Minor MLB Transactions: 6/21/19
Friday’s minor moves from around baseball…
- The Royals have signed infielder Chase d’Arnaud to a minor league deal, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets. D’Arnaud was last with the Rangers, who released him Tuesday. The 32-year-old opened 2019 with a .164/.275/.316 line in 178 plate appearances with Texas’ Triple-A affiliate. While the well-traveled d’Arnaud has primarily played at the Triple-A level as a professional, he has combined for 599 major league PA – 100 of which came with the Giants in 2018. He’s a .222/.273/.316 hitter in the bigs.
- The Mariners have inked infielder Jordan Pacheco to a minors pact, according to Triple-A Tacoma broadcaster Mike Curto. Pacheco saw action with the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Reds from 2011-16, but he has since made a few stops outside the majors – including Monclova of the Mexican League this season. The 33-year-old’s known for his defensive versatility, having lined up at catcher, first base, second, third and in the outfield in his MLB days. Pacheco hit .272/.310/.356 during that 1,149-PA span.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/18/19
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Rangers have released infielder Chase d’Arnaud, according to the Pacific Coast League’s transactions page. Despite playing in the hitter-friendly PCL this season, the 32-year-old d’Arnaud posted a horrid .164/.275/.316 line (47 wRC+) in 178 plate appearances with the Rangers’ Triple-A club before his release. The major league journeyman and brother of Rays catcher Travis d’Arnaud is a .222/.273/.316 hitter (59 wRC+) in 599 PA at the game’s top level.
Giants Outright Five Players
The Giants have outrighted five players off of their 40-man roster, the club announced and Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to cover (Twitter links). The moves opened space for a handful of players to be moved back onto the roster from the 60-day DL.
Four of the players to be bumped — infielder Chase d’Arnaud, righty Casey Kelly, utilityman Kelby Tomlinson, and infielder Miguel Gomez — are now free agents. The former two had the right to reject an assignment, while the latter pair became eligible for minor-league free agency upon departing the MLB roster.
A fifth player, right-hander Tyler Herb, was also outrighted. In his case, though, he’ll remain in the San Francisco organization. He has been assigned to Triple-A Sacramento, which is where he spent most of the 2018 campaign.
Tomlinson, 28, had the lengthiest and most notable tenure with the Giants of the players outrighted today. He never quite matched his promising debut effort, however, ending his time in San Francisco with a .265/.331/.332 slash line over 687 plate appearances.
As for d’Arnaud, a light-hitting journeyman infielder, he’ll look for another opportunity to function as a depth piece. The 29-year-old Kelly, once a prospect of some note, allowed just eight earned runs in his 23 2/3 innings with the Giants but surrendered a 4.76 ERA over 24 Triple-A starts. Gomez has received scant MLB opportunity. He played mostly at the two highest levels of the minors in 2018, drawing just nine walks in 437 plate appearances while posting a .291/.304/.418 slash line.
Giants Activate Jeff Samardzija
The Giants announced a collection of roster moves today, including the news that right-hander Jeff Samardzija has been activated from the 10-day DL to start today’s game against the Cardinals. Infielder Chase d’Arnaud will also join the 25-man roster after his contract was purchased from Triple-A. In corresponding moves, second baseman Joe Panik was officially placed on the 10-day DL with a left groin strain, righty Chris Stratton was sent down to Triple-A, and Hunter Strickland was moved from the 10-day to the 60-day DL.
[Updated Giants depth chart at Roster Resource]
Samardzija suffered some right shoulder tightness during a start on May 29 and ended up missing over a month of action while recovering. The time off could serve as a virtual reset on Samardzija’s season, as he had a 6.56 ERA and almost as many walks (23) as strikeouts (26) in eight starts and 35 2/3 IP prior to his injury. Injuries have plagued San Francisco’s rotation for much of the year, though the Giants finally have their projected top three of Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, and Samardzija all active at the same time. The rotation could go from a problem area to a strength for the Giants in the pennant race, particularly since Andrew Suarez and Dereck Rodriguez have both pitched well in fill-in duty. Indeed, it was Stratton rather than Rodriguez who was sent down to Triple-A to make room for Samardzija’s return.
d’Arnaud signed a minor league deal back in January and now get his first taste of big league action in 2018. He’ll take Alen Hanson‘s spot as the utilityman while Hanson gets more regular duty filling in for Panik at second base. Versatility has been the watchword for d’Arnaud over his six MLB seasons, as the 31-year-old has played at least one game at every position except pitcher and catcher.
Giants To Sign Hector Sanchez, Chase d’Arnaud, Jose Valdez
The Giants have struck a minors pact with catcher Hector Sanchez, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. He’ll be expected to take up a spot on the depth chart but not open the season on the MLB roster, as the Giants have already re-signed Nick Hundley to pair with stalwart regular Buster Posey.
In other news, San Francisco has agreed to terms with infielder Chase d’Arnaud and righty Jose Valdez, according to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter). Like Sanchez, both players saw time with the Padres in 2017.
Sanchez, 28, is no stranger to the Giants organization. He broke into the majors in San Francisco in 2011 and played there through 2015. In 637 total MLB plate appearances thus far with the Giants, Sanchez carries a .240/.274/.345 batting line.
Since departing, Sanchez has mostly plied his trade for the division-rival Padres. As Pavlovic notes, the otherwise light-hitting backstop turned into a slugger when stepping into the box against his former mates. Sanchez slashed just .219/.245/.423 over 143 plate appearances on the year, but he did launch four long balls against the Giants.
As for d’Arnaud, who’ll soon turn 31, he suited up for three MLB teams in 2017 but received just 61 total plate appearances. The shortstop-capable utilityman carries a .223/.278/.306 batting line in 499 total MLB plate appearances.
Valdez, meanwhile, will reach his 28th birthday before the 2018 season. He has a 5.72 ERA over 50 1/3 total MLB innings spread over the past three seasons. Valdez does own a mid-to-upper-nineties heater and managed an 11.2% swinging-strike rate during his time in the majors in 2017.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/14/17
Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the game…
- Right-hander Josh Lindblom was granted his release by the Pirates in order to return to the Korea Baseball Organization, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports that Lindblom has agreed to a contract with the Lotte Giants that’ll pay him $475K for the remainder of the season. The 30-year-old Lindblom is no stranger to the KBO or to the Giants, having spent the 2015-16 seasons pitching in a Lotte uniform. He returned to the Majors for the first time since 2014 this season but was tagged for nine runs in 10 1/3 innings.
- The Royals announced earlier this week that right-hander Glenn Sparkman has been returned to the team following his DFA from the Blue Jays. Sparkman was Toronto’s selection in last year’s Rule 5 Draft, and he’ll head back to Kansas City’s Double-A affiliate, per the Royals’ announcement. Sparkman missed most of the season with a fractured thumb and was rocked for seven runs in one inning across two appearances upon being activated and making his MLB debut. He has brilliant numbers in Class-A Advanced and a solid but limited track record in Double-A, so he’ll continue to gain experience in the upper minors for the time being.
- The Diamondbacks have signed right-hander Jake Buchanan to a minor league contract, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. Buchanan, 27, allowed 13 earned runs on 24 hits and seven walks with only four strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings with the Reds earlier this season. Buchanan has a 4.73 ERA through 64 2/3 innings with the Cubs, Astros and Reds over the past four seasons, mostly working out of the bullpen. He’s been primarily a starter in Triple-A, however, and through 439 innings at the that level, he’s worked to a 4.41 ERA with 5.9 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9.
- Eddy also reports that infielder Chase d’Arnaud cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A after being designated for assignment by the Padres. The 30-year-old d’Arnaud opened the year with the Braves but then bounced to the Red Sox via waivers before landing in San Diego. Through 62 plate appearances between the three clubs, he’s batted .190/.242/.276 while appearing at all four infield positions. He’s a .223/.276/.306 hitter through 499 big league PAs.
Padres Designate Chase D’Arnaud For Assignment
The Padres have designated infielder Chase d’Arnaud for assignment, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (Twitter link). The move was made to create roster space for Trevor Cahill, who has been activated from the DL to start tonight’s game against the Indians.
[Updated Padres depth chart at Roster Resource]
This is the third time that d’Arnaud has entered DFA limbo this season, as he was previously designated by the Braves in April and then claimed by the Red Sox, only to be designated by Boston in May and then claimed by the Padres. In 62 combined plate appearances with all three clubs, d’Arnaud is hitting .190/.242/.276 while starting games at shortstop, second base, third base and left field.
Cahill returns to the San Diego rotation with plenty of time to impress potential suitors in the three weeks remaining before the trade deadline, though proving his health will be the first priority. Cahill has been limited to seven starts and 41 1/3 IP thanks to two separate DL stints due to back and shoulder injuries. When Cahill has been on the mound, he has looked impressive, posting a 3.27 ERA, 11.1 K/9, 3.00 K/BB rate and 60.2% grounder rate. With only around $825K owed to him for the remainder of the year, several teams could have interest in Cahill as low-cost help for the back end of a rotation or as bullpen depth.
Padres Claim Chase d’Arnaud
The Padres have claimed infielder Chase d’Arnaud off waivers from the Red Sox, tweets Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. D’Arnaud had been in limbo since the Red Sox designated him for assignment Thursday.
This marks the second time a team has claimed d’Arnaud this season. The 30-year-old ended up with Boston last month shortly after Atlanta waived him. In 11 combined plate appearances with the Braves and Red Sox, d’Arnaud collected four hits and two walks. Also a former Pirate and Phillie, d’Arnaud owns a .233/.289/.314 batting line in 448 major league trips to the plate.
In San Diego, the out-of-options d’Arnaud will join Allen Cordoba and Luis Sardinas as the Padres’ infield-capable reserves. Cordoba has mostly played the outfield this year, though, while Sardinas has slumped to a .163/.226/.163 showing in 53 PAs.
Red Sox Designate Chase d’Arnaud, Select Hector Velazquez
The Red Sox have designated infielder Chase d’Arnaud for assignment, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). He’ll make way for righty Hector Velazquez, whose contract was selected.
Boston also moved injured hurler Steven Wright to the 60-day DL. He was already expected to miss the entire season, so that was only a formality. The team now has one open 40-man slot.
Boston hardly utilized d’Arnaud after claiming him late last month from the Braves. He took just a single plate appearance, in fact. The versatile 30-year-old carries a .233/.289/.314 batting line over 448 plate appearances, with those spread over parts of six MLB seasons.
Meanwhile, the 28-year-old Velazquez has quite an interesting story. He signed with the Red Sox after a lengthy run in the Mexican League, culminating with a breakout 2016 season. Thus far, he has impressed at Triple-A. Over 29 frames, he owns a 1.55 ERA with 6.2 K/9 against 1.6 BB/9 while allowing only 18 base hits.
It’s worth noting that Velazquez is playing on a very unique contract arrangement. As Evan Drellich reported during camp, Velazquez received only a piece of the $30K bonus upon signing. But his deal includes an apparently newfangled provision that allows him to earn salary escalators based upon how many consecutive days he remains on the active roster.
Red Sox Claim Chase d’Arnaud
The Red Sox have claimed infielder Chase d’Arnaud off waivers from the Braves, per a club announcement. He had been designated for assignment and, evidently, placed on outright waivers by Atlanta.
To clear 40-man space, Boston bumped righty Carson Smith to the 60-day DL. He is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and it wouldn’t seem as if the placement says much about any changes to his timeline to return.
The 30-year-old d’Arnaud represents a utility option for the Sox, who are struggling to cover with third baseman Pablo Sandoval on the DL and second bagger Dustin Pedroia also ailing. Over 262 career trips to the plate at the game’s highest level, d’Arnaud owns only a .245/.317/.335 batting line. Though he isn’t much with the bat, the right-handed hitter does have experience playing all over the field.