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Rays Designate Robinson Chirinos, Stephen Vogt

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The Rays have announced they have designated catchers Robinson Chirinos and Stephen Vogt for assignment. The Rays now have ten days to trade, release, or outright Chirinos and Vogt to the minors.

The moves were needed to open space on their 40-man roster for first baseman/DH Shelley Duncan and relievers Jamey Wright and Juan Carlos Oviedo. Oviedo was then transferred to the 60-day disabled list, as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Duncan's promotion was necessitated by a right calf strain suffered by Luke Scott, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Executive VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman told reporters, including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter), Duncan won the job due to his extra base-hit ability and because he adds value with his power.

Chirinos was acquired in the Matt Garza trade and appeared in 20 games for the Rays in 2011 producing a slash line of .218/.283/.309 in 60 plate appearances. He sat out the 2012 season due to a concussion.

Vogt, a 12th-round selection by the Rays in the 2007 draft, made his MLB debut last season, but went hitless in 25 at-bats. He has fared much better at the plate during his six-year minor league career (.290/.360/.448), including numbers of .272/.350/.424 in 396 plate appearances in 94 games at Triple-A Durham in 2012.

Justin Verlander Signing Reactions

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Justin Verlander agreed on Friday to a new $180MM contract with the Tigers that makes him the highest-paid pitcher in the history of the game. Here are some reactions to his new deal.

  • With Verlander, Buster Posey and Adam Wainwright all agreeing to extensions with their teams this week, "the age of teams retaining their stars is upon us," MLB.com's Matthew Leach writes. Leach points out that Felix Hernandez, Joey Votto, Cole Hamels, Evan Longoria and Matt Kemp all also fairly recently agreed to huge contracts with their current teams. More money through new TV contracts is partially fueling this trend. "And it becomes somewhat cyclical," Leach writes. "As fewer stars hit free agency, clubs have fewer places to spend that money. So they spend it on their own players, and the cycle continues."
  • The string of enormous contracts for players like Verlander should be approached with skepticism, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues. "These $100 million contracts are the price of doing business, no doubt," says Rosenthal. "Whether they qualify as good business is another question entirely." Rosenthal points out that big-money contracts for players like Joe Mauer and Johan Santana have gone sour, and says that while contracts like Verlander's may be exciting when they're announced, they might not seem like such great ideas a few years after the fact.
  • The size of Verlander's contract likely makes it impossible for the Rays to keep David Price, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets. An extension for Price would mean yearly salaries that would require an enormous percentage of Tampa Bay's payroll.
  • Fellow Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer says that any time he eats dinner with Verlander this year, Verlander is paying for it, MLive.com's Chris Iott reports. "I got a nice little contract this year, but no, he's buying every single dinner this year." Scherzer can afford to buy his own dinner, of course — he's scheduled to make $6.725MM in 2013.

Minor Moves: Olivo, Rays, Murphy

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves here..

  • Catcher Miguel Olivo has asked for and been granted his release by the Reds, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). It was previously reported that Olivo was mulling whether to accept a $100k bonus and report to Triple-A, or instead test the market. Olivo could be an option for the Marlins, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
  • The Rays have released minor leaguer righties Nick Barnese and Joe Cruz, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times on Twitter. Barnese, a third-rounder from 2007, threw 56 2/3 innings over 12 starts in Double-A last year and mustered only a 5.72 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.
  • Infielder Donnie Murphy exercised his out clause with the Brewers today and took his release, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  The 30-year-old hooked on with Milwaukee in December and hit hit .216/.281/.379 in 129 plate appearances with the Marlins last season.  Murphy is a .205/.270/.373 career hitter in 640 big league plate appearances and a .285/.351/.556 career hitter 738 Triple-A plate appearances.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Rays Trade De La Rosa To Angels For Geltz

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The Rays have traded right-hander Dane De La Rosa to the Angels for fellow righty Steve Geltz, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. A Rays press release confirmed the move, and noted that Geltz will begin the year in Triple-A Durham. Both players had previously been outrighted to Triple-A by their former clubs.

Neither pitcher has seen much time at the major league level. In addition to his 12 appearances with the big club over the last two seasons, the 30-year-old De La Rosa pitched to a 2.79 ERA over 67 2/3 innings pitched last season in Triple-A. And as MLBTR noted yesterday when he was outrighted by his former club, Geltz tossed just two major league innings last year and had mixed results between Double-A and Triple-A.

AL East Notes: Niemann, Yankees, Red Sox, Overbay

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Scouts watching Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann this month are wary of his lowered velocity, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (on Twitter).  However, one source believes that if they move him to the bullpen, he'll be able to get his velocity up a "tick or two" and restore his trade value.  Here's more out of the AL East..

  • The Yankees are viewing Lyle Overbay as a free three-day look, though he is clearly their best defensive option at first base, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).  The Bombers picked up Overbay shortly after he was cut loose by the Red Sox.
  • The Red Sox ideally would like to keep Jackie Bradley Jr. in the minors for the first few weeks of the season to delay the start of his service time clock, but the club's sense of urgency may alter those plans, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.  If the Red Sox send Bradley to Triple-A Pawtucket for the first nine games of the season, he won't be eligible for free agency until 2019.
  • The Yankees have reassembled a 2006 All-Star team, writes Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal.  The Bombers have eight of 30 players that received AL MVP votes in the '06 season.
  • The Red Sox have a roster decision to make between Daniel Bard, who has minor league options remaining, and the out-of-options Clayton Mortensen, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Boston has to decide whether Bard will have an easier time getting back on track in the majors or in Triple-A Pawtucket.

Article XX(B) Free Agents Update: Tuesday

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Major League Baseball's new collective bargaining agreement contains a provision that allows certain free agents who are signed to minor league contracts to receive a $100K retention bonus if they are not on the team's 25-man roster or the Major League disabled list five days prior to the season.

Free agents who qualify for this distinction are those who have at least six years of Major League service time and had a Major League contract expire at the end of the previous season, but signed a minor league deal ten or more days prior to Opening Day.

MLBTR has confirmed with MLB that the deadline for teams to decide on these players is today at 11am central time. By the deadline, teams with these players in camp need to decide whether to:

  • Add the player to their 25-man roster or Major League disabled list (or agree to do so in writing).
  • Grant the player his outright release from the minor league contract so that he may pursue opportunities with other teams.
  • Pay the player a $100K retention bonus to keep him in the organization beyond the deadline and send him to the minors.

Here's the latest news from around the league on Article XX(B) signees and their roster statuses with their respective teams (newest updates on top).  

Why I Chose My Agency: Jake Odorizzi

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Though he's made only two Major League starts, 23-year-old Rays righty Jake Odorizzi is no stranger to MLBTR's pages.  Currently considered a top 100 prospect in the game, Odorizzi was drafted 32nd overall out of high school in 2008, traded to the Royals in the December 2010 Zack Greinke deal, and traded again this offseason to the Rays in the James Shields deal.  Recently I spoke with Jake about his agent, Jason Wood of Arland Sports.

On when he first came into contact with Jason:

I came in contact with him sometime in 2007.  I knew there was a possibility that I could be drafted early.  He was really the first guy we talked to, I met him through one of my friends I played summer ball with, he represented his older brother.  We hit it off on a friendship level more than a professional level, that's kind of our thing.  We became friends and it just kind of worked out for the best, really.  He's originally from an area where I'm from, next to St. Louis.

On the process leading up to the draft in '08:

It was really easy for me, I didn't really have any focus on it.  He was the guy that handled everything, if anybody had questions, like scouts or any teams.  I never had to handle any of that stuff, all I had to do was focus on playing ball and that made things a lot easier for me, having him to take care of all that [rather] than having myself or my parents or anybody take care of it and me having to deal with it.  So he helped me out tremendously, doing that.  

On Jake's involvement in the negotiations after the Brewers drafted him:

He got an update from them, I got the update too.  We went at it together.  When he would hear something, I would be the very next person to hear it as soon as he could get a hold of me.  I was involved in negotiations as well, and I was up-to-date with everything as it was going on.

On Jason's role as an agent after Jake signed:

Lining up endorsement deals, he negotiated all of that for me and takes care of my finances, does tax returns, all that kind of stuff for me.  He handles a lot of things that make my life easier.  He's very hands on, always keeps up-to-date with what's going on, informs you of anything.  If you have any problems or issues or need something, one phone call and it's taken care of.  He's very on top of his game.

On whether a small agency offers any advantages over the big ones:

I think it's more person-to-person, and I don't have to go through anybody else.  It's really easy to just pick up the phone and you just have to call one person and it's done right then and there.  I think it's more personable, really, talking to the same guy about everything.  You don't feel like a dollar amount when you're in a smaller firm.  [At a big agency] I'm sure some of them get lost in translation a little bit.

Tigers Retain Rights To Lobstein; Outright Him To Double-A

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The Tigers retained the rights to Rule 5 selection Kyle Lobstein by trading catcher Curt Casali to the Rays, the team announced.  Additionally, Detroit outrighted the contract of Lobstein to Double-A Erie.

Lobstein, a 23-year-old southpaw, was chosen by the Mets from the Rays with the tenth pick in December's Rule 5 draft, and immediately traded to the Tigers for cash considerations.  After evaluating him over a dozen spring innings, it seems the Tigers didn't want to stash him all year in their big league bullpen but did find him worth retaining.  Last year in Double-A, Lobstein posted a 4.06 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 4.3 BB/9, and 0.75 HR/9 in 27 starts.  Baseball America ranked him 19th among Tigers prospects, noting "the craftiness to pitch in the Majors."

Casali, 24, hit .270/.365/.427 in 385 plate appearances across A and High-A ball last year.  BA wrote that he "profiles as a solid backup catcher at the Major League level."

Minor Moves: Nick Weglarz

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves from around the league right here…

  • The Rays released first baseman/outfielder Nick Weglarz, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune (on Twitter). Weglarz, 25, hit .239/.349/.413 with 14 homers for the Indians' Double-A affiliate in 2012. A former third-round pick who ranked as the game's No. 58 prospect prior to the 2009 season (according to Baseball America), Weglarz signed a minor league deal with Tampa Bay this offseason.

Minor Moves: Nats, Royals, Cust, Padres, Puckett

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Here are a few of today's minor moves from around baseball:

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

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