Rays Acquire Brian O’Grady, Designate Jesus Aguilar For Assignment
The Rays have acquired outfielder/first baseman Brian O’Grady from the Reds, per club announcements. The Cincinnati organization will receive a player to be named and cash in the swap.
First baseman Jesus Aguilar was designated for assignment to create roster space. He had been projected to earn $2.5MM in arbitration.
O’Grady is a left-handed hitter who earned his first shot at the majors last year. He scuffled in limited opportunities but otherwise showed well in 2019. Over 489 Triple-A plate appearances, O’Grady slashed .280/.359/.550 with 28 home runs. The 27-year-old is optionable and affordable, making him a potential depth piece for Tampa Bay.
Aguilar had simply not performed as hoped when he was picked up in the middle of the 2019 season. He turned in a .261/.336/.424 batting line in 107 plate appearances — not enough to motivate the club to commit to his salary and continue to tie up a roster spot. Aguilar’s big 2018 season makes him an intriguing buy-low target for clubs interested in first base/DH help.
Mariners To Sign Carl Edwards Jr.
The Mariners have agreed to a contract with righty Carl Edwards Jr., per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). It’s a MLB deal for the reliever, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Edwards will earn $950K with another $500K in available incentives, Nightengale adds via Twitter.
Shoulder troubles ended Edwards’s 2019 season early. But it had been a forgettable one before that point. Edwards struggled on both sides of a trade that sent him from the Cubs to the Padres before being cut loose by the San Diego organization.
The M’s obviously are hoping that Edwards can regain the form that enabled him to throw 118 1/3 innings of 2.81 ERA ball over 2017-18. Even then, his 12.2 K/9 was accompanied by 5.3 BB/9, so there was room for improvement. But Edwards has a big arm and will bring plenty of upside with him to Seattle.
Minor MLB Transactions: 11/26/19
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Mariners have signed outfielder/first baseman Jose Marmolejos to a minor league contract, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. The deal comes with an invitation to spring training for the 26-year-old Marmolejos, who had been with the Nationals his entire professional career (which began in 2011). He divided last season between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting .315/.366/.545 with 16 home runs in 382 plate appearances at the minors’ highest level.
Astros Sign Dustin Garneau
3:42pm: The signing is now official. Furthermore, agent Marc Kligman tells Mark Berman of FOX 26 that the deal comes with a $650K base salary and $75K worth of incentives (Twitter link).
10:43am: The Astros have agreed to a one-year deal with backstop Dustin Garneau, per Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (via Twitter). It appears that he’ll rather unexpectedly receive a 40-man spot with the signing. The dollars aren’t yet known.
Garneau has settled into a journeyman existence in recent years. Though he has at times shown a promising bat in the upper minors — he has three .900+ OPS seasons in high-octane Triple-A offensive environments — the results haven’t been there in the majors. Over 381 lifetime plate appearances at the game’s highest level, Garneau has slashed just .207/.290/.343. If he’s able to cement himself as a viable option over a full season behind the dish in Houston, he’d be controllable all the way through the 2024 campaign — although he’d likely be eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player next winter.
While he isn’t exactly legend for his framing or throwing, Garneau is regarded as a strong defender. His former skipper with the A’s, Bob Melvin, had kind words for Garneau’s overall game management ability — the sort of thing that’s essentially impossible to capture from objective measurement. It seems fair to presume that the ‘Stros think they’ll get good work behind the dish and in the game prep arena out of Garneau, with any offense mostly an added bonus.
It also seems rather clear that this is one of multiple planned catching moves for the defending American League champs. Garneau joins Garrett Stubbs on the Houston 40-man. But odds are the team will allow those players to compete for the reserve job in camp. (Garneau will have a strong edge since he’s out of options and just signed this deal.) Another backstop — perhaps a returning Robinson Chirinos — is likely to be brought aboard as well.
Phillies Sign Josh Harrison
The Phillies have signed infielder Josh Harrison to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring Training, per a team announcement. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman had recently reported that the MSM Sports client was weighing minor league interest from as many as five clubs (Twitter link).
A two-time All-Star with the Pirates, Harrison spent the 2019 season with the Tigers after signing a one-year pact to serve as their primary second baseman. However, the deal didn’t pan out, as shoulder and hamstring injuries combined to limit the versatile Harrison to just 36 games, during which time he batted .175/.218/.263.
Last year’s lost season notwithstanding, the 32-year-old Harrison isn’t far removed from a productive four-year run as a key contributor with the Pirates. From 2014-17, he batted a combined .290/.331/.428 with 37 homers, 118 doubles, 17 triples and 59 stolen bases while playing second base, third base, shortstop and the outfield corners.
Matt Duffy Clears Release Waivers
Third baseman Matt Duffy has cleared release waivers after being designated for assignment by the Rays and is now a free agent, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (via Twitter).
The Tampa Bay organization explored the trade market for Duffy before making the move to designate him and clearly didn’t find much in the way of interest. The 28-year-old (29 in January) was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $2.9MM in what would’ve been his final trip through the arbitration process, and after he was limited to just 46 unproductive games in 2019, other clubs apparently didn’t find him to be a particularly palatable option — even in a buy-low capacity.
Injuries have devastated what looked early on to be a promising career for Duffy. The 2012 18th-round pick debuted to minimal fanfare with the Giants in 2014, but his 2015 season earned him a runner-up showing in National League Rookie of the Year voting. Duffy slashed .295/.334/.428 with 12 homers, 28 doubles, six triples and 12 steals (in 12 tries) that year — all while playing brilliantly rated defense at third base. He got off to a slow start in 2016 but was still highly regarded enough that the Rays acquired him as a focal point in the trade that sent lefty Matt Moore to San Francisco.
Duffy was injured at the time of the trade but returned to make his Rays debut in mid August. However, he was only able to suit up for 21 games before that same Achilles injury ended his season and ultimately required surgical repair. While he was recovering from that surgery, Duffy underwent a second procedure to remove loose bodies from his heel. He ultimately missed the entire 2017 season.
Duffy dealt with a hamstring injury in 2018 but was healthy for most of the season and in many ways resembled the player the Rays initially hoped they’d acquired. His already modest power was notably absent, but Duffy hit for average and got on base (.294/.361/.368 in 560 plate appearances) while playing quality defense in the eyes of Ultimate Zone Rating. Hamstring issues once again sidelined Duffy for much of the 2019 season, however, and the Rays turned to other options in his absence — most notably Yandy Diaz and Mike Brosseau.
Now that he’s a free agent, Duffy should find other clubs with interest on minor league pacts or perhaps on incentive-laden deals with a lower base rate than his previously projected level of pay. Although he’s never consistently hit for power in the Majors, Duffy has generally shown the ability to hit for a high average (which helps to mitigate his pedestrian walk rate) and has shown good bat-to-ball skills (16.1 percent career strikeout rate). Paired with a well-regarded glove at third base and the ability to handle shortstop as well, that should pique the interest of a team with some needs on the left side of the infield.
Mariners Sign Kendall Graveman
2:14pm: The Mariners have announced the signing. Their 40-man roster is now up to 38 players.
9:35am: The Mariners have agreed to a one-year, MLB deal with righty Kendall Graveman, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter links). It’ll promise him $2MM, a sum that includes a $1.5MM salary for 2020 and a $500K buyout of a $3.5MM club option for 2021.
As we explored last month, Graveman worked hard to put himself back on the map after returning from Tommy John surgery. While the Cubs ultimately decided not to hang onto the hurler for a $3MM price tag, the M’s obviously saw enough to bring him in for a lesser guarantee — while also picking up an affordable option if things go well.
There’s also a provision to allow some extra earning power for Graveman, a client of Sports One Athlete Management. He’ll have the ability to earn up to $1.5MM in incentives for each year of the contract (assuming that he’s picked up for 2021). It’s not yet known how readily achievable those extra dollars are.
Seattle makes for a perfect landing spot for the 28-year-old hurler, who was able to return to the mound — but not the majors — during the 2019 season. He’ll likely have the inside track on a rotation spot, with the backstop of serving as a swingman out of the pen.
Graveman was a productive starter with the Athletics for a solid stretch earlier in his career. Up until the roadblock he hit in 2018, the Mississippi State product had dialed up 411 2/3 innings of 4.11 ERA ball. While he never was and surely never will punch out many hitters, Graveman boasts a strong 51.7% groundball rate for his career.
Though he was not able to make it back to the majors last year, Graveman made it into competitive action in the minors. That gave the Mariners a chance to get a look at his form. And it should leave full confidence that Graveman will be a full participant in Spring Training from the outset.
Orioles Announce Multiple Minor-League Signings
The Orioles have announced a variety of minor-league signings. Among the notable players is outfielder Mason Williams, who received a brief look in the majors last September after a strong Triple-A season.
A few other players with MLB experience are heading to the Baltimore organization in hopes of earning a new shot at the majors. Southpaws Hunter Cervenka and Rob Zastryzny have appeared in multiple big-league campaigns. Likewise, infielders Jose Rondon and Jesmuel Valentin have seen the Show.
It’s possible to imagine a path back for each of those players. Williams will face stiff competition but obviously has impressed the club to an extent. The O’s clearly like the idea of creating some competition in camp for the left-handed side of their bullpen. Present top options include Richard Bleier, Paul Fry, and Tanner Scott. And the middle infield corps could be an area of change depending upon what the club does with Jonathan Villar and Hanser Alberto. The former could be a trade or non-tender candidate; it’s possible to imagine the latter drawing trade inquiries as well.
Here’s the rest of the slate of announced signings:
- Cristian Alvarado, RHP
- Malquin Canelo, INF
- Martin Cervenka, C
- Daniel Fajardo, C
- Francisco Jimenez, RHP
- Angelo Mora, INF
- Ryan Ripken, INF
Twins To Sign Blaine Hardy, Juan Graterol, Ryan Garton
12:11pm: Backstop Juan Graterol and righty Ryan Garton are also heading to the Minnesota org, according to Triple-A communications director Nate Rowan.
Graterol, 30, spent some time with Minny in 2018 and has appeared briefly in each of the past four MLB campaigns. Garton, who is closing in on his own 30th birthday, has thrown 64 1/3 innings of 4.90 ERA ball in the bigs. Last year, he provided the Mariners’ top affiliate with a 3.99 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 65 1/3 innings of action.
10:41am: The Twins have agreed to a minor-league deal with southpaw Blaine Hardy, according to MLB.com’s Jason Beck (via Twitter). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN had recently reported that the sides were nearing agreement (Twitter link).
This pact comes with an invitation to participate in the MLB side of spring camp for the Minnesota resident. But if an opportunity arises for him to pitch abroad — where he might have greater earning power — then the deal includes a provision requiring the Twins to grant him his release or put him on the MLB roster within 48 hours. Otherwise, there’s a standard opt-out date in June.
Hardy, 32, has been a consistent presence in the AL Central for quite some time now. He broke into the professional ranks with the Royals and reached the majors with the Tigers, ultimately throwing 289 2/3 innings of 3.73 ERA ball in Detroit.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Twins have some new tricks for Hardy to try out. The veteran managed to gut out a 4.47 earned run average last year but didn’t impress ERA estimators. He struggled in particular against same-handed hitters while generally succeeding against righties. Perhaps a few tweaks could unlock something for Hardy.
Kazuhisa Makita Signs With Rakuten Golden Eagles
Right-handed hurler Kazuhisa Makita is heading back to his native Japan. The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles have announced his signing.
Makita jumped the Pacific in 2017-18, landing a two-year deal with the Padres. While he was able to generate quite a few more strikeouts in the majors (9.5 per nine) than he averaged over his prior tenure in Japan (5.0), the submariner was also prone to the long ball and surrendered a 5.40 ERA over 35 innings in his debut campaign.
While the Friars lost their bet that Makita’s low-eighties sinker would sufficiently befuddle MLB hitters, he was quite effective last year in the upper minors. In 70 1/3 frames across 43 Double-A and Triple-A appearances, he worked to a 3.33 ERA with 8.6 K/9 against 1.4 BB/9. The showing did not convince the San Diego organization to give him another crack at the majors.
Now, Makita will attempt to pick up where he left off in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. But he’ll do so with a rival of his former team. Before coming to the bigs, Makita had compiled 921 1/3 innings of 2.83 ERA pitching over seven seasons with the Seibu Lions.