Minor MLB Transactions: 3/21/18
We’ll track the day’s minor moves in this post:
- The Twins have placed first baseman/DH Kennys Vargas on waivers, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press. The Minnesota organization had been trying to find a trade for the burly switch-hitter, but will instead see whether he can clear waivers and be outrighted. Vargas will learn his fate by the middle of the day on Thursday, says Berardino. The 27-year-old owns a .252/.311/.437 slash with 35 home runs in his 859 total MLB plate appearances over the past four seasons.
- Former MLB righties Manny Delcarmen and Zach Stewart have signed with the Atlantic League’s New Britain Bees, per a club announcement. Neither hurler has touched the majors in quite some time, but both are still plying their trade professional. Delcarmen spent parts of six seasons in the Red Sox bullpen (along with a brief stop with the Rockies) between 2005 and 2010, throwing a combined 292 2/3 innings of 3.97 ERA ball. He spent last year with the Bridgeport Bluefish, compiling a 4.40 ERA in 57 1/3 innings. Stewart, a former third-round draft pick, was knocked around in the 103 frames he threw in the majors in 2011-12. He briefly appeared with the Orioles’ top affiliate last year after a stint in 2016 with Korea’s NC Dinos, where he ran up 150 innings with a 4.56 ERA.
Minor MLB Transactions: 1/6/17
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…
- Right-hander Zach Stewart has agreed to a minor league deal with the Orioles, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (the news was first reported by Korean media outlet Naver Sports — hat tip to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net). Once a well-regarded pitching prospect in the Reds organization, the 30-year-old Stewart is now a well-traveled veteran who will hope to return to the Majors for the first time since 2012 this coming season. He’s spent the past two years with the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization and reportedly drew interest from the KBO’s Hanwha Eagles before agreeing to the deal with Baltimore. Stewart logged a 3.76 ERA with 217 strikeouts against 80 walks in 260 2/3 innings across the past two seasons in the KBO and has a career 4.08 ERA in parts of six Triple-A seasons. He’s also totaled 103 big league innings but struggled to a 6.82 ERA with 5.6 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 in that time.
Angels Release Zach Stewart For KBO Opportunity
The Angels have released right-hander Zach Stewart so that he can pursue an opportunity in the Korean Baseball Organization, according to a team release. Stewart has agreed to join the KBO’s NC Dinos.
The 28-year-old joined the Halos last winter as a minor league free agent. He has seen good results thus far at Triple-A, throwing 39 1/3 innings of 3.43 ERA ball over eight starts and four relief appearances. It has been quite some time since Stewart has maintained a full-season earned run mark at that level.
Over 103 big league innings, all coming over 2011-12, Stewart owns a 6.82 ERA with 5.6 K/9 versus 1.9 BB/9. He saw action with the Blue Jays, White Sox, and Red Sox in that span.
A 2008 third-rounder out of Texas Tech, Stewart entered professional ball as a reliever but converted to starting and has mostly stayed in the rotation since. It remains to be seen what role he’ll have in Korea.
Minor Moves: Morris, Stewart, Herrmann
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- First baseman Hunter Morris has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, the Brewers announced this week. Morris was at one point considered to be the Brewers’ first baseman of the future, and he posted an impressive .303/.357/.563 batting line at Double-A in 2012. However, he’s slipped to a .260/.315/.453 line in two seasons at Triple-A and missed time with a fractured forearm this season. Morris will play the coming season at age 26.
- The Angels have signed right-hander Zach Stewart to a minor league deal with no invite to Spring Training, tweets Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Stewart, 28, once looked to be a fairly promising prospect but has registered just a 6.82 ERA in 103 innings with the Blue Jays, White Sox and Red Sox. The former Reds third-rounder has a lifetime 4.15 ERA in 364 2/3 Triple-A innings.
- The Angels announced the signing of righty Frank Herrmann to a minor league deal with a spring invite, via Twitter. The 30-year-old last worked in the bigs back in 2012, and owns a 4.26 ERA with 5.4 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 over 120 1/3 career frames. After Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2013, Herrmann struggled last year in 29 2/3 Triple-A frames with the Indians, the only organization he had previously played for.
Braves Acquire Zach Stewart
The Braves have acquired right-hander Zach Stewart from the White Sox in exchange for cash considerations, according to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan (on Twitter).
Stewart spent 2013, his age-26 season, with Chicago's Triple-A affiliate, posting a 4.25 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 167 1/3 innings of work. Originally a third-round pick by the Reds in 2008, the Texas Tech product has found himself included in trades for a number of high-profile players over the past six years. The Reds dealt him to Toronto along with Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Roenicke in 2008 to acquire Scott Rolen. He was then part of the three-team deal that sent Edwin Jackson to the Cardinals in 2011, and he was acquired by the White Sox to the Red Sox in June 2012's Kevin Youkilis deal. Chicago picked him back up on waivers last offseason.
Stewart has 103 Major League innings under his belt, but he's posted a 6.82 ERA in that time. He's whiffed just 5.6 hitters per nine innings, but has also averaged just 1.9 walks per nine to go along with a strong 50 percent ground-ball rate in the bigs. Both xFIP and SIERA feel his ERA to date should be just a shade under 4.00 rather than at its current level.
Atlanta's acquisition of Stewart isn't entirely surprising; the team looks to be adding depth with Kris Medlen's health status up in the air (he'll undergo an MRI on his right forearm today) along with the possibility that Mike Minor could miss a start or two in April. Of course, Atlanta has in-house options such as Alex Wood, Freddy Garcia and David Hale that would presumably be in line for big league starts before Stewart, who is most likely ticketed for Triple-A. Stewart was not on Chicago's 40-man roster.
White Sox Outright Zach Stewart To Triple-A
Today’s outright assignments..
- The White Sox have outrighted Zach Stewart to Triple-A Charlotte, according to Dan Hayes of CSNChicago (on Twitter). The move removes the right-hander off of the 40-man roster, which now stands at 39. Chicago claimed Stewart just last week.
Hahn On Viciedo, Pierzynski, Stewart
Earlier today, the White Sox hosted SoxFest 2013, an interactive event where fans got the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session with General Manager Rick Hahn. Executive Vice President and former GM Kenny Williams couldn't resist joining in and closed things out when he asked Hahn if he'll do a better job than his predecessor. Hahn responded by saying that the last GM had a better support staff in place (via White Sox on Twitter) and drew laughs from everyone in attendance. Here's more on the White Sox..
- Hahn said that the White Sox haven't shopped Dayan Viciedo but added that no one is untouchable, tweets Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. It was reported last month that the White Sox discussed deals involving Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza.
- The GM was asked about the departure of A.J. Pierzynski and he explained that the money that would have gone to the catcher was instead re-routed to Jake Peavy, Jeff Keppinger, and Matt Lindstrom, tweets Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Hahn also expressed confidence in catcher Tyler Flowers' abilities.
- A fan asked Hahn about the decision to claim Zach Stewart off of waivers from the Pirates. The GM explained that Stewart adds depth to the team's pitching, cost the team very little, and has big league experience, Gonzales tweets. The White Sox's decision to pick up Stewart yesterday marked the second time that they have acquired the right-hander in two years.
White Sox Claim Zach Stewart
The White Sox claimed Zach Stewart off of waivers, MLBTR has learned. The Pirates had designated Stewart for assignment one week ago to create 40-man roster space for Jeff Karstens.
This marks the second time in two years that the White Sox have acquired Stewart. They traded for him and Jason Frasor in July of 2012, sending Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen to Toronto. Stewart posted an 8.58 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9 in 35 2/3 innings for the White Sox and Red Sox this past season. The Red Sox traded him to Pittsburgh in November, but he never threw a pitch for the Pirates.
Pirates Designate Zach Stewart For Assignment
The Pirates have designated Zach Stewart for assignment, according to MLB.com's official transactions page. The move was made in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Jeff Karstens, whom they signed earlier this week.
Stewart was acquired from the Red Sox for a player to be named later in late November. In 103 career major league innings at the MLB level, Stewart has a 6.82 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. He's no stranger to the pages of MLBTR, having been traded four times since being drafted by the Reds in 2008.
Pirates Acquire Zach Stewart
The Pirates acquired right-hander Zach Stewart from the Red Sox for a player to be named later, the teams announced. The Red Sox had designated Stewart for assignment on November 20th.
Stewart, 26, has pitched at the MLB level in both of the past two seasons. This is already the fourth time he has been traded since the Reds selected him in the third round of the 2008 draft. The Blue Jays acquired him in the deal that sent Scott Rolen to Cincinnati; Toronto traded him to the White Sox in the three-team trade that sent Colby Rasmus to the Blue Jays; the Red Sox acquired him in the deal that sent Kevin Youkilis to Chicago. In 103 innings at the MLB level, Stewart has a 6.82 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9.