Braves Release Tyler Pastornicky
The Braves have released Tyler Pastornicky, according to the International League’s transactions page. The middle infielder had already been outrighted off of Atlanta’s 40-man roster earlier this offseason.
Pastornicky, 25, originally came to Atlanta as part of the Yunel Escobar trade in July 2010 and he began the 2012 season as the Braves’ regular shortstop, though his spot was supplanted by Andrelton Simmons. Now blocked at short, Pastornicky was shifted to second base though couldn’t catch on as a regular. Pastornicky has only a .243/.295/.314 slash line over 268 Major League plate appearances, though he hit a more respectable .280/.343/.376 over 2390 minor league PA.
Brewers Exercise Ron Roenicke’s 2016 Option
The Brewers have announced that they exercised their club option on Ron Roenicke’s contract, guaranteeing the manager’s deal through the 2016 season. It was almost exactly a year ago that the club picked up Roenicke’s option for the 2015 and added that 2016 option year to his deal.
In four years as Milwaukee’s manager, Roenicke has led the team to a 335-313 (.517) record, highlighted by an NL Central title and a trip to the NLCS in 2011. Despite three winning seasons in four years under Roenicke, however, 2011 remains the club’s last postseason appearance. The Brewers led the Central for much of last season before fading down the stretch. In exercising Roenicke’s option now, both the team and the manager can forego questions about his status until later in the season, though it’s fair to wonder if Roenicke could be on the hot seat if the Brewers aren’t contenders.
With Roenicke’s deal settled, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel believes that an extension could also be forthcoming for GM Doug Melvin, who is entering his last year under contract.
Braves Release Jose Veras
The Braves have released right-hander Jose Veras, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports (via Twitter). The veteran reliever was in camp on a minor league deal with the team, signed in February.
Veras posted a 4.50 ERA, 9.8 K/9 and 1.85 K/BB rate in 46 combined innings with the Cubs and Astros last year, with most of the damage coming during a horrendous April (10 runs in 5 2/3 innings) that cost him his job as Chicago’s closer. He hadn’t looked good in six Spring Training appearances for Atlanta, posting an 11.81 ERA and seven walks in 5 1/3 innings of work.
Despite Veras’ rough spring, his solid track record in recent years should make him a target for clubs looking to add some bullpen depth. Veras was talking to at least four clubs during the offseason, including the Astros, so it seems likely that a market will exist for his services on another minor league deal. It’s worth nothing that Veras is an Article XX(B) free agent, so in releasing him now, the Braves avoid the question of paying him a $100K retention bonus to keep him in the organization if he hadn’t made the Opening Day roster.
Minor Moves: Luis Sierra
We’ll keep track of the day’s minor moves here:
- The White Sox have released catcher Luis Sierra, according to the International League transactions page. The 27-year-old Colombian briefly reached the Triple-A level last year but has spent most of his recent time at Double-A. Over 399 plate appearances at that level, he owns a .230/.299/.298 slash line.
Royals, Rafael Furcal Agree To Minor League Deal
WEDNESDAY: Furcal will receive $1.25MM if he’s in the Majors, plus $250K in incentives, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets.
MONDAY: The Royals and infielder Rafael Furcal have agreed to a minor league contract, per Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). Furcal, a client of the Kinzer Management Group, isn’t with the team in big league camp and is instead rehabbing in minor league camp, McCullough adds.
The 37-year-old Furcal signed a one-year deal with the Marlins last offseason with the expectation that he could play second base for them, but hamstring injuries cost him all but nine games of the 2014 season. Furcal, who missed the 2013 season due to Tommy John surgery hit just .171/.216/.229 in 37 PAs with the Fish last season. His last regular action came with the Cardinals in 2012 when he batted .264/.325/.346 with five homers and a dozen steals.
Furcal re-tore his problematic hamstring this offseason and missed the playoffs in the Dominican Winter League, so he’ll need to rehab from that injury before receiving a chance to crack Kansas City’s roster. The signing makes some degree of sense, however, as Omar Infante is battling elbow issues and struggled in 2014 anyhow. Indeed, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes noted back in December (via Twitter) that Furcal could be a fit for Kansas City, especially since he came up through the Braves organization back when Royals GM Dayton Moore was working in Atlanta’s scouting and player development departments.
Blue Jays Sign Randy Wolf
WEDNESDAY: The Blue Jays have officially announced the signing. Wolf will be in minor-league camp.
MONDAY: The Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league deal with veteran lefty Randy Wolf, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (via Twitter), who cites big league umpire Jim Wolf (Randy’s brother) as the source of the news. Wolf showcased for the Jays recently, as Gideon Turk of BlueJaysPlus.com tweeted. Wolf would earn $800K on the big league roster and can opt out on June 1, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
Wolf, 38, tossed 25 2/3 innings last year for the Marlins, posting a 5.26 ERA with 6.7 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9. He also spent time in the Diamondbacks, Angels, and Orioles systems. Before all that happened, he turned down a chance to open the year as a member of the Mariners rotation because he refused to sign an advance-consent form late in the spring. (MLBTR’s Zach Links reported on the details of that situation here.)
For Toronto, the 15-year major leaguer represents another depth piece, joining Johan Santana and Jeff Francis as veteran southpaw options. One or more members of that grouping could conceivably provide some versatility at the MLB level by operating as a longman, LOOGY, and/or spot starter. With Marcus Stroman out for the year, the club is obviously looking to ensure it has arms lined up to last the season.
Rangers Release Scott Cousins
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- The Rangers have released former big leaguer Scott Cousins, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. As Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News explains, the one-time outfielder was working out as a left-handed pitcher, though he never made it into game action. The thirty-year-old spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues, compiling a .179/.230/.285 slash over 193 plate appearances.
Nationals Release Jeff Kobernus
The Nationals announced that they released utilityman Jeff Kobernus today. The 26-year-old was once rated a top-twenty organizational prospect in D.C.
Kobernus, a second-round pick back in 2009, has seen limited big league action in each of the last two seasons. With just 44 MLB plate appearances to his name, most of his time over 2013-14 was spent at the Triple-A level, where he owns a .296/.356/.378 slash with 57 steals in 647 total turns at bat.
Primarily a second baseman, Kobernus has diversified his defensive repertoire by spending time in the outfield of late. As with outfielder Eury Perez and infielder Zach Walters, both of whom were parted with last year, Kobernus was an upper-level depth piece who no longer had a place in the organization.
Giants Acquire Jackson Williams From Angels
The Giants have acquired catcher Jackson Williams from the Angels in exchange for cash considerations, Angels director of communications Eric Kay announced on Twitter. Williams had spent his entire professional career in San Francisco prior to 2014.
Last year was the first in which Williams cracked the big leagues, picking up 16 plate appearances with the Rockies. He also enjoyed his best campaign at the plate at the Triple-A level, slashing .256/.353/.368 with four home runs. The former late-first round pick made his way to the Halos on a waiver claim early last fall.
Presumptive backup catcher Andrew Susac has been dealing with wrist inflammation, which may have led San Francisco to pursue another depth option. While Williams is slated to head to minor league camp, as Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com tweets, he represents another link in the chain alongside names like Hector Sanchez and Guillermo Quiroz.
Rangers Release Michael Kirkman
The Rangers have released left-hander Michael Kirkman, tweets Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Kirkman had been non-tendered by the Rangers in December and then re-signed to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.
The 28-year-old Kirkman has spent his entire career with the Rangers but saw just 5 2/3 innings with the team in 2014. In 106 2/3 innings, Kirkman has worked to a 4.98 ERA 8.7 K/9, 4.6 BB/9 and a 39.4 percent ground-ball rate. Kirkman’s career has been slowed by a battle with skin cancer that limited his time on the field over the past few seasons, but he was able to take the mound again last season and pitched an inning and two-thirds in Spring Training this year before today’s release.
A number of clubs will likely be on the lookout for left-handed depth over the course of Spring Training, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Kirkman get an audition with another team in the next few weeks. The Mets are one team in particular known to be looking for left-handed relief help, following the news that Josh Edgin will undergo Tommy John surgery.
It’s worth noting, though, that lefty hitters have had more success against Kirkman in his career than right-handed hitters. He does, however, possess much better K/BB numbers against lefties, and his FIP/xFIP marks against same-handed hitters (3.65 and 3.72, respectively) are much better than those same marks against righties (4.80, 4.86) in spite of the bottom-line results.