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Miguel Olivo

Miguel Olivo Seeks Release From Marlins

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Catcher Miguel Olivo was placed on the restricted list earlier today due his dissatisfaction with the Marlins over playing time.  The veteran now says that he is seeking an outright release from the club so that he can find a better opportunity elsewhere, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

“I’m just praying to God they release me and don’t be selfish,” he said. “I’ve been very professional. I’ve done everything I could to help the team. They’re only hurting one person, and that’s me. I’m a nice person. I don’t want to hurt nobody.”

Olivo, who was signed by the Marlins at the end of spring training for $800K, has a .203/.250/.392 slash line with four home runs in mostly part-time duty this season.  Those numbers line up with his output in the previous two seasons with the Mariners, but it’s a drop from his career line of .241/.275/.417.  

The catcher stormed out of Marlins Park in street clothes before last night’s game as the National Anthem was playing, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.  There’s a chance that the Marlins try to trade Olivo as he sits on the restricted list without pay.

Marlins Place Miguel Olivo On Restricted List

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The Marlins have placed catcher Miguel Olivo on the restricted list, tweets Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. The team has recalled outfielder Jordan Brown from Triple-A to take Olivo's 25-man roster spot.

Capozzi notes (via Twitter) that the veteran backstop had been unhappy with a lack of regular playing time, and told the club yesterday that he was quitting. Olivo, 34, had not seen a start behind the dish since the middle of May. He had a .203/.250/.392 line in just 80 plate appearances this year, figures that line up with his output over his last two seasons with the Mariners.

Players on the restricted list do not count toward a team's 25-man or 40-man roster. They do not accrue service time and are not always paid. Miami had Rob Brantly and Jeff Mathis on the active roster at catcher, but only four regular outfielders. Brown already had a spot on the team's 40-man roster.

Marlins Agree To Terms With Miguel Olivo

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8:07pm: Olivo's deal with the Marlins is worth $800K, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (on Twitter). The Marlins can release him within 45 days without owing him the rest of that amount, however.

4:59pm: The Marlins have agreed to terms with catcher Miguel Olivo, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes (on Twitter).

MLB.com's Joe Frisaro had previously reported that Olivo was "a strong candidate to return" to the Marlins. Frisaro also said "there are indictations [Olivo] will wind up" with his former team.

After deciding to use Devin Mesoraco as Ryan Hanigan's backup, the Reds offered the mandated $100K retention bonus for Olivo to head to Triple-A.  Olivo declined and became a free agent.  As Frisaro notes, Jeff Mathis' broken collarbone leaves the Marlins without an experienced catcher, aside from Koyie Hill.

Olivo, 34, hit .222/.239/.381 in 323 plate appearances for the Mariners last year.  He was with the Marlins from 2006-07, hitting 32 home runs in 249 games.  Olivo ranks fourth among active catchers with 141 career home runs.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Olivo, Rays, Murphy

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves here..

  • Catcher Miguel Olivo has asked for and been granted his release by the Reds, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). It was previously reported that Olivo was mulling whether to accept a $100k bonus and report to Triple-A, or instead test the market. Olivo could be an option for the Marlins, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
  • The Rays have released minor leaguer righties Nick Barnese and Joe Cruz, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times on Twitter. Barnese, a third-rounder from 2007, threw 56 2/3 innings over 12 starts in Double-A last year and mustered only a 5.72 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.
  • Infielder Donnie Murphy exercised his out clause with the Brewers today and took his release, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  The 30-year-old hooked on with Milwaukee in December and hit hit .216/.281/.379 in 129 plate appearances with the Marlins last season.  Murphy is a .205/.270/.373 career hitter in 640 big league plate appearances and a .285/.351/.556 career hitter 738 Triple-A plate appearances.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Article XX(B) Free Agents Update: Tuesday

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Major League Baseball's new collective bargaining agreement contains a provision that allows certain free agents who are signed to minor league contracts to receive a $100K retention bonus if they are not on the team's 25-man roster or the Major League disabled list five days prior to the season.

Free agents who qualify for this distinction are those who have at least six years of Major League service time and had a Major League contract expire at the end of the previous season, but signed a minor league deal ten or more days prior to Opening Day.

MLBTR has confirmed with MLB that the deadline for teams to decide on these players is today at 11am central time. By the deadline, teams with these players in camp need to decide whether to:

  • Add the player to their 25-man roster or Major League disabled list (or agree to do so in writing).
  • Grant the player his outright release from the minor league contract so that he may pursue opportunities with other teams.
  • Pay the player a $100K retention bonus to keep him in the organization beyond the deadline and send him to the minors.

Here's the latest news from around the league on Article XX(B) signees and their roster statuses with their respective teams (newest updates on top).  

Reds Sign Miguel Olivo

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The Reds announced that they signed catcher Miguel Olivo to a minor league contract with an invitation to MLB Spring Training (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, who first reported the sides were nearing a deal, reports that the Phillies, Astros and Dodgers also inquired on Olivo (Twitter links).

Olivo, 34, played for the Mariners in 2012, appearing in 87 games. The right-handed hitter posted a .222/.239/.381 batting line with 12 home rune in 323 plate appearances. He hit for more power against left-handers than right-handers last year, which isn't surprising considering his career line of .270/.303/.477 against southpaws. 

Agent Martin Arburua represents Olivo, an 11-year MLB veteran, who earned $3.5MM in 2012. He joins a Reds roster that includes Ryan Hanigan and Devin Mesoraco. The free agent market for catchers no longer features many options for interested teams. Rod Barajas, Chris Snyder and Matt Treanor are among the remaining options, as MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows.

Reds, Miguel Olivo Nearing Deal

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The Reds are nearing a deal with free agent catcher Miguel Olivo, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links). The Phillies, Astros and Dodgers also inquired on Olivo, who's represented by agent Martin Arburua.

Olivo, 34, played for the Mariners in 2012, appearing in 87 games. The right-handed hitter posted a .222/.239/.381 batting line with 12 home rune in 323 plate appearances. He hit for more power against left-handers than right-handers last year, which isn't surprising considering his career line of .270/.303/.477 against southpaws.

Olivo, an 11-year MLB veteran, earned $3.5MM in 2012. If the deal goes through he'll join a Reds roster that includes Ryan Hanigan and Devin Mesoraco. The free agent market for catchers won't include much depth if Olivo signs. Rod Barajas, Chris Snyder and Matt Treanor are among the remaining options, as MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows.

This post was first published February 1st, 2013.

Mets Targeting Miguel Olivo

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If the Mets decide to pursue a free agent catcher, Miguel Olivo will be at the top of their list of targets, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The club greatly prefers Olivo to other options like Matt Treanor and Chris Snyder, says Rubin.

Olivo has been linked to the Mets multiple times already this offseason, since the Mariners declined his 2013 option. An October report suggested New York was eyeing the 34-year-old veteran, while a report earlier this week indicated he could be a good fit to platoon with Josh Thole.

According to Kevin Burkhardt of SNY.tv (Twitter link), the Mets aren't enamored with any free agent catchers and would prefer to land a backstop via trade, which is still a possibility with R.A. Dickey on the trade block. However, nothing concrete is developing on that front, says Rubin.

Mets Rumors: Catcher, Dickey, Ownership

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While news of Alex Rodriguez's hip surgery dominates the headlines for one New York team, here's the latest on the team across town:

  • At or near the top of Sandy Alderson's shopping list during the Winter Meetings is a catcher who can share the job with Josh Thole or even take it outright, says Mike Puma of the New York Post. If the team were to sign a free agent, the most likely scenario would be a right-handed hitter like Miguel Olivo, who could platoon with Thole. A.J. Pierzynski figures to be out of the Mets' price range, says Puma.

Earlier updates:

  • The Mets have been underwhelmed by the offers they've received for R.A. Dickey so far, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Martino adds in a second tweet that the Mets genuinely don't seem to know whether they'll trade Dickey or extend him.
  • While Mets GM Sandy Alderson acknowledges that Dickey's situation needs to be resolved, he says that resolution doesn't necessarily need to happen during the Winter Meetings, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger.
  • The Mets are a team whose direction this offseason has yet to be determined, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney in his Insider-only blog.
  • One minority owner of the Mets has been accused of fraud, as a New York Times report details.

Sherman on Mets, Phillies, Cabrera, Olivo, Shoppach

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Even in the middle of the World Series, baseball people continue to talk about embattled Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  News on Cabrera and other notes from today’s column..

  • Sherman spoke with a group of baseball executives about where Cabrera will sign and the Mets and Phillies both came up regularly.  The Mets could look to Cabrera as corner outfield insurance against Jason Bay and Lucas Duda if he is affordable.  Such a move would make even more sense if they are unable to retain Scott Hairston.
  • The majority of the execs see Cabrera winding up with a one-year deal in the $2-$5MM range to audition himself.  One exec could see him getting $10-$12MM while another said he could possibly get one year at $8-10MM.
  • The Mets are unlikely to obtain catcher Kelly Shoppach and they are instead eyeing free agent Miguel Olivo.  When the Mets were combing the trade market for catchers this summer, the Mets had Olivo as a secondary candidate to the Rockies’ Ramon Hernandez before ultimately trading for Shoppach. The Mariners announced on Wednesday that they would not pick up Olivo’s $3MM option for 2013.
  • Yankees officials never saw Cabrera as a negative influence on Robinson Cano the way that people outside of the organization did, but he doesn’t look to be a great fit regardless.  The Yankees might not be able to offer the certainty of playing time that Cabrera will need to rebuild his value.
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