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White Sox Sign Brian Goodwin

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May 5: The White Sox confirmed the deal, and assistant GM Chris Getz tells The Athletic’s James Fegan and other reporters that Goodwin will report to Triple-A in the near future (Twitter link).

May 4, 1:54pm: Goodwin will earn a $1MM salary if the White Sox add him to their 40-man roster, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.

1:21pm: The White Sox have agreed to a minor league contract with free-agent outfielder Brian Goodwin, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (via Twitter). It’s a natural fit for a White Sox club that just learned it’ll be without center fielder Luis Robert for the next three to four months. Goodwin is represented by MVP Sports.

The 30-year-old Goodwin had an opt-out clause in a minor league deal with the Pirates and hit the market yesterday. He’s certainly not a star, but with the exception of a disastrous 20-game stint with the Reds in 2020, which consisted of a mere 55 plate appearances, he’s been a solid hitter in the Majors. Goodwin slashed .258/.327/.469 in 166 games with the Angels from 2019-20, and he’s a career .250/.317/.455 hitter in 1124 Major League plate appearances. His sudden return to the market made this a fairly straightforward fit for a White Sox club that has lost both Robert and Eloy Jimenez for the bulk of the season — if not the entirety of it — due to injury.

The White Sox have also been without another outfielder, Adam Engel, who has yet to play this year because of a strained right hamstring. General manager Rick Hahn announced yesterday that Engel suffered a setback that will prevent him from starting a minor league rehab assignment for three weeks (Twitter link via Scott Merkin of MLB.com). Hahn later suggested the White Sox would look to the trade route for outfielders, and while that still may be the case, they’re turning to the open market in this instance. For now, their primary outfielders are Andrew Vaughn, Leury Garcia and Adam Eaton.

Notably, there’s already familiarity between Hahn and Goodwin, whom the White Sox chose in the 17th round of the 2009 draft. Goodwin decided not to sign with the White Sox, though, instead electing to attend the University of North Carolina. It was a wise move by Goodwin, who boosted his stock enough for the Nationals to draft him 34th overall in 2011. Ten years later, he’s headed to the Chicago organization.

Mariners, Ryan Dull Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran reliever Ryan Dull, tweets FanSided’s Robert Murray. He’ll presumably head to their Triple-A affiliate to join their bullpen.

Dull, 31, debuted with the A’s back in 2015 and had a huge 2016 season, delivering 74 1/3 innings of 2.42 ERA ball (3.33 SIERA) with what was then a well-above-average 25.2 percent strikeout rate and an excellent 5.2 percent walk rate. He’s never replicated that success, but Dull managed solid K/BB numbers and respectable fielding-independent marks in 2017-18.

A 2019 season split between the A’s, Yankees and Blue Jays, however, was an utter disaster for the righty. Dull tallied just 12 2/3 innings in the Majors that year and was slammed for 19 runs (18 earned) on 25 hits (including five homers) and seven walks with 15 strikeouts.

Dull hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since that time. He’d signed back with the Jays on a minor league deal last winter but wasn’t part of their 60-man player pool when play resumed last summer. Dull inked a deal with the Winnipeg Goldeneyes of the independent American Association back in January, but he’ll now return to affiliated ball just a couple of weeks before the American Association was set to commence its season.

Mariners relievers have been excellent this season, pitching to a collective 2.55 ERA that ranks third in the Majors, while their 3.62 FIP is good for sixth-best among MLB clubs. There won’t be an immediate spot for Dull, but he’ll give the club an experienced depth option as the organization looks to manage workloads on a generally young pitching staff after last year’s shortened schedule.

Marlins Moves: Zastryzny, Bender

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The Marlins purchased the contract of left-hander Rob Zastryzny from the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League on Tuesday. The Ducks announced the move, adding that Zastryzny will report to the Marlins’ extended spring training site. The Marlins also selected the contract of righty Anthony Bender, as Craig Mish of SportsGrid first reported.

The 29-year-old Zastryzny joined the Ducks back in March, but he exited before ever throwing a pitch for the team. Prior to signing with the Ducks, the former second-round pick (2013) appeared in the bigs from 2016-18 with the Cubs, who drafted him. He also had stints with the Dodgers and Orioles, though he didn’t make it to the majors with either of those organizations.

During his time in Chicago, the soft-tossing Zastryzny logged 34 2/3 innings and posted a 4.41 ERA with a 51.5 percent groundball rate, a 20.1 percent strikeout rate and a 10.4 percent walk rate. Zastryzny was tough on lefties as a Cub, holding them to a pitiful .154/.313/.154 line, but righties teed off on him for a .330/.387/.468 mark. In his most recent professional action, the 2019 campaign, Zastryzny racked up 113 frames between the Dodgers’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. He managed a 5.58 ERA with 104 strikeouts against 38 walks that year.

As for the 26-year-old Bender, he saw action in the minors with the Royals and Brewers from 2016-19. While Bender notched a rock-solid 3.30 ERA in that 239 2/3-inning stretch, he only threw 5 2/3 frames above the High-A level. Bender spent last season with the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association, and then Miami took a flyer on him on a minors contract over the winter.

After joining the Marlins, Bender held his own in spring training with 8 1/3 scoreless innings, flashing a 97 mph sinker and a high-spin slider, as Ely Sussman of Fish Stripes points out. Thanks to Bender’s intriguing repertoire, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranks him as the Marlins’ 32nd-best prospect and writes that he could turn into one of their regular middle relievers as early as this season.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/4/21

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The latest minor moves from around baseball:

  • Reds left-hander Phillip Diehl cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. The Reds added Diehl as a waiver claim from the Rockies on April 14, but the Cincinnati native didn’t appear in a game with his hometown team before they designated him for assignment last weekend. The 26-year-old’s only big league experience so far came from 2019-20 as a member of the Rockies, with whom he pitched a total of 13 1/3 innings and yielded 13 earned runs on 17 hits. Diehl also struggled in Triple-A during the offensively charged 2019 minor league season, but he has registered dominant numbers at the lower levels of the minors. He amassed 40 Double-A innings from 2018-19 and put up a minuscule 0.90 ERA with 41 strikeouts, 14 walks and just 23 hits allowed.

Pirates Place Gregory Polanco On IL, Select Hunter Owen

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The Pirates have placed outfielder Gregory Polanco on the injured list and selected outfielder/infielder Hunter Owen, the team announced. The club didn’t give a reason for Polanco’s IL placement.

Polanco entered this season hoping to bounce back from two straight unproductive years, but it hasn’t happened yet. Dating back to 2019, Polanco has batted an unsightly .197/.263/.369 over 431 trips to the plate, including 90 PA of .200/.289/.350 hitting this season. Phillip Evans could handle most of the work in right field during Polanco’s absence.

This is the first big league promotion for Owen, a 25th-round pick in 2016 who worked his way to the Triple-A level in 2019. Owen struggled during his debut there, but he has performed well in the minors overall. The 27-year-old owns a .266/.341/.473 line with 55 home runs in 1,425 PA.

Angels Select Phil Gosselin, Designate Scott Schebler

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The Angels have selected the contract of infielder Phil Gosselin and designated outfielder Scott Schebler for assignment, per a team announcement.

This is now the ninth straight season in the bigs for Gosselin, whom the Angels signed to a minor league contract over the winter. The 32-year-old has appeared in the majors with six teams, most recently the Phillies, and put together a .261/.314/.361 line in 749 plate appearances. Gosselin has experience at several positions, including third base, where he’ll start for the Angels on Tuesday. Starter Anthony Rendon will sit because of a knee contusion.

Schebler, another of the Angels’ offseason minor league additions, had his contract selected in mid-April. The two-time 30-home run hitter has failed to impress since then, however, with a mere four hits (three doubles and a single) in 27 plate appearances. Schebler struck out 11 times while recording no walks during that span.

Rangers Place Brock Holt On 10-Day IL, Select Andy Ibanez

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The Rangers announced that they have placed infielder Brock Holt on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 3, with a right hamstring strain. In other moves, the team selected the contract of infielder Andy Ibanez from Triple-A Round Rock and moved catcher Sam Huff from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL. Huff is recovering from right knee surgery.

This is already the second time this season that a right hamstring strain has forced Holt to the IL, as he missed time in April with the same issue. When Holt has been healthy enough to play, the offseason minor league signing has given the Rangers respectable offensive production with a .250/.377/.295 line in 53 plate appearances. Defensively, Holt has lined up exclusively at third base, where he has shared time with Charlie Culberson.

With Holt down, Ibanez will provide the Rangers with some extra depth in their infield. The Cuba native was Baseball America’s third-ranked international prospect in 2015, when he wound up scoring a $1.6MM payday with the Rangers. Ibanez was one of BA’s top 10 Rangers prospects during his first couple of seasons with the organization, but the 28-year-old’s stock has fallen since, and he still hasn’t appeared in the majors. As a minor leaguer, Ibanez is a .285/.352/.443 hitter with 53 home runs in 1,949 plate appearances.

Phillies Select Enyel De Los Santos

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The Phillies announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Enyel De Los Santos and optioned lefty Cristopher Sanchez to Triple-A.

Now 25 years old, De Los Santos joined the Phillies before 2018 in a trade that sent infielder Freddy Galvis from Philadelphia to San Diego. De Los Santos was a noteworthy prospect in his younger days, topping out as Baseball America’s sixth-best farmhand in the Philly organization in 2019.

Since a promising showing with the Phillies’ Triple-A team in 2018, De Los Santos’ production has taken a negative turn. Across 30 major league innings from 2018-19, De Los Santos put up a bloated 5.70 ERA with a 19.6 percent strikeout rate and a walk percentage of 10.2. He also threw 94 frames of 4.40 ERA ball with similar strikeout and walk rates during the 2019 Triple-A campaign.

With no minor league season in 2020, De Los Santos’ only hope of getting into a real game was to crack the Phillies’ bullpen. He was unable to do that at any point, though, and the team removed him from its 40-man roster in August.

Nationals Activate Juan Soto, Will Harris; Designate Hernan Perez

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The Nationals have activated outfielder Juan Soto and right-handed reliever Will Harris from the injured list, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com. In corresponding moves, the Nationals designated infielder/outfielder Hernan Perez for assignment and optioned righty Kyle McGowin to Triple-A.

The Nationals held an ugly 5-9 record when Soto went on the IL on April 20 with a strained left shoulder. To their credit, though, the Nats did more than stay afloat during their superstar hitter’s absence. After going 7-3 while Soto was on the shelf, Washington sits at 12-12 – good for a half-game lead in the National League East. They’ll have to continue playing without Soto at full strength for a little while longer, as manager Dave Martinez said the 22-year-old still isn’t ready to throw in games (via Zuckerman). For now, he’ll serve as a pinch-hitter. That should continue leaving right field to Yadiel Hernandez, who has come up large with a .362/.444/.500 line in 36 plate appearances.

Harris, 36, has yet to debut this year as a result of right hand inflammation. There was a fear Harris would require thoracic outlet surgery, but he avoided that procedure and will now rejoin the Nationals’ bullpen a month into the season. The club signed Harris to a three-year, $24MM contract entering last season after a strong run with the Astros. Harris did throw 17 2/3 innings of 3.06 ERA ball with a 25 percent strikeout rate in 2020, though his fielding-independent numbers (4.09 xFIP, 4.13 SIERA, 4.55 FIP) were less impressive. He also experienced an increase in walks and home runs allowed, while his groundball percentage tumbled by over 12 percent from the previous season.

The 30-year-old Perez signed a minor league contract with the Nationals over the winter and then made their Opening Day roster. Perez couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity, though, as he collected one hit (a single) in 21 plate appearances and struck out 10 times, leading the Nats to boot him from their 40-man roster.

Royals Sign Alcides Escobar

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The Royals turned back the clock Tuesday, announcing that they’ve agreed to terms with veteran shortstop Alcides Escobar on a minor league deal. Escobar, the Royals’ everyday shortstop for their 2014-15 World Series teams, will head to Triple-A Omaha to begin the season.

Now 34 years old, Escobar was one of the key pieces Kansas City received in the 2010 trade that sent Zack Greinke to Milwaukee. Coming over alongside Lorenzo Cain, Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress, Escobar quickly established himself as a foundational piece for the Royals. He was never a huge contributor at the plate, but at his best he hit for a respectable average while racking up 30-plus steals per year and flashing Gold Glove-caliber leather.

Escobar has appeared in parts of eight seasons with the Royals in the past, batting a combined .259/.292/.344 in just over 5000 plate appearances. He spent the 2020 season with the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, hitting .273/.312/.329 through 104 games.

Escobar is on hand as a depth piece right now, but with Adalberto Mondesi still sidelined and being no stranger to prolonged stints on the injured list, it makes sense to bring in some veteran depth. The Royals have already gotten a notable portion of the 2014-15 band back together, as they currently have Wade Davis, Greg Holland and Jarrod Dyson on the MLB roster alongside franchise cornerstones Salvador Perez and Danny Duffy.

Nicky Lopez has been handling shortstop work in Mondesi’s absence and has performed well in the early stages of the season, but he has a limited track record at the plat. If his bat steps back or if the Royals incur further injuries in the middle infield, it’s possible that Escobar will be brought back into the fold and given another reunion tour in front of the Kansas City faithful.

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