Yankees Claim Jim Miller
The Yankees claimed right-hander Jim Miller off of waivers from the Athletics, the A's announced. The A's had designated Miller for assignment ten days ago.
Miller, 30, appeared in 33 games for Oakland this past season. He posted a 2.59 ERA with 8.1 K.9 and 5.0 BB/9 in 48 2/3 innings.
Athletics, Neshek Avoid Arbitration
THURSDAY: Neshek's contract is worth $975K, reports MLB.com's Jane Lee (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY: The A's announced that they avoided arbitration with right-hander Pat Neshek. The sides agreed to a one-year contract. The terms of Neshek's deal aren't yet known, be he had a projected salary of $900K according to MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.
The A's have six remaining arbitration eligible players: Daric Barton, Jerry Blevins, George Kottaras, Brandon Moss, Adam Rosales and Seth Smith.
Athletics Sign Scott Moore
The A's signed Scott Moore to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. Moore had been outrighted off of Houston's roster nine days ago.
Moore, 29, appeared in 72 games for the Astros this past season, playing first base, second base, third base and both corner outfield positions. In 228 plate appearances with Houston, the 2002 first rounder posted a .259/.330/.448 batting line and hit nine home runs.
A’s Acquire Sandy Rosario; Designate Mitchell
The A's acquired right-hander Sandy Rosario from the Red Sox for a player to be named later or cash considerations, the teams announced. In a related move, the A's designated outfielder Jermaine Mitchell for assignment.
Rosario, 27, has yet to appear in a game with the Red Sox, who claimed him off of waivers from Miami last month. He pitched in four games for this year's Marlins team, but spent most of the season in the minor leagues. He posted a 1.99 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 31 2/3 total innings for three of Miami's affiliates.
Mitchell, Oakland's fifth round selection in 2006, has yet to appear at the MLB level. The 28-year-old posted a .252/.345/.386 batting line in 474 plate appearances at Triple-A this past season.
Mets Acquire Brandon Hicks
The Mets acquired Brandon Hicks from the Athletics for cash considerations, the teams announced. The infielder had been designated for assignment on November 20th.
The A’s claimed Hicks off of waivers from Atlanta in Spring Training and he appeared in 22 games at the MLB level. The 27-year-old right-handed hitter spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he hit 18 home runs and posted a .244/.350/.506 batting line in 383 plate appearances. He played shortstop, second base and first base with the A’s this year.
Passan’s Latest: Myers, Fowler, Asdrubal, McCarthy
The Royals have been shopping top prospect Wil Myers but only in exchange for starting pitching, reports Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan. Earlier this week, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reported that Kansas City was known to be at least listening to offers for Myers and top position players like Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer. The only untouchable Royals appear to be Alcides Escobar and Salvador Perez due to their team-friendly contracts — "executives consider [Perez's deal] the best in the game," Passan writes.
The Royals have discussed trades with the Rays, Mariners, Diamondbacks and Athletics, Passan reports. While Myers would be of interest to any team, he is of particular value to low-payroll teams like the Rays and A's given that Gordon and Butler have large contracts and Moustakas/Hosmer are Scott Boras clients.
Here are some more items from Passan…
- The Rockies' asking price for Dexter Fowler is "absurd," one rival executive tells Passan. It appears to be a buyers' market for center fielders right now, though another executive warns that "it will shake out" as the offseason progresses.
- The Indians are shopping Asdrubal Cabrera, though "not at Black Friday prices," an executive says. Cabrera is one of a few shortstops on the trade market, along with the Astros' Jed Lowrie and the Marlins' Yunel Escobar.
- Teams are more worried about Brandon McCarthy's history of arm injuries than with his season-ending brain surgery. If McCarthy's medicals are clear, however, a team executive thinks the right-hander will get a multiyear contract.
- Anibal Sanchez's demands for a six-year, $90MM contract are "crazy, and he's probably going to get it," an executive tells Passan.
Olney On Giants, Angels, Hamilton, Soriano
Buster Olney outlines the most pressing offseason needs for ten teams viewed as contenders in his latest column at ESPN.com. Here are more of Olney’s notes from around MLB…
- Some GMs and agents say they sense that others are still waiting at this stage in the offseason. There’s a sense that asking prices could drop and opportunities could emerge a little later on.
- The Giants aren’t sure they’re willing to commit to Angel Pagan for as many years as he’s seeking, Olney reports. But the Giants do believe they’ll find a way to re-sign second baseman Marco Scutaro.
- Rival executives say the Angels have a thin farm system, Olney writes. This puts pressure on GM Jerry Dipoto to address his rotation through free agency, which gives Zack Greinke considerable leverage.
- Some general managers believe the secondary starting pitching options are incredibly overpriced, Olney reports. MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker offers a complete list of the unsigned starting pitchers available in free agency.
- Some executives say they’d be comfortable offering Josh Hamilton a three-year deal that includes protective language for the team. I expect Hamilton can do far better than a three-year deal.
- The A’s seem like a possible fit for Asdrubal Cabrera, but they probably wouldn’t want to part with the kind of starting pitching the Indians would want in a trade for their shortstop.
- Rival executives expect Scott Boras to try to engage the Tigers on Rafael Soriano, according to Olney. However, the Tigers have suggested they’d prefer to rely on internal options instead of spending big on a closer.
- Some agents presume the Phillies will be particularly aggressive in addressing their center field need. Acquiring a center fielder remains the club's priority.
- The Red Sox are open to signing Cody Ross, even after agreeing to terms with Jonny Gomes, according to Olney.
Minor Moves: Athletics, Nationals, Dodgers
Here's a fresh batch of minor moves courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy (on Twitter)…
- The Athletics have signed left-hander Justin Thomas and utility man Darwin Perez to minor league deals. The 28-year-old Thomas allowed seven runs in 7 2/3 innings for the Red Sox and Yankees this year.
- The Nationals have signed left-hander Fernando Abad and right-hander Caleb Clay to minor league contracts. Abad, 26, has pitched to a 5.10 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 84 2/3 innings for the Astros over the last three seasons.
- The Dodgers have signed righty Juan Abreu, lefty Kelvin De La Cruz, infielder Miguel Rojas, righty Hector Correa, catcher Wilkin Castillo, and righty Gregory Infante to minor league deals. The 27-year-old Abreu struck out 12 in 6 2/3 innings for the Astros this year, his big league debut.
A’s Designate Hicks, Miller For Assignment
The A's announced that they designated infielder Brandon Hicks and right-hander Jim Miller for assignment. They added Arnold Leon, Grant Green, Shane Peterson and Michael Ynoa to the 40-man roster in related moves.
Padres Acquire Ross For Parrino, Werner
The Padres announced that they acquired right-hander Tyson Ross and infielder A.J. Kirby-Jones from the A's for infielder Andy Parrino and left-hander Andrew Werner. None of the four players have enough service time to be arbitration eligible.
Ross started 13 games and made five relief appearances for the Athletics this past season. The 25-year-old posted a 6.50 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 73 1/3 innings. The 2012 campaign was Ross' third at the MLB level. Ross is the older brother of Joe Ross, the right-hander selected by the Padres in the first round of the 2011 draft.
Kirby-Jones, 24, played at Class A this past season. The first baseman has a .248/.384/.448 batting line over the course of his three-year minor league career.
Parrino appeared in 55 games for the Padres in 2012, playing shortstop, second base, third base and right field. The 27-year-old switch hitter posted a .207/.316/.276 batting line in 138 plate appearances.
Werner debuted with the Padres this past season, starting eight games at the MLB level. The 25-year-old posted a 5.58 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 40 1/3 innings with San Diego. He signed with the Padres as an amateur free agent two years ago.