Carlos Torres Opts Out Of Braves Contract
Right-hander Carlos Torres has opted out of his minor league deal with the Braves and is now a free agent, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports. Earlier today, MLBTR’s Zach Links reported (Twitter links) that Torres’ representatives were already talking to other teams about a new opportunity for the veteran reliever after Atlanta didn’t put Torres on the Opening Day roster.
Torres was a big part of the Mets’ bullpen from 2013-15, posting a 3.59 ERA, 8.2 K/9 and 3.0 K/BB rate over 241 innings, mostly working as a reliever but also making 10 starts amidst his 165 games with New York. Torres was waived in January and signed on with Atlanta in February.
The 33-year-old received a fair amount of reported interest on the open market, choosing the Braves deal over offers from the Dodgers and Yankees. This is just my speculation, but the Yankees might have room for a bullpen addition in the wake of injuries to Andrew Miller and right-handed swingman Bryan Mitchell. The Dodgers could also be a fit given their own pitching issues, though the injury bug has taken more bites from the L.A. rotation rather than the bullpen.
Diamondbacks Release Joaquin Arias
The Diamondbacks have released infielder Joaquin Arias, as per the club’s official Twitter feed. The veteran had been in Arizona’s camp on a minor league contract.
Arias had appeared in parts of eight MLB seasons since 2006, with the majority of his action coming in the form of 321 games played with the Giants from 2012-14. Arias played primarily at third base in San Francisco but also saw significant time at second and short. While he didn’t hit much (a .644 OPS in 784 PA) during that stint, Arias was a valuable utility piece for the Giants and he earned two World Series rings along the way. He only appeared in 40 games for the club in 2015 and was outrighted off the 40-man roster in August.
The Diamondbacks’ crowded infield situation made it difficult for Arias to find a job. Jean Segura, Chris Owings and Jake Lamb are slated to start with Nick Ahmed, Brandon Drury and Phil Gosselin all in the mix for backup roles, leaving Arias with no room.
Rule 5 Pick Chris O’Grady Returns To Angels
9:45pm: The Angels have announced that they’ve accepted O’Grady’s return, which means they paid the Reds $25K. O’Grady has been assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake.
2:45pm: Reds’ Rule 5 selection Chris O’Grady has cleared waivers and been offered back to the Angels, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports on Twitter. With all the other clubs in the league passing on a chance to take over the left-hander’s Rule 5 rights, Los Angeles will have three days to decide whether to take him back.
O’Grady, 25, is a former tenth-round pick out of George Mason. He spent last year at Double-A and Triple-A in the Halos’ system, working to a combined 3.28 ERA with 8.9 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 over 57 2/3 frames. But O’Grady struggled some in spring action, allowing 10 earned runs on 10 hits over 9 2/3 innings — though he also recorded eight strikeouts against only three walks.
Braves Sign Drew Stubbs To Minor-League Deal
The Braves have signed outfielder Drew Stubbs to a minor-league deal and invited him to what remains of big-league camp, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports (Twitter links). Stubbs is represented by Lagardere Unlimited.
The Rangers released Stubbs earlier this week after he exercised his opt-out. He struggled with the Rockies and Rangers last year, batting .195/.283/.382 in 140 plate appearances, and he hasn’t hit well overall in his career, generally struggling to hit for average. He is only 31, though, and has a decent track record of providing valuable center field defense and a bit of home-run power.
Bowman notes that the deal could lead the Braves to re-think their outfield depth situation. Bowman also says Jeff Francoeur‘s job on the big club is seemingly “safe,” though, and the Braves have what looks like a crowded outfield picture, with Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Hector Olivera, Michael Bourn and Francoeur, along with Emilio Bonifacio and Kelly Johnson, who can also play other positions. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets, however, that he expects the Stubbs deal will lead to Bonifacio’s departure from the organization. Bonifacio is signed to a big-league deal that will pay him $1.25MM.
Minor MLB Transactions: 3/30/16
As we near the end of Spring Training, it’s a big day — if you can call it that — for minor moves. Here’s the latest from around the league.
- The Royals have released outfielder Travis Snider, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets. They had signed Snider to a minor-league deal after he hit .232/.313/.350 with the Orioles and Pirates last year. He had been looking to compete for a bench job.
- The Royals have also re-signed righty sidearmer Peter Moylan to a minor-league deal, Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweets. The 37-year-old came back to pitch for the Braves last season after having Tommy John surgery, and the Royals signed him to a minor-league deal only to release him earlier this week to avoid paying him a retention bonus.
- Third baseman Will Middlebrooks could have refused to let the Brewers send him to the minors, but he’s accepted an assignment to Triple-A Colorado Springs, Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel tweets. Middlebrooks hit .212/.241/.361 in 255 plate appearances last season for San Diego and did not win a job with the Brewers out of Spring Training.
- The Marlins have re-signed utilityman Don Kelly to a minor-league deal, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. The Marlins had released Kelly yesterday, likely to avoid paying him a $100K retention bonus as an Article XX(B) free agent. The longtime Tigers bench piece played sparingly in the Marlins organization in 2015.
- The Marlins also released first baseman Tommy Medica today, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets. Medica played in 102 games with the Padres in 2014, but did not play in the big leagues last year, instead batting .259/.314/.364 in 363 plate appearances for San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate in El Paso.
- The Tigers have re-signed veteran infielder Casey McGehee to a minor-league deal, tweets MLB.com’s Jason Beck. They had released him this week. As with Kelly and Moylan, McGehee would have been owed a retention bonus. McGehee struggled with San Francisco and Miami in 2015, batting .198/.264/.274 in 258 plate appearances.
- White Sox righty Kameron Loe has received an 80-game suspension for PEDs, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes (Twitter links). Officially, Loe tested positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone metabolite and methasterone. He says on his Twitter account that he was caught taking an unapproved product he bought at a nutrition store. Loe was also suspended 50 games last year, although that was for a “drug of abuse,” not for PED use. He pitched in the independent Atlantic League in 2015 before signing a minor-league deal with Chicago.
- The Rays have released first-baseman-turned-knuckleballer Dan Johnson, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The 36-year-old Johnson, who briefly played for the Cardinals last year, had been trying for a sort of second career as a pitcher after years spent as a slugger on the fringes of the big leagues.
Phillies Release, Re-Sign Edward Mujica
WEDNESDAY: The Phillies have announced that they’ve re-signed Mujica to a minor-league deal. He will report to minor-league camp later this week.
TUESDAY: The Phillies have released veteran righty Edward Mujica, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer was among those to report on Twitter. Mujica had been in camp on a minor league deal and seemed to have a solid shot at earning a late-inning role.
As an Article XX(B) free agent, Mujica would have been due a roster bonus if kept in the minors to open the season. But he forced the issue by triggering an opt-out provision in his contract — which would have paid him $2.5MM at the MLB level.
Mujica, 31, was long a sturdy pen option. He timed his entry onto the free agent market well, putting up a strong 2013 season — 2.78 ERA; 6.4 K/9 against 0.7 BB/9; 37 saves — before joining the Red Sox. But he’s largely disappointed since. Over 107 1/3 frames in the last two seasons, in Boston and in Oakland, Mujica owns a 4.28 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. Long balls, in particular, have been an issue.
There’s little question that Mujica will draw interest from other organizations. Indeed, he’s generated solid results this spring. In his 8 1/3 innings, he allowed two earned runs on just four hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Braves Release Alex Torres
The Braves have released lefty Alex Torres, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. Torres had looked likely to take a bullpen role after Atlanta signed him to a minor-league deal in December, but it appears the Braves didn’t like what they saw in Spring Training, and they ended up dealing for fellow lefty Eric O’Flaherty instead. “Just not a good fit,” says GM John Coppolella of the match between Torres and the Braves.
Torres allowed five runs, four earned, while striking out seven batters and walking five in eight innings of work this spring. Last season, his 3.15 ERA with the Mets obscured a growing walk rate — he allowed 3.1 batters per nine innings and struck out three times as many batters as he walked in a highly effective 2013 with the Padres, but that walk rate went to 5.5 in 2014 and 6.8 last year.
Rays Inform James Loney He Won’t Make Opening Day Roster
Rays first baseman James Loney has been informed that he won’t make the team’s Opening Day roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links). He has been informed he’ll either be traded or released.
Loney is owed $8MM this year in the final season of the three-year pact he signed to return to Tampa Bay before the 2014 campaign. He was displaced by the team’s addition of several players, including fellow left-handed hitters Logan Morrison and Corey Dickerson, over the winter.
It remains to be seen whether the Rays can find a taker for any of that salary, though the failure to do so thus far suggests it may not be a viable option.
Though he’s a high-average hitter, Loney doesn’t draw a ton of walks and doesn’t have much pop. His production at the plate has tailed off in each successive year he’s been with the Rays, and he hit at a below-average clip (.280/.322/.357) in an injury-limited 2015 season. Loney has traditionally rated well with the glove, though metrics have seen him as very slightly below average in the last two seasons.
Rays To Release Rene Rivera, David Carpenter
The Rays will release catcher Rene Rivera, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Tampa Bay also released reliever David Carpenter, Topkin adds on Twitter.
Rivera was owed $1.7MM under his arbitration contract, and Tampa Bay will remain on the hook for around a quarter of that (45 days of pay) if he’s not claimed. The club will apparently go with Curt Casali and Hank Conger behind the dish.
Rivera, 32, came to the club in the three-team swap that also brought in outfielder Steven Souza. The highly-regarded defender was coming off of a breakout 2014 season with the Padres after receiving only scattered MLB action previously. But Rivera struggled last year, putting up a meager .178/.213/.275 slash in his 319 plate appearances.
The Rangers and Astros have just filled their needs for additional veteran receivers, though surely some other organization will see fit to add Rivera in some capacity. Despite his questionable bat, he remains a useful presence behind the plate.
Carpenter, 30, was competing for a pen spot. The right-hander has had some strong campaigns in years past, but struggled with injuries last year and saw his strikeout tallies plummet. He ended with a 4.01 ERA in 24 2/3 innings, split between the Yankees and Nationals.
White Sox Outright Jacob Turner, Purchase Contract Of Jimmy Rollins
The White Sox announced several roster moves today. Among them, righty Jacob Turner was outrighted off of the 40-man roster, while shortstop Jimmy Rollins was added in his place.
Turner, 24, landed with the White Sox after bouncing around several times in recent years. He agreed to a $1.5MM deal with the club over the offseason.
A former top prospect, Turner is still looking to get back on track after fizzling out in the majors and sitting out much of 2015 with arm troubles. The out-of-options right-hander was hit hard this spring, allowing 14 earned runs on 14 hits and eight walks over 12 innings.
As for Rollins, it was widely expected that he’d open the year as the primary shortstop in Chicago. It seems he’ll still cede time to Tyler Saladino on occasion, but Rollins figures to receive the majority of the action.