2013 Minor Moves and Transactions Thread

[Hairyducked Idiot]

He's here to give us depth if we trade Soriano, DeJesus, or even Schierholtz or Hairston. He may be underneath Sweeney even, in our FO's eyes, just circumstances dictated he be added to the 40 man. If Brett doesn't show he's ready then Sweeney and Borbon at least conceivably, give us a semi-warm body to throw out there in the trainwreck of a second half.

 

I think even that might be reading too much into it, and that's not even a particularly ambitious reading.

 

Maybe they are thinking that they might want to trade both Soriano and DeJesus while bringing up Sweeney but not Jackson, and that Borbon represents an opportunity on that front who might not be there in June or July when this all goes down.

 

But it seems to me to be just as likely more of the random waiver-wire poo-at-wall flinging that could see Borbon waived again in a couple of days.

[davell]

Very possible. To me, the absolute best case scenario(although strength in numbers helos here) is between Sweeney, Borbon, and Sappelt-we've likely found a 5th OFer for next year. If any of them find a way to contribute as much as Valbuena does(again, not a true ringing endorsement) the poo fling has worked in some small way.

[Little Slide Rooter]

@Rotoworld_BB: Red Sox will try to trade Alfredo Aceves http://t.co/10n29RM4Qk

 

Intriguing or too close to another you know who? Hint: rhymes with Bamzano.

[Cubswin11]

Chris Nelson DFA'd by the Rockies, if we could claim him an put him in Iowa it wouldn't be a bad depth move.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Chris Nelson DFA'd by the Rockies, if we could claim him an put him in Iowa it wouldn't be a bad depth move.

 

I mean technically nothing is a bad depth move if all it costs you is an Iowa roster spot, but Chris Nelson is super awful and I want no chance of him appearing on an MLB roster for us at any point.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Chris Nelson DFA'd by the Rockies, if we could claim him an put him in Iowa it wouldn't be a bad depth move.

 

I mean technically nothing is a bad depth move if all it costs you is an Iowa roster spot, but Chris Nelson is super awful and I want no chance of him appearing on an MLB roster for us at any point.

 

Former first round, top 10 pick. Check.

Former top prospect. Check.

Under 30 years old. Check.

Infiedler. Check.

Decent season last year. Check.

 

Mark my words. Unless someone ahead of us claims him, we will. He had a nice offensive season in 2012 to the tune of .301/.352/.458 which was good for a 1.4 oWAR, but had a -2.1 dWAR, which is hard to do unless you're a combination of Adam Dunn and a drunk homeless guy.

[Cubswin11]

Chris Nelson DFA'd by the Rockies, if we could claim him an put him in Iowa it wouldn't be a bad depth move.

 

I mean technically nothing is a bad depth move if all it costs you is an Iowa roster spot, but Chris Nelson is super awful and I want no chance of him appearing on an MLB roster for us at any point.

I'm not saying I want him taking 400 ab's at the ML level, but we have such little immediate depth in the IF and if 1 or more of Valbuena/Castro/Barney/Ransom got hurt we have very few options, he had a good offensive year last year and was a top 10 pick in 2004 (I think). It's worth keeping him in AAA, imo, in case we have an emergency need for him (injuries) I'm not saying I want him to have a spot on the team now as it is.

[neely crenshaw]

Not sure if there's room. They have Stewart on a rehab assignment, Lake on the 7 day DL, and already picked up 30 year old 3B donnie murphy, who is also on the 7 day dl(i'm guessing to open 3b for stewart rehab. Then you still have Vitters there. Lillibridge and Gonzales are also getting regular at bats down there. Hard to get everyone the at bats they need.

Funny thing is the average age of infielders at AAA is about 10 years older than our major league team. Ian Stewart is the youngest regular at AAA right now...

[Little Slide Rooter]

I think it's safe to assume that if they feel as though Nelson has a chance of living up to his one time expectations that they'd sacrifice Lilibridge or Gonzalez for him without thinking twice.

[Little Slide Rooter]

•The Mariners have signed outfielder Corey Patterson to a minor-league deal, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports (on Twitter). Patterson will report to extended spring training. Patterson, 33, hit .251/.285/.410 for the Brewers' Triple-A team in Nashville in 2012. He has played for the Cubs, Orioles, Reds, Nationals, Brewers, Blue Jays and Cardinals

 

Corey Patterson and professional baseball refuse to give up on one another.

 

•Rangers minor-leaguer Randy Wells has retired, FOX Sports Southwest's Anthony Andro reports (on Twitter). Wells, 30, finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year balloting in 2009, when he was with the Cubs. He appeared in 98 big-league games, mostly with Chicago, posting a 4.08 ERA, 5.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. He made five starts in 2013 for the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock.

 

However, Randy Wells and professional baseball have. I'm a bit surprised that this actually registered as some level of news, even in the Twitter era.

[Pushfrog98]

Pirates DFA Jonathan Sanchez

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/04/pirates-designate-jonathan-sanchez-for-assignment.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

[Little Slide Rooter]

Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet looked at potential infield trade targets for the Blue Jays. BN-S suggests that Brendan Ryan of the Mariners, Chris Nelson of the Rockies, and Alex Gonzalez of the Brewers are among those that could make sense for Toronto.

 

Hell, Barney, Valbuena or even Stewart would be an upgrade over any of those guys. Let's make a deal AA.

[BCVM22]

Dave Sappelt just tweeted "See ya later Chicago going to the trenches" and Ryan Sweeney was pulled early from today's game and is waiting to talk to the Iowa manager.

 

EDIT: Sounds like it's official. Sappelt down, Sweeney up and Sappelt's Twitter account DFA'd. I don't have the 40-man in front of me so I'm not sure if they'll need to make a move on that front as well.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Dave Sappelt just tweeted "See ya later Chicago going to the trenches" and Ryan Sweeney was pulled early from today's game and is waiting to talk to the Iowa manager.

 

EDIT: Sounds like it's official. Sappelt down, Sweeney up and Sappelt's Twitter account DFA'd. I don't have the 40-man in front of me so I'm not sure if they'll need to make a move on that front as well.

 

My assumption is that the only reason for this move was because it was [expletive] or get off the pot time on Sweeney's minor league contract, and they chose to [expletive]. I've been a fan of him all along, but he simply doesn't serve a purpose on the big league roster.

[davell]

My guess is Ian Stewart isvoff the 40 man, maybe out of the organization by tomorrow.

[Guest]

I understand wanting to replace Sappelt's playing time, as he's been pretty bad, but I just don't see how Sweeney helps. Even more so now that Borbon is on the roster, whose playing time does he take? Navarro's PH PAs?

[davell]

Maybe give Soriano a day off a week? Keep him fresher and figure DeJesus hits lefties as well as Sappelt has? I'm stretching, its not an ideal fit obviously. I do think he's a better player than Sappelt is, I just wish he was a righty.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I understand wanting to replace Sappelt's playing time, as he's been pretty bad, but I just don't see how Sweeney helps. Even more so now that Borbon is on the roster, whose playing time does he take? Navarro's PH PAs?

 

He's younger than DeJesus, more versatile than Borbon, and has a better overall track record than Schierholtz. Assuming that it is as I suspect and it's primarily due to the opt out date of his minor league deal then like Borbon, they could be giving up another roster spot for storage and he'll get his real chance after the truck's been backed up. And if things continue to go as they have been, that might not be too far off. And it's not like we can't use a competent bat off the bench.

[Guest]

Sweeney is 28 and has nearly 2000 MLB PAs, there's not a whole lot left to find out. He's also a Free Agent after this season if he stays on the roster for an extended stretch. I like him as depth, but there's nothing to be gained here. Of the 4 LH OF, he's 3rd of 4 at best in any category, offense, defense, baserunning. He has the least trade value and the least team control. If you just need to get Sappelt off the roster and are okay with DeJesus or Borbon getting those extra PAs, that's fine. Let's not pretend that Sweeney is any sort of asset though. He's so valuable(and well thought of by the organization), that they've already (correctly) chosen a DFA castoff over him for a promotion.

[davell]

Too early for a DeJesus trade? Of course, that doesn't explain Sappelt getting sent out unless a RH OF is part of the return.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Sweeney is 28 and has nearly 2000 MLB PAs, there's not a whole lot left to find out. He's also a Free Agent after this season if he stays on the roster for an extended stretch. I like him as depth, but there's nothing to be gained here. Of the 4 LH OF, he's 3rd of 4 at best in any category, offense, defense, baserunning. He has the least trade value and the least team control. If you just need to get Sappelt off the roster and are okay with DeJesus or Borbon getting those extra PAs, that's fine. Let's not pretend that Sweeney is any sort of asset though. He's so valuable(and well thought of by the organization), that they've already (correctly) chosen a DFA castoff over him for a promotion.

 

He is somewhat of an asset. I know that your above the "WSR getting a boner over a 40 year old AAAA slugger," but the truth is that If he can be a productive 4th OF (currently a 5th or 6th but I'm talking long run) at the price, that's worth something to an organization strapped for cash. If they feel as though there's a chance that Sweeney can give the production he gave the A's between 2008-2010, he's worth a look. He also makes David DeJesus and Nate Schierhotz sell high candidates.

As for Borbon, they wanted him and in order to get him for nothing as a DFA, they needed to give him a big league roster spot, which Sweeney did not as the time

 

Until the wave of the future starts funneling in, they need to fill a roster. The goal seems to be to do so as cost effectively as possible using low risk, medium-high reclamations, bargain free agents, and anything remotely useful that come through the waiver wire. Sweeney and Borbon each fit that mold, as has every big league acquisition made by Epstein and Hoyer with the exception of Jackson. Look around. Jackson and Rizzo see to be the only Epstein additions on the big league level that was brought in solely to play for us. Aside from the Hendry leftovers, everyone else falls into one of those afore mentioned categories. DeJesus, Villanueva, Wood, and Fujikawa were a little of both, but our active roster includes is composed of [expletive] they threw at the wall. Some is just sticking better than others. We're the A's without the farm system (yet)

[Guest]

He's a Free Agent after this season. So they're bringing him up to be the 3rd or 4th best LH OF on the roster, so they can "see what they have", and if it's good then he's gone?

 

The move isn't about bringing Sweeney up, it's about getting Sappelt off the roster.

[UK1679666180]

He's a Free Agent after this season. So they're bringing him up to be the 3rd or 4th best LH OF on the roster, so they can "see what they have", and if it's good then he's gone?

 

The move isn't about bringing Sweeney up, it's about getting Sappelt off the roster.

 

 

That I agree with, I know I argued that I would rather have Sweeney up than Sappelt, but I don't see why they need him and Borbon, although I'd rather have Sweeney than Borbon.

[neely crenshaw]

Serious question, what does getting Sappelt off the roster do? Is it simply because he's been awful or does it save vesting time, or is it for development sake. He certainly hasn't been anything like his stint at cincy, and getting sporadic at bats does not help anyone get going.

[BeerHere]

Apparently Loe was sent down along with Sappelt. Dolis is coming back up.