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Minor MLB Transactions: 11/7/18

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Interested in learning about the players that have just reached the open market as minor-league free agents? There are quite a few, and Matt Eddy of Baseball America lists them all.

Here are some notable recent minor transactions from around the game:

  • First baseman Ike Davis has decided to wrap up his playing career, according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (Twitter link). The 31-year-old had most recently attempted to revitalize his career by moving to the mound, drawing some positive initial reviews from the Dodgers. He ended up only making a few rookie ball appearances, though, so obviously the transition did not work out. Ultimately, Davis will be remembered for his time in a Mets uniform. The former first round pick showed plenty of promise early in his career, but a lower leg injury and bout with valley fever in 2011 seemingly sidetracked him. Davis ultimately compiled a .239/.332/.414 slash line with 81 home runs in 2,392 trips to the plate at the game’s highest level.
  • Padres righty Kazuhisa Makita was outrighted after clearing waivers, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell (via Twitter). That’s no surprise, in light of his $1.9MM salary for the coming season. Makita could yet emerge as a useful asset for the Pads, as he showed an ability to generate both swings and misses and quite a few infield flies at the MLB level. Unfortunately, the Japanese hurler was also tagged for seven home runs and a 5.40 ERA in 35 innings in his debut big league campaign.

NL Notes: Bettis, Granderson, Familia, Baker, Roberts, Davis

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Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis made his return to the major league hill tonight after a long road back following treatment for testicular cancer. To call it a success would be an understatement: Bettis, 28, scattered six hits over seven scoreless frames. MLBTR congratulates him on an inspiring return to the game’s highest level of competition.

Here’s more from the National League:

  • While there has been at least some chatter surrounding the idea that the Nationals could have interest in Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson, that’s not the case, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (via Twitter). While the Nats’ original starting outfield trio is shelved on the DL, it seems the organization feels good enough about the health outlook to forego pursuit of a player such as Granderson. The hope remains that both Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth will be able to return in time to gear up for the postseason, with a variety of other players — including Brian Goodwin, Michael Taylor, and just-acquired veteran Howie Kendrick — slated to cover for the longstanding absence of Adam Eaton, who is not expected to play again this year.
  • Mets closer Jeurys Familia is set to begin a rehab assignment tomorrow, as James Wagner of the New York Times reports on Twitter. Familia will open in the Gulf Coast League as he begins to move back toward the majors following surgery for a blood clot in his shoulder. It’s obviously too late for his return to impact the Mets’ long-lost hopes of contending, but the 27-year-old will still presumably be aiming to get some work in late this year to set the stage for a rebound in 2018. The coming campaign will be his final year of arbitration control; with only 9 1/3 innings on his ledger to date in 2017, Familia will likely only be able to earn a relatively modest raise on his $7.425MM salary.
  • While the Nationals and Dodgers hold the two best records in the National League, each team’s manager — Dusty Baker and Dave Roberts, respectively — currently lack long-term job security. In Baker’s case, per Janes, it seems unlikely that his future will be addressed until after the season (when his contract will expire), though it seems the general expectation in the organization remains that something will be worked out. There’s a similar tone with regard to Roberts, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times writes. Roberts says he’s not thinking about a new deal in the middle of the year, but did say he hopes to continue his “dream job” beyond his current term (the three-year deal runs through 2018 and includes a club option for one more season).
  • Shaikin also takes a look in at the interesting transition to the mound currently being attempted by Ike Davis and the Dodgers. The former Mets first baseman — and one-time Arizona State closer — has already earned plaudits for his outstanding attitude in heading down to Rookie ball, and there are some reasons to think he could have a new future in the game at thirty years of age. “The early reviews have been really good,” said Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.

NL Notes: Phillies, Mets, Cards, Dodgers

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While the Phillies will shop players with expiring contracts leading up to the trade deadline, team president Andy MacPhail also suggested Friday that general manager Matt Klentak would at least listen to offers for all of their big leaguers, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. “He needs to keep a wide spectrum, wide horizon, and any opportunity that makes sense for us going forward, he should explore,” MacPhail said of Klentak. The Phillies own the majors’ worst record (26-52), but they’re not devoid of intriguing, controllable players who might pique teams’ interest in the next month. Outfielders Aaron Altherr and Odubel Herrera stand out in their group of position players, while Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, Vince Velasquez and Hector Neris are among their cheap pitchers who could be on clubs’ radars.

More from the National League:

  • Mets third baseman David Wright is at least three to five weeks away from beginning baseball activities, GM Sandy Alderson told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com and other reporters Friday. A setback would likely end the 34-year-old Wright’s chances of playing this season, observes DiComo, which is the latest discouraging update regarding the longtime franchise cornerstone. Wright, who’s dealing with neck, shoulder and back issues, has appeared in just 75 games dating back to 2015 and hasn’t played since May of last year.
  • Cardinals first baseman Matt Carpenter hasn’t seen any action at second base this year, but he did get some work at his former position before the Redbirds’ game on Friday, relays Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. Langosch adds that moving Carpenter back to the keystone, at least temporarily, could lead to more opportunities for first baseman Luke Voit (via Twitter). Notably, St. Louis didn’t try this season earlier in the season when it couldn’t find at-bats for first baseman Matt Adams, whom it traded to the Braves in May for an insignificant return. Adams has since been one of the majors’ hottest hitters. In fairness to the Cardinals, though, second baseman Kolten Wong wasn’t on the disabled list at that point. Wong landed on the DL with an elbow strain the week after the Adams trade and won’t return until mid-July.
  • A first baseman throughout his professional career, the Dodgers are considering turning Ike Davis into a pitcher, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Pitching isn’t foreign to the 30-year-old Davis, who was an accomplished hurler in high school and went on to strike out 78 hitters in as many innings at Arizona State. Now struggling offensively at Triple-A this season (.206/.257/.381 in 70 plate appearances), Davis threw a bullpen session Friday, tweets Oklahoma City broadcaster Alex Freedman. Dodgers director of player development Gabe Kapler then commented, “We all know he’s an athlete, and we believe he might be able to provide value in many different areas.” Davis is best known for his 32-home run season with the Mets in 2012, though he hasn’t made much of an offensive impact in the majors or minors since then. Davis isn’t the first Triple-A position player the Dodgers have experimented with on the mound this year, as they’ve also tried outfielder Brett Eibner in that role. Unfortunately, though, the club had to shut down Eibner on account of a sore arm, according to Gurnick.

Dodgers To Sign Ike Davis

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1:27PM: Davis will earn $1.25MM if he reaches the majors, and the contract contains an out clause, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets.

8:03AM: The Dodgers have agreed to sign first baseman Ike Davis to a minor league contract, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports (via Twitter).  Davis has been on the open market since being released by the Yankees last August.

Davis, 29, appeared in just eight major league games in 2016, spending much of his season at the Triple-A level with the Yankees’ and Rangers’ top minor league affiliates.  The left-handed hitting Davis has a solid career slash line (.251/.351/.441) against right-handed pitching over his career, though even those numbers were on the decline over the last two seasons as Davis struggled to retain a big league job.  After an impressive start to his MLB career as the Mets’ regular first baseman, Davis has hit just .222/.327/.354 over 1058 PA since the start of the 2013 season, bouncing from the Mets to the Pirates to the A’s and last year’s brief stint with the Yankees.

The signing gives L.A. some veteran first base depth for the minors.  Adrian Gonzalez is entrenched at first base for the Dodgers, with Darin Ruf (a right-handed bat to better complement the lefty-swinging Gonzalez) slated as the backup at first.

Yankees Release Ike Davis

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The Yankees have announced the release of first baseman Ike Davis, who inked a major league deal with the organization June 12 after opting out of his minor league contract with the Rangers.

Upon signing with the Yankees – with whom his father, Ron Davis, pitched from 1978-81 – the lefty-swinging Davis hoped to provide a first base solution to a team that was without starter Mark Teixeira because of a knee injury. Instead, Davis racked up just three hits – all singles – in a mere 15 plate appearances with New York, which outrighted him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 27. As a member of the RailRiders, Davis batted .217/.318/.391 with five home runs in 107 trips to the plate. Previously in 2016, he registered a .268/.350/.437 line with four long balls in 163 PAs as part of the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate.

Davis saw extensive major league action as recently as last year, when he logged a subpar .229/.301/.350 showing with three HRs in 239 PAs as a member of the Athletics. Davis’ best seasons came as a Met, with whom he swatted a career-best 32 homers in 2012 and combined to bat an above-average .241/.334/.433 with 68 HRs in 1,741 PAs from 2010-14.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/27/16

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

  • Ike Davis has been outrighted to Triple-A, the Yankees announced. The first baseman was designated for assignment over the weekend after struggling in a brief stint in New York. It has been some time since Davis was an effective major league hitter, though he did hit a useful .268/.350/.437 in 163 plate appearances at the Triple-A level earlier this year with the Rangers organization.
  • Cubs catcher Tim Federowicz has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Federowicz, 28, only received 27 plate appearances with Chicago and didn’t do much with the bat. With Chicago moving to activate highly-regarded prospect Willson Contreras, and already possessing two receivers in Miguel Montero and David Ross, there was no room for Federowicz. Over 298 major league plate appearances in his career, he owns a .194/.245/.297 batting line.
  • The Cubs will select the contract of right-hander Joel Peralta and option left-hander Gerardo Concepcion back to Triple-A Iowa, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). Peralta, 40, inked a minors pact with the Cubs last week after he was designated for assignment and released by the Mariners. The veteran struggled with Seattle this season, logging a 5.40 ERA in 23 1/3 innings despite excellent K/BB numbers. Peralta yielded an alarming seven homers in his 23 1/3 frames, but he also carried a 28-to-7 K/BB ratio in that time, and his 20 percent homer-to-flyball ratio with Seattle was double that of his career rate, suggesting that there’s some regression in store. Because the Cubs’ 40-man roster was at 39 prior to the move, a corresponding 40-man move isn’t necessary.
  • The Red Sox announced that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Mike Miller from Triple-A Pawtucket and optioned right-hander William Cuevas in his place. Boston, like Chicago, had an open spot on its 40-man roster, so no corresponding move is necessary. The 26-year-old Miller was a ninth-round pick by Boston back in 2012. He’s never hit much in the minors, and that’s been especially true at the Triple-A level, where he owns a career .233/.284/.302 slash in 448 plate appearances. As the Providence Journal’s Brian MacPherson points out (Twitter link), though, he’s capable of spelling Xander Bogaerts at shortstop. Bogaerts has started 57 consecutive games, so Miller can be inserted into the lineup to give him a much-needed breather. The same is, of course, true of Deven Marrero, who is already on the 40-man roster, but he was just optioned back to Triple-A on Saturday and must spend 10 days in the minors before he’s eligible to be recalled (barring an injury on the big league roster).

Yankees Activate Mark Teixeira, Designate Ike Davis

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The Yankees have activated Mark Teixeira, per several media reports. They’ve also designated Ike Davis for assignment in a corresponding move, as Sweeny Murti of Sportsradio 66 WFAN tweets.

Teixeira is making a quick return after hitting the DL earlier this month with a cartilage tear in his knee. It was initially believed that the injury could require surgery, but Teixeira returns to the Yankees after just three weeks.

The quick return is fortuitous for the Yanks, too, even though Teixeira has struggled this season, batting just .180/.271/.263 so far. The Yankees struggled to find first base help after a series of injuries to Teixeira, Greg Bird, Dustin Ackley and Chris Parmelee, leading them to sign Davis two weeks ago. The veteran played sparingly, batting 3-for-14. As Murti notes, a key to the decision to let Davis go was the play of Rob Refsnyder, who has now appeared in 16 games at first and has batted .286/.339/.393 in 63 plate appearances this season. Via Newsday’s Erik Boland (on Twitter), Davis indicates he might be willing to accept an assignment to Triple-A if he clears waivers.

 

Yankees, Ike Davis Agree To Major League Deal

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The Yankees and free agent first baseman Ike Davis have agreed to a major league contract, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). The lefty-swinging Davis will soon join the Yankees and team with right-handed hitter Rob Refsnyder to form a platoon at first, tweets Heyman.

Davis’ agreement with the Yankees means he’s returning to New York, where he began his career with the Mets and where his father, Ron, pitched for the Bombers from 1978-81. The Rangers released the 29-year-old from his minor league deal earlier today and he became an obvious fit for the Yankees, who have dealt with major injury issues at first base going back to Greg Bird’s offseason shoulder surgery. The team has also lost starter Mark Teixeira and a pair of reserves – Chris Parmelee and Dustin Ackley – to the disabled list in recent weeks, and will now hope to draw production from Davis. The Yankees courted Davis over the winter before he elected to sign with the Rangers, eventually leading New York to bring back veteran Nick Swisher on a minor league deal. Swisher hasn’t fared well at the Triple-A level this year, though, which is why the Yankees are turning to Davis.

In 2,377 major league plate appearances, Davis has slashed .239/.332/.416 with 81 home runs, a career-high 32 of which came in 2012. Most of the damage he’s done has come versus right-handed pitchers, against whom he owns a quality 122 wRC+. The Yankees’ hope is that Davis will be able to take advantage of the short right field porch at their stadium and post respectable production in a platoon with Refsnyder, thereby helping the club stay in the playoff hunt.

Rangers Release Ike Davis; Deal With Yankees Close

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12:54pm: The Yankees are nearing a deal with Davis, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).

12:40pm: There has been contact between the Yankees and Davis’ representatives, reports Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (Twitter link).

11:12am: The Rangers have released first baseman Ike Davis from his minor league contract, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to report (Twitter link). Davis joined the Rangers in February after receiving interest from multiple clubs, and he could find another taker on the open market.

Interestingly, the Yankees were among the teams that pursued Davis in the winter. Injuries have beset the Bombers at first base – where Mark Teixeira, Chris Parmelee and Dustin Ackley are all on the disabled list – so they once again look like a fit for Davis. The 29-year-old wasn’t all that effective at the Triple-A level for the Rangers, though, batting .246/.329/.406 with four home runs in 158 plate appearances.

Davis spent last season with the Athletics and hit a subpar .229/.301/.350 with three homers in 239 PAs. Those numbers are a far cry from his output during the first few years of his career. In his best three-year stretch (2010-12), Davis put up an above-average line of .252/.336/.461 and amassed 58 HRs in 1,334 trips to the plate with the Mets. In the last of those three seasons, he hit a career-high 32 balls over the fence. It’s worth noting that the lefty-swinging Davis has a significant platoon split as a major leaguer, having compiled a solid 122 wRC+ in 1,883 PAs against right-handers and a horrid 61 wRC+ in 494 PAs versus southpaws.

Rangers To Sign Ike Davis To Minor League Deal

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8:59pm: The contract contains an invite to the Rangers’ big league Spring Training camp, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

8:20pm: The Rangers will sign first baseman Ike Davis to a minor league contract, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link).  Reports earlier in the week suggested Davis was close to finding a new home, with the Yankees noted as one of the teams in the hunt for Davis’ services.  The Brewers were also linked to Davis earlier this winter.

Davis, 28, has spent the last three seasons looking to recapture the form that saw him slug 32 homers for the Mets in 2012.  Since that seeming breakout year, Davis has hit just .222/.328/.356 over 1043 plate appearances with the Mets, Pirates and Athletics, and his career-long struggles against southpaws has limited the left-handed hitting Davis to only part-time action against righty pitching.  His rough 2015 season in Oakland came to an abrupt end after undergoing hip labrum surgery in August, and the A’s then non-tendered Davis rather than pay him a projected $3.8MM in arbitration.

From the Rangers’ perspective, Davis is a low-cost reclamation project who can be used as minor league depth at the very least.  There isn’t a clear path to Major League playing time for Davis on the Texas roster, given that the Rangers’ other top first base/DH options (Prince Fielder, Mitch Moreland, Josh Hamilton) are all also left-handed hitters.

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