Diamondbacks Outright Steve Hathaway
The Diamondbacks have outrighted lefty Steve Hathaway off of the 40-man roster, per a club announcement. He was first reinstated from the 60-day DL.
Shoulder issues kept the 27-year-old Hathaway out for all but one appearance this year. That made for a disappointing campaign for the former 14th-rounder, who cracked the majors last year despite opening the season with just 56 low-minors relief appearances under his belt.
Hathaway obviously piqued the D-Backs’ interest in 2016, when he threw 45 innings of 2.60 ERA ball in stops at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Though he managed only 7.8 K/9 against 4.4 BB/9 along the way, that effort earned Hathaway a first shot at the big leagues. Through 14 2/3 innings spread over 24 appearances, he surrendered eight earned runs on 18 hits while recording 15 strikeouts against six walks.
Minor MLB Transactions: 10/16/17
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Angels announced that left-hander Jason Gurka has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Salt Lake. The 29-year-old was designated for assignment when the Halos picked up right-hander Felix Pena from the Cubs. Gurka appeared in just three games for the Angels late in the season, facing only five batters and recording two outs. The former Orioles draftee (15th round, 2008) has seen big league time with the Rockies both in 2015 and in 2016 but has struggled in a small sample in the Majors; through 18 innings, he’s yielded 18 runs on 34 hits and five walks with 14 strikeouts. Gurka does come with a strong track record as a left-handed reliever in Triple-A, where he’s posted a 3.27 ERA with 9.6 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 in 118 1/3 innings across parts of four seasons.
Astros Acquire Juan Ramirez From Tigers To Complete Verlander Trade
The Tigers have announced that they have sent young outfielder Juan Ramirez to the Astros. He becomes the player named to complete the late August blockbuster that sent righty Justin Verlander to Houston.
In exchange for that pair of players, as well as $16MM to cover some of Verlander’s remaining salary, the Tigers picked up a trio of prospects. Righty Franklin Perez, outfielder Daz Cameron, and catcher Jake Rogers were all added to the Detroit farm system.
Coincidentally, the announcement comes on the eve of Verlander’s scheduled ALCS start. The swap has paid dividends for Houston thus far, as the veteran starter has been outstanding. Of course, the Tigers are far better served by interesting young talent than by Verlander at this stage.
Ramirez, now 18, landed with the Detroit organization as an international free agent back in 2015. He landed a $185K bonus to sign out of his native Dominican Republic. Ramirez saw 46 games of action this year in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League, turning in a .301/.385/.362 batting line with twenty walks against just 14 strikeouts. Despite the clear lack of power, that sort of approach holds obvious appeal.
Rangers Outright Gosselin, Espino, Middlebrooks, Hoying
The Rangers announced on Tuesday that infielders Phil Gosselin and Will Middlebrooks, right-hander Paolo Espino and outfielder Jared Hoying have cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Round Rock. Both Gosselin and Middlebrooks have rejected the assignment in favor of free agency, per the team. The Rangers’ 40-man roster is now at 36 players, though two of those vacancies are presumably ticketed for right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez and infielder Hanser Alberto, each of whom is on the 60-day disabled list.
Texas claimed Gosselin, 29, off waivers from the Pirates back in August, though he only appeared in 12 games and logged eight plate appearances. Gosselin struggled between both organizations this season, but he did hit .288/.340/.411 in 358 plate appearances at the MLB level from 2015-16.
Middlebrooks, meanwhile, took 39 plate appearances over the course of 22 games and hit just .211/.321/.368. He did post a .258/.327/.529 batting line and club 23 homers over the life of 342 PAs with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate. It’s been quite some time since the now-29-year-old Middlebrooks looked like a possible rising star, but he’s displayed quality power numbers in the minors in each of the past two seasons and should land another minors pact this winter.
The 30-year-old Espino made his MLB debut this season with the Brewers but logged a 6.00 ERA and a 20-to-10 K/BB ratio in 24 innings. A veteran of 11 minor league seasons, Espino has a 3.76 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 across 505 1/3 career innings in Triple-A.
As for Hoying, the 28-year-old has been up and down with Texas over the past two years, hitting a combined .220/.262/.288 in 126 plate appearances. He’s a career .254/.308/.465 hitter in parts of five Triple-A seasons.
Angels Acquire Felix Pena, Designate Jason Gurka
The Angels have announced the acquisition of righty Felix Pena from the Cubs. Los Angeles designated southpaw Jason Gurka for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot.
Pena, a 27-year-old from the Dominican Republic, had made 36 MLB appearances over the past two seasons. He carries a 4.98 ERA in the majors, with 10.4 K/9 against 4.4 BB/9. Nine opposing long balls have accounted for quite a bit of the damage against him.
For Los Angeles, this is an opportunity to take a shot on a hurler that has at times shown signs of more. He had generally produced quality results in the minors as a starter before moving to the pen and of late has boosted his strikeout numbers. Pena carries a promising 12.7% swinging-strike in the majors.
As for Gurka, he’ll have an opportunity to test the open market if he’s not claimed. He made it up to the majors briefly late this year, but spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A. Gurka was rather impressive overall, spinning 50 2/3 innings of 3.20 ERA ball with 9.9 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 at the highest level of the minors, but he has failed to receive extended MLB looks in the past despite quality minor-league numbers.
Minor MLB Transactions: 10/9/17
Monday’s minor moves from around baseball:
- The Rays have outrighted right-hander Kevin Gadea to Triple-A Durham, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Gadea joined the Rays last December as a Rule 5 pick from the Mariners, but elbow problems prevented him from throwing a pitch with his new organization in 2017. Tampa Bay offered Gadea back to Seattle after removing the 22-year-old from the 60-day disabled list and before outrighting him, but the Mariners declined, Topkin reports. Therefore, unless someone takes Gadea in this year’s Rule 5 draft, he’ll stay with the Rays.
- The Marlins have re-signed infielder Peter Mooney to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, according to agent Marc Kligman (h/t: Tim Healey of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, on Twitter). In 2017, his second season with the Marlins organization, the 27-year-old Mooney hit .213/.290/.308 across 455 plate appearances with Triple-A New Orleans.
Minor MLB Transactions: 10/8/17
Here are the latest minor league moves from around the game, with the most recent transactions at the top of the post…
- The Indians outrighted right-hander Joe Colon to Triple-A Columbus, per a team announcement. Colon was designated for assignment earlier this week. The righty made 28 relief appearances for Columbus this season before being suspended on July 1 for a PED violation; this was the second PED suspension of Colon’s career, as he missed 50 games in 2016 following his initial violation. Colon, a 12th-round pick for Cleveland in the 2009 draft, has a 3.44 ERA over 568 1/3 career innings in the Tribe’s minor league system, and he pitched 10 innings for the big league club in 2016.
Marlins Outright Four Players
The Marlins have outrighted righties Javy Guerra and Vance Worley off their 40-man roster, along with first baseman Tyler Moore and outfielder Destin Hood, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports on Twitter. The Marlin’s 40-man roster now consists of 36 players.
Guerra, 31, had been a reliever for the Dodgers, White Sox and Angels before making it to Miami. He pitched in 16 games for the Marlins across the final two months of the season, compiling a respectable 3.00 ERA. However, he only managed to strike out 12 batters in 21 innings, and his larger body of work doesn’t point to significant upside.
Worley appeared in 24 games with the Marlins this past season, including 12 as a starter. The 30 year-old veteran pitched to an ugly 6.91 ERA in 71 2/3 innings, though some of it can be attributed to luck factors such as a high .378 BABIP and a low 64.5% strand rate. Worley’s greatest success during his career came with the Phillies and the Pirates, including an outstanding 2011 campaign in Philadelphia when he pitched to a 3.01 ERA and 8.13 K/9.
Moore, 30, was taken in the 16th round of the 2008 draft, and has since accrued 852 major league plate appearances with the Nationals and Marlins. He’s been 1.5 wins below replacement level for his career, with a lifetime .228/.278/.401 batting line and below-average defense at first base.
Hood, a former second-round pick of the Nationals, did not play in the majors this season. The 27 year-old outfielder has 25 career plate appearances at the MLB level, all coming last season with the Marlins. He struck out in 11 of those appearances while collecting six hits, including one home run. Hood chased 36.7% of pitches outside the strike zone, and only made contact on 38.9% of them, which explains a large portion of his offensive struggles.
Five Brewers Minor Leaguers Select Free Agency
Right-handers Wily Peralta, Rob Scahill, Michael Blazek, David Goforth, and outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis have all elected to become free agents, as per the Brewers’ player development Twitter feed (tip of the hat to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy).
Peralta is the most notable name of the bunch, as it wasn’t long ago that the righty looked like a promising part of Milwaukee’s rotation. After posting solid numbers in 2013-14, however, Peralta’s form dipped the next two seasons and then cratered this year, as he managed only a 7.85 ERA over 57 1/3 IP, with 10 homers and 32 walks in that stretch. Peralta wasn’t helped by a month-long DL stint due to a calf strain, but his performance also fell off at the Triple-A level over the last two seasons.
His struggles got him designated for assignment and then outrighted off Milwaukee’s 40-man roster over the summer, which allowed Peralta to elect free agency even though he still had two remaining years of team control thanks to Super Two status. Peralta and the Brewers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.275MM deal last winter.
Blazek was twice DFA’ed and then outrighted off Milwaukee’s roster this season, so it perhaps isn’t surprising that he’s looking for a chance of scenery, especially given his displeasure at being demoted to the minors during Spring Training. Blazek only made five appearances (one of them a start) for the Brewers in 2017, posting an 8.31 ERA over 8 2/3 innings of work. The righty posted very effective numbers out of Milwaukee’s bullpen in 2015 but ran into some injury problems and struggled in 2016.
Scahill was also twice designated for assignment this season, plus once more back in February. The 30-year-old tossed 22 1/3 innings for the Brew Crew, posting a 4.43 ERA despite recording the same number of strikeouts (10) as walks, though four of those free passes were intentional. Never one to miss many bats over his six years in the bigs, Scahill nevertheless posted a solid 3.03 ERA over 65 1/3 innings for the Pirates and Brewers in 2015-16.
Nieuwenhuis agreed to a split contract last winter and spent much of the season at Triple-A, only appearing in 16 big league games. Nieuwenhuis received the most playing time of his six-year career in 2016 (125 games and 392 PA) but became an afterthought this year as the Crew had more outfield depth.
Goforth appeared in just one game for the Brewers in 2017, and has 36 1/3 Major League innings to his name after appearing in parts of the last three seasons. The right-hander has a 3.96 ERA over 533 2/3 career frames in the minors (all in the Milwaukee organization), though he has had increasing control issues and a lack of strikeouts over the last couple of years.
Minor MLB Transactions: 10/4/17
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- Righty Rob Wooten tweets that he has agreed to a new deal with the Reds for the 2018 season. Presumably, it’s a minor-league deal. The 32-year-old had joined Cincinnati on a minors pact for the 2017 season, but only made six Triple-A appearances before going down with injury. Despite previously working almost exclusively from the bullpen, Wooten was starting before he was hurt. He racked up an impressive 26:5 K/BB ratio in 23 1/3 frames, but also allowed 18 earned runs on 34 hits. Wooten will attempt to work back to the majors for the first time since 2015; he has compiled 68 total frames of 5.03 ERA pitching at the game’s highest level, spread over three seasons.