The Padres designated outfielder Jeremy Hermida for assignment, announced the team. Hermida, a 27-year-old former top prospect, hit .319/.400/.524 in 450 Triple-A plate appearances this year.
Jeremy Hermida
Marlins Rumors: Fielder, Reyes, Buehrle, Cespedes
Just like last year, the Marlins are being aggressive early in the offseason. But this time instead of quickly signing John Buck and Javier Vazquez and shipping out Dan Uggla, Cameron Maybin, and Andrew Miller, the new Miami Marlins are wooing top free agents. The latest:
- Marlins president David Samson said on the Dan Le Batard show on 790 the Ticket that the team hasn't reached out to Prince Fielder (Twitter links via MLB.com's Joe Frisaro).
- Samson wouldn't comment on Albert Pujols, but he confirmed that Reyes is one of the Marlins' "priorities."
- Mark Buehrle toured the Marlins' new ballpark and caught up with his former manager Ozzie Guillen in a daylong visit yesterday, reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Ace Josh Johnson commented, "It would be great for the team as a whole. He's a leader in the clubhouse and would really help out the rotation."
- Buehrle is a better bet to perform over the course of a free agent deal than C.J. Wilson, according to team executives who responded to a poll question posed by ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Responders voted 14 to 8 in favor of Buehrle. A GM told Crasnick, "I know C.J. Wilson is a great story, and he's obviously pitched well. But I don't see knockout stuff, and his arm action concerns me a little bit. Buehrle quietly has been pretty rock-solid for a long time. He works fast and throws with no effort. His recipe seems built to last."
- Marlins president David Samson appeared on MLB Network Radio this morning with Jim Duquette and Kevin Kennedy, and Capozzi has a transcript. In regard to free-agent-to-be Yoenis Cespedes, Samson said, "Obviously he is a special guy. We’ve had some guys seeing him. We’re going to see him again. It’s not too often you can get an impact player like that as a free agent but again in our market at a position like center field with a bat that he has, that would seem like a good fit." The Marlins are sending a contingent to the Dominican Republic for a private workout with the Cuban center fielder tomorrow, in fact.
- Guillen has been very helpful in recruiting free agents, according to Samson. The Marlins are meeting with Jose Reyes today, and one Mets person told John Harper of the New York Daily News the Marlins plan to offer Reyes a high-salary, three-year deal. Personally, I don't think the Marlins will limit their offers to three years.
- I heard today that while Japan's Yomiuri Giants inquired on free agent and former Marlins top prospect Jeremy Hermida, he's looking to stay in MLB.
Padres Claim Hermida; Designate Phillips
The Padres claimed outfielder Jeremy Hermida off waivers from the Reds and designated catcher Kyle Phillips for assignment, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock.
Hermida, a 27-year-old former top Marlins prospect, is hitting .319/.400/.524 in 450 Triple-A plate appearances this year. He definitely seems worth a look. Hermida will join the Padres Friday and, as Alden Gonzalez notes, will be reunited with another former Marlins prospect in Cameron Maybin.
Phillips, also 27, is struggling in his third Triple-A stint. The Padres had acquired him from Toronto in a June 2010 trade.
The claim drops the Reds' 40-man roster count to 39, a spot which could be taken by top catching prospect Devin Mesoraco in September.
NL Central Notes: Reds, Friedman, McCutchen
Links from the NL Central, before Pirates starter Kevin Correia pitches against his former teammates in San Diego…
- The Reds signed left-handed reliever James Adkins and catcher James Skelton to minor league deals, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). Adkins, 25, has a 4.76 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in parts of five minor league seasons. Skelton, also 25, has a .267/.396/.368 line in parts of seven minor league seasons.
- The Reds also activated Fred Lewis from the disabled list and optioned Jeremy Hermida to Triple-A, according to the Associated Press (via the Boston Herald).
- The father of Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman is involved with a group that has interest in buying the Astros, but Friedman says those dealings don’t impact his job in Tampa Bay, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- Andrew McCutchen left no doubt that he wants to continue playing for the Pirates when speaking to Jared Macdonald of The Good Point. "I plan on being here, that's the mindset. This is where I want to be, " he said. "I don't want to go anywhere, and I'm going to be here for as long as they want me to be here." The Pirates are discussing an extension with McCutchen, though no agreement appears imminent.
Reds To Sign Jeremy Hermida
The Reds agreed to sign Jeremy Hermida to a minor league deal, according to the team (on Twitter). The move fills out Cincinnati's outfield and lessens the need for Fred Lewis or Scott Podsednik. Career Sports represents Hermida, who turns 27 this month.
Hermida joins Drew Stubbs, Jonny Gomes and Chris Heisey in a primarily right-handed outfield (Jay Bruce is the lone lefty hitter). Hermida bats from the left side and has a career .267/.342/.432 line against righties, so he could provide manager Dusty Baker with an alternative starter most days. The former first rounder hit .216/.268/.351 for the Red Sox and A's last year, playing left and right.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported the agreement and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon first reported that the sides were close to a deal.
Reds Close To Signing Hermida
The Reds are close to signing outfielder Jeremy Hermida to a minor league deal, a baseball source told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Sheldon cautions that the deal has not been finalized and the club has yet to make a formal announcement.
It's no secret that the Reds have been looking for a left-handed hitting outfielder to come off of the bench and Hermida could fit the bill, provided that he proves himself in Spring Training. The former first-round pick had a down year in 2010 but has a respectable career slash line of .259/.335/.417 across six big league seasons.
Odds & Ends: Lee, Astros, Hermida, Rockies
As Cliff Lee prepares to face the Yankees in the ALCS, he's trying not to think about his impending free agency, according to T.R. Sullivan and Bill Ladson. Still, Lee hinted to the MLB.com writers that winning the World Series with the Rangers this year would make it that much harder to leave Texas. Here are a few other links from around the league, as we count down the final 24 hours until the ALCS gets underway….
- The Astros removed three players from their 40-man roster, outrighting Brian Esposito, Anderson Hernandez, and Wladimir Sutil to Triple-A, according to a team release.
- Jeremy Hermida appreciates that the Athletics allowed him to reach free agency early in the offseason, says Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post asked Lance Berkman about the possibility of coming to Colorado for next season, and Berkman said he might be interested (Twitter links). Of course, the 34-year-old will be looking for an everyday role, and Todd Helton is still very much in the first base picture for the Rockies.
- In a separate tweet, Renck adds that even with Jarrod Saltalamacchia under contract, the Red Sox could still inquire on Chris Iannetta this winter.
- Fangraphs' Jack Moore argues that Paul Janish's play at shortstop should prompt the Reds to turn down Orlando Cabrera's 2011 option. Yesterday, over 80% of you opined that Cincinnati wouldn't exercise Cabrera's option.
- The Triple-A Portland Beavers will be sold to a group led by Padres owner Jeff Moorad, as J. Harry Jones of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. If everything proceeds as planned, the club will play in Tucson in 2011 and then move permanently to Escondido in 2012, according to Jones and Josh Leventhal of Baseball America.
Hermida, Wolf Elect Free Agency
Jeremy Hermida and Ross Wolf elected free agency today after the A’s outrighted them to Triple-A, according to the team. Left-hander Brad Kilby was also outrighted, but he did not elect free agency.
The A’s signed Hermida to a minor league deal in September, after he spent most of the season in the Red Sox organization. The 26-year-old posted an overall line of .216/.268/.351 in 239 plate appearances this year. Five offseasons ago, Baseball America ranked him fourth among all prospects, but Hermida has yet to be an impact player for a full major league season. He posted an .870 OPS in 123 games for the 2007 Marlins, but has struggled to match that level of production since.
The A’s acquired Wolf from the Orioles for Jake Fox in June. Wolf turns 28 next week and is coming off a season in which he threw just 12.2 major league innings. The righty posted a 4.26 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 this year. In the minor leagues, Wolf posted a 2.62 ERA with twice as many strikeouts as walks, so he appears to have some value as an organizational arm.
Oakland Signs Jeremy Hermida
Jeremy Hermida has signed with the Athletics' Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, according to the Pacific Coast League website's transactions page.
Originally taken by Florida with the 11th overall pick in the 2002 amateur draft, Hermida has never been able to translate his high ceiling (Baseball America ranked him as the fourth-best prospect in the game before the 2006 season) into consistent major league success. He has a career .755 OPS in 2100 major league plate appearances with the Marlins and Red Sox, who just released Hermida on Tuesday. Hermida is still just 26 years old, so this is a no-risk signing from the A's in case Hermida finally puts it together.
Red Sox Release Jeremy Hermida
The Red Sox released outfielder Jeremy Hermida, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter). The 26-year-old posted a .203/.257/.348 line in 171 plate appearances for the Red Sox this season, but never became the quality role player the Red Sox were hoping for when they traded for him last fall.
Hermida had been playing in the minors ever since the Red Sox designated him for assignment on July 31st. Baseball America ranked the former first-rounder fourth among all prospects before the 2006 season, but Hermida has yet to be an impact player for a full major league season. He posted an .870 OPS in 123 games for the 2007 Marlins, but has struggled to match that level of production since.
The move is essentially an early non-tender; the Red Sox were not going to offer Hermida arbitration this offseason, partly because he hasn't played well and partly because he makes $3.345MM this year and would have made a comparable amount in 2011.
