Chris Denorfia Opts Out Of Yankees Deal
The Yankees announced that outfielder Chris Denorfia has exercised his opt-out clause. Denorfia signed a minor league pact with the Yankees in early March that allowed him to exit the contract by the end of the month.
Denorfia, 36 in July, inked a one-year deal worth $2.6MM with the Cubs prior to the 2015 season. The veteran turned in a .269/.319/.373 slash line with three homers across 231 plate appearances, numbers that weren’t in line with the best work of his career. Still, he offers solid hitting against lefty pitching with a career .285/.353/.419 line in those situations.
Prior to his slide in 2014, Denorfia had a run of four solid seasons at the plate, and he was hoping to return to that form for the Bombers. Instead, he’ll presumably seek employment elsewhere with an eye on turning things around.
NL East Notes: Nationals, Belisle, Phillies, Hunter, Francouer
Over the years, we’ve heard much about the Cardinals Way – an organization-wide process credited with developing several untouted prospects into major league regulars. More recently, the Pirates Way of developing pitchers has been mentioned more and more frequently. The Nationals have developed their own Way, writes Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Janes goes into the details of a system that depends on consistency from the minor league coaching staff. Catchers are a lynchpin in helping pitchers to develop. Coordinators rove between the affiliates as pseudo-quality control officials. The details provide an interesting glimpse under the hood of the Nationals minor league system.
Here’s more from the NL East:
- Nationals reliever Matt Belisle may decide to opt out of his contract tomorrow afternoon, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Belisle inked a minor league contract with the Nationals earlier in the winter. His opt out day is tomorrow. To this point, he’s allowed three runs in five and one-third innings. Washington does appear to have a full bullpen in place without Belisle, making it hard to see a spot for him on the 40-man roster. Belisle himself is unsure if he’ll exercise the opt out. His best years came in Colorado from 2011 through 2013.
- The Phillies still have two or three unclaimed spots in their bullpen, writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Manager Pete Mackanin said the club may add an arm via trade or waivers. There’s also “a good possibility” the team will roll with three left-handed relievers. Dailer Hinojosa, Jeanmar Gomez, David Hernandez, and Brett Oberholtzer are the four guys with relative secure jobs. Salisbury believes veteran Edward Mujica is likely to make the team too, while Andrew Bailey has fallen off in recent outings. Rule 5 pick Daniel Stumpf may be at an advantage if the organization wants to keep him. He would be one of the lefties. Salisbury has a full account of the 12 relievers still in the mix.
- Injuries to the Phillies outfield could open an opportunity for minor league journeyman Cedric Hunter, writes Salisbury. The 28-year-old received five plate appearances from the Padres in 2011. The rest of his career has been spent in the minors. Hunter hit .283/.331/.420 in 515 Triple-A plate appearances with the Braves last season. He also hit 12 home runs with 11 stolen bases. Mackanin is impressed with Hunter’s work in camp, saying “he’s looked good all spring. He’s squared the ball up as well as anyone all spring and he’s shown a good arm. I like him a lot.” The lefty could make for a useful platoon option with Rule 5 pick Tyler Goeddel.
- Updating a report from yesterday, Braves outfielder Jeff Francoeur is likely competing with Emilio Bonifacio and Michael Bourn for one of two spots, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Bowman suggests the club is set to either trade or release Nick Swisher, but their plans for Bonifacio and Bourn are less certain. Last season, Francouer drew praise from Phillies players and coaches for his role as a mentor. The Braves are in a similar rebuild, adding value to mentor-type veterans.
Dale Thayer Opts Out Of Orioles Contract
Veteran right-handed reliever Dale Thayer has opted out of his minor league deal with the Orioles, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes has learned. Thayer is now a free agent. He allowed three runs and struck out six batters in six spring innings.
Thayer had an uphill battle for a roster spot in a relatively well-defined Orioles bullpen. Top candidates for relief jobs include Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Mychal Givens, Brian Matusz, Brad Brach, Vance Worley, T.J. McFarland, Odrisamer Despaigne, and out-of-options prospect Dylan Bundy. Those names only represent the most established options, making Thayer a long shot to crack the roster. For example, Zach Phillips was recently signed as an insurance policy to banged up southpaw Matusz.
Thayer struggled to a 4.06 ERA with 5.97 K/9 and 3.58 BB/9 with the Padres in 2015. He was remarkably better in previous seasons including a 2.34 ERA with 8.54 K/9 and 2.20 BB/9 in 2014. Over the course of his career, he’s posted respectable rates – a 3.47 ERA, 7.62 K/9, and 2.36 BB/9 over 251 innings.
Diamondbacks Notes: Window, Goldschmidt, Pollock
The Diamondbacks front office has repeatedly drawn flak for unusual trades and signings under GM Dave Stewart‘s leadership. Club executives are unconcerned by the outside chatter, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The most often critiqued moves include the trades for Shelby Miller (full post), Jean Segura (post), and the salary dump of Bronson Arroyo (post). Many industry observers believe Arizona received terrible value on their young talent in these swaps. Executive Tony La Russa views the deals an instance of zigging while the rest of the industry zags. La Russa may be correct to view prospects as over-appreciated these days but part of a successful “zig” involves taking advantage of market inefficiencies. Arizona has seemingly ignored the current market for prospects.
- Of course, there’s more to it than just prospects. Since Arizona has to somehow beat the big payroll Dodgers, they have to pick their windows to contend, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The team has a window over the next few years while Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock are exceptionally inexpensive and in their primes. The club believes they have enough middle infield depth, explaining their willingness to part with Dansby Swanson and Isan Diaz for major league upgrades. They also believe pitching prospect Touki Toussaint is four to five years from major league ready – outside of their current window.
- DBacks executives compare Goldschmidt to former Cardinals star Albert Pujols, writes Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic. Goldschmidt is coming off a vintage Pujolsian season with 33 home runs, 21 stolen bases, and a .321/.435/.570 slash. He also earned a Gold Glove award. La Russa, who managed Pujols, is among those to make the comparison.
- Star outfielder Pollock remains questionable for Opening Day, writes Chris Gabel of MLB.com. Pollock has been held out of game action since March 8 due to right elbow soreness. The club may look to play him only in minor league contests for the remainder of Spring Training so they can backdate a potential stint on the disabled list.
Minor MLB Transactions: 3/26/16
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.
Michael Brantley Unlikely To Be Ready For Opening Day
Indians star Michael Brantley does not appear likely to be ready play Opening Day, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer writes. “I don’t think you’ll see him playing in a Major-League game this week, that’s for sure,” says manager Terry Francona. “How we go about the next three or four days, we’ll have a better idea later today.”
Brantley had labrum surgery on his shoulder in November. He was initially pegged for a May return, but he had been ahead of schedule in his rehab. He played in Spring Training games Saturday and Monday, raising hopes that he might be able to play Opening Day. He has not appeared since, however, with Francona saying that Brantley was being shut down for a short time because his shoulder was not improving as much as anticipated.
Francona seems hopeful that Brantley’s delay won’t be a long one. “It might be a week later … it might be 10 days,” he says. “But he’s going to be just fine. We just have to do it right.”
Among Indians outfielders, Tyler Naquin, Lonnie Chisenhall and Rajai Davis have made the team, Hoynes writes. If Brantley starts the season on the DL, that leaves Collin Cowgill (who is on the 40-man roster) battling with minor-league invitees Marlon Byrd, Will Venable, Shane Robinson and Robbie Grossman for two remaining outfield spots out of camp.
Orioles Continue To Look For Lefty Relief, Could Pursue Sean Burnett
Despite the recent additions of Zach Phillips and Edgar Olmos, the Orioles continue to look for lefty relief help and could pursue veteran southpaw Sean Burnett, Rich Dubroff of CSN Mid-Atlantic writes. Burnett is currently with the Nationals on a minor-league deal, but has an April 1 opt-out in his contract. If the Orioles decide their interest in Burnett is serious, they could potentially either make a small trade to get him now or wait until his opt-out date. With lefties Oliver Perez and Felipe Rivero likely set to make the Nationals’ bullpen, Burnett would appear to be on the outside looking in, unless the Nats elect to carry three lefties.
Burnett did not pitch in 2015 after having Tommy John surgery, and injuries also limited him in the two seasons before that. He has been impressive this spring, however, allowing no runs and one walk while striking out four in 6 2/3 innings. The Orioles have been hunting for lefties because of uncertainty surrounding the health of Brian Matusz, who has only pitched two innings this spring while dealing with a back injury.
AL Notes: Trades, Quentin, Gretzky
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.
Indians Roster Notes: Thatcher, Gorzelanny, Joba, Urshela
Here are a few quick notes on recent Indians roster decisions:
- The Indians have told veteran lefty Joe Thatcher that he will not make the team, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian writes. Thatcher was an Article XX(B) free agent, so he will get a $100K retention bonus and a June 1 opt-out date if he accepts a minor-league assignment. He has until Tuesday to decide if he’ll do so. Thatcher allowed just one run in 6 2/3 innings in Spring Training and also got fairly good results in a partial season with the Astros last year, but that apparently wasn’t enough to earn a spot.
- The Indians have also told one of Thatcher’s competitors for a bullpen job, Tom Gorzelanny, that he won’t make the team either, Bastian tweets. Gorzelanny, too, was an Article XX(B) free agent, but as the Akron Beacon Journal’s Ryan Lewis tweets, the Indians are hoping he winds up with them at Triple-A. The 33-year-old Gorzelanny was coming off a rough season in Detroit and struck out only three batters in 7 2/3 innings in Spring Training, during which he allowed three runs. If the Indians do carry a bullpen lefty, it appears it will be either Kyle Crockett or Ross Detwiler.
- One veteran reliever who has made the team is righty Joba Chamberlain, Bastian tweets. The Indians signed Chamberlain to a minor-league deal in December after a mediocre 2015 season in which he posted a 4.88 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 27 2/3 innings with the Tigers and Royals. Chamberlain also walked five batters in eight Spring Training innings this season. At 30, though, he’s fairly young, and he’s demonstrated mid-90s velocity.
- The team also optioned infielder Giovanny Urshela, pitcher Austin Adams, outfielder Joey Butler and infielder Erik Gonzalez. The most notable of those is Urshela, who played in 81 big-league games last season and hit well this Spring but didn’t figure to make the team thanks to the presence of Juan Uribe and Jose Ramirez.
Reds Sign Ross Ohlendorf To Big-League Deal
The Reds have signed righty Ross Ohlendorf to a Major League deal, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. The Reds have announced that it’s a one-year deal. Ohlendorf is a client of Jon Fetterolf.
The 33-year-old Ohlendorf opted out of his minor-league deal with the Royals earlier this week. He figures to provide help for a Reds bullpen that lacked stability behind closer J.J. Hoover.
Ohlendorf missed a chunk of the 2015 campaign due to a groin injury but pitched decently when healthy, posting a 3.72 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 19 1/3 innings with the Rangers and also showing a good strikeout rate in 36 2/3 innings in Triple-A. It was his first big-league season since 2008 spent primarily in the bullpen, and he experienced the bump in velocity typical of starter-to-reliever conversions, throwing his fastball at an average of 93.8 MPH. Ohlendorf has played parts of eight seasons in the big leagues, also appearing with the Yankees, Pirates, Padres and Nationals.