Minor MLB Transactions: 6/27/19
Here are Thursday’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Dodgers signed first baseman/outfielder Jon Kemmer to a minor league contract, per an announcement from Kemmer’s Mexican League club, los Generales de Durango. The Dodgers’ Triple-A club announced the move today as well. Kemmer once ranked within the Astros’ top 15 prospects, per Baseball America. However, his offensive output took a step backward in 2018 in a season split between the Triple-A clubs of the Astros and the Twins. Kemmer was an All-Star in the Mexican League this season when he posted a ridiculous .355/.454/.714 line with 21 homers in 262 plate appearances. As recently as 2017, the now-28-year-old Kemmer logged a .299/.399/.553 line in the admittedly hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
White Sox To Designate Yonder Alonso For Assignment
2:28pm: Feinsand tweets that the move won’t become official until tomorrow because the Sox are off today.
1:31pm: The White Sox have designated first baseman/designated hitter Yonder Alonso for assignment, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports (via Twitter). The team has yet to formally announce the move or a corresponding transaction.
The trade to bring Alonso to Chicago from Cleveland this offseason simply hasn’t panned out on any front for the White Sox. In 251 plate appearances, the 32-year-old slugger has struggled to a career-worst .178/.275/.301 batting line through 251 plate appearances with the South Siders. His acquisition was also portrayed as a potential means of swaying his brother-in-law, Manny Machado, to choose the ChiSox in free agency, but Machado ultimately went to San Diego, who topped the Sox’ reported offer by a hefty $50MM in guaranteed money.
Alonso is only two years removed from a breakout All-Star campaign in which he slashed .266/.365/.501 with a career-high 28 home runs. Alonso was one of the foremost examples of the “fly-ball revolution” that season, but this year’s 43.1 percent ground-ball rate is his highest mark since the 2016 season. His 37.7 percent fly-ball rate, meanwhile, is his lowest since that same year.
Alonso parlayed that breakout effort into a two-year, $16MM contract with the Indians. Viewed as a more cost-effective replacement for Carlos Santana (who they reacquired this winter), Alonso wasn’t able to replicate his 2017 production in Cleveland but still posted a respectable .250/.317/.421 line with 23 homers last year. The Indians spent much of the offseason working to shed salary and reduce payroll, though, and dealing Alonso to the division-rival White Sox was a part of those efforts.
Chicago will have a week to trade, outright or release Alonso, who is still owed about $5.13MM through season’s end (including the buyout on a 2020 option). That salary makes a release the most likely outcome. If Alonso is indeed cut loose, he’d become a free agent who can sign with any club and would only be owed the prorated portion of the league minimum through the remainder of the season. That sum would be subtracted from what the Sox still owe him.
Astros Select Cy Sneed, Transfer Joe Smith To 60-Day IL
9:30am: The Astros have transferred Smith to the 60-day IL, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Smith’s still working back from the surgery he underwent on a ruptured left Achilles last December. He won’t return until sometime after the All-Star break.
8:28am: The Astros will select right-hander Cy Sneed‘s contract from Triple-A Round Rock, according to Jake Kaplan of The Athletic. Sneed will replace the optioned Framber Valdez on Houston’s 25-man roster, but the team will need to create a 40-man spot for him. Kaplan suggests the Astros will shift injured reliever Joe Smith to the 60-day IL to make room for Sneed’s promotion.
Sneed entered the pros as a third-round pick of the Brewers back in 2014, but they traded him to the Astros the next year for infielder Jonathan Villar. He reached Triple-A ball for the first time in 2017 and has pitched exclusively at that level since then. Across 70 1/3 innings and 14 appearances (eight starts) this season, the 26-year-old Sneed has logged a 4.48 ERA/5.34 FIP with 7.55 K/9, 2.82 BB/9 and a 40.2 percent groundball rate.
Cubs Call Up Craig Kimbrel, Option Tony Barnette
11:15pm: The Cubs have called Kimbrel up to the MLB roster for tomorrow’s game and optioned Tony Barnette to Triple-A Iowa, Maddon announced post-game (Twitter link via Gonzales).
4:50pm: Manager Joe Maddon announced to reporters that Kimbrel is on his way to meet the Cubs right now (Twitter link via Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune). There won’t be a formal announcement or an official corresponding roster move until at least tomorrow, it seems.
3:54pm: Kimbrel is “no longer with” the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate, reports Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register. Birch calls Kimbrel’s debut with the Cubs “imminent.” Like Wittenmyer, Birch suggests that Kimbrel is expected to be officially called up this week.
10:20am: Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel appears on the cusp of making his long-awaited 2019 debut. The Cubs could activate the seven-time All-Star as early as Thursday or Friday, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Kimbrel is already on the Cubs’ 40-man roster.
Kimbrel, who has been pitching with Triple-A Iowa since June 16, threw a perfect, two-strikeout inning Tuesday in what could go down as his last tuneup performance. The 31-year-old right-hander has made four appearances with Iowa, including back-to-back outings over the weekend, and given up two hits, a walk and a run against four strikeouts. Kimbrel’s fastball has sat in the 95 mph range along the way. That’s down from Kimbrel’s ~98 mph career average, though there’s understandably no concern on the Cubs’ part.
“It’s not about results or velocity, it is getting in game shape and building that foundation,” president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said this week (via Bruce Levine of 670 The Score).
If the Epstein-led Cubs get the version of Kimbrel they’re expecting, the potential Hall of Famer could make a substantial impact on the National League playoff race. Chicago has managed a 43-36 record and a one-game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central as the season approaches the halfway point, though the Cubs’ success has come despite an unspectacular bullpen. Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler and Kyle Ryan have recorded solid numbers, but most of the Cubs’ other relievers have been shaky this year. It hasn’t helped the Cubs have gone without the injured Brandon Morrow, a 2018 force who went down last July and still hasn’t returned. Morrow piled up more saves than any other Cub a year ago, and his absence has left Cishek and Pedro Strop to rack up the majority of game-ending opportunities to mixed results. Strop has endured an uncharacteristically subpar season and will try to right himself in a return to a setup role when Kimbrel enters the mix.
While Kimbrel’s an all-time great with 333 saves and a 91 percent success rate for his career, his performance fell back a bit last year as he concluded his Red Sox stint. Kimbrel still posted a 2.74 ERA/3.13 FIP with 13.86 K/9 and 4.48 BB/9 over 62 1/3 innings, which is production every team would sign up for late in games. But clubs had their limits in free agency with Kimbrel, who reportedly had designs on becoming the first-ever $100MM reliever early in the offseason. Clubs scoffed at that asking price and Kimbrel’s subsequent requests, which left him without an employer for seven months.
The Kimbrel saga came to a merciful end when he agreed June 5 to join the Cubs on a three-year, $43MM deal. The draft had passed by then, meaning the Cubs didn’t have to surrender compensation other than money for the qualifying offer recipient. Chicago’s about to begin finding out whether the Kimbrel signing will go down as a wise investment.
Red Sox Release Brian Ellington
The Red Sox have released hard-throwing righty Brian Ellington from his minor league contract, per an announcement from the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket.
The 28-year-old Ellington spent parts of the 2015-17 seasons with the Marlins — during which time Aroldis Chapman was the only pitcher in baseball whose average fastball topped Ellington’s 97.9 mph. In 102 2/3 innings at the big league level, Ellington has a 4.65 ERA with 8.6 K/9, 5.6 BB/9, 0.88 HR/9 and a 34.4 percent ground-ball rate.
Ellington hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since the 2017 campaign. While he inked a minor league pact with the Diamondbacks in 2018, a biceps injury limited him to just 11 1/3 innings. This year, he’s notched a 3.32 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 19 innings between Boston’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, but he’s also issued 20 walks and hit five batters.
At his best, Ellington paired his premium velocity with a swinging-strike rate near 13 percent and an opponents’ chase rate near 33 percent. Control troubles have been a longstanding issue and have clearly hindered him this year, but Ellington does boast a career 13.6 K/9 mark in Triple-A. His next stop figures to be on another minor league pact.
Angels Designate Wilfredo Tovar For Assignment
The Angels announced Wednesday that they’ve designated infielder Wilfredo Tovar for assignment as part of a series of roster moves. Right-hander Jaime Barria was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake, with righty Jake Jewell being optioned back to Salt Lake in his place. The Halos also reinstated right-hander Trevor Cahill from the injured list.
Tovar, 27, appeared in 16 games with the Halos and tallied 46 plate appearances with a timid .195/.283/.293 slash in that time. That marked his first big league action since appearing in nine games with the Mets from 2013-14. The versatile Tovar has also spent time with the Twins and Cardinals at the Triple-A level, and he logged a .289/.332/.407 slash in 211 plate appearances with the Angels’ Salt Lake club prior to his promotion earlier this month.
Cahill, who signed a one-year deal worth $9MM this offseason, has been sidelined since June 3 due to elbow soreness. Like fellow offseason pickup Matt Harvey, who also agreed to a one-year deal, he’s struggled immensely in his time with the Halos. The 31-year-old enjoyed a strong season with the division-rival Athletics in 2018, logging a 3.76 ERA and 3.54 FIP with 8.2 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 53.4 percent grounder rate in 110 innings. The Angels will surely hope that version of Cahill returns from the IL rather than the iteration who has limped to a 7.18 ERA and 6.39 FIP through his first 57 2/3 frames of the 2019 campaign.
Mets To Select Chris Mazza, Designate Ryan O’Rourke
2:57pm: The Mets will designate lefty Ryan O’Rourke for assignment to open up space for Mazza, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News tweets. The 31-year-old O’Rourke signed a minor league contract with the Mets in the offseason. He threw 1 1/3 innings with the Mets earlier this year, and has mostly spent the season at the Triple-A level. O’Rourke has registered a 3.31 ERA/4.44 FIP with 9.09 K/9, 4.68 BB/9 and a 52.3 percent grounder rate in 32 2/3 innings with Syracuse.
2:04pm: The Mets plan to select right-hander Chris Mazza‘s contract from Triple-A Syracuse, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. They’ll need to create a 40-man spot for Mazza.
The 29-year-old Mazza will work out of the Mets’ bullpen when they promote him, per DiComo. Mazza hasn’t yet taken a major league mound since entering the pro ranks as a 27th-round pick of the Twins in 2011. He ascended to the Triple-A level for the first time last year as a member of the Marlins and has primarily pitched there this season with the Mets’ top affiliate.
Mazza has worked to a 3.67 ERA/4.06 FIP with 8.08 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 49 innings at Syracuse this season. Overall, he owns a 3.74 Triple-A ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 across 65 frames.
Dodgers Promote Tony Gonsolin
WEDNESDAY: The Dodgers have optioned catcher Will Smith to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for Gonsolin, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times tweets. They also transferred injured reliever Tony Cingrani to the 60-day IL, Gurnick relays.
MONDAY: Right-hander Tony Gonsolin will start for the Dodgers in Arizona on Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com and other media (Ron Cervenka of ThinkBlueLA.com first reported Gonsolin’s promotion). The Dodgers’ 40-man roster is full, so they’ll need to make a corresponding move to create a spot for Gonsolin.
The 25-year-old Gonsolin has been a member of the Los Angeles organization since it used a ninth-round pick on him in 2016. This year, in Gonsolin’s first Triple-A experience, he has recorded a terrific 2.77 ERA/3.57 FIP with 10.74 K/9 against 4.5 BB/9 in 26 innings. Gonolsin has averaged only a little over three frames per start in eight appearances this year, in part because of an early season oblique injury, though he did amass 128 innings in a 2018 campaign divided between the High-A and Double-A levels.
MLB.com (No. 4) and FanGraphs (No. 6) each regard Gonsolin as one of the Dodgers’ best prospects. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com note Gonsolin boasts a fastball capable of hitting triple digits and solid secondary offerings in the form of a splitter, curveball and slider.
With the help of his expansive repertoire, Gonsolin could develop into a No. 3 major league starter eventually, though he won’t face such pressure immediately. The front of the Dodgers’ rotation is already in enviable shape with Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and Hyun-Jin Ryu leading the way, but the club’s dealing with an injury to Rich Hill. As a result, Gonsolin will have a chance to join Kenta Maeda and Tuesday starter Ross Stripling toward the back of LA’s loaded rotation.
Orioles Acquire Patrick Dorrian To Complete Yefry Ramirez Trade
The Orioles have acquired infielder Patrick Dorrian from the Pirates, the teams announced. This completes the May 27 trade that sent right-hander Yefry Ramirez to the Pirates.
Baltimore’s the third organization for the 23-year-old Dorrian, whose pro career began in strange fashion. The Braves spent a 12th-round pick on Dorrian in 2014, but after he signed and reported to their Gulf Coast team, he decided to go to college instead, as Sal Interdonato of the Times Herald-Record explained last summer.
Dorian played at Herkimer County Community College in upstate New York and Division II Lynn University in Florida before signing with the Pirates as an undrafted free agent last year. He has since logged impressive production at the lower levels of the minors, including a .256/.346/.443 with six home runs in 255 plate appearances this year in Single-A ball. Dorrian will report to the High-A level with the Orioles.
Royals Designate Brad Boxberger, Reinstate Eric Skoglund
The Royals have designated reliever Brad Boxberger for assignment and reinstated left-hander Eric Skoglund from the restricted list, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.
Boxberger was one of the Royals’ most notable pickups during a modest offseason for the rebuilding club. The Royals gave the former Padre, Ray and Diamondback $2.2MM with the hope he’d revive his career. Instead, Boxberger stumbled to a 5.40 ERA/4.65 FIP with 9.11 K/9 and 5.74 BB/9 in 26 2/3 innings. In the process, the 31-year-old’s average fastball velocity fell to 90.2 mph, down from the 92-93 range in his younger days.
At his best, Boxberger recorded a 2.37 ERA/2.84 FIP with 14.47 K/9 and 2.78 BB/9 in 64 2/3 innings with the Rays in 2014. Boxberger came back the next season to log worse numbers, yet the right-hander still made the AL All-Star team and led the league in saves (41). But injuries helped limit Boxberger’s effectiveness over the next couple seasons, which led Tampa Bay to trade him to Arizona prior to the 2018 campaign.
The Boxberger acquisition didn’t work out for the Diamondbacks, however. Boxberger registered a 4.39 ERA/4.55 FIP and 5.4 BB/9 in 53 1/3 innings last year, thus offsetting an 11.98 K/9 and a 46.1 percent groundball rate. The D-backs non-tendered Boxberger over the winter, and now he may return to free agency just a few months after catching on with the Royals. They still owe him approximately $1.14MM.
Skoglund, 26, is back after serving an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, though he’ll report to Triple-A Omaha for now. The 6-foot-7 Skoglund got his first significant look as a major leaguer in 2018. He put up a 5.14 ERA/5.06 FIP with 6.3 K/9 against 2.44 BB/9 across 70 innings (14 appearances, 13 starts).