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Chris Gimenez

Cubs Agree To Sign Chris Gimenez

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The Cubs appear to have a minor-league deal in place with catcher Chris Gimenez, which the University of Nevada baseball club (his collegiate team) tweeted recently and SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo confirms on Twitter. Other terms of the agreement are not yet known.

While minors pacts with veteran catchers typically aren’t very exciting, this one comes with some added interest. For one thing, Gimenez currently projects as the Cubs’ top reserve option behind regular Willson Contreras, with Jason Martinez of Roster Resource projecting that Victor Caratini will open the year at Triple-A.

Of much more speculative (but also more intriguing) note is the fact that Gimenez has an excellent relationship with reputed Chicago pitching target Yu Darvish from their joint time with the Rangers. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press has covered this topic from the Twins’ point of view, but it’s an interesting read for any fan — particularly those interested in possibly seeing Darvish at Wrigley.

Gimenez, clearly, is a target in his own right. The personable 35-year-old is fresh off of a quality season in which he ran a .220/.350/.382 batting line in a career-high 225 plate appearances. He has typically not hit at quite that level, but comes witha  solid defensive reputation, too. Though his framing metrics slipped in ’17 in the eyes of Stat Corner, Gimenez drew good marks from Baseball Prospectus and has typically graded around league-average in that area.

AL Central Notes: LoMo, Kinsler, Tigers, Greene, Darvish, Twins, Shaw

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If the Indians can’t re-sign Carlos Santana, Logan Morrison is on the team’s list of fallback options, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (via Twitter).  Morrison is coming off a career year and would require a solid multi-year commitment, though he would come with a lower price tag than the most established Santana.  The Angels and Red Sox were rumored to have interest in Morrison earlier this winter.

Some more AL Central items…

  • The Ian Kinsler trade talks have reached the point where the Tigers have exchanged names with interested teams, GM Al Avila told reporters (including Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press and MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery).  Kinsler has been seen as one of the likeliest players to be dealt this offseason, and it seems like a trade could happen at any point.  The Mets, Brewers, and Angels are teams with reported recent interest in Kinsler’s services.  Should Kinsler be traded, Avila said the Tigers would likely sign a veteran “safety net” second baseman to compete with Dixon Machado in Spring Training, with Woodbery noting that such a veteran would probably be a minor league signing.
  • The Tigers are also getting some calls on Shane Greene, Avila said (hat tip to MLB.com’s Jason Beck).  Greene’s first full-time season as a reliever delivered some good results, and he even recorded nine saves after stepping into the closer’s role in August.  While Greene would be another good trade chip for the rebuilding Tigers, Avila said the interest in Greene was “not to the point where we felt it [a trade] was a good thing to do.”
  • The Twins have been in touch with their own free agents (including Bartolo Colon, Matt Belisle and Chris Gimenez) as well as the agent of former Twins closer Brandon Kintzler, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger reports (Twitter link).
  • Interestingly, Gimenez has also been answering Yu Darvish’s questions about Minnesota, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.  Gimenez was Darvish’s personal catcher when the two played together for the Rangers.  The Twins are known to be exploring the possibility of making an uncharacteristic big splash by signing Darvish, and the pitcher is apparently also doing his homework on the club.
  • One name apparently not on Minnesota’s target list is veteran reliever Bryan Shaw, as Mike Berardino (Twitter link) reports that the Twins “haven’t shown much interest” in the righty.

Outrighted: Twins, Phillies, Rays, Cardinals, Padres, Dodgers, Pirates

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A variety of teams cleared 40-man space today. Some of the moves are reflected elsewhere on the site, but we’ll round up the others right here:

  • The Twins have outrighted catcher Chris Gimenez and left Ryan O’Rourke, as MLB.com’ Rhett Bollinger tweets. Gimenez could have been retained for a projected $1MM arbitration salary, but Minnesota elected not to commit that much cash (and a roster spot) despite Gimenez’s 225 plate appearances of roughly league-average hitting in 2017. He tells Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer that he’ll likely elect to return to the open market, but would be open to a return (links to Twitter). As for O’Rourke, he was said to be exploring ways of hastening his return from Tommy John surgery, but Minnesota isn’t willing to gamble on the lefty’s recovery at this time.
  • Infielder Pedro Florimon and righty Jesen Therrien are now free agents after being outrighted off of the Phillies 40-man, per a club announcement. The 30-year-old Florimon has made his way onto a major league roster in each of the past seven seasons, compiling a .209/.269/.308 slash in 791 plate appearances but providing enough with the glove to keep earning return trips. The 24-year-old Therrien was knocked around in 15 relief appearances for the Phils this year, but did turn in 57 1/3 frames of 1.41 ERA ball (with 10.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9) during his time in the upper minors.
  • The Rays outrighted catcher Curt Casali, outfielder Cesar Puello, and righty Shawn Tolleson, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Casali played a bigger role on the 2016 MLB outfit and posted only a .698 OPS at Triple-A. The 26-year-old Puello has bounced around of late and struggled in a brief go at the bigs, but did manage a productive .327/.377/.526 slash in 379 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors (none of which came with a Tampa Bay affiliate). Tolleson required Tommy John surgery in May, so he’ll likely be looking for an organization to rehab with.
  • Departing the Cardinals’ 40-man were infielder Alex Mejia and catcher Alberto Rosario, according to MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch (via Twitter). Mejia struggled mightily in the bigs as a 26-year-old rookie, but slashed .291/.341/.413 in his 475 plate appearances in the upper minors. As for Rosario, who is thirty years of age, there just hasn’t been much opportunity for time behind the MLB plate.
  • Backstop Hector Sanchez and righty Tim Melville took free agency from the Padres after clearing outright waivers, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com (Twitter link). Sanchez, a 28-year-old switch-hitter who has seen action in each of the past seven MLB seasons, will surely be targeted as a depth acquisition by other organizations. Melville, who’s also 28, worked to a 2.95 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 76 1/3 Triple-A innings — his best results in the minors — but was bombed in brief MLB time.
  • The Dodgers outrighted first baseman/outfielder O’Koyea Dickson, as J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group tweets. Dickson, 27, briefly touched the majors in 2017 but spent the bulk of his time at Triple-A for the third-straight season. After putting up big numbers there in 2016, Dickson managed a career-best 24 home runs over 458 plate appearances in his most recent campaign, but slipped to a .328 on-base percentage.
  • Finally, the Pirates outrighted lefty Dan Runzler, MLB.com’s Adam Berry reports on Twitter. He’ll head back to free agency after refusing an assignment. Runzler, 32, made it back to the majors after a four-year absence, but only saw four innings in eight appearances. He pitched to a 3.05 ERA in 41 1/3 Triple-A innings, managing only 7.8 K/9 against 4.8 BB/9 but also generating typically strong groundball numbers.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/2/17

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Sunday’s minor moves…

  • The White Sox have selected the contracts of three offseason minor league signings – infielder/outfielder Cody Asche, catcher Geovany Soto and right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak. The 26-year-old Asche was once a well-regarded prospect with the Phillies, but he scuffled to a .240/.298/.385 line in 1,287 plate appearances with the club from 2013-16. Soto, who’s in his second stint with the White Sox, has typically served as a capable offensive catcher, and has thrown out would-be base stealers at a league-average rate, though his pitch-framing numbers have declined in recent seasons. Swarzak, meanwhile, has created intrigue this spring with an uptick in velocity. The 31-year-old threw harder than usual with the Yankees last season, and he logged terrific strikeout and walk rates of 9.0 and 2.03, respectively, per nine innings. However, a bloated home run-to-fly ball ratio (27.8 percent) led to a 5.52 ERA in 31 frames.
  • The Twins have selected catcher Chris Gimenez’s contract and placed reliever Glen Perkins on the 60-day disabled list, according to Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link). The 34-year-old Gimenez has a history in Cleveland, including last season. His time there helped him land a minor league pact with the Twins, whose new front office head, Derek Falvey, used to work for the Tribe. Gimenez, a lifetime .218/.297/.335 hitter in 776 PAs, has garnered slightly negative reviews as a framer and will back up the defensively adept Jason Castro in Minnesota. As for Perkins, the Twins’ former (and future?) closer, the three-time All-Star is continuing to rehab from the shoulder surgery he underwent last June. Perkins threw just two innings in 2016.
  • The Indians have released left-hander Tim Cooney, who sat out of all last season because of shoulder problems and has dealt with a forearm strain this spring. Cleveland claimed Cooney off waivers from the Cardinals in November, a year after Cooney debuted in the majors and impressed across 31 1/3 innings and six starts. All told, Cooney registered a 3.16 ERA, 8.33 K/9 and 2.87 BB/9.
  • The Orioles have selected veteran outfielder Craig Gentry’s contract. The 33-year-old’s fate was reportedly tied to Rule 5 outfielder Aneury Tavarez, whom the Orioles returned to the Red Sox on Sunday. Gentry’s reemergence looked highly improbable a couple years ago, when he contemplated retirement after suffering a sixth concussion. He also only picked up limited major league experience over the past two seasons, and the Angels released him last year after he dealt with a spine injury. At his best, Gentry brought a solid blend of offense, defense and baserunning as a member of the Rangers from 2012-13. The right-handed hitter will now serve as a platoon option for a Baltimore team with lefty-swinging corner outfielders in Seth Smith and Hyun Soo Kim.
  • The Mets have selected the contract of infielder Ty Kelly, who’s back on their 40-man roster after the team designated him for assignment in February. Kelly could have ended up elsewhere at that point, but he ultimately cleared waivers. The 28-year-old made his big league debut with New York last season, hitting .241/.352/.345 in 71 trips to the plate.
  • The Reds have selected the contract of outfielder Patrick Kivlehan, who joined the organization as a waiver claim last September. Kivlehan debuted in the majors last year and picked up 24 plate appearances between San Diego and Cincinnati. The 27-year-old has mostly played at the Triple-A level, where he has slashed .255/.308/.477 in a combined 915 plate appearances with the Seattle, Texas and San Diego organizations.
  • The Marlins have selected the contract of first baseman/outfielder Tyler Moore, whom they signed to a minor league deal in December. Moore spent 2012-15 as a member of the NL East rival Nationals, with whom he hit .228/.281/.401 in 649 PAs. The 30-year-old was with another of the Marlins’ division rivals, the Braves, last season, but he didn’t make it to the majors. Instead, Moore was with Triple-A Gwinnett, where he batted just .229/.276/.375 over a small sample of PAs (106).

AL Central Notes: Cuthbert, Royals, Frazier, Gimenez

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Though he lacks experience at the position, Cheslor Cuthbert will be in the mix for the Royals’ second base job this spring, writes Rustin Dudd of the Kansas City Star. The 25-year-old Cuthbert is out of minor league options, so the Royals will need to carry him on the roster this season or risk losing him on waivers. Cuthbert worked out with Royals special assistant Rafael Belliard this offseason to familiarize himself with the new position, and he played about 15 games at second base in winter ball in his native Nicaragua as well, per Dodd. Even if he’s not a long-term answer at second, the Royals likely want to keep Cuthbert as a potential long-term option at third base. With Mike Moustakas slated to hit the open market next winter, Cuthbert could inherit the team’s everyday job at the hot corner as soon as 2018. Cuthbert hit .274/.318/.413 with a dozen homers and 28 doubles in 510 plate appearances last season as he played third base regularly in lieu of the injured Moustakas.

More from the AL Central…

  • The Royals aren’t simply conceding that this will be their last year with free-agents-to-be such as Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. While it’s obviously not realistic to expect the Royals to re-sign each of those players — Rosenthal notes that the team may even prefer to replace Escobar with the younger Raul Mondesi — Kansas City executives feel there’s some hope of retaining some of their core pieces. The Royals have already locked up left-hander Danny Duffy (who was also on track for free agency next winter) on a new five-year, $65MM deal. Hosmer, Moustakas and Cain could all prove more expensive than that next offseason, depending on their 2017 performance, though with at least some from that group likely to sign elsewhere, the Royals will have some payroll flexibility. The Royals currently have about $104MM of payroll commitments to the 2018 roster, $78MM in 2019, $51MM in 2020 and $32MM in 2021.
  • White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier tells reporters that the sprained finger, for which he was wearing a splint late last month, is healed (via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun Times). Frazier said that he’s been hitting every day, and it doesn’t seem as if he expects the issue to hamper him this season. Set to hit free agency next winter, Frazier declined to speak at length about his future. “Chicago is a nice place to play and I’d like to play here,” he said after noting that his focus is primarily on the upcoming season.
  • Chris Gimenez’s ties to Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey (formerly an assistant GM with the Indians) and general manager Thad Levine (formerly an assistant GM with the Rangers) made it an decision for the new Minnesota execs to sign him this offseason, writes Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Gimenez isn’t in camp as a mere depth option, either, as he’ll be given a legitimate chance to emerge from Spring Training as the backup to offseason addition Jason Castro. While Gimenez doesn’t come with a strong track record at the plate, he’s a solid defender that hits lefties well (.263/.358/.403 in his career), making him a nice on-paper fit with the left-handed-hitting Castro. Miller and Gimenez also discuss the catcher’s winding career, which has included seven organizations in the past nine seasons.

Twins Sign Chris Gimenez To Minor League Deal

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The Twins announced that they’ve signed veteran catcher Chris Gimenez to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training.

That the Twins would sign Gimenez isn’t exactly a surprise, as catching has been a priority for them this season, and John Ryan Murphy isn’t a lock to open the year as the backup to newly signed Jason Castro (who inked a three-year, $24.5MM deal). Minnesota’s new front office is also highly familiar with the 33-year-old Gimenez, who spent time with both the Indians (where new chief baseball officer Derek Falvey was an assistant GM) and the Rangers (where new GM Thad Levine was an assistant GM) in 2016. Gimenez was also with both teams back in 2014.

Gimenez didn’t do much at the plate in 2016, hitting just .216/.272/.331 in 155 trips to the dish. However, his framing marks are solid, and Indians manager Terry Francona lauded Gimenez for the manner in which he helped Trevor Bauer produce improved results beginning last May (as Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote at the time). The well-traveled Gimenez has spent parts of four seasons in the Majors with the Indians, Rangers, Rays and Mariners, producing a .218/.297/.335 batting line in 776 plate appearances.

Chris Gimenez To Elect Free Agency

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Indians catcher Chris Gimenez will reject an outright assignment to Triple-A Columbus and become a free agent, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (Twitter link). Cleveland outrighted Gimenez off its 40-man roster Friday, but the club is interested in bringing him back on a minor league deal, according to Bastian.

The soon-to-be 34-year-old Gimenez has had three separate major league stints with the Indians (2009-10, 2014, 2016), who selected him in the 19th round of the 2004 draft. He rejoined the Tribe in a May trade with the Rangers and ended up hitting .216/.272/.331 in 155 plate appearances, contributing to a lifetime line of .218/.297/.335 in 776 PAs with four different teams. Defensively, Gimenez earned mixed reviews as a pitch framer in 2016, but he did win the favor of right-hander Trevor Bauer.

If he re-signs with Cleveland, Gimenez will once again provide organizational depth behind fellow backstops Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez. Injuries helped limit Gomes to just 74 games this past season, thus leading to a career high in major league playing time for Gimenez.

Indians Claim Edwin Escobar From Diamondbacks, Outright Chris Gimenez

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The Indians announced that they’ve claimed left-hander Edwin Escobar off waivers from the D-backs and outrighted catcher Chris Gimenez off the 40-man roster.

Escobar, 24, pitched 23 2/3 innings of relief for Arizona this past season and allowed 19 runs (7.23 ERA) with a 17-to-12 K/BB ratio, although three of those free passes were issued intentionally. In 286 innings at the Triple-A level, Escobar has a 4.63 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9. The former Giants and Red Sox farmhand found himself in Arizona by way of waiver claim back in April and comes from a baseball family, as he’s the cousin of Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar, Angels righty Vicente Campos and retired right-hander Kelvim Escobar. His father, Jose, also briefly played in the Majors in the early 90s as well. Escobar is the second lefty to be claimed by Cleveland today, as the Indians also claimed Tim Cooney from St. Louis.

The well-traveled Gimenez returned to the organization that drafted him this season and nearly captured a World Series ring in the process. The 33-year-old batted a timid .216/.272/.331, but right-hander Trevor Bauer credited Gimenez’s work behind the plate a great deal for the turnaround and consistently solid results he delivered for much of the season. Gimenez figures to elect free agency and seek a new organization this winter. He’ll do so with a career .218/.297/.335 line across 776 Major League plate appearances and a 24 percent caught-stealing rate in 215 career games behind the dish.

Indians Acquire Chris Gimenez, Designate Adam Moore

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The Indians have acquired catcher Chris Gimenez from the Rangers, Texas VP of communications John Blake announced. Cash considerations are going back in the deal.

Cleveland has designated fellow backstop Adam Moore to clear roster space, the club announced. Gimenez himself had been in DFA limbo after Texas acquired Bobby Wilson to join its catching mix.

For the Indians, Gimenez will help fill the void left by the injured Roberto Perez, who’s on the DL and could miss significant time with a broken thumb. Gimenez is only returning to readiness now after dealing with an ankle infection. The 33-year-old has long been a reserve backstop; last year, with the Rangers, he contributed a .255/.330/.490 slash in 113 plate appearances.

The 31-year-old Moore has seen action in each of the last seven MLB seasons, but has only picked up 287 MLB plate appearances in that span. He owns a lifetime .201/.241/.309 batting line.

Rangers Notes: Gimenez, Gallo, Mazara

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Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told reporters today that it’s unlikely that catcher Chris Gimenez will remain with the club following his DFA (Twitter link via Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). While Gimenez has in the past cleared outright waivers, Daniels says there’s trade interest in the 33-year-old, who batted .255/.330/.490 in 113 PAs with the Rangers last season. Gimenez’s overall big league numbers, of course, are nowhere near that strong, but he’s off to a fairly solid start in Triple-A this season (.240/.345/.360) and certainly makes sense for a club in need of a backup catcher. Speaking from a purely speculative standpoint, the Indians, White Sox and Reds have all recently incurred injuries in the catching department, while the Twins, Rays and Blue Jays all seem like clubs that could reasonably look for an alternative to their current backup catcher.

A few more late-night notes on the reigning AL West champs…

  • Top prospect Joey Gallo will miss the next three to four weeks with a Grade 1 left groin strain, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Many have wondered at what point the slugger will force Texas’ hand due to not only his excellent batting line but his greatly improved strikeout rate in the minors this season. Gallo is hitting .250/.400/.642 with seven homers in just 85 plate appearances to open the Triple-A season, but most importantly, perhaps, is that he’s struck out a relatively low 21 times in those 85 PAs. A 25 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A wouldn’t necessarily be encouraging for every player, but for a prospect with 80-grade power that whiffed at a 39.5 percent clip in Triple-A last year, the gains are indeed notable. With Adrian Beltre locked up for another two seasons, it’s unlikely that Gallo will settle into his natural position, third base, in the Majors anytime soon. However, Texas could find room for him in the outfield, at first base or at DH later this season, once the groin injury is behind him.
  • Fellow top prospect Nomar Mazara isn’t likely to return to the minor leagues, writes Grant in a full column. Originally called up as a replacement for the injured Shin-Soo Choo, Mazara burst onto the scene as a 20-year-old (he’s since turned 21), batting an outstanding .325/.375/.468 with three homers through 88 plate appearances after tonight’s game. The Rangers have Ian Desmond in left field (whose bat is heating up), Delino DeShields in center and Mazara in right for the time being, but with Choo and Josh Hamilton on the mend, there’s been some curiosity as to what will become of Mazara as the veterans return to health. “If things continue the way they are, the answer will be: Play him,” Daniels tells Grant. Daniels hedged his strong words a bit by cautioning that things could change — a Choo setback or a prolonged slump for Mazara could arise — but Grant writes that it’s becoming clear that Mazara will stick in the Majors. Notably, Grant writes that DeShields could ultimately end up as a fourth outfielder or even in Triple-A, with Desmond sliding over to center while Choo and Mazara man the corners. DeShields was a nice success story in the Rule 5 Draft last season, but he’s hitting just .239/.316/.307 after an 0-for-4 showing tonight.
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