Minor MLB Transactions: 4/27/16
Baseball America’s Matt Eddy runs down the week’s minor moves, including a few that we’ve yet to cover here:
- Veteran righty Roberto Hernandez re-signed with the Blue Jays after previously opting out of his contract. He’ll function as depth at the Triple-A level, presumably, and look to return to the majors after ten straight seasons with at least some MLB action. The 35-year-old posted a 4.36 ERA with 4.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in his 84 2/3 frames for the Astros in 2015.
- The Orioles have released right-hander Todd Redmond, who most recently enjoyed a three-year run in the Jays’ organization. He received only 16 major league innings there last year, however, after functioning as a useful swingman in the prior two seasons. Redmond, 30, had been added by the O’s on a minor league deal, but was hammered (18 hits & 15 runs in five innings) in his first two outings for Triple-A Norfolk.
- Former Royals prospect Noel Arguelles has joined the Nationals, per Eddy. Now 26, the Cuban southpaw washed out of Kansas City after originally joining the organization as a big-bonus international free agent. He appeared briefly in the Venezuelan winter league last year but otherwise hasn’t pitched competitively since 2014, when he was knocked around for 7.15 earned runs per nine over 61 2/3 innings in his first run at Double-A.
David Murphy Retires
Veteran outfielder David Murphy has retired, as SportsDay’s Gerry Fraley and Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram both report. (Fraley posted the news earlier today, with Wilson following up later with quotes from Murphy.)
“Basically, it got to the point where playing this game and living this lifestyle wasn’t worth it any more to be away from my family,” says Murphy. Retirement is “permanent,” he adds.
Last year, Murphy batted a solid .283/.318/.421 in 391 plate appearances, although defensive metrics suggested somewhat of a decline in the quality of his work in the field, and his career .258/.305/.350 line against lefties means he likely needed to be platooned. Earlier this season, Murphy had opted out of minor-league deals with the Red Sox and Twins, and it had previously been reported that he would consider retiring if he wasn’t able to land a big-league job. One such job did open for Murphy with Minnesota, but he reportedly told the Twins he wanted to be with his family instead.
The 34-year-old Murphy was the 17th overall pick in the 2003 draft (and the first draft pick of Theo Epstein’s tenure with the Red Sox). He made it to the big leagues with Boston in 2006, then headed to Texas in 2007 as part of a deal for Eric Gagne. Murphy established himself as a solid corner outfield option with the Rangers, playing parts of seven seasons there before heading to the Indians and then the Angels. His best offensive season was probably 2012 with Texas, when he batted .304/.380/.479 and hit 15 home runs. For his 10-year big-league career, Murphy finishes with a .274/.333/.432 line, with 104 big-league homers. Via Baseball Reference, he made at least $24MM in his career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Twins Promote Jose Berrios, Place Gibson And Santana On DL
6:04pm: The Twins have made Berrios’ promotion official. As MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets, Berrios will start against the Indians tomorrow night. The Twins also promoted Polanco, as expected, and placed starters Kyle Gibson (shoulder strain) and Santana (back strain) on the DL. The Twins believe Gibson’s injury took place during his last start and seem hopeful that it won’t turn out to be serious, via Neal.
“We’re not dealing with anything overly significant that’s going to require any type of procedure,” says manager Paul Molitor. “We’re just going to have to calm that thing down the best we can and try to get his strength back so he can pitch.”
1:25pm: Santana is indeed likely to be placed on the disabled list tomorrow, writes La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. However, Neal notes that the Twins are also recalling infielder (and fellow Top 100 prospect) Jorge Polanco from Rochester for a second time this season, so there’s another roster move in the works for the club as well.
12:26pm: The Twins will promote top pitching prospect Jose Berrios, Twins blogger Ted Schwerzler reports on Twitter. Berrios, 21, entered the year rated as a consensus top-100 prospect leaguewide.
A product of Puerto Rico, Berrios has steadily risen up the prospect rankings over the last several years and is now viewed as one of the best pre-MLB arms in the game. Entering the current season, he rated 16th overall on MLB.com’s list, 26th in the eyes of ESPN.com’s Keith Law, and 28th per Baseball America.
Many clamored for a call-up late last year, as Minnesota made a late (and ultimately unsuccessful) run at the postseason. But the organization ultimately decided to hold off on the move, preferring instead to allow him to finish the season at Triple-A.
It’s safe to say that Berrios has proven all that he needs to at the highest level of the minors. In his 16 starts for Rochester, he owns a 2.82 ERA with 10.0 K/9 against 2.4 BB/9 — and that’s including the bombing he suffered in his lone outing at the level in 2014. Berrios has continued to allow less than one base hit per inning, as he’s done rather consistently throughout his minor league career. Though he has allowed a few more walks than usual in his first three starts in 2016, Berrios has permitted only two earned runs in 17 frames in the early going.
Those results reflect the general scouting perspective on the youngster, who’ll turn 22 in late May. He’s considered an excellent athlete with a well-rounded three-pitch mix — the classic blend of a four-seam fastball, curve, and change. Though none of his offerings are expected to be truly exceptional, all are quality options, and he’s said to have the command, makeup, and feel to come with a number two or three starter’s ceiling.
For Minnesota, the move points to an effort to provide a fresh boost to a club that stumbled out of the gate. Ervin Santana‘s injury situation could open a rotation spot for the time being, but in the long run the Twins could conceivably drop Kyle Gibson or the out-of-options Tommy Milone. It’s notable that Berrios worked up to 166 1/3 innings over 27 starts last year, suggesting that he ought to be ready to shoulder a more or less full workload this season. By going to Berrios now, Minnesota can receive nearly thirty starts without allowing him to clock a full year of service time.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Padres Designate Cory Mazzoni For Assignment
The Padres have designated righty Cory Mazzoni for assignment, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. They also optioned infielder Jose Pirela to Triple-A El Paso and selected the contract of lefty Michael Kirkman from El Paso.
Kirkman’s addition should give the Padres’ relievers a bit of help after a series of short recent outings by San Diego starters. Kirkman, who last pitched in the big leagues in 2014, had allowed three runs while striking out six in six innings at El Paso.
The 26-year-old Mazzoni struggled in eight relief appearances with the Padres last season, his first eight outings in the Majors. He’s made two appearances with El Paso this season. Last season, he had a 3.97 ERA, 12.2 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 34 innings at El Paso.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/26/16
We’ll keep a running tally of the day’s minor moves here…
- The Marlins announced that left-hander Chris Narveson, who was designated for assignment last week, has been outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans. The 34-year-old southpaw posted a 4.45 ERA in 30 1/3 innings for the Marlins last year but struggled considerably with Miami in 2016, surrendering eight runs on 10 hits (three homers) and a pair of walks with six strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings. As a player that has already been outrighted in the past, Narveson will have the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency. The longtime Brewers lefty has a 4.71 ERA in 435 1/3 career innings at the Major League level.
Mets Place Travis d’Arnaud On DL, Select Rene Rivera’s Contract
The Mets announced on Tuesday that they’ve placed catcher Travis d’Arnaud on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right rotator cuff and selected the contract of veteran backstop Rene Rivera from Triple-A Las Vegas to take his place on the roster. Right-hander Zack Wheeler was moved to the 60-day DL to clear a spot on what was a full 40-man roster, per the club’s press release.
Rivera, 32, is an excellent defensive catcher but was one of baseball’s worst hitters in 2015 when he batted .178/.213/.275 in 319 plate appearances with the Rays, who released him in Spring Training. With the exception of a very strong 2014 campaign in which he batted .252/.319/.432 in 329 PAs with the Padres, Rivera has never been much of a threat with the bat, and his lifetime .211/.258/.331 batting line speaks to that point. However, Rivera has also successfully thrown out 38 percent of attempted base-stealers in his big league career, and he consistently draws well-above-average framing marks from Baseball Prospectus and Statcorner.com, both of which ranked him as one of the absolute best in baseball in 2014.
For d’Arnaud, the shoulder ailment adds to a lengthy history of injuries. He’s been on the disabled list in the Major Leagues for a concussion, a broken hand and a hyperextended elbow prior to this, and that list doesn’t include a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his knee that cost him more than half of the 2012 season in the minors as well. At this time, it’s not clear precisely how long d’Arnaud will miss, though Newsday’s Marc Carig tweets that d’Arnaud himself doesn’t have a sense of how much time he will miss.
The Mets, though, are fortunate to have a backup of Kevin Plawecki‘s quality that can step into d’Arnaud’s place in the lineup. In fact, reports have suggested that one of the reasons New York signed Rivera in the first place was to bring in a competent backup catcher that would allow them to option Plawecki to Triple-A to receive everyday at-bats. Instead, it’ll be an injury to d’Arnaud that allows him to get those at-bats at the Major League level rather than in Triple-A. Plawecki, 25, was the 35th pick in the 2012 draft and rated as a consensus Top 100 prospect entering last season. He’s a career .290/.364/.432 hitter in the minors but has managed just a .216/.282/.288 line through his first 278 MLB plate appearances.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/25/16
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…
- Lefty Phil Coke will head to Triple-A for the Yankees after his rights were acquired from the indy league Lancaster Barnstormers, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports on Twitter. Coke, 33, has bounced around quite a bit in recent years and was most recently released by the Braves during spring camp. He appeared in the majors last year with the Cubs and Blue Jays, allowing eight earned runs with 12 strikeouts and five walks (two intentional) over 12 2/3 frames.
- The Cubs have released right-hander Jonathan Pettibone from his minor league contract, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports. Chicago signed the former Phillies right-hander to a minor league pact back in February in hopes that he’d be able to return to health following a pair of shoulder surgeries in 2014 and 2015. Pettibone last appeared in the Majors in 2014, but it was 2013 that he looked the part of an intriguing long-term piece in the Phillies’ rotation. That year (his age-22 season), Pettibone logged 100 1/3 innings with a 4.04 ERA, 5.9 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 49.4 percent ground-ball rate in 18 starts at the Major League level.
- The Giants have added veteran minor league catcher Steven Lerud on a minors deal, per Eddy. The 31-year-old began the year with the Mariners but didn’t make the big league roster and was released in early April. Lerud, 31, spent the 2015 campaign in the Nationals organization, batting .238/.320/.301 in 231 plate appearances (60 games). Lerud saw brief action for the Phillies in 2012-13, but he’s spent most of his career in the minors and is a lifetime .229/.347/.324 hitter in parts of four seasons at the Triple-A level.
- Righty Loek Van Mil was released by the Twins, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets. The 31-year-old, who stands at 7’1, was bombed for 14 earned runs in just 5 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year, while issuing six walks against four strikeouts. The Netherlands native has yet to crack the majors, and has struggled in his time at the highest level of the minors. He has, however, been better historically at Double-A, where he owns a 3.01 ERA in 212 frames with 6.1 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9.
- The Pirates have released outfielder Antoan Richardson from Triple-A, per a club announcement. Richardson, a speedy 32-year-old, was scuffling in limited duty. He’s been up in the majors before as a late-season option, recording six steals despite taking only 21 plate appearances. In 785 career plate appearances at the Triple-A level, Richardson owns a .261/.377/.347 slash and has 56 steals while being caught only three times.
Phillies Outright Cedric Hunter
The Phillies have outrighted outfielder Cedric Hunter off of the 40-man roster after he cleared waivers, the club announced. Hunter had already been optioned to Triple-A after opening the season with the big league team.
Hunter, 28, came to the Phillies on a minor league deal over the winter, earning his first chance at the majors out of camp. But he struggled to a .088/.139/.176 slash in 36 plate appearances, leading to his demotion. Hunter has recorded six hits in his 21 turns at the plate since going back to Triple-A. He’ll remain under Philadelphia’s control after the rest of the teams in the league passed on a chance to add him to their own 40-man rosters.
David Murphy Opts Out Of Twins Deal
4:42pm: Murphy exercised an opt-out clause and has already formally been released, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger tweets. His future intentions remain unclear.
3:42pm: Outfielder David Murphy has requested his release from the Twins, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (via Twitter). He has already left the club’s Triple-A affiliate, Rochester, to return to his home.
Murphy, who spent camp with the Red Sox and joined Minnesota on a minor league deal, reportedly has an opt-out date of May 1st built into his contract. Obviously, we’re not there yet, but it seems that he could be considering retirement rather than seeking an opportunity with another club.
The Twins could conceivably have used him at the major league level, with Byron Buxton and Max Kepler both going down to Triple-A. But he’d have required a 40-man spot, and if he wasn’t the choice, the move would’ve put a big dent in his playing time at Rochester.
Murphy is off to a slow start, hitting .194/.256/.306 over 39 plate appearances at the Triple-A level in his first taste of the minors since 2007. The 34-year-old had long been a sturdy option against right-handed pitching, but hasn’t met with much interest since reaching the open market this winter.
Twins Option Buxton, Kepler; Recall Alex Meyer
The Twins have made several roster moves involving notable young players, per a club announcement (via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, on Twitter). Outfielders Byron Buxton and Max Kepler have been optioned back to Triple-A, while righty Alex Meyer has been brought back onto the active roster.
Buxton, still just 22, entered the year once again rated as one of the very best prospects in all of baseball. He struggled in his debut stint in 2015, but hopes were that his bat would catch up to his glove and speed at the major league level. Instead, Buxton has fallen off even further, and owns a .156/.208/.289 slash and 24 strikeouts (with just two walks) over 49 plate appearances.
By sending Buxton down now, Minnesota will give him a chance to regain his footing at Triple-A, where he was successful last year. It also leaves the door open to holding Buxton below one full year of MLB service at the end of 2016. He entered the season with 113 days on his clock, and obviously hasn’t yet accumulated the 59 more days needed to push himself up to 172 days. Needless to say, it’s certainly still possible that Buxton will cross that threshold at some point this year, but that’s no longer a given.
Kepler, meanwhile, was only expected to perform fill-in duty. He skipped the Triple-A level last year, and will head back down to continue his development. Danny Santana has been activated from the 15-day DL, which created the need for another roster spot.
As the Twins temporarily bid adieu to two important young assets, they’ll welcome back another to the big leagues. Meyer, a 26-year-old righty, lost much of his prospect sheen in a rough 2015. But he’s off to a nice start at the highest level of the minors in 2016, having allowed just two earned runs on 11 hits and four walks over 17 1/3 innings, while racking up a healthy 19 strikeouts.
It’s not immediately clear what role Meyer will take when he arrives. He had returned to the rotation this spring, but could certainly be utilized in a setup role for a club that is in need of live arms in the pen. Regardless, it’s time for Meyer to show the organization that he is capable of performing at the major league level. It’s worth noting, too, that despite entering the year with eight days of MLB service, Meyer won’t be able to tally 172 for the present season even if he stays up the rest of the way.