Minor MLB Transactions: 7/5/17
We’ll track the latest notable minor moves in this post:
- Rays reliever Danny Farquhar has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Durham, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Farquhar had been in DFA limbo since June 28. Before that, he opened the year with 35 reasonably effective innings in Tampa Bay, where he recorded a 4.11 ERA, 8.5 K/9 against 5.7 BB/9, and a 44.4 percent ground-ball rate.
- The Yankees have released left-handed reliever Tommy Layne, tweets Conor Foley of the Times-Tribune. New York designated Layne on June 10, after which it outrighted him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Layne was solid over 6 2/3 innings at Triple-A, as he yielded two earned runs on four hits and two walks. He hasn’t fared well at the major league level this year, though, with a 7.62 ERA, 6.23 K/9 and 5.54 BB/9 over 13 frames.
- The Blue Jays have traded infielder Jonathan Diaz to the Yankees, Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo announced (on Twitter). This will be the second stint with the Yankees organization for the 32-year-old Diaz, who was in Scranton last season. The majority of Diaz’s professional career has been spent with the Toronto organization, which selected him in the 12th round of the 2006 draft, though his initial major league action came with the Red Sox in 2013. He then returned to the Jays and cracked their roster for brief periods in both 2014 and ’15. In all, Diaz has collected 65 major league PAs and batted .145/.242/.164. He owns a .226/.341/.291 line in 2,314 PAs at Triple-A.
Earlier update:
- Rangers righty Preston Claiborne accepted an outright assignment after clearing waivers, per a club announcement. He was designated recently following a single appearance out of the Texas pen. That was Claiborne’s first MLB action since 2014; he missed all of the ensuing season with a rotator cuff injury. Claiborne, 29, showed well at the Double-A level last year with the Giants and opened the 2017 season at the Rangers’ top affiliate. Over 26 1/3 Triple-A innings, he owns a 1.37 ERA with 10.6 /9 against 3.8 BB/9. He’ll look to maintain that productivity upon his return while waiting for a new opportunity to open at the major league level.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/4/17
Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- The Nationals signed infielder Ryan Jackson to a minor league contract. Jackson appeared in 42 Major League games with the Cardinals and Angels between 2012-15 and has since bounced around with a few different organizations. This is Jackson’s third minors deal of 2017 alone, as he previously inked deals with the Marlins and Mariners (plus a stint with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters). Jackson is a career .269/.344/.354 hitter over 3336 minor league plate appearances, and he’ll provide more minor league infield depth for Washington in the wake of Trea Turner‘s injury.
- The Cardinals recalled right-hander Luke Weaver from Triple-A yesterday, and Weaver made his season debut for St. Louis with a scoreless inning in last night’s victory over the Marlins. Weaver, ranked by Baseball America as the second-best prospect in the Cards’ system and as the 50th-best prospect in the game, made his big league debut in 2016, posting a 5.70 ERA over 36 1/3 IP. Weaver owns a 1.93 ERA and sterling peripherals over 56 Triple-A innings this season as a starter, though Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch and other media that Weaver will be used in a variety of bullpen roles with the major league club.
- The Rays outrighted Danny Farquhar to Triple-A, less than a week after designating the right-hander for assignment. Farquhar has a 4.11 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 1.5 K/BB rate over 35 relief innings for Tampa Bay this year, numbers that could’ve made him a candidate to be claimed off waivers during his DFA period, though he’ll remain in the Rays organization.
Rays To Sign Wander Franco
The Rays have reached agreement to sign 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Wander Samuel Franco, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (Twitter link). Franco will receive a bonus worth $3.825MM.
Franco was regarded as the top prospect in this year’s international prospect class by both MLB.com and Baseball America. Franco is a 5’10”, 170-pound switch-hitter from a baseball family — Erick Aybar is his uncle, and Franco’s two older brothers are prospects in the Royals and Astros organizations. According to BA’s scouting report (available to subscribers), Franco is described as having excellent bat control, “premium bat speed,” and an overall very polished approach to hitting for a prospect of his age, with many scouts calling him the best hitting prospect of this year’s July 2 class. Defensively, Franco seems to grade out as a sturdy but unspectacular shortstop, though his body type may require a move to second base (where he could become an above-average defender) down the road.
The Rays have long been linked to Franco, and he immediately becomes an important prospect for a team that relies so heavily on low-cost player development. Flores’ deal marks Tampa Bay’s return to July 2 prominence, as the team has been limited to signings of no more than $300K for the last two international signing periods as punishment for exceeding their draft pool in the 2014-15 market. Franco’s bonus alone accounts for a major chunk of Tampa’s $5.25MM overall draft pool, though the Rays can trade for as much as $3,937,500 in additional pool funds in deals with other teams.
Rays Designate Danny Farquhar For Assignment
The Rays have designated right-hander Danny Farquhar for assignment and will activate right-handed reliever Brad Boxberger from the disabled list tomorrow, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links).
The 30-year-old Farquhar tossed a scoreless inning in tonight’s game for Tampa Bay and has thrown a total of 35 frames for the Rays in 2017. In that time, he’s pitched to a 4.11 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 5.7 BB/9 and a 44.4 percent ground-ball rate. While the lack of control is obviously a problem for Farquhar, he was better not only in terms of limiting free passes but also in missing bats just one year ago. Last year with the Rays, he logged a strong 3.06 ERA with 11.7 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 in 35 1/3 frames.
Farquhar was a Super Two player this past offseason and avoided arbitration for the first time, agreeing to a $900K salary. If the Rays ultimately place him on waivers, that figure — of which about $467K remains — is manageable enough that he’d be a candidate to be claimed. Of course, it’s possible that the Rays also gauge trade interest in Farquhar, who has a 3.65 ERA and nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings across his past 192 1/3 Major League innings and is controllable via arbitration through the 2020 season.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/27/17
We’ll track the day’s minor moves in this post:
- The Marlins have outrighted infielder Christian Colon to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, per a club announcement. The 28-year-old Colon was a waiver claim from the Royals just over a month ago but struggled at the plate in his brief time with Miami. Through 38 plate appearances, the former No. 4 overall draft pick batted just .152/.243/.182 with a double and seven strikeouts. He’ll provide the team with some infield depth.
- Right-hander Alex Wimmers has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Rochester from the Twins, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The former first-rounder has moved to the bullpen in recent seasons and had some success in Triple-A but not much in the Majors. He threw 7 1/3 inning with Minnesota this year and walked more batters (nine) than he struck out (eight). He does have a more respectable a 3.72 ERA with 8.6 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9 in 67 2/3 career innings at Triple-A, though.
- The Rays have selected the contract of left-hander Adam Kolarek, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). Center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who is out with a hip fracture, was moved from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man for Kolarek, who will be making his MLB debut. The 28-year-old Kolarek, a longtime Mets farmhand, is in his second season with the Rays organization and has excelled with a 1.36 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a ludicrous 77 percent ground-ball rate through 33 frames with Triple-A Durham this year. Kolarek is no stranger to gaudy ground-ball rates, as he induced worm burners at a 68.7 percent clip in 41 1/3 innings with Durham in 2016 as well.
- According to a club announcement, the Rockies selected the contract of outfielder Mike Tauchman from Triple-A Albuquerque and moved David Dahl to the 60-day disabled list to create a roster spot. The former 10th-rounder is enjoying a strong season, hitting .313/.377/.529 with 10 homers and 11 steals through 298 plate appearances, albeit in a very hitter-friendly setting. Tauchman, 26, isn’t considered to be one of the Rockies’ best prospects, though Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen did mention him briefly in looking at the Rockies’ farm prior to the year, noting that he possesses good contact skills and is an above-average defender that lacks power.
Rays Release Derek Norris
JUNE 27: Norris has been released after clearing waivers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
JUNE 23: The Rays have designated catcher Derek Norris, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). He’ll make way for Wilson Ramos, who’ll be activated from the 60-day DL, while Jesus Sucre will continue on as the team’s reserve backstop.
Norris, 28, was added just before the start of the season after he was released by the Nationals — who had themselves acquired him early in the offseason when Ramos hit the open market. Ramos ended up signing an incentive-laden deal with the Rays, who knew he’d miss the bulk of the first half while completing the rehabilitation of a torn ACL.
While Norris helped bridge to Ramos, and ended his run with the Rays with a bang by hitting his ninth homer tonight, he had struggled at the plate. Largely matching a messy 2016 effort, Norris has managed only a .188/.242/.347 slash in his 198 plate appearances on the year. Still, he figures to draw plenty of interest elsewhere given his past success at the plate and excellent pitch-framing reputation.
The Rays are surely pleased to be getting Ramos back now. If he can provide anything like the production he carried last year — .307/.354/.496 with 22 home runs in 523 plate appearances — he’ll be quite a bargain. With Tampa Bay in fairly solid position to contend at least for a Wild Card, Ramos may deliver a significant boost in advance of the deadline.
Trade Rumblings: Braves, Archer, Quintana, Gray, Red Sox
The Braves are once again in the market for controllable starters, reports David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta was linked to names like Chris Archer, Jose Quintana and Sonny Gray last season and throughout the winter, and the Braves still have interest in that group of pitchers, according to O’Brien. While they’ve scouted Gray’s recent outings for the Athletics, it’s Archer and Quintana that sit atop Atlanta’s wish list, O’Brien continues. The White Sox, of course, are known to be open to moving Quintana, but there’s no guarantee that the Rays would even consider moving Archer. To the contrary, Tampa Bay is two games above .500 and currently sits just one game back of an American League Wild Card spot and three games back in the AL East. Archer currently holds a 3.88 ERA with 10.9 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 42.5 percent ground-ball rate through 104 1/3 innings, and he’s controllable through the 2021 season with just $33.7MM remaining on his contract following the 2017 campaign. It would presumably take a staggering package to even get the Rays to consider moving Archer, given the current state of their team.
A bit more on the trade market…
- Atlanta is far from the only team to scout Gray’s most recent starts. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that in addition to the Braves, the Cubs, Blue Jays and Mariners all had multiple scouts/execs on hand for Sunday’s start, and the Red Sox had a scout there as well. Slusser notes that some clubs have been scouting infielder Jed Lowrie as well, adding that it’s “all but certain” that the Athletics trade Lowrie before the non-waiver deadline. Boston is one team that’s likely to have interest in Lowrie, she adds.
- Yahoo’s Jeff Passan spoke to one source that said the Red Sox are “keen” for Gray, though they’re also considering aiming for a power-hitting third baseman and acquiring another reliever rather than bolstering the rotation. Stacking another arm alongside Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel at the back of the ‘pen could give Boston a trio similar to the three-headed monster similar to the 2014 Royals (Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, Greg Holland) or the 2016 Yankees (Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman). That was the idea in acquiring Tyler Thornburg this past offseason, but Thornburg will mis the entire year due to thoracic outlet surgery. The Sox, could, however, get righty Carson Smith back, though it’s difficult to know exactly what to expect from him after losing a season and a half to Tommy John surgery.
- White Sox GM Rick Hahn spoke to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post about lefty Jose Quintana, acknowledging that he’s been involved in “various conversations” with other clubs and that the ChiSox are “very open-minded” about dealing him. It’s been reported previously that Quintana’s rough start may not have much of an adverse impact on his trade value, and that’s how Hahn is approaching talks. “For the guys with extended track records, I think that’s probably the most important factor in terms of determining their value as well as the contractual control and obligations going forward,” said Hahn. “…He’s the same guy. The same guy in terms of how he goes about his business.” Rough start aside, Quintana entered tonight’s game with a pristine 2.25 ERA and 24-to-8 K/BB ratio through 24 June innings, and he’s held the Yankees scoreless through six innings tonight as of this writing. Davidoff notes that the Yankees could very well look into rotation upgrades, speculating that Quintana and Gray will be among the names they explore.
Rays To Sign Brendan McKay
The Rays have agreed to a $7,007,500 signing bonus with No. 4 overall pick Brendan McKay, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). The bonus is the largest ever given to a player under the current set of draft rules, narrowly topping the flat $7MM signing bonus that Kyle Wright received from the Braves earlier this year. McKay is represented by Sosnick, Cobbe and Karon. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times was the first to report that McKay was expected to sign with the Rays tonight.
McKay was one of the most famed prospects headed into the draft and was reportedly a strong consideration of the Twins with the No. 1 overall pick. A two-way star at the University of Louisville, McKay was touted as a top five talent for both his abilities on the mound as a left-handed pitcher and for his hitting ability as a first baseman. MLB.com’s Jim Callis calls McKay the best two-way draft prospect since Hall of Famer Dave Winfield (Twitter link).
Entering the draft, McKay was a consensus top four talent, ranking second among draft prospects per Callis and colleague Jonathan Mayo. McKay ranked third on Baseball America’s Top 500 and ESPN’s Keith Law, and fourth in the estimation of Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen. There’s a bit of a split camp when it comes to McKay’s future, as some believe his upside to be greater on the mound while others prefer his bat.
On the mound, McKay is said to have a low-90s fastball that reaches 94 mph and excellent command of the pitch, allowing it to play up late in games as his velocity dips. He also features a plus curveball and is working to improve a changeup that could give him a third above-average offering. This season with Louisville, he posted a 2.56 ERA with 12.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 109 innings.
At the plate, McKay has plus power from the left side, which he used to destroy NCAA pitching this season. McKay belted 18 homers and slashed .341/.457/.659 as a hitter, though he does lack speed and is limited to first base on the defensive side of the coin.
Topkin notes in the above-linked story that the Rays will permit McKay to hit and pitch initially, though it’s unclear if Tampa Bay feels that’s a feasible long-term path for McKay. Most likely, he’ll eventually settle into one role or the other, but the notion of a legitimate two-way star is a fun one on upon which to speculate.
Rays Acquire Adeiny Hechavarria
5:16pm: Both clubs have announced the deal, making it official.
2:26pm: The Rays and Marlins have reportedly agreed to a trade that will send shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria from Miami to Tampa Bay in exchange for minor league outfielder Braxton Lee and minor league right-hander Ethan Clark. The Rays will take on all of Hechavarria’s remaining salary.
Hechavarria, 27, has been out for more than a month due to a strained oblique muscle but is ready to return to the field. While he doesn’t bring much to the table from an offensive standpoint, he’ll dramatically improve the Rays’ infield defense whenever he’s on the field. The Rays have relied primarily upon Tim Beckham and Daniel Robertson at shortstop in 2017 due to the fact that projected starter Matt Duffy has missed the entire year to date with a heel injury that recently required minor surgery.
From 2015-16, Hechavarria posted excellent defensive marks at shortstop, grading out at +18 Defensive Runs Saved and a +24.1 Ultimate Zone Rating. However, while that superlative glovework was paired with a respectable .281/.315/.374 batting line in 2015, Hechavarria has slashed just .241/.283/.319 in 614 trips to the dish since that time. He’s also earning $4.35MM this season, which was reportedly the Marlins’ primary motivation for finding a trading partner.
The Rays will control Hechavarria for one more season via the arbitration process, if they’re so inclined. Retaining him would mean giving him a raise on that $4.35MM salary in arbitration, though his injury and lack of production at the plate will likely limit the size of the raise to a fairly nominal amount.
Exactly how Hechavarria fits into the mix for the Rays remains to be seen. While he looks like the clear favorite to play shortstop on an everyday basis for the time being, Tampa Bay will need to decide what to do with the combination of Backham, Robertson and, when he returns from the disabled list, Brad Miller — the latter of whom was the primary second baseman prior to getting injured. One of Beckham or Robertson seems likely to be sent out — Beckham is out of options, so Robertson seems likelier — but the eventual returns of Miller and Duffy will further crowd the infield mix.
As for the players that Miami will receive in return, neither Lee nor Clark entered the season rated among Tampa Bay’s top 30 prospects. Lee, a 12th-round pick out of the University of Mississippi back in 2014, is hitting .318/.387/.391 through 296 plate appearances in Double-A this season, although it’s his second season at that level and he’ll turn 24 in August, so he’s not especially young relative to the competition that he’s facing. That production has been buoyed by a .397 BABIP, though, and Clark has never shown any power, with just two homers in his pro career.
Clark, meanwhile, has a 3.11 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 39.9 percent ground-ball rate in 55 innings at Class-A Bowling Green. The former 15th-round pick (Crowder College, 2015) is 22 years of age, so he’s not young for the Class-A Midwest League, either.
For the Marlins, the move boils down to primarily a salary dump, as they’ll save $2.33MM by moving Hechavarria and the entirety of his contract. The trade likely opens up an everyday role for 25-year-old JT Riddle to attempt to establish himself as Miami’s new long-term shortstop, though Riddle has been mired in a dreadful slump at the plate and is currently batting just .230/.251/.354 with three homers, nine doubles and a triple through 173 big league plate appearances.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald first reported that Hechavarria was on the trade block, and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports added that he was likely to be traded in the very near future (via Twitter). ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Rays had made significant strides in getting a deal worked out (Twitter link). MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweeted that the Rays were the front-runners. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted that Lee and Clark were involved in talks, and Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald broke the news (on Twitter) that the deal was done.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Marlins Close To Trading Adeiny Hechavarria
2:19pm: Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that the two sides are reviewing medicals of the players that will be involved. Topkin hears that outfielder Braxton Lee and right-hander Ethan Clark are among the names being discussed.
11:45am: Crasnick reports that if the Rays are to take on all of Hechavarria’s salary, they’d like the Marlins to include a cheaper, controllable power arm to help facilitate the deal (Twitter links). Crasnick notes that Barraclough would fit that bill, though he adds that it’s not clear if the Rays have actually singled Barraclough out as a target.
Meanwhile, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that the Rays and Marlins are optimistic that they can reach an agreement to send Hechavarria to Tampa Bay in exchange for “fringe prospects” at some point today.
JUNE 26, 8:40am: The Marlins are close to a trade of Hechavarria, tweets MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. Like Frisaro, Morosi hears that the Rays are the likeliest landing spot for Hechavarria.
10:42pm: The Rays seem to be the “frontrunners” in talks, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. Miami is looking for young pitching in return for Hechavarria.
JUNE 25, 10:20pm: The Padres have joined the Rays in the Hechavarria sweepstakes, Clark Spencer reports (via Twitter). The Cardinals are no longer involved in talks.
JUNE 24, 12:07pm: The Orioles are no longer involved, per Spencer (Twitter link). But he hears that the Cards (as well as the Rays) are still in talks for Hechavarria.
8:26am: There’s at least one mystery team involved, per MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter).
JUNE 23: The Marlins have informed other clubs that they expect to trade Hechavarria within the next 24 to 48 hours, Spencer reports (on Twitter). It seems the push from the Marlins’ side is driven by an ownership effort to save salary rather than a baseball ops assessment, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick notes on Twitter.
It appears that the Rays appear to have “created some traction” in structuring a deal, sources suggest to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link). Meanwhile, the Cardinals don’t seem to be pursuing Hechavarria at this point, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick tweets. St. Louis had at least spoken to the Marlins about Hechavarria, tweets Spencer.