Red Sox Claim Erik Kratz Off Waivers
12:56pm: The Red Sox announced that they have claimed Kratz off waivers. Kratz will provide the team with depth now that Blake Swihart is listed as day-to-day with a sprained left foot.
12:28pm: Erik Kratz has been claimed off waivers by an unknown team, MLBTR has learned. The catcher was designated for assignment by the Royals on June 11th.
The claiming team is currently unknown, but the Mets and Red Sox both saw catchers leave the game with injury yesterday. The Mets, however, already have depth behind the plate in Kevin Plawecki and Anthony Recker, so the Red Sox might be the more probable destination.
Most of Kratz’s career has been spent with the Phillies, but he’s also had brief stints in Toronto and Kansas City. All told, Kratz has shown nice power but low batting average and on-base capabilities, as evidenced by a .217/.270/.400 batting line. He’s also a skilled pitch-framer, however, and he’s thrown out 32 percent of attempted base-stealers in his big league career.
Kratz was scheduled to return from the 15-day disabled list earlier this month but was designated for assignment before he could be called back into action for KC. Kratz would have served as Salvador Perez‘s backup in Kansas City had he stayed on board, but that job has gone to Drew Butera instead.
Braves Sign First Round Pick Mike Soroka
The Braves have reached agreement with first-round choice Mike Soroka, according to Jim Callis of MLB.com (on Twitter). Soroka will receive about $1.97MM, the full value of his slot.
Atlanta selected the Canadian right-hander with the No. 28 overall pick in the draft. Callis describes Soroka as having solid athleticism with the potential to develop three solid pitches. The high schooler already boasts a 94 mph fastball, though Baseball America lists his above-average curveball as his best pitch as this time. BA noted that there is some concern about his across-body finish to his arm action, but he has no history of arm problems.
Soroka was committed to play for Cal, but the lure of the major leagues ultimately won out. The 6’5″ hurler was rated No. 90 in his class by BA, 67th by Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs, 60th by MLB.com (Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis), and 61st by Keith Law of ESPN.com. Soroka, who turns 18 in August, was one of the youngest players in this year’s class, as Teddy Cahill of BA recently wrote.
Braves Acquire Bronson Arroyo, Touki Toussaint
The Braves have acquired right-handed pitchers Bronson Arroyo and Touki Toussaint from the Diamondbacks in exchange for infielder Philip Gosselin, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Both teams have confirmed the move via press release.
The move appears to be monetarily motivated for the Diamondbacks. Arroyo is owed the balance of $9.5MM this season plus a $4.5MM buyout (or $13MM option), tweets Rosenthal. The total guarantee is about $10.1MM. He could return from Tommy John surgery as soon as August. Prior to landing on the disabled list last season, Arroyo was the perfect workhorse. He made at least 32 starts in nine straight seasons. He owns a 4.19 ERA in 2,364 innings.
The inclusion of Toussaint in the deal comes as a surprise. FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel rated him the 114th best prospect prior to the season. Toussaint, 19 today, was one of the youngest players in the Midwest League. He had a 3.69 ERA with 6.69 K/9 and 3.46 BB/9 in 39 innings. He was the club’s 16th overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft. Prior to the draft, he was rated No. 8 in his class by MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis and No. 13 by both Baseball America and ESPN.com’s Keith Law.
Gosselin was a useful utility infielder for the Braves, but the presence of Jace Peterson and prospect Jose Peraza likely made him expendable. He hit .325/.357/.525 in 42 plate appearances this season. Atlanta will have to swallow the cost of Arroyo and the roughly $10.1MM guaranteed to him. However, in Toussaint, they acquire yet another young, high ceiling arm for their farm system. From the Diamondbacks perspective, the club will save money now at the cost of their fifth best prospect.
Draft Signings: Ian Oxnevad
Here’s a look at today’s significant draft signings:
- The Cardinals have signed eighth-rounder Ian Oxnevad for $500K, well above his pick value of $167,400, Teddy Cahill of Baseball America tweets. Cahill describes the lefty Oxnevad as one of the Northwest’s best high school pitchers. He was committed to Oregon State. Via MLB.com’s Signing and Bonus Tracker, the Cardinals saved a bit of money against their pool by signing several picks from the fourth through ninth rounds for significantly less than their pick values. Oxnevad is represented by Tripper Johnson of Sosnick Cobbe Karon.
Minor Moves: Marcum, Givens, Loe
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- The Indians have announced that righty Shaun Marcum has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Columbus. The 33-year-old Marcum has pitched 35 innings for the Indians this season, posting a 5.40 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. The team designated him for assignment earlier this week.
- The Orioles have announced that they’ve selected the contract of righty Mychal Givens. In addition, the Orioles activated Kevin Gausman (shoulder tendinitis from the 15-day DL, optioned righties Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright to Triple-A Norfolk, and transferred righty Jason Garcia (also with shoulder tendinitis) to the 60-day DL. The Orioles drafted Givens in the second round in 2009 as an infielder, but he transitioned to pitching for the 2013 season. He struggled with control during his first two seasons on the mound (perhaps understandably, given his background), but he’s blossomed in the Double-A Bowie bullpen this season, posting a 1.60 ERA, 12.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings there.
- The Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League have announced that they’ve signed righty Kameron Loe. The 33-year-old pitched for three Triple-A teams in 2014, posting a 7.51 ERA, 6.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 38 1/3 innings of relief. He has a 4.49 ERA, 5.6 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in parts of nine big-league seasons with the Rangers, Brewers, Mariners, Cubs and Braves, last appearing in the Majors in 2013.
Orioles Sign Gray Fenter For $1MM
The Orioles have signed seventh-round pick Gray Fenter for $1MM, well above the $178,300 allotted pool value of his pick, Baseball Essential tweets. Fenter, a high school pitcher from Arkansas, was committed to Mississippi State.
Via MLB.com’s Signing and Bonus Tracker, the Orioles signed No. 36 overall pick Ryan Mountcastle for $1.3MM, about $410K less than his pool allotment, and sixth rounder Jay Flaa and tenth-rounder Reid Love for just $10K each, saving a total of about $350K. That combined $760K in savings should help them stay near their $6,850,400 pool limit despite their heavy spending on Fenter.
MLB.com ranked Fenter the No. 133 overall prospect in the draft, noting his ability to throw 96 MPH, the sinking action he gets when he throws in the 88-93 MPH range, and his good curveball. Baseball America ranked Fenter the No. 135 prospect in the draft, arguing that he will most likely be a reliever due to his size (5-foot-11), his delivery and his reliance on two pitches.
Marlins Designate Jhonatan Solano For Assignment
The Marlins have announced that they’ve designated catcher Jhonatan Solano for assignment. The move clears space on the team’s roster for lefty Justin Nicolino, who will start today.
The 29-year-old Solano, a light hitter even by backup catcher standards, has collected just one hit in 21 plate appearances this season. He’s a career .240/.285/.345 hitter in about two seasons’ worth of plate appearances at the Triple-A level. He had already been outrighted once this year, but the Marlins selected his contract again this week as J.T. Realmuto dealt with a minor back injury.
Nicolino’s start will be his big-league debut. The 23-year-old arrived in the Marlins system as part of the Jose Reyes deal in the 2012-13 offseason and has slowly made his way through the minors since then, posting a 2.87 ERA and 2.4 BB/9 but with a low 5.2 K/9 in 78 1/3 innings at Triple-A New Orleans this season.
Phillies Designate Phillippe Aumont For Assignment
The Phillies have announced that they’ve designated righty Phillippe Aumont for assignment. The move clears space for the team to select the contract of righty Seth Rosin, who will presumably join their bullpen.
Aumont was the 11th overall pick in the 2007 draft and was a top prospect in the Mariners organization before heading to the Phillies in Seattle’s 2009 trade for Cliff Lee. He never had great control, however, and problems with walks have continued to plague him since the deal. He pitched 65 innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year, with a 2.35 ERA and 8.0 K/9 but with 5.7 BB/9. His issues with walks have been even worse in the big leagues — he’s allowed 7.0 BB/9 in parts of four seasons, including seven walks in four innings this year. He’s still just 26, and he’s tall (at 6-foot-7) and a hard thrower, so he’ll likely continue to receive chances somewhere, either in the big leagues or the minors.
Braves Release Trevor Cahill
JUNE 20: The Braves have released Cahill, according to the MLB.com transactions page. They are still on the hook for the remainder of the $5.5MM in salary they assumed when they acquired Cahill from the Diamondbacks.
JUNE 11: The Braves announced (via Twitter) that they have designated right-hander Trevor Cahill for assignment and selected the contract of lefty Dana Eveland from Triple-A Gwinnett. Atlanta recently signed Eveland to a minor league deal after he opted out of a minors pact with the Red Sox.
Cahill totaled just 26 1/3 innings for the Braves this season, allowing 22 earned runs with 14 strikeouts against 12 walks. He did see his ground-ball rate recover from last year’s dip, posting an outstanding mark of 63.5 percent. However, that did little to help Cahill overcome an increasingly hittable repertoire of pitches and sub-par control.
Acquired late in Spring Training in a trade that sent minor league outfielder Josh Elander to the Diamondbacks (Elander has since been released), Cahill struggled through three starts with the Braves before losing his spot in the rotation and shifting to the bullpen. The Diamondbacks agreed to pay about $6.5MM of Cahill’s guaranteed $12MM, leaving Atlanta with about a $5.5MM gamble on the still-27-year-old righty.
The real value for the Braves, however, was likely in a technically separate but still-connected trade that was announced a couple of days after the Cahill swap. On Opening Day, the Braves traded minor league outfielder Victor Reyes to the D-Backs in exchange for their Round B Competitive Balance draft pick — the 75th overall selection in the 2015 draft. Comp Balance picks are tradeable, but not in the offseason. As such, a separate deal after the start of the regular season was used as a loophole, though reports at the time of the trade immediately linked that swap to the Cahill trade.
The Braves essentially paid $5.5MM to gamble on a rebound from Cahill and to acquire a reasonably strong draft pick, which they used to select left-hander A.J. Minter, who very well could have been selected a good deal higher had he not undergone Tommy John surgery in the spring.
Diamondbacks Sign Jhoulys Chacin To Minors Deal
The Diamondbacks have signed righty Jhoulys Chacin to a minor league deal, Venezuelan journalist Augusto Cardenas reports on Twitter. Chacin can opt out on July 5, per the report.
The 27-year-old had been with the Indians since signing a minor league pact over the offseason, but he opted out of his deal and the team declined to add him to the major league roster. Chacin had worked to a 3.21 ERA over 42 frames at Triple-A on the year, striking out 5.4 and walking 3.2 batters per nine in that stretch.
Chacin has shown plenty of promise at times. In both 2011 and 2013 he put up over 190 innings of 3.62 and 3.47 ERA pitching, respectively, and was even better in his first full season in 2010 — all while pitching for the Rockies and spending half his time at Coors Field. But shoulder issues and struggles with command (along with a dwindling strikeout rate) have derailed his career.
The D’Backs certainly could use another arm in the rotation, which has lagged on the whole in both results and peripherals. If things work out, Arizona could conceivably elect to keep Chacin for next year by tendering him a contract through arbitration.