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Ryan Lavarnway

Yankees To Sign Ryan Lavarnway

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The Yankees have agreed to a minors pact with backstop Ryan Lavarnway, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter). Further details are not yet known.

Lavarnway, 31, has seen action in seven MLB campaigns — including four with the division-rival Red Sox. Since his tenure in Boston wrapped up in disappointing fashion, the one-time top prospect has functioned as a journeyman depth piece.

That may not have been what was once hoped for, but Lavarnway has remained in demand from organizations that want a steady presence on hand in the upper minors. He only saw brief MLB action last year with the Pirates, but turned in a strong offensive season (.288/.375/.485 in 303 plate appearances) for their top affiliate.

Ryan Lavarnway Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency

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Pirates catcher Ryan Lavarnway has elected free agency after clearing outright waivers, reports MLB.com’s Adam Berry (Twitter link). The 31-year-old veteran spent the 2018 season with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis and received a call to the Majors in September, going 4-for-6 with a double in pinch-hitting duties down the stretch.

Once a well-regarded prospect with the Red Sox, Lavarnway has bounced around the league over the past few seasons, seeing occasional time in the Majors but spending considerably more time in Triple-A. He’s a career .208/.268/.326 hitter in 426 MLB plate appearances and a .276/.366/.431 hitter in 1865 PAs at the Triple-A level. He figures to have interest as a depth option in minor league free agency this winter and will likely get an invite to come to Spring Training with a team in 2019.

Pirates Promote Kevin Kramer, Designate Buddy Boshers

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The Pirates announced several September call-ups today, designating lefty Buddy Boshers to create roster space. Pittsburgh selected the contract of well-regarded middle-infield prospect Kevin Kramer along with that of journeyman catcher Ryan Lavarnway.

Also heading up to the majors are a series of players who already possessed 40-man roster spots. Righties Tanner Anderson, Michael Feliz, and Clay Holmes will all join the organization for the stretch run, as will outfielder Jordan Luplow.

Kramer will join Kevin Newman, another talented young infielder seen as part of the future, on the MLB roster. Chosen in the second round of the 2015 draft, Kramer is viewed as a solid all-around player. Certainly, he has impressed in the upper minors in the past two seasons, turning in identical 141 wRC+ figures in an injury-shortened 2017 at Double-A and in a full campaign this year at Triple-A.

In his 527 plate appearances with Indianapolis in 2018, Kramer owns a .311/.365/.492 slash with 15 home runs and 13 steals. He has spent some time at shortstop in the minors, but the bulk of his innings of come at second base and that’s where he’s expected to play in the big leagues.

As for Boshers, the 30-year-old southpaw has seen time in three MLB seasons but didn’t make it up in 2018. He has worked to a 3.32 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in his 57 frames at Triple-A, with time spent at both the Bucs’ and Astros’ top affiliates.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/22/18

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

  • The D-backs are in agreement with right-hander Michael Blazek on a minor league contract, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. Blazek, 29 in March, has spent his career to date with the Cardinals and Brewers, most recently pitching 8 1/3 innings for Milwaukee last season. He looked like an interesting, controllable bullpen option for the Brewers as recently as 2015, when he tossed 55 2/3 innings with 7.6 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9. Since then, however, he’s struggled to a 6.12 ERA in 50 MLB innings, as his his walk rate has spiked to 5.0 BB/9 and his HR/9 rate has soared from 0.5 to 2.3. Blazek has a 3.91 ERA in parts of six Triple-A seasons.

Earlier Moves

  • The Pirates announced a slate of non-roster invitees to Spring Training today, including catcher Ryan Lavarnway, whose minor league deals had not been previously reported. Lavarnway, 30, has appeared in parts of six big league seasons with the Red Sox, Orioles, Braves and Athletics. He spent the 2017 campaign in the Oakland organization, though he appeared in just six games at the Major League level. Lavarnway is a career .201/.262/.318 hitter through 420 MLB plate appearances, but he’s logged a much more palatable .274/.365/.421 slash in parts of seven seasons at the Triple-A level. Francisco Cervelli, Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings are all ahead of Lavarnway on the 40-man roster, so he’ll likely head to the minors to begin the year if he sticks with the Pirates through all of Spring Training.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/8/17

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Here are Tuesday’s minor moves from around the game…

  • The Athletics announced that catcher Ryan Lavarnway has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Nashville after being designated for assignment. The 30-year-old veteran has showed nicely in a tiny sample of 13 PAs with Oakland this season and has also posted a solid .262/.346/.385 slash through 255 PAs with the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Nashville. He’s been outrighted on multiple occasions in the past, giving him the option to reject the assignment in favor of free agency if he chooses. Lavarnway, though, has already accepted one outright from the A’s earlier this season.
  • Right-hander Ricardo Rodriguez’s contract has been formally selected by the Rangers, per a team announcement. He’ll fill the 25-man roster spot of Keone Kela, who hit the DL today due to shoulder soreness. Soon to turn 25, Rodriguez will be making his MLB debut when he first takes the mound for the Rangers, who signed him as an international free agent out of Venezuela back in 2010. Rodriguez missed the 2016 season after Tommy John surgery but has returned strong in 2017. As Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper wrote back in late June, Rodriguez blitzed through a span of 15 perfect innings out of the bullpen earlier this year, prompting Texas to move him from Class-A Advanced to Double-A. Through 47 innings this year, Rodriguez has a ridiculous 1.34 ERA with 11.7 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 (albeit against much younger competition least back in Class-A).
  • Veteran right-hander Javy Guerra is back in the Majors, as the Marlins announced that they’ve selected his contract to fill the spot of lefty Chris O’Grady, who is going on the DL due to a strained oblique. Guerra hasn’t been especially impressive in Triple-A this year (4.99 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 in 48 2/3 innings), but he’ll provide some depth for a Miami pitching staff that has been depleted by trades (David Phelps, AJ Ramos) and injuries.

Athletics Designate Ryan Lavarnway For Assignment

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The Athletics have added the Dustin Garneau to their active roster and designated fellow catcher Ryan Lavarnway for assignment, Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports California tweets. The A’s claimed Garneau from the Rockies yesterday.

The A’s signed Lavarnway to a minor-league deal last offseason and have now added him to their roster and designated him twice. He’s spent the bulk of the year at Triple-A Nashville and has hit .262/.346/.385, also collecting a handful of plate appearances in the big leagues. The well traveled 29-year-old played for several years in the Red Sox organization before playing in the Orioles, Braves and Blue Jays organizations in the past two seasons. He has a career .369 OBP at the Triple-A level.

A’s Designate John Axford For Assignment

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The Athletics announced that veteran right-hander John Axford has been designated for assignment as part of a series of roster moves. Catcher Ryan Lavarnway’s contract has been selected from Triple-A, and he’ll take Axford’s spot on the 40-man roster. Lavarnway will step into the 25-man roster spot of  fellow catcher Josh Phegley, who is headed to the 10-day DL with a strained left oblique muscle. Right-hander Ryan Dull, meanwhile, has been activated from the 10-day disabled list. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser suggested last night that Axford could be designated for assignment to upon Dull’s return.

The 34-year-old Axford posted solid results in the first season of a two-year, $10MM contract with the A’s in 2016, but his longstanding struggles with control have resurfaced in a significant manner in 2017. Axford has issued 17 walks in 21 innings this season, and he’s paired those control troubles with his highest home-run rate since 2013. He’s still averaged a strikeout per inning with a 50 percent ground-ball rate and an average fastball velocity of 95 mph, but his overall ERA rests at 6.43. ERA alternatives such as FIP (5.73), xFIP (5.31) and SIERA (5.17) don’t paint a much rosier picture for Axford’s work in 2017.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/12/17

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

  • Catcher Ryan Lavarnway has cleared waivers and been outrighted to the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate, as first noted on the team’s transaction page at MLB.com. The 29-year-old Lavarnway played in just one game with Oakland in his recent call-up, though he’s spent parts of six seasons in the Majors. In 409 big league plate appearances, the former Red Sox farmhand is a .197/.257/.315 hitter. He carries a considerably better Triple-A track record and has hit at a .274/.362/.378 clip through 232 PAs with Oakland’s Nashville affiliate in 2017.

Athletics Option Franklin Barreto to Triple-A, Designate Ryan Lavarnway

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The Athletics have announced a series of roster moves, including the demotion of top prospect Franklin Barreto to Triple-A.  Catcher Ryan Lavarnway has also been designated for assignment.  The two moves create roster space for Josh Phegley (back from the paternity list) and right-hander Chris Smith, who had his contract purchased from Triple-A so he could start today’s game against the Mariners.

[Updated A’s depth chart at Roster Resource]

With Marcus Semien back from the DL, Barreto will be sent back down to the farm to get everyday playing time.  Ranked as Oakland’s top prospect and considered one of the better minor leaguers in all of baseball, the 21-year-old Barreto hit .190/261/.381 with two home runs over his first 46 career MLB plate appearances.  Barreto is likely to get a more extended look later this season, either as a September callup or if Jed Lowrie is traded at the deadline.

Lavarnway signed a minor league contract with the A’s in the offseason and has appeared in one game this season, representing his first taste of big league action since 2015.  Formerly a well-regarded prospect in Boston’s system, Lavarnway has been part of six different organizations since December 2014.  He has a strong .280/.371/.459 career slash line over 3117 Triple-A plate appearances, so Lavarnway will continue to provide the A’s (or another team) with some solid minor league depth.

Smith, 36, will become the oldest pitcher in Athletics franchise history to make his first career MLB start.  (Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle details the amusing story of how Smith got the news from his Triple-A manager.)  It has been a long journey for the veteran, originally a Red Sox draft pick in 2002 who appeared in 50 games for Boston and Milwaukee in 2008-10 before bouncing around the minors and even stepping away from the game for a year.  Smith signed a minors deal with Oakland in November 2015 and he made 13 appearances for the A’s last season.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/1/2016

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Here are some recent minor moves from around the league:

  • The Orioles announced the signing of outfielder Logan Schafer to a minor-league deal. The six-year MLB veteran saw minimal time last year with the Twins. At Triple-A, he batted .272/.342/.382 with six homers and six stolen bases over 317 trips to the plate.
  • The Athletics have added two more players on minors deals, each of which includes a spring camp invite, per MLB.com’s Jane Lee (via Twitter). Catcher Ryan Lavarnway and first baseman Chris Parmelee will join the Oakland organization. Lavarnway, a former top prospect, continues to bounce around. He hit .266/.351/.384 last year with at the highest level of the minors. The 28-year-old Parmelee has seen MLB action in each of the last six seasons, slashing .248/.313/.405. At Triple-A last year in the Yankees organization, he put up a .248/.335/.449 batting line.
  • Outfielder Henry Ramos is headed to the Dodgers on a minor-league pact, per SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter). Ramos had spent his entire career in the Red Sox farm system, reaching its highest level last year. Over his 398 plate appearances in the upper minors in 2016, he slashed .263/.306/.402 with eight home runs.
  • The White Sox have added catcher Roberto Pena on a minors deal, Cotillo also tweets. The 24-year-old has long been an Astros’ farmhand since being selected in the seventh round of the 2010 draft out of Puerto Rico. In the upper minors a season ago, he put up a .235/.273/.376 slash.
  • Two pitchers are headed to the Pirates on minor-league contracts, per a club announcement. The Bucs will give a look to lefty Dan Runzler, who last appeared in the bigs in 2012 and put up a 5.82 ERA in 21 2/3 innings at Triple-A last year with the Twins. Also joining the Pittsburgh organization is righty Jason Stoffel, a 28-year-old who has spent plenty of time in the upper minors in recent years but hasn’t cracked the bigs. He recorded an impressive 2.44 ERA with 11.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 over 59 frames in 2016 in the Orioles organization, splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A.
  • Though we missed it at the time, it’s worth noting that the Angels reached agreement on a minor-league contract with righty Justin Miller, as Matt Eddy of Baseball America reported. The 29-year-old has thrown 88 1/3 innings over the past three seasons, with a 4.99 ERA that doesn’t inspire much hope. But he turned in a promising 2015 campaign and still managed 9.5 K/9 in his forty appearances last year with the Rockies.
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