Efren Navarro Elects Free Agency
The Orioles announced that Efren Navarro was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. The outfielder subsequently refused the assignment and elected free agency.
Navarro, 29, was designated for assignment by the Angels in January and later traded to the Orioles. Navarro has seen Major League action with the Angels in four of the past five seasons, totaling a .246/.303/.324 batting line in 280 plate appearances. He’s hit just one home run in that time, though he’s shown a bit more pop in the minors, where he is a .316/.378/.449 hitter with 32 home runs in 2344 plate appearances at Triple-A. Navarro didn’t hit much with the Angels, but he’s posted solid walk and strikeout rates (7.5 percent and 16.1 percent, respectively). He’s also graded out reasonably well in both Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved at first base and in left field in his small samples of work at each position.
Navarro was slated to join the competition for corner outfield playing time in Baltimore but he’ll now seek an opportunity elsewhere.
AL East Notes: Ramirez, Navarro, Rays, Cashman
Ramon Ramirez, an infield prospect in the Orioles system, died in a motorcycle accident on Saturday in the Dominican Republic. The 23-year-old Ramirez signed with the O’s in 2014 and played second, third and shortstop in 55 games at the Rookie League and low- and high-A ball levels over the last two seasons. “Our entire organization is deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic death of Ramon Ramirez. As a member of the Orioles organization, Ramon worked tirelessly to make the most of his opportunity to play professional baseball. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, teammates, and coaches as we mourn this unimaginable loss,” Orioles executive VP Dan Duquette said in a statement today. We at MLB Trade Rumors join the Orioles and the baseball world in expressing our condolences to Ramirez’s loved ones.
Some news from around the AL East…
- The Orioles‘ acquisition of first baseman/outfielder Efren Navarro adds some depth and gives Baltimore some roster flexibility, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko writes. With Navarro now in the mix as a first base backup behind Chris Davis, the O’s could use young first basemen Christian Walker or Trey Mancini as trade chips. Since Navarro is a well-regarded defender at first, Kubatko also wonders if Davis could see more time in the outfield. Davis said he’s “always open to doing whatever it takes to win,” though noted that he’s much more comfortable in right field than left.
- Now that the Rays have traded Jake McGee, their next move could be to acquire a replacement setup man, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Alex Colome and Xavier Cedeno form a righty-lefty setup combo at the moment, though Topkin thinks the Rays could sign another veteran bullpen option (though not a big name like Tyler Clippard) or potentially trade for a reliever by dealing from their outfield surplus. Brandon Guyer or Desmond Jennings could be trade chips in that scenario, Topkin opines, though interested teams may need to see that Jennings is healthy in Spring Training following his injury-plagued 2015 season. The Rays still aren’t generating any trade buzz on James Loney, despite their willingness to cover part of his salary.
- The only team yet to sign a Major League free agent this offseason has been, of all teams, the Yankees. While GM Brian Cashman tells Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News that the club “explored all avenues” to upgrade the roster, the Bronx Bombers have been much more focused on trades rather than free agent signings over the last two offseasons. This winter, such major names as Aroldis Chapman, Starlin Castro and Aaron Hicks joined the team. “There’s a lot of different ways to climb the mountain. This winter took us to trades. We spent money, but it was acquiring contracts through trades. We’ve traded talent from our system to do that,” Cashman said.
- There’s little question that Blue Jays fans want Jose Bautista to sign an extension, as evidenced by a very pro-Bautista response at a recent “Pitch Talks” speaker series event in Toronto. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, one of the speakers at the event, used the response to illustrate the sometimes stark difference in perspective between fans and front offices. While there are solid baseball reasons to keep Bautista (as outlined by Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling at the event), general front office logic would dictate that extending a veteran slugger past his age-35 season isn’t necessarily a wise move. While many fans understand this reasoning, that doesn’t stop the more general sentiment amongst the fanbase that the Jays should keep a player who has been such a huge star for the franchise. I outlined the tricky situation the Jays face with Bautista in an Extension Candidate entry last November.
Orioles Acquire Efren Navarro, Designate L.J. Hoes For Assignment
The Orioles have acquired first baseman/outfielder Efren Navarro from the Angels in exchange for cash considerations, the teams announced today. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Navarro, Baltimore announced that it has designated outfielder L.J. Hoes for assignment.
Navarro, 29, was designated for assignment last week to clear a roster spot in Anaheim for right-hander Al Alburquerque, who signed as a free agent. Navarro has seen Major League action with the Angels in four of the past five seasons, totaling a .246/.303/.324 batting line in 280 plate appearances. He’s hit just one home run in that time, though he’s shown a bit more pop in the minors, where he is a .316/.378/.449 hitter with 32 home runs in 2344 plate appearances at Triple-A. Navarro hasn’t hit much with the Angels, but he’s posted solid walk and strikeout rates (7.5 percent and 16.1 percent, respectively). He’s also graded out reasonably well in both Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved at first base and in left field in his small samples of work at each position.
Navarro will, presumably, join the competition for corner outfield playing time in Baltimore. The Orioles currently have Hyun-Soo Kim as one option (in left field — they’re said not to like his arm in right), with Nolan Reimold, Mark Trumbo, Henry Urrutia, Dariel Alvarez and Ryan Flaherty among the other options that could conceivably see some time in right field. Trumbo, of course, is best suited for first base or DH work, but he does have considerable experience in the outfield. As a left-handed bat, Navarro could conceivably pair with Reimold to form a platoon, should not additional outside option be brought in by GM Dan Duquette and his staff. That looks like somewhat of an uninspiring group, on paper, but the Orioles took a piecemeal approach to their corner outfield situation last season, creating some precedent for such measures, and the team has spent heavily in other areas, perhaps limiting its offseason spending capacity.
Hoes has had good success at the upper levels of the minor leagues, including a .299/.388/.399 batting line in parts of four seasons at the Triple-A level. The 25-year-old was originally a third-round pick by Baltimore back in 2008, though the O’s traded him to Houston in the 2013 Bud Norris swap. Hoes was designated for assignment by Houston this offseason, though, and picked up in a trade similar to today’s transaction back in November. In spite of his solid on-base percentage and batting average in Triple-A, Hoes has batted just .237/.289/.329 in 337 Major League plate appearances.
Angels Designate Efren Navarro For Assignment
The Angels announced on Tuesday that they have designated first baseman/outfielder Efren Navarro for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Al Alburquerque, whose one-year deal has been formally announced.
Navarro, 29, has seen Major League action with the Angels in four of the past five seasons, totaling a .246/.303/.324 batting line in 280 plate appearances. Navarro has just one home run in that time, but he’s shown a bit more pop in the minors, where he is a .316/.378/.449 hitter with 32 home runs in 2344 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. While he hasn’t hit much in the Majors, Navarro has displayed solid walk and strikeout rates (7.5 percent and 16.1 percent, respectively). He’s also posted respectable marks in both Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved at first base and in left field in his small samples of work at each position.
If Navarro isn’t traded to another club or claimed off waivers, he’ll still have the opportunity to elect free agency due to the fact that he was previously outrighted by the Halos back in 2011. At that point, the left-handed hitter could seek a landing spot that offers him a clearer path to Major League playing time. While some could argue that the Angels’ currently projected left field platoon of Craig Gentry and Daniel Nava presents an opportunity for Navarro to get a look with an impressive Spring Training showing, Navarro didn’t see much playing time last year even as Matt Joyce struggled, and the fact that he lost his roster spot today implies that the Halos are more comfortable with what Nava brings to the table as the left-handed component of said platoon. First base and DH also present some roadblocks in the form of Albert Pujols and C.J. Cron.