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Minor MLB Transactions: 1/4/20

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Baseball America has posted its traditional roundup of minor moves dating to the start of the offseason. We’ve already covered quite a few of the transactions over the past several weeks, but there are several additions on minor-league pacts that have to this point eluded detection …

  • The Braves have signed left-handed pitcher Chris Nunn to a minor-league deal that includes an invite to spring training, according to Robert Murray. Nunn, originally a 2012 draftee of the Padres, has yet to see Major League action since his professional debut, making stops in Independent leagues along the way. Now 28 years old, he’s played in the upper minors with the Astros and Dodgers organizations in the last two years. Last year, in 50 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, Nunn struck out 66 batters while walking 24. After posting a 1.33 ERA in Double-A, his numbers ballooned at the next level, though he largely maintained his bat-missing prowess.
  • The Padres signed outfielder Abraham Almonte. The 30-year-old switch-hitter saw action in 17 MLB games for the division-rival Diamonbacks in 2019. He was quite productive with the Snakes’ Triple-A affiliate in Reno last season, slashing .270/.382/.558. That dwarfs his prior MLB performance, though. In 1,138 plate appearances over the past six seasons, the center field-capable Almonte has compiled a .239/.298/.373 line (81 wRC+).
  • The Reds re-signed infielder Christian Colón and added catcher Francisco Peña to the organization. Colón, most known for his top five draft status and World Series heroics with the Royals, logged eight MLB plate appearances in Cincinnati last season. That rewarded a solid .300/.372/.443 line in extended action with Triple-A Louisville, although Colón was unsurprisingly bumped from the 40-man roster at season’s end. Peña tallied 202 uninspiring MLB plate appearances with the Royals, Orioles and Cardinals from 2014-18. He’s shown decent pop for a catcher at Triple-A, though; in parts of six seasons at the minors’ highest level, he has compiled a .259/.301/.469 line.
  • The Dodgers re-signed right-hander Justin De Fratus. The former Phillie has spent the last two seasons in the L.A. organization, but he hasn’t seen the majors since 2015. While all 191 of De Fratus’ MLB appearances have come out of the bullpen, he’s primarily been a starting pitcher in the minors in recent years, albeit with uninspiring results. The Dodgers also added hard-throwing lefty reliever Reymin Guduan. Guduan is still just 27 and had little trouble racking up strikeouts in the Astros’ organization, both in the high minors and at the MLB level. He’s always issued a few too many walks, though. Perhaps more concerning, Houston released Guduan in September after a team-imposed suspension for an undisclosed disciplinary issue.
  • The Rockies re-signed righty reliever Wes Parsons. The 27-year-old was claimed off waivers midseason from the Braves, but a dreadful MLB showing cost him his 40-man roster spot. Parsons logged a cumulative 5.45 ERA with more walks (29) than strikeouts (26) in 34.2 innings. Colorado also signed outfielder Michael Choice. The former top prospect, now 30, hasn’t logged significant MLB action since 2014. He’s spent the past two seasons in the Mexican League, but a strong 2019 effort there earned him another look in affiliated ball.
  • The Braves signed veteran infielder Pete Kozma. The longtime Cardinal has just a .215/.278/.291 career line (54 wRC+) in parts of seven MLB seasons. He hasn’t done much at the dish in the minors, either, but he’s a well-regarded defender around the infield.
  • The Angels signed former Cubs’ prospect Arismendy Alcántara. Alcántara hasn’t played at the highest level since 2017, and his career .189/.235/.315 line (49 wRC+) reflects the plate discipline woes that have done him in. He’s still just 28 years old, though, and his 2019 return to affiliated ball following a year in the Mexican League went well. The utilityman was productive across two minor-league levels in the Mets’ organization last season and showed better discipline than he has in his MLB career.
  • The Mets added former White Sox outfielder Ryan Cordell. Twice traded as a prospect, the 27-year-old fell flat in his first extended MLB look in 2019, with just a .221/.290/.355 line (73 wRC+). He’s capable of logging some time in center field, though, and he put together a decent minor-league resume between myriad injuries.
  • Finally, the Yankees brought aboard utilityman Rosell Herrera. Herrera logged fair MLB time with the Reds, Royals and Marlins the past two seasons. His resultant .225/.286/.316 slash (63 wRC+) won’t turn any heads, but Herrera has an 82nd percentile sprint speed, per Statcast, and has logged time at six different positions (short, second, third, and all three outfield spots) as a big leaguer.

White Sox Outright Four Players

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The White Sox announced today that they have outrighted four players. Leaving the 40-man are southpaw Manny Banuelos, outfielder Ryan Cordell, and infielders Ryan Goins and Matt Skole.

The Chicago organization noted that all four players will reach minor-league free agency at the conclusion of the World Series. Accordingly, they’ll soon hit the open market.

Banuelos, 28, made it back to the majors for the first time since his 2014 debut. But he scuffled to a 6.93 ERA in 50 2/3 frames with the White Sox.

Cordell and Skole also received somewhat longer looks in their second seasons of MLB action. The 27-year-old Cordell was given 247 plate appearances but managed only a .221/.290/.355 batting line. Skole posted a meager .208/.275/.236 output over eighty trips to the plate.

Of the group, Goins obviously has far and away the most extensive experience. The gritty, light-hitting infielder actually had something of a career year at the dish, turning in a .250/.333/.347 slash in 163 plate appearances. That translates to a personal-best 86 wRC+.

White Sox Promote Eloy Jimenez

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The White Sox have officially announced that outfielder Eloy Jimenez will open the season on the active MLB roster. Outfielder Jon Jay and righty Ian Hamilton have been placed on the injured list, with outfielder Ryan Cordell joining Jimenez in the majors.

Jimenez, the organization’s top prospect, had previously been optioned down but went on to sign a precedent-setting extension. That no doubt played a significant role in today’s decision, but the ensuing loss of Jay to a hip strain also cleared a path.

The hope will be that Jimenez emerges as a star from the outset of his MLB career. But with the club now controlling him for eight full seasons, thereby obviating any service-time considerations, it can make its future roster decisions with reference only to team need and Jimenez’s development.

Poll: The Handling Of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Eloy Jimenez

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Two of the most talented players in Triple-A will remain there throughout the month of September. Third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Eloy Jimenez will not receive a cup of coffee in the majors this month, per recent announcements from the Blue Jays and White Sox, respectively.

To those well-versed in MLB service time rules and practices, this news induces a reaction closer to a yawn than a surprise; teams have been using the service clock to manipulate team control for quite some time, and there was no reason to believe that would change in regards to Guerrero Jr. or Jimenez. Recent examples of players whose service time has been suppressed by their respective teams in order to yield them an additional year of team control include Kris Bryant, George Springer and Ronald Acuna Jr., and that list is far from complete. Others still, including the likes of Francisco Lindor, have been held in the minors long enough to reduce their earning power.

That doesn’t mean agents are quieting down about the issue, though. Both players’ representatives have been vocal in regards to their clients’ dearth of a promotion, as well they ought to be considering they’ll miss out on a significant amount of money. Jimenez’ agent in particular blasted with White Sox for service time manipulation. “Especially with elite players like Eloy and (Blue Jays top prospect) Vlad (Guerrero) Jr., that’s the nature of the business,” said Dan Kinzer. “It’s not about the money. It’s the extra year of control.” Similarly, the MLBPA has spoken out against Chicago and Toronto on the subject.

Perhaps J.J. Cooper of Baseball America put it best in his recent piece on the subject: it’s impossible to objectively argue that these players don’t deserve a call up based on performance. Guerrero Jr. has hit .336/.414/.564 with a microscopic 7.8% strikeout rate since his promotion to Triple-A this season, while Jimenez owns an even more excellent .355/.399/.597 line to go along with a 13.2% strikeout rate. Put simply, opposing pitchers aren’t fooling these prospects, and there’s no real reason development-wise that they ought not be exposed to major-league pitching. That’s particularly true in light of the fact that the White Sox promoted low-ceiling prospect Ryan Cordell, while the Blue Jays selected Triple-A veteran Rowdy Tellez. Whatever good there is to say of these young players, any attempt to argue that they’ve done more to earn a promotion than Guerrero Jr. or Jimenez would require a staggering amount of cognitive dissonance.

These teams are clearly planning to restrain their top prospects within the confines of Triple-A until the third week of April 2019, regardless of how well they hit. That’s the point at which they’ll be guaranteed an additional year of team control that allows them to keep those future superstars around through the 2026 season rather than hit free agency after 2025. It’s a distinction that could potentially cost them eight figures in earning power apiece depending on how they develop in the majors.

The question I want to pose is, how do you feel about the overt suppression of service time to manipulate a player’s team control? (Poll link for app users)

 

AL Central Notes: V-Mart, Buchholz, Eloy, Cordell

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Tigers DH Victor Martinez hasn’t made any formal decisions on his future, but the five-time All-Star at least hinted at retirement following the 2018 season during an interview with MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince. The 39-year-old Martinez, who missed time last season due to an irregular heartbeat, talks with Castrovince about the frightening incident when he first felt symptoms  during a game — a sensation that was all the more troublesome given the history of heart issues that runs in his family. As Castrovince explains at greater length, Martinez lost his father to a heart attack at a young age, which only serves as further motivation for him to spend as much time with his own children as possible.

“Honestly? I’m ready,” the longtime Tigers slugger tells Castrovince. “…I know I left everything in this game. I think the biggest problem for athletes is they don’t know what to do after baseball. That won’t be my problem.”

More from the division…

  • The Royals assigned minor league signee Clay Buchholz to Double-A after he showed well in extended Spring Training, tweets MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. Buchholz, who missed nearly all of the 2017 season following surgery to repair a flexor tear in his right forearm, tossed 4 2/3 shutout innings with one hit, two walks and five strikeouts in the first of what should be multiple rehab outings. Flanagan reminds that Buchholz has a May 1 opt-out date in his deal, however, so Kansas City could have to make a call on the longtime Red Sox righty before too long. With Nate Karns on the disabled list and Eric Skoglund struggling through his first two starts, there does appear to be room to fit Buchholz into the mix in Kansas City.
  • The White Sox announced that top prospect Eloy Jimenez has recovered from the pectoral strain that sidelined him to open the season, and he’ll head to Double-A Birmingham in place of the recently released Courtney Hawkins. As James Fegan of The Athletic writes, the release of Hawkins makes it all the more likely that Chicago’s 2012 draft will prove to yield little to no value at the big league level. But, the Sox also now boast considerably stronger outfield depth in Class-A Advanced and in Double-A, representing a noted turnaround from recent seasons. Jimenez made an 18-game cameo in Double-A last season but figures to spend a greater chunk of time there, as well as some time in Triple-A, before being moved up to the big league level.
  • News on fellow White Sox outfield prospect Ryan Cordell is less encouraging than the Jimenez update; Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago tweeted this week that the 26-year-old Cordell is expected to miss at least eight weeks after suffering a fractured collarbone. Cordell, acquired in the trade that sent Anthony Swarzak to the Brewers last summer, had a monster performance in Spring Training but had gotten off to a slow start in Triple-A Charlotte this year. Injuries have slowed Cordell’s path to the big leagues considerably in recent seasons, but he’s on the 40-man roster and had been viewed as a prospect likely to make his big league debut this season before this latest setback. It’s possible, of course, that Cordell recovers and appears for the ChiSox later this season.

AL Central Notes: Twins, Liriano, Tigers, White Sox

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Perhaps no team gained as much from the offseason’s slow free agent market as the Twins, who were able to sign Lance Lynn and Logan Morrison to one-year deals far below their expected asking prices.  These signings augmented Minnesota’s heavier investment in relief pitching (Addison Reed, Fernando Rodney, Zach Duke) and its acquisition of Jake Odorizzi from the Rays for just a lightly-regarded minor league infielder.  “We recognized relatively early in this offseason that there are different rules to this card game and we kept getting dealt different cards,” Twins GM Thad Levine tells Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown.  “We had to figure out how to keep our head above water in this new game….It would be a little disingenuous for me to say that we had any forecast associated with seeing that this was on the horizon and that we plotted these moves. We really were more reacting to how the market was unfolding and trying to make the most of our opportunities.”

While the team itself is obviously pleased at the roster upgrades, Phil Hughes noted that it also “a little bit conflicting” for Twins players as they recognize how some of their fellow union members have been left shortchanged on the open market.  “You recognize there’s a problem with the way free agency is being handled now,” Hughes said.  “But, we’re benefiting from a couple of these guys who shouldn’t have fallen into our laps….You certainly would rather be the team getting these guys for sweetheart deals than the team not getting them.”

Here’s some more from around the AL Central…

  • Health permitting, Francisco Liriano has clinched a spot in the Tigers rotation, manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jason Beck).  Liriano worked exclusively out of the bullpen down the stretch for the Astros last season after struggling in 17 starts for the Blue Jays.  Now that he’s regained a foothold as a starter, however, Liriano will join Michael Fulmer in Detroit’s starting five with the other three spots to be contested between Jordan Zimmermann, Mike Fiers, Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd.  With Boyd out of options and Zimmermann and Fiers both under MLB contracts, Norris could be the odd man out, as he still has a minor league option remaining.
  • The Tigers are still scouting and evaluating several potential candidates for the first overall pick in June’s amateur draft, team director of amateur scouting Scott Pleis tells The Athletic’s Katie Strang (subscription required).  The process is still “wide open now,” Pleis said, and “after we get later into March and into April, we’ll have an idea — or narrow it down more, is what I should say.”  The interview contains lots of interesting tidbits about what Pleis and the Tigers value in a prospect, with a particular focus on the player’s makeup and character.
  • Ryan Cordell is having a strong Spring Training and could be working his way into a spot on the White Sox roster, NBC Sports Chicago’s Vinnie Duber writes.  Cordell, an 11th-round pick for the Rangers in the 2013 draft, has a .276/.339/.468 slash line, 65 homers and 81 steals (in 103 chances) over 1940 career PA in the minor leagues.  He was acquired from the Brewers for Anthony Swarzak last July, and White Sox GM Rick Hahn said in January that he’d received trade inquiries about Cordell from three different teams.  Chicago is having an open competition for center field and left field playing time could also be available if Nicky Delmonico’s partially-dislocated shoulder sidelines him for a significant amount of time.

Avisail Garcia Placed On DL With Strained Thumb Ligament

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White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia has been diagnosed with a strained ligament in his thumb and will be placed on the DL, per a team announcement. Garcia will miss approximately two weeks with the injury, tweets MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. CSN Chciago’s Chuck Garfien tweets that Garcia will undergo an MRI for further evaluation. A corresponding move has not yet been announced.

[Related: Updated Chicago White Sox depth chart]

While Garcia hasn’t been among the most discussed White Sox trade candidates, it certainly stands to reason that the Chicago front office would’ve listened to offers on the 26-year-old. He’s controlled only through the 2019 season and has enjoyed the most productive season of his career at the plate. Through 363 plate appearances, Garcia is hitting .303/.347/.485 with 13 home runs, 17 doubles and three triples. He’s also turned in slightly above-average marks in right field, per Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating, for the second straight season. The injury makes a move involving Garcia considerably less likely, however.

Much of Garcia’s 2017 production looks attributable to a career-high BABIP that has begun to come back to earth in recent weeks, though he’s improved his strikeout rate to a career-best 21.5 percent and has substantially increased his overall contact rate at the plate as well. He’s also sporting a career-best homer-to-flyball ratio (19.7 percent) and has seen a corresponding uptick in isolated power (.182).

With both Avisail and Leury Garcia on the shelf, the White Sox could give waiver pickup Alen Hanson more looks in right field. The team also has Willy Garcia as an option in Triple-A. Outfield prospect Ryan Cordell, acquired in the trade that sent Anthony Swarzak to the Brewers, would likely be an option were it not for the fact that he’s been on the minor league disabled list since late June. White Sox GM Rick Hahn elaborated on Cordell’s back injury, telling reporters that it’ll probably take another few weeks to resolve and suggesting that Cordell could be sidelined until the instructional league in September (Twitter link via the Daily Herald’s Scot Gregor).

Brewers Acquire Anthony Swarzak

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TODAY: Milwaukee has announced the swap, making it official.

YESTERDAY: The Brewers and White Sox have reportedly agreed to a trade that will send right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak from Chicago to Milwaukee in exchange for 25-year-old infield/outfield prospect Ryan Cordell.

Anthony Swarzak | Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports

After signing a minor league deal with a $900K base salary this offseason, the 31-year-old Swarzak has broken out with the best season of his career. In 48 1/3 innings with the South Siders, he’s averaged 9.7 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 with a 40.5 percent ground-ball rate en route to a 2.23 ERA.

The former second-round pick is averaging 94.5 mph on his heater this year and has posted a 14 percent swinging-strike rate that dwarfs his previous career-high of 10.6 percent. Swarzak’s 71.9 percent contact rate sits nearly six percentage points below the league average of 77.5 percent.

[Related: Updated White Sox depth chart and Brewers depth chart]

Swarzak figures to serve as a setup man to breakout closer Corey Knebel. He’ll be joined in the relief corps by the likes of Jacob Barnes, Jared Hughes and Josh Hader. Veteran Carlos Torres and midseason acquisition Oliver Drake have both logged significant innings out of the Milwaukee ’pen, though each righty has struggled recently.

Cordell, 25, has spent the season with Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate, hitting .284/.349/.506 with 10 homers and nine steals in the hitter-friendly environment of Colorado Springs. He’ll ultimately spend less than a full season in the Brewers’ system, as he’d previously been acquired as the player to be named later in last summer’s Jonathan Lucroy/Jeremy Jeffress trade with the Rangers.

The versatile Cordell ranked 17th among Milwaukee farmhands on the updated top 30 list published by MLB.com today. A former 11th-round pick, Cordell has appeared at shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions in his career and could project as a super-utility option with some pop and speed in the Majors. While some scouts may project him as a fourth outfielder (as MLB.com’s report indicates and as Yahoo’s Jeff Passan suggests on Twitter), Cordell is essentially a very near-MLB-ready piece and should have a chance to convince the ChiSox that he’s capable of more in the very near future.

Swarzak becomes the latest domino to fall in the White Sox’ aggressive, ongoing rebuilding effort. Chicago GM Rick Hahn has moved Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle this summer, in addition to shipping out center fielder Adam Eaton and ace Chris Sale this past offseason. There could still be more pieces on the move in Chicago as well, with Melky Cabrera, Miguel Gonzalez and Derek Holland all set to hit free agency at season’s end. Outfielder Avisail Garcia, too, could see his name bandied about the rumor circuit over the next five to six days, as he’s only controlled through the 2019 campaign.

FOX’s Ken Rosenthal first reported the two sides were in talks. FanRag’s Jon Heyman reported that an agreement was in place (via Twitter). Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reported that Cordell was going to the White Sox in return for Swarzak  (via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Brewers Acquire Ryan Cordell To Complete Jonathan Lucroy Trade

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The Brewers announced on Monday that they have acquired minor league third baseman/outfielder Ryan Cordell from the Rangers as the player to be named later in the Jonathan Lucroy/Jeremy Jeffress deadline blockbuster. In total, then, the Brewers will acquire outfielder Lewis Brinson, right-hander Luis Ortiz and Cordell for the pair of Lucroy and Jeffress.

Ryan Cordell

The 24-year-old Cordell is rated as the Rangers’ No. 6 prospect, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo. Baseball America rated him as the team’s No. 9 prospect in their own midseason update (Brinson and Ortiz were ranked second and third, respectively, on that same list). Cordell has played exclusively in the outfield this season (seeing time at all three positions) but also has 300+ innings of experience at third base and saw some time at shortstop last season as well. He’s spent the entire year with Texas’ Double-A affiliate and batted .264/.319/.484 with 19 homers, 22 doubles, five triples and 12 stolen bases.

Baseball America noted in their write-up on him that he’s made strides in his plate discipline, chasing fewer out-of-zone pitches in his second trip through Double-A, and that bears out in his strikeout rate; Cordell walked in just 4.9 percent of his plate appearances in Double-A last season, compared to a woeful 30.2 percent strikeout rate. This year, however, he’s walked at a 7.1 percent clip and cut his strikeout rate to 21.8 percent. In MLB.com’s scouting report, Callis and Mayo write that Cordell has “some of the best all-around tools” in the Rangers minor league system and could eventually have average-or-better tools across the board. His best tool right now is his speed, but he also has the bat speed to hit for power as well.

MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy points out (via Twitter) that Cordell’s season ended this year due to an Aug. 2 knee injury, and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that the injury was sustained when Cordell crashed into the outfield wall. However, the Brewers clearly aren’t overly concerned about the long-term implications of that collision and will count on a full season from Cordell in 2017. Given his production and experience at the Double-A level, it’s not far-fetched to think that Cordell could either open the season with Triple-A Colorado Springs or, at the very least, be promoted to that level early in the 2017 campaign.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News first reported that Cordell was the player to be named later (via Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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