Mariners To Sign Carlos Quentin
7:12pm: Quentin can opt out on May 12 if he has not been called up, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
6:43pm: The Mariners have agreed to a minor league deal with outfielder Carlos Quentin, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. Quentin was released by the Braves recently, shortly after he was acquired as part of the Craig Kimbrel deal — with his large salary functioning to offset salary.
Seattle added Quentin in order to bolster its right-handed power, says Dutton. The veteran big leaguer will head to Triple-A, but may have a chance to move onto the big league roster in short order. He may see time at first base in a platoon alongside Logan Morrison.
The Mariners run no risk in taking on Quentin, whose substantial payroll hit will be charged to the Padres. And there is reason to think that he is worth a flier, given the long run of success that led San Diego to give him a three-year, $27MM deal in the first place.
Between the time that he established himself as a regular in 2008 and the end of 2013, Quentin slashed .260/.356/.503 (good for a 129 OPS+) and swatted 136 home runs. Of course, he only managed half seasons in the last two years of that stretch and was again bothered by injuries last year, when he saw just 155 plate appearances and put up a meager .177/.284/.315 line.
Dodgers Designate Daniel Corcino
The Dodgers have designated southpaw Daniel Corcino, the club announced. His roster spot will go to the just-acquired Xavier Cedeno.
This move caps an eyebrow-raising series of moves out of Los Angeles. The club has claimed and designated both Corcino and his former Reds teammate Ryan Dennick in short order. It could be that the club is looking for an opportunity to add some depth to the upper minors by trying to outright the arms it has claimed.
Corcino, 24, will of course first have a chance to be acquired by another organization. He saw his first MLB action last year, working to a 4.34 ERA in just 18 2/3 innings. In 134 career frames at the minor league level, Corcino owns a 5.91 ERA with 6.4 K/9 against 5.2 BB/9.
Dodgers Acquire Xavier Cedeno From Nationals
The Dodgers have acquired left-hander Xavier Cedeno from the Nationals in exchange for cash, Washington announced. Cedeno, 28, broke camp with the Nationals but did not last long after giving up two earned runs in three innings of work.
His most extensive work came in 2012 with the Astros, when he tossed 31 innings of 3.77 ERA ball while striking out 10.5 and walking 4.1 batters per nine. Since then, Cedeno has logged 22 1/3 frames with a 5.64 ERA, and has seen his strikeout rate drop to 7.3 K/9.
Cedeno is the latest in a series of DFA’ed arms that the Dodgers have added. The others were in turn designated before seeing action. If Cedeno makes it into the bullpen mix, he will join fellow southpaws J.P. Howell and Paco Rodriguez.
Dodgers Release Freddy Garcia
The Dodgers have released righty Freddy Garcia, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports on Twitter. Garcia joined Los Angeles at the end of spring to bolster the organization’s depth.
The 38-year-old had thrown just 7 1/3 frames at Triple-A prior to his release. Garcia allowed six earned runs on eight hits and four walks, while striking out seven, in that brief stint with Albuquerque.
Garcia threw to a 3.19 ERA in 161 innings last year for Taiwan’s EDA Rhinos (h/t to Han Lee of GSI). Of course, he is better known for his work at the major league level, where he has thrown over 2,000 innings across 15 seasons.
Yankees Claim Matt Tracy From Marlins
The Yankees have claimed left-hander Matt Tracy off waivers from the Marlins and optioned him to Triple-A, according to a team press release.
The Yankees originally had Tracy in their system to open the season and only designated him for assignment 10 days ago. The Marlins claimed him last Saturday but designated him for assignment themselves earlier this week and sent him to Triple-A. Tracy didn’t pitch an inning while with the Marlins organization.
Formerly a 24th-round pick of the Yankees, Tracy made his Major League debut with the Yanks this season, yielding three unearned runs in two innings. He worked to a 3.76 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 150 2/3 innings at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year.
Angels Claim Gary Brown From Cardinals
The Angels announced today (via Twitter) that they have claimed outfielder Gary Brown off waivers from the Cardinals and optioned him to Triple-A. In order to clear room on the 40-man roster, Cory Rasmus was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
Formerly considered one of the top 50 prospects in all of baseball by Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and MLB.com, Brown’s upside never translated into results in the upper Minors. He’s a career .248/.305/.379 hitter in 1238 plate appearances at the Triple-A level and received a brief, seven-game cup of coffee with the Giants last season.
BA praised Brown’s 80-grade speed (on the 20-80 scouting scale) in their post-2011 scouting report — the same offseason in which they ranked him 38th among all prospects. He projected at one point as an elite defender in center field and a leadoff hitter with some surprising pull power, per BA, but clearly those expectations have been significantly dampened at this point.
Minor Moves: Drabek, Putkonen, Kirkman
Here are today’s minor moves from around MLB…
- White Sox right-hander Kyle Drabek has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Charlotte, the team announced on Twitter. The former top prospect was designated for assignment on Monday in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for 2014 No. 3 overall pick Carlos Rodon.
Earlier Updates
- The Tigers have re-signed right-hander Luke Putkonen to a Minor League pact, reports James Schmehl of MLive.com (on Twitter). Putkonen was in the team’s Triple-A clubhouse this morning and will pitch at Toledo in hopes of a return to the Majors. Detroit released Putkonen near the end of Spring Training after he yielded three runs on four hits and three walks with no strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. The 28-year-old Putkonen missed most of the 2014 season after undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow, but he was a nice bullpen cog for the Tigers in 2013, tossing 29 2/3 innings of 3.03 ERA ball with 28 strikeouts against nine walks.
- The Brewers have signed lefty Michael Kirkman to a Minor League contract, reports SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (also via Twitter). Kirkman was released by the Rangers midway through Spring Training so that he could pursue opportunities with other teams. That opportunity clearly didn’t emerge immediately, but Kirkman will give Milwaukee an experienced arm to serve as a depth piece. The 28-year-old southpaw has a 4.98 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 across 106 2/3 Major League frames, though he does come with a reverse platoon split. Kirkman’s career was slowed by a battle with skin cancer, but he returned to the mound in 2014 and was healthy in Spring Training prior to his release.
- A look at MLBTR’s DFA Tracker reveals four players in limbo as they await to find out if they’ve been traded, placed on waivers or released. Currently, Brandon Kintzler, Grant Balfour, Todd Redmond and Xavier Cedeno are in unresolved situations.
Yuniesky Betancourt Signs With Mexican Team
Infielder Yuniesky Betancourt has signed a contract to play for los Toros de Tijuana in the Mexican League, Toros director Jorge Campillo told MiLB.com.
Betancourt, 33, signed a one-year deal with Japan’s Orix Buffaloes last season but hit .141/.139/.155 in 74 plate appearances and eventually was released due to an injury. A veteran of nine Major League seasons, the Cuban-born Betancourt’s last MLB work came with the 2013 Brewers, where he struggled to a .595 OPS. Betancourt typically struggled to get on base in the Majors and was regarded as a below-average defender, but he showed double-digit home run power, topping out at 16 with 2010 Royals. In his nine Major League seasons, he batted a combined .261/.285/.388.
D-Backs Sign Kevin Frandsen To Minor League Deal
The Diamondbacks have signed infielder Kevin Frandsen to a Minor League contract and assigned him to Triple-A Reno, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). Frandsen is a client of All Bases Covered Sports Management.
Frandsen, 32, spent the 2014 season serving as a utility infield option for the Nationals. In 236 plate appearances with Washington, he batted .259/.299/.309 and appeared at second base, third base, first base and in left field. The Nats tendered a contract to Frandsen this offseason and agreed to a $1MM salary, but the team released him late in Spring Training.
Frandsen can serve as a depth option for the D-Backs, as he has experience at all four infield positions as well as both corner outfield spots. With Jake Lamb set to miss a few weeks due to a stress reaction in his foot, it’s possible that Frandsen could find his way onto the big league roster in the near future.
Cubs Promote Addison Russell
The Cubs have announced that top infield prospect Addison Russell has been promoted to the Majors. To create roster space for the 21-year-old, Arismendy Alcantara has been optioned to Triple-A and Mike Olt has been transferred to the 60-day DL in corresponding moves. Russell, usually a shortstop, will play second base, where the Cubs have struggled this season.
Russell was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Athletics. He hit a combined .295/.350/.508 at the Class A+ and Double-A levels in 2014, spending part of the year in the Athletics’ system before they shipped him to Chicago as the key to the Cubs’ side of the Jeff Samardzija trade. He had been hitting .297/.308/.432 for Triple-A Iowa in a 39 plate appearances this season. Baseball Prospectus ranked Russell the No. 2 prospect in the game heading into the 2015 season, while Baseball America ranked him No. 3. MLB.com placed him at No. 5, praising his offensive game and noting that he’s received comparisons to Barry Larkin and Miguel Tejada.
The Cubs, of course, also recently promoted another top prospect, Kris Bryant, to play third base. The timing of Bryant’s promotion caused controversy due to the perception that the Cubs delayed his arrival so that they could control him for another season. Russell’s promotion could conceivably attract similar criticism, although he has less experience at Triple-A than Bryant and has not been nearly as dominant at that level. If anything, the Cubs could easily have postponed Russell’s promotion until June, which would have prevented him from being a Super Two player. If he sticks in the big leagues now, he will likely receive that designation, becoming arbitration-eligible for the first of four times starting in 2018 before becoming eligible for free agency following the 2021 season.
Nonetheless, Russell gives the Cubs yet another top young talent to go along with Bryant, Jorge Soler, and young veterans Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro. The Cubs’ future has looked very bright for quite some time, and now, with a team loaded with excellent young players and off to a strong 7-5 start, that future seems to be coming quickly.
Russell’s promotion was first reported by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.