Minor Moves: Gotay, Henn
Keeping track of the day’s minor moves…
- The Braves acquired utility player Ruben Gotay from the Blue Jays for cash considerations, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. Gotay, 29, posted a .346/.435/.385 line at Triple-A Las Vegas before the trade. He played for Atlanta's top affiliate last year and has MLB experience with the Braves, Mets and Royals.
- Left-hander Sean Henn signed with Korea’s Hanwha Eagles, Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto reported (on Twitter via Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net). The Mariners signed Henn in December and assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma, where he posted a 3.64 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 29 2/3 innings of relief. The 31-year-old has MLB experience with the Yankees, Twins, Padres and Orioles.
Minor Moves: Ruben Gotay, Francisco Samuel
The latest minor moves from around MLB…
- The Blue Jays have signed infielder Ruben Gotay, reports Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). The 29-year-old hasn't played in the big leagues since 2008 and is a .255/.315/.371 career hitter in 811 plate appearances. Gotay is joining his seventh organization and hit .247/.333/.347 in 518 Triple-A plate appearances split between the Braves and Marlins last year.
- The Cardinals released right-handed reliever Francisco Samuel, B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com tweets. In six minor league seasons the former prospect owns a 5.66 ERA with 11.4 K/9 and 8.6 BB/9. Samuel, a hard-throwing 25-year-old, had lat and shoulder troubles in 2011 and it had become apparent that wasn't going to make the Opening Day roster this year.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Minor Deals: Castillo, Vazquez, Gotay, Carter
We'll keep track of all of the day's minor deals right here:
- The Diamondbacks have signed left-handed pitcher Alberto Castillo, according to CBSSports.com. Castillo, 35, was designated for assignment by the Orioles on June 10th. The veteran has a 2.89 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 across four seasons of play at the Triple-A level.
- The Blue Jays signed infielder Ramon Vazquez to a minor league deal, according to the CBSSports.com transactions page. The 35-year-old last appeared in the majors in 2009 when he spent the year with the Pirates. Vazquez has experience playing shortstop, second base, and third base.
- The Braves signed infielder Ruben Gotay and outfielder Chris Carter to minor league deals and assigned them to Triple-A Gwinnett, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). Gotay last appeared in the bigs with Atlanta in 2008, while Carter played in 100 games with the Mets last season.
Minor Deals: Quinlan, Phillies, Marlins
Some minor league transactions for you as we get ready to kick off another round of overnight coverage here on MLBTR:
- The Phillies have signed longtime Angel Robb Quinlan to a minor league deal, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- The Philadelphia Inquirer's Matt Gelb tweets that the Phils have released Jesus Sanchez and Yohan Flande to clear some space on their 40-man roster.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro has a list of non-roster invitees for the Marlins, including lefties Darin Downs and Victor Garate, right-hander Frank Mata, former Met Ruben Gotay, infielder Tim Torres,and outfielders Josh Kroeger and Chris Lubanski. As Frisaro points out, the Fish have struck gold in the past with non-roster invitees such as Jorge Cantu, Clay Hensley, and Kiko Calero.
Minor Deals: Gotay, Rays, Duckworth, Carlyle
A number of former big leaguers agreed to minor league deals today. Here are the details:
- The Marlins signed Ruben Gotay, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 27-year-old hasn't appeared in the majors since 2008, but he led the Pacific Coast League in walks and posted an .845 OPS last year.
- The Rays announced that they signed five players, including righty Cory Wade and lefty R.J. Swindle, to minor league deals. Wade, 27, spent last year in the minors, but he pitched for the Dodgers in 2008-09. He has a 3.18 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 99 big league innings. Swindle is another 27-year-old who spent the 2010 season in the minors. He posted a 2.45 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 55 innings for the Rays' Triple-A affiliate. Like Wade, Swindle could prove useful for the 2011 Rays, who are building a bullpen on a budget.
- The Reds signed outfielder David Cook, according to Eddy (on Twitter). The 29-year-old has a .258/.369/.468 line in eight minor league seasons.
- The Red Sox signed right-hander Brandon Duckworth, according to Eddy (on Twitter). The 34-year-old spent the 2010 season pitching for the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate, where he posted a 3.32 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. He has a 5.28 ERA in parts of eight big league seasons.
- The Yankees signed right-hander Buddy Carlyle to a minor league deal, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Carlyle, 32, spent the 2010 season in Japan after posting a 5.61 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in parts of six big league seasons.
- The D'Backs signed David Winfree, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The 25-year-old has a .273/.319/.448 line in his eight-year minor league career.
International Links: Ohka, Chen, Gotay, Jamaica
All the best in non-Cuban baseball news…
- Scouts from eight teams recently gathered to watch Taiwanese pitching prospect Min-Tzu Chen, according to Taiwan Baseball. Chen, a converted outfielder, has only been pitching for three months but reportedly already has offers in hand from the Royals and Padres.
- Tomo Ohka has agreed to a deal with the Mexican League Quintana Roo Tigers, reports Japanese Ball Players.
- Ruben Gotay isn't often mentioned in discussions about who will man third base for the Cardinals this season, and his .255/.315/.371 career numbers don't scream "slugging corner infielder." But the 28-year-old Puerto Rican utilityman tells Primera Hora's Esteban Rivera that the Cardinals signed him and invited him to spring training exclusively with the hot corner in mind. Gotay played his first full season at third at Triple A in the Diamondbacks system last season, showing newfound patience with a .272/.429/.450 line including 102 walks in 479 PAs. While he is fourth at best on the depth chart, the first two candidates, David Freese and Tyler Greene, have 150 Major League PAs combined, and Felipe Lopez has played 13 games at third in the last five years, all for the Cardinals in 2008.
- In 11 Major League seasons, Ricardo Rincon managed a 3.59 ERA and logged 565 appearances in the "G" column, but look one column to the right at "GS," and cue the rolling tumbleweeds. That's changing in the Mexican League, where the 39-year-old is trying to crack the starting rotation of the Minatitlan Oilers, according to the league site.
- MLB is partnering with the Jamaican government to build a stadium on the north side of the island in Trelawny, reports the Jamaica Observer. The complex will be the league's first-ever investment in the country, which is looking to expand its presence in international sports following the success of Usain Bolt. One current big league player, Indians pitcher Justin Masterson, was born in Jamaica.
Cardinals Sign Ruben Gotay
The Cardinals signed minor league free agent infielder Ruben Gotay, tweets MLB.com's Matthew Leach. Gotay, 27 next month, has big league experience with the Royals, Mets, and Braves. This year he hit .272/.429/.450 for the D'Backs' Triple A club, playing second and third base. Gotay's 102 walks in 479 plate appearances (21.3%) make him an intriguing pickup.
Odds & Ends: Phillies, Nationals, Mariners
There's no such thing as an offseason- just different kinds of on-seasons.
- Todd Zolecki of MLB.com believes the Phillies will find a replacement for Eric Bruntlett among John McDonald, Omar Vizquel, Jamey Carroll, Ronnie Belliard and Juan Uribe.
- According to Scott Olsen, arbitration-eligible member of the Washington Nationals (for now, anyway), his shoulder is now 100 percent.
- Larry Stone of the Seattle Times discusses how Edwin Jackson, Curtis Granderson, and John Lackey would look in Seattle.
- Tyler Hissey at Around the Majors talks Yankees' roster strategy.
- Dave Cameron tells us which minor league free agents are most worth pursuing, including Ruben Gotay.
- Dan Dibley of KNBR, the Giants' flagship station, weighs in on a number of topics in an interview with SFGiantsbaseball.net.
Odds & Ends: Marte, Dodgers, Hoffman
A few links on a slow Monday afternoon in the baseball world…
- According to MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince, teams will have a chance to claim Andy Marte off waivers over the next few days.
- Baseball America’s Matt Eddy has the latest minor league transactions, including the Pirates’ signing of Ruben Gotay.
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes about the A’s move toward high school players.
- Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle talked to Ed Wade and Gerry Hunsicker about this year’s free agent market.
- Patrick Newman looks at a couple of amateur Japanese pitchers who are drawing interest from MLB teams.
- Sam Miller of the Orange County Register runs down "The 13 Smartest Baseball Moves" of this offseason, with pictures!
- The Dodgers are hoping to find a gem among their non-roster camp invitees. MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick has the list, which includes Jeff Weaver, Shawn Estes and Eric Milton.
- Trevor Hoffman took out a full-page ad in the San Diego Union-Tribune, thanking fans with a truly heartfelt note.
- ESPN.com’s Rob Neyer likes the Garret Anderson signing.
- Oh, and for you folks that like to Twitter… add MLB Trade Rumors!
Odds And Ends: Gotay, Register, Haynes
A couple of minor pickups this afternoon:
- The Rays have claimed left-hand-hitting Nathan Haynes off waivers from the Angels. Rocco Baldelli will be moved to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man. Marc Lancaster speculates that Haynes, who is out of options, will take a roster spot that was presumed to be Eric Hinske’s.
- The Mets have given up trying to trade for Rule V pick Steven Register, and are letting him go back to Colorado. He’ll report to Triple A.
- Ruben Gotay, who had been DFA’d by the Mets, has been picked up by the Braves. Adam Rubin also notes that Anderson Hernandez has been optioned to AAA. UPDATE: To make room for Gotay on the 25-man, the Braves have asked for waivers on Scott Thorman. He has cleared, and will report to Triple A Richmond.
Posted by Joe Pawlikowski