Orioles Acquire L.J. Hoes, Designate Andy Wilkins For Assignment
The Orioles announced that they have re-acquired outfielder L.J. Hoes in a trade with the Astros and designated first baseman Andy Wilkins for assignment in order to clear room on the 40-man roster.
Hoes, who will turn 26 years of age in March, was initially acquired by the Astros alongside lefty Josh Hader in the 2013 trade that send right-hander Bud Norris to Baltimore. He picked up 333 plate appearances with Houston over the parts of three seasons he spent in the organization, batting a collective .240/.292/.332 with four homers and seven stolen bases.
A right-handed batter, Hoes has had good success at the upper levels of the minor leagues, including a .299/.388/.399 batting line in parts of four seasons at the Triple-A level. He typically has more success against left-handed pitching and will give Baltimore some much-needed outfield depth. The Orioles cycled through an alarming number of corner outfield options in 2015 as Adam Jones held down the fort in center field, so he’ll present GM Dan Duquette and skipper Buck Showalter with a possible platoon option in the event that a left-handed-hitting corner outfielder is acquired.
As for Wilkins, the 27-year-old has bounced around the league quite a bit since making his big league debut with the White Sox in 2014. The former fifth-rounder hit just .140/.178/.186 in a minuscule sample of 45 plate appearances with the South Siders in ’14. This season, he was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays, who would eventually trade him to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. The Dodgers lost Wilkins to the Orioles on waivers in early September, and he’ll again be in search of a new club now that he’s been designated by Baltimore. Wilkins launched 30 homers in Triple-A in 2014 and has a career .272/.324/.490 line at that level.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported that Hoes was traded back to Baltimore (Twitter link). Roch Kubtako of MASNsports.com tweeted that the Astros would receive cash considerations.
Pirates Acquire Allen Webster From Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks announced that they’ve traded right-hander Allen Webster to the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations. Webster was designated for assignment last week.
Webster, 26 in February, was once considered a consensus Top 100 prospect. The former 18th-round pick (Dodgers, 2008) has been involved in a pair of notable trades, first going to Boston from L.A. as part of the Adrian Gonzalez/Carl Crawford blockbuster and then being traded to the D-Backs last winter in the Wade Miley deal.
Webster displayed a penchant for strikeouts early in his minor league career but has struggled more recently, both at the upper levels of the minors and in the Major Leagues with Boston and Arizona. Control, in particular, has become a problem for Webster, who has averaged 4.9 walks per nine innings in parts of three big league seasons and walked more batters (20) than he struck out (17) in 31 innings with the D-Backs this year. All told, Webster has a 6.13 ERA in 120 1/3 big league innings.
When his prospect status was at its peak, Baseball America wrote that Webster showed the “best pure stuff of anyone in the Red Sox system,” praising a fastball that ranged from 93-98 mph with good sink as well as a plus changeup. BA noted, however, that while Webster’s “outrageous” stuff came with top-of-the-rotation potential, an inability to command his fastball and questions about his confidence were enough to wonder if he’d ever reach that ceiling.
Certainly, the Pirates will hope that realization is still possible, though Webster needn’t become more than a solid middle reliever for this to look like a shrewd pickup in hindsight. He’s out of minor league options, however, so he’ll need to stick with the Bucs out of camp next spring or again be exposed to waivers.
Pirates Sign Jake Goebbert To Major League Deal
The Pirates announced that they have signed first baseman/outfielder Jake Goebbert to a Major League contract. His signing brings the team’s 40-man roster to a total of 39.
Goebbert, 28, spent the entire 2015 season in Triple-A with the Padres, where he batted .294/.392/.452 with 10 home runs. While the Pacific Coast League is known as an exceptionally hitter-friendly environment, Goebbert has long shown a discerning eye at the plate, walking in 11.1 percent of his plate appearances since being selected by the Astros in the 13th round of the 2009 draft.
Houston sent Goebbert to the Athletics in April of 2013 in exchange for left-hander Travis Blackley, and he was traded again a year later, heading from Oakland to San Diego in exchange for fellow first baseman/outfielder Kyle Blanks. Goebbert received 115 plate appearances with the Padres in 2014 — his only Major League experience — and batted .218/.313/.317 with a homer, a double and three triples.
Goebbert’s addition to the 40-man roster comes at a time when the Pirates are known to be shopping Pedro Alvarez, though his presence isn’t necessarily an indicator that Alvarez will be jettisoned. It’s unlikely he’d be slotted in for any kind of starting role, though the Pirates clearly like him enough that he has to be considered in the mix for a spot as a left-handed bat off the bench next year.
Angels Sign Geovany Soto
The Angels announced that they’ve signed catcher Geovany Soto to a one-year, Major League contract. He’ll presumably pair with young catcher Carlos Perez as the Halos’ primary catching tandem. MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets that Soto will earn $2.8MM in 2016.
Soto, 33 in January, hit .219/.301/.406 in 210 plate appearances with the White Sox in 2015. While his 30 percent strikeout rate limited his batting average and on-base percentage, Soto walked at a healthy 10 percent clip and provided the ChiSox with defensive value as well. The former National League Rookie of the Year (2008) caught 30 percent of attempted base-stealers and rated 5.6 pitch-framing runs above average, per StatCorner.com’s catching report. Soto has never consistently stacked up to the Rookie of the Year production, he’s been a roughly league-average bat dating back to the 2010 season over the course of 1703 plate appearances.
Gonzalez adds (via Twitter) that with Soto’s signing, which comes just one day after former Angels catcher Chris Iannetta signed with the division-rival Mariners, the Angels sit about $20MM south of the luxury tax threshold. Considering the number of holes that new general manager Billy Eppler needs to fill — catcher, third base, second base, left field chief among them — the addition of Soto represents a low-cost upgrade that will allow the club to spend to address other areas on the roster. While the upcoming Dec. 2 non-tender deadline represents an avenue for most teams to save some cost, outfielder Collin Cowgill ($1MM arbitration projection) is the Angels’ only true non-tender candidate. As such, trades figure to be a more plausible means of creating some separation if the Angels do indeed wish to come in beneath the $189MM cutoff.
White Sox Acquire Tommy Kahnle From Rockies
The White Sox announced that they have acquired right-hander Tommy Kahnle from the Rockies in exchange for minor league right-hander Yency Almonte (Twitter link). Kahnle was designated for assignment by the Rockies last Friday in a series of moves to set the club’s roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.
Kahnle, who turned 26 in August, came to the Rockies from the Yankees organization by way of the Rule 5 Draft in 2013. He’s totaled 102 innings for the Rox over the past two years — his lone MLB experience — and posted a 4.41 ERA while averaging exactly one strikeout per inning to go along with a strong 49.4 percent ground-ball rate. Kahnle’s problem, however, has been a lack of control. Though he’s averaged 95 mph on his fastball in the Majors (95.9 mph in 2015), he’s averaged 5.2 walks per nine innings pitched and issued an alarming 27 unintentional walks in 33 1/3 innings this past season.
The 21-year-old Almonte came to the Sox as the player to be named later in the 2014 deal that sent Gordon Beckham to the Angels. Almonte spent the 2015 campaign pitching for Class-A Kannapolis and Class-A Advanced Winston-Salem, posting a combined 3.41 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 in 137 1/3 innings (22 starts; 24 total appearances). He didn’t rank among Chicago’s Top 30 prospects, per MLB.com.
Mariners Sign Chris Iannetta, Designate John Hicks
TODAY: Iannetta can earn up to $1.75MM in performance bonuses in the coming season, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune tweets. The club picks up a 2017 option, at a $4.25MM price tag, which can also vest at $6MM under unspecified circumstances.
YESTERDAY, 6:28pm: The contract guarantees Iannetta $4.25MM and includes incentives, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports on Twitter.
6:03pm: The deal includes some form of option for 2017, Iannetta indicated to reporters on a conference call to discuss the signing (via MLB.com’s Greg Johns, on Twitter).
5:07pm: The Mariners have signed catcher Chris Iannetta to a one-year deal, the club announced. Fellow backstop John Hicks was designated for assignment to clear roster space.
A deal was said to be close during the GM Meetings, but it obviously took a bit longer to come together. Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto obviously continues to be a fan of the veteran, as he brought him to the Angels when he ran that club.
Iannetta is entering his age-33 season on the heels of a rough 2015 campaign. In his 317 plate appearances last year, Iannetta slashed just .188/.293/.335. He did, however, reach double-digit home runs for the fifth time in his career and maintained a strong 12.9% walk rate. Also, a .225 BABIP may go some way toward explaining the poor overall results.
Of course, there’s also quite a bit of history suggesting that Iannetta can bounce back offensively. He produced at or above the league-average rate for seven of the eight seasons before 2015 and owns a .231/.351/.405 lifetime slash line.
Notably, though he endured a rough campaign at the plate, Iannetta was better than ever behind it. After years of sub-par results, StatCorner rated him the fifth-best framer in baseball last year. And Baseball Prospectus credits him not only with a remarkable turnaround in framing, but also in overall defensive value.
If Iannetta can carry that forward, he and Mike Zunino could make up an outstanding defensive unit. It remains to be seen how the playing time will be allocated between the two, but Iannetta will certainly provide some cover to allow Seattle an opportunity to take some of burden off of the 24-year-old, who limped to a .174/.230/.300 batting line last year.
Hicks, 26, received his first big league call-up last year and recorded just two hits in a tiny sample of 34 plate appearances. Over parts of two seasons at the Triple-A level, the University of Virginia product has slashed .253/.295/.366 and hit eight home runs in 432 plate appearances.
Diamondbacks Avoid Arbitration With Matt Reynolds
The Diamondbacks have avoided arbitration with lefty Matt Reynolds, Zach Buchanan of AZCentral.com reports on Twitter. Reynolds will receive $675K next season, with a $25K bonus if he makes 55 appearances.
That number falls a bit shy of the $800K that MLBTR projected Reynolds to earn. Of course, the southpaw had seemed a plausible non-tender candidate even at that relatively low salary level, so agreeing to a slightly lower rate helps increase the likelihood that he’ll get a major league opportunity in 2016.
Reynolds, 31, pitched 13 2/3 major league innings last season for the D’backs, allowing seven earned runs and striking out 18 batters against seven walks. He had missed all of the 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the midst of a promising 2013 campaign.
Braves Sign David Carpenter, Nine Others To Minors Deals
The Braves have announced the signings of ten players to minor league contracts, each of which includes an invitation to major league camp. Righty David Carpenter is perhaps the most notable, but the list includes several other recognizable names.
Joining Carpenter in Atlanta’s camp this spring will be fellow righties Chris Volstad and Madison Younginer. Also reporting early for camp will be four catchers: former big leaguer Ryan Lavarnway, along with Willians Astudillo, Matt Kennelly, and Braeden Schlehuber. Veteran infielders Reid Brignac and Chase d’Arnaud, as well as outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo, are also joining the Braves.
Carpenter, 30, had an up-and-down 2015 after being sent from Atlanta to the Yankees in a deal that netted Manny Banuelos. He struggled in New York, generated good results in a short stint with the Nationals, and then ended the season with shoulder issues. Carpenter will look to recover the form he showed over is two years with the Braves, when he worked to a 2.63 ERA over 126 2/3 innings, with an impressive 10.0 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9.
There’s plenty of big league experience in the remainder of that group, too. Volstad threw well at Triple-A last year for the Pirates and could compete for a job in the rotation or the pen. Lavarnway spent time in the majors with Atlanta last season and might well end up the backup catcher if Christian Bethancourt isn’t deemed worthy of a roster spot. And Brignac and d’Arnaud might battle for a utility role.
Scout.com’s Bill Shanks first reported Carpenter’s signing. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweeted the Volstad signing.
Minor MLB Transactions: 11-24-15
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- Former Brewers outfielder Logan Schafer has signed a minor league pact with the Nationals, according to the Baseball America minor league free agent tracker (h/t to Jim Goulart of Brewerfan.net, on Twitter). The 29-year-old, who hits from the left side, owns a .212/.286/.319 career slash line in 646 MLB plate appearances over the past five seasons. He’s generally been much more productive in the upper minors, though 2015 was a rough season all around. Schafer is capable of playing center field, where the Nats have a need, and both he and fellow minor league signee Chris Heisey could factor into the team’s plans up the middle depending upon how the offseason and spring camp progress.
Minor MLB Transactions: 11/23/15
Here are the day’s minor signings from around the league…
- Infielder Steve Tolleson is headed to the Orioles on a minor league deal, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports on Twitter. Tolleson will receive an invitation to major league camp. The 32-year-old owns a .245/.299/.372 slash in 363 career plate appearances in the bigs.
- Shortstop Hak-Ju Lee is joining the Giants on a minor league deal, Matt Eddy reported as part of a slew of signings. (See his Twitter feed for these and more.) Formerly a top prospect with the Rays, the 25-year-old suffered a serious knee injury and has not hit much since at the Triple-A level. Among other deals, San Francisco also brought back lefty Ricky Romero, per Eddy.
- The Diamondbacks have added righty Kyle Drabek on a minors deal, according to Eddy. He joins outfielder Kyle Jensen and third baseman Carlos Rivero as Arizona minor league free agent signees. Once one of the game’s best-regarded pitching prospects with the Blue Jays, the 27-year-old Drabek did not live up to his promise in Toronto. But he did toss a solid 137 1/3 innings last year at Triple-A for the White Sox, working to a 3.47 ERA with 5.5 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9.
- The White Sox have signed righty Phillippe Aumont to a minor league pact, Josh Norris of Baseball America tweets. The former Phillies prospect lost his 40-man roster spot last year. He did put up a 3.14 ERA after moving back into the rotation at Triple-A, but continued to demonstrate serious control problems with 6.8 BB/9.
Earlier Transactions
- The Blue Jays have signed first baseman Casey Kotchman, second baseman David Adams and shortstop Jiovanni Mier to minor league contract with invitations to Major League Spring Training, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. The 32-year-old Kotchman comes with far and away the most big league experience, having served as an everyday first baseman (or close to it) with the Angels, Braves, Red Sox, Mariners, Rays and Indians from 2007-12. However, Kotchman hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2013 and hasn’t experienced much in the way of success since his career year with the 2011 Rays. He’s a lifetime .260/.326/.385 hitter in the Majors. Adams, meanwhile, was once a promising second base prospect with the Yankees but never received a consistent chance in the Majors (in part, due to injuries). The now-28-year-old did receive 152 PAs in New York in 2013 but batted just .193/.252/.286 in that short stint. Mier, meanwhile, is a former first-round pick and top 100 prospect, but his bat has never really come around. He’s now 25 years of age and is a career .239/.333/.340 hitter in the minors.