Marlins Claim Asher Wojciechowski, Designate Tim Berry
The Marlins announced that they’ve claimed right-hander Asher Wojciechowski off waivers from the Astros and optioned him to Triple-A New Orleans. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, left-hander Tim Berry has been designated for assignment.
The 27-year-old Wojciechowski was long one of the more highly regarded prospects in the minor league system of the Astros and, prior to Houston, the Blue Jays. The Astros picked him up in a 10-player trade that included J.A. Happ (going to Toronto) and Francisco Cordero (going to the Astros). The South Carolina native was the 41st overall selection in the 2010 draft and ranged from seventh to 28th on Baseball America’s Top 30 prospect rankings between the two organizations from 2011 to 2015. Wojciechowski saw 16 1/3 innings of action at the Major League level last season, his sole big league experience, and yielded 13 runs on 23 hits and seven walks with 16 strikeouts. He has a considerably better track record at the Triple-A level, where he owns a 4.39 ERA with 7.0 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9 in 350 2/3 innings, although he hasn’t truly excelled in Triple-A since 2013.
As for Berry, the former Orioles farmhand had been in his first season with the Marlins organization but struggled enormously between Class-A Advanced and Double-A, surrendering a combined 22 earned runs on 35 hits and nine walks with 17 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. Berry had a strong season in the Double-A rotation back in 2014 but endured similar struggles to those he’s experienced with the Marlins when repeating the Double-A level in 2015.
Ryan Vogelsong To DL With Facial Fractures
The Pirates have announced that righty Ryan Vogelsong is headed to the 15-day DL after being diagnosed with facial fractures. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by fellow right-hander A.J. Schugel.
Vogelsong was struck by a pitch in the left eye area yesterday in what was one of the more frightening plays you’ll ever see on a baseball field. The team previously suggested that he had suffered injuries both to the eye and the surrounding bone. Fortunately, Vogelsong’s wife tweeted promising news last night about his general outlook, which was obviously much more important than his playing status.
Pittsburgh signed the 38-year-old to provide a swingman option and stabilize a staff that has some uncertainty. He’s done just that, providing 21 2/3 innings of 3.74 ERA pitching with 6.6 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9.
It’s obviously not clear at this point just what lies ahead for Vogelsong, but surely we’ll learn more in the coming days. MLBTR joins many others around the game in wishing the respected veteran a full and speedy recovery.
Yankees Claim Layne Somsen From Reds
The Yankees have claimed righty Layne Somsen off waivers from the Reds, per an announcement from New York. It appears that he was placed on outright waivers to clear a 40-man spot.
Somsen, who’ll soon turn 27, was greeted roughly in his first two major league appearances. But he’s shown some promise in the minors, including a 19-inning run at Triple-A this year in which he’s allowed just four earned runs on ten hits with a strikeout per frame against seven walks.
Reds Acquire International Bonus Slots From Orioles
TODAY: The signing slots acquired are worth around $700K, per Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com (Twitter link). That would appear to suggest that the Reds have added Baltimore’s first ($538,800) and fourth ($154,500) pool allocations.
YESTERDAY: The Reds have picked up two international signing slots from the Orioles in exchange for minor league righty Franderlyn Romero, according to a Baltimore announcement. Dayton Dragons pitching coach Derrin Ebert had revealed the news that Romero was headed to the O’s earlier today (via Dayton broadcaster Tom Nichols, on Twitter).
This move fits alongside Baltimore’s draft pick deal earlier today. In both instances, the club picked up questionable minor league talent while passing off some of its amateur spending capacity. The other trade also saw the O’s shed just under $3MM in salary, in the form of Brian Matusz‘s contract. Only certain draft picks may be dealt, but teams are able to trade individual signing allotments, subject to certain restrictions.
It’s not yet known which slots were sent to Cincinnati, but Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes on Twitter that they are for the current signing season, not the one set to begin on July 2 of this year. What that means for the Reds’ plans remains to be seen, but it’s an important distinction. After all, most of the talent available for the 2015-16 period has already signed, though there are some notable Cuban players who could sign in either period.
Among those players is Cuban shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez, who had a reported deal with the Reds. As Steve Adams of MLBTR explains here, that created some issues and raised some questions. The organization has seemingly sought to push the signing back to this summer so as to avoid incurring a two-year ban on future signings. After all, Cinci enters the coming July 2 period with a total bonus pool of just over $5MM (second-highest in the league), and the club would surely like to utilize that availability to boost its talent pipeline.
In return, Baltimore picks up a 23-year-old hurler who’s yet to advance past the Class A level. Romero opened the year there after previously making just one outing above Rookie ball. He’s off to a solid start for Dayton, at least, with a 2.87 ERA in 47 frames and 8.0 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9.
Clint Barmes Retires
Veteran Royals infielder Clint Barmes has decided to hang up his spikes after a 13-year MLB career. He was officially released by the Royals today, and tells Jessica Kleinschmidt of Fan Duel that he made the final decision to retire in the middle of a recent ballgame.
Barmes had been with Triple-A Omaha on a minor league pact, which he signed after K.C. released him from a prior deal with the club late this spring. He had scuffled to a .204/.255/.306 batting line in his 107 plate appearances.
Of course, the defensive specialist was never terribly productive with the bat, even in his prime, yet nevertheless managed to compile some strong seasons. At his best, Barmes delivered significantly above-average glovework and contributed solid baserunning while putting up offensive marks just under the league average.
Barmes had his best overall season in 2011 with the Astros, when he racked up 2.8 fWAR and 3.2 rWAR with highly-rated fielding and a .244/.312/.386 slash. That was his only season in Houston, and it came between lengthier stints with the Rockies (2003 through 2010) and the Pirates (2012 through 2014). Barmes last saw big league action last year with the Padres, playing in 98 games in a platoon role.
All told, the Fangraphs version of wins above replacement is stingier in valuing Barmes for his career, crediting him with 9.2 wins, as UZR was less bullish on his fielding than was Defensive Runs Saved. According to the Baseball-Reference tabulation, though, he was worth 15.4 WAR in the final tabulation.
Barmes says that he made every effort to return to the majors and feels comfortable with how things wrapped up. “Coming back I think I decided I would give Triple-A a little time to help make my decision easier for me as far as having no regrets when I do make that decision,” he said. “At this point I can honestly say I can look back and know I don’t have any regrets.”
MLBTR offers its congratulations and best wishes to t
Braves Acquire Brian Matusz, Draft Pick From Orioles
The Orioles and Braves have struck a deal that sends lefty Brian Matusz and the 76th overall draft pick from Baltimore to Atlanta. Minor league pitchers Brandon Barker and Trevor Belicek are headed to the O’s in the swap.
Ultimately, the move constitutes a draft pick purchase, with the Orioles willing to part with their competitive balance round B selection and its $838,900 assigned pool value in order to offload the commitment to Matusz and add some potentially interesting arms. Of greater consequence than the selection itself, the Braves will boost their bonus pool up to just over $13MM, per the calculations of Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs (Twitter link). They’ll still fall a bit shy of the Phillies to remain in third in total spending capacity this summer.
A 29-year-old southpaw, Matusz is earning $3.9MM this year in his final season of arbitration control. The remaining $3MM or so of that deal will all be assumed by the Braves, who have already designated Matusz for assignment, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman suggested on Twitter.
Matusz has struggled mightily out of the gates in 2016, allowing eight earned runs in six innings while recording just one strikeout against seven walks. He’s been hurt especially by the long ball, having allowed a three bombs on just ten flyballs.
Of course, the southpaw was much more effective in years past, though he’s generally outperformed his peripherals to do so. Over 2013-15, he put up 151 2/3 innings of 3.32 ERA ball, with 9.4 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9. Even if he won’t get a chance in Atlanta, Matusz seems to be a worthwhile rebound candidate given his solid track record. His fastball velocity is down by just over one mile per hour, and he’s been missing the zone a bit more than usual, but there’s good reason to believe that he’s also been hit with some poor fortune.
Neither of the pitchers acquired by the Orioles opened the year among the top 30 in a deep system, per Baseball America, but both had impressed thus far in 2016. Barker, 23, was off to a very nice start at the Double-A level, working to a 2.00 ERA in 45 frames with 8.0 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9. The righty was a 16th-round selection in the 2014 draft out of Mercer.
Belicek, meanwhile, is also a 23-year-old former 16th-rounder. The Texas A&M southpaw was taken last year, and just earned a promotion to Double-A after an impressive showing at the High A level. In his 28 1/3 total frames this year, he’s worked to a 2.22 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and a ridiculous 32:1 K/BB ratio.
Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com first reported that Matusz was traded (via Twitter).
Rangers Designate Patrick Kivlehan, Promote Joey Gallo; Drew Stubbs To DL
The Rangers have announced a series of roster moves relating to their recent outfield injuries. A 40-man spot was cleared for the selection of the contract of Jared Hoying when the club designated Patrick Kivlehan for assignment. Meanwhile, outfielder Drew Stubbs was placed on the 15-day DL and top prospect Joey Gallo was promoted.
Texas had hoped that Stubbs could avoid a DL stint, but apparently his toe injury was significant enough that he will be shelved for at least 15 days. The club previously shelved fellow outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, and that combination of injuries led to the need for reinforcements.
Kivlehan, 26, was off to a rough start at Triple-A. He owns a .184/.252/.262 slash over 155 plate appearances. The Rangers acquired Kivlehan from the Mariners over the winter as the player to be named later in the Leonys Martin swap.
As for Gallo, the 22-year-old gets another crack at the majors after showing both his prodigious power and strikeout propensity in a 36-game stint last year. He hit six long balls but also struck out 57 times over 123 plate appearances, posting a .204/.301/.417 line overall.
Starting out back at Triple-A to begin the 2016 campaign, Gallo has impressed. He has increased his walk rate (20.8%) while cutting back significantly on the swings and misses (22.6% strikeout rate). And those gains haven’t come at the expense of power: Gallo owns a .265/.415/.639 slash over 106 plate appearances, with eight home runs.
It’s not yet known how Texas will deploy Gallo or how long he’ll stay up. He’s primarily a third baseman, but saw time in the outfield last year and could conceivably also play first or DH. The club is six games above .500 despite sub-par performances from its two primary options at those spots, Mitch Moreland and Prince Fielder.
Certainly, it’s possible to imagine any number of scenarios unfolding. If Gallo does stay in the majors the rest of the way, he’d be able to accumulate 133 days of service after entering the year with 63 to his credit. In that case, he’d pass one full year (172 days) and move one year closer to free agency. Even if he can’t stick on the active roster for good, an extended stint or two could leave Gallo on pace for eventual Super Two status.
Alex Gordon To DL With Broken Bone In Hand
Royals outfielder Alex Gordon has suffered a broken scaphoid bone in his right hand, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star was among those to report on Twitter. Gordon is expected to miss between three and four weeks as a result of the injury, which was suffered in a collision yesterday with third baseman Mike Moustakas.
Gordon, 32, was off to a rough start since returning to Kansas City as a free agent over the winter. He owns a .211/.319/.331 slash that falls well shy of the above-average offensive numbers he typically produces. Gordon has also rated as merely an average defender in left thus far in 2016. While that’s a short sample to draw any major conclusions from, he’s typically posted top-of-the-league glove metrics.
That’s not to say that the loss won’t hurt, of course. K.C.’s top two options in the corners are now Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando, who look much more useful when joined together in a platoon. Whit Merrifield and the just-recalled Cheslor Cuthbert represent the only two other non-catching position player reserves on the current roster, and Cuthbert has never played the outfield as a professional. And it doesn’t help that Moustakas is day to day himself after suffering a knee contusion.
It seems that Gordon will be expected back well in advance of the trade deadline, at least so far as he progresses as hoped, so in that regard the loss may not have much of an impact on the team’s summer trade plans. On the other hand, there had already been some chatter that the Royals might be looking at corner outfield options, and any uncertainty surrounding Gordon would certainly enhance the need. That’s assuming, of course, that Kansas City can at least keep pace in the AL Central with Gordon out.
All that being said, Kansas City also has some internal options who are worthy of consideration if another outfielder is deemed necessary. Travis Snider has plenty of MLB time and is reaching base at a healthy rate down in Triple-A. Reymond Fuentes has seen the bigs as well, including earlier this year. Otherwise, the team could turn to prospects Jorge Bonifacio or Brett Eibner, both of whom are hitting well at Omaha. Eibner, in particular, has put up impressive numbers and may be due for a shot at the majors at 27 years of age.
Orioles, Brian Duensing Agree To Minor League Deal
The Orioles and left-hander Brian Duensing have agreed to a minor league contract, reports David Hall of the Virginian Pilot (via Twitter). The 33-year-old reliever opted out of a deal with the Royals on May 15. He’ll head to Triple-A Norfolk, per Hall, though he might not be officially activated until later this week.
Duensing, a former third-round pick of the Twins, was a mainstay on the Minnesota pitching staff from 2009-15, but the Twins elected not to re-sign him this season after he hit free agency. Though he made quite a few starts for the Twins early in his career, Duensing eventually settled in as a bullpen piece, logging a 3.84 ERA with 6.2 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9 in 164 innings over his final three seasons with the team that originally drafted him. However, Duensing has long carried significant platoon splits — lefties have hit .238/.295/.325 against him compared to a hefty .292/.352/.462 line from righties — and his strikeout rate plummeted in his final two seasons with Minnesota. He was enjoying success with the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate this season, though, having recorded a 3.10 ERA with a 19-to-5 K/BB ratio in 20 1/3 innings.
The Orioles currently have Brian Matusz as the lone non-closing lefty in their bullpen, but Matusz has struggled quite a bit this year, allowing eight runs on 11 hits and seven walks in just six inning of work with only one strikeout. The O’s have a number of other lefty options at the Triple-A level, though, including one with MLB experience in T.J. McFarland that is on the 40-man roster. Other options for the Birds in Norfolk include Andy Oliver, Cesar Cabral and Jeff Beliveau, each of whom comes with some degree of Major League experience.
Cubs Release Shane Victorino
The Cubs have released outfielder Shane Victorino from their Triple-A roster, reports Carrie Muskat of MLB.com (via Twitter).
Victorino, 35, signed a minor league contract with Chicago in Spring Training and, as of a May 11 update from the Des Moines Register, was told that he would be evaluated within a few weeks. It would seem that the Cubs have made their decision in that time or, perhaps, that Victorino exercised an opt-out provision in his deal. The veteran batted .233/.324/.367 in nine game/34 plate appearances in his brief time with the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate and is now free to pursue an opportunity with another organization.
Back in Spring Training, Victorino at least acknowledged the possibility of retirement, though he was clear at the time that his desire was to continue playing the game he holds so dear to his heart. Said Victorino to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports at the time: “I am my hardest critic, so if I feel like I am done, no one would need to make that decision for me.”
Victorino returned to switch-hitting this offseason after hitting only right-handed in 2015. He’s a career .270/.340/.425 hitter in 1299 big league games and has a pair of All-Star nods under his belt as well as four Gold Glove Awards.