Diamondbacks Hire Joe Mather As Hitting Coach
The Diamondbacks have filled a key spot on Torey Lovullo’s staff, announcing the hiring of Joe Mather as hitting coach. The 39-year-old has spent the past two seasons as the assistant hitting coach of the Reds.
A former outfielder, Mather appeared in 229 MLB games between 2008-12. He played in the minors and independent ball through 2014 before transitioning into coaching. Mather’s first instructional work began with the D-Backs, as he coached and managed in Arizona’s minor league system up through 2019 before joining David Bell’s staff in Cincinnati.
Mather’s past stint with the D-Backs makes him a known commodity for Lovullo and the Snakes’ front office, as well as a handful of players now on the big league roster. He’ll be tasked with trying to coax improvements out of a D-Backs lineup that figures to incorporate plenty of younger players on the heels of an NL-worst 52-110 season.
Lovullo is returning for his sixth season leading the Arizona dugout, but much of his coaching staff remains unsettled. The D-Backs are still in the process of finding a new bench coach and pitching coach to replace Luis Urueta and Matt Herges, respectively.
Minor Moves: MacDougal, Tallet, Mather
Today's minor moves…
- The Phillies have signed right-hander Mike MacDougal and assigned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, tweets Lehigh Valley radio announcer Matt Provence (via Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer on Twitter). The 36-year-old was released by the Reds earlier this month.
- Lefty reliever Brian Tallet has retired, reported Burt Wilson of Lancaster Newspapers. MLBTR has confirmed the news; Tallet is pursuing a career in coaching. Tallet pitched to a 4.79 ERA in nine seasons with the Indians, Blue Jays, and Cardinals, earning over $5MM. He pitched for the Padres' Triple-A club last year, joining the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League this spring. Tallet was a useful reliever for the Jays from 2006-08, compiling a 3.38 ERA over 173 innings. He was known for sporting quality facial hair.
- The Reds released outfielder Joe Mather, Baseball America's Matt Eddy revealed in his minor league transactions post for June 13-19. Mather had signed a minor league deal out of the Atlantic League with the Reds in May, but hit .174/.287/.291 in 102 Double-A plate appearances. Mather was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round in 2001, a round that also produced big leaguers Scott Hairston, Jack Hannahan, and Ryan Theriot.
- Eight players currently reside in DFA limbo: Wade LeBlanc of the Astros, Quintin Berry of the Royals, Eric Thames of the Mariners, Josh Wilson of the Diamondbacks, Jose Valverde of the Tigers, Collin Cowgill of the Mets, Yamaico Navarro of the Orioles, and Ross Seaton of the Astros.
Reds Sign Joe Mather
The Reds have signed outfielder Joe Mather to a minor league deal and have assigned him to Double-A, reports Chris Cotillo of CLNSRadio.com. MLBTR's Zach Links has confirmed the signing.
Playing in 2012 for the Cubs, Mather appeared at all three outfield positions, both corner infield spots, and even pitcher. Seeing his most extensive big league action last year, Mather logged a .209/.256/.324 line over 243 plate appearances. Now 30, the former third-round pick of the Cardinals began this season in the Atlantic League with the Lancaster Barnstormers after being released by the Phillies during spring training.
Minor Moves: Mather, Ohman
Today's minor moves..
- The Phillies announced that they have released outfielder Joe Mather. The 30-year-old, who hooked on with the club in January, hit just .209/.256/.324 across 103 games for the Cubs last season. Mather has also played for the Cardinals and Braves and owns a career .219/.271/.357 slash line.
- The Nationals have released reliever Will Ohman, MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports. Ohman did not have an out clause, but the Nationals were unable to find Spring Training innings for him and had already cut him from major-league camp. Ohman pitched in 32 games for the White Sox in 2012, posting a 6.41 ERA with 4.39 K/9 and 1.69 BB/9 in 26 2/3 innings.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Coello, Mather, Bass
We'll keep track of tonight's minor transactions right here…
- The Angels have signed right-hander Robert Coello to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. The 28-year-old has allowed 12 runs in 12 big league innings, but he has a 4.05 ERA, 9.7 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 202 1/3 Triple-A innings. He's spent time in the Red Sox, Cubs and Blue Jays organizations.
- The Phillies have signed both Joe Mather and Brian Bass to a minor league contracts, according to the CBS Sports Transactions page. The 30-year-old Mather hit just .209/.256/.324 for the Cubs last season but still appeared in 103 games. He's a career .219/.271/.357 hitter. Bass, 31, has a 5.16 ERA over 183 Major League innings between the Twins, Orioles and Pirates. The right-hander spent last season with the Astros' Triple-A affiliate and posted a 5.56 ERA in 77 2/3 innings. Bass hasn't appeared in the Majors since 2010.
Minor Moves: Lin, Del Rosario, Thompson, Cubs
Here are some of the minor transactions from around the league…
- The Astros have claimed outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin off waivers from the Red Sox, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (Twitter link). Lin made his Major League debut this season, appearing in nine games for Boston before being designated for assignment last week.
- In a corresponding move, the Astros announced that right-hander Enerio Del Rosario has been designated for assignment. Del Rosario posted a 9.00 ERA in 19 relief innings for Houston last season.
- Outfielder Rich Thompson has elected free agency, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Thompson was outrighted to Triple-A by the Rays earlier this week. The 33-year-old appeared in 23 games for the Rays last season, his first taste of Major League action with a six-game stint with the Royals in 2004.
- The Cubs outrighted Joe Mather, Blake Parker and Justin Germano to Triple-A Iowa, tweets MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Manny Corpas was also among Chicago's outright assignments today and the reliever has already chosen to become a free agent.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America recaps the week's minor league transactions, including the news that the Orioles have officially released Dontrelle Willis, who intended to retire back in July.
Minor Moves: Jacobs, Gaudin, Delaney, Fields, Mather
We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here..
- The Pirates announced that they signed right-hander Logan Kensing to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training. The 29-year-old spent the 2011 campaign with the Yankees' top affiliate after recovering from elbow surgery in 2010.
- The Reds signed catchers Brian Esposito and Brian Peacock to minor league deals, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
- The Tigers signed utility player Eric Patterson to a minor league deal, tweets Eddy.
- The Mets signed right-hander Jeff Stevens and utility player Corey Wimberly to minor league deals, tweets Eddy.
- The A's signed right-handers Travis Schlichting and Merkin Valdez and left-hander Fabio Castro to minor league deals, Eddy tweets.
- The Yankees signed right-hander Adam Miller and outfielders Cole Garner and Dewayne Wise to minor league deals, Eddy tweets.
- The Diamondbacks signed first baseman Mike Jacobs to a minor league deal, tweets Eddy. Before playing, Jacobs still must serve a 50-game suspension for positive a HGH test in August. He was cut by the Rockies following the test.
- The Marlins picked up right-handers Chad Gaudin and Rob Delaney on minor league deals, Eddy tweets. In nine big league seasons, Gaudin has a 4.63 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9. Delaney spent most of 2011 with the Rays' Triple-A affiliate, posting a 1.86 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
- The Dodgers signed third baseman Josh Fields, according to Goldstein (via Twitter).
- The Cubs signed Joe Mather as Triple-A outfield insurance, according to Goldstein (via Twitter). Mather spent 36 games on the Braves' major league roster in 2011.
- The Nationals have signed right-hander Dan Cortes, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (via Twitter).
- Speaking of the Braves, Atlanta released former Rangers draftee Marcus Lemon, Goldstein tweets. Lemon was acquired in a March trade for a PTBNL.
- P.J. Phillips, the younger brother of Brandon Phillips, agreed to a deal with the Reds, tweets Goldstein. The younger Phillips' career never got going due to plate discipline issues.
- The Blue Jays signed former Angels/Braves relief prospect Stephen Marek, Goldstein tweets. The right-hander was outrighted by Atlanta in November and underwent Tommy John surgery in May.
- The White Sox signed 2000 first-round pick Corey Smith, Goldstein tweets. The 29-year-old has never reached the Majors.
Rockies Sign Joe Mather
The Rockies have signed Joe Mather to a minor league contract and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate according to MLB.com's transactions page. He elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Braves late last month.
Mather, 29 later this month, hit .213/.273/.307 with one homer in 83 plate appearances for Atlanta this year. He's a career .228/.283/.384 in three big league seasons, and he has experience playing all three outfield spots and first base. The righty bat already has a homer for Colorado's Triple-A squad despite being there for all of two games.
Joe Mather Elects Free Agency
Joe Mather has elected free agency, according to MLB.com's transactions page. The Braves had designated the utility player for assignment on Sunday.
The 28-year-old had a .213/.272/.307 line in 83 plate appearances at various positions. Mather played all three outfield positions and both corner infield positions this year. The Cardinals selected him in the third round of the 2001 draft and he made it to St. Louis for parts of two seasons, 2008 and 2010. Mather has a career line of .228/.283/.384 with nine home runs in 294 plate appearances.
Braves Designate Joe Mather For Assignment
The Braves have designated Joe Mather for assignment, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). The move was made in order to create space for the returning Nate McLouth.
Mather, 28, has a .228/.283/.384 slash line in parts of three big league seasons. The former third-round draft pick has seen time at both infield corners and all three outfield positions in the majors.
Atlanta actually placed Mather on waivers at the end of May but the utility player made it through just two days later. So far in 2011, Mather is hitting .213/.272/.307 with a home run in 83 plate appearances.