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Miguel Olivo

Minor MLB Transactions: 2-2-16

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Here are the day’s minor signings and outright assignments from around the league…

  • Right-hander Yoervis Medina has been outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis, according to the Pirates’ transactions page on their web site. Medina delivered strong results for the 2013-14 Mariners, pitching to a combined 2.81 ERA with 9.4 K/9, 4.9 BB/9 and a 53.5 percent ground-ball rate before taking a significant step backwards in 2015. This past season, he logged a 4.71 ERA with an unsightly 16-to-11 K/BB ratio in 21 innings for the Mariners and Cubs. Notably, his fastball velocity, which had averaged 94.8 mph in 2014, sat a full two miles per hour lower at 92.8 in 2015, and his ground-ball rate dipped to 36.8 percent.
  • The Angels announced that they’ve signed outfielder Andrew Brown and right-hander Yunesky Maya to minor league contracts. Both players most recently appeared in the Korea Baseball Organization — Brown with the SK Wyverns and Maya with the Doosan Bears. Brown, 31, batted .261/.360/.496 with 28 homers in 539 plate appearances in a strong season with Doosan. He’d previously spent parts of the 2010-14 seasons in the Majors, batting a combined .220/.281/.390 between the Cardinals, Rockies and Mets. Maya, formerly a fairly high-profile international signee with the Nationals, struggled tremendously in the KBO, yielding 62 runs in 68 1/3 innings. He last appeared in the Majors in 2013, though he threw just a third of an inning that season. Prior to that, the Cuban righty posted a 5.52 ERA in 58 2/3 innings from 2010-11. Both players were invited to Major League Spring Training.
  • Sticking with players coming back over from the KBO, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports that the Yankees have signed right-hander Tyler Cloyd and third baseman Deibinson Romero, who spent the past season with the Samsung Lions and Doosan Bears, respectively. Cloyd, a former Phillies farmhand, logged 159 2/3 innings with the Lions but also posted a 5.19 ERA in the KBO’s extremely hitter-friendly environment. Prior to his KBO stint, Cloyd spent the 2014 season with the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate and posted a 3.90 ERA with 6.4 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 in 166 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old Romero is a former Twins farmhand that batted .253/.328/.449 with a dozen homers in 305 trips to the plate.
  • The Tigers have signed Cuban shortstop Leonardo Laffita to a minor league deal with a $250K bonus, according to Eddy. The 24-year-old Laffita spent a bit of time in the Mexican League last season, where he batted .280/.345/.360 in 57 plate appearances. Within Eddy’s piece, BA’s Ben Badler weighs in on Laffita, noting that he’ll have to move to center field or second base. Laffita stood out for his speed, hand-eye coordination and bat speed, per Badler, but he’s a free swinger with questionable plate discipline.
  • Veteran catcher Miguel Olivo has a minor league deal with the Giants, per Eddy. A lifetime .240/.275/.417 hitters in 3993 plate appearances at the Major League level, Olivo hasn’t appeared in the bigs since 2014, although the 37-year-old did bat .281/.347/.470 across 378 plate appearances in Mexico over the past year.

Dodgers Release Miguel Olivo

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The Dodgers have released catcher Miguel Olivo, the club announced via press release. With the move, Los Angeles has 39 slots filled on its 40-man roster.

It is not surprising to learn that the Dodgers decided to cut ties with the 35-year-old, who was just suspended for his disturbing assault on fellow minor leaguer Alex Guerrero. Olivo saw 25 big league plate appearances for the team, and had looked like a decent depth piece with his .368/.407/.605 line through 81 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

The veteran’s latest actions come after several other dramatic (albeit less concerning) confrontations. He had seemed on his way out of the Dodgers organization in the spring, when he requested his release upon being passed over for the club’s roster for Australia. And his time with the Marlins in 2013 came to an odd end after he reportedly told the club he was quitting over frustration at a lack of playing time.

Minor Moves: Maloney, Kulik, Olivo, Rodriguez

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

  • The Reds have inked former big leaguer Matt Maloney away from the independent Somerset Patriots, reports John Walk of the York Dispatch (via Twitter; hat tip to Chris Cotillo). Maloney, 30, gets a minor league deal with Cincinnati. He played in parts of four MLB seasons with the Reds and Twins, compiling a 5.74 ERA in 91 innings.
  • The Rockies have signed lefty Ryan Kulik to a minor league deal, according to the MLB transactions page. Kulik, 28, has played six seasons in the Cardinals system, the last of those coming in 2011. Through 18 1/3 innings with the Camden Riversharks this year, Kulik had worked to a 1.96 ERA.
  • Dodgers backstop Miguel Olivo has been placed on the suspended list by Triple-A Albuquerque in the aftermath of yesterday’s shocking dugout altercation with Alex Guerrero, the Dodgers announced. While the term of the ban has not yet been determined, the club says that he “will remain suspended pending the completion of an investigation.” Olivo is one of several backup catching options in the Los Angeles system, though it seems somewhat difficult to imagine the club keeping the 35-year-old around after what transpired.
  • The Cubs have purchased the contract of right-hander Julio Rodriguez from the Atlantic League’s Bridgeport Bluefish and assigned him to Double-A, Bluefish GM Ken Shepard announced on Twitter. The 23-year-old Rodriguez has six minor league seasons under his belt after being an eighth-round pick by the Phillies back in 2008. He’s pitched to a 3.65 ERA and averaged better than 10 strikeouts per nine innings in his time in affiliated ball. With the Bluefish this season, Rodriguez posted a 2.60 ERA with an 18-to-10 K/BB ratio in 17 1/3 innings. Baseball America ranked him among the Phillies’ Top 30 prospects prior to the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

West Links: Guerrero, Dodgers, A’s, Arencibia

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Dodgers infield prospect Alex Guerrero could miss up to five weeks after having part of his ear bitten off in an altercation with Triple-A teammate Miguel Olivo, reports Danny Knobler of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Agent Scott Boras told Knobler that Guerrero was taken to a hospital and had plastic surgery on the ear. GM Ned Colletti wouldn’t comment on potentially disciplining either player, though he expressed disappointment in the situation. Colletti said Guerrero is close to Major League ready, though the team wants him to continue to improve defensively. Obviously, that development will be on hold for awhile. As we process one of the most bizarre storylines in recent memory, here’s more from the game’s Western divisions…

  • The timing of the Guerrero/Olivo scuffle couldn’t be much worse for Guerrero or the Dodgers, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick writes that Juan Uribe could be headed to the DL. Gurnick looks at alternatives on the 40-man roster but also notes that with the Dodgers needing a roster spot for Hyun-jin Ryu, the team may not call up an infielder right away.
  • MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince points out that the Athletics’ only two homegrown (i.e. drafted and developed) players on the current active roster are Sonny Gray and Sean Doolittle. The team signed Yoenis Cespedes after he defected from Cuba, every other player was acquired via trade or signed as a free agent from another club. Castrovince looks at the team’s offense and their usage of platoons, which led rival skipper Terry Francona to sing the praises of manager Bob Melvin.
  • Rangers catcher J.P. Arencibia has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, and the team has purchased the contract of veteran Chris Gimenez, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweeted last night. Arencibia signed a one-year deal with Texas after being non-tendered by Toronto last winter, but he batted just .133/.182/.233 in 66 PA. No team has gotten less offense from the catcher position than Texas this season, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them pursue upgrades on the trade market.

Dodgers Notes: Olivo, Outfield, League

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The Dodgers today announced that they’ve selected the contract of catcher Miguel Olivo and promoted him to the big league club, optioning Tim Federowicz to Triple-A to clear room on the 25-man roster. To make room on the 40-man roster, Chad Billinglsey was placed on the 60-day DL. Olivo hit well in a very small sample at Triple-A after signing a minor league deal with the Dodgers this offseason, slashing .390/.438/.661 in 64 PAs. Here are a couple more Dodgers notes as the team hopes to squeeze in a three-game set with the Twins despite some poor weather in Minneapolis…

  • In an ESPN Insider piece, Jim Bowden writes the Dodgers must trade one of their outfielders prior to the trade deadline and another in the offseason to clear room for Joc Pederson, who is ready for big league action. Bowden goes through each player’s contract before concluding that he’d first look to move Andre Ethier and then Carl Crawford, noting that a trade of either would require the Dodgers to eat significant amounts of salary. Pederson is batting .393/.491/.628 through his first 114 plate appearances.
  • Though he’s been a whipping boy for the better part of the past year, Brandon League has started off the season very well, writes Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times. The immediate disaster of League’s $22.5MM contract made him the subject of plenty of ire, but Dilbeck points out that Juan Uribe also went from a perceived sunk cost to a surprising value for Dodgers recently. League has a 2.84 ERA in his first 12 2/3 innings on the young season.

Miguel Olivo Requests Release From Dodgers

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Veteran catcher Miguel Olivo has asked the Dodgers to release him after learning he would not be part of the club's trip to Australia to open the season, reports MLB.com's Tyler Emerick. The report indicates that Olivo has not yet been released, but hopes to pursue a MLB job elsewhere if he is. The Dodgers did announce they have reassigned Olivo to their minor league camp.

The 36-year-old said he would not report to minor league camp and accept a MiLB assignment, as the team has requested (the Dodgers have tweeted Olivo has been reassigned to their minor league camp). He has been battling with Drew Butera to be the team's third catcher to open the year, behind A.J. Ellis and Tim Federowicz, as the club will get to bring five additional players to Australia. Olivo, who reportedly has had a solid spring thus far, is at a disadvantage in that Butera would have to pass through waivers to be stashed in the minors.

It is not yet clear whether the Dodgers will grant the backstop's request. Olivo, who is not a Rule XX(B) free agent, apparently does not have an opt-out date until June. He went through a controversial end to his time with the Marlins last year, when he asked to be released due to lack of playing time. 

Dodgers Sign Miguel Olivo, Griff Erickson

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The Dodgers have signed catchers Miguel Olivo and Griff Erickson to minor league deals with Spring Training invitations, the club announced. They will join a host of other catchers in camp, including A.J. Ellis, Tim Federowicz, Drew Butera, and J.C. Boscan.

Olivo, 35, saw just 80 plate appearances last year for the Marlins after having notched at least 281 trips to the plate for the prior ten years. He slashed .203/.250/.392 last year, and carries a career .241/.275/.417 line in nearly 4,000 career plate appearances.

Erickson, a 25-year-old who qualified for minor league free agency, will stay in the only professional organization he's ever known. He has spent much of the last three years at Double-A, and has never spent any substantial time at the highest minor league level. In 2013, Erickson posted a .199/.324/.414 triple-slash in 217 Double-A plate appearances.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Johnson, Yankees, Ishikawa

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Let's take a look at the latest news and notes involving the American League East:

Minor Moves: Bueno, McClellan, Olivo, Wang

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Here are today's minor moves…

  • Royals lefty Francisley Bueno has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Omaha, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Bueno was designated last Tuesday.
  • The Indians announced on Twitter that right-hander Chris Jakubauskas has been released from Triple-A Columbus. The 34-year-old appeared in 11 games for the Clippers, totaling 14 innings of 3.86 ERA ball with 8.4 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9. He has also appeared in the Brewers organization this year.
  • Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest tweets that Kyle McClellan, who was designated for assignment on Tuesday, will remain with in the Rangers organization after clearing waivers. McClellan will accept an outright assignment to Double-A Frisco. The 29-year-old allowed eight runs in 9 1/3 innings of work with the Rangers this season.
  • Miguel Olivo has cleared waivers and elected free agency, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Miami Sun Sentinel (on Twitter). Olivo was designated for assignment earlier this week after hitting .203/.250/.392 and informing the Marlins that he was quitting due to a lack of playing time.
  • The Blue Jays announced that Chien-Ming Wang has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Buffalo, the team announced (hat tip: Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet on Twitter). Wang's agent told Nicholson-Smith on Wednesday that he would accept an assignment to Triple-A rather than electing free agency if he cleared waivers. Wang was roughed up in his final two outings with the Jays to send his ERA soaring to 7.13.
  • Seven players are currently in DFA limbo: Brandon Lyon (Mets), Hector Gimenez (White Sox), P.J. Walters (Twins), Shawn Camp (Cubs), Travis Ishikawa (Orioles), Alex Liddi (Mariners), and Eric Hinske (D-Backs).

Marlins Designate Miguel Olivo For Assignment

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The Marlins have announced that catcher Miguel Olivo has been reinstated from the restricted list and designated for assignment.

The soon-to-be 35-year-old was placed on the restricted list after he told the team that he was quitting due to frustration surrounding his playing time. Weeks later, he was said to be seeking his release from the Marlins.

Olivo hit just .203/.250/.392 in 80 plate appearances over 33 games for the Marlins. The team's 25-man roster had become clogged with catchers after Jeff Mathis returned from the disabled list to back-up Rob Brantly. In parts of 12 Major League seasons with the Marlins, Mariners, White Sox, Rockies, Royals and Padres, Olivo is a .241/.275/.417 hitter with 145 home runs. He's caught 34 percent of opposing base-stealers, but only once has he posted an OBP north of .300.

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