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Minor MLB Transactions: 3/6/19

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We’ll use this post to track the day’s minor moves:

  • The Tigers made at least one signing after a recent open tryout, though it wasn’t of some heretofore unknown player. (Interestingly, the team has posted anonymous scouting grades on those that showed up to participate.) Per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, via Twitter, the club has a deal in place with utilityman Taylor Motter. The 29-year-old has seen action in each of the past three seasons, turning in a total of 411 plate appearances of .191/.263/.312 hitting with the Rays, Mariners, and Twins. Motter has shown solid plate discipline and a fair bit more power potential in the upper minors than he has at the game’s highest level. He’s also regarded as a good and versatile defender who’s capable of functioning in a reserve role at shortstop. The ZiPS projection system, in fact, likes him as a 1.1 fWAR contributor over 425 hypothetical plate appearances — fifth-highest on the Tigers depth chart.

Twins Release Taylor Motter

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The Twins organization announced today that it has released utilityman Taylor Motter. He had been playing at Triple-A Rochester.

Motter, 28, has only seen 16 games of major-league action this year but has taken 411 MLB plate appearances since the start of 2016. He’s capable of playing all over the field, but hasn’t distinguished himself at the plate. Motter is a .191/.263/.312 hitter in that span, with ten home runs and 13 steals.

Since he was claimed off waivers from the Mariners in late May, Motter has spent most of his time in the upper minors. On the year, he carries a meager .187/.277/.352 batting line in 364 plate appearances in the Seattle and Minnesota systems.

Twins Activate Ervin Santana, Designate Taylor Motter For Assignment

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The Twins announced after tonight’s game that they’ve designated infielder/outfielder Taylor Motter for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for right-hander Ervin Santana, who has been activated from the 60-day disabled list.

It’ll be the season debut for Santana, who underwent surgery on his the middle finger on his right hand back in February. Originally expected to miss around 12 weeks, Santana wound up missing the entire first half of the season (and then some) as his rehab proved to be considerably slower than expected. He’ll now join a Twins club that has significantly underperformed in 2018 and will almost certainly be acting as a seller leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline.

Santana himself, in fact, could emerge as a trade option for the Twins, though he’ll likely only have enough time to make a pair of starts (at best) before next Tuesday’s deadline. But, with $4.94MM of his $13.5MM salary still yet to be paid out, Santana may very well clear waivers in early August and allow the Twins to market him there. There’s a chance that Santana could be controlled into the 2019 season, be it by the Twins or another club, but he’d need to pitch quite well in the season’s final couple of months in order to convince a club to exercise his $14MM option for the 2019 season.

The 35-year-old Santana’s absence has played no small role in Minnesota’s 2018 flop, as he’d been the staff’s most consistent starter over the past two seasons. Dating back to 2016, Santana logged 392 2/3 innings of 3.32 ERA ball, averaging 7.2 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and 1.1 HR/9 with a roughly 42 percent ground-ball rate along the way. The Twins had hoped he’d pair with Jose Berrios to lead an improved rotation mix and make a run at the AL Central, but instead Minnesota has received no value any of Santana, Byron Buxton or Miguel Sano over the course of the season. As a result, players like Santana, Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar, Zach Duke, Fernando Rodney and others will find themselves on the trade block in the coming days.

As for Motter, he was claimed off waivers after the Mariners designated him for assignment earlier this summer. The versatile 28-year-old managed just one hit in 23 plate appearances, though, missing time with a concussion along the way. The Twins will have a week to trade Motter or run him through outright waivers. He’s a career .190/.263/.313 hitter in the Majors (407 plate appearances), but he’s had considerably more success at the Triple-A level.

Twins Designate Felix Jorge For Assignment

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The Twins will select the contract of catcher Willians Astudillo from Triple-A Rochester and clear a spot on the 40-man roster by designating right-hander Felix Jorge for assignment, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Minnesota is clearing an active roster spot for Astudio by placing utilityman Taylor Motter on the 7-day DL with concussion-like symptoms. Motter recently crashed hard into the wall while trying to chase down a deep fly-ball to the right-center field gap against the White Sox.

Jorge, 24, made his big league debut with Minnesota in 2017, tossing a combined 7 2/3 innings but allowing nine runs in a pair of spot starts. Inauspicious as that debut may have been, the righty did turn in a strong season in Double-A last year, working to a 3.54 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.74 HR/9 and a 50.2 percent ground-ball rate in 134 2/3 innings (22 starts).

This season has been a lost affair for Jorge so far, as he’s been sidelined due to a triceps issue in the minors (as Berardino recently noted). He made a pair of rehab assignments for the Twins’ Rookie-level affiliate in the Gulf Coast League, but he’ll now have to go through the DFA process before it’s determined if he’ll join the rotation in Triple-A Rochester or end up with another club — either via trade or via waiver claim.

There’s certainly reason to believe that other clubs would have interest in Jorge, if healthy. He’s long rated as one of the Twins’ better prospects, ranking among their top 30 in each offseason dating back to 2012-13, per Baseball America. While Jorge’s upside is limited by a pedestrian fastball, he’s said to have at least an average slider and changeup, and he’s demonstrated strong control throughout his minor league tenure, averaging just 2.2 walks per nine innings pitched in 689 innings. He also has a pair of minor league options remaining, which obviously enhances his appeal.

That said, Jorge is also behind a number of starters on the Twins’ depth chart in Triple-A, as each of Fernando Romero, Stephen Gonsalves and Adalberto Mejia (who’ll start Saturday in Minnesota in his 2018 debut), and between this year’s triceps issue and the best-case scenario of a back-of-the-rotation arm, the Twins felt comfortable jettisoning him from the 40-man roster.

As for Astudillo, he’ll be making his MLB debut with the Twins and will arrive on the scene as something of an oddity. The 26-year-old has a comically low strikeout rate in the minors both this season (4.8 percent) and throughout his career (3.2 percent). He also rarely walks, though, doing so at a 2.7 percent clip this year and 3.4 percent for his career. Put another way, the 5’9″, 225-pound Astudillo has walked in just five of his 188 PAs this season but has also struck out on just nine occasions. He’s hitting .290/.321/.489 with seven homers on the season and will give the Twins another option behind the dish, where they’ve struggled tremendously all season long.

Twins Claim Taylor Motter

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The Twins have claimed infielder Taylor Motter off waivers from the Mariners, per announcements from both teams. Motter will report to the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate.

Motter, whom the Mariners designated on Sunday, will now join his third major league organization. Motter debuted with the Rays in 2016 and has since racked up 390 plate appearances at the game’s highest level. While Motter hasn’t hit much (.198/.269/.326), he has done his best to offset a lack of offense with defensive versatility. The 28-year-old is primarily a shortstop, but he has also totaled at least 10 games’ experience at every corner position and second base.

Motter has spent most of this season at Triple-A, and given that he has an option remaining, he’s able to serve as minors depth without issue. But it’s possible he’ll eventually get an opportunity at short in Minnesota, where starter Ehire Adrianza has been woeful at the plate.

Mariners Designate Taylor Motter

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The Mariners have designated infielder Taylor Motter for assignment, the team announced. His 40-man roster spot will go to catcher/outfielder Chris Herrmann, whom they selected from Triple-A Tacoma.

Motter has been with the Mariners organization since they acquired him from the Rays in November 2016, though he may now be on his way to another franchise. With one minor league option remaining, a club could acquire Motter in a trade or via waivers and use him as depth.

The 28-year-old Motter hasn’t impressed offensively since debuting in 2016, having recorded a .198/.269/.326 line in 390 trips to the plate. Motter brings defensive versatility, though, with major league experience at every position but catcher (including one appearance as a pitcher).

Notable Roster Decisions: Wednesday

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The latest noteworthy roster decisions across Major League Baseball as Opening Day draws ever closer…

  • The Brewers announced that they’ve selected the contract of Ji-Man Choi, who’ll make their Opening Day roster. (Sung Min Kim of Fangraphs and River Ave. Blues first tweeted that Choi had made the roster.) That means both Choi and the out-of-options Jesus Aguilar will make a roster which also includes first base options Eric Thames and Ryan Braun. However, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel points out (via Twitter), the composition is likely to change quickly — possibly as soon as Friday. Choi has an option remaining, Haudricourt notes. More interestingly, Haudricourt adds that the Brew Crew is pursuing an external pitching addition, and if said move goes through, then Choi could quickly be optioned to Colorado Springs to clear a 25-man roster spot. Also of particular note for the Brewers is that Wade Miley was reassigned to minor league camp and won’t be making the club.

Earlier Decisions & Moves

  • The White Sox have selected the contract of left-hander Hector Santiago, giving them a full 40-man roster, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times was among those to report on Twitter. In other moves, the club sent southpaw Carlos Rodon (left shoulder rehabilitation) and catcher Kevan Smith (left ankle sprain) to the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to March 26. Santiago will now officially begin his second major league stint as a member of the White Sox, with whom he started his career in 2011 and stayed with through 2013. Santiago was successful during that span, but his career has trended downward lately – particularly last season as a Twin – which prevented him from landing a major league contract over the winter. The minors deal the 30-year-old signed with Chicago includes a $2MM salary in the bigs, which he’s now in position to earn. Santiago’s a longtime starter, but he’ll open 2018 in the Sox’s bullpen.
  • The Dodgers have optioned outfielder Andrew Toles, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). Toles’ demotion means Joc Pederson is likely to be the Dodgers’ Opening Day left fielder, DiGiovanna notes. Toles had been part of a crowded corner outfield battle during spring action alongside Pederson, Matt Kemp, Enrique Hernandez, Alex Verdugo and the just-jettisoned Trayce Thompson. The fact that Toles had options remaining – unlike the expensive, apparently immovable Kemp – probably didn’t do him any favors in his bid to make the Dodgers. The 25-year-old Toles has been successful in Los Angeles since debuting in 2016, having batted .294/.341/.483 with 2.1 fWAR n 217 plate appearances. He missed all but 31 games last season, though, after suffering a torn ACL in May.
  • Outfielders Gregor Blanco and Gorkys Hernandez will open the season with the Giants, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. The Giants signed Blanco, 34, to a minors pact back in January. Per that deal, he’ll earn a $1MM salary in the majors and have a chance at $500K in incentives in San Francisco, with which he previously played from 2012-16 and won a pair of World Series. Hernandez is out of options, so he was also in a do-or-die position this spring. The 30-year-old rose to the challenge, though he’ll surely need to improve on last season’s showing (.255/.327/.326 line with no home runs in 348 PAs) to keep his roster spot for all of 2018.
  • Outfielder Matt Szczur and righty Jordan Lyles will be part of the Padres’ Opening Day roster, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com tweets. The out-of-options Szczur, 28, will continue to provide outfield depth in San Diego after coming over in a trade with the Cubs last summer. Lyles, meanwhile, spent a bit of time with the Padres in 2017 and then re-signed on a major league contract in the offseason. The deal also features a club option for 2019 for Lyles, who’ll begin the year in the Friars’ bullpen. Having pitched to a 5.43 ERA/4.55 FIP across 681 combined innings (182 appearances, 107 starts) with the Astros, Rockies and Padres, Lyles hasn’t lived up to the billing he had as a prospect. He’s still just 27, however.
  • Catchers A.J. Ellis and Raffy Lopez will also be on the Padres’ roster, the team announced. Those two and starter Austin Hedges will give the Padres three backstops on their 25-man roster. Ellis, an established veteran backup, is now set to make $1.25MM after signing a minor league deal in the offseason. The 30-year-old Lopez, who brings just 83 PAs of MLB experience, also signed a minors pact over the winter.
  • The Marlins will add catcher Bryan Holaday to their 40- and 25-man rosters, per Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Holaday, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Marlins in the offseason. He’ll be one of three catchers on their season-opening roster, joining Tomas Telis (out of options) and Chad Wallach, son of bench coach Tim Wallach. It’s not an ideal setup for Miami, which won’t have standout starter J.T. Realmuto at the outset of the season. Realmuto is on the DL with a bone bruise.
  • The Twins will roster outfielder Ryan LaMarre to open the year, Phil Miller of the Star Tribune tweets. LaMarre, an offseason minor league signee of the Twins, spent last year with the Triple-A affiliates of the Angels and Athletics, combining for a meager .628 OPS. He’s a lifetime .268/.335/.388 hitter at the Triple-A level (954 PAs) who has seen very brief MLB action with the Reds, Red Sox and A’s.
  • The Tigers announced that they’ve selected infielder Niko Goodrum’s contract, which puts their 40-man roster at capacity. Goodrum, who signed a minors deal with Detroit in November, spent 2010-17 with the Minnesota organization and batted .250/.333/.379 in 2,796 minor league PAs. He saw minimal big league action with the club (18 PAs, all of which came last season).
  • The Mariners made the DL placements of Erasmo Ramirez, Ben Gamel and David Phelps official, and they also announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Casey Lawrence, who will return to the team after spending parts of the 2017 campaign on Seattle’s big league roster. The M’s also optioned infielder/outfielder Taylor Motter to Triple-A Tacoma.

AL West Notes: Meyer, Miranda, Reddick, Rangers, Mariners

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Prior to acquiring Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer (plus some cash to offset Nolasco’s salary) in the trade that sent Hector Santiago to the Twins last summer, the Angels had the opportunity to trade Santiago to the Orioles for lefty Ariel Miranda, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. The Orioles were seeking a veteran arm for their rotation and dangled Miranda in talks with both the Angels and Mariners, ultimately flipping Miranda to Seattle in exchange for Wade Miley. Fletcher notes that the Halos were seeking more upside than Miranda brings to the table and felt that Meyer fit the bill. Indeed, the 27-year-old former first-rounder was a mainstay on Top 100 prospect lists throughout the industry several years ago, though shoulder injuries have derailed his career to date. Meyer will get a start for the Halos this week, while Nolasco has at the very least been a durable source of innings for manager Mike Scioscia. Miranda is currently in the Mariners’ rotation, though that’s out of necessity due to injuries throughout the Seattle pitching staff.

More from the American League West…

  • Though Josh Reddick is happy to be a member of the Astros and excited for the next four years in Houston, the right fielder said today on CSN Bay Area’s Athletics Insider Podcast that he hoped last summer to sign an extension with the Athletics (transcript via CSN’s Joe Stiglich, where readers can also find the full audio). “It was definitely somewhere I really wanted to make it happen,” said Reddick of Oakland. “Once we realized the numbers weren’t gonna line up, I think I knew deep down it wasn’t gonna happen because I didn’t hear back from them after I counter-offered what they offered me.” Reddick, who inked a four-year, $52MM deal with Houston this offseason, divulged that the A’s never offered a guaranteed four years in extension talks. He also expressed some lingering surprise that the A’s sold off so heavily in the 2014-15 offseason — the winter in which they dealt Josh Donaldson, Jeff Samardzija and Brandon Moss.
  • There are a few updates on some key injuries for the Rangers. Firstly, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan writes that right-hander Tyson Ross is set to throw a two-inning simulated game in Seattle this weekend. Ross’ rehab from TOS surgery was slowed by back spasms, but he recently tossed a 30-pitch bullpen session without issue. He’ll need three to four starts before he’s ready to return to a Major League mound, Sullivan notes, making an early June return feasible. And third baseman Adrian Beltre could potentially beat Ross back to the big league club, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that general manager Jon Daniels said today that the team is optimistic about a late-May return for Beltre.
  • Though the Mariners optioned first baseman Dan Vogelbach back to Triple-A Tacoma fairly quickly after promoting him in late April, manager Scott Servais voiced a strong belief that the young slugger is still a part of the club’s future, per Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Via Dutton, Vogelbach said that he lost his timing after getting off to a hot start to the season in the minors. Dutton adds that Danny Valencia is in line for another “extended look” at first base, though Servais also added that Taylor Motter, who has showed surprising pop thus far, will also be mixed into the first base picture as well. The 32-year-old Valencia got off to a terrible start this season but entered play tonight hitting .240/.321/.560 over his past 28 plate appearances (an admittedly minuscule sample). MLB.com’s Greg Johns writes that the M’s remain confident in Valencia due to his track record, and as Johns notes, there are some encouraging Statcast numbers that point to a potential rebound.

AL Notes: Mariners, Tigers, Lawrie, Rodon, Morton

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The competition for the Mariners’ utility infield job is down to Shawn O’Malley and Taylor Motter for the time being now that Mike Freeman has been designated for assignment, writes MLB.com’s Greg Johns. Seattle hopes that Freeman will clear waivers and remain in the organization, but the 29-year-old does have a strong track record of hitting for average and getting on base in Triple-A, to say nothing of some defensive versatility, so that outcome isn’t a guarantee. GM Jerry Dipoto said the ultimate decision came down to which utility candidate he considered to have the best chance of passing through waivers. That proved to be Freeman, due largely to the fact that he’s the oldest of the three competitors and has the least MLB time. Johns notes that those in competition for the utility infield role will see plenty of opportunity to prove themselves this spring, as starting shortstop Jean Segura will be playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

A few more notes on some competitions for the final roster spots around the league…

  • The Tigers are facing a tough decision with powerful outfielder Steven Moya and versatile infielder Dixon Machado, writes MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery. Both players are out of minor league options, but there’s likely only one open spot on the Tigers’ bench. Alex Avila is on hand to back up James McCann behind the dish, while Andrew Romine has one utility infield job locked down. One of Tyler Collins and Mikie Mahtook is likely to be on the bench each day as well, as they’re poised to form a center field platoon. Manager Brad Ausmus noted that it’s a particularly difficult situation, as it’d be tough to get either player any sort of consistent at-bats during the regular season. But, as Woodbery notes, both could have clearer paths to playing time in 2018. Ausmus specifically noted that he can’t see Moya passing through waivers, so perhaps the team has a slight inclination to keep the 25-year-old slugger. Moya slugged 25 homers in 526 plate appearances between Triple-A and the Majors last season.
  • Parting with Brett Lawrie surely reflects a variety of factors for the White Sox, including his uninspiring performance, injury uncertainty, and rate of pay. But GM Rick Hahn (video via the Chicago Tribune) emphasized the importance the organization places on freeing playing opportunities for players who could have a longer future with the club. Hahn specifically mentioned Tyler Saladino, Carlos Sanchez, Leury Garcia, and Matt Davidson as players who he’d like to see have a chance at the majors. Of course, that was all known to the team when it agreed to terms with Lawrie to avoid arbitration; what wasn’t then clear, perhaps, was what would become of third baseman Todd Frazier, who remains with Chicago. Hahn notes, interestingly, that the team “can’t really control the pace or timing of these transactions,” saying that it had “envisioned various transactions” taking place that would have opened playing time both for Lawrie and the other names mentioned.
  • While the White Sox have suggested that nothing is amiss with lefty Carlos Rodon, as Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago explains on Twitter, his handling this spring is raising some eyebrows. Rodon threw his first pen session today, which means he’s on track to be ready to start the year, and the team has said that it’s merely keeping some restraints on an important young pitcher who’ll be expected to throw more innings than he did last year (165). But there are also some vague, slightly ominous hints emanating from the organization, as Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports (Twitter links). Manager Rick Renteria says that the hope is Rodon will be ready to join the Opening Day roster “without any concern,” which at least obliquely suggests there’s at least some health-related concern. And pitching coach Don Cooper referenced “arm stuff” that bothered Rodon in 2016, leading Hahn to clarify it was simply a fatigue-related matter that had been dealt with by modifications to Rodon’s preparation regimen.
  • The Astros are bullish on righty Charlie Morton, as MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports. Houston placed a fairly substantial bet (two years, $14MM) on the 33-year-old, a groundball-heavy hurler who has dealt with his fair share of injuries. That was based not just on the team’s assessment of Morton’s abilities, but also its belief that it could help him get more out of them through improvements to his mechanics and pitch selection. Morton showed well today, McTaggart notes; he worked in the mid-nineties, a fair bit higher than his typical average fastball of 91 or 92 mph.

Mariners Acquire Richie Shaffer, Taylor Motter From Rays

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The Rays have traded infielder/outfielder Richie Shaffer and infielder/outfielder Taylor Motter to the Mariners in exchange for minor league first baseman Dalton Kelly and minor league right-handers Andrew Kittredge and Dylan Thompson, the teams announced.

Richie Shaffer

The 25-year-old Shaffer (pictured) was the 25th overall pick in the 2012 draft but has yet to live up to cement himself as a Major League contributor. He’s spent parts of the 2015-16 seasons at the Major League level, hitting .213/.310/.410 in 142 plate appearances. He’s been considerably more productive at the Triple-A level, where he’s slashed .243/.338/.445 with 30 homers in 188 games. The right-handed-hitting Shaffer has experience at all four corner positions but has spent the majority of the time at first base. In his big league career, he’s actually been better against right-handed pitching than left-handers, but he doesn’t come with much of a platoon split looking back throughout his minor league career.

Motter, 27, made his big league debut with Tampa Bay in 2016 and hit .188/.290/.300 in 93 plate appearances while seeing time at all four infield positions and both outfield corners. The bulk of his work came in left field and at the two middle-infield slots, but Motter’s versatility is undoubtedly an appealing factor to the Mariners, especially when considering the fact that he carries a fairly solid .266/.338/.437 slash with 27 homers and 45 steals in parts of two seasons at the Triple-A level (215 games).

Thompson rated as the Mariners’ No. 22 prospect, according to MLB.com, whose scouting report gives the former fourth-round pick (No. 125 overall, 2015) a chance to develop three average-or-better offerings. His fastball currently sits in the low 90s and touches 93 mph, though there’s some room for further growth, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis, so he could add some heat down the line. He also has the makings of at least an average slider and changeup, though they’re both inconsistent, the MLB.com duo notes. Thompson just turned 20 in September and has a 2.87 ERA with 8.9 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in 31 1/3 professional innings — all of which have come with the the club’s Rookie-level affiliate.

Kittredge, 27 next March, split this season between Seattle’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, posting a 3.50 earned run average with 10.5 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 72 innings of work. He made five starts but worked primarily out of the bullpen.

Kelly, 22, was a 38th-round pick by Seattle in 2015 but turned in a strong 2016 season despite that modest draft pedigree. In 564 plate appearances in the Class-A Midwest League, Kelly batted .293/.384/.416 with seven homers and 21 stolen bases. The UC Santa Barbara product sports a .384 OBP through parts of two professional seasons, having slashed .219/.385/.333 in 31 games after being drafted in ’15.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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