Hector Gomez Elects Free Agency
SATURDAY: Gomez has elected free agency, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets.
FRIDAY: The Brewers have outrighted infielder Hector Gomez, according to a club announcement. Milwaukee brought up Jason Rogers to take his place on the roster.
Gomez, 27, owns a .181/.212/.323 batting line over 134 plate appearances on the season. He’s seen action in two prior campaigns, but this was his most extensive time on a big league roster. Gomez was productive last year at Triple-A, putting up a .768 OPS with 17 home runs.
Rogers is also 27 and plays the corner infield. He’s destroyed pitching at the Triple-A level after posting strong numbers in the upper minors over the past two seasons. In 95 big league plate appearances earlier this year, he slashed .236/.284/.360 with two home runs.
Orioles Release Bud Norris
AUGUST 8: The Orioles have announced that they’ve released Norris. They’ll therefore be on the hook for most or all of the remainder of his $8.8MM 2015 salary. He is now free to sign elsewhere.
JULY 31: The Orioles announced that they have designated right-hander Bud Norris for assignment in order to clear space on the 40-man and 25-man rosters for newly acquired outfielder Gerardo Parra.
Norris came to the Orioles two years ago to the date in a deadline deal that sent Josh Hader and L.J. Hoes to Houston. After delivering a season and a half of solid results for Baltimore, the 30-year-old has taken an alarming step backwards in 2015. Norris has a 7.05 ERA on the season to go along with diminished strikeout (6.8 K/9) and walk (3.4 BB/9) rates. Norris has always been a bit homer prone, but the 14 homers he’s served up in just 66 1/3 innings this season are particularly troublesome.
Norris is slated to hit the open market this winter as a six-year free agent, so the timing of his struggles was unfortunate. He’s earning $8.8MM this year, making him a lock to clear waivers. He’ll have the option to reject an outright assignment without forfeiting the remainder of his salary as a player with five-plus years of service time, and the Orioles could conceivably also ask for his consent to option him to Triple-A (another right that is afforded to five-plus players).
Braves Acquire Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn For Chris Johnson
SATURDAY: The Indians will send closer to $15MM, not $10MM, to the Braves, MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince tweets. Swisher and Bourn are owed about $38MM combined for the remainder of their contracts, while Johnson is owed about $19.5MM, so it appears the Indians will save between $3MM and $4MM total on the deal.
FRIDAY: The Braves and Indians have announced a swap of three bad contracts that will send Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn and cash considerations (reportedly about $10MM) to the Braves in exchange for third baseman Chris Johnson.
Both Swisher and Bourn are in the third season of significant four-year pacts ($56MM and $48MM, respectively). Swisher is owed $15MM in 2016, whereas Bourn is owed $14MM next season. Both players have 2017 vesting options, but neither figures to accrue the necessary 550 plate appearances in 2016 to trigger the additional year.
Johnson’s contract calls for him to earn $19.5MM through the end of the 2017 season, so the roughly $10MM included by the Indians will balance out the money on the two contracts.
In this week’s MLBTR Newsletter, I examined the possibility of a Johnson-for-Bourn swap. This expanded iteration of the deal, in essence, boils down to a swap of bad contracts that will allow the Braves to free up some money in 2017 (when they reportedly plan to push for contention in their new stadium, SunTrust Park) and give Cleveland more immediate roster flexibility at the cost of paying some of the remaining salary up front.
Swisher, 34, underwent arthroscopic surgery on both of his knees last August in an effort to correct pain that had caused a rapid decline in his production at the plate. However, Swisher has followed up a .208/.278/.331 campaign in 2014 with a .198/.261/.297 batting line in 30 games this season. Inflammation in his left knee has again landed Swisher on the disabled list, though he was on a rehab assignment at the time of the deal. The Braves’ key motivation in making this deal is to move around some finances, but they’d undoubtedly be pleased if Swisher were able to return to anything resembling the form he showed in 2006-13, when he batted .257/.362/.464 and averaged 26 homers per season.
Though Swisher is on the disabled list, MLBTR has confirmed that players on the disabled list can be sent through revocable trade waivers if their minimum period of inactivity has passed and if they’re healthy and able to play at their accustomed level. Because Swisher has been on the 15-day for more than 15 days and is on a rehab assignment at Triple-A, he was eligible to go on waivers.
Bourn, 32, has seen a similar downturn in his production since signing in Cleveland, as he’s batted just .257/.315/.345 in 1388 plate appearances. Like Swisher, he’s been hampered by injuries, though his have primarily been of the hamstring variety. Bourn underwent surgery on his left hamstring in 2014 and has been sidelined by a strain in that same hamstring this season. The leg injuries have significantly slowed him down, as he’s swiped just 46 bases in 331 games with Cleveland after stealing 42 in his final season before free agency. (A season that he, coincidentally, spent with the Braves.)
As for Johnson, he signed a three-year, $23.5MM contract prior to the 2014 season. Then 29 years old, Johnson was coming off a career year in which he batted .321/.358/.457 with 12 homers. However, much of that production was the result of a .394 batting average on balls in play, and his overall numbers have come back down to Earth as his BABIP regressed to his career norm.
Over the past two seasons, Johnson has batted .257/.288/.352. He’ll probably get a fair chance at playing time in Cleveland, though, as Lonnie Chisenhall has been moved to the outfield after struggling again in 2015, and rookie Giovanny Urshela hasn’t hit much in his debut. Cleveland is lacking in MLB-ready options at the hot corner, so Johnson could find semi-regular at-bats and a chance at redemption. If nothing else, he’s proven to be a useful platoon bat over the course of his career; Johnson is a .313/.349/.439 hitter in 692 plate appearances versus lefties.
Yahoo’s Tim Brown first reported (via Twitter) that Swisher was about to head to Atlanta. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted that an agreement was in place. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that Bourn and cash considerations would round out the deal (Twitter links). Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweeted the financial details on the swap.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blue Jays Acquire Cliff Pennington
The Blue Jays have announced that they’ve acquired Diamondbacks infielder Cliff Pennington and cash for minor league shortstop Dawel Lugo. The Diamondbacks have also announced that they’ve selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Jamie Romak, as we reported earlier today.
The switch-hitting Pennington batted a meager .237/.318/.281 in 157 plate appearances in Arizona, although he can play both middle infield positions and has a strong defensive track record at shortstop. He has four homers total in the last three seasons and doesn’t usually hit for high averages, although he does draw his share of walks. The Blue Jays currently have another light-hitting infielder, Munenori Kawasaki, backing up Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop, although Kawasaki can be optioned and probably isn’t quite as good as Pennington defensively. The Blue Jays are also missing second baseman Devon Travis, who’s dealing with a shoulder injury. Ryan Goins is their current starter at second.
Before the trade deadline, Pennington had been connected to the Pirates and Nationals. That the Blue Jays are acquiring him now means that, at the very least, all of the NL and most of the AL passed on him on the waiver wire, but perhaps that’s not surprising given his $3.275MM salary. He is eligible for free agency this winter. The 31-year-old has a career .248/.315/.346 line in parts of eight seasons in Oakland and Arizona.
The 20-year-old Lugo has hit just .257/.287/.343 in 408 plate appearances split between Class A Lansing and Class A+ Dunedin this season, although he’s been a bit young for both levels. MLB.com ranked him the Blue Jays’ 12th-best prospect, writing that he was one of the best hitters available on the international market in 2011 (when the Jays signed him for $1.3MM out of the Dominican Republic) but that he already had below-average speed and might end up at third base in the long term.
SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo first to tweet that the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks had made a deal involving Pennington. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweeted that the Blue Jays would receive cash in the deal and the that the Diamondbacks would receive a minor leaguer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Padres Claim Caleb Thielbar
The Padres have claimed lefty Caleb Thielbar from the Twins, Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN tweets. The Twins designated Thielbar for assignment when they acquired Kevin Jepsen at last month’s trade deadline.
Thielbar, 28, had allowed three runs in five innings with the Twins this year, spending most of the season at Triple-A Rochester. He had a 2.81 ERA in 32 innings there, but with 19 strikeouts and 18 walks. Before the 2015 season, though, he had two good seasons in the Twins bullpen, and he still has a 2.74 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in his big-league career.
Thielbar’s immediate role with the Padres isn’t yet known. He can be optioned to the minors, although the Padres also don’t currently have much lefty pitching in their bullpen, with the newly acquired Marc Rzepczynski as the only southpaw.
Adam Loewen Returns To Majors With Phillies
The Phillies have selected the contract of lefty Adam Loewen, a noteworthy story since Loewen’s first appearance with the Phillies will mark the third time in nine years that he’s debuted with a new big-league team, and his last opportunity came as a hitter, not as a pitcher.
The Orioles made Loewen the fourth overall pick in the 2002 draft as a pitcher, ahead of future stars like Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels and Prince Fielder. He quickly climbed through the minors despite control problems, joining the Orioles’ rotation in 2006, when he was 22.
Two years later, though, elbow injuries necessitated a career change, and Loewen announced that he would instead become an outfielder and first baseman instead. “That was a crazy decision,” says Loewen, via Baseball America’s Alexis Brudnicki. “I don’t know where I came up with the (guts) to do that.”
The Orioles allowed Loewen to depart via free agency after the 2008 season, and the Canadian-born player signed on with the Blue Jays. He had several modestly productive offensive seasons in the Jays and Mets systems and currently boasts a .262/.355/.429 minor league line, and he returned to the big leagues as a hitter in 2011, but only briefly.
After becoming a free agent following the 2013 season, Loewen played in the Venezuelan Winter League. There, he discovered that his arm no longer hurt when he tried to pitch, as CSNPhilly.com’s John Finger wrote last year. “I had five years to rest my arm from the injury that ended my pitching career at the time,” Loewen explained.
The Phillies heard that Loewen was working out as a pitcher, and they signed him after a tryout in Arizona. Loewen spent most of last season in the rotation at Double-A Reading, where he battled control problems (4.6 BB/9) but was effective overall. Then he took a big step forward in the high minors in 2015, still walking plenty of batters but increasing his strikeout rate to a robust 11.3 K/9 and posting a 2.01 ERA in 58 1/3 innings.
That’s earned him a spot on the big-league roster with the rebuilding Phillies, and he’s hoping to make the most of it, as CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury writes. “I’ve been really blessed to have a third opportunity,” Loewen says. “I feel lucky to be here.”
Loewen is 31, but he only has two-plus years of service time under his belt, so the Phillies could conceivably control him for several more years if the experiment goes well. If the Phillies do retain him, he’ll likely be eligible for arbitration after the season.
Pirates Outright Vance Worley
AUGUST 8: The Pirates have outrighted Worley to Triple-A Indianapolis, according to the MLB.com transactions page. The money remaining on Worley’s $2.45MM contract — modest, but still well above the league minimum — might have prevented other teams from making a claim. Either way, Worley has been relatively effective in his two years with the Pirates, and he’ll likely rejoin them in September, if not before.
JULY 30: The Pirates have designated righty Vance Worley for assignment, the club announced. His roster spot was needed after the club acquired Joe Blanton late yesterday.
Phillies teammates for three years, Worley and Blanton won’t have a chance to pitch together for a second Pennsylvania club. Both have experienced modest career resurgences, and now it’s Worley’s turn to see if he can find a new opportunity.
The 27-year-old Worley had a great year for Pittsburgh last year, with a 2.85 ERA over 110 2/3 innings earning him a $2.45MM arbitration payday. He’s been solid again in 2015 — he carries a 3.78 ERA over 69 innings, with 6.1 /9 against 2.5 BB/9 — but lost his rotation spot along the way. He could draw some interest from teams looking to add innings, though his salary may complicate things.
Astros Acquire Oliver Perez
The Astros announced they acquired veteran lefty reliever Oliver Perez from the Diamondbacks for minor league southpaw Junior Garcia. Houston moved righty Sam Deduno to the 60-day DL to open a spot for Perez, while Arizona announced that it will select the contract of lefty Keith Hessler to take Perez’s place on its active roster.
Perez, 34 next week, has a 3.10 ERA, 11.5 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.62 HR/9, and 38.9% groundball rate in 29 innings for Arizona this year. This year he’s faced an even number of lefty and righty hitters and has been more effective against left-handed batters, as you would expect. Perez joins Tony Sipp as another lefty option out of Houston’s bullpen, which ranks second in the American League with a 2.70 ERA. The Astros had designated lefty reliever Joe Thatcher for assignment on July 21st, though he remained in the organization on a minor league deal.
Perez spent his first nine seasons in the Majors as a starter for the Padres, Pirates, and Mets before beginning a bit of a career renaissance as a reliever for the Mariners. He signed a two-year free agent deal with the Diamondbacks in March 2014 and will be a free agent after the season.
Garcia, 19, signed with the Astros out of the Dominican Republic for $200K late in 2012. He mostly pitched in the Gulf Coast League in 2014 and got good results, although he posted a 3.9 BB/9 for the season. He’s improved upon that mark in 2015 while pitching in the Appalachian League and the NY-Penn League, posting an 0.96 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 37 1/3 innings. He’s so far from the Majors, though, that parsing his statistics probably misses the point. He’ll provide the Diamondbacks’ system with a bit of left-handed pitching depth and upside.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Week In Review: 8/1/15 – 8/7/15
Here’s a look back at this week at MLBTR.
Key Move
- The Braves acquired outfielder Michael Bourn, first baseman Nick Swisher and cash from the Indians for third baseman Chris Johnson.
Trades
- Astros – acquired P Oliver Perez from Diamondbacks for P Junior Garcia
- Rangers – acquired 1B Mike Napoli from Red Sox for a PTBNL or cash
- Mets – acquired P Eric O’Flaherty from Athletics for P Darwin Frias
Signings
- Cubs – P Clayton Richard (link)
- Yankees – OF Garrett Jones (link)
Top Prospect Promotions
- Rockies – P Jon Gray (link)
- Red Sox – P Henry Owens (link)
Claims
- Rays – OF Daniel Nava (link)
- Athletics – IF Danny Valencia (link)
- Blue Jays – P Ben Rowen (link)
Designated For Assignment
- Orioles – OF Travis Snider (link)
- Mets – P Alex Torres (link)
- Pirates – P Wilfredo Boscan (link)
- Twins – C Eric Fryer (link)
- Yankees – P Danny Burawa (link)
- Padres – P Tim Federowicz (link)
Outrights
- Cubs – C Taylor Teagarden (link), OF Mike Baxter (link)
- Brewers – IF Hector Gomez (link)
- Indians – P Michael Roth (link)
- Giants – IF Joaquin Arias (link)
- Rockies – P Aaron Laffey (link)
- Red Sox – IF Jemile Weeks (link)
- Angels – P Vinnie Pestano (link), P Jeremy McBryde (link)
- Blue Jays – OF Ezequiel Carrera (link)
- Dodgers – P Brandon Beachy (link)
- Cardinals – P Marcus Hatley, IF Dan Johnson (link)
- Braves – P David Carpenter (link)
- Yankees – P Chris Capuano (link)
Released
- Astros – P Roberto Hernandez (link)
- Dodgers – OF Chris Heisey (link)
- Rangers – P Wandy Rodriguez (link)
- Rays – P Ronald Belisario (link)
Key Minor League Signings
- White Sox – OF John Mayberry (link)
- Rangers – P Ross Ohlendorf, P Robert Coello (link)
- Astros – P Joe Thatcher (link)
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/7/15
Let’s check in on the day’s minor moves …
- The Astros have placed righty Roberto Hernandez on release waivers, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The veteran intends to seek an opportunity with another big league club, Drellich adds. Hernandez signed a one-year, $2.65MM deal to join Houston over the offseason and contributed 84 2/3 innings of 4.36 ERA pitching before his release.
- Cubs catcher Taylor Teagarden has accepted an outright assignment with the club, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. The 30-year-old has seen action in each of the last eight big league seasons, though he’s racked up just 563 plate appearances in that span (with a .202/.260/.376 cumulative slash). He put up a strong .826 OPS in his 148 plate appearances at Triple-A earlier this year.