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Ryan LaMarre

Cubs Sign Ryan LaMarre

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The Cubs announced Friday that they’ve signed outfielder Ryan LaMarre to a minor league deal. Chicago also confirmed its previously reported minor league deal with infielder Derek Dietrich and added 2020 draftee Burl Carraway to its 60-man player pool. All three players will head to the team’s alternate training site in South Bend.

LaMarre, 31, has spent time in the Majors in each of the past five seasons, most recently with the Twins in 2018-19. The 2010 second-rounder, who is a career .236/.286/.338 hitter in 246 trips to the plate, had recently opted out of a minor league deal with the Rays. He’s capable of playing all three outfield positions and carries a solid .281/.349/.415 batting line in parts of seven seasons at the Triple-A level.

Carraway, selected in the second round out of Dallas Baptist University, is seen as a pure bullpen prospect with a powerful fastball/curve combination. He misses bats with ease but also has struggled with his control. He was widely regarded as a top-100 prospect in this year’s draft and could rise to the Majors quickly — although a 2020 debut would nevertheless register as a surprise.

LaMarre, Herrmann Exercise Opt-Out Clauses In Rays Contracts

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8:44PM: Ryan LaMarre has also been released after exercising his own opt-out clause, Topkin reports (Twitter link).  The outfielder has hit .236/.286/.338 over 246 PA in five Major League seasons, with the bulk (180 PA) of that playing time coming with the Twins and White Sox in 2018.  LaMarre inked a minors deal with Tampa after being let go by Minnesota last fall.

5:54PM: Catcher Chris Herrmann has requested his release from the Rays after enacting the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the club, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin reports (Twitter link).  Herrmann signed the club back in January.

Mike Zunino is slated to be the Rays’ starting catcher, with Michael Perez in line for backup duty and Kevan Smith and Ronaldo Hernandez also part of the 60-man player pool.  It is clear that Herrmann didn’t like his chances of moving up the depth chart, and will now seek out a better opportunity elsewhere.  Speculatively, the Pirates and Giants stand out as obvious potential landing spots — the Bucs just lost Luke Maile to a season-ending finger injury, while Buster Posey’s decision to sit out the 2020 season has left San Francisco without a starting catcher.

Though Herrmann has at times flashed some hitting potential over his eight MLB seasons, he has been a below-average offensive producer overall, with a career .205/.282/.344 slash line and 25 home runs over 992 career plate appearances.  The bulk of that playing time came with the Twins and Diamondbacks from 2012-17, though Herrmann hit well in 87 PA with the Mariners in 2018 before suffering through an injury-plagued 2019 campaign in Oakland.  Herrmann’s ability to play first base and both corner outfield spots gives him more of a versatile resume than your average backup catcher, which could help his chances of catching on with a new team.

Rays Sign Chris Herrmann

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The Rays announced today that they have signed catcher Chris Herrmann. His agreement on a minors pact was previously reported by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).

A trio of other players have also joined on with minors deals that include invitations to MLB Spring Training. Outfielder Ryan LaMarre and hurlers Aaron Slegers and D.J. Snelten will each be in camp.

Herrmann joins Kevan Smith as incoming backstops who’ll compete for spots on the depth chart. It’s possible the club could carry a third catcher on its active roster, given the presence of a 26th man, but otherwise Herrmann and Smith will face an uphill battle to unseat Michael Perez as the backup to Mike Zunino.

There’s some built-in advantage here for Herrmann: he’s a left-handed hitter (as is Perez) and has experience in the outfield, increasing his utility. The 32-year-old has also shown well at times with the bat, though he’s only a .205/.282/.344 hitter through nearly a thousand MLB plate appearances.

LaMarre will provide some outfield depth. The 31-year-old hasn’t seen much big league action. He carries a .281/.349/.415 batting line in 1,513 trips to the plate over parts of seven Triple-A seasons.

Both of the pitchers are 27 years of age. The right-handed Slegers spent last year with the Tampa Bay organization, making one MLB appearance and throwing 112 1/3 innings of 5.05 ERA ball at Triple-A. Snelten, a southpaw, worked in the indy ball ranks in 2019. Over twenty starts for the Chicago Dogs, he carried a 3.12 ERA with 112 strikeouts and 43 walks in 118 1/3 innings.

Twins Outright Three Players

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The Twins have outrighted three players, as Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press was among those to cover on Twitter. Outfielders Ian Miller and Ryan LaMarre join infielder Ronald Torreyes in departing the Minnesota 40-man roster.

Miller is the only one of the three players who won’t have the right to elect free agency if he clears waivers, though he’ll qualify for minor-league free agency soon thereafter. The speedy Wagner College product received his first MLB cup of coffee this season with the Twins, but spent most of the season at Triple-A. Over 514 total plate appearances (including his time with the Mariners organization before a mid-season swap), Miller slashed .264/.346/.431 with  35 steals and a career-high 11 home runs.

The 30-year-old LaMarre has seen time in each of the past five MLB seasons, though the former second-round pick only has 246 total plate appearances at the game’s highest level. He carries a tepid .236/.286/.338 batting line in that span. LaMarre was hitting well at Triple-A with the Braves organization before his trade in September, turning in a .311/.380/.477 slash over 455 plate appearances.

As for Torreyes, who has also appeared in each of the past five big-league campaigns, the opportunities were hard to come by in Minnesota. With a few other infield options bypassing him on the roster, he spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he slashed just .256/.289/.406 but did manage a career-high 11 long balls (as did quite a few other players this year in the suddenly offensively charged International League).

Twins Acquire Ryan LaMarre

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The Twins announced they have acquired outfielder Ryan LaMarre from the Braves in exchange for cash considerations. He’ll be added to the club’s 40-man roster, tweets Dan Hayes of the Athletic. As Hayes notes, LaMarre won’t be postseason-eligible as a player acquired from outside the organization after September 1. Nevertheless, LaMarre is still eligible to be traded because he signed a minor-league contract with the Braves’ organization. As we’ve discussed at MLBTR in the past, the July 31 trade deadline applies only to players on major-league contracts.

It’ll be the second Twins stint for the 30 year-old, who got into 43 games with Minnesota last season before they designated him for assignment. After wrapping up 2018 with the White Sox, LaMarre was cut loose and sent back to the open market, where he signed with the Braves on the aforementioned minor-league pact last November. LaMarre was productive for the Braves Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett, slashing .311/.380/.477, albeit with a .416 BABIP. He also started 44 games in center field for the Stripers, so he’ll give the Twins a center field capable depth piece for the regular season’s final month.

LaMarre will take the 40-man spot of Michael Pineda, who was suspended for the rest of the season yesterday.

Braves, Ryan LaMarre Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Braves are in agreement with outfielder Ryan LaMarre on a minor league contract, tweets MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The Octagon client will head to Spring Training and compete for a bench role after spending the 2018 campaign with the Twins and White Sox.

LaMarre, who turns 30 tomorrow, hit .279/.322/.382 in 180 plate appearances between Minnesota and Chicago, adding a pair of homers, 11 doubles and two stolen bases along the way. That offense, though, was buoyed by a .389 BABIP that looks ripe for regression. LaMarre also whiffed in nearly 30 percent of his plate appearances, further adding some reason for skepticism.

That said, the journeyman can handle all three outfield spots and does have a .268/.336/.389 slash in parts of six Triple-A seasons. He’ll head to camp and look to crack the roster as a reserve option for manager Brian Snitker.

White Sox Outright Danny Farquhar, Rob Scahill, Ryan LaMarre

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The White Sox announced that outfielder Ryan LaMarre and right-handers Danny Farquhar and Rob Scahill have been outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte after clearing waivers. All three will become free agents.

Farquhar will garner the most attention of the trio, as the 31-year-old endured a terrifying brain aneurysm in the White Sox’ dugout earlier this season and was subsequently rushed to the hospital. Farquhar required emergency surgery and, to the relief of teammates, fans and players throughout the league was discharged from the hospital a few weeks later. He ultimately made an emotional return to the clubhouse to visit his teammates, who honored him by hanging his jersey in the bullpen during his absence, the day after being released from the hospital. And on June 1, the ChiSox invited Farquhar to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Suffice it to say, Farquhar’s baseball future is somewhat up in the air. He didn’t throw a pitch in the Majors after suffering the aneurysm, though his neurosurgeon said at the time of his release from the hospital that it was possible the right-hander would be able to pitch again in future seasons. Given his uncertain future and a projected $1.4MM salary in arbitration, it was only logical for the Sox to make the roster cut from a business standpoint. It does seem there’s a chance that Farquhar and the others could return to the organization.

“We do plan to continue to stay in touch with these players and their representatives over the coming months to see if it makes sense for any of them to remain with our organization as we head into the 2019 season,” general manager Rick Hahn told reporters (Twitter link via Scott Merkin of MLB.com).

Scahill, 32 in February, pitched five innings for the Sox this season, yielding three earned runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts. He’s logged 149 2/3 frames at the MLB level over parts of seven seasons with the Rockies, Pirates, Brewers and White Sox, compiling a 3.85 ERA with 6.0 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 in that span.

LaMarre, 30 next month, split the year between the Pale Hose and the Twins, batting .279/.322/.382 in a career-high 180 plate appearances. A career .268/.336/.389 hitter in parts of three Triple-A campaigns, the right-handed-hitting LaMarre is capable of handling all three outfield positions.

White Sox Place Avisail Garcia On 10-Day DL

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The White Sox announced today that outfielder Avisail Garcia is headed back to the 10-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. That’s the same essential injury that forced him out of action for much of the first half of the season.

To take the open spot on the active roster, the Chicago organization has promoted Ryan LaMarre. The outfielder was acquired recently in a waiver claim from the division-rival Twins, who had designated him for assignment.

The news is rather disappointing for Garcia, who had been on fire at the plate since being activated. In 17 games since his return to the roster in late June, he carried a .333/.347/.783 slash with eight home runs. Though that stretch also included just two walks to go with 17 strikeouts, Garcia showed last year that he can be quite productive even when carrying a marginal walk rate.

It now seems reasonable to presume that Garcia won’t really factor in this summer’s trade deadline build-up. Questions about the sustainability of his hitting, poorly graded glovework, and nagging hamstring problems already posed questions. Now, though the team hasn’t ruled out a return before the end of the month, it’s especially hard to imagine a trade coming together.

Garcia is earning $6.7MM this year and remains eligible for one more season of arbitration, which obviously reduces any urgency to work out a trade this summer. Certainly, the rebuilding South Siders could try to deal him next winter or instead decide to pursue an extension. Garcia, after all, is just 27 years old. Of course, his age, earnings to date, and proximity to free agency also leave him with a fair bit of leverage. There has been no clear indication to date whether a long-term deal is a serious consideration for the club.

White Sox Claim Ryan LaMarre

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The White Sox announced that they’ve claimed outfielder Ryan LaMarre off waivers from the Twins. LaMarre was designated for assignment by Minnesota last week when Jorge Polanco was reinstated from his suspension. The ChiSox already had two open spots on the 40-man roster, so a corresponding move isn’t required. The White Sox didn’t announce that LaMarre is going to Triple-A (though he does have minor league options remaining), so it seems he’ll join their active roster.

LaMarre, 30, batted .263/.321/.313 through 109 plate appearances as a Twin before his DFA, logging plenty of time in center field with Byron Buxton struggling to stay healthy in 2018. Though his average and OBP were respectable, LaMarre also struck out in 30.3 percent clip of his big league plate appearances. He’s capable of playing any of the three outfield positions for the Sox and can be optioned back and forth between Charlotte and Chicago as a depth piece for the remainder of the season if the Sox hang onto him.

Twins Reinstate Jorge Polanco, Option Byron Buxton, Designate Ryan LaMarre

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2:56pm: In addition to the previously reported moves, the Twins announced that they’ve optioned lefty Adalberto Mejia to Triple-A. More interesting, though, is the fact that they’ve reinstated Byron Buxton from his rehab assignment and also optioned him to Rochester. That means that two of the centerpieces of the Twins’ young core — Sano and Buxton — have both been optioned to the minors just one season after seemingly establishing themselves at the big league level.

It’s been a tough season for Buxton, admittedly. The 24-year-old went on the disabled list early in the season due to a severe bout of migraines — similar to the issue that sent New York’s Brandon Drury to the DL. While playing on a minor league rehab assignment from that issue, Buxton fouled a ball into his foot and sustained a broken big toe. The Twins made the curious decision to bring him back a couple of weeks later despite the fact that the toe was still healing and without sending him back out on a rehab assignment.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Buxton was dreadful at the plate under those circumstances; in 51 plate appearances between DL stints, he hit just .122/.140/.163. Buxton has yet to find his swing in Rochester, albeit through just 11 games on a new rehab assignment. But the extent of his struggles, after a prolonged development period in which there were doubts he’d ever realize the potential he showed last season, have to be of fairly significant concern — especially when juxtaposed with the struggles of Sano to this point in the season as well.

Given the fact that Minnesota has received no on-field value from the combination of Sano, Buxton and still-rehabbing righty Ervin Santana, it’s not exactly surprising that the Twins are nine games back from the Indians in the AL Central division.

2:32pm: The Twins are set to reinstate Jorge Polanco from his 80-game suspension following a failed PED test, as La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported earlier today that righty Zack Littell would also be returning to the Majors and will work in a relief role for the time being (Twitter link).

In order to clear a spot on what is currently a full 40-man roster to accommodate Polanco’s activation, the Twins are set to designate outfielder Ryan LaMarre for assignment, Neal further reports (via Twitter). They’ll need to make a second move to recall Littell.

Polanco, 25 on Thursday, was expected to serve as the Twins’ everyday shortstop after a strong second-half showing in 2017. The former top 100 prospect got off to a poor start to the season last year but slashed .316/.377/.553 with 10 homers, 15 doubles and a pair of triples in his final 234 plate appearances in August and September.

Polanco was plagued by a dismal .239 BABIP through the first four months of the 2017 season, and his improvement in the final two months correlates nicely with a fairly significant drop in his chase rate on pitches out of the strike zone. However, an 80-game suspension fresh off a breakout finish to the season will undoubtedly lead to plenty of skeptics about his ability to maintain that output. He’ll hope to retake an everyday role in the Twins’ infield and prove that he’s able to repeat that output moving forward.

With Miguel Sano still in the minors following a terrible run to open the season, there should be ample opportunity for Polanco to earn his way back into the lineup. Minnesota has been relying on Eduardo Escobar at third base with Sano in Fort Myers, and while Ehire Adrianza has been a surprisingly productive hitter of late, he’s a soon-to-be 29-year-old defensive specialist without much of a track record of offense. Polanco should figure into the mix prominently in the early going from his return. And, depending on whether the Twins are able to right the ship over the next four weeks, further at-bats could become all the easier to come by; both Escobar and Brian Dozier are free agents at season’s end.

As for LaMarre, the 30-year-old has batted .263/.321/.313 through 109 plate appearances with Minnesota, logging plenty of time in center field with Byron Buxton on the shelf. LaMarre has fanned at a 30.3 percent clip in the Majors, however, and he’s currently in Triple-A Rochester despite the fact that Buxton is not yet back from his rehab assignment.

LaMarre joined the Twins on a minor league pact this winter and served as a useful depth piece given the minor league options he had remaining, so the Twins likely would prefer to see him clear waivers and remain in the organization. Having previously been outrighted, though, LaMarre will have the option of electing free agency even if he does clear waivers.

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