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Mariners Designate Rob Brantly For Assignment

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The Mariners announced that they have designated catcher Rob Brantly for assignment.

Brantly, 26 (27 in July), was claimed off of waivers from the White Sox roughly three weeks ago.  In Seattle, Brantly was given an opportunity to vie for the backup catcher job, but the team has ostensibly decided to go with Steve Clevenger as the primary understudy to to back up Chris Iannetta. In parts of three big league seasons (392 plate appearances), Brantly has posted a .225/.286/.317 batting line. In a larger sample size of 753 Triple-A plate appearances, Brantly has slashed .261/.295/.355.

Rule 5 Pick Jabari Blash Makes Padres

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  • Outfielder Jabari Blash, a Rule 5 pick from the Mariners, has made the Padres’ Opening Day roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com tweets. The 26-year-old Blash batted an impressive .271/.370/.576 and 32 homers in a 2015 season split between Double-A Jackson and Triple-A Tacoma, then followed that with a decent spring in which he hit .204 but with four homers and eight walks in 59 plate appearances. The Padres also announced that fellow outfielder Travis Jankowski has made the team.

Mariners' Roster Likely Set

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Rangers GM Jon Daniels says he will speak to Adrian Beltre’s agent, Scott Boras, this weekend, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes (Twitter links). Daniels apparently did not reveal much about the content of those talks, but said the Rangers would like to keep Beltre, who is eligible for free agency after the season. As Gerry Fraley of the Morning News notes, Beltre would prefer not to negotiate in-season, and the two parties would have to reach a deal by Monday to prevent that from happening. At last check, there was a “significant gap” between the two sides, with the soon-to-be-37-year-old Beltre looking for a hefty three-year deal. Both parties have, however, shown interest in reaching a deal. On a separate note, Daniels also suggested it was unlikely the Rangers would make an outside addition to their roster before Opening Day. Here’s more from the AL West.

  • Athletics righty Jarrod Parker has now undergone surgery, as expected, to repair his ulnar collateral ligament and flexor tendon, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The procedure was described as successful, but the 27-year-old faces yet another lengthy and uncertain rehabilitation process after already working back from two prior Tommy John surgeries. This time, of course, it will be even less straightforward (though he didn’t require a new UCL), since he’s also suffered two fractures to the medial epicyndyle area that typically anchors the UCL. The Chronicle’s Susan Slusser takes a closer look at the medicine involved.
  • It isn’t official yet, but the Mariners’ Opening Day roster appears set, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune writes. Steve Clevenger appears likely to win the backup catcher job over Rob Brantly. Both are out of options, so one will need to go through waivers. Relievers Charlie Furbush (shoulder) and Evan Scribner (lat), meanwhile, seem likely to head to the 15-day DL. 1B/OF Efren Navarro, outfielder Daniel Robertson and pitchers Donn Roach and Blake Parker appear likely to head to Triple-A Tacoma, leaving the Mariners with a 25-man that would require extra 40-man space only for non-roster reliever Joel Peralta.

Latest On Evan Scribner, Ryan Cook

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  • We learned Wednesday that Mariners reliever Charlie Furbush could be “several months” away from returning to action because of a shoulder injury. Two of his fellow Mariners relievers, Evan Scribner and Ryan Cook, will also continue to be out for a while longer. There’s “minimal hope” either will be back soon from their torn lat muscles, writes Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. “We don’t anticipate seeing either of them before the mid-end of May, thus the placement on the 60-day DL for Ryan,” general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “But Ryan appears to be on target to be in that zone, Scribner is just a little bit of the unknown.” Dipoto added that the M’s don’t have a timeline for either pitcher and could ultimately have Scribner join Cook on the 60-day DL. The team somewhat helped to make up for their absences when it acquired right-hander Nick Vincent on Thursday.

AL Notes: Furbush, Blue Jays, Athletics, Rangers, Holaday

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Mariners southpaw Charlie Furbush is undergoing a blood injection therapy to his shoulder in hopes of speeding his recovery, MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports, but he might not return to action for “several months.” Furbush suggested that he could resume throwing in about three weeks’ time, but given his rotator cuff issues last year and continued difficulties, it certainly seems likely that the club will bring him along cautiously.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • We checked in earlier today on Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion, as he’s not expected to engage in further contract talks before the season starts. Jon Heyman of MLB Network joins Ben Nicholson-Smith in reporting that there’s nothing scheduled with Encarnacion (Twitter link).
  • Heyman also adds on Twitter that Jose Bautista could be willing to consider a four-year arrangement to stay in Toronto, despite his ask of five or even six years in an extension. Of course, that would be at a superstar rate of pay — Heyman suggests $30MM annually. The club, meanwhile, is believed to be interested in a three-year pact that might looking something like the Yoenis Cespedes deal.
  • The Athletics could continue to hold contract talks with outfielder Josh Reddick into the regular season, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reports. (Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle noted yesterday evening that talks between the two sides were “percolating a little bit.”)While previous indications were that there’d be a deadline at the end of the spring, it appears there’s a willingness to keep talking if negotiations are showing sufficient promise of completion. If a new deal can’t be struck, Reddick will reach free agency after the season. He currently sits at sixth among pending free agents on the pre-season power rankings by MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes.
  • Athletics righty R.J. Alvarez underwent a procedure to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Alvarez was roughed up in his twenty MLB innings last year and has yet to harness his command, but has generated some whiffs with his mid-90s fastball and slider combo.
  • The Indians have shifted Trevor Bauer into the bullpen to open the season, as Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal was among those to report. That leaves Cody Anderson and the just-extended Josh Tomlin as the four and five starters as things get underway. As Lewis notes, both Bauer and Anderson have displayed significant increases in their fastball velocity this year. Both president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and manager Terry Francona emphasized that Bauer remains in the rotation picture and will play a significant role — indeed, he had strong results this spring — but it’s certainly an interesting decision on a highly promising player who has yet to fully settle in at the major league level. It bears noting that the 25-year-old is all but certain to qualify as a Super Two after the season, so any loss of innings could have a significant impact on his future earnings.
  • Injured catcher Chris Gimenez will suit up for the Rangers on Wednesday in a “last-ditch effort” to make the team, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram tweets.  Gimenez currently appears to be on the outside looking in after the Rangers acquired Bryan Holaday from the Tigers.  The catcher will now have to make a big impression on team brass while dealing with an infected left leg.
  • At one point, the Tigers would have asked for catcher Brett Nicholas and more for Holaday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets.  However, the Rangers were able to acquire Holaday while hanging on to Nicholas.  Instead, they parted only with right-hander Myles Jaye and catcher Bobby Wilson. Meanwhile, Detroit plans on slotting the newly-acquired Jaye in their Double-A rotation, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.  In the long term, he says, the club believes that Jaye can be a major league reliever.

Mariners Acquire Nick Vincent

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The Marines have acquired righty Nick Vincent from the Padres, per a team announcement. San Diego will receive a player to be named later in the swap. MLB.com’s A.J. Cassavell first reported that a deal was in the works, via Twitter.

Seattle had long been on the look for another middle relief option with a variety of injuries impacting the team’s depth. The out-of-options Vincent was obviously available at a minimum cost, and will slot right into the pen.

Vincent, 29, owns a sparkling 2.63 ERA over 150 2/3 MLB frames, with 9.6 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9. And he’ll be pitching at the league minimum this season before qualifying for arbitration next winter (if he achieves sufficient service time).

That looks like an intriguing package, but there are reasons he was had so cheaply. Vincent doesn’t generate very many groundballs and has a sub-90 average fastball. He may be in for some regression in terms of allowing home runs and saw his control lag last year (3.9 BB/9). Metrics like SIERA (3.90) and xFIP (4.26) took note of such factors in valuing Vincent’s 23 frames in 2015, though they have liked him quite a bit in prior years and it’s fair to note that he was rather dominant over his 50 1/3 innings at Triple-A.

Blue Jays Claim Jesus Montero; Designate A.J. Jimenez For Assignment

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The Blue Jays have claimed Jesus Montero off waivers from the Mariners, according to a Toronto press release.  To create roster space, catcher A.J. Jimenez has been designated for assignment.

The move ends Montero’s four-year tenure with the Mariners, a stint that undoubtedly created frustration for both the player and the team.  Montero was acquired in a trade that sent Michael Pineda to the Yankees, a rare case of two blue chip prospects being swapped in the same deal.  The M’s were counting on Montero to become a fixture in their lineup, but instead he hit .247/.285/.383 with 24 homers in 796 PA as a Mariner.

Montero’s checkered time in Seattle included several trips to the minors, injuries, defensive issues that turned him from a catcher into a first baseman/DH, weight problems, a 50-game suspension as part of the Biogenesis PED scandal and a bizarre altercation with a minor league coach in 2014 that saw him banned for the last month of the season.

Despite all of this baggage, Montero was still putting up big numbers at the Triple-A level and is just 26 years old.  For a player who was considered a consensus top-five prospect in the sport just five years ago, Toronto may feel it’s worth a low-risk signing to see if a change of scenery unlocks Montero’s potential.

Montero is out of options, which complicates things for the Jays since they don’t have an obvious roster spot for him.  Edwin Encarnacion is the everyday DH with Chris Colabello and Justin Smoak splitting the first base duties, so as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm notes, the Blue Jays may have to try and sneak Montero through waivers again if they intend to keep him.

Jimenez has a reputation as a good defensive catcher and he has hit .272/.314/.381 over 1923 minor league PA.  Once considered a possible catcher of the future for the Jays, Jimenez was ranked as the 14th-best prospect in the club’s system by Baseball America prior to the 2014 season before slipping to 23rd in 2015 to out of the top 30 entirely this year.  His lack of progress at the plate was a factor in his slide down the rankings and he also has a significant injury history, including Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for much of 2012.  Like Montero, Jimenez was also out of options.

Mariners Talking To Padres About Righty Relievers

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The Mariners have talked to the Padres about acquiring a right-handed reliever, with Nick Vincent, Kevin Quackenbush and Jon Edwards all being mentioned in discussions, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.  The M’s are looking to add some depth to a pen that has been thinned out by injuries to Charlie Furbush, Evan Scribner and Ryan Cook, while the Padres have a bit of a surplus in their own relief corps.

As A.J. Cassavell of MLB.com notes, Fernando Rodney, Carlos Villanueva and Brandon Maurer are locked into spots in San Diego’s bullpen, leaving Vincent, Quackenbush and Edwards and others vying for the three open spots.  Drew Pomeranz is a key figure in this race since he’ll make the roster as either a starter or a reliever, so the number of available bullpen spots could shrink if Pomeranz doesn’t make the rotation.

Padres manager Andy Green noted early in camp that Vincent and Quackenbush were favorites to win jobs, which makes sense given how impressive both righties have been during their time in San Diego.  Vincent has a 2.63 ERA, 9.6 K/9 and 4.13 K/BB rate over 150 2/3 relief innings since 2012, while Quackenbush has a 3.28 ERA, 9.1 K/9 and 3.00 K/BB rate over 112 1/2 career innings.

Edwards has the least MLB experience of the three though he has the longest pro career, having been picked by the Cardinals as an outfielder in the 14th round of the 2006 draft.  He converted to pitching in 2011 and has consistently missed bats and struggled with his control at both the minor and Major League levels.  Edwards has a 4.32 ERA, 11.2 K/9 and 7.6 BB/9 over 25 big league innings.

Vincent is the only one of the trio who is out of options and his numbers did dip a bit last season (lower K/9, higher walk rate, 3.90 SIERA and 4.26 xFIP that belied his 2.53 ERA), so it’s possible San Diego could be exploring its options even though on paper, Vincent is the most established of the three.  Quackenbush has been mentioned as a possible closer of the future for the Padres, especially when Craig Kimbrel was dealt, though Rodney’s acquisition would seem to imply that “the Duck” will remain in a setup role for now.

As Dutton notes, the Mariners are planning to use a seven-man bullpen, though there’s a lot of uncertainty about who those seven pitchers will be in the wake of the injuries.  Steve Cishek, Joaquin Benoit, Joel Peralta and Tony Zych all have a grasp on right-handed roles with Mike Montgomery and Vidal Nuno serving as the two southpaws.  If a new righty reliever is added, the M’s would send Donn Roach, Mayckol Guaipe and Blake Parker to Triple-A.

Mariners Place Jesus Montero On Waivers

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7:28pm: Montero has indeed been placed on waivers, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter).  The Mariners will make an official announcement tomorrow once the 48-hour waiver period has passed, according to MLB.com’s Greg Johns (Twitter).

12:46pm: While there is no official word on the matter, it appears that the Mariners have placed Jesus Montero on waivers, as Bob Dutton of The News Tribune writes.  The Mariners declined to speak about Montero’s status on Sunday morning, but his locker in the clubhouse was empty.

When asked about Montero’s whereabouts, manager Scott Servais told reporters that the designated hitter is “spending a day with his family.”  Montero’s absence on Sunday coupled with the news that Dae-Ho Lee has been added to the 40-man roster seems to suggest that former top prospect is out of the picture in Seattle.

The Mariners traded right-handed pitcher Michael Pineda for the 26-year-old prior to the 2012 season. Since then, he’s disappointed by accruing -1.4 WAR over parts of four seasons. He did enjoy an extremely successful stint at Triple-A last season, hitting .355/.398/.569 in 430 plate appearances.

Brad Johnson contributed to this post.

Mariners Add Dae-Ho Lee, Joel Peralta To 40-Man Roster

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  • The Mariners confirmed that Dae-Ho Lee has been added to the 40-man roster, as Bob Dutton of The News Tribune tweets.  Lee had the ability to opt out of his minor league deal today if he did not make the 40-man cut.  Per the terms of his deal, the Korean first baseman will earn a $1MM base salary with $3MM in possible bonuses.
  • Mariners right-handed reliever Joel Peralta has been told he’ll be added to the 40-man roster, Greg Johns of MLB.com tweets.  However, nothing is official yet since the 40-man roster is currently full.  It’s possible that a move involving Jesus Montero could free up a spot for the reliever.
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