Right-handers Esmerling Vasquez and Miguel Mejia have signed with the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball, MLBTR has learned. The 31-year-old Vasquez last appeared in the Majors with the Twins in 2012. He has a lifetime 4.86 ERA in 168 2/3 MLB innings. Mejia, meanwhile, has spent the past two seasons pitching in Taiwan’s top professional league and was with the Lamigo Monkeys last season.
More minor moves from around the league…
- First baseman Brandon Allen has re-signed with the Mets, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York tweeted yesterday. The 28-year-old Allen, once considered a Top 100 prospect, hit .266/.368/.434 with the Mets at the Triple-A level last season.
- The Brewers announced today that they’ve acquired outfielder Kyle Wren — the son of former Braves GM Frank Wren — from Atlanta in exchange for righty Zach Quintana. (W.G. Ramirez was the first to report Quintana’s trade earlier this week, on Twitter.) The 23-year-old Wren hit .290/.350/.360 between Class-A Advanced and Double-A last season, while Quintana struggled to a 5.70 ERA in 85 1/3 innings with Milwaukee’s Class-A affiliate. He was a third-round pick by the Brewers as recently as 2012, however.
- Baseball America’s Matt Eddy has several minor league deals to report (All Twitter links). The Athletics have inked catcher Carson Blair and lefty Rudy Owens; the Marlins have signed righty Ryan Reid, lefty Pat Urckfitz and center fielder Kenny Wilson; and the Braves have signed right-hander Victor Mateo and lefty Francisco Rondon.
Ryan 35
Just going off stats, looks like the Brewers won that one. Course, haven’t seen any scouting reports for Quintana, so maybe there is some untapped potential there the Braves saw.
TimotheusATL
It just completes the shunning of Frank Wren. Nothing more, nothing less.
Ryan 35
Fair enough. That’s about the only logical explanation I could think of.
Grebek7
Too bad he’s not related to Jose Quintana, ChiSox should take a shot at S. Vogt or D. Norris from Oakland. Vogt preferably. Signing minor lg. catchers while you currently have 2 quality catchers + 1. Try and keep the Tyler Flowers at-bats under 300 for the season. GM Hahn should look at these FA’s exclusively: RP_Gregerson/Neshek/Saunders
SP_McCarthy
INF_Asdrubal Cabrera/ A. Callaspo
C__Martin/A.J./ Doumit maybe
DH_Billy Butler/ N. Cruz
OF__Markakis
In a trade has to be looking to land 2 studs from 1 Team that fill in their OF, DH, 2nd, C, Bullpen,SP
Grebek7
Rick, go catch us a Yelich from Marlins.
Lennie Briscoe
Wren’s days were numbered the moment the Braves canned his old man. His ceiling is Juan Pierre light……good speed but that’s about as far as it goes. Questionable hitter against lefties, horrendous route runner, and a throwing arm that makes Johnny Damon look like Andrelton Simmons.
Would I like to have gotten a better return? Certainly. However, the Braves are already loaded with 4th/5th OF type guys in their minor league system so they probably didn’t care what the return was.
Gland1
when you describe him like that it’s shocking that you didn’t get a better return
Wes Murry
As a lifelong fan of Esmerling Vasquez and Miguel Mejia, I have no choice but to root for the Seibu Lions.