Angels organization and is a lifetime .217/.227/.274 hitter in 111 plate appearances as a big leaguer. He’s notched a more respectable .289/.316/.346 slash in 572 plate appearances at the Triple-A level, but Graterol is known more as a defensive-minded backstop than a threat at the plate. He’s halted 38 percent of stolen-bases attempts against him in parts of 13 minor league seasons and thrown out 12 of 36 potential base thieves in the Majors (33 percent). He’s also routinely posted average or better framing numbers, per Baseball Prospectus.

Despite his shortcomings at the plate, Graterol’s defensive capabilities have made him a popular target on the waiver wire in the past. In the 2016-17 offseason, for instance, he went from the Angels, to the Reds, to the Diamondbacks, back to the Angels and then to the Blue Jays via waiver claim in a span of two months. After opening the season in the Jays organization, he was then flipped back to the Angels in a minor trade. Graterol still has a minor league option remaining beyond the 2018 season, so if he survives the winter on a 40-man roster (be it with the Reds or another organization), his team in Spring Training will be able to send him to the minors without first exposing him to waivers.

Twins Select Juan Graterol

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Per a team press release, the Twins have selected the contract of catcher Juan Graterol from Triple-A Rochester. He’ll head to Oakland tonight to join the MLB team. Ervin Santana has been transferred to the 60-day DL in order to make room for him on the roster.

Minnesota signed the 29-year-old Graterol to a minors pact in late June after he was designated for assignment and subsequently released by the Angels. His lone MLB plate appearance on the season resulted in a single, but he’d also spent parts of 2016 an 2017 in Los Angeles and racked up just over 100 trips to the plate during that time. The backstop owns a lifetime .222/.225/.283 batting line at the MLB level, though he’s perhaps better known for sound defense behind the plate.

Since joining the Rochester Red Wings, Graterol has posted a .284/.317/.336 batting line across 123 MiLB plate appearances. That comes with a sustainable .289 BABIP, so there’s at least some optimism surrounding his potential to make good contact in the majors. But the more fascinating element of Graterol’s game is his plate discipline profile. He’s got just a 2.4% strikeout rate with the Red Wings, along with a 1.6% walk rate. Put more simply, Graterol swings often, and he doesn’t miss very much. He’ll sit behind Willians Astudillo and Chris Gimenez on the Twins’ depth chart.

Twins Sign Juan Graterol

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The Twins’ Triple-A affiliate in Rochester announced today that catcher Juan Graterol was signed to a minor league contract. He’ll be added to the Red Wings roster and take the spot of veteran Jordan Pacheco, who’s going on the minor league DL with a knee injury.

Graterol, 29, was recently released by the Angels after being designated for assignment. He’d been up and down with the club on multiple occasions dating back to 2016 and has also spent time with the D-backs, Reds and Blue Jays in recent years. The defensively-sound backstop is a career .222/.225/.283 hitter in 103 MLB plate appearances but carries a more encouraging .290/.318/.349 slash in 449 PAs at the Triple-A level. (For those wondering, there’s no relation to top Twins pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol.)

Minnesota is understandably on the lookout for some depth behind the plate, having lost starter Jason Castro to a meniscus tear that proved significant enough to require season-ending surgery. Rookie Mitch Garver and journeyman Bobby Wilson have filled in behind the dish since that time, though neither has provided the Twins with much offense. Minnesota also picked up former Phillies backstop Cameron Rupp on a minor league deal, but he’s hitting just .143/.245/.200 through his first 53 plate appearances in Rochester.

Angels Acquire Deck McGuire, Request Release Waivers On Juan Graterol

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JUNE 24: The Angels have requested unconditional release waivers on Graterol, per a team announcement. His release will become official in 48 hours if he clears waivers.

JUNE 19: The Angels announced Tuesday that they’ve acquired right-hander Deck McGuire from the Rangers in exchange for cash. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, catcher Juan Graterol has been designated for assignment. McGuire will head to Triple-A Salt Lake, per the Angels’ announcement.

Texas claimed the 28-year-old McGuire from the Blue Jays last Friday, but he appeared in just one game with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate before being designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster for the return of Elvis Andrus. Now, McGuire will change organizations for the second time in a span of less than a week.

A former first-round pick (11th overall by the Blue Jays in 2010), McGuire has yet to establish himself as a viable Major League arm. Prior to the 2018 season, in fact, he’s posted largely unsightful numbers at the Triple-A level. However, McGuire enjoyed a strong season with the Reds’ Double-A club in 2017 and carried that success with him back to the Jays organization in 2018, pitching to a 3.22 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.8 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9 and a 39.7 percent ground-ball rate in 44 2/3 innings at Triple-A Buffalo.

After making eight promising starts in Buffalo, the Jays summoned him to the Majors, where he was tagged for six runs on nine hits and five walks with seven strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings of relief. But the Rangers and Angels, apparently, both saw enough in his work out of the Buffalo rotation to hold some interest in seeing if the former top prospect can emerge as a late bloomer at the big league level. For the Halos, McGuire will at the very least serve as a spot start/depth option in the upper minors — an important addition following injuries to Shohei Ohtani, Matt Shoemaker, J.C. Ramirez and Nick Tropeano.

Graterol, meanwhile, has made just one plate appearance for the Halos this season, going 1-for-1 with a single. He’s been up and down with the club on multiple occasions dating back to 2016, however, and has now been designated for assignment by the Angels on three different occasions. The first of those instances saw Graterol bounce around the league, briefly landing with the D-backs, Reds and Blue Jays before making his way back to Anaheim. The defensively-sound backstop is a career .222/.225/.283 hitter in 103 MLB plate appearances but carries a more encouraging .290/.318/.349 slash in 449 PAs at the Triple-A level.

Angels Select Juan Graterol

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The Angels have selected the contract of catcher Juan Graterol, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports on Twitter. He had been bumped from the 40-man a month ago.

The move was necessitated by the unavailability of Martin Maldonado, who is on the bereavement list. A 40-man spot was opened by moving J.C. Ramirez to the 60-day DL, which was going to happen at some point anyway since he is down for the rest of the year.

Graterol, 29, has seen limited MLB action over the past two years. He has produced a .214/.218/.276 slash in 102 plate appearances at the game’s highest level. In parts of five seasons at Triple-A, he carries a marginal .286/.313/.346 batting line.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/7/18

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Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest moves at the top of the post…

  • The Angels have outrighted Juan Graterol to Triple-A after the catcher cleared waivers, the team’s communications department announced (Twitter link).  Graterol was designated for assignment earlier this week to create 40-man roster space for the newly-acquired Miguel Almonte.  Graterol appeared in 48 games for the Halos last season but their offseason signing of Rene Rivera pushed Graterol down to the level of a minor league depth piece.  Graterol has a .493 OPS over 102 MLB plate appearances in his career, and a .271/.321/.336 slash line over 1912 PA in the minors.

Angels Acquire Miguel Almonte, Designate Juan Graterol

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The Angels have acquired righty Miguel Almonte from the Royals, per a club announcement. Cash or a player to be named later will head back in return for Almonte, who has been optioned to Triple-A by the Halos. To create an opening on the 40-man roster, the Los Angeles organization designated catcher Juan Graterol for assignment.

Almonte, who was removed from the 40-man recently to create space for a player of the same last name, will celebrate his 25th birthday today by joining a new organization after seven years in the Kansas City system. While he was once viewed as a quality prospect, Almonte has had trouble earning MLB opportunities and has in recent years been shifted mostly into a relief role.

Still, Almonte’s arm obviously caught the attention of the Angels front office. He threw 47 innings of 1.72 ERA ball last year in the upper minors, over which he recorded 52 strikeouts against just 13 walks. But injuries again limited him in 2017 and Almonte is slated for some further time off after dealing with shoulder problems this spring.

As for the 29-year-old Graterol, he has seen limited MLB chances with the Halos over the past two seasons. He does have plenty of experience in the upper minors over a dozen-year professional career. Graterol carries a .652 OPS in his 353 Triple-A plate appearances and a .690 mark over 477 turns with the bat at the penultimate level of the minors.

Angels Acquire Juan Graterol, Designate Ryan LaMarre

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The Angels have acquired catcher Juan Graterol from the Blue Jays in exchange for a player to be named later or cash, the teams announced Tuesday afternoon. In order to clear a spot for Graterol on the 40-man roster, the Angels designated outfielder Ryan LaMarre for assignment.

After a tumultuous five-month cycle of transactions, Graterol is back with the organization with which he spent the 2016 season. Back in November, the Halos designated Graterol for assignment when claiming Nolan Fontana from the Astros — a move that triggered a subsequent cavalcade of scenery changes for the 28-year-old catcher. Graterol was claimed by the Reds, then claimed by the D-backs before briefly landing back with the Angels following a DFA in Arizona. The Angels, though, failed in their next attempt to pass Graterol through waivers, as the Blue Jays snagged him and brought him to MLB camp. Though he didn’t make the team in Toronto, he previously stood as one of the first lines of defense in the event of an injury to Russell Martin or Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

That changed this past weekend, when the Jays once again designated Graterol for assignment upon selecting the contract of Chris Coghlan. Graterol now changes organizations for the fifth time in five months and will hope to stick on the Halos’ 40-man roster this time around. He made his MLB debut with the Angels in 2016, appearing in nine games and going 4-for-14 at the plate.

While the constant changing of teams has to be frustrating for Graterol, it’s also undoubtedly heartening that so many clubs think highly enough of him to continually place him on a 40-man roster. Graterol doesn’t possess especially gaudy offensive numbers in Triple-A, but his .281/.311/.341 batting line in parts of four seasons there is solid for a player that comes with a sound defensive reputation. Graterol has shut down 39 percent of stolen base attempts him in his minor league career and also consistently rates as a solid, if unspectacular pitch framer (per Baseball Prospectus).

As for LaMarre, the 28-year-old has experienced brief stints in the Majors in each of he past two seasons with the Reds and Red Sox. Though he’s collected just two hits in 30 Major League at-bats, he’s a .273/.340/.406 hitter in parts of five Triple-A seasons. LaMarre has been primarily a center fielder throughout his minor league career but does also come with some experience in both corner slots (more in right field than in left).

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