Minor MLB Transactions: 6/14/21
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Marlins acquired catcher/first baseman Lorenzo Quintana in a trade with the Astros. The 32-year-old Quintana is a veteran of seven seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, hitting an impressive .310/.377/.438 over 1636 plate appearances. Quintana signed with the Astros in November 2017 and hit pretty well in his first three minor league seasons, including a .311/.372/.340 slash line in 113 plate appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land this season. While his power dropoff is a concern, Quintana gives Miami another depth option in the minors, particularly at the catcher position.
- The Cubs announced Sunday that right-hander Dakota Chalmers has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Double-A Tennessee. Chalmers was claimed off waivers from the Twins earlier this month, and the Cubs can now keep a young arm in the organization without devoting him a 40-man roster spot. Chalmers entered this season as the #24 prospect in the Minnesota system, per Baseball America, which praised his mid-90s velocity and high-spin curveball but questioned his strike-throwing ability. Indeed, Chalmers has since walked an untenable 23.8% of opposing hitters at Double-A this year, so the Cubs player development staff will need to help him improve his control if he’s to make it to the big leagues.
- Earlier this month, the Rockies signed infielder Kelby Tomlinson to a minors contract and released right-hander Ben Meyer. Tomlinson appeared in 273 games with the Giants from 2015-18 (hitting .265/.331/.332 in 687 PA), primarily playing as a second baseman but also making appearances as a third baseman, shortstop, and left fielder. Since his last big league game, Tomlinson has inked minor league deals with Diamondbacks, Mariners, and also the Rockies in a previous contract last season; Colorado released Tomlinson last June. Meyer has been in Colorado’s organization for almost exactly two years, since the righty was let go by the Marlins. A 29th-round pick for the Marlins in the 2015 draft, Meyer’s MLB resume consists of 19 innings and a 10.42 ERA with Miami in 2018.
Minor MLB Transactions: 11/7/17
After a busy transactional day yesterday, let’s catch up on some of the latest minor moves:
- Catcher Bryan Holaday and outfielder Alex Presley have elected free agency from the Tigers, Evan Woodberry of MLive.com reports on Twitter. Each of the veterans was outrighted recently, though Woodberry hints that Detroit has interest in bringing both back on minors deals. Holaday will enter the pool of catchers that are looking for opportunities to compete for reserve jobs in camp. The 32-year-old Presley should also draw attention from other organizations; he turned in 264 plate appearances of .314/.354/.416 hitting in 2017.
- The Rockies selected the contract of outfielder Noel Cuevas, per a club announcement. Acquired from the division-rival Dodgers in the trade that sent Juan Nicasio to Los Angeles, Cuevas blossomed at Triple-A Alburquerque in 2017. Across 528 plate appearances, he posted a .312/.353/.487 slash with 15 long balls and 16 steals.
- Two players were also added to the Yankees 40-man roster, the club announced. Outfielder Jake Cave is one of them; the one-time Rule 5 pick won’t be eligible for the draft again this year. He turned in a compelling season in the upper minors, including a robust .324/.367/.554 batting line with 15 long balls in 297 Triple-A plate appearances. Joining him is righty Nick Rumbelow, who returned from Tommy John surgery with aplomb last year. Over 40 1/3 innings, he allowed just five earned runs on 21 hits while racking up a 45:11 K/BB ratio.
- The Indians selected the contract of Eric Haase, per the MLB.com transactions page. The 24-year-old backstop knocked around Double-A pitching to the tune of a .258/.349/.574 batting line and 26 homers through 381 plate appearances.
- Cuban catcher Lorenzo Quintana is joining the Astros for a $200K bonus, per MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter). The 28-year-old is not subject to international signing restrictions. Quintana was long one of the most productive receivers in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, carrying a lifetime .310/.377/.438 batting line, but he last played there in the 2014-15 season.