Fallout From The Ike Davis Trade
The Pirates hope that Ike Davis will be a long-term solution for them at first base, but they aren't giving up on prospect Andrew Lambo, Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune-Review reports (Twitter links). "Hopefully, (Ike Davis) is a move that solves our first base needs for years to come," GM Neal Huntington says. "We still think Lambo is going to be good big league player. Right now Davis is better fit for us. We'll see how it plays out." Lambo had been the presumed starter against right-handed hitters, but he headed back to the minors after a disappointing spring training. He can also play outfield, although the Pirates appear to be set for the foreseeable future there, with Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen taking two positions and Gregory Polanco soon taking another. Here's more on the trade.
- An executive from another team points out to ESPN New York's Adam Rubin (on Twitter) that Zack Thornton, the minor-league pitcher the Mets acquired in the deal, was eligible for last year's Rule 5 Draft but was not selected. Thornton is now in his age-26 season and has posted great stats in the high minors, so he seemed like a good candidate to be selected in the Rule 5. That every team passed on him might indicate that they aren't enamored of his upside. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that the PTBNL in the deal will be "fairly significant," as CBS Sports' Jon Heyman tweeted yesterday.
- Davis has mixed feelings about the trade, Kevin Kernan of the New York Post reports. "It’s weird, I’ve been with the Mets a long time and made some good friendships," says Davis. "I’m excited. I know a couple of guys [in Pittsburgh] and they have a great young team. Some good veterans too. I’m looking forward to playing and hopefully helping them win."
- Davis' agents at Octagon encouraged the trade, Heyman tweets.
Yankees Designate Cesar Cabral For Assignment
The Yankees designated reliever Cesar Cabral for assignment after tonight's game, reports Marly Rivera of ESPN Deportes (via Twitter). Cabral, 25, had a rough outing, giving up three earned runs and failing to record an out before he was ejected for hitting his third batter of the inning.
Cabral only has 4 2/3 innings of MLB experience over the last two seasons. Across the minors in 2013, he posted a 5.40 ERA in 36 2/3 innings. Prior to that, he had spent his career in the Red Sox organization. In his best season as a reliever, 2011, he worked to a 2.95 ERA in 55 innings at the High-A and Double-A level.
Minor Moves: Brian Omogrosso, Ji-Man Choi, Rafael Perez
Here are the day's minor moves:
- Former White Sox pitcher Brian Omogrosso has signed on with the independent league Blueport Bluefish, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. The 29-year-old righty has a 5.54 ERA in 37 1/3 career MLB innings.
- Mariners prospect Ji-Man Choi has been suspended for 50 games, the Associated Press reported yesterday (via ESPN.com). Choi, a 22-year-old who was on the club's 40-man, tested positive for methandienone. He received the older first-time-offender penalty because his test was taken before new PED suspension guidelines were put in place.
- The Rangers have released lefty Rafael Perez, reports Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. Perez, 31, struggled at the Triple-A level this year. He was a significant part of the Indians pen between 2006-12, but has been dealing with shoulder issues.
- The DFA limbo ranks grew significantly today, as MLBTR's DFA Tracker shows. In order of earliest to latest, here's the current group: Sam Fuld (Athletics), Lucas Harrell (Astros), Ryan Rowland-Smith (Diamondbacks), Andy Parrino (Rangers), and Ryan Roberts (Red Sox).
Jason Bartlett To Retire
Infielder Jason Bartlett has told the Twins he will retire, reports Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links). Though the club has asked him to reconsider, says Berardino, the expectation is that he will file his papers.
Bartlett had been working on a rehab assignment with Minnesota after making the club's Opening Day roster. Though he only saw four plate appearances this year, he did manage to appear in the outfield for the first time in his career.
Over parts of ten MLB seasons, spent almost entirely at shortstop, Bartlett put up a .270/.336/.366 line with 31 home runs and 123 stolen bases. He spent time as a regular up the middle with the Twins, Rays, and Padres organizations. His best season at the plate came in 2009 with Tampa, when Bartlett knocked 14 long balls and swiped 30 bags while registering a surprising .320/.389/.490 triple-slash. With his usually strong defense, that campaign was worth 6.2 rWAR. (He also had a 4.6 rWAR season in 2007 with Minnesota.) Bartlett delivered good value for his employers in the aggregate, as he put up 18.4 lifetime rWAR and had career earnings of $16.6MM.
Mets And Pirates Working On Ike Davis Trade
Diamondbacks Designate Ryan Rowland-Smith
The Diamondbacks have designated lefty Ryan Rowland-Smith for assignment, the club announced via press release. In a corresponding move, the team reinstated outfielder Cody Ross from the 15-day DL.
Rowland-Smith, a 31-year-old Aussie, has tossed 370 MLB innings over parts of five seasons. He sports a 4.57 lifetime ERA, with a cumulative 5.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. He has seen time as both a starter and reliever, and as expected has generally been more effective working from the pen. Rowland-Smith has logged a 3.77 ERA and allowed a .735 OPS while throwing in relief, while working to a total 4.87 ERA and yielding opposing hitters a .806 OPS from a starting role.
Brewers Sign Jeremy Jeffress
The Brewers have signed reliever Jeremy Jeffress to a minor league deal, the club announced (per a tweet from MLB.com's Adam McCalvy). Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported earlier (on Twitter) that it appeared a deal was in the works.
Jeffress was originally drafted in the first round by Milwaukee before he was dealt in the Zack Greinke deal. Fast-tracked to the bigs after converting to relief, Jeffress showed promise in his first MLB stint with the Brewers in 2010 at age 22. Since then, however, he has never managed to get over his statistically-obvious control problems (career 6.7 BB/9). His once-and-future club will hope to return him to the form he showed in brief action last year, when he struck out 12 and walked five in 10 1/3 big league frames after putting up a 1.39 ERA in 32 1/3 minor league innings.
Rangers Designate Andy Parrino For Assignment
The Rangers have designated infielder Andy Parrino for assignment, the club announced. The move clears a 40-man spot for Aaron Poreda.
Parrino, 28, has spent time at second, short, third, and both corner outfield spots. He has only seen limited MLB action in parts of three seasons, and has a .186/.295/.242 triple-slash in 229 plate appearances. Texas claimed Parrino off waivers from the division-rival Athletics in early March.
Red Sox Designate Ryan Roberts For Assignment
Not long after signing him, the Red Sox have designated infielder Ryan Roberts for assignment, tweets Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Brock Holt was brought up to take the active roster spot.
Signed 11 days ago, Roberts struggled in his limited time in Boston, hitting safely only twice in 22 plate appearances and drawing three walks against seven strikeouts. Roberts' a one-year, MLB deal was not guaranteed, tweets Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal, so the club will only be on the hook for the approximately $61K he has already earned. As the 33-year-old looks for a new job, he will hang his hat on his defensive versatility and solid lifetime stats against lefties (.261/.337/.435).
Freddy Garcia Close To Signing With Team In Asia
Righty Freddy Garcia is nearing a deal with a club in Asia, Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com reports, though some details still need to be worked out. Reports out of Taiwan indicate that the EDA Rhinos — the former home of Manny Ramirez — is likely the team involved, Cotillo tweets.
Garcia seemed set to begin the season in a depleted Braves rotation, but Atlanta cut him loose in favor of fellow veteran Aaron Harang. Since that time, Garcia has reportedly been throwing to Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales while holding out for a major league offer. Last year, Garcia put up a 4.37 ERA (with 5.2 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9) in 80 1/3 innings.
The 37-year-old apparently drew plenty of interest from teams looking to stash him in Triple-A, which is not surprising given the number of injuries that have cropped up in recent months. Garcia could well be the best available rotation arm on the open market.