Minor MLB Transactions: 4/20/16
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- The Padres have selected the contract of second baseman Jemile Weeks and transferred lefty Buddy Baumann to the 60-day disabled list, per a club announcement. Weeks will step into the roster spot of infielder Cory Spangenberg, who has been placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a left quad strain. Weeks, 29, is a former first-round pick and the younger brother of veteran infielder Rickie Weeks, who is currently suiting up for the division-rival Diamondbacks. The younger Weeks was a fairly promising prospect with the A’s but hasn’t panned out at the big league level. He’s followed up a promising rookie campaign (.303/.340/.421 in 437 PAs in 2011) with a combined .226/.307/.311 in 574 plate appearances in parts of four seasons since that time.
Earlier Moves
- Righty Logan Kensing has accepted an assignment to Triple-A with the Tigers after clearing outright waivers, MLB.com’s Jason Beck reports on Twitter. The veteran reliever hasn’t seen much MLB action of late, and only lasted 4 2/3 with Detroit before losing his roster spot. But the 33-year-old obviously feels as if another call-up could be in the future, as he could have elected free agency and looked for another organization. Over parts of nine MLB seasons, Kensing has compiled 181 2/3 innings of 5.70 ERA pitching with 7.8 K/9 against 4.9 BB/9.
Phillies Designate James Russell, Select Contract Of Andrew Bailey
The Phillies have designated southpaw James Russell for assignment, as Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com first reported on Twitter. Philadelphia has also announced that it has selected the contract of righty Andrew Bailey to replace him.
Both Russell and Bailey were brought in on minor league deals over the winter. The former was earning at a $1.5MM rate. It’s not known how much Bailey stands to make at the major league level, but the move will render his May 1 opt-out opportunity moot.
Russell, 30, was off to a rough start to the year. In 4 1/3 innings over seven appearances, he had allowed nine earned runs on nine hits and five free passes (to go with four strikeouts). On the positive side, Russell’s swinging strike rate is up to a career-best 13.8% — though that comes in quite a limited sample and without the results to match.
As for the Bailey, the promotion gives him yet another shot at reinvigorating his career. The 31-year-old has been rather dominant at Triple-A in the early going, registering ten strikeouts against a pair of walks while permitting one earned run in his five innings. He struggled with control last year in a brief stint with the Yankees, though, and hasn’t been healthy and effective over a full major league season since way back in 2011.
Red Sox Designate Edwin Escobar
The Red Sox have designated lefty Edwin Escobar for assignment, per a club announcement. His 40-man spot was needed for the club to add righty William Cuevas to the active roster.
Boston will be forced to expose Escobar to waivers, if it can’t first work out a trade, because of a need for fresh arms at the major league level. In addition to Cuevas, Noe Ramirez will be coming back up as Joe Kelly hits the DL. Infielder Marco Hernandez is heading down to Pawtucket on optional assignment to clear room for Ramirez.
Escobar, who’ll soon turn 24, came to the Sox along with Heath Hembree from the Giants in the 2014 Jake Peavy trade. Though he was added to San Francisco’s major league roster before the 2013 season, he has only made two major league appearances; this is his final optionable year.
Though he has previously received some top-100 prospect consideration, Escobar hasn’t been terribly impressive since coming to Boston. Last year, he worked to a 5.07 ERA in 49 2/3 Triple-A innings while seeing time as both a reliever and a starter. He issued 25 walks against just 24 strikeouts in that span — a far cry from the impressive K:BB ratios he sported at times earlier in his minor league career.
Rockies Acquire Cody Decker
The Rockies have acquired first baseman Cody Decker from the Royals, according to announcements from both teams. Cash considerations are going back in return.
Decker, 29, has minimal major league experience but was long a solid producer in the upper minors in the Padres’ organization — where he spent his entire career before signing with the Royals as a minor league free agent. Best known for his entertaining antics — particularly those involving former teammate Jeff Francoeur — Decker is also a quality hitter. Indeed, he’s been quite consistent, posting OPS tallies ranging between .819 and .865 in every MiLB season dating back to 2010.
There’s a fair bit of swing and miss to his game, but Decker has also shown a strong walk rate and good power, with several twenty home run campaigns under his belt. The issue, of course, is that he’s limited defensively. Though Decker has filled in at times at third base and the corner outfield in recent years, he’s spent the vast majority of his time at first base.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/19/16
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- The Tigers announced that they have signed veteran catcher Humberto Quintero to a minor league contract and will assign him to Triple-A Toledo. The 36-year-old, who was released by the Blue Jays earlier this week, will step into the Triple-A roster spot that was vacated when the Tigers summoned Bobby Wilson to fill in for the injured James McCann. Quintero briefly saw the Majors in 2014, but his last significant big league action came in 2013 with the Mariners and Phillies. Quintero is a veteran of 12 big league seasons and has a lifetime .234/.267/.327 batting line in 1423 trips to the plate. Quintero is repped by Octagon.
Earlier Updates
- The White Sox have inked righty John Holdzkom to a minor league deal, as Robert Murray of Baseball Essential reported on Twitter. The towering 28-year-old, a client of the Ballengee Group, was designated for assignment and subsequently released by the Pirates earlier this season. Holdzkom came out of nowhere in 2014 with Pittsburgh, dominating at Triple-A and then allowing just two earned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out 14 opposing batters in nine MLB innings. But he struggled with his control at the highest level of the minors last year while battling through injuries and a loss of velocity. Chicago will hope that Holdzkom can get back on track and re-discover the mid-90s heater that made him such an intriguing independent ball find for the Bucs.
Phillies Acquire Alfredo Marte
The Phillies have acquired outfielder Alfredo Marte from the Orioles, according to announcements from both clubs. A player to be named later or cash considerations will go back to Baltimore in the swap.
Marte, 27, had been playing at Triple-A in the Baltimore organization after signing as a minor league free agent, but had seen scant action in the early going. He has taken 170 plate appearances over parts of three MLB campaigns, compiling a meager .181/.249/.284 slash. But Marte owns a much more appealing .304/.372/.468 batting line in over 1,000 trips to the plate in his time at the highest level of the minors.
Philadelphia is obviously looking to add depth in an area of need. The club recently dropped Cedric Hunter to the minors after his rough start, bringing up veteran reserve David Lough. It has also received little thus far from Peter Bourjos, Emmanuel Burriss, and Rule 5 pick Tyler Goeddel, so there’s plenty of opportunity at the major league level.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/18/16
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Phillies announced on Monday that they’ve optioned outfielder Cedric Hunter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and selected the contract of veteran outfielder David Lough. The 30-year-old Lough will be added to a Phillies outfield mix that also features Rule 5 pick Tyler Goeddel, Odubel Herrera, Peter Bourjos and Darin Ruf (though Ruf has seen just nine innings in left field). Lough hit .280/.308/.320 in his brief time at Triple-A this year and is a lifetime .255/.295/.377 hitter in 741 big league plate appearances. He struggles against lefties but has shown solid ability versus right-handed pitching in his career and also draws praise for his outfield defense.
- The Blue Jays have released veteran catcher Humberto Quintero from their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, per a club announcement. The 36-year-old Quintero was enjoying a productive start to the season, having gone 4-for-15 with three doubles for the Bisons. His last extended stint in the Majors came in 2013 when he hit .237/.275/.366 in 140 plate appearances between the Mariners and Phillies. Quintero is a career .234/.267/.327 in 1423 Major League plate appearances.
- Infielder Steve Lombardozzi has signed a contract with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League, the team announced. The 27-year-old Lombardozzi, who went to high school in Maryland, has spent parts of the past five seasons in the Major Leagues, splitting that time between the Nationals, Orioles and Pirates. A second-generation big leaguer, Lombardozzi is a career .263/.294/.336 hitter in 840 MLB PAs and has played second base, shortstop, third base and left field at the Major League level. He’ll look to use the Atlantic League as a launching point back into affiliated ball, as so many players before him have done.
Tigers Designate Logan Kensing For Assignment
The Tigers have designated right-hander Logan Kensing for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster for lefty Blaine Hardy, who was activated from the disabled list today, as MLB.com’s Jason Beck tweets.
The veteran Kensing, 33, appeared in three games with the Tigers, allowing a run on eight hits and two walks with one strikeout in 4 2/3 innings of work. The longtime Marlins hurler was absent from Major League Baseball from 2010-12, during which time he pitched in indy ball and the minor leagues with the Pirates and Yankees. He’s totaled just 20 2/3 innings in the Majors since his return in 2013, working to a 4.79 ERA. Kensing has also pitched at the Triple-A level for parts of nine minor league seasons, putting together a 3.46 ERA with 8.6 K/9 against 3.7 BB/9 in 276 innings.
Hardy, 29, gives the Tigers a solid left-handed arm to join manager Brad Ausmus’ bullpen. He’s spent the past two seasons as an effective reliever in Detroit, working to a 2.87 ERA in 100 1/3 innings. He’s averaged 7.7 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 in that time while holding opposing left-handed batters to a pedestrian .227/.302/.301 batting line (202 plate appearances).
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/17/16
Here are Sunday’s minor transactions from around baseball:
- The Diamondbacks announced that they recalled right-handed pitchers Archie Bradley and Evan Marshall and optioned righties Jake Barrett and Matt Buschmann to Triple-A. Arizona needed fresh arms after its 14-inning marathon loss to San Diego on Saturday night, when Barrett and Buschmann combined to throw 4 1/3 innings. If Bradley doesn’t pitch in relief today, the D-backs could start him Monday in place of Rubby De La Rosa, manager Chip Hale said (Twitter link via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). De La Rosa came out of the bullpen Saturday and got two outs before allowing a walk-off home run to Melvin Upton Jr.
- Pirates shortstop Pedro Florimon accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis, general manager Neal Huntington said (Twitter link via Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The Pirates outrighted Florimon on Wednesday and he had 72 hours to decide whether to accept the assignment or reject it and become a free agent. The defense-first Florimon has hit a career .199/.262/.295 batting line in 717 plate appearances. He batted .245/.315/.367 for Indianapolis last season.
- The Reds have optioned right-hander Keyvius Sampson to Triple-A Louisville and activated righty Jon Moscot (intercostal) from the disabled list, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Moscot, who owns a 3.67 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 404 1/3 minor league innings, will start the Reds’ game against the Cardinals on Sunday. He got his first taste of the big leagues with the Reds last year, allowing six earned runs in three starts (11 1/3 innings) while totaling six strikeouts and five walks. MLBPipeline.com ranks Moscot as the Reds’ No. 24 prospect. Sampson, meanwhile, got off to a rough start this season for the Reds in surrendering four hits and four earned runs in three innings. In 13 appearances (12 starts) with the Reds last season, he tossed 52 1/3 frames of 6.54 ERA ball.
Marlins Designate Dustin McGowan For Assignment
The Marlins have designated right-handed reliever Dustin McGowan for assignment and recalled fellow righty Kyle Barraclough to take his place on the roster, the team announced.
McGowan, whom the Marlins signed in December, had already racked up six appearances out of their bullpen this year. The 34-year-old totaled 5 1/3 innings, gave up two earned runs and added a pair of strikeouts and walks. In 178 career appearances as a starter and reliever, McGowan owns a 4.67 ERA to go along with a 7.31 K/9 and 3.89 BB/9.
Barraclough was lights-out in Triple-A to begin the campaign, undoubtedly leading to his promotion to the majors. The 25-year-old threw six innings of 1.50 ERA ball for New Orleans and compiled a 13.50 K/9 and 1.50 BB/9. He showed similar strikeout ability for the Marlins in 24 1/3 innings last season (11.1 K/9), but his control wasn’t nearly as pinpoint (6.66 BB/9). Nevertheless, he averaged 95.5 mph on his fastball while putting up an impressive 2.59 ERA and a solid 3.42 FIP. Barraclough was particularly tough on right-handed hitters, who amassed a horrid .143/.263/.234 line against him. MLBPipeline.com rates Barraclough as the Marlins’ 20th-best prospect.