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Minor Moves: Pena, Boyer, Gutierrez, Swarzak, Belisario, Kohn

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Some minor moves from around the league…

  • Also outrighted today was Ramiro Pena of the Braves, per the MLB.com transactions page. The utility man was designated recently, presumably in large part due to his rising arbitration salary.
  • Righty Blaine Boyer (Padres), Anthony Swarzak (Twins), and Juan Gutierrez (Giants) have elected free agency rather than accepting outright assignments, also via the MLB transactions page.
  • The White Sox have outrighted righty Ronald Belisario, per the MLB.com transactions page. Belisario was designated recently to make room for the claim of reliever Onelki Garcia.
  • Likewise, the Rays have outrighted righty Michael Kohn. It has been an odd start to the offseason for Kohn, who was signed to a MLB deal before being designated within weeks by Tampa.
  • Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reported a number of new transactions in his weekly Minor League Transactions roundup on Monday. Of particular note is a crop of Phillies signings: catcher Koyie Hill, right-hander Paul Clemens, and infielders Chase d’Arnaud and Cord Phelps. Clemens gives them some pitching depth, as he’s totaled 98 innings with the Astros over the past two seasons, albeit with a 5.51 ERA.
  • Also from Eddy, the Reds have inked outfielder Brennan Boesch to a minor league contract. The 29-year-old Boesch hit .269/.330/.436 in 248 games with the Tigers from 2010-11, but since that time, he’s batted just .237/.277/.376 in 635 plate appearances with the Tigers, Yankees and Angels.
  • The Tigers have announced that outfielder Ezequiel Carrera has elected free agency rather than accepting an assignment to Triple-A after being outrighted (Twitter link). The 27-year-old hit .261/.301/.348 in 73 plate appearances with Detroit this season and is a lifetime .253/.305/.340 hitter in the Majors. Carrera hasn’t hit much in 478 big league PAs, but he brings some speed and solid baserunning to the table and is capable of handling all three outfield spots.

Minor Moves: Satin, Kensing, Romak, Orioles, Billings, Avery

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

Earlier Updates

  • The D’Backs have agreed to terms on a minor league deal and a Spring Training invite with infielder/outfielder Jamie Romak, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes tweeted today. The 29-year-old Romak, a client of Taurus Sports’ David Sloane, made his big league debut with the Dodgers in 2014 and collected his first hit in the Majors. The former fourth-rounder is a lifetime .258/.324/.474 hitter at Triple-A.
  • The Orioles announced the signings of infielder Paul Janish, right-hander Terry Doyle and outfielder Quincy Latimore to minor league contracts and invitations to big league Spring Training. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo was the first to tweet Janish’s agreement, and Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com had previously reported that the team was working on a deal with him. Janish is the only one of the bunch that comes with MLB experience; the 32-year-old defensive specialist is a career .214/.284/.288 hitter in 1206 plate appearances between the Reds and Braves.
  • The Nationals announced that they have signed right-hander Bruce Billings to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training. The 29-year-old Billings pitched four innings for the Yankees last season and split the season between the Yankees and Dodgers organizations. Overall, the veteran posted a 5.27 ERA with 6. K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 95 2/3 innings.
  • Outfielder Xavier Avery has inked a minor league deal with the Tigers and will receive a Spring Training invite as well, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. The 24-year-old Avery spent last season with the Mariners after being acquired from the Orioles in the 2013 Mike Morse trade. Avery hit .275/.344/.413 with 10 homers and 31 steals, appearing at all three outfield spots for Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate in 2014.

Minor Moves: Chris Leroux, Zach Jackson

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Here are Sunday’s minor moves from around MLB:

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Phillies Outright Koyie Hill, Designate Tony Gwynn Jr.

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The Phillies announced that they have outrighted veteran catcher Koyie Hill off the 40-man roster and designated center fielder Tony Gwynn Jr. for assignment. The team also announced that Cesar Hernandez has been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The series of roster moves creates space for Cliff Lee, Wil Nieves and Reid Brignac to be activated from the disabled list.

The 35-year-old Hill appeared in 10 games and collected 22 plate appearances this season with Nieves on the disabled list. He hit .238/.273/.286 in that brief sample. As a player who has been outrighted in the past, he will have the ability to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, though Hill is no stranger to playing at the Triple-A level, so he may simply accept.

The 31-year-old Gwynn batted .163/.284/.204 in 119 plate appearances and played his typical brand of solid defense in center field (a few misplays in left field appear to have created some negative defensive marks for his brief, 33-inning sample there). It’s been a rough few weeks for Gwynn, who tragically lost his father — Hall of Famer and Padres legend Tony Gwynn Sr. — to cancer last month.

Lee will come off the disabled list to start tonight’s contest, meaning that he should be able to make at least two starts in the trade deadline (his third start would currently project to fall on the day of the trade deadline, though he could make one earlier than that if he pitches on short rest). The Philadelphia ace last pitched on May 18 and has been sidelined by a left elbow strain. He’s posted a 3.18 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 1.2 BB/9 and a career-best 49.1 percent ground-ball rate in 68 innings this season. If you subtract a disastrous Opening Day outing, he’s been even better this year, pitching to a 2.29 ERA in 63 innings (nine starts). Though Lee can block trades to 20 teams, some reports have indicated that he’d be open to waiving his no-trade rights in order to move to a contending team. His name figures to be heavily discussed in the coming 10 days, though he could also be an August trade candidate.

Phillies Acquire Koyie Hill

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The Nationals have traded veteran catcher Koyie Hill to the Phillies in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Hill had been reassigned to minor league camp by the Nats earlier today after inking a minor league contract with an invite to big league camp this offseason.

Hill, who turned 35 last week, has racked up a fair amount of playing time as a backup catcher despite underwhelming numbers at the Major League level. In parts of 10 Major League seasons, the switch-hitter has compiled a .206/.266/.287 batting line with eight homers in 1027 plate appearances. Hill spent the 2013 campaign with the Marlins, batting .155/.183/.190 in the Majors (61 PAs) and .237/.291/.326 at Triple-A. He's a career .268/.326/.411 hitter at the Triple-A level. He should provide some veteran leadership for the remainder of camp and serve as depth for the Phillies, who figure to open the season with Wil Nieves as the primary backup to starter Carlos Ruiz.

Nationals Sign Koyie Hill

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10:59am: Hill's contract contains a July 1 opt-out clause that allows him to elect free agency if he's not on the Major League roster by that time, tweets MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo.

9:50am: The Nationals announced that they have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with veteran catcher Koyie Hill (Twitter link). The Turner Gary Sports client also received an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Though he's a career .206/.266/.287 hitter, Hill has carved out a nice career for himself as a backup catcher. The switch-hitting 34-year-old (he turns 35 in March) has tallied 1027 plate appearances in the Major Leagues and recorded at least 10 big league games per season dating back to 2007. He spent the 2013 campaign with the Marlins, batting .155/.183/.190 in the Majors (61 PAs) and .237/.291/.326 at Triple-A. Hill is a career .268/.326/.411 hitter at the Triple-A level.

The Nationals have been on the lookout for catching depth of late as they look to find a backup for starter Wilson Ramos. They've reportedly had recent discussions with the Rays about a Jose Lobaton deal.

Minor Moves: Slowey, Rapada, Orioles, Marlins

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Here are today's minor moves and outrights from around the league…

  • In addition to the names mentioned below, the Marlins announced that they outrighted right-hander Kevin Slowey, lefty Zach Phillips and catcher Koyie Hill. Of this most recent trio, Slowey is the most notable. The former Twin and Indian hurled 92 1/3 innings of 4.11 ERA ball with 7.4 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. The 29-year-old's 28.7 percent ground-ball rate makes him among the game's most extreme fly-ball pitchers. Slowey projected to earn $1.8MM via arbitration this offseason, according to MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. Phillips, 26, posted a strong 2.44 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 59 Triple-A innings this season. Hill, 34, hit .155/.183/.190 in 61 plate appearances for the Fish. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes noted that both Slowey and Hill were non-tender candidates last week.
  • The Indians outrighted lefty Clay Rapada today after he was designated for assignment last week, the team announced. Rapada, 32, pitched to a 1.12 ERA with 20 strikeouts and nine walks in 24 innings at Triple-A Columbus while in the Cleveland organization. He held lefties to a .188/.240/.261 batting line in the minors this season.
  • The Orioles have re-signed two of their minor league free agents, right-hander Marcel Prado and infielder/outfielder Garabez Rosa, according to Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com (on Twitter). Prado, 25, was sharp was sharp in 56 2/3 innings between High-A add Double-A, posting a 2.38 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. Rosa's numbers were less impressive, as the 23-year-old batted .276/.291/.374 with six homers in 477 plate appearances.
  • The Marlins have outrighted right-handers Steve Ames and Jose Ceda, first baseman Joe Mahoney, infielder Gil Velazquez Triple-A New Orleans, according to the team's transactions page. The 25-year-old Ames was one of three pitchers the Fish acquired from the Dodgers for Ricky Nolasco and the second who was waived since season's end (the Angels claimed Josh Wall last week). The 25-year-old allowed two runs in four big league innings and posted a 3.69 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 46 1/3 Triple-A innings this season. Ceda pitched just four minor league innings in an injury-plagues season. Mahoney hit .190/.200/.262 in 200 Triple-A plate appearances. The 33-year-old Velazquez hit .254/.350/.278 in 392 Triple-A plate appearances between the Yankees and Marlins.
  • As can be seen in MLBTR's DFA Tracker, Victor Marte of the Cardinals is the only player that is currently in DFA limbo.

Minor Moves: Kvasnicka, Koyie Hill

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Today's minor moves:

  • The Twins acquired 24-year-old right fielder/catcher Mike Kvasnicka from the Astros, tweets La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.  Kvasnicka, a Minnesota native, was drafted by the Twins out of high school but attended the University of Minnesota and was taken 33rd overall in the 2010 draft by Houston.  Prior to the 2012 season, Kvasnicka was ranked 25th among Astros prospects by Baseball America.  The Astros received 21-year-old righty reliever Gonzalo Sanudo in the deal.
  • The Marlins signed catcher Koyie Hill to a minor league deal, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.  Hill, 34, spent most of 2012 at Double and Triple-A, posting a .190/.251/.275 line in 221 plate appearances.  Needless to say, he's a glove-first backstop.

Minor Moves: Cubs, Koyie Hill

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Matt Eddy of Baseball America has a complete breakdown of the latest minor league transactions. Here are some highlights…

  • The Cubs released right-hander Frankie de la Cruz, Eddy reports. The 28-year-old posted a 3.80 ERA with more walks (58) than strikeouts (57) in 94 2/3 innings as a starter and reliever at Triple-A this year. Chicago had claimed him off of waivers from the Brewers in March.
  • The Rangers signed veteran catcher Koyie Hill, Eddy reports. The Nationals recently released Hill, who appeared in 11 games with the Cubs this year.

Minor Moves: Neshek, Wise, Mock, Hill

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Some minor transactions from around the league…

  • The A's acquired right-hander Pat Neshek from the Orioles in exchange for cash, according to the Athletics' official Twitter page.  Neshek will report to the A's Major League bullpen, according to Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).  Neshek signed a minor league deal with the O's last winter and has a 2.66 ERA, a 7.00 K/BB ratio and 49 strikeouts in 35 relief appearances (44 innings) for Triple-A Norfolk this season.  Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) was the first to report the deal.
  • The White Sox agreed to terms with Dewayne Wise to a minor league deal, reports CSN Chicago's Dan Hayes (via Twitter). Wise had a .262/.286/.492 line in 63 plate appearances for the Yankees this season before being released on Wednesday.  This is Wise's second stint with the White Sox, as he played for Chicago in 2008-09 and earned a place in team history with an outstanding ninth-inning catch that saved Mark Buehrle's perfect game in 2009.
  • The Astros acquired Garrett Mock from the Red Sox in exchange for future considerations, reports Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.  Mock last pitched in the Major Leagues with Washington in 2010.  Mock, a Houston native, posted a 3.33 ERA, a 9.8 K/9 rate and a 2.3 K/BB ratio in 48 2/3 innings as a reliever for Triple-A Pawtucket this season after signing a minor league deal with the Sox last winter.
  • The Nationals released catcher Koyie Hill, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.  Hill appeared in 11 games with the Cubs this season before being designated for assignment and choosing free agency, upon which he signed with the Nats in June.
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