Phillies To Sign Chris Nelson
The Phillies have reached agreement on a minor league deal with infielder Chris Nelson, according to a tweet from Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Nelson, 29, now joins his sixth organization since the start of 2013.
Nelson has seen his opportunities at the MLB level diminish since a highly productive 2012 season with the Rockies in which he slashed .301/.352/.458. But that line was BABIP-driven and inflated by playing in Coors Field, and Nelson has fallen well shy of that pace since. Over the last two seasons, Nelson has carried a .229/.279/.313 line acrosss 308 plate appearances.
Nelson would seem likely to provide Philadelphia with a utility bench option. Though he has seen only scant time at short, he does have a good number of innings at second and, especially, third base.
Rangers To Sign Ross Wolf
Right-hander Ross Wolf has inked a minor league deal with the Rangers that includes a Spring Training invite, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports on Twitter. The 32-year-old had been a reliever for virtually all of his professional career, but has functioned in a swingman role over the last several seasons.
Wolf spent 2013 with the Rangers, accumulating the most extensive MLB action in his career. Over 47 2/3 frames, including three starts and 19 relief appearances, Wolf carried a 4.15 ERA with 4.0 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 to go with a strong 47.3% groundball rate. He has also had partial-season runs with the Athletics (2010) and Marlins (2007).
Last year, Wolf exercised an out clause in his deal with Texas to move to Korea. Over 85 1/3 frames with the KBO’s SK Wyverns, including 13 appearances as a starter, Wolf pitched to a 4.85 ERA. (That mark is actually above-average for the notoriously hitter-friendly league environment.)
Released: Jose Molina, Cole Figueroa, Ramon Cabrera
Here are the day’s minor moves …
- The Rays have placed catcher Jose Molina and infielder Cole Figueroa on release waivers, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Both were designated for assignment recently. Molina figures to clear given his $2.75MM price tag.
- The Pirates have released catcher Ramon Cabrera, per the MLB.com transactions page. Cabrera was designated along with Ike Davis on Thursday. He has yet to see action at the big league level.
- Release waivers are, of course, one way to resolve a DFA case. Per MLBTR’s DFA Tracker, several other players are still in limbo after a busy week of roster trimming: Ramiro Pena (Braves), Michael Kohn (Rays), Alfredo Marte (Angels), Juan Gutierrez (Giants), Yeison Asencio (Padres), Blaine Boyer (Padres), Ezequiel Carrera (Tigers), Ronald Belisario (White Sox), Jackson Williams (Angels), Michael Roth (Angels), Jarret Martin (Dodgers), Andrew Brown (Athletics), Scott Barnes (Indians), and Ryan Jackson (Dodgers).
Rangers Sign Ed Lucas To Minor League Deal
The Rangers announced that they’ve signed infielder Ed Lucas to a minor league deal and invited him to big league Spring Training.
Texas claimed Lucas from the Marlins on waivers back in October but outrighted him at month’s end to clear a 40-man roster spot. The veteran utility man has played in 163 games for the Marlins over the past two seasons, batting .255/.302/.323 while appearing at all four infield positions as well as each outfield corner. Lucas, who turns 33 next May, didn’t reach the big until age 31 and has experience in parts of 11 minor league seasons. In 1482 plate appearances at Triple-A, he’s posted a .265/.338/.398 slash line.
Dodgers Acquire Juan Nicasio, Designate Ryan Jackson
The Dodgers announced that they have acquired right-hander Juan Nicasio from the Rockies in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. To make room for Nicasio, who was designated for assignment last week, the Dodgers have designated infielder Ryan Jackson for assignment.
The 28-year-old Nicasio has struggled as an on-and-off member of the Rockies’ rotation for the past four seasons, but he did post a handful of nice innings as a reliever for Colorado last year (3.48 ERA in 20 2/3 frames). Nicasio has averaged about 93 mph on his heater throughout his career, and a look at his velocity chart (courtesy of Fangraphs) from 2014 shows that his fastball jumped to nearly 95 mph when pitching out of the ‘pen late in the season.
Overall, Nicasio has a career ERA of 5.03 with 6.9 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 44.6 percent ground-ball rate in 381 innings. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected the arb-eligible righty to earn $2.4MM next season, which was likely a large factor in the Rockies removing him from the 40-man roster.
The 26-year-old Jackson has just two hits in 25 career plate appearances in the Majors. He was claimed off waivers from the Padres, and many speculated that former San Diego GM Josh Byrnes, now working in the Dodgers’ front office, had a hand in that decision. A shortstop by trade, Jackson is a career .274/.344/.369 hitter at the Triple-A level. He missed most of the 2014 season recovering from surgery on his right wrist.
Josh Willingham Announces Retirement
Josh Willingham will officially retire after an 11-year Major League career, the outfielder told ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. Willingham’s decision comes despite receiving what he termed a “substantial” offer from a contending club this offseason, Crasnick writes. Willingham explained his decision process:
“I felt like it wouldn’t be fair to myself, and more importantly to the team that was paying me a lot of money to perform at a high level, if there was a chance my dedication would waver — particularly as the season got longer. I’m honored to have played for as many years as I have, and I feel even luckier to walk away on my own terms instead of having the decision made for me.”
The 35-year-old Willingham (36 in February) was a late bloomer who didn’t become an MLB regular until his age-27 season with the Marlins. However, once he established himself as a presence in their lineup, he quickly became known for his excellent plate discipline and plus right-handed power. He found himself traded to the Nationals and then to the A’s before reaching free agency for the first time, where he ultimately signed a three-year, $21MM contract with the Twins.
Willingham’s best season came in his first year with the Twins, as he batted .260/.366/.524 with a career-high 35 home runs — earning him a Silver Slugger and making him just the third player in Twins franchise history to hit 35 or more homers in a season (along with Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew and former AL Rookie of the Year Bob Allison). In total, Willingham’s career comes to a close with a .253/.358/.465 batting line, 195 homers and 632 RBIs in 1147 games between the Marlins, Nationals, A’s, Twins and Royals. The “Hammer” earned more than $35MM in his playing career, according to Baseball-Reference.com. MLBTR wishes Willingham and his family luck and happiness in his post-playing days and congratulates him on a very nice career.
A’s Acquire Ike Davis, Designate Andrew Brown
The A’s have acquired first baseman Ike Davis from the Pirates for international bonus slot money, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The A’s and Pirates have both tweeted confirmation of the trade, which also includes a swap of international bonus slots: the Pirates receiving the A’s first slot ($501.9K) in exchange for their third slot ($232K). The Pirates will net $269.9K in the swap of bonus slots (figures courtesy of Baseball America’s Ben Badler). To create room on the 40-man roster, the A’s have designated outfielder Andrew Brown for assignment.
Slusser tweets acquiring Davis, who was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Thursday, is a depth move and not an indication the A’s are preparing to deal any of their first basemen. The trade comes less than a week after Oakland signed Billy Butler to a three-year, $30MM free agent contract. The 40-man roster logjam at DH/first base now include the aforementioned Davis and Butler plus Brandon Moss, John Jaso, Stephen Vogt, Kyle Blanks, and Nate Freiman. With this surplus, Slusser notes the A’s now have the flexibility to make a deal if they are overwhelmed by an offer.
Davis struggled to start 2014 with just five hits, including one home run, in 30 plate appearances before being dealt by the Mets to the Pirates in April. The 27-year-old fared slightly better in Pittsburgh slashing .235/.343/.378 with ten home runs in 397 plate appearances. Davis is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $4.4MM in his second time through arbitration.
The A’s claimed Brown off waivers from the Mets on Halloween. The 30-year-old produced a .182/.245/.341 slash with the Mets in 49 plate appearances. Brown has spent parts of four MLB seasons with the Mets, Rockies and Cardinals compiling a batting line of .220/.281/.390 in 362 trips to the plate.
Indians Designate Scott Barnes For Assignment
The Indians have designated left-hander Scott Barnes for assignment, according to Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter). The move will help the Tribe create room for right-hander Charles Brewer, who was acquired from Arizona last night.
Barnes, 27, has made 22 big league appearances for the Indians over the last two seasons, though he has spent more time pitching for their Triple-A affiliate. This past season, Barnes pitched to a 3.69 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 24 relief appearances and one start.
As the MLBTR DFA Tracker shows, there are now 16 players in DFA limbo.
Indians Acquire Charles Brewer
The Indians have acquired right-handed pitcher Charles Brewer from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Brewer was designated for assignment on Thursday. It’s the second trade of the evening for Arizona – they also dealt Mike Bolsinger to the Dodgers for cash considerations.
Brewer, 27 next season, had a brief cup of coffee with the Diamondbacks in 2013. Over a six season minor league career, he’s posted a 4.09 ERA, 7.8 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9. The righty has a 90 mph fastball. Prospect maven John Sickels of SB Nation wrote in 2012: “he has a short window of opportunity to establish himself but has a shot at becoming a back-end rotation member or a reliever.”
The Indians likely view Brewer as a useful depth piece who can help to provide stability at the Triple-A level. Their rotation is currently full, with viable major league starters Zach McAllister and Josh Tomlin penciled in as sixth and seventh on the depth chart. Brewer has worked almost exclusively as a starter, but his best chance at reaching the majors may be as a reliever.
Dodgers Acquire Mike Bolsinger, Designate Jarret Martin
The Dodgers have acquired right-handed pitcher Mike Bolsinger from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Bolsinger was designated for assignment by Arizona last Thursday. The Dodgers have confirmed the move via twitter. The Dodgers designated Jarret Martin to clear room for Bolsinger.
Bolsinger, 27 next season, made his major league debut last year. He pitched 52 and one-third innings in 10 appearances (nine starts) with a 5.50 ERA, 8.25 K/9, and 2.92 BB/9. The soft-tossing righty works with a 88 mph fastball and was stung by the long ball in his limited sample. While it’s too soon to tell if Bolsinger has a home run problem, a move to pitcher friendly Dodgers Stadium should help to mitigate the damage.
Bolsinger will likely serve as rotation depth. FanGraphs currently lists Carlos Frias, Zach Lee, and Chris Reed as contenders for the fifth spot in the rotation. Bolsinger will probably join the fray, although I expect Los Angeles to eventually sign a veteran to fill the role.
Martin is a left-handed reliever who posted a 3.29 ERA, 10.54 K/9, and 7.90 BB/9 in 54 and two-thirds Double-A innings this season. He’s experienced similar issues with control in the past. He joins 15 other players in DFA limbo.