Mariners To Activate James Paxton, Designate Wade LeBlanc For Assignment
The Mariners will make a series of roster moves this afternoon, per Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune, who reports that lefty James Paxton will be activated from the disabled list with fellow southpaw Wade LeBlanc being designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster. The Mariners will also option right-hander Tony Zych to Triple-A and recall infielder Mike Freeman to give the club another bat as Kyle Seager nurses a sore foot.
LeBlanc, 32, was picked up from the Blue Jays back on June 22 in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations and gave Seattle a series of steady starts to help stabilize the rotation amid injuries. In 44 2/3 innings out of the rotation, LeBlanc turned in a 4.43 ERA with a 34-to-9 K/BB ratio, managing to work his way around an alarming 12 homers in that time. He’s also made three relief appearances, yielding three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.
Paxton, 27, has been out for most of August after suffering a contusion on his left forearm when he was hit by a comebacker. He’s posted a 3.53 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9 in a career-high 81 2/3 innings for the Mariners this season.
Mariners Acquire Wade LeBlanc
The Mariners have acquired southpaw Wade LeBlanc from the Blue Jays, per an official announcement from Seattle. A player to be named later or cash will head back in return.
LeBlanc isn’t going directly onto the 40-man, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). But he is expected to be activated to take a start on Friday, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune tweets.
[Related: Updated Mariners depth chart]
The 31-year-old lefty didn’t crack the majors last year, ending a seven-year run in which he spent at least some time in the bigs. Instead, he pitched in Japan — an experience that he was kind enough to share with me on the MLBTR Podcast.
LeBlanc returned to affiliated ball this year with the Blue Jays organization, signing a minor league deal. He has shown quite well thus far at Triple-A, spinning 89 2/3 innings of 1.71 ERA ball with 8.5 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9.
Blue Jays Sign Roberto Hernandez, Brad Penny
The Blue Jays have announced a series of minor league pitching signings today, including righties Roberto Hernandez and Brad Penny. Toronto also confirmed the previously-reported signing of southpaw Wade LeBlanc and announced the additions of right-hander Scott Copeland and lefty Pat McCoy. All of the above-listed players will receive invites to major league camp.
Hernandez, 35, threw 84 2/3 innings (in eleven starts and nine relief appearances) last year for the Astros before losing his roster spot. He put up a 4.36 earned run average with 4.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in that span. Hernandez lost a mile off of his fastball last year, ending with an average 88.9 mph heater, but rested for the second half of the season and could be a swingman/long relief candidate.
Toronto will owe pay Hernandez at a $1.25MM annual rate if he makes the roster, per SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (on Twitter). The deal also includes $750K in incentives. And there’s a March 28 opt-out, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca adds via Twitter.
Penny still brings a mid-nineties heater even as he closes in on 38 years of age, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick noted yesterday in reporting the signing on Twitter. He can opt out of his deal at the end of camp, Nicholson-Smith notes via Twitter. Penny worked as a starter last year at Triple-A for the White Sox, throwing 135 1/3 innings of 4.46 ERA ball.
Copeland, meanwhile, just turned 28. He debuted briefly for the Jays last year, but spent most of the year working to a 2.95 ERA in 125 Triple-A innings, but with a marginal 4.8 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9.
As for McCoy, he has also received a short stint in the bigs — in 2014 with the Tigers — and will be looking for a chance at a return. He spent last year in the Orioles organization, throwing 83 1/3 minor league innings and compiling a 3.78 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.
Blue Jays To Sign Wade LeBlanc
The Blue Jays and left-hander Wade LeBlanc have reached agreement on a minor league pact, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal includes an invite to major league spring training. LeBlanc, 31, spent the 2015 season pitching in Japan for the Seibu Lions. Back in November, the hurler joined Jeff Todd on the MLB Trade Rumors podcast to talk about his experience in Asia and his desire to return to Major League Baseball. The former Padres/Angels/Marlins/Yankees/Astros lefty has a lifetime 4.47 ERA with 6.1 K/9 against 3.2 BB/9 in 446 2/3 big league innings — most of which came as a starter. However, LeBlanc has worked primarily as a reliever since 2012 and probably has an easier path to the Toronto roster in the bullpen.
Here’s a look at some more minor moves of note:
- The Athletics confirmed that they have released first baseman Nate Freiman, as was first reported by Athetics Farm (h/t: CSN Bay Area’s Joe Stiglich, on Twitter). The 2012 Rule 5 pick spent the 2013 season with Oakland, batting a respectable .274/.327/.389 while working largely in a platoon capacity. His average and OBP dipped in 2014, and he spent the entire 2015 campaign in the minors where he struggled greatly in Triple-A. The 28-year-old batted just .220/.279/.321 this season at Nashville, prompting Oakland to designate him for assignment and outright him off the 40-man roster this summer. He’ll look to latch on with a new club and, considering the fact that he was a highly productive Triple-A bat as recently as 2014, should be able to do so.
MLBTR Podcast With Lefty Wade LeBlanc
After catching up on the league’s pre-Thanksgiving Day trades and signings, host Jeff Todd welcomes veteran left-hander Wade LeBlanc to the show.
The 31-year-old says that he’s healthy and looking for an opportunity with a major league organization after spending the 2015 campaign with Japan’s Seibu Lions. LeBlanc, a seven-year MLB veteran, talks about his hot stove experiences as well as his approach on the mound and dedication to the game. He also shares a great story about an unlikely source of a valuable pitching tip.
Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.
Wade LeBlanc Signs With Seibu Lions
Left-hander Wade LeBlanc has signed with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, according to a tweet from his agency, CAA Baseball.
The 30-year-old LeBlanc was non-tendered by the Angels this winter despite a projected salary of $800K and largely positive results in a Halos uniform. The former second-round pick posted a 3.45 ERA and a 21-to-6 K/BB ratio in a small sample of 28 2/3 innings with the Angels, but 10 2/3 of those frames came over a pair of scoreless September starts after the season-ending injuries to Garrett Richards and Tyler Skaggs.
LeBlanc has a lifetime 4.47 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 446 2/3 innings between the Padres, Marlins, Angels, Astros and Yankees.
Angels Non-Tender Gordon Beckham, Wade LeBlanc, Yoslan Herrera
The Angels have non-tendered a trio of players led by infielder Gordon Beckham, the club announced via Twitter. With lefty Wade LeBlanc and righty Yoslan Herrera also being shown the door, Los Angeles now has three open 40-man spots.
All said, the moves clear a solid bit of salary capacity for a Halos club that has looked to get creative in adding talent with an already-hefty payroll. Beckham was projected by MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz to earn $5MM, making up most of the savings. But LeBlanc projected to earn $800K, which may be a few hundred thousand more than the club would like to pay him. Both moves were widely expected, while
Herrera, 33, put together a nice run for the Angels last year, working 16 2/3 frames of 2.70 ERA ball from the pen. But that represented his first MLB action since way back in 2008, and it appears that Los Angeles was not interested in holding a roster spot for him at this point.
Wade LeBlanc Accepts Outright Assignment
Here are today’s minor moves…
- Angels left-hander Wade LeBlanc has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake, tweets Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Fletcher assumes that LeBlanc will be back with the club in September when rosters expand, though as he notes, LeBlanc is of course no longer on the 40-man roster. Anaheim designated LeBlanc for assignment earlier this week after he struggled in a spot start following Garrett Richards‘ season-ending injury.
AL West Notes: Angels, Zduriencik, Chirinos
Wade LeBlanc struggled in his lone start for the Angels and found himself designated for assignment the next day, but manager Mike Scioscia explained to reporters, including MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez, that the poor outing wasn’t necessarily the cause of the DFA. “This isn’t a reactionary move to a bad outing from last night to say that we’re looking past Wade LeBlanc,” said Scioscia. “Right now, in the short term, we have to because we really don’t have many options for these next couple days, and you need a fresh arm out there.” The Halos are on the hunt for additional starting depth in the final days of August, but it remains to be seen whether GM Jerry Dipoto and his staff can add yet another arm from outside the organization.
Here’s more on the Angels and the AL West…
- Angels owner Arte Moreno is remaining adamant that his team will not cross the $189MM luxury tax threshold next year, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears from rival clubs. The Halos already have $140MM worth of luxury tax commitments on the books, and adding an arm like Bartolo Colon would add $10MM more to that commitment (luxury tax is calculated based on the average annual value of a player’s contract). That makes both Scott Feldman and A.J. Burnett difficult fits as well.
- Mariners president Kevin Mather told reporters, including MLB.com’s Greg Johns, that extension negotiations with GM Jack Zduriencik didn’t take long. “The question really was, ‘Do you like it here? Are we treating you OK? Are you enjoying your job?'” Mather explained. “[Zduriencik] said, ‘I love it here, my family loves it here.’ I said, ‘Well then let’s stay. Let’s stay.’ Big smile on his face. I said, ‘I guess that’s a yes.'” For his part, Zduriencik expressed his happiness with the extension and with where his organization stands. He did, however, indicate that he’s not about to become complacent: “You’re never satisfied. If I had Mays and Mantle, I’d still be looking for more. That’s just the nature of what you do. But I think we’re on our way to being what we want to become and that’s a world champion.”
- Robinson Chirinos has impressed the Rangers in his first season of semi-regular playing time and figures to play a “significant” role with the 2015 club, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. While the club hasn’t decided how big a role he will play, minor league catching instructor Hector Ortiz tells Grant that he initially thought Chirinos was a backup type of catcher, but he know thinks there’s more ability in the tank. Chirinos says the team has said they want to see what he can do on an everyday basis over the season’s final weeks, so it certainly seems possible that this is an audition of sorts. The 30-year-old has batted .231/.282/.408 with 11 homers in 288 PAs. He’s also thrown out 38 percent of base stealers.
Angels Designate Wade LeBlanc For Assignment
The Angels have designated lefty Wade LeBlanc for assignment, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports on Twitter. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times first tweeted that the move seemed likely.
LeBlanc had been expected to fill a rotation slot, at least temporarily, for a club that is still figuring out how to deal with the losses of Garrett Richards and Tyler Skaggs. Having now removed LeBlanc from the big league roster, it is fair to wonder whether GM Jerry Dipoto has his eyes on acquiring a more permanent replacement. (Though, it should be noted, internal replacements such as Randy Wolf could instead be utilized.)
The 30-year-old LeBlanc has now been designated three times this year, twice by the Halos and once by the Yankees. Over 10 2/3 innings at the MLB level, he has allowed 12 runs on 15 hits and seven strikeouts against six walks.