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Contract Notes: Gonzalez, Breslow, McGowan, Narveson, Russell, Burriss

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Here are a few contract details relating to some recent roster decisions …

  • Miguel Gonzalez’s contract with the White Sox does not include an opt-out clause, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports on Twitter. The veteran righty will represent useful rotation depth in Triple-A. Though he is coming off of a disastrous 2015 and didn’t show well in the spring, the 31-year-old has provided plenty of solid innings (with occasionally excellent results) over the years. He’s all the more useful to Chicago without concern of a hard opt-out date.
  • Marlins relievers Craig Breslow and Dustin McGowan have both signed advance consent agreements allowing them to be removed from the major league roster without guaranteeing the remainder of their salary within 45 days of Opening Day, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports on Twitter. Breslow will earn at a $1.5MM rate in the majors, as was reported upon his signing, while McGowan will take home $1MM annually. Meanwhile, Heyman adds, lefty Chris Narveson will earn $1.2MM in the majors. He doesn’t specify whether Narveson has an advanced consent agreement.
  • The Phillies are set to pay southpaw James Russell at a $1.5MM rate and Emmanuel Burriss $925K annually, Heyman adds on Twitter. Russell has had some productive campaigns in the past, and cracked the Opening Day roster after posting nine strikeouts and no walks in his 6 2/3 spring innings. As for Burriss, 31, he appeared briefly in the big leagues last year for the first time since a five-year run of part-time action with the Giants between 2008 and 2012.

White Sox To Sign Miguel Gonzalez

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The White Sox have agreed to sign right-hander Miguel Gonzalez to a minor league deal, according to Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

Gonzalez was released by the Orioles late last week. The Orioles made the right-handed hurler a “competitive” offer to pitch in the minors, but he apparently felt that he had a better opportunity waiting for him in Chicago.  Gonzalez also received interest from the Yankees, but it was the White Sox who made the strongest push for his services.

The 31-year-old has been a member of the Orioles’ starting five since his MLB debut in 2012.  From 2012 through 2014, Gonzalez pitched to a strong 3.45 ERA with a so-so showing in K/9 (6.4) and BB/9 (2.9).  However, he was unable to replicate those results in 2015 when he posted a 4.91 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. 144 2/3 innings.  Whether Gonzalez was the beneficiary of good luck in his first three big league seasons or he just suffered a down year in ’15, he’ll look to get back to his old form in the White Sox organization.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/31/16

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Here are Thursday’s minor moves from around Major League Baseball:

  • The Orioles have released lefty reliever Hideki Okajima, per Michael Mayer of Metsmerized Online (via Twitter). Okajima, who signed a minor league deal with the O’s last month, hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2013. He spent the past two seasons in Japan and is best known in the bigs for his work in Boston’s bullpen from 2007-11.
  • The White Sox have released three minor leaguers – outfielder Scott Hairston, utility man Steve Lombardozzi and righty Maikel Cleto – Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter). Hairston, the most accomplished of the trio, signed with the White Sox in November after sitting out the 2015 season. The 11-year MLB veteran owns a lifetime slash of .242/.296/.442, though he has fared significantly better against left-handed pitchers (.268/.315/.489). Lombardozzi last played extensively in the majors in 2013, when he was worth -0.6 fWAR in 118 games with Washington. Control problems have beset the career of Cleto, who has put up a 6.60 ERA with an 11.6 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in 45 big league innings. He spent last season with the White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate, Charlotte, and recorded a stingy 3.00 ERA in 51 innings to go along with a 10.76 K/9 and 4.24 BB/9.
  • The Angels signed outfielder Shane Robinson to a minor league deal, according to their Twitter account. Cleveland released Robinson earlier this week after he exercised his opt-out clause. Robinson has batted .237/.302/.313 in 649 career plate appearances over parts of six seasons. The 31-year-old has performed better defensively throughout his career, having received plus marks in defensive runs saved and ultimate zone rating.
  • The Twins have released outfielder Joe Benson, according to Mayer (on Twitter). Benson, whom the Twins signed to a minor league contract during the winter, hit just .125/.263/.188 in 19 spring plate appearances. Most of Benson’s career has been spent in the Twins organization since they chose him in the second round of the 2006 draft. His only big league action came in 2011, when he slashed .239/.270/.352 in 21 games with Minnesota.

Five Teams Interested In Miguel Gonzalez

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5:25pm: The Angels have some interest in Gonzalez, but they aren’t aggressively pursuing him, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). Gonzalez originally signed with the Angels as an amateur free agent in 2004 and was with the organization through 2007.

3:46pm: Four teams are known to be interested in Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, with the White Sox “aggressively pursuing” his services, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter link).  The Athletics, Blue Jays and Marlins are also interested, he adds.

Gonzalez was placed on release waivers yesterday, and if he isn’t claimed within the 48-hour period, the O’s will be on the hook for roughly a quarter of his $5.1MM salary for the 2016 season.  A claiming team would take on the entire $5.1MM figure, so it only makes sense that some clubs are waiting until Gonzalez officially becomes a free agent to make a play for the 31-year-old.

The White Sox are set at the top of the rotation with Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon, though there’s uncertainty in the last two spots.  Offseason signing Mat Latos struggled in 2015 and has been hit hard this spring, while John Danks is looking to rebound after several rough seasons.  Though Gonzalez himself struggled last year, he would provide some experienced depth or even a rotation alternative for Chicago.

The A’s, Jays and Marlins could likewise use some extra pitching depth, as all three teams are using some fairly inexperienced arms.  While all have options behind the opening units, added depth never hurts. Toronto will go with Aaron Sanchez as its fifth starter to begin the season but Sanchez will eventually be moved to the bullpen as he approaches an innings cap. The A’s have Sonny Gray, Rich Hill, Kendall Graveman, Chris Bassitt and Felix Doubront slated as the starting five, with Henderson Alvarez expected to join the staff in May when he’s recovered from shoulder surgery.  Miami announced yesterday that Adam Conley, Tom Koehler and Jarred Cosart would back up Jose Fernandez and Wei-Yin Chen in its rotation; Justin Nicolino is likely the sixth man in the organization.

Gonzalez posted a 3.45 ERA, 6.45 K/9 and 2.22 K/BB rate over 435 2/3 innings with the Orioles from 2012-14, though advanced metrics were far less bullish on his performance due to a low BABIP and very high strand rate during those three seasons.  Those two statistics normalized last season and Gonzalez struggled, managing only a 4.91 ERA in 144 2/3 innings.  The Orioles avoided arbitration with the righty by agreeing to that $5.1MM contract but after Gonzalez struggled in Spring Training, cut him from the rotation in favor of Mike Wright.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/30/16

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As we near the end of Spring Training, it’s a big day — if you can call it that — for minor moves. Here’s the latest from around the league.

  • The Royals have released outfielder Travis Snider, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets. They had signed Snider to a minor-league deal after he hit .232/.313/.350 with the Orioles and Pirates last year. He had been looking to compete for a bench job.
  • The Royals have also re-signed righty sidearmer Peter Moylan to a minor-league deal, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets. The 37-year-old came back to pitch for the Braves last season after having Tommy John surgery, and the Royals signed him to a minor-league deal only to release him earlier this week to avoid paying him a retention bonus.
  • Third baseman Will Middlebrooks could have refused to let the Brewers send him to the minors, but he’s accepted an assignment to Triple-A Colorado Springs, Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel tweets. Middlebrooks hit .212/.241/.361 in 255 plate appearances last season for San Diego and did not win a job with the Brewers out of Spring Training.
  • The Marlins have re-signed utilityman Don Kelly to a minor-league deal, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. The Marlins had released Kelly yesterday, likely to avoid paying him a $100K retention bonus as an Article XX(B) free agent. The longtime Tigers bench piece played sparingly in the Marlins organization in 2015.
  • The Marlins also released first baseman Tommy Medica today, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets. Medica played in 102 games with the Padres in 2014, but did not play in the big leagues last year, instead batting .259/.314/.364 in 363 plate appearances for San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate in El Paso.
  • The Tigers have re-signed veteran infielder Casey McGehee to a minor-league deal, tweets MLB.com’s Jason Beck. They had released him this week. As with Kelly and Moylan, McGehee would have been owed a retention bonus. McGehee struggled with San Francisco and Miami in 2015, batting .198/.264/.274 in 258 plate appearances.
  • White Sox righty Kameron Loe has received an 80-game suspension for PEDs, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes (Twitter links). Officially, Loe tested positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone metabolite and methasterone. He says on his Twitter account that he was caught taking an unapproved product he bought at a nutrition store. Loe was also suspended 50 games last year, although that was for a “drug of abuse,” not for PED use. He pitched in the independent Atlantic League in 2015 before signing a minor-league deal with Chicago.
  • The Rays have released first-baseman-turned-knuckleballer Dan Johnson, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The 36-year-old Johnson, who briefly played for the Cardinals last year, had been trying for a sort of second career as a pitcher after years spent as a slugger on the fringes of the big leagues.

White Sox Outright Jacob Turner, Purchase Contract Of Jimmy Rollins

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The White Sox announced several roster moves today. Among them, righty Jacob Turner was outrighted off of the 40-man roster, while shortstop Jimmy Rollins was added in his place.

Turner, 24, landed with the White Sox after bouncing around several times in recent years. He agreed to a $1.5MM deal with the club over the offseason.

A former top prospect, Turner is still looking to get back on track after fizzling out in the majors and sitting out much of 2015 with arm troubles. The out-of-options right-hander was hit hard this spring, allowing 14 earned runs on 14 hits and eight walks over 12 innings.

As for Rollins, it was widely expected that he’d open the year as the primary shortstop in Chicago. It seems he’ll still cede time to Tyler Saladino on occasion, but Rollins figures to receive the majority of the action.

Padres Return Rule 5 Pick Blake Smith To White Sox

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Padres pitcher Blake Smith has cleared waivers, according to Dennis Lin of U-T San Diego (on Twitter). The Padres will now return the Rule 5 Draft selection to the White Sox.

Smith, 28, was a second round pick of the Dodgers in 2009 The University of California product was in the Los Angeles organization until May 2015 when he was shipped to the White Sox for left-hander Eric Surkamp.

Last year, Smith split time between Double-A (with both Dodgers and White Sox affiliates) and Triple-A, posting a combined 3.23 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9. When he was left exposed, the Padres pounced in the Rule 5 draft. However, he apparently did not do enough to compel the Padres to add him to the big league bullpen.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/24/16

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Here are some minor moves from around baseball over the last week…

  • The White Sox signed righty Chris Volstad to a minor league contract, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.  The move comes less than two weeks after Volstad was released from his previous minors deal with the Braves.  Volstad was an innings-eating rotation arm for the Marlins and Cubs from 2009-12 but he’s pitched just 10 1/3 big league frames since then, bouncing between five different MLB clubs and a stint in the Korea Baseball Organization.
  • The Marlins released righty Preston Claiborne, as per the team’s official MLB.com transactions page.  Miami took Claiborne off waivers from the Yankees last winter but he missed the entire season with a shoulder injury.  Claiborne posted a 3.79 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 2.42 K/BB rate over 71 1/3 innings out of the Yankees bullpen in 2013-14.
  • The Reds released southpaw Jonathan Sanchez, as per the team’s Twitter feed.  Sanchez was a staple in the Giants rotation from 2008-10, tossing a no-hitter in 2009 and helping the team win the World Series in 2010.  He had control problems even at his peak, however, and he posted an 8.73 ERA, 63 walks and 60 strikeouts over 78 1/3 innings in 2012-13, which was his last taste of MLB action.

White Sox Won’t Shop Chris Sale

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Despite a potential rift between Chris Sale and the White Sox’s front office, the team will not be trading its ace.  General Manager Rick Hahn has no interest in moving Sale, multiple baseball sources tell Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com.  This comes on the heels of one White Sox official telling Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe that there is “no chance” of a Sale deal taking place.

Last week, Sale weighed in on the controversy between Adam LaRoche and the team regarding his son’s presence in the clubhouse.  After the ace’s pointed words for president Kenny Williams, rival teams quickly began to wonder if one of the game’s brightest young pitchers could suddenly come available.  Hayes writes that Hahn received “a few new inquiries” from GMs hoping to acquire the soon-to-be 27-year-old in recent days.

Sale, 27 on Mar. 30, earned his fourth-straight All-Star selection in 2015 by pitching to a 3.41 ERA with career-bests in K/9 (11.8) and BB/9 (1.8) across 208.2 innings.  Across six big league seasons, Sale has a 2.91 ERA with 10.3 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.  Not only is Sale a tremendous pitcher, but he is under team control through the 2019 season thanks to a contract that is considered to be one of the most team-friendly pacts in the game today.  Sale is slated to earn $9.15MM in 2016 and $12MM in 2017 before options in the 2018 and 2019 seasons that would pay him $12.5MM and $13.5MM.  Ultimately, Sale is regarded as an untouchable player in Chicago and some recent friction between the player and the team president will not give way to a trade.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/20/16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…

  • The White Sox acquired right-hander Brandon Sinnery from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports (via Twitter).  Sinnery will report to the Sox minor league camp.  The righty went undrafted out of the University of Michigan but signed with the D’Backs in 2013 after a season of independent ball.  Sinnery has a 4.09 ERA, 2.77 K/BB rate and 5.9 K/9 in 477 1/3 innings, starting 78 of his 80 career games in Arizona’s system.
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