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Minor Moves: Feierabend, Skipworth, Valle, Navarro

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Here are today's minor moves from around the league…

  • The Rangers have announced that they've agreed to terms with lefty Ryan Feierabend on a minor-league deal with a spring training invitation. Feierabend posted a 3.70 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 148 1/3 innings between two levels in the Rangers' minor-league system in 2013. He has not appeared in the Majors since he started eight games with the Mariners in 2008.
  • The Marlins have outrighted Kyle Skipworth to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, according to ESPN's Keith Law (on Twitter). MLBTR was the first to report that Skipworth had been designated for assignment earlier in the week.
  • The Phillies announced that catcher Sebastian Valle has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 23-year-old was designated for assignment earlier in the week to clear a 40-man roster spot for Roberto Hernandez.
  • The Yankees and the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization are nearing a deal that would send infielder Yamaico Navarro to KBO, tweets Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. The Yanks inked Navarro to a minor league deal a month ago. Navarro is a career .206/.258/.267 Major League hitter.
  • MLB.com's Tracy Ringolsby reports that the Rockies have signed left-hander Ryan Kulik to a minor league contract (Twitter link). Drafted by the Cardinals in the eighth round of the 2008 draft, Kulik dropped out of affiliated ball and spent the 2013 season pitching for the Camden River Sharks of the Atlantic League where he had a 5.89 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 108 innings.
  • As can be seen in MLBTR's DFA Tracker, there are five players currently in DFA limbo: Eric Surkamp of the Giants, Brett Marshall of the Yankees, Trey Haley of the Indians, Chance Ruffin of the Mariners and Alex Castellanos of the Red Sox. A sixth could join that group today, once the Twins' signing of Kurt Suzuki becomes official, as Minnesota will need to clear a 40-man roster spot.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Marlins, Valdespin Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Marlins will sign former Mets utility man Jordany Valdespin to a minor league contract, according to Baseball America's J.J. Cooper (on Twitter). Joe Frisaro of MLB.com tweets that Valdespin's contract does not contain an invitation to Spring Training and Valdespin will have to earn his way onto the team.

Valdespin, 26, was a persistent source of drama for the Mets, lashing out at manager Terry Collins after being demoted and also being slapped with a 50-game suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis PED scandal. He is a career .219/.271/.380 hitter in 350 big league plate appearances. The Mets non-tendered Valdespin in November despite the fact that he is not yet arbitration eligible.

NL East Links: Marlins, Amaro, Betemit

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The Nationals' acquisitions of Doug Fister, Nate McLouth and Jerry Blevins may be enough to make them the NL East favorites for 2014, MASNsports.com's Dan Kolko opines.  Kolko feels the Marlins and Mets are still rebuilding, the Phillies lack depth and the Braves have been weakened by the losses of Brian McCann and Tim Hudson, opening the door for Washington reclaim the NL East crown after their disappointing 2013 campaign.

Here's some more from around the division…

  • The Marlins are still looking for a veteran reliever to add experience to their bullpen, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro writes.
  • Ruben Amaro Jr. sees a lot of risk in the free agent pitching market, the Phillies GM told reporters (including Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com). "With the way the market is set up right now, I’m not real comfortable with going the extra mile for some of the guys that are still out there still that may improve us a little bit, but in the long run may be detrimental to us," he said.  Amaro's statement likely includes top pitchers such as Matt Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Ervin Santana.
  • The Braves and Indians have interest in Wilson Betemit, CSNBaltimore.com's Rich Dubroff reports (Twitter link).  The Marlins were also linked to Betemit earlier this week but their signing of Casey McGehee probably ended that interest.

MLBTR's Zach Links contributed to this post

Marlins Designate Kyle Skipworth For Assignment

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The Marlins have designated Kyle Skipworth for assignment, a source tells MLBTR.  The 23-year-old was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2008 draft.

The catcher got his first taste of big league action this past season, seeing a handful of plate appearances across four games in the spring.  Prior to 2009, Baseball America had Skipworth ranked as the No. 89 prospect in the country.  At the time of his selection, BA touted Skipworth as "the best high school catcher in the nation, and [maybe] the best prep prospect at that position since Joe Mauer was the first pick in the 2001 draft."  The Marlins gave the athletic youngster a $2.3MM signing bonus after selecting him.

The move will create room for the newly-signed Casey McGehee on the 40-man roster.  You can keep up with everyone in DFA limbo using the MLBTR DFA Tracker.

Marlins Sign Casey McGehee

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The Marlins have been on the lookout for an answer to their hole at third base this offseason, and they filled that spot on the diamond today by officially announcing a one-year deal with Casey McGehee.  McGehee, who spent last season playing in Japan, will reportedly earn a base salary of $1.1MM and has additional incentives in his deal contract.  Back in October, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported that McGehee was seeking a return to MLB.

The 31-year-old may not be the No. 1 target of big league clubs from the Rakuten Golden Eagles — that honor goes to his now-former teammate Masahiro Tanaka — but McGehee did hit .289/.371/.512 with 27 home runs in his first season there and got some attention from MLB scouts.  McGehee is represented by Barry Meister, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.  McGehee earned a guaranteed $1.5MM with the Golden Eagles last season, meaning he'll take a slight pay cut to return to the Major Leagues (although his incentives likely can carry him beyond that mark).

McGehee broke into the Majors in impression fashion with the Brewers, batting .291/.346/.477 with 39 homers in 273 games (1064 plate appearances).  His production vanished over the next two years, though, as the former 10th-round pick batted just .221/.282/.351 over his next 952 plate appearances prior to his signing in Japan.

Last week, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that Miami was intrigued by McGehee.  Wilson Betemit, who lost 2013 to injuries, was also discussed as an option by the Marlins.

Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald first reported the agreement (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported the Major League guarantee (also on Twitter).

NL East Notes: Phillies, Rollins, Marlins

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The Phillies have a contender's payroll, and therefore Ruben Amaro Jr. is still in win-now mode despite an aging and declining core, writes CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury. However, the Phils may be just one bad half away from Amaro finally conceding to a rebuild, says Salisbury, who recalls a quote from Amaro at the Winter Meetings where Amaro acknowledged the possibility.

  • Salisbury's colleague, Corey Seidman, opines that the Phillies are stuck with Jimmy Rollins, much like they are with Jonathan Papelbon. Though there are a few contenders in need of a shortstop upgrade, but Rollins' $11MM salary plus his 10-and-5 rights make it nearly impossible to move him.
  • The Marlins are willing to trade from their wealth of starting pitchers to acquire a third baseman, president of baseball operations Michael Hill told MLB.com's Joe Frisasro. Said Hill: "This is why you build and try to create depth, to allow you to do what you need to do to win games at the Major League level."
  • Since Mike Rizzo took over as Nationals GM in 2009, he’s seven different trades with A's GM Billy Beane of the Athletics.  Chase Hughes of CSNWashington.com looked back on all of the deals that have gone down between Oakland and Washington.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Cafardo On Trumbo, Middlebrooks, Burnett, Morales

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The Winter Meetings featured the three-team trade that sent Mark Trumbo to the Diamondbacks, as well as a number of other moves, but Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe argues that this year's meetings featured plenty of press, but comparatively little meaningful activity. Cafardo wonders whether baseball should issue a moratorium on moves before the Winter Meetings, so that the meetings themselves feature more signal and less noise. Here's more from Cafardo:

  • For the Diamondbacks, the Trumbo acquisition was about adding power, which is in short supply these days. "Just looking at the West, and looking at the National League and looking at the free agent market going forward, I just don’t know where you’re going to find power," says GM Kevin Towers.
  • If the Red Sox re-sign Stephen Drew, that would bump Xander Bogaerts to third base and make Will Middlebrooks a trade candidate. The Marlins, who are looking for a third baseman, would likely be interested.
  • Even after a report that the Orioles had interest in A.J. Burnett and had been in touch with his agent, the Pirates feel Burnett doesn't want to play for any other team. "There’s no reason for [Burnett] not to be back," says a Pirates official.
  • Four teams have offered two-year deals to free agent Bronson Arroyo, but Arroyo is holding out for a three-year deal, or maybe a two-year deal with a vesting option.
  • There doesn't appear to be a particularly robust market for Kendrys Morales, with the Mariners adding Corey Hart and Logan Morrison and the Angels likely to sign Raul Ibanez. The Orioles might be one possibility, but not at Morales' price.

Marlins Still Looking To Add Third Baseman

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When Juan Uribe re-upped with the Dodgers yesterday, the Marlins were left looking at a thin third base supply that lacks any obvious starter-level options. But that does not mean that Miami will not make an addition, reports Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.

Eric Chavez could be an option, as he has posted two straight years with a better-than .800 OPS. But Chavez, who just turned 36, has done virtually all of his damage against right-handed pitching. He also has drawn wide interest, and may not end up being terribly cheap. Of the remaining free agents, says Frisaro, the Fish are most interested in bringing back Casey McGehee from Japan or giving Wilson Betemit a chance to reestablish his health and his bat. But, says Frisaro, the club may be more inclined to bring one of those two in on a minor league deal.

As I noted in presenting the club's offseason outlook, a stopgap could well make sense. That is especially so if Miami agrees with MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo that prospect Colin Moran could be ready for the bigs by the end of the summer.

Alternatively, as I explained in that piece, the club could slide Derek Dietrich to the hot corner. Dietrich has power upside and a big arm, and is just 24. But he is now without a position after the signing of Rafael Furcal. Frisaro does note that Dietrich could still be under consideration at third. The easiest (and, perhaps, best) option at this point might be to platoon his left-handed stick with a right-handed swinging veteran.

Of course, I wrote that piece before Miami went out and spent a decent chunk of cash to add veteran options around the infield. With an exciting young outfield and pitching staff already in place, it may be tempting to round out the offseason with a more impactful addition.

Indeed, according to Frisaro's report, there is at least some consideration being given to pursuing a third baseman via trade. Though the club would not part with any of its young pitching unless it returns "a big league prospect under club control," Frisaro suggests Will Middlebrooks of the Red Sox and Mike Olt of the Cubs as hypothetical targets. 

From my perspective, with Moran in the wings and Dietrich on hand, the club would have to achieve significant value in a trade to make that route the most attractive proposition. Simply adding a right-handed bat to complement the team's existing youngsters may be the most efficient and highest-upside play at the present. 

East Notes: Yankees, Barney, Marlins, McGehee

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The latest from the AL East..

  • The Yankees may have interest in Darwin Barney of the Cubs, tweets Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com.  The two sides have discussed the second baseman in the past and talks have been renewed in the wake of Omar Infante's agreement with the Royals.  Barney had a down year in 2013, posting a .208/.266/.303 line in 501 plate appearances.
  • Meanwhile, the Marlins are looking for a third baseman and are intrigued by free agent Casey McGehee, who played in Japan this year and led his team to a championship, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.  Back in October, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported that McGehee was seeking a return to MLB.  The 31-year-old hit .289/.371/.512 with 27 home runs in his first season with the Rakuten Golden Eagles.  Wilson Betemit, who lost 2013 to injuries, has also been discussed as an option.  Miami wants a third baseman with versatility, and McGehee and Betemit both fit the bill. 
  • Despite a little talk about other teams interest in Brian Roberts, he hasn’t been mentioned very often by the Orioles in the last few weeks, writes Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com.
  • Rays infielder Tim Beckham, the top pick in the 2008 draft, will miss a good chunk of the 2014 season after suffering an ACL tear, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  He would have been a long shot to make the Opening Day roster but he likely would have seen action if Tampa Bay needed depth or had an injury to a middle infielder.

Juan Uribe Rumors: Saturday

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Here is the latest on Juan Uribe, who is one of the most intriguing infield candidates remaining on the free agent market:

  • Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said today that he remains hopeful of bringing back Uribe at third, reports Ken Gurnick of MLB.com (via Twitter). Recent reports had indicated that Uribe and the Dodgers may be moving apart after the sides could not agree on a one-year deal with an option for a second.
  • Earlier this morning, we heard that Michael Young could be of interest as the everyday man on the hot corner in Los Angeles, based in part on the team's perception that Uribe could be planning to depart.
  • The Marlins remain interested in Uribe, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reported late last night. Miami would likely not only use Uribe at third, but also to take some at-bats against lefties at first base. Uribe wants two or three years in a deal, says Frisaro.
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