Orioles Acquire Miguel Castro, Designate Joe Gunkel
The Orioles have acquired righty Miguel Castro from the Rockies, per a club announcement. A player to be named or cash will head back in return. To clear a 40-man spot, Baltimore designated righty Joe Gunkel for assignment.
The 22-year-old Castro has long been seen as an intriguing talent, but was designated recently by the Rockies. He made it to the majors in his age-20 season, then was dealt to Colorado as part of the deal that sent franchise star Troy Tulowitzki to the Blue Jays.
While the Rox plugged Castro into the MLB pen in each of his two seasons with the organization, where he showed a 96 mph fastball, the results simply haven’t been there since he arrived. All told, he owns a 6.12 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 through 32 1/3 frames in the majors. Castro was also bombed in the minors last year and during his spring action in 2017.
Adding Castro may mean losing Gunkel, a 25-year-old starter. He spent most of last year at Triple-A, where he worked to a 4.08 ERA with 6.0 K/9 against a meager 1.1 BB/9. Gunkel went to Baltimore in the trade that sent Alejandro De Aza to the Red Sox in June of 2015.
Rays Release Cory Rasmus
The Rays have released right-handed reliever Cory Rasmus, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). As Topkin notes, Rasmus was limited by injury this spring after inking a minors deal with the organization over the winter.
Rasmus had followed his brother Colby to Tampa Bay in hopes that the two might appear on the same major league roster for the first time. (They have previously squared off in game action.) But the pitching member of the family appeared in just one spring game.
Over parts of four seasons in the majors, Rasmus has thrown 123 innings of 4.17 ERA ball — mostly for the Angels. Though he has shown some swing-and-miss ability, with 8.9 K/9 for his career, Rasmus has also issued 4.2 free passes per nine innings and has proven susceptible to the long ball (lifetime 1.3 HR/9). He also struggled quite a bit last year, recording a 5.84 ERA with 17 strikeouts and 16 walks in his 24 2/3 frames while battling groin issues — just as he did this spring.
Reds Outright Tyler Goeddel
Just two days after being claimed off waivers by the Reds, outfielder Tyler Goeddel has cleared waiver and been outrighted to Triple-A Louisville, the Reds announced. Goeddel’s outright opens a spot on Cincinnati’s 40-man roster, which could go to right-hander Bronson Arroyo in advance of his scheduled start tomorrow (as Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes, on Twitter).
It’s not uncommon for a team to claim a player off outright waivers and quickly look to pass him through waivers a second time, which is precisely what the Reds succeeded in doing in this instance. The 26-year-old Goeddel was a Rule 5 pick by the Phillies in 2015 and skipped Triple-A entirely, spending the duration of the 2016 season in a limited role at the Major League level. The former Rays farmhand struggled in his first exposure to Major League pitchers, batting just .192/.258/.291 in 234 trips to the plate.
Goeddel, though, slashed .279/.350/.433 in Double-A in 2015 prior to his selection in the Rule 5. Originally an infielder to begin his minor league career, he’s shifted to the outfield in recent seasons and spent time at all three outfield positions in his solid 2015 season. The Phillies limited him to the corners in 2016, though that’s largely due to the fact that Odubel Herrera is locked in as their everyday center fielder. The Reds currently have Adam Duvall, Bill Hamilton and Scott Schebler lined up across the outfield, with Arismendy Alcantara and Patrick Kivlehan on the 25-man roster as backup options. But, with a solid showing in Triple-A, Goeddel could certainly work his way back onto the big league roster in a reserve capacity later this season.
Orioles Sign Edwin Jackson
April 7: Jackson passed his physical, and the Orioles have now announced the deal.
April 5: The Orioles have agreed to a minor-league deal with veteran righty Edwin Jackson, according to Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun. The agreement is still pending a physical.
It is anticipated that Jackson will head to the upper minors after a stint in extended Spring Training. He figures to take up a spot in the O’s rotation and/or relief depth charts. If Jackson does reach the majors and hits all his incentives, he could earn as much as $2.45MM, per Encina, who adds that there’s a June 1st opt-out date.
Once a solid starter, the 33-year-old Jackson has not found much success since he joined the Cubs as a free agent before the 2013 season. Since that time, he has recorded a 5.33 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 over 455 2/3 innings. He also showed a decline in his average fastball velocity last year, falling to 91.7 mph after typically sitting in the 93 mph range in recent years.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/7/17
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Indians announced that they’ve re-signed left-hander Tim Cooney to a minor league contract after releasing him at the end of camp. Cooney has been placed on the minor league disabled list due to a forearm strain. Cleveland claimed Cooney off waivers from the Cardinals this offseason after he missed the 2016 campaign due to shoulder surgery, and back in late February they announced that he’d miss 10 to 12 weeks with a flexor strain. That injury notwithstanding, it’s easy to see why the Indians have interest in keeping the southpaw on board; Cooney turned in six starts (31 1/3 innings) with a 3.16 ERA, 8.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 37.9 percent ground-ball rate as a rookie in 2015. He also sports a career 3.35 ERA in 456 2/3 minor league innings, which includes a 3.21 ERA in nearly 250 innings of Triple-A work. Baseball America ranked him second among Cardinals prospects after the 2015 season, before injuries began to take their toll.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/6/17
Here are the latest minor moves from around the game, all via Matt Eddy of Baseball America unless otherwise noted:
- The Blue Jays announced on Thursday that right-hander Mike Bolsinger has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Buffalo. The 29-year-old was designated for assignment on Sunday after a shaky Spring Training and a down year in 2016. Last year, Bolsinger logged a 6.83 ERA in 27 2/3 big league innings due largely to a troubles with the long ball. He did have solid K/BB numbers in both the Majors and the minors last year, but control issues contributed to a 6.23 ERA this spring. Bolsinger had a strong season in the Majors as recently as 2015, when he logged a 3.62 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 53.1 percent ground-ball rate in 109 1/3 innings for the Dodgers. He’ll stay on hand as a depth piece in Toronto and could very well resurface in the Majors later this season.
Earlier Moves
- Lefties Nick Maronde and Caleb Thielbar have been released by the Marlins, who are going with an all-righty pen to open the year. Maronde hasn’t seen the majors since 2014, but did work to a 3.19 ERA over 48 Triple-A innings last year. The 30-year-old Thielbar, once a mainstay in the Twins’ bullpen, got good results last year in an indy ball stint.
- The Phillies have released infielder Taylor Featherston. The 27-year-old, who had already been outrighted off of the 40-man, slashed .254/.311/.428 with 13 home runs in his 439 Triple-A plate appearances last year. But he didn’t have much of an avenue to contributing at the major league level in Philadelphia.
- Outfielder Jake Goebbert has been released by the Diamondbacks. The 29-year-old saw action in the majors back in 2014 with the Padres, but hasn’t been back since. He slashed just .217/.301/.356 in 399 Triple-A plate appearances last year with the Rays organization, well shy of his usual productivity in the upper minors.
- The White Sox have cut ties with righty Mayckol Guaipe. He has spent time in the majors in each of the past two years with the Mariners, but wasn’t able to earn more than temporary time.
- The Red Sox evidently didn’t see enough to keep veteran slugger Carlos Quentin around in the minors for the upcoming season, though it could be he wasn’t interested in taking an assignment. Either way, as Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports on Twitter, Quentin was released from the minor-league deal he signed over the offseason. The 34-year-old hasn’t played in the majors since 2014 and received only minimal Grapefruit League action during camp.
- Righty Chris Anderson is heading to the Twins on a minors deal, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets (confirming what reader Jerry Anderson had heard). He was released recently by the Dodgers after struggling in recent campaigns, including a messy effort in the Arizona Fall League. Anderson hails from Minnesota.
Orioles Acquire Andrew Faulkner, Release Dariel Alvarez
The Orioles announced that they’ve acquired left-hander Andrew Faulkner from the Rangers and released outfielder/pitcher Dariel Alvarez to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Baltimore will send cash or a player to be named later to the Rangers to complete the swap. The Orioles have optioned Faulkner to Triple-A Norfolk.
Faulkner, 24, has seen time in the Majors in each of the past two seasons, totaling 16 1/3 innings with the Rangers and pitching to a 4.41 ERA with an 11-to-7 K/BB ratio and a 43.4 percent ground-ball rate. He spent the bulk of the season in the bullpen with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, tossing 45 1/3 innings with a 3.97 ERA 7.7 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9. MLB.com rated Faulkner as the No. 30 prospect in the Rangers’ system at the time of the swap, noting that he lost a couple of miles off his fastball in 2016.
When at his best, however, Faulkner is tough on left-handed opponents, as evidenced by the .175/.291/.238 line posted by opposing lefties (including both the Majors and minors) in 2015. The former 14th-rounder (2011) does have some experience in the rotation — nearly half of his 165 minor league appearances have been starts — but he’s worked primarily out of the bullpen across the past couple of seasons.
As for the 28-year-old Alvarez, it was reported earlier today that the outfielder-turned-pitcher is likely to require Tommy John surgery after suffering an elbow injury. The Cuban defector has been in the Orioles organization since the 2013 season but received just 35 plate appearances in the Majors. Alvarez has spent significant time at the Triple-A level in each of the past three seasons, and while he’s hit fairly well, he hasn’t exactly dominated the level; in 304 games with Norfolk, Alvarez has batted .285/.317/.409. Speculatively speaking, the O’s could re-sign Alvarez to a minor league deal, allowing him to rehab with the team and then to continue making his transition to the mound once he returns to health.
Blue Jays Claim Luke Maile
1:09pm: Maile was claimed, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).
12:47pm: The Blue Jays are set to acquire catcher Luke Maile from the Rays, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Maile was designated recently, but it’s not apparent at this point whether he is moving via trade or waiver claim.
Maile, 26, has struggled badly at the plate in his brief MLB time, striking out 44 times while drawing just four walks and slashing a meager .214/.234/.338 in 161 total plate appearances. And he hasn’t shown much more at Triple-A; in 551 trips to the plate at the highest level of the minors, he owns a .221/.302/.314 batting line.
That said, Maile did provide more offense earlier in his minor-league career. And he has shown fairly well defensively in the majors. Last year, he rated well as a framer and cut down seven of 18 would-be base-stealers, which suggests he could be a useful depth piece. Maile will likely join Juan Graterol as 40-man members stashed at Triple-A in the Toronto organization.
Braves To Sign Ryan Howard
The Braves have agreed to a minor-league deal with veteran slugger Ryan Howard, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (Twitter link). He’ll head to extended Spring Training before taking a minor-league assignment. Howard will earn at a palatable $750K annual rate if he makes it to the majors, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets.
Howard, 37, had a quiet offseason after the Phillies paid him a $10MM buyout rather than picking up their club option following the 2016 campaign. But he’s now headed to a division rival after wrapping up a 13-year run in Philly.
Whether Howard will ever see the majors with Atlanta remains to be seen, of course. He’s not exactly a clear fit for a National League roster that features Freddie Freeman at first base. Perhaps, though, he’ll function as an insurance policy while burnishing his resume should another opportunity arise. It’s also possible that Howard could ultimately take a spot as a bench bat for the Braves.
The market was not kind to lumbering power hitters this winter. With younger, somewhat more defensively capable players signing for far less than expected or even taking minors deals, Howard faced an uphill path to earning a MLB job. Veteran DH Billy Butler has still yet to sign.
Howard certainly still has some pop left in his bat. Last year, he swatted 25 long balls in just 362 plate appearances. He also struck out 31.5% of the time and slashed just .196/.257/.453, though that was driven in part by a meager .205 batting average on balls in play.
That said, Howard did make hard contact 45.9% of the time he did put bat to ball, a level he hadn’t reached since way back in 2009 — his last season as a high-quality regular. Being limited almost exclusively to facing right-handed pitching probably influenced that figure, though. Howard has long been much more successful when hitting with the platoon advantage, with more than .200 OPS points separating his career splits, and it’s hard to imagine him squaring up against southpaws much at all from this point onward.
Blue Jays Release Gavin Floyd
TODAY: Floyd has undergone yet another surgery, this one to repair his rotator cuff, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweets. The unfortunate news seemingly helps explain yesterday’s move.
YESTERDAY: The Blue Jays have released right-hander Gavin Floyd, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. Floyd inked a minor league deal to return to Toronto this winter but didn’t pitch in big league camp. His 2016 season came to a close in June due to a strained shoulder capsule.
When he’s been healthy in recent years, Floyd has generally pitched well. Across his past 98 2/3 innings, he’s logged a 3.10 ERA with 7.5 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9. However, unfortunately for Floyd, his stretches of good health have been few and far between. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2013, most of Floyd’s 2014 season was wiped out by a fractured olecranon bone in his right elbow. Somewhat remarkably, he suffered the very same injury the next spring and subsequently missed the first five months of the 2015 season. Last year, he tallied 31 innings out of the Toronto bullpen with a 4.06 ERA and a 30-to-8 K/BB ratio before incurring his shoulder injury.