International Signings: 12/20/16
Here are some of the latest comings and goings on the international market:
- There are a few recent moves to cover on the KBO side as well. Southpaw Hyeon-jong Yang will return to Korea’s Kia Tigers, Yonhap News reports (h/t Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net, via Twitter). The 28-year-old has been on the MLB radar for some time, and had been expected to gauge interest as a free agent this winter. Evidently, there wasn’t enough of an opportunity in North American ball for him to forego a chance at what’s reported to be the biggest single-season contract ever awarded in the KBO: 2.25 billion won, or about $1.89MM. Yang carries a 3.02 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 over 373 innings in the past two seasons in the hitter-friendly KBO.
- Also, SK Wyverns recently announced the signings of infielder Danny Worth (for $700K) and lefty Scott Diamond ($600K). Both have seen action in multiple MLB campaigns. Most recently, Worth briefly cracked the Astros’ major-league roster. Though he struggled there, he did slash an excellent .330/.431/.525 in his 368 Triple-A plate appearances in 2016. And Diamond, once a rotation piece for the Twins, made one major-league appearance last year with the Blue Jays, but spent most of the year working to a 4.50 ERA (with 5.4 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9) over 166 innings at Triple-A.
Earlier Updates
- The Yakult Swallows have added righty David Buchanan on a one-year deal worth about $750K, per a team announcement (via Kyodo News). Buchanan, 27, had been cut loose by the Phillies after spending all of 2016 at Triple-A, working to a 3.98 ERA over 167 1/3 innings. He had some success in a twenty-start rookie year at the major-league level back in 2014, but struggled there in 2015 and wasn’t able to return last year. “He can keep his pitches low with a high strike rate, and has strong fighting spirit. We wanted that kind of a pitcher,” said Yakult international director Masayuki Okumura.
- Also heading to Japan after a recent stint with the Phillies is fellow righty Phil Klein, who the club recently released to pursue an opportunity in the NPB. He’s heading to the Yokohama BayStars, the team announced (Japanese-language link), for a deal that’s said to promise him around 150MM yen (~$1.27MM) along with an incentives package. Though Klein hasn’t succeeded in his looks at the majors, he obviously drew real interest from Asia with his intriguing numbers in the upper minors — including a 2.14 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 over 160 Triple-A frames.
- The BayStars will not retain free agents Guillermo Moscoso and Zach Petrick, the team also noted. Moscoso, a former big leaguer, had spent three years with the organization. The 27-year-old Petrick, a former Cardinals farmhand, struggled to a 5.51 ERA in his only campaign in Japan.
- Continuing their international spree, the Padres have agreed to a $400K bonus with Cuban lefty Ramon Ernesto Perez Favier, according to a report from Francys Romero of OnCuba.com (Twitter link), which Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune confirms (also via Twitter). There isn’t much public information on the 17-year-old, though you can check out his stuff on this YouTube video that reputedly features him. Lin provides a few tidbits on Favier as well, tweeting that the young southpaw sits in the low-nineties with his fastball and features a breaker with two varieties of change-ups. Since San Diego has long seen blown past its bonus limitations, the team will double its investment in the form of a penalty tax.
Phillies Claim Richie Shaffer, Release Phil Klein To Pursue Asian Deal
The Phillies have claimed infielder/outfielder Richie Shaffer off waivers from the Mariners, per a club announcement. Additionally, the team announced that righty Phil Klein was released in order for him to sign a contract to play with an organization in Asia.
Philadelphia announced Shaffer as a third baseman, perhaps suggesting that’s where they see him being utilized — though, of course, that position will almost certainly be manned regularly by Maikel Franco. Shaffer can also play the corner outfield or first base.
The 25-year-old Shaffer, a former first-round pick, bounced from the Rays to the Mariners earlier this offseason. He was riding high after a big 2015 season in which he hit 30 total long balls between the upper minors and the majors (where he received his first, brief look). But he largely struggled in the campaign that just ended, posting a meager .227/.329/.367 batting line at the Triple-A level and earning only twenty games in the bigs. Those struggles made him expendable, but the Phils evidently see enough upside to take a chance with a 40-man spot — though the team could ultimately attempt to sneak him through waivers at some point.
Klein, 27, also landed in Philadelphia through a waiver claim — in his case, from the Rangers. He did not pitch particularly well in his four appearances late in 2016 for the Phils, and owns only a 5.50 ERA over his 55 2/3 total major league innings. But Klein has carried impressive strikeout numbers and posted dominant results in the upper minors, which surely lent to his appeal to ballclubs on the other side of the Pacific. It is not yet clear just where Klein is headed.
Phillies Claim Phil Klein From Rangers
The Phillies have claimed right-hander Phil Klein off waivers from the Rangers, according to Rangers executive vice president of communications John Blake (Twitter link). Klein will now head to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, per a Phillies announcement.
Klein amassed 12 strikeouts against just two walks in 8 2/3 innings with Texas this year, but he also yielded five earned runs. As a result of those issues with run prevention, the Rangers designated Klein for assignment June 9. The 27-year-old threw 45 frames for the Rangers from 2014 to this season and logged a 4.80 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and 39.5 percent ground-ball rate. Klein has posted similar strikeout and walk ratios (10.5 and 4.5, respectively) across 277 minor league innings, but his 2.24 ERA rates as significantly better than the figure he recorded with Texas.
Rangers Activate Robinson Chirinos, Designate Phil Klein For Assignment
The Rangers announced today that they’ve activated catcher Robinson Chirinos from the 60-day disabled list and designated right-hander Phil Klein for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Right-hander Luke Jackson was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to clear a spot for Chirinos on the active roster.
Chirinos, 32, has missed all but five games this season to date after suffering a fractured forearm when he was hit by a pitch in early April. His injury led the Rangers to pick up Bryan Holaday and Bobby Wilson via trade, and that pairing of journeyman has somewhat incredibly provided the team with an outstanding .274/.324/.472 batting line and eight home runs. The Holaday/Wilson tandem has been so productive, in fact, that Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports the Rangers are considering carrying three all three catchers (Twitter link). Chirinos and Holaday, he points out, can play other positions on a limited basis, as each is a former infielder.
While Chirinos isn’t a household name, he performed well for the Rangers while seeing quite a bit of work behind the dish last season; in 273 plate appearances, he batted .232/.325/.438. Combined with his work from the 2014 campaign and his brief time early in 2016, Chirinos has batted .236/.306/.430 with 24 home runs in exactly 162 games dating back to Opening Day 2014.
As for Klein, the 27-year-old gave Texas 19 useful innings back in 2014 but has struggled in the Majors in both 2015 and 2016, working to a combined 6.23 ERA in 26 innings. While he performed well at Round Rock last season (2.97 ERA in 63 2/3 innings), he’s struggled there as well in 2016 and will now be in limbo for up to 10 days as the Rangers have the option to trade him, release him or send him through outright waivers.