Minor MLB Transactions: 7/5/17
We’ll track the latest notable minor moves in this post:
- Rays reliever Danny Farquhar has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Durham, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Farquhar had been in DFA limbo since June 28. Before that, he opened the year with 35 reasonably effective innings in Tampa Bay, where he recorded a 4.11 ERA, 8.5 K/9 against 5.7 BB/9, and a 44.4 percent ground-ball rate.
- The Yankees have released left-handed reliever Tommy Layne, tweets Conor Foley of the Times-Tribune. New York designated Layne on June 10, after which it outrighted him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Layne was solid over 6 2/3 innings at Triple-A, as he yielded two earned runs on four hits and two walks. He hasn’t fared well at the major league level this year, though, with a 7.62 ERA, 6.23 K/9 and 5.54 BB/9 over 13 frames.
- The Blue Jays have traded infielder Jonathan Diaz to the Yankees, Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo announced (on Twitter). This will be the second stint with the Yankees organization for the 32-year-old Diaz, who was in Scranton last season. The majority of Diaz’s professional career has been spent with the Toronto organization, which selected him in the 12th round of the 2006 draft, though his initial major league action came with the Red Sox in 2013. He then returned to the Jays and cracked their roster for brief periods in both 2014 and ’15. In all, Diaz has collected 65 major league PAs and batted .145/.242/.164. He owns a .226/.341/.291 line in 2,314 PAs at Triple-A.
Earlier update:
- Rangers righty Preston Claiborne accepted an outright assignment after clearing waivers, per a club announcement. He was designated recently following a single appearance out of the Texas pen. That was Claiborne’s first MLB action since 2014; he missed all of the ensuing season with a rotator cuff injury. Claiborne, 29, showed well at the Double-A level last year with the Giants and opened the 2017 season at the Rangers’ top affiliate. Over 26 1/3 Triple-A innings, he owns a 1.37 ERA with 10.6 /9 against 3.8 BB/9. He’ll look to maintain that productivity upon his return while waiting for a new opportunity to open at the major league level.
Orioles Acquire Milton Ramos From Mets
The Orioles have acquired shortstop Milton Ramos from the Mets for international signing bonus slots, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link).
Baltimore, which is known for largely eschewing the international market, has now acquired several players in 2017 in exchange for bonus slots. After this year’s international signing period opened Sunday, the Orioles landed pitchers Matt Wotherspoon and Jason Wheeler from the Yankees and Dodgers, respectively. Previously, the O’s picked up the likes of Damien Magnifico, Paul Fry and Alex Katz for international spending space earlier this season.
The 21-year-old Ramos, who topped out as Baseball America’s 19th-best Mets prospect after the 2015 campaign, has hit just .242/.296/.312 at the lower levels of the minors since New York chose him in the third round of the 2014 draft. He owns a .227/.272/.276 line in 197 plate appearances at Single-A this season. He’ll remain at that level with the Orioles, per Kubatko.
It’s unclear how much international money the Orioles have traded away during the current period, but they opened the proceedings with $5.75MM. The Mets entered Sunday with $4.75MM to work with and have since agreed to use a combined $3.6MM on Dominican shortstops Ronny Mauricio and Adrian Hernandez.
Tigers Sign First-Rounder Alex Faedo
WEDNESDAY: Faedo’s deal is an above-slot arrangement worth $3.5MM, tweets FanRag’s Jon Heyman.
TUESDAY: The Tigers have signed first-round draft pick Alex Faedo, MLBPipeline.com’s Jonathan Mayo reports (Twitter link). Financial terms aren’t yet known, though the 18th overall pick carries a slot value of $3,214,600. Tony Paul of the Detroit News reported yesterday that Faedo was in Detroit and intended to sign his first pro contract, likely after taking a physical and finalizing any pending financial details.
Faedo is a 21-year-old right-hander out of the University of Florida. He was rated as the 10th-best prospect in this year’s draft class by Baseball America, with MLB.com (11th), Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen (13th) and ESPN’s Keith Law (27th) also giving him high grades. Law’s slightly-less-optimistic report notes that Faedo lacked showed an over-reliance on a slider and lacked command, making him a question mark as a future starting pitcher.
Faedo did have minor surgery on both knees last fall, however, which could explain his somewhat modest results this season. The BA and MLB.com scouting reports note that Faedo’s fastball, slider and changeup have all gotten generally good reviews from scouts, with his fastball reaching 93mph regularly and touching 95mph this spring once Faedo seemed more fully healthy.
The Tigers have worked out deals with the rest of their top-10 draft picks, as per MLB.com’s DraftTracker.
Brewers Sign First-Rounder Tristen Lutz
The Brewers have signed supplemental first-rounder Tristen Lutz, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter link). Lutz, a high school outfielder and the 34th overall selection, landed an over-slot deal worth $2,532MM (up from the $1,983,600 value of the pick).
MLB.com (No. 34), Baseball America (No. 35) and ESPN’s Keith Law (No. 39) gave Lutz similar rankings entering the draft, though the 18-year-old lagged behind on FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen’s big board (No. 61). The right-handed Lutz’s bat is “easy” to believe in, according to BA, which notes that the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder already possesses a “pro-ready body.” The other outlets also offer promising assessments regarding the former University of Texas commitment’s offensive game, and the general belief is that he’ll end up in right field if he cracks the majors.
With Lutz officially in the fold, the Brewers have now locked up their first several picks of 2017, as MLB.com’s draft tracker shows. While the Brewers went above slot to sign Lutz, they previously saved over $500K in inking their top choice, No. 9 overall selection Keston Hiura, to a deal worth less than the value of his pick.
Rangers Activate Jeremy Jeffress, Designate Ernesto Frieri
The Rangers have activated righty Jeremy Jeffress from the 10-day DL, per an announcement from executive VP of communications John Blake. Texas designated veteran righty Ernesto Frieri to create roster space.
Jeffress, 29, has struggled to a 5.46 ERA through 29 2/3 innings on the year. While he’s still generating a healthy 56.6% groundball rate, Jeffress has managed only 5.2 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 on the season while allowing homers at a career-high 1.21 HR/9 clip.
Still, his quick return from a lower back strain is a positive development for the Rangers’ beleaguered pen. After all, he carried a 2.46 ERA over the preceding four seasons. Getting back to that level of performance may not be easy, though. Jeffress’s go-to sinker is clocking in nearly two miles per hour lower than his career average.
As for Frieri, his six-game stint in Texas represented his first MLB action since 2015. The former Angels closer’s control issues reemerged — he allowed six in seven innings — but he did show a 94.4 mph average fastball in his brief stint. Frieri has also thrown quite well at Triple-A, posting a 2.86 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 22 frames (most with the Yankees’ top affiliate) on the year.
Yankees Designate Chris Carter
The Yankees have again designated first baseman Chris Carter for assignment, per a team announcement. He had previously been outrighted after a stint in DFA limbo, with New York bringing him back up to the big leagues just days later.
This time, 26-year-old Ji-Man Choi has been selected to take Carter’s place. The left-handed hitter has spent the bulk of his career at first base, though he does play some corner outfield. He’ll return to the majors for the first time since a 54-game debut last year with the Angels.
It remains to be seen whether Carter will remain in the organization, but he accepted an outright assignment the last time around. New York has had success in the past utilizing this cycle to rotate through veterans when needed, then keeping them stashed without occupying a 40-man spot. (Remember this?)
First base remains unsettled for the Yankees as the deadline draws near. The unit has performed miserably all year and young players Greg Bird and Tyler Austin are presently stranded on the DL. Choi has earned an opportunity with a strong .289/.371/.505 batting line in his 224 plate appearances at Triple-A, but the expectation remains that the organization will be looking hard for a reliable bat over the coming weeks.
Braves Activate Freddie Freeman From 10-Day DL
The Braves have activated Freddie Freeman from the disabled list and he will start at third base tonight, the team announced (Twitter links). Jace Peterson has been optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
[Updated Braves depth chart at Roster Resource]
Freeman was expected to miss between 8-10 weeks of action when he originally suffered his fractured left wrist in mid-May. That devastating prognosis seemingly sealed the Braves’ fate as deadline sellers and led to the club acquiring Matt Adams from the Cardinals as a short-term fill-in for Freeman at first base.
Instead, there has been no shortage of surprises associated with Atlanta’s first base situation. Adams exploded once joining the Braves, hitting .285/.333/.589 with 12 homers in 165 PA as the everyday first baseman. Adams’ emergence led to the news that the Braves were considering using Freeman at third base, which Freeman embraced even though he hasn’t manned the hot corner since his high school days, over a decade ago.
If Freeman is able to play even passable third base defense and Adams is able to continue his hot hitting, the Braves would suddenly have a very strong corner infield combination as they try to stay on the outskirts of the playoff race. Atlanta is 18-11 over its last 29 games, improving to 40-41 on the season and 8.5 games behind the Nationals in the NL East and seven games out of a wild card spot. It’d still be a longshot if the Braves firmly got themselves back into the race, but getting Freeman back so much earlier than expected is unquestionably a major boost. Freeman was on an MVP-level pace prior to his injury, hitting .341/.461/.748 with 14 home runs over his first 165 plate appearances.
Padres Designate Chase D’Arnaud For Assignment
The Padres have designated infielder Chase d’Arnaud for assignment, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (Twitter link). The move was made to create roster space for Trevor Cahill, who has been activated from the DL to start tonight’s game against the Indians.
[Updated Padres depth chart at Roster Resource]
This is the third time that d’Arnaud has entered DFA limbo this season, as he was previously designated by the Braves in April and then claimed by the Red Sox, only to be designated by Boston in May and then claimed by the Padres. In 62 combined plate appearances with all three clubs, d’Arnaud is hitting .190/.242/.276 while starting games at shortstop, second base, third base and left field.
Cahill returns to the San Diego rotation with plenty of time to impress potential suitors in the three weeks remaining before the trade deadline, though proving his health will be the first priority. Cahill has been limited to seven starts and 41 1/3 IP thanks to two separate DL stints due to back and shoulder injuries. When Cahill has been on the mound, he has looked impressive, posting a 3.27 ERA, 11.1 K/9, 3.00 K/BB rate and 60.2% grounder rate. With only around $825K owed to him for the remainder of the year, several teams could have interest in Cahill as low-cost help for the back end of a rotation or as bullpen depth.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/4/17
Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- The Nationals signed infielder Ryan Jackson to a minor league contract. Jackson appeared in 42 Major League games with the Cardinals and Angels between 2012-15 and has since bounced around with a few different organizations. This is Jackson’s third minors deal of 2017 alone, as he previously inked deals with the Marlins and Mariners (plus a stint with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters). Jackson is a career .269/.344/.354 hitter over 3336 minor league plate appearances, and he’ll provide more minor league infield depth for Washington in the wake of Trea Turner‘s injury.
- The Cardinals recalled right-hander Luke Weaver from Triple-A yesterday, and Weaver made his season debut for St. Louis with a scoreless inning in last night’s victory over the Marlins. Weaver, ranked by Baseball America as the second-best prospect in the Cards’ system and as the 50th-best prospect in the game, made his big league debut in 2016, posting a 5.70 ERA over 36 1/3 IP. Weaver owns a 1.93 ERA and sterling peripherals over 56 Triple-A innings this season as a starter, though Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch and other media that Weaver will be used in a variety of bullpen roles with the major league club.
- The Rays outrighted Danny Farquhar to Triple-A, less than a week after designating the right-hander for assignment. Farquhar has a 4.11 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 1.5 K/BB rate over 35 relief innings for Tampa Bay this year, numbers that could’ve made him a candidate to be claimed off waivers during his DFA period, though he’ll remain in the Rays organization.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/3/17
Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the game…
- Infielder Tony Renda has been dealt from the Reds to the Diamondbacks in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets. The 26-year-old had been outrighted over the winter after struggling in his MLB debut last year. Through 198 plate appearances at Triple-A in 2017, he was slashing just .260/.305/.326 — albeit with just 18 strikeouts to go with a dozen walks.
- In another minor swap, the Giants purchased Tyler Herb from the Mariners for an undisclosed sum, both teams announced. He’ll actually represent the player to be named later in the deal that sent Chris Heston to Seattle, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, with some undisclosed technicality requiring the particular treatment. The 25-year-old was taken in the 29th round of the 2014 draft. He made it up to the Double-A level last year and has thrown well there upon a repeat assignment. Herb has made it through 98 innings in 16 starts on the year, posting a 3.31 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9.
- Nationals righty Jacob Turner has accepted an outright assignment after clearing waivers, per a team announcement. Still just 26, Turner has given the Nats some badly needed innings this year, though his ERA stands at 5.08 after 39 frames of action. He is expected to resume working as a starter in case he’s needed in that role at the major league level.
- Also outrighted was Blue Jays outfielder Ian Parmley, Toronto announced. He was up for a brief stretch, but will return to plying his trade at Triple-A Buffalo. over 205 plate appearances there on the year, Parmley is slashing .289/.332/.369.
- The Mariners released southpaw Nick Hagadone, according to Triple-A Tacoma announcer Mike Curto (via Twitter). As Curto notes, Hagadone has been particularly impressive of late. The 31-year-old has seen action in parts of four MLB seasons, all with the Indians, but missed all of last year after an elbow fracture. He landed in Seattle on a minors deal and has thrown 33 1/3 innings of 3.51 ERA ball — with 9.5 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 — since arriving in Tacoma. (It could well be, then, that Hagadone utilized an opt-out clause, though we’ve heard no indication of that as of yet.)
Earlier Transactions
- The Brewers announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Michael Blazek from Triple-A Colorado Springs. The 28-year-old was outrighted off the 40-man roster earlier this year but remained in the organization and has posted a solid 3.13 ERA in that extremely hitter-friendly setting. While all of Blazek’s 104 career appearances in the Majors have been in relief, he’s been working as a starter for his past 10 trips to the hill in Triple-A. MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy suggests (via Twitter) that Blazek could very well pitch today in relief of left-hander Brent Suter. Piggybacking the two would certainly make some sense, as Suter may not be fully stretched out with his most recent start coming back on June 13. Milwaukee already had an open spot on the 40-man, so there’s no corresponding 40-man move needed to accommodate Blazek.