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Five Teams Interested In Miguel Gonzalez

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5:25pm: The Angels have some interest in Gonzalez, but they aren’t aggressively pursuing him, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). Gonzalez originally signed with the Angels as an amateur free agent in 2004 and was with the organization through 2007.

3:46pm: Four teams are known to be interested in Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, with the White Sox “aggressively pursuing” his services, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link).  The Athletics, Blue Jays and Marlins are also interested, he adds.

Gonzalez was placed on release waivers yesterday, and if he isn’t claimed within the 48-hour period, the O’s will be on the hook for roughly a quarter of his $5.1MM salary for the 2016 season.  A claiming team would take on the entire $5.1MM figure, so it only makes sense that some clubs are waiting until Gonzalez officially becomes a free agent to make a play for the 31-year-old.

The White Sox are set at the top of the rotation with Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon, though there’s uncertainty in the last two spots.  Offseason signing Mat Latos struggled in 2015 and has been hit hard this spring, while John Danks is looking to rebound after several rough seasons.  Though Gonzalez himself struggled last year, he would provide some experienced depth or even a rotation alternative for Chicago.

The A’s, Jays and Marlins could likewise use some extra pitching depth, as all three teams are using some fairly inexperienced arms.  While all have options behind the opening units, added depth never hurts. Toronto will go with Aaron Sanchez as its fifth starter to begin the season but Sanchez will eventually be moved to the bullpen as he approaches an innings cap. The A’s have Sonny Gray, Rich Hill, Kendall Graveman, Chris Bassitt and Felix Doubront slated as the starting five, with Henderson Alvarez expected to join the staff in May when he’s recovered from shoulder surgery.  Miami announced yesterday that Adam Conley, Tom Koehler and Jarred Cosart would back up Jose Fernandez and Wei-Yin Chen in its rotation; Justin Nicolino is likely the sixth man in the organization.

Gonzalez posted a 3.45 ERA, 6.45 K/9 and 2.22 K/BB rate over 435 2/3 innings with the Orioles from 2012-14, though advanced metrics were far less bullish on his performance due to a low BABIP and very high strand rate during those three seasons.  Those two statistics normalized last season and Gonzalez struggled, managing only a 4.91 ERA in 144 2/3 innings.  The Orioles avoided arbitration with the righty by agreeing to that $5.1MM contract but after Gonzalez struggled in Spring Training, cut him from the rotation in favor of Mike Wright.

Rule 5 Pick Chris O’Grady Returns To Angels

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9:45pm: The Angels have announced that they’ve accepted O’Grady’s return, which means they paid the Reds $25K. O’Grady has been assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake.

2:45pm: Reds’ Rule 5 selection Chris O’Grady has cleared waivers and been offered back to the Angels, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports on Twitter. With all the other clubs in the league passing on a chance to take over the left-hander’s Rule 5 rights, Los Angeles will have three days to decide whether to take him back.

O’Grady, 25, is a former tenth-round pick out of George Mason. He spent last year at Double-A and Triple-A in the Halos’ system, working to a combined 3.28 ERA with 8.9 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 over 57 2/3 frames. But O’Grady struggled some in spring action, allowing 10 earned runs on 10 hits over 9 2/3 innings — though he also recorded eight strikeouts against only three walks.

Angels Acquire Chris Jones From Orioles

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The Orioles announced that they have acquired minor league outfielder Natanael Delgado and infielder Erick Salcedo from the Angels in exchange for right-hander Chris Jones.

Jones, 27, was designated for assignment less than a week ago.  Now, he has been traded for the third time in his career.  As Tim Dierkes noted on Wednesday, Jones was sent by the Indians to the Braves in October 2011 in the Derek Lowe trade. In April 2013, he was traded from Atlanta to the Orioles for Luis Ayala.  Last year, Jones made 22 starts and eight relief appearances for the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate.  In that span, he posted a 2.94 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9.  Jones will help provide rotational depth in Triple-A, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).

Delgado, 20, was ranked as the No. 27 prospect in the Angels’ system after the 2014 season by Baseball America.  Delgado signed with the Angels for $280K in 2012 and has tacked on muscle mass and strength since then, per BA.  Blessed with “extremely strong hands and above-average bat speed,” Baseball America believes that he’ll have to improve his hitting in order to have value going forward.

Salcedo, 23 in June, has seen time at shortstop, second base, third base, center field, and right field in the minors.  The Orioles’ press release indicates that his future will be in the infield, however.  Salcedo was ranked as the Angels’ No. 27 prospect after the 2013 season by BA.

AL West Roster Decisions: Rangers, Angels, A’s

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Hanser Alberto, Ryan Rua, and Justin Ruggiano will all make the Rangers’ roster, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to tweet.  Ruggiano, 34 in April, inked a one-year, $1.65MM major league deal with the Rangers in December.  Even though the late-February addition of Ian Desmond has made Ruggiano’s presence something of a luxury, it sounds like Texas will hang on to the veteran to start the year.

Here’s a rundown of some of the more important roster decisions to take place in the AL West today:

  • Nick Martinez has been optioned by the Rangers, which will likely make A.J. Griffin the team’s fifth starter, as The Associated Press writes.  Griffin, 28, has not pitched in a major league game since 2013 thanks to a Tommy John operation in the spring of 2014.  In 47 starts between 2012 and 2013, Griffin pitched to a 3.60 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
  • Veteran righty Al Alburquerque has been optioned by the Angels, per a club announcement. That may line up Cam Bedrosian for the final pen spot. He’s rung up an impressive number of opposing hitters via strikeout this spring.  Alburquerque had a rough year in 2015, but he chalked up his struggles to an offseason battle with the Chikungunya virus.  Last year, the 29-year-old (30 in June) pitched to a 4.21 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9.
  • The A’s have optioned Jesse Hahn, as MLB.com’s Jane Lee tweets.  The move likely means that Felix Doubront will serve as Oakland’s fifth starter.  The A’s acquired Doubront from the Blue Jays at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for cash.  The left-hander went on to make eight starts and three relief appearances for Oakland and posted a 5.81 ERA.

AL Notes: Panda, Rangers, Sanchez, White, Angels

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The Padres have sent a scout to watch Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. It’s far from clear whether that is an indication of serious interest, of course, let alone whether the scout is watching more than just Sandoval. Regardless, it’s the latest hint that there could be some remaining trade chatter to be held between these organizations, who already struck a significant swap early in the offseason.

Here’s more from the eastern divisions:

  • The Rangers are not only continuing their search for another catcher, but could look outside the organization for rotation help, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. A.J. Griffin may have the inside track to take the fifth starter’s job at present, says Grant, but there’s some concern about the overall starting pitching depth as camp comes to a close. As for the backstop situation, it doesn’t appear that much has changed, but Texas is still looking to improve upon its reserve options — if not to strike a more significant upgrade. (Grant notes that the club has inquired on Derek Norris of the Padres and Bryan Holaday of the Tigers.)
  • Of course, interest doesn’t always mean that a deal gets done, and significant spring trades are rare. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also reports that the Rangers have real interest in both areas (Twitter links), but he says the club thinks it has only an “outside chance” at adding a catcher and is “doubtful” to find a new pitcher. All in all, both reports suggest that Texas is looking at its options but is hardly certain to add outside pieces. And still others suggest there’s not much reason to expect movement. Jeff Wilson of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram tweets that outside inquiries have mostly been tire-kicking exercises, while MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan adds on Twitter that club officials have suggested to him that the final rotation piece will come from inside the organization.
  • Reclamation righty Matt Bush isn’t in the mix for an Opening Day pen spot with the Rangers, Grant also writes, but he has been enormously impressive this spring and could be an option later in the season. Bush’s story is well-known, of course — the former first overall draft pick recently finished a prison term for severely injuring a man in a DUI.
  • Aaron Sanchez has been named as the Blue Jays’ fifth starter, manager John Gibbons told reporters (including John Lott of Blue Jays Nation) this morning.  It won’t be a season-long assignment for Sanchez, however, as the righty seems to be under an innings cap and will eventually be transitioned into the bullpen as he approaches his limit.  The 23-year-old has never thrown more than 133 1/3 innings in a season.  Sanchez and Gavin Floyd emerged as the top two contenders for the fifth starter’s job during camp, and Floyd will join Jesse Chavez in the bullpen while Drew Hutchison has been optioned to Triple-A.  It stands to reason that Floyd, Chavez or Hutchison will all be rotation candidates when Sanchez is moved back to relief pitching.
  • The Astros have decided to give an Opening Day roster spot to young first baseman Tyler White, as Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports. Houston’s first-base situation has been in flux all spring, but it appears that the 33rd-round draftee is in line for a significant opportunity to take the position and run with it. He is one of several players in the organization who have impressed this spring; third base prospect Colin Moran has also compiled a 1.000+ OPS in more than thirty plate appearances, though Drellich notes on Twitter that he’s not considered a roster option at this point. The same holds true of A.J. Reed, of course, who could also have a chance to make an impact later in the season.
  • Angels GM Billy Eppler says that he is “not optimistic” of adding to his roster before the season starts, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez reports. Gonzalez provides a deep rundown of the club’s remaining roster considerations.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/26/16

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Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball:

  • The Angels have acquired right-handed pitcher Troy Scribner from the Astros in exchange for cash considerations, tweets Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. Scribner, 24, spent the entire 2015 season at High-A ball. He posted a 5.49 ERA with 9.99 K/9 and 5.13 BB/9. His best campaign came in 2014 when he showed substantially better command and topped out at Double-A.
  • The Phillies have released outfielder Andrew Amaro, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The Amaro surname is no coincidence. Amaro, a 35th round pick in the 2015 draft, is the nephew of former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. This marks the second minor leaguer of a famous parent who was released today. Trevor Gretzky, son of hockey hero Wayne Gretzky, was cut loose by the Angels earlier today. Incidentally, Gretzky was once traded for Matthew Scioscia, son of Angels manager Mike Scioscia.

AL Notes: Trades, Quentin, Gretzky

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The Red Sox are unlikely to make a significant deal before Opening Day, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes. Britton notes that, since 2000, 111 trades have been made between March 25 and April 5, and almost all of them have been small. That’s because, with rare exceptions (like the Padres’ acquisition of Craig Kimbrel last April 5), most teams focus on setting their rosters and making minor deals at the end of Spring Training. If they had intended to make bigger moves, they likely would have made them earlier. That’s why the Red Sox are unlikely to acquire, say, a top starter from the Indians, or Sonny Gray from the Athletics, at this point in time. Here’s more from the American League.

  • The Twins have announced that they’ve reassigned veteran slugger Carlos Quentin. Via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (on Twitter), the organization is allowing Quentin a few days to decide whether to accept a minor-league assignment. Quentin had a good spring, hitting two home runs while batting .250/.333/.500, but it’s tough to imagine him getting a big-league job without first taking a minor-league assignment, since he struggled with injury and performance in 2014 and spent most of the 2015 season away from the game after retiring last May.
  • The Angels have released outfielder Trevor Gretzky, as noted on the MILBmoves Twitter account. The release of a 23-year-old Class A player might normally pass by unnoticed, but we mention this one because of Gretzky’s background. He’s the son of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, and the Cubs drafted him in the seventh round back in 2011. The Angels then acquired him two years ago for Matt Scioscia, the son of Angels manager Mike Scioscia. Gretzky hit .242/.312/.318 for Class A Burlington last year.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/25/16

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

  • Reds minor leaguer Jose Veras has received a 72-game PED suspension, as Cincinnati assistant director of media relations Jamie Ramsey tweets. Veras, 22, has not yet moved past the Dominican summer league in his professional career. He shouldn’t be confused with the long-time MLB veteran and former closer by the same name — who is still a free agent looking for his next opportunity after failing to crack the majors last year for the first time since he reached the bigs in 2006.
  • Right-hander Deolis Guerra became a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment from the Angels, though manager Mike Scioscia told reporters (including MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez) that Guerra was staying with the club on a new minor league contract.  The Halos selected Guerra off the Pirates roster in the Rule 5 draft last winter, and since Guerra had already been outrighted off Pittsburgh’s roster when he was with the organization, he didn’t have to be returned to the Bucs after his initial removal from Anaheim’s roster.  Guerra, who turns 27 next month, made his Major League debut last season, posting a 6.48 ERA over 16 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh.  He boasted some impressive peripherals (17 strikeouts against three walks) but also allowed five homers in his short stint in the bigs.
  • Outfielder Felix Perez has requested a release from his minor league deal with the Orioles, possibly to pursue an opportunity with a Japanese team, Rich Dubroff of CSNmidatlantic reports (Twitter links).  Perez hit .281/.329/.404 over 2114 plate appearances in the Reds’ system from 2010-14 and he spent 2015 playing for Monterrey’s Mexican League team.

C.J. Wilson To Miss At Least First Month Of Regular Season

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Left-hander C.J. Wilson’s shoulder soreness has led the Angels to shut down his throwing program for at least 8-10 days, manager Mike Scioscia told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register).  There was already speculation that Wilson would miss some significant time to begin the season, and this latest setback means that he won’t be able to return until May at the earliest.

An MRI last month revealed that Wilson was suffering from tendinitis rather than a more serious injury, though that’s probably little comfort to Wilson now as he’s missed all of Spring Training.  The southpaw was already recovering from another injury, an August surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow that cut short his 2015 season.

Wilson is owed $20MM in 2016, the last season of the five-year, $77.5MM free agent deal he signed with the Halos following the 2011 campaign.  That salary, the elbow surgery, an eight-team no-trade clause and Wilson’s age (35) all limited his trade value this past winter, as the Angels were known to be shopping the veteran in an attempt to get some payroll relief.  A few teams showed interest but only as a buy-low candidate.  Now that Wilson will miss at least a month, it creates less time for him to re-establish his health and effectiveness before either the July trade deadline or for free agency in the offseason.

Over his four years in Anaheim, Wilson has averaged 181 innings per season with a 3.87 ERA, 7.7 K/9 and 2.03 K/BB rate.  His absence further thins out an Angels rotation that also has Jered Weaver battling neck stiffness.  The rotation projects as Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney, Weaver, Hector Santiago and Matt Shoemaker, with Nick Tropeano and (when he returns from Tommy John rehab) Tyler Skaggs also on hand.

Quick Hits: KBO, Cuba, Masterson, Royals, Angels, Avila

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Jung Ho Kang’s stellar debut season with the Pirates helped create opportunities for a number of players from the Korea Baseball Organization, including Byung Ho Park (Twins), Hyun Soo Kim (Orioles), Dae-Ho Lee (Mariners) and Seung-Hwan Oh (Cardinals), and if that group performs well this year, it could open the floodgates for more Korean talent, Anthony Castrovince of Sports On Earth writes. “We saw this with Cuba once Alexei [Ramirez] came over,” says Athletics GM David Forst. “Once players come over and have success or don’t, you have a better understanding of the data and the comparisons. So when Kang comes over and does well, all of a sudden you’ve got a huge datapoint there to judge everybody else in that league by. It gives you a lot more confidence in what they’re doing.” It’s still difficult to scout KBO games (due to a relative lack of plays that are relevant from a scouting perspective, as one scout tells Castrovince), and the feeling around MLB is that the KBO isn’t as strong as the NPB in Japan. But KBO talent is attracting increasing interest, to the point that some around the game have discussed the possibility of a cap on posting fees for KBO players, perhaps $8MM. Here’s more from around the game.

  • MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is looking for a way to ensure that Cuban players can get to the US safely, and he could look to find a fix in the next CBA, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. One problem is that the US still has a trade embargo on Cuba, which means that an MLB team cannot pay a posting fee to a Cuban team. Manfred says MLB chief legal officer Dan Halem has been working with the White House to find a solution to the problem. “We will have a new system on Cuban player movement in place in the relatively near future,” says Manfred.
  • Righty Justin Masterson will hold a showcase Monday in Phoenix, Jon Heyman tweets, adding that Masterson is pitching without pain for the first time in years. Masterson had arthroscopic shoulder surgery in September after a terrible 2015 season in which he posted a 5.61 ERA, 7.4 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 while hitting ten batters in 59 1/3 innings with the Red Sox before being released. Of course, Masterson expressed confidence in his health prior to last season as well. But he still could represent an interesting reclamation project, given the strong performances in Cleveland in his not-too-distant past.
  • Despite a gap between the team’s recent won-lost records and computer projections, the Royals might just be able to pull off another AL Central title, CBS Sports’ Jonah Keri writes in his preview of the division. The team has a young core, and projection systems may struggle with valuations of defense and bullpens, both of which are Royals strengths.
  • The Angels seem unlikely to make any more significant moves before Opening Day, writes MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez. Left fielder Daniel Nava and second baseman Johnny Giavotella, both occupying positions that looked like question marks, have performed well in Spring Training. And the team’s ability to make trades has been limited by issues with their rotation, like C.J. Wilson’s shoulder issues and Jered Weaver’s velocity.
  • New Tigers GM Al Avila wants to focus on creating consistency throughout the organization, the Associated Press writes. Avila garnered the Tigers headlines this offseason with the team’s signings of Justin Upton and Jordan Zimmermann, but he’s also focusing on longer-term issues relating to player development. “When you move a player from, let’s say, A-ball to Double-A, there should be consistency in everything — hitting approach, the way we run the bases, our fundamentals, our defensive strategy,” Avila says. “We’ll just create a Tigers’ manual, everybody will have it, and the players will be taught it.”
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