Minor MLB Transactions: 8/6/17
Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- Conor Gillaspie accepted an assignment to the Giants‘ Triple-A affiliate, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jonathan Hawthorne). Gillaspie had the option to become a free agent after being designated for assignment earlier this week, though he chose to remain in San Francisco’s organization after clearing waivers. The infielder has been plagued by back problems this season and hit just .163/.218/.288 over 87 plate appearances.
White Sox Claim D.J. Peterson
The White Sox have claimed infielder D.J. Peterson off waivers from the Mariners, according to an announcement from Seattle. The Mariners designated Peterson for assignment on July 30.
The 25-year-old Peterson had been with the Mariners since they used the 12th overall pick on him in the 2013 draft. Peterson was a fixture on top 100 prospects lists in the early going, but since holding his own at the Single-A and Double-A levels from 2013-14, his bat has cooled. Peterson hasn’t been able to conquer Triple-A pitching, as he batted .260/.316/.418 in 627 plate appearances with the Mariners’ affiliate in Tacoma. He hit just .264/.323/.414 there this year, good for 12 percent worse than the Pacific Coast League average, according to wRC+.
Peterson has three options remaining, per Roster Resource, and could get a shot in the majors at some point with the rebuilding White Sox. For now, he’ll head to Triple-A Charlotte.
Mariners Acquire Ryan Garton, Mike Marjama From Rays
Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto is at it again. Shortly after the team’s Yonder Alonso trade with the Athletics, Dipoto announced that Seattle has acquired right-hander Ryan Garton and catcher Mike Marjama from the Rays for two minor leaguers – left-hander Anthony Misiewicz and infielder Luis Rengifo – and a player to be named later. Garton and Marjama will report to Triple-A Tacoma, tweets Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. To make room for their new additions, the Mariners designated catcher Tuffy Gosewisch for assignment.
The only player in the trade with major league experience is the 27-year-old Garton, who debuted in the majors in 2016 and has also seen action this season. Garton did passable work in 39 1/3 innings and 37 appearances out of the Rays’ bullpen last season (4.35 ERA, 7.55 K/9, 2.52 BB/9 and a 45.2 percent ground-ball rate), but this year has been a different story. Across 10 1/3 frames prior to the trade, Garton allowed 10 earned runs on 13 hits and five walks, with nine strikeouts. He has dominated Triple-A hitters in 2017, however, with a 1.64 ERA, 12.55 K/9 against 4.36 BB/9 and a 51.5 percent grounder rate in 33 frames.
Marjama, 28, is joining his third organization since the White Sox used a 23rd-round pick on him in 2011. In his first taste of Triple-A ball this year, he has batted a solid .274/.342/.445 in 292 plate appearances.
Misiewicz, meanwhile, was an 18th-rounder in 2015. The 22-year-old ascended to the Double-A ranks this season and has notched a 4.35 ERA with 6.97 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 41 1/3 innings (seven starts).
Unlike Misiewicz, the 20-year-old Rengifo ranked among the Mariners’ top 30 prospects before the trade, according to MLB.com, which placed him at No. 27. The outlet notes that the 2014 international signing from Venezuela, a switch-hitter, “has a short, compact swing from both sides of the plate,” “above-average speed” and the range and arm strength necessary to make him a quality defensive infielder. Rengino has shown off his speed this year with 29 steals at the Single-A level, to go with a .250/.318/.413 line and 11 home runs in 450 PAs.
As for the 33-year-old Gosewisch, whom the Mariners claimed off waivers from the Braves in January, he appeared in 11 big league games back in May and limped to an .071/.103/.071 batting line in 31 tries. Gosewisch has generally been unusable with the bat during his career, having slashed .190/.228/.271 in 447 PAs between Arizona and Seattle, though he has thrown out 35 percent of would-be base thieves on the defensive side.
Mariners Acquire Yonder Alonso
The Mariners have acquired first baseman Yonder Alonso from the Athletics in exchange for minor league outfielder Boog Powell, per an announcement from Seattle. The M’s claimed Alonso off waivers prior to working out a deal with the American League West rival A’s, reports Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (on Twitter).
[RELATED: Updated Mariners & A’s Depth Charts]
The 30-year-old Alonso has enjoyed a breakout season, but as an impending free agent on a rebuilding team, the expectation was that Oakland would move the $4MM slugger this summer. The A’s were unable to find a trade to their liking for Alonso before this past Monday’s non-waiver deadline, however, thanks in part to a lack of leaguewide demand at first base.
The playoff-contending Mariners have gotten little production from the position this year, though, with their first base options having combined for a woeful batting line (.246/.305/.385) and the majors’ third-worst fWAR (minus-0.8). Despite that shoddy production, Seattle holds a 56-55 record and sits just 1.5 games out of a wild-card position.
Seattle’s primary first baseman has been Danny Valencia, whose overall output hasn’t been great. However, the right-handed hitter has feasted on southpaw pitchers (.297/.368/.505), which could set up a formidable platoon consisting of him and the lefty-swinging Alonso. Buoyed by a newly adopted fly ball-first approach, Alonso has slashed an excellent .266/.369/.527 with 22 home runs in 371 plate appearances this year. Almost all of that damage has come off righties, against whom Alonso has batted .287/.393/.559 in 254 trips to the plate.
To land Alonso, the Mariners gave up the 24-year-old Powell, who got his first taste of big league action earlier this season and hit .194/.310/.194 over nine games and 43 PAs. He owns a far better .340/.416/.490 line in 239 Triple-A PAs this year, and has slashed a lifetime .288/.365/.402 at that level. Powell actually entered the professional ranks as the Athletics’ 20th-round pick back in 2012. They ended up sending him, John Jaso and Daniel Robertson to the Rays in a 2015 deal that netted the A’s Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Brewers Release Tom Wilhelmsen
The Brewers announced that they’ve released right-handed reliever Tom Wilhelmsen, who signed a minor league contract with the team on June 20.
This was the second stint with the Brewers for the 33-year-old Wilhelmsen, whom they selected in the seventh round of the 2002 draft. Wilmhelmsen has never cracked the majors with the Brewers, though, and struggled mightily with their Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs this year. Across 13 innings, Wilhelmsen recorded a 13.15 ERA with 7.62 K/9 and 4.85 BB/9.
Formerly the Mariners’ closer, Wilhelmsen signed a minors deal with the Diamondbacks over the winter after dividing 2016 between Seattle and Texas. Wilhelmsen made Arizona’s season-opening roster, but he underwhelmed over the first few months of the campaign, leading the team to designate him for assignment in early June. While Wilhemsen showed off a 95 mph fastball and posted a 49.4 percent ground-ball rate in 26 1/3 innings with the D-backs, he combined a 4.44 ERA with unappealing strikeout and walk rates (5.81 K/9, 4.1 BB/9).
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/5/17
Saturday’s minor moves from around baseball:
- Former Mariners outfielder Stefen Romero has signed a contract extension to remain with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, MLBTR has learned. It’s a two-year, $5MM deal that comes with a third-year option for $4MM. Romero, a client of Beverly Hills Sports Council, signed with Orix last November and has slashed an outstanding .300/.349/.567 with 19 home runs in 258 plate appearances this season.
- Royals right-hander Andrew Edwards has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, tweets Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. The Royals designated Edwards for assignment last Sunday when they acquired outfielder Melky Cabrera from the White Sox. The 25-year-old Edwards has spent the majority of the season at Double-A and pitched to an 8.51 ERA, with 9.2 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9, over 24 1/3 innings at that level.
Blue Jays Designate Mike Bolsinger For Assignment
The Blue Jays have announced that they’ve designated righty Mike Bolsinger for assignment. The move clears roster space for righty Taylor Cole, whose contract they’ve selected from Triple-A Buffalo.
The 29-year-old Bolsinger made five starts and six relief appearances for the Jays this season, posting a 6.31 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9 while allowing nine home runs in 41 1/3 innings. This is the third time he’s been designated for assignment this year. The soft-tosser had allowed runs in all of his previous five appearances, including four yesterday against the Astros. He’s also pitched for the Diamondbacks and Dodgers in a big-league career that spans parts of four seasons.
The 27-year-old Cole has missed most of the season to injury, but hasn’t yet allowed a run in 12 2/3 innings spanning three minor-league levels. The 2011 29th-round pick has moved through the Jays’ minor-league system slowly despite generally good performances, including a 2014 season in which he whiffed 181 batters in 144 1/3 innings at Class A+ and Double-A. He has never pitched in the big leagues.
Rockies Reinstate Chad Bettis, Place Kyle Freeland On 10-Day DL
The Rockies have announced that they’ve reinstated righty Chad Bettis from the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A. They’ve also placed lefty Kyle Freeland on the 10-day DL with a groin strain. In addition, they’ve recalled righties Shane Carle and Carlos Estevez and optioned Scott Oberg to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Bettis’ return to official minor-league duty, as well as his impending return to the Majors, is terrific news not only for the Rockies and their fans but for baseball as a whole. The righty had surgery for testicular cancer in the offseason, then began chemotherapy a few months later once it turned out the cancer had spread. He finished chemo in mid-May and returned to the Rockies in early June. He’s since had five rehab appearances, and he’s expected to return to the big-league rotation next week. Bettis posted a 4.79 ERA, 6.7 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 over 186 innings in the big leagues last year.
Freeland left yesterday’s start against Philadelphia after just nine pitches. The 2014 eighth overall pick been one of the keys to the Rockies’ surprising success this season, posting a 3.70 ERA, 5.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 121 2/3 innings in what’s been a strong rookie year.
Pirates Claim George Kontos From Giants
The Giants have announced that the Pirates have been awarded Giants reliever George Kontos on a waiver claim. The Giants evidently placed Kontos on revocable waivers, as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, then gave him up without receiving anything in return. To clear space for Kontos and the newly acquired Sean Rodriguez, the Pirates have designated reliever Jhan Marinez and outfielder Danny Ortiz for assignment.
For the Giants, the move clears a 25-man spot for Chris Stratton, who is set to pitch against the Diamondbacks today, and a more permanent spot in the bullpen for Matt Cain. It also clears a 40-man spot for Pablo Sandoval, who the team recently promoted.
That the Giants would essentially give Kontos away still rates as something of a surprise, since he’s been effective this season. The 32-year-old righty has posted a 3.83 ERA, 9.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 47.9 GB%. While Kontos’ exact profile has shifted from year to year (he had a K/9 of just 5.9 last season, for example), he’s been effective since joining the Giants early in the 2012 season and has a 3.05 career ERA, albeit with peripherals that are somewhat less impressive than that.
Kontos will help bolster a Pirates bullpen that has rated as about average this season and that effectively swapped Tony Watson for Joaquin Benoit at the trade deadline. If Kontos performs well for the Pirates, they can keep him beyond this season — he makes just $1.75MM this year, and is not eligible for free agency until after 2019.
The 28-year-old Marinez arrived in Pittsburgh via a waiver claim from the Brewers in May. He posted a 3.18 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 34 innings in the Pirates’ bullpen and has a career 50.7 GB%. He’s struggled with walks in the past, but with his mid-90s fastball and ground-ball-heavy profile, he could attract interest on the waiver wire yet again.
The 27-year-old Ortiz has spent the bulk of the 2017 season with Triple-A Indianapolis, hitting .259/.291/.450 over 342 plate appearances while playing all three outfield spots. The Twins product also collected his first 13 big-league plate appearances this season.
Athletics Designate Ryan Lavarnway For Assignment
The Athletics have added the Dustin Garneau to their active roster and designated fellow catcher Ryan Lavarnway for assignment, Joe Stiglich of NBC Sports California tweets. The A’s claimed Garneau from the Rockies yesterday.
The A’s signed Lavarnway to a minor-league deal last offseason and have now added him to their roster and designated him twice. He’s spent the bulk of the year at Triple-A Nashville and has hit .262/.346/.385, also collecting a handful of plate appearances in the big leagues. The well traveled 29-year-old played for several years in the Red Sox organization before playing in the Orioles, Braves and Blue Jays organizations in the past two seasons. He has a career .369 OBP at the Triple-A level.