Minor Moves: Maier, Sutton, Lewis, Ka’aihue, Reed
We'll track the day's minor league signings right here:
- The Red Sox announced five minor league signings, according to Tim Britton of the Providence Journal: Mitch Maier, Terry Doyle, Drew Sutton, Oscar Villarreal, and Jose De La Torre.
- The Diamondbacks have signed a handful of players to minor league contracts, adding left-handed pitchers Rommie Lewis and Eddie Bonine along with Kila Ka'aihue, Humberto Cota, and Brad Snyder, tweets Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com. All five guys have Major League experience at some point in their careers.
- Jeremy Reed also received a minor league contract and an invite to spring training from the Diamondbacks, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (via Twitter).
Lewis, Woodward, Wise Elect Free Agency
The Blue Jays announced that left-hander Rommie Lewis, infielder Chris Woodward and outfielder Dewayne Wise have elected free agency (Twitter link). The Blue Jays also announced that they claimed right-hander Jesse Chavez from the Royals.
Lewis, 29, appeared in six games for the Blue Jays, but spent most of the season at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he posted a 6.60 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. Woodward spent time with the Blue Jays in April and September. In between his big league stints, the 35-year-old veteran played 108 games at Las Vegas, posting a .296/.353/.474 line. Wise appeared in 20 games for the Blue Jays after they claimed him off of waivers at the end of August. He hit .202/.231/.303 as an extra outfielder for the Jays and Marlins.
Blue Jays Designate Rommie Lewis For Assignment
The Blue Jays have designated left-hander Rommie Lewis for assignment, the team announced. The move was made to free up a 40-man roster spot in the wake of Toronto's trade for Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera in exchange for Vernon Wells.
Lewis, a fourth-round pick of the Orioles in the 2001 draft, made his Major League debut last year after spending nine seasons in Baltimore and Toronto's minor league systems. The 28-year-old southpaw appeared in 14 games for the Jays, posting a 6.75 ERA and a 7.2 K/9 rate in 18 2/3 relief innings.