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Minor MLB Transactions: 2/15/17

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • Two players are joining the Orioles on minor-league deals, per a club announcement. Outfielder Michael Choice and corner infielder Juan Francisco both signed on, though it’s not clear whether either has received an invitation to MLB camp. Choice, 27, is a former top prospect who has struggled in his limited chances at the MLB level and hit .246/.304/.456 in 276 Triple-A plate appearances last year. Meanwhile, it’s a return to the affiliated ranks for Francisco, who’s still just 29 years old. He hasn’t seen the majors since 2014, when he did manage above-average overall production despite a typically subpar on-base percentage, and did not play in 2016 after a brief stint in Japan during the prior season. (Note: Francisco’s signing was first reported yesterday, as we covered here.)
  • The Orioles also outrighted catcher Francisco Pena after he cleared waivers, as Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com first reported on Twitter. Pena, 27, scuffled in limited MLB action but will still enter camp with at least a shot at winning a reserve role on the Opening Day roster. The out-of-options backstop owns a .248/.294/.453 batting line in extensive Triple-A action and is regarded as a solid defender.
  • Also outrighted was right-hander Deolis Guerra, who’ll head to Triple-A for the Angels (though as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register notes on Twitter, he can still reject the assignment). The 27-year-old was recently dropped from the 40-man in favor of another reliever, but the club will get to keep both options on hand. Last year, Guerra contributed 53 1/3 frames of 3.21 ERA ball with 6.1 K/9 and an excellent 1.2 BB/9 for Los Angeles, but the soft-tossing control artist doesn’t seem to have generated much interest from other organizations.
  • Finally, the Blue Jays have outrighted lefty Chad Girodo after he cleared waivers, per a club announcement. Recently designated, the 26-year-old will hope to earn his way back to the majors after making his debut in 2016. He did generate grounders at a healthy clip last year, but struggled in his 10 1/3 MLB frames and managed only a 3.79 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in his 35 2/3 innings at Triple-A.

Pitching Notes: Lewis, Weaver, Masterson, Cubs

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Free-agent righty Colby Lewis bid adieu to the Rangers organization in a statement to reporters, including Anthony Andro (Twitter link). Though he has still yet to sign, it seems that there’s now no possibility of a reunion with Texas. Lewis, 37, did not suggest that he’s planning to retire, though he has yet to find a roster spot with camps opening around the league. The veteran right-hander posted a solid 3.71 ERA in 116 2/3 innings last season, but he struggled upon returning from a lat strain that sidelined him for nearly two months. Beyond that, ERA alternatives like FIP, xFIP and SIERA all felt he was fortunate to get through the season with that 3.71 mark, as he posted an abnormally low BABIP while his strikeout, walk and home-run rates each trended in the wrong direction.

A few more notes on the waning market for arms…

  • If there was any doubt, former Angels righty Jered Weaver made clear recently to teammates that he won’t be back with the Halos, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports (Twitter links). Right-hander Garrett Richards told reporters that Weaver recently sent out a group text telling his now-former teammates what a pleasure it was to play alongside them. Said Richards of receiving the text: “After that went out, everything was put into perspective that he wasn’t coming back… It’s going to be weird.” Weaver has been connected to the Padres on multiple occasions, though a union between the two sides has not yet commenced. It’s possible that he could latch on there or with another club, as multiple teams are still seeking depth, and injuries are sure to continue to arise as Spring Training gets underway.
  • Justin Masterson worked out for eight teams in Phoenix, Ariz. earlier today, per ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). He’ll pitch again for some clubs on Friday, Crasnick adds. The Twins were reportedly in attendance for today’s session, though it’s not clear which other clubs were present. Masterson’s last productive MLB campaign came back in 2013, as injuries have hampered his results in recent years. He struggled with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate last season, but at age 31 (32 in March), he’s hardly old enough to doubt the possibility of a successful comeback effort.
  • The Cubs passed on matching the Royals’ offer to Travis Wood and on matching the recent commitments made to Jerry Blevins (by the Mets) and Boone Logan (by the Indians) in large part because they’re saving their resources for the summer trade market, writes CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney. “There were some relievers who became available on shorter deals late that we were interested in early on (with) those types of deals,” said president of baseball ops Theo Epstein. “But they weren’t really ready to commit yet to the shorter deal. And then by the time it rolled around late in the offseason, we kind of spent our money.” Epstein specifically cited a desire for “flexibility for in-season moves” and added that the baseball operations department had some “self-imposed limitations” late in the winter. As such, it doesn’t sound as if Cubs fans should expect much in the way of significant additions to the roster between now and Opening Day.

AL Injury Notes: Flynn, Tillman, Richards, Perkins, Smith, Cishek, Doubront

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Royals lefty Brian Flynn is expected to miss eight weeks of action due to injuries suffered in a fall through the roof of his barn, as Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star reports on Twitter. A broken rib seems to be the main injury to the 26-year-old, who turned in 55 1/3 innings of 2.60 ERA ball last year for Kansas City. Though Flynn will clearly now be delayed, there’s no indication that there are any long-term concerns, and the organization’s recent signing of Travis Wood will help restore any lost early-season depth.

Here are some more injury situations developing around the American League:

  • The Orioles may be without righty Chris Tillman to start the year, as the veteran starter undertook a PRP injection in his shoulder in December, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com was among those to report (Twitter links). Tillman is said to be about three weeks behind, though he isn’t expected to miss significant time at this point. Still, there’s little chance he’ll be ready to take the ball on Opening Day, which would break a string of three-straight appearances in the first game of the season. It seems there’s no particular reason to worry about Tillman’s outlook for the season, though it’s fair to wonder whether the shoulder issue will gum up any attempts by the team to lock him up to a long-term deal this spring. Tillman is earning $10.05MM this season before hitting the open market.
  • Angels righty Garrett Richards reported feeling normal after his pen session on Friday, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. That represents a positive start to the spring for a pitcher who once seemed destined for Tommy John surgery. Richards instead elected stem cell and PRP therapy, returning to the hill over the fall before taking his winter rest. The hope remains that he’ll be able to undertake a normal spring and open the season in the rotation. Meanwhile, the Halos are still waiting to see how first baseman Albert Pujols will progress in his return from foot surgery. The high-priced slugger expressed cautious optimism, but wasn’t willing to say for sure whether he’ll be ready by the start of the year, as Fletcher further reports.
  • Twins lefty Glen Perkins felt good after a short, 15-pitch bullpen session, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press tweets. He’s on track to take the hill again late this week. If you like, you can take a look at the former closer’s progress for yourself, as Berardino has uploaded a video of him throwing to YouTube.
  • Red Sox right-hander Carson Smith is expected to throw off of a mound for the first time since his Tommy John surgery on or around March 10th, as Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal tweets. That would presumably set up Smith for a mid-season return; if he’s able to remain on track, he could provide a nice boost to the BoSox pen in advance of the trade deadline.
  • It seems that Mariners righty Steve Cishek has a bit more to overcome than just the hip labrum tear that was previously reported, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (Twitter links). The reliever also needed a microfracture procedure, and now acknowledges that an Opening Day return is optimistic. Though Cishek is only just beginning light throwing, fellow relief candidate Tony Zych will soon progress to 120-foot throwing, Divish adds on Twitter.
  • Athletics lefty Felix Doubront threw a pen for the first time today since his Tommy John surgery about ten months back, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports on Twitter. It’s not clear as yet what kind of timeline can be expected for the southpaw, though it’s certainly promising that he was deemed ready to get on the hill. Doubront re-signed with the A’s on a minor-league pact this offseason.

Angels Acquire Austin Adams, Designate Deolis Guerra

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The Angels announced today that they’ve acquired right-hander Austin Adams from the Indians in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Fellow right-hander Deolis Guerra has been designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Adams, 30, has seen action in the past three seasons with Cleveland and was particularly sharp in 2015 when he pitched to a 3.78 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 46.8 percent ground-ball rate. His numbers took a step back across the board in 2016, though, as Adams allowed an unsightly 20 earned runs on 27 hits and seven walks with 17 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings — a 9.82 ERA on the year. Overall, the former fifth-round pick has a career 6.29 ERA in 58 2/3 Major League innings.

On a more positive note, Adams has had plenty of success in Triple-A, where he’s spent parts of three seasons. In that time, he’s tossed 103 2/3 innings of relief, logging a 3.47 ERA with 9.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9. He’s also averaged better than 96 mph on his fastball in recent seasons. Adams will join an unsettled bullpen mix with the Halos, where Huston Street, Cam Bedrosian, J.C. Ramirez and Andrew Bailey seem like the only right-handers that have spots locked down at this time.

The 27-year-old Guerra had his first extended stint of success in the Majors in 2016, as he logged a 3.21 ERA with 6.1 K/9, 1.2 BB/9 and a 42.2 percent ground-ball rate in 53 1/3 innings with the Halos. Though he showed excellent control, Guerra averaged just over 90 mph on his fastball and didn’t miss many bats in 2016, neither of which helped his cause. His strike-throwing ability could certainly pique the interest of another club, but at this stage of the offseason, but teams have gravitated more and more toward power arms in their bullpens (as this trade/DFA demonstrates), which could allow the Halos to pass Guerra through waivers.

Latest On Matt Wieters

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Matt Wieters suffered a laceration that required stitches to his left (non-throwing) arm earlier this offseason but is fully healthy with Spring Training on the horizon, agent Scott Boras tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Rosenthal spoke to Boras about the circumstances that have led to Wieters remaining on the open market, and the agent acknowledged that his client’s poor pitch-framing metrics likely have impacted his free-agent stock. However, Boras also noted that framing numbers are impacted by the velocity of the pitcher, seemingly indicating that they might not be as dependable as some make them out to be. Says Boras:

“…Because the hitters have to commit early, because you have big velo, your command comes from actually learning to throw balls — hitters often swing at ’em. That’s why velo pitchers are very, very effective in the ERA category with a catcher, but their framing statistics are going to be well less than the norm.”

There may well be merit to Boras’ claims that velocity significantly impacts pitch-framing metrics — he’s not the first to suggest as much — but the parallel that’s being drawn seems out of place. The Orioles, as a staff, tied for 18th in overall fastball velocity last season, so it seems somewhat counter-intuitive to point out that higher-velocity arms can lead to dubious framing grades. If softer-tossing arms generally portend superior framing marks for their catchers, one would expect Wieters to have somewhat of an edge over those that caught harder-throwing staffs. Instead, he’s been consistently below-average in that regard for the past several seasons. The O’s have never been one of the 10 hardest-throwing teams in baseball in that time, with the exception of the 2014 campaign, in which Wieters played just 26 games.

ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote today that Wieters’ best chance at landing a notable contract at this point could be to wait until an injury arises in either Spring Training or the World Baseball Classic that could create an opportunity. Wieters has been tied to the Nationals and the Angels all winter long, it seems, but Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post recently appeared on Olney’s Baseball Tonight Podcast (audio link) and explained that the Nats are largely set on Derek Norris entering the season as the starter behind the dish. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, meanwhile, wrote earlier this morning that if Wieters does end up with the Halos, it’d likely have to be on a one-year deal at a discount rate.

Boras tells Rosenthal that Wieters’ market has only truly begun to take shape in the past month, but he unsurprisingly offers no indication of a potential asking price. (Rosenthal notes that “even a $50 million deal is probably a stretch,” though I’d contend that’s been the case all offseason.) Wieters would be far from the first Boras client to secure a surprising multi-year deal late in the offseason, so it’s certainly possible that the market for his services is more robust than most reports indicate at present. However, while the majority of theoretical suitors listed by Rosenthal in his column — the Orioles, Nats, Mets, Rockies, Rays, Angels, D-backs and White Sox — all make sense on paper, it’s also difficult to see any from that group breaking the bank on a multi-year deal barring an injury elsewhere on the staff.

Angels Sign Yusmeiro Petit

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4:02pm: Petit’s contract comes with a $2.25MM base salary upon making the Major League roster, MLBTR has learned (Twitter link). He can earn up to an additional $1.25MM via incentives.

2:19pm: The Angels announced that they’ve signed right-hander Yusmeiro Petit to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Petit, a client of Godoy Sports, spent the 2016 season with the Nationals, pitching to a 4.50 ERA with 7.1 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 and a 41.5 percent ground-ball rate in 62 innings. Of Petit’s 36 appearances with the Nats, 35 were out of the ’pen, but he also made one spot start and has a history of working in both the rotation and in relief.

Petit was in the midst of a solid season with the Nats and carried a sub-3.00 ERA into the month of August, but he was used sparingly down the stretch and hit hard when he did take the hill. Of the 31 earned runs he allowed last year, 16 came in his final 10 appearances (12 1/3 innings). Petit’s deal with the Nationals contained a $3MM vesting option for the 2017 campaign, and his sparse usage down the stretch may simply have been a reflection that the Nats didn’t wish to see that option lock in.

[Related: Updated Los Angeles Angels Depth Chart]

The 32-year-old Petit is best known for his work with the Giants, for whom he pitched from 2012-15. In that time, the righty worked out of both the rotation and the bullpen, pitching to a 3.66 ERA in 245 2/3 innings (plus another 12 2/3 innings with two runs allowed in the postseason). At one point during the 2014 season, Petit broke a record that still stands, as he retired 46 consecutive batters across six relief appearances. (Mark Buehrle had previously held the record with 45 straight set down.)

The Halos will head into camp with a projected rotation of Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, Ricky Nolasco, Tyler Skaggs and Jesse Chavez. Others that figure to be in the mix for starts include lefty Nate Smith and righties Alex Meyer and Daniel Wright. Barring an injury, it may be difficult for Petit to get a look there, but GM Billy Eppler tells Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that Petit will come into camp as a starter (Twitter link). Should that not work out, there could be multiple openings in a murky bullpen picture for the Halos.

The Angels’ bullpen will consist of Huston Street, Cam Bedrosian and Andrew Bailey, to be sure, but the other slots are a bit less defined. Names like JC Ramirez, Jose Alvarez, Deolis Guerra and possibly Meyer (if he’s not starting in Triple-A) could all factor into the mix. Mike Morin, Kirby Yates and Brooks Pounders all represent 40-man options that come with big league experience as well.

Angels Sign Dustin Ackley To Minor League Deal

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FEB. 7: Ackley’s pact features a $2.25MM major league salary and $1.4MM in incentives, per FanRag’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter).

FEB. 4: The Angels have announced the signing of infielder/outfielder Dustin Ackley to a minor league contract. The deal comes with an invitation to spring training for Ackley, a Boras Corporation client.

[RELATED: Updated Angels Depth Chart]

It took Ackley just under three months to land anywhere after the Yankees released him in late November. That came on the heels of a truncated season in which the 28-year-old accrued a meager 70 plate appearances and hit an ugly .148/.243/.148 before undergoing surgery on a torn right shoulder labrum in early June.

Ackley was far more successful in 2015, a year divided between Seattle and New York, as he slashed a still-unremarkable .231/.284/.429 in 264 trips to the plate. All told, Ackley has posted a .241/.304/.367 line over the first 2,347 PAs of his career, which makes the lefty-swinger’s major league tenure a substantial disappointment after the Mariners took him second overall in the 2009 draft. Ackley then ranked as one of Baseball America’s 12 best prospects to conclude both the ’09 and ’10 campaigns.

On the bright side, Ackley has mostly earned plus defensive grades at second base and in left field – his primary positions – and comes with first base experience. Defensive Runs Saved (plus-19) and Ultimate Zone Rating (10.7) have liked his work in 2,514 innings at the keystone, while he’s at plus-2 DRS and 3.7 UZR in 1,588 innings as a left fielder.

In his return to the American League West, Ackley figures to vie for a bench role behind Angels second baseman Danny Espinosa, first base options Luis Valbuena, C.J. Cron and Albert Pujols, and outfielders Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun and Cameron Maybin. The club’s top bench choices entering the spring are light-hitting infielder Cliff Pennington and outfielder Ben Revere, whom the Angels gave a guaranteed $4MM earlier this winter.

Cameron Maybin Changes Agents

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Angels outfielder Cameron Maybin has decided to change his representation, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). He has hired Excel Sports Management as his new agency, per the report.

Maybin, 29, is wrapping up an extension signed earlier in his career, when he was a young Padres regular. He earned $24MM over the five guaranteed years of the deal, along with another $9MM. (His original guarantee was for $25MM, which included a $1MM buyout of the option.) Along the way, Maybin was dealt to the Braves, then to the Tigers, and then on to the Angels.

With one more season before his first foray onto the open market, Maybin has hired one of the sport’s most powerful agencies to guide him. Of course, the most important factor in his market will be his play on the field. Maybin is set to share the Halos’ left field role with Ben Revere, with the allocation of playing time likely dependent upon matchups and their respective performance.

Angels, Bud Norris Agree To Minor League Deal

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3:15pm: Norris would earn $1.75MM with the Halos were he to make the Major League roster, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (Twitter links). The deal contains incentives that can push the total value of the contract north of $3MM.

12:40pm: The Angels and right-hander Bud Norris have agreed to a minor league contract, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The Wasserman client will compete for a rotation gig in Spring Training, Passan adds.

[Related: Updated Los Angeles Angels Depth Chart]

Norris, 31, pitched to a 5.10 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and a 47.6 percent ground-ball rate through 113 innings between the Braves and Dodgers this past season. Initially signed to a $2.5MM deal by Atlanta in the offseason, Norris suffered through a dreadful April and quickly lost his spot in the Braves’ rotation. However, his time in the bullpen clearly helped him to right the ship, as he pitched to a pristine 2.08 ERA with a 43-to-17 K/BB ratio over his next 47 2/3 innings (which included five starts in a reclaimed rotation role). Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan broke down Norris’ run of success in late June, noting that a newly implemented cutter had dramatically improved his performance against lefties. That success proved to be short-lived, however, as Norris struggled to a 6.54 ERA with the Dodgers.

From 2011-14, Norris was a solid mid-rotation arm for the Astros and Royals, pitching to a 4.06 ERA and averaging 30 starts/174 innings per season. The past two seasons, though, have largely been a struggle outside of the previously mentioned two-month run of excellence in Atlanta.

Norris will compete for an opportunity to line up behind presumptive rotation locks Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, Ricky Nolasco and Tyler Skaggs (assuming he is healthy). Current candidates for the fifth slot include right-hander Jesse Chavez, who signed an early $5.75MM deal with the Halos back in November, in addition to lefty Nate Smith and right-handers Alex Meyer and Daniel Wright. Non-roster southpaws Manny Banuelos and John Lamb could eventually get consideration as well, health permitting.

Rays Rumors: Ramirez, First Base, Bullpen

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The Rays’ one-year deal with Colby Rasmus is expected to be announced either today or tomorrow, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times in his latest column. As he notes, the Rays will need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. While there are some straightforward avenues to doing so — righties Ryan Garton and Eddie Gamboa are possible casualties, as is recently claimed outfielder Jason Coats — Topkin adds that trading right-hander Erasmo Ramirez also represents a potential means of clearing a 40-man spot for Rasmus.

The 26-year-old Ramirez has a 3.76 ERA with 6.7 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 in 254 innings with Tampa Bay over the past two seasons and agreed to a $3.125MM salary to avoid arbitration earlier this winter. He’s controlled through 2019 via arbitration. Ramirez may not be a premium trade chip, but three years of control over someone that could either serve as a multi-inning reliever or a back-end option in the rotation certainly carries some value in a thin market for arms. The pitching-rich Rays have the depth to part with Ramirez, should an offer to their liking materialize.

The column is stuffed with rumors and informed speculation regarding the Rays’ roster and is well worth a full look, but here are a couple of other highlights…

  • With Brad Miller likely to move to second base, the Rays are poised to pounce on an over-saturated market for first basemen. A right-handed hitter is most likely, and Topkin again connects the Rays to slugger Chris Carter. Mike Napoli will still probably receive a more lucrative contract than the Rays care to offer, he notes. Topkin also lists one intriguing trade option: Angels slugger C.J. Cron. The 27-year-old Cron looks like he’ll lose some playing time with the Halos to the newly signed Luis Valbuena, and Cron would give the Rays an affordable option that’s controlled through 2020. Notably, Topkin adds that the Rays have likely checked in on virtually every available option, and he doesn’t portray a Cron trade as a strong possibility but rather as one of many options.
  • The Rays are “likely” to add a veteran reliever as well, per Topkin. He goes on to note that out-bidding others on a top remaining option seems unlikely but second-tier names like Fernando Salas, Joe Smith, Tom Wilhelmsen and former Ray J.P. Howell make sense in St. Petersburg.
  • As it stands, the Rays currently project to have Alex Colome, Brad Boxberger, Danny Farquhar, Shawn Tolleson and Ramirez in their ’pen as right-handers alongside lefties Xavier Cedeno and Enny Romero. Rule 5 pick Kevin Gadea, too, is in the mix for a spot in the relief corps depending on his spring performance. From my vantage point, the Rays seem fairly well-stocked in terms of right-handed relief (barring a trade of Ramirez), but an upgrade over Romero as the team’s second lefty would be beneficial. Romero struggled to a 5.91 ERA while displaying significant control issues and a susceptibility to home runs last season. The only lefty reliever on the 40-man roster outside of Cedeno and Romero is 21-year-old Jose Alvarado, who hasn’t pitched above Class-A Advanced. Dana Eveland and Justin Marks will both be in camp as non-roster invitees.
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