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Minor MLB Transactions: 5/28/21

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The latest minor moves from around the league:

  • The Phillies announced this afternoon right-hander Ramón Rosso cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia designated the 24-year-old for assignment last week. Rosso has pitched in eight games for the Phils over the past two seasons, tossing eleven innings of seven-run ball, striking out eleven while issuing eight walks. He’s worked mostly as a starting pitcher in the minors, performing well up through Double-A but struggling to a 5.59 ERA with mediocre strikeout and walk rates (19.4% and 10.8%, respectively) in 77 1/3 frames at the minors’ highest level. He’ll remain in the organization as a depth option.
  • The Mariners have signed reliever Brian Schlitter to a minor league deal, per the MLB.com transactions tracker. He has been assigned to Triple-A Tacoma, where he’s on the Rainiers active roster. Schlitter broke into the majors with the Cubs in 2010 and saw action in parts of three seasons with Chicago. The righty returned to the big leagues in 2019 with the Athletics, tossing 9 2/3 innings of four-run ball. Schlitter pitched in five games for the A’s Triple-A affiliate this season but was released from his minor league deal with Oakland earlier this week.

A’s Add Three To 40-Man Roster, Announce Several Minor League Signings

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The Athletics announced Friday that they’ve selected the contracts of right-handers Miguel Romero and Wandisson Charles, as well as outfielder Greg Deichmann. Oakland also announced minor league deals and non-roster invites to Spring Training for 11 players. Right-handers Domingo Acevedo, Cristian Alvarado, Argenis Angulo, Matt Blackham, Ben Bracewell, Montana DuRapau, Brian Schlitter and Trey Supak will all be in camp with the A’s next year, as will infielders Pete Kozma, Frank Schwindel and Jacob Wilson.

Each of Romero, Charles and Deichmann was in Oakland’s 60-man player pool for the truncated 2020 regular season, but none of the three made his big league debut this year. Both Deichmann (No. 13) and Romero (No. 25) currently rank among the Athletics’ Top 30 prospects at MLB.com.

Deichmann was a second-round pick out of LSU in 2017 and has struggled at the plate in the minors due to wrist injuries, but he erupted with nine homers, two doubles and a triple in just 95 Arizona Fall League plate appearances in 2019. Romero, 26, averaged 10 K/9 and kept his ERA south of 4.00 in an outrageously hitter-friendly Triple-A setting in 2019 — a far more difficult task than one might expect at first glance. Just 28 of the 143 Triple-A pitchers with at least 70 innings managed a sub-4.00 mark thanks to the introduction of what was widely believed to be a juiced ball in an already hitter-friendly setting.

Among the non-roster invitees, Kozma jumps out at the most recognizable name. The former Cardinals shortstop has long been touted as a defensive wizard but has never been able to provide much in the way of offense to accompany his proficiency with the leather. DuRapau’s agents announced his signing last week, as we previously covered. The 34-year-old Schlitter is a well-traveled journeyman who logged 9 2/3 frames with the A’s in ’19. Supak was once a well-regarded prospect with both the Brewers and Pirates but will look for a fresh start with the Oakland org. Schwindel, a right-handed-hitting first baseman, got a very small cup of coffee with the 2019 Royals.

A’s Announce Various Minor-League Signings

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The A’s announced a spate of minor-league signings this afternoon, some of which were previously reported by Susan Slusser and Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. On the pitching side, the club brought aboard left-hander Lucas Luetge and right-handers Ian Gardeck, Zach Lee, and Brian Schlitter. They confirmed the earlier-reported signing of Jaime Schultz. Oakland also added depth on the position player side, signing catcher Carlos Pérez, and infielders Eric Campbell, Nate Orf and Ryan Goins. All nine players will receive an invitation to MLB camp in spring training.

Of those players, only Gardeck doesn’t have some MLB experience. The former Giants’ farmhand tossed 18.2 relief innings with a 2.41 ERA last season for Tampa Bay’s AA affiliate in Montgomery. Campbell and Schlitter spent last season in the A’s organization, with Schlitter pitching in six MLB games for Oakland.

Except for Schlitter, only Goins reached the game’s highest level in 2019, his seventh straight year logging MLB action. The former Blue Jay took 163 plate appearances for the White Sox and slashed .250/.333/.347. That tops the .230/.279/.335 (65 wRC+) line the infielder has accumulated over his career. He, Campbell, and Orf, a former Brewers’ prospect, could all vie for a utility role this spring.

Pitchers Recently Electing Free Agency

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Since the conclusion of the regular season, a number of players have elected free agency. That right accrues to certain players who are outrighted off of a 40-man roster during or after the season — namely, those that have at least three years of MLB service and/or have previously been outrighted. Such players that accepted outright assignments during the season have the right to elect free agency instead at season’s end, provided they aren’t added back to the 40-man in the meantime.

We already rounded up the position players. Now, here are the pitchers that have recently taken to the open market, along with their now-former teams (via the International League and PCL transactions pages):

40-Man Moves: 7/31/19

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This has been a trade-filled day across Major League Basbeall, leaving plenty of smaller moves somewhat unnoticed. Here’s a look at the DFAs, contract selections and other 40-man transactions that came along with today’s action…

  • The Blue Jays have claimed right-hander Brock Stewart off waivers from the Dodgers, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Once a well-regarded prospect, the 27-year-old Stewart has only managed a 5.46 ERA/5.71 FIP in 84 innings since he debuted in the majors in 2016. Stewart has also experienced a nightmarish 2019 at the Triple-A level, where he has mustered a 7.34 ERA/7.22 FIP with 7.93 K/9 and 4.74 BB/9 in 76 innings.
  • The Nationals announced that they’ve designated righties Javy Guerra and Michael Blazek for assignment. The 33-year-old Guerra has divided the season between Washington and Toronto, combining for a 4.50 ERA/3.86 FIP with 7.36 K/9 and 3.07 BB/9 across 44 innings. Blazek, 30, threw just five innings for the Nationals before his designation. Prior to his addition to the Nats’ roster, Blazek recorded a 5.54 ERA/4.91 FIP with 9.69 K/9 and 3.46 BB/9 in 26 Triple-A innings.
  • The Athletics have designated righty Andrew Triggs and outrighted fellow righty Brian Schlitter to Triple-A Las Vegas, the club announced. The 30-year-old Triggs was a promising piece for the Athletics a couple seasons ago, but health issues – including September 2018 thoracic outlet syndrome surgery – have prevented him from making an impact of late. He hasn’t pitched in the majors at all this season. Schlitter, meanwhile, lost his briefly held 40-man spot with the A’s when they designated him Monday.
  • The Indians have designated infielder Eric Stamets, who opened the season as their starting shortstop on account of Francisco Lindor’s calf strain. Stamets, 27, struggled to a hideous .049/.149/.073 line in 48 plate appearances while filling in for the great Lindor. He has been better – albeit far from spectacular – at the Triple-A level, where he has hit .232/.313/.378 with six HRs and 12 steals in 262 PA this season.
  • The Brewers have designated left-hander Donnie Hart, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets. The 28-year-old has thrown 6 2/3 scoreless innings with the Brew Crew this season, though he has totaled more walks (four) than strikeouts (three). Hart has enjoyed a relatively productive campaign at the Triple-A level, where he has posted a 4.10 ERA/4.28 FIP with 7.23 K/9, 3.13 BB/9 and a 55.4 percent groundball rate in 37 1/3 innings.
  • The Mariners have selected righty Zac Grotz from Double-A Arkansas, the team announced. The 26-year-old Grotz, whom the Mariners signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, has registered a strong 2.51 ERA/2.74 FIP with 10.83 K/9, 1.73 BB/9 and a 57.9 percent groundball rate in 57 1/3 Double-A innings in 2019.
  • The Cubs have designated righty Oscar De La Cruz, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic relays. The 24-year-old De La Cruz entered the season as the Cubs’ 15th-ranked prospect, per FanGraphs, and has since pitched to a 3.89 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 81 innings divided between the High-A and Double-A levels.
  • The Diamondbacks have designated righty Joey Krehbiel, who had a brief MLB debut with the club last season. The 26-year-old has stumbled to an 8.25 ERA/7.25 FIP and notched 8.6 K/9 against 7.05 BB/9 in 52 1/3 Triple-A innings in 2019.
  • More on the Diamondbacks, who have transferred utilityman Blake Swihart to the 60-day injured list. Swihart has been on the IL with an oblique injury since the start of June, so this is just a procedural move on the D-backs’ part.

Athletics Designate Brian Schlitter

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The Athletics have designated righty Brian Schlitter for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot goes to the just-acquired Jake Diekman.

Additionally, the Oakland org announced that right-hander Jharel Cotton has been activated from the 60-day injured list. He was optioned down to Triple-A.

Schlitter, 33, has seen sporadic MLB action since his 2010 debut, appearing in parts of four seasons. This year, with Oakland, he allowed four runs on a dozen hits with six walks and four strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings of work. Schlitter has spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he carries a 3.89 ERA in 34 2/3 frames with 7.0 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9.

Athletics Select Brian Schlitter

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The Athletics have selected the contract of right-hander Brian Schlitter from Triple-A Las Vegas, the team announced. He’ll take the 25-man spot of closer Blake Treinen, whom the A’s placed on the injured list Saturday, and give the club a full 40-man roster.

This will be Schlitter’s first time in the majors since 2015, when he threw 7 1/3 innings with the Cubs. Schlitter saw action with the Cubs in two other seasons (2010 and ’14), and combined for a 5.40 ERA/4.26 FIP with 5.27 K/9, 3.27 BB/9 and an excellent 56.5 percent groundball rate in 71 2/3 frames with the club. He hasn’t pitched in the majors for anyone else.

Now 33, Schlitter spent 2018 with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate before he joined the A’s on a minor league deal in the offseason. Despite pitching the first couple months of this season in an environment that’s unkind to hurlers, he managed playable results over 34 2/3 innings before his call-up. Schlitter has posted a 3.89 ERA/4.54 FIP with 7.01 K/9, 1.3 BB/9 and a tremendous 67.9 percent grounder mark in Vegas.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/25/19

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Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Athletics announced a wide slate of non-roster invitations to Spring Training, revealing within that they’ve signed left-hander Kyle Crockett, infielders Corban Joseph and Eric Campbell, and righty Brian Schlitter to minor league contracts. Crockett, 27, has the most significant big league experience among the new additions, having logged 9 1/3 innings with the Reds last year and 74 2/3 innings over the past five seasons. Crockett was a 2013 fourth-rounder who skyrocketed through the minors and impressed in a 2014 MLB debut (1.80 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 in 30 innings). He’s managed just a 5.04 ERA in 44 2/3 frames since, though his 45-to-17 K/BB ratio in that time is solid. Joseph, 30, posted a .541 OPS in 19 plate appearances with the O’s last season and hit .312/.381/.497 in 523 Double-A PAs last year. Campbell, 31, had a three-year run as an up-and-down utility piece for the Mets from 2014-16 and hasn’t been in the Majors since. He’s a career .221/.312/.311 hitter and enjoyed a .313/.420/.445 slash in 402 Triple-A PAs with Miami last year. Schlitter, 33, hasn’t been in the Majors since 2015. He has an ugly 5.40 ERA in 71 2/3 innings with the Cubs but worked to a solid 3.36 ERA in 67 innings with the Dodgers’ top affiliate last season.

International Signings: Huff, Schlitter, Mendez

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A few notes on some former big leaguers that have agreed to new deals overseas…

  • Left-hander David Huff is returning to the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization after enjoying a strong half-season there in 2016, the team announced. Huff, who has pitched in the Majors for the Indians, Giants, Yankees, Dodgers and Angels, will receive a $1.4MM guarantee with another $300K worth of incentives. The 32-year-old made 13 starts in Korea last year, logging a 3.13 ERA with a 46-to-9 K/BB ratio in 77 2/3 innings in his run with LG.
  • Former Cubs righty Brian Schlitter has signed a deal with Japan’s Seibu Lions, the team announced earlier this month. He’ll take home about $700K in his first foray into Asia, per a report out of Japan. The 30-year-old spent parts of three seasons with the Cubs from 2012-15 but struggled to a 5.40 ERA In 71 2/3 innings in the Majors. He spent the 2016 season with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate, logging a 3.64 ERA with 9.2 K/9 against 4.5 BB/9 in 42 innings in an extremely hitter-friendly setting.
  • Former Rangers righty Roman Mendez has also signed on in Japan, where he’ll join the Hanshin Tigers, per Nikkan Sports. The 26-year-old hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2015 but has a 3.09 ERA in 46 2/3 big league innings. He spent 2016 pitching with Boston’s Triple-A affiliate and recorded a 3.38 ERA with 8.3 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 in 64 innings of work.

Cubs Acquire Fernando Rodney, Designate Brian Schlitter

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The Mariners announced that they’ve traded right-hander Fernando Rodney to the Cubs in exchange for cash considerations (Twitter link). Lefty Zac Rosscup has been optioned to Triple-A, while righty Brian Schlitter has been designated for assignment, according to an announcement from the Cubs, which states that either a player to be named later or cash will head to Seattle in the deal.

Fernando Rodney

Signed to a two-year, $14MM contract prior to the 2014 season, Rodney served as the Mariners’ closer all last season and for parts of the 2015 campaign as well. However, while he worked to a strong 2.85 ERA with 10.3 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 48.6 percent ground-ball rate in 2014, Rodney imploded in 2015, totaling a 5.68 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and a career-worst 1.4 HR/9 rate. Those struggles ultimately led to the 38-year-old being designated for assignment over the weekend. Rodney is owed about $1.49MM through season’s end as part of that $14MM pact.

His 2015 struggles notwithstanding, Rodney enjoyed a late career resurgence from 2012-14, posting a 2.21 ERA in 207 2/3 innings. The Cubs will hope they can bring out some of that form to help what has been an up and down season for the team’s relief corps. The team is currently without Jason Motte, Neil Ramirez and Rafael Soriano, each of whom is on the disabled list, so Rodney will provide manager Joe Maddon with another veteran relief arm. Maddon, for that matter, is quite familiar with Rodney, having managed him in 2012-13 when Rodney posted a record-setting 0.60 ERA in 74 2/3 innings. While Rodney’s velocity isn’t as strong as the 96.3 mph he averaged over the course of those two seasons, he’s still averaged a very healthy 94.8 mph on his heater this season. Because he’s been acquired prior to Sept. 1, Rodney will be eligible for the Cubs’ postseason roster.

Schiltter, 29, has been up and down with the Cubs over the past six seasons after debuting as a 24-year-old back in 2010. The former 16th-round pick didn’t appear in the Majors from 2011-13 but resurfaced to deliver 56 1/3 innings of 4.15 ERA ball with 5.0 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9. He’s totaled only 7 1/3 innings with the Chicago ’pen in 2015, though, allowing six runs on 12 hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts. Schlitter does have an outstanding 1.09 ERA in 41 1/3 Triple-A innings this season, though that seemingly pristine mark comes with just 7.0 K/9 against a troubling 5.0 BB/9.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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