Minor MLB Transactions: 8/1/17
Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:
- The Twins have called up veteran righty Dillon Gee, as LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune first reported (via Twitter). Gee will re-join the roster after the club dealt away a pair of pitchers in recent days. The 31-year-old logged four outings with the Rangers earlier this year and briefly appeared on the Twins’ active roster, though he did not see any game action. He has pitched to a 3.23 ERA with 7.3 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9 through 78 Triple-A innings on the year and will offer a swingman option for Minnesota.
- With outfielder Willy Garcia going to the 7-day concussion DL after a scary collision yesterday, the White Sox have selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Nicky Delmonico, per a club announcement. Chicago has ample 40-man space after a bevy of deadline moves. Delmonico was a solid prospect when he was dealt from the Orioles to the Brewers in the 2013 deal that sent Francisco Rodriguez to Baltimore, but things did not work out in Milwaukee and he caught on with the South Siders as a minor-league free agent. He has spent the season at Triple-A, posting a .262/.347/.421 slash with a dozen home runs.
- The Nationals released corner infielder Matt Skole after he cleared waivers following a recent DFA, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). The 27-year-old lost his 40-man spot when the Nats acquired Howie Kendrick and evidently was not seen as being a part of the team’s future plans. A left-handed hitter, Skole has launched twenty or more home runs in several minor-league campaigns, including last year at Triple-A, and has consistently maintained a walk rate in the vicinity of 12% in the high minors. He also once rated as one of the Nats’ better prospects. But injuries have limited the Georgia Tech product quite a bit as a professional and he has spent more time at first base than at third in recent years.
Royals Acquire Melky Cabrera
The Royals have acquired outfielder Melky Cabrera and cash from the White Sox in exchange for minor league righty A.J. Puckett and minor league lefty Andre Davis, the White Sox announced. Kansas City has designated minor league righty Andrew Edwards for assignment in a corresponding roster move, tweets MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal tweets that the White Sox are paying about half of the roughly $5.2MM that Cabrera is still owed on this year’s $15MM salary. Cabrera is a free agent at season’s end.
[Related: Updated Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox depth charts]
Cabrera, 32, will return for his second stint with the Royals — though things are different in Kansas City this time around. Cabrera had a fine year in Royal Blue back in 2011, hitting .305/.339/.470 with 18 homers and 20 steals as a 26-year-old. However, the Royals finished out that season 20 games below .500 and finished fourth in the American League Central.
Now in his second Royals tenure, Cabrera joins the team not as an up and coming outfielder but as an established veteran that will be inserted into a potential playoff contender’s lineup. The switch-hitter has a strong .295/.336/.436 batting line through 428 plate appearances this season, and he’s been especially effective against left-handed pitching (.296/.327/.500). That was surely an area of focus for GM Dayton Moore with tomorrow’s non-waiver deadline approaching, as the Royals have posted a collective .250/.305/.415 — good for just an 87 wRC+ that ranks 20th in the Majors.
For the White Sox, the 22-year-old Puckett is the more highly regarded pickup in this deal. The Pepperdine product was selected with the 67th overall pick in the 2016 draft and ranks as the Royals’ No. 13 prospect, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. In 108 1/3 innings this season, Puckett has worked to a 3.90 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 48.9 percent ground-ball rate. Callis and Mayo note that Puckett is more about pitchability than power, with a 90-94 mph fastball and a plus changeup. Their report also pegs the 6’4″, 200-pound righty’s control at above-average, despite the 3.8 BB/9 rate that Puckett has turned in this season.
Davis, 23, was the Royals’ eighth-rounder in 2015 and has spent the season pitching against younger competition in Class-A Lexington. In 85 2/3 innings out of the rotation, he’s posted a 4.82 ERA with 9.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 43.9 percent grounder rate. He’s been exclusively a starter this season, but if that track doesn’t pan out, Davis’ numbers against lefties in Class-A are solid; he’s held same-handed opponents to a .216/.289/.352 batting line through 97 plate appearances in 2017.
Edwards, 25, has spent the bulk of the 2017 season with Kansas City’s Double-A affiliate in Northwest Arkansas. He’s punched out 34 hitters in 30 2/3 innings but has also struggled to a 7.92 ERA after allowing 45 hits and 14 walks in that same time frame.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Position Player Market Notes: Granderson, Rays, Nats, Cards, Iglesias, Melky, Solarte
Here’s the latest on the market for position players:
- The Brewers have indicated some interest in veteran Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson, according to Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (Twitter link). At this point, though, the sides don’t seem to have made any real progress toward a deal. The left-handed-hitting Granderson would add a new dimension to the lineup, which features a variety of right-handed outfield options.
- As they continue to work on upgrading their roster, the Rays are willing to take trade offers for infielders Tim Beckham and Brad Miller, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). With the recent additions of Adeiny Hechavarria and now Lucas Duda, the Rays are perhaps a bit overstocked in infielders. Still, Tampa Bay is more interested in listening to potential offers than in shopping the pair around, Crasnick notes.
- The Nationals have scouted Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham along with reliever Trevor Rosenthal, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter). As ever, it’s hard to read too much into this sort of report, but it does seem notable that the Nats would be putting any thought into an outfielder at this point. While the team has dealt with injuries — highlighted by Adam Eaton but also including Jayson Werth, Michael Taylor, and others — indications of late have been that outfield additions wouldn’t be pursued in earnest.
- In other news on infielders, there’s some belief around the game that the Tigers could find a trade partner for shortstop Jose Iglesias, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link). That’s a bit surprising to hear, given the lack of demand among contenders, though Iglesias is a controllable player who’d be of possible interest to a variety of organizations even if a run at the postseason this year isn’t likely.
- The White Sox have gotten “a little” interest in left fielder/designated hitter Melky Cabrera, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets, though he also notes that the ChiSox would clearly need to pay down some of the remaining $5.4MM on Cabrera’s $15MM salary. CSN Chicago’s Chuck Garfien tweeted earlier today that GM Rick Hahn is willing to do just that, however, so perhaps a modest market could develop for the veteran switch-hitter’s services. After this morning’s Dan Jennings trade, Cabrera is one of the few plausible trade assets that remaining on a gutted White Sox roster. Struggling pitchers James Shields, Derek Holland, Mike Pelfrey, Miguel Gonzalez and Tyler Clippard all figure to be plenty available as well, though none carries much (if any) trade value.
- Though it’s been more than a month since Padres infielder Yangervis Solarte suited up for a game, Rosenthal tweets not to rule out a trade. Solarte is embarking on a minor league rehab assignment this weekend and has drawn interest from other clubs, per Rosenthal. Solarte, 30, was San Diego’s hottest hitter in mid-June (.337/.427/.589, seven homers in 26 games/110 PAs) before incurring an oblique strain from which he has not yet returned. The switch-hitting Solarte can handle both second base and third base, and may even spend some time at short during his rehab, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. That versatility at the plate and in the field both looked highly marketable prior to his injury — as did his contract. Solarte is earning just $2.625MM this season with a $4.125MM salary in 2018 plus a pair of club options for 2019 ($5.5MM) and 2020 ($8MM).
- Recent indications are that Mets infielder Asdrubal Cabrera will be dealt, and he’s still drawing interest from at least a trio of rivals, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). The odds that he’ll be targeted perhaps also increased with an injury suffered on Wednesday by Phillies infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick. As MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes, Kendrick did not suffer a fracture when he was hit by a pitch on the hand. But it’s not yet known if he’ll miss time. Given that he has already missed two extended stretches with other health issues, Kendrick will perhaps need to reenter the lineup and show he’s at full speed to factor into the deadline shopping spree. (Even if he doesn’t, he’d be a candidate to move in August.)
Rays Acquire Dan Jennings From White Sox
The Rays have begun to bolster their bullpen, announcing on Thursday that they’ve acquired lefty reliever Dan Jennings from the White Sox in exchange for first base prospect Casey Gillaspie. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated right-hander Diego Moreno for assignment.
[Related: Updated Chicago White Sox depth chart and Tampa Bay Rays depth chart]
Tampa Bay has been known to be interested in picking up a left-handed reliever, and they’ve reportedly checked in on the likes of San Diego’s Brad Hand and Detroit’s Justin Wilson in recent weeks. Both relievers are reportedly attached to exorbitant asking prices, however, which likely prompted the Rays to shift to another southpaw that they can control beyond the current campaign. Notably, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets that the Rays are still looking at bigger names on the relief market, so there could yet be further additions to the Tampa Bay bullpen.
Jennings, 30, has been a solid bullpen piece for the Sox since being acquired prior to the 2015 season in a shrewd trade by Chicago GM Rick Hahn. (The Sox sent righty Andre Rienzo to Miami in exchange for Jennings.) Jennings has totaled 161 1/3 innings out of the South Siders’ bullpen in the past three seasons, and while his 7.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 marks don’t stand out, he’s used a 59.1 percent ground-ball rate and a paltry 23.7 percent hard-contact rate to help him to a 3.12 ERA in that time.
While he’s long been effective against lefties, Jennings has been flat-out lethal against southpaw swingers in 2017, limiting them to a feeble .164/.286/.211 batting line through 85 plate appearances. He’s also earning just $1.4MM in 2017 and can be retained for another two years via arbitration, making him a nice longer-term piece for the Rays’ bullpen.
Jennings becomes the second reliever that the White Sox have flipped in a one-for-one swap involving a solid offensive prospect in as many days. (Anthony Swarzak officially went to the Brewers in exchange for outfielder Ryan Cordell yesterday.) Gillaspie, 24, was the Rays’ first-round pick in the 2014 draft and entered the season ranked as the game’s No. 74 overall prospect in the eyes of Baseball America. That ranking came on the heels of a strong .286/.387/.482 batting line in 555 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A in last year’s age-23 campaign.
The 2017 season has been a struggle for Gillaspie, however. He’s slumped to a .227/.296/.357 slash through his first 395 PAs with Triple-A Durham and had slipped from fifth to tenth on MLB.com’s rankings of the organization’s top 30 prospects. That said, MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo still placed a solid 50 grade (on the 20-80 scouting scale) on Gillaspie’s overall potential moving forward, praising the switch-hitter’s “untapped power potential” and touting him as at least a league-average defender at first base.
CSN Chicago’s Chuck Garfien tweets that Gillaspie, the younger brother of former White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie, is currently dealing with a broken toe and is expected to be out for another one to two weeks. He’ll then report to Triple-A Charlotte.
Losing his roster spot as a result of the trade will be the 30-year-old Moreno, who has tossed 5 2/3 frames out of the Rays’ bullpen this season and allowed three earned runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Moreno’s biggest claim to fame is being one of the two players traded by the Pirates to the Yankees in the 2012 swap that sent A.J. Burnett to Pittsburgh. He has just 16 innings at the big league level but has posted a more palatable 3.70 ERA with 8.3 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 through 165 1/3 career innings in Triple-A.
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick first reported that the Rays were closing in on a trade for a left-handed reliever (Twitter link). Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported the specifics (also on Twitter).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Avisail Garcia Placed On DL With Strained Thumb Ligament
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
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.
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, White Sox Discussing Anthony Swarzak Trade
The Brewers and White Sox are in talks about a trade that would send right-hander Anthony Swarzak from Chicago to Milwaukee, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
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.
Swarzak picked up the first save of his career in yesterday’s win over the Cubs, though his stint as the de facto closer in Chicago may not last all that long, as he’s a free agent at season’s end and is widely expected to be traded. The Brewers are known to be on the lookout for bullpen help, and Swarzak’s status as a rental and lack of a dominant track record should make him a reasonably affordable piece to acquire via trade, even with this year’s exceptional results.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/25/17
Let’s catch up on a few recent minor transactions:
- Blue Jays lefty Jeff Beliveau has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, per a club announcement. He had been designated for assignment recently after posting rough results over 19 MLB innings. The 30-year-old did manage 9.8 K/9 during his time in the majors, and was striking out over a dozen per nine at Triple-A this year. But he allowed four long balls in just 15 2/3 innings and had not generated much soft contact. The announcement seemingly suggests that Beliveau will take the assignment at Buffalo, though he’s not yet listed on the roster and would have the right to choose free agency.
Earlier Updates
- Righty Lucas Harrell has accepted an assignment with the Blue Jays‘ top affiliate, per a club announcement. Depending upon the team’s deadline moves, perhaps it won’t be a lengthy detour. Harrell, 32, was knocked around in 6 1/3 big league innings this year after making nine useful starts last year at the game’s highest level.
- The Mets added righty Jonathan Albaladejo on a minors deal, the team announced (h/t Marc Carig of Newsday, on Twitter). The former big leaguer had been pitching for the indy ball Bridgeport Bluefish. Now 34, Albaladejo hasn’t tasted the majors since a brief showing in 2012. Over 66 total appearances in the big leagues, he owns a 4.34 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9.
- The Rockies have acquired lefty Will Lamb from the White Sox, with an announcement confirming a tweet from Robert Murray of Fan Rag (via Twitter). It’s not known what Chicago will receive in return, but it’s surely reflective of Lamb’s struggles. While the former second-rounder has produced good results in brief stops at Double-A in recent years, he has been knocked around at the highest level of the minors. Over 120 1/3 total Triple-A frames, Lamb carries a 6.06 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9.
White Sox Sign Danny Farquhar
The White Sox have signed veteran righty Danny Farquhar, Scott Merkin of MLB.com tweets. Triple-A Charlotte has confirmed the move, while also announcing the releases of catcher Carson Blair and righty Bobby Parnell.
Chicago has been looking to add veteran arms to the ranks at Charlotte as it continues to oversee a rummage sale with its MLB roster. Several relievers have already been dealt and a few more appear to be on the block as well.
The 30-year-old Farquhar continues to generate tons of swings and misses (better than 14% this year), but has had trouble translating that into consistent results. He was able to punch out only 8.5 batters per nine via strikeout despite the outstanding whiff rate, and also permitted a 5.7 BB/9 walk rate in his 35 innings this year with the Rays.
Those struggles led to the loss of Farquhar’s MLB roster spot and, not long after, his release. But he obviously still has some intriguing skills and has at times been quite effective over long stretches. Farquhar will hope for another shot at the majors down the stretch, with designs on setting himself up for a solid opportunity entering the 2018 season.
As for the other two players, the 27-year-old Blair has seen eleven games of MLB action, but has mostly played in the upper minors in recent years. He’s slashing .211/.297/.390 on the season at Triple-A. Parnell, the former Mets’ closer, has struggled to a 7.34 ERA in his 34 1/3 innings at the highest level of the minors this year (split between the Royals and White Sox organizations).
Zack Burdi To Have Tommy John Surgery
July 24: Burdi will indeed undergo Tommy John surgery, Hayes tweets. The operation will be performed this week and figures to sideline the hard-throwing righty for the majority of the 2018 campaign.
July 14: White Sox pitching prospect Zack Burdi is believed to have suffered a UCL tear that will require Tommy John surgery, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago first reported on Twitter. While he’ll first receive a second opinion, indications are that he’ll join his brother — Twins prospect Nick Burdi — in the lengthy TJ recovery process.
The younger Burdi landed with the White Sox organization after following his brother in posting a stellar run with the University of Louisville. Chicago grabbed Burdi with the 26th overall pick in last year’s draft — quite a steep position for a relief pitcher.
At the time, prospect watchers believed that Burdi could move quickly toward the majors. His triple-digit heater, quality slider, and serviceable change give him the arsenal of a closer; surely, the South Siders used that lofty pick in expectation that he’d become an elite pen arm.
Burdi sprinted through the Sox’ system last year, reaching Triple-A in his first professional season. The expectation heading into 2017 was that he’d finish off his preparation and potentially get his first taste of the big leagues at some point later in the current season.
Even before the injury, though, there was perhaps some cause to pump the brakes on Burdi’s rise. He has allowed fifteen earned runs on thirty hits and seventeen walks through his 33 1/3 innings at Charlotte this year, though he has also racked up 51 strikeouts.
Still, the plan obviously was for Burdi to begin making an MLB impact sooner than later. While the rebuilding White Sox can deal with some delay, a major injury to a significant prospect obviously constitutes disappointing news. If he does indeed require a new UCL, the 22-year-old will likely miss the entire 2018 season — though perhaps an Arizona Fall League assignment next year could be possible.