Cubs right-hander Andy Sonnanstine is now a free agent after declining an outright assignment to Triple-A, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Chicago outrighted the veteran to their Iowa affiliate on Thursday.
Sonnanstine, who turned 29 last Saturday, signed a non-guaranteed split contract with the club in December. The longtime Rays hurler posted a 5.55 ERA with 12 walks and 12 strikeouts in 35.3 innings of work for Tampa Bay last year.
The 6'3" pitcher made 72 starts for the Rays from 2007-2009 but worked mostly out of the bullpen in '10 and '11.
doubt this guy will be free long
Why? Will he be captured and put on display or something?
good stuff… herb.
I bet the Orioles jump right on it.
Agreed. With experience in the east and DD’s desire to add depth….sign him up for a minor league deal and sell him on potential to start again and call it a day.
They just picked up Dontrelle Willis, so why not?
Go to the Red Sox so the Rays can light him up
Sonnestine may think he has options better than the rotation for the Iowa Cubs, but let’s just be clear: he wasn’t even close to competing for a spot on the Chicago pitching staff.
What does that leave him, a chance in Pittsburgh, Kansas City or Seattle?
Seattle’s rotation is arguably better than the Cubs’, so there’s one more team crossed off that list.
pirates are set also and royals are committed to young guys and power arms…sonnanstine will only succeed on a high defensive team a la rays 08 when he was relevent. such is the life of a control reliant contact pitcher
St Louis. Probably cheaper them Oswalt as a holdover untill carpenter Is healthy?
so where are all those people who were hailing this “solid move” for “pitching depth” with “low risk, high upside” when Theo and Jed signed him? You know guys, sometimes you don’t have to take a bite out of an apple to know it’s rotten.
I wasn’t one of the people “hailing” it as a solid move for pitching depth but it was what you stated…low risk with high upside. He didn’t pan out, optioned him to AAA, he refused. So therefore it was a low risk move, just didn’t pan out with the high upside.
Exactly… That’s why people thought it was a good move. Because it’s not a big deal if it doesn’t work out. Why don’t people understand that?
San Francisco Giants or Seattle Mariners would love to sign Sonnastine for one year contract to help out at long relief pitching before James Paxton, Danny Hultzen, and/or Tujuan Kelly are ready to jump into MLB level w/ the Mariners next year.
Here’s Pelfrey’s replacement….
maybe not pelfreys replacement but mets sure would take a shot on him a la r.a. dickey
R.A. Dickey throws a knuckleball with exceptional command. If anything, Sonnanstine would be another Rick Reed. But, unless you expect lighting to strike twice on one franchise, he’d be replacing Pelfrey in the sense that the team would be intentionally downgrading for no logical reason.
His birthday was actually last Sunday, not Saturday.
With the right pitching coach, this guy could easily produce 14-15 wins, if they can get into his head and get his confidence up. He has all the pitches, he just doesnt keep his mind clear on when and where to use what pitch. That is the secret that guys like Dave Duncan bring out of pitchers. I think that is all this guy needs.