White Sox To Release Charlie Leesman
WEDNESDAY: The White Sox have requested release waivers for Leesman to grant him his unconditional release, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
SUNDAY: The White Sox announced that they have designated Charlie Leesman for assignment. The move will allow the club to make room for Tyler Greene on the 40-man roster.
The left-hander turned in a 2.47 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 26 Triple-A games last season, his first time at that level. The 26-year-old has been with the White Sox organization since being drafted by the club in 11th round of the 2008 draft.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Donald, Berken, Gartrell
Today's minor moves…
- Reds infielder Jason Donald cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, according to the International League transactions page. He'd been designated for assignment on Sunday. The 28-year-old hit .277/.365/.441 in 296 Triple-A plate appearances last year.
- The White Sox added righty Jason Berken to their Triple-A roster, tweets Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Berken, 29, tossed 19 2/3 big league innings in 2012, mostly for the Cubs, but was removed from their 40-man roster in October. For the Orioles' Triple-A club, he posted a 3.50 ERA, 6.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, and 0.63 HR/9 in 144 innings last year. Four years ago, Baseball America explained that Berken can throw strikes with any of his four pitches, but doesn't have swing-and-miss stuff.
- The White Sox also released outfielder Stefan Gartrell, tweets Gonzales. Gartrell had signed a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp. The 29-year-old hit .251/.335/.452 over 472 plate appearances last year for the Braves' Triple-A affiliate.
Jeff Todd contributed to this post.
AL Notes: Valverde, Rays, Viciedo, Wells
Baseball America has released this useful chart showing where each of baseball's 100 best prospects is currently playing. Elsewhere around baseball:
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski says the club's deal with Jose Valverde does not include a Major League side, reports Jason Beck of MLB.com. Dombrowski acknowledged that he "talked extensively" with Valverde agent Scott Boras "throughout the last couple months" about the Tigers' former closer, in spite of reports that the Tigers were not interested. The team decided that the deal was beneficial because "if this makes us the best team, then, great, and if it doesn't, then we don't have any commitments."
- The Rays organization is fully stocked with major league ready talent after its offseason moves, writes Bill Chastain of MLB.com. Manager Joe Maddon says that the club "sent some Major League players back to Triple-A this time," which is "not so good for them and good for us." In particular, Chastain cites players such as pitchers Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, and Alex Colome, along with hitters Wil Myers and Tim Beckham, as ready to step in on the MLB level. According to Maddon, "if anything were to happen, we have the guys in tow."
- White Sox outfielder Dayan Viciedo, another Boras client, appears content to sit back and let his agent decide whether or not to seek an extension, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Viciedo says he has already been "very privileged" to have signed a four-year, $10MM deal as an international free agent from Cuba. The 24-year-old will reach arbitration eligibility in 2015, unless he qualifies for Super Two status.
- Both the Mariners and Yankees made bad decisions relating to a player named Wells, writes ESPN.com's Dave Szymborski (insider sub. req'd). Szymborski opines that Seattle's decision to go with Jason Bay over Casper Wells and New York's acquisition of Vernon Wells are among the worst moves of the spring.
White Sox Sign Tyler Greene
The White Sox signed infielder Tyler Greene, tweets Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. He'll presumably add to the club's infield depth at Triple-A. With less than three years of Major League service, the White Sox can control Greene for a while if he proves useful.
Greene, 29, hit .230/.274/.400 in 330 plate appearances for the Cardinals and Astros last year. Astros GM Jeff Luhnow acquired Greene, a former draft pick of his in the first round in '05, from the Cards in August of 2012. Though the Astros would go on to trade Jed Lowrie, they added Ronny Cedeno at shortstop in March, leading to Greene's release last month.
Central Notes: White Sox, Tigers, Wells, Hicks
Here's a look at the latest out of the American League Central..
- White Sox manager Robin Ventura believes that this year's team has more potential than last year's squad, thanks in part to offseason additions that make them a stronger postseason team, writes Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. The White Sox kept their starting pitching in tact while adding Jeff Keppinger and Matt Lindstrom to the fold.
- Jason Beck of MLB.com wonders if the Tigers might make a move for Casper Wells after he was designated for assignment by the Mariners yesterday. Detroit had interest in making a move for Wells towards the end of spring training and will likely have to work out a trade for the outfielder before he hits the waiver wire if they want to grab him.
- The future is now for Twins prospect Aaron Hicks, writes MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. The center fielder, who is ranked 72nd on Baseball America's Top 100 list and 98th on MLB.com's Top 100, was given the starting job despite the fact that it starts his service clock earlier.
White Sox Acquire Lars Anderson
The White Sox have acquired Lars Anderson from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Anderson was designated for assignment by Toronto on March 29th to free up room for waiver claims Alex Burnett and Clint Robinson.
Anderson, 25, spent most of the 2012 season at Triple-A, where he posted a .250/.353/.396 batting line in 470 plate appearances. He also has 30 games of big league experience to his credit with the Red Sox from 2010-12.
The first baseman has done his best impression of Carmen Sandiego, having moved around quite a bit this offseason. Anderson went from the Indians to the D’Backs in the three-team Shin-Soo Choo deal and before a series of roster moves led him to the White Sox, then the Blue Jays, and finally back to the White Sox.
Quick Hits: Santiago, Padres, White Sox
Here are some notes on a few possible trade situations shaping up around baseball:
- The Tigers are shopping middle infielder Ramon Santiago, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The 33-year-old Santiago has spent 9 of his 11 big league seasons in Detroit, but his performance fell off last year when he hit just .206/.283/.272 in 259 plate appearances for the Tigers.
- In light of today's news that Padres third baseman Logan Forsythe suffered a setback in his attempt to recover from a foot injury, the club once again finds itself wondering who will man the hot corner for the start of the season after already losing Chase Headley. As reported by Bill Center of The San Diego Union-Tribune, manager Bud Black acknowledged that a DL stint was likely for Forsythe. GM Josh Byrnes says that it is unlikely that the team will look outside the organization for a replacement, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com. Center suggests that, instead, rookie Jedd Gyorko will move over to third, with Alexi Amarista filling in at second.
- Meanwhile, the White Sox also have some injury concerns that they do not expect to address via trade, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. However, GM Rick Hahn says that the team is "looking around outside for other upgrades." Chicago manager Robin Ventura also announced that righty Dylan Axelrod will be the team's fifth starter to begin the year, writes Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, in conjunction with the news that John Danks will begin the year on the DL.
Cafardo On Norris, Overbay, Mortensen, Dodgers
Here's the latest from the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo:
- Pitcher Bud Norris of the Astros has "drawn interest from at least six teams," but Houston does not appear interested in trading him.
- The Yankees have had discussions about Lyle Overbay, who could platoon with Juan Rivera at first base in Mark Teixeira's absence. Overbay is currently with the Red Sox, but he has an out clause in his contract that he can trigger on Tuesday.
- The Red Sox aren't inclined to deal reliever Clayton Mortensen, even though he is out of options.
- The Orioles, Brewers, Indians, White Sox, and Mets have all had "internal discussions" about surplus Dodgers starters Chris Capuano, Ted Lilly and Aaron Harang, and scouts feel that the Dodgers will ultimately trade at least one of them.
- The White Sox are looking for another starter because John Danks, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, has struggled this spring, allowing 21 runs in 11 innings.
Minor Moves: Nats, Royals, Cust, Padres, Puckett
Here are a few of today's minor moves from around baseball:
- The Nationals have released 10 minor-leaguers, MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports, including Delwyn Young, a utilityman who played parts of five seasons for the Pirates and Dodgers. The Nats also released pitchers Ryan Demmin, Inocencio Heredia, Bobby Lucas, Blake Monar, Casey Upperman, and Andrew Wall; outfielders Wade Moore and J.P. Ramirez; and infielder Stephen King.
- The Royals have released 11 minor-leaguers, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter): pitchers Rudy Brown, Allen Caldwell, Blaine Hardy, Joe Karlik, Patrick Keating, Jason Mitchell, Lincoln Rassi, and Jamie Richmond; outfielder Nick Van Stratten; and infielders Michael Liberto and Adrian Martinez.
- The Rays have released DH Jack Cust, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune reports (on Twitter). Cust signed a minor-league deal with the Rays on February 17. He played for Triple-A Scranton (Yankees) and Las Vegas (Blue Jays) in 2012. He last appeared in the majors with the Mariners in 2011, hitting .214/.344/.329 in 225 at bats.
- The Padres have released six minor-leaguers, MLB.com's Corey Brock Reports (on Twitter): pitchers Mark Pope, Chris Haney, and Michael Broadway; outfielders Anthony Renteria and Kyung-Min Na; and first baseman Goose Kallunki.
- Infielder/outfielder Cody Puckett has been traded from the Reds, with whom he has spent his entire career, to the White Sox, Puckett himself tweeted. In return, the Reds will receive a player to be named later, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Splitting last season between Double-A and Triple-A, Puckett saw time in the infield (mostly at second) and corner outfield, and hit .233/.306/.390 with 16 home runs over 488 plate appearances.
- The Marlins released left-handed pitcher Kevin Gelinas, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Gelinas, just 23, was Baseball America's Independent Leagues Player of the Year last season, Eddy notes.
- The Rangers released catcher Konrad Schmidt, a 28-year-old who has 17 total plate appearances in the big leagues, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Texas claimed Schmidt off waivers from the Diamondbacks last fall and then outrighted him to Triple-A in December.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
Chicago Notes: Marmol, Tigers, Soriano, Floyd
ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine held his weekly chat with fans today and discussed several topics about both Windy City teams, including these hot stove items…
- A source on the Tigers told Levine that the club wasn't interested in acquiring Carlos Marmol. Levine recently reported that Detroit was one of several teams who were looking at Marmol. There has been much speculation that the Tigers are looking for relief pitching to help their unsettled closing situation.
- There is currently "no movement" on the Marmol trade front. Levine doesn't think Marmol or Alfonso Soriano will be traded given the injuries that have hit the Cubs this spring.
- The Cubs are looking for extra pitching depth and a utilityman who can play both the infield and outfield.
- The White Sox will keep Gavin Floyd at least until July and perhaps beyond depending on where they are in the pennant race, Levine opines. Floyd was rumored to be on the trade block earlier this winter and could be the odd man out of the Sox rotation if John Danks is healthy.
- Earlier today on MLBTR, Ben Nicholson-Smith reviewed the White Sox offseason.