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Players Added To The 40-Man

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We’ll use this post to keep track of the players being added to their teams’ respective 40-man rosters today, which is the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft. Players must be added to the big league roster within either four years (if they were 19 or older at the time of their original signing) or five years (if 18 or younger) of their signing year in order to be shielded from selection.

MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo took a look at some of the biggest names who face roster decisions, though most of those won’t be much in question. At the fringes, teams must also consider the major league readiness of the player, since that factors heavily into whether they’ll be taken and kept. Any drafting team, of course, must keep a player on its active MLB roster for the full season (with certain exceptions relating to the DL) in order for their control rights to vest. Adding a player to the 40-man too early can have its own risks, because it limits flexibility and could require a team to expose that player to waivers if a need arises. With 26-man rosters reportedly under consideration, the Rule 5 draft could be quite intriguing this year, and that may bleed into today’s decisions as well.

Below is a division-by-division rundown of the names that were added to each team’s 40-man roster (plus the various waiver claims that spawned from teams trying to outright players to protect Rule 5-eligible prospects). We won’t delve into each player’s background, but if you’re looking to a little more about the names that were added, I’d highly recommend this tremendous, in-depth examination of each team’s additions by Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper. If you want to see how the moves look in the context of a team’s roster, head over to Roster Resource for your club’s depth chart.

Onto the moves…

American League West

American League Central

American League East

National League West

National League Central

National League East

Braves To Acquire Tuffy Gosewisch

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The Braves have acquired catcher Tuffy Gosewisch from the Diamondbacks, the MiLB Roster Tracker Twitter account first reported (Twitter link). Specifically, he was claimed off waivers, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets.

[RELATED: Braves Depth Chart]

With the move, Atlanta picks up another depth piece for its catching core. Tyler Flowers currently stands as the top option behind the dish, with Anthony Recker seemingly next in line following a solid 2016 season. Both Recker and Gosewisch are controllable through arbitration, with projected salaries of $1MM and $600, respectively. All three catchers hit from the right side.

Of course, the Braves have been widely tabbed as a pursuer of catching talent this winter, with free agent Jason Castro among the possible targets connected with the organization. Adding Gosewisch hardly commits the team to an alternative course — indeed, it doesn’t even mean he’ll necessarily be tendered — but it does impact the overall picture somewhat. It’s possible, for instance, that his addition could pave the way for Recker to be dealt elsewhere.

Braves Are Reportedly Focused On Chris Sale

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  • Though the Braves have been connected to several top young starters, their focus is on trying to work a deal with the White Sox for Chris Sale, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It’s still unclear just how hard Atlanta will push to pry him loose, and certainly Chicago isn’t in a position where it needs to move its affordable, excellent, and still-youthful ace. And as O’Brien notes, the Braves have signaled previously that they aren’t interested in emptying their farm to move toward contention — though there may be an added willingness to give up some premium assets in this case, as would certainly be necessary to get something done.

Braves Sign Bartolo Colon

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NOV. 17: The Braves have now announced the signing of Colon to a one-year deal. “We are thrilled to add a veteran of Bartolo’s caliber to our club,” said GM John Coppolella in a press release announcing the move. “He will be valuable to us both on the field and in the clubhouse and it will be exciting to watch him chase baseball records during a historic season for the Braves franchise.”

NOV. 11: The Braves set out to acquire at least two starting pitchers this offseason, and in a span of 24 hours they’ve added two of the most durable innings eaters on the market. After signing R.A. Dickey to a one-year deal on Thursday, they’ve now reportedly agreed to a one-year, $12.5MM deal that will pry free agent right-hander Bartolo Colon away from the Mets. Colon is represented by Wasserman.

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Colon, 44 next May, has spent the past three seasons with the division-rival Mets and will undoubtedly leave many New York fans feeling jilted with this new deal. For the Braves, he’ll join Dickey in adding another veteran source of innings to what was previously a young and highly inexperienced rotation. While some Atlanta fans may question the decision to ink a pair of pitchers that are a combined 85 years in age, both have been highly durable workhorses in recent years.

Colon has averaged 195 innings per season over the past four seasons, logging a collective 3.59 ERA with 6.1 K/9 against a pristine 1.3 BB/9. In that same span, Dickey has averaged 206 innings per year with a 4.05 ERA while pitching in the AL East. Both hurlers will fill in the rotation behind Atlanta’s top starter Julio Teheran and young right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, leaving the final spot up for grabs among a number of young arms highlighted by Matt Wisler and Aaron Blair.

The Mets are “disappointed” to see Colon go, tweets FanRag’s Jon Heyman, but they were cognizant of the fact that he could receive superior offers and a chance at greater innings by signing elsewhere. Despite having a seemingly full rotation heading into the 2016 campaign, the Mets re-signed Colon on a one-year $7.25MM contract to pitch in the back of the rotation while Zack Wheeler finished his Tommy John rehab. Most believed that Colon would eventually slide into the bullpen, but instead he remained in the rotation all season as the Mets were ravaged by injury. Wheeler never pitched in 2016, while Matt Harvey underwent thoracic outlet surgery, Jacob deGrom had his ulnar nerve repaired and Steven Matz went down with an elbow spur and a shoulder impingement.

However, New York expects each of those arms to be healthy in 2017, and they’ll be joined by ace Noah Syndergaard with emergent right-handers Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman serving as valuable depth options should a need arise. That grouping makes it difficult to see how Colon could’ve reasonably expected to pick up many innings in 2017, but he’ll have a clear path to doing so in Atlanta. With 233 wins in his career, Colon is just 10 shy of Hall of Famer Juan Marichal’s 243 victories — a Major League record for a Dominican-born pitcher. Colon has openly spoken in the past about how much it would mean to him to surpass that mark, and a regular role in Atlanta’s rotation will certainly afford him the opportunity to do so.

Adding Colon and Dickey on one-year commitments also lessens the need to rush prospects such as Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis to the Majors, and it can also give Blair and/or Wisler further opportunity to hone their skills in the minors after struggling through their brief big league tenures thus far.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports first reported that Colon had agreed to sign with an unnamed team that was not the Mets (Twitter link). MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported that the Braves were the team with which Colon had agreed to terms (via Twitter). Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that it was a one-year deal that did not contain an option (Twitter links). FOX’s Ken Rosenthal reported Colon’s 2017 salary (Twitter link).

Braves Aggressive In Pursuit Of Starting Pitching

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The Braves are “aggressively swapping offers” with other organizations for starters, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link). Atlanta has been rumored to have inquired on basically all of the quality, young, controllable arms that might be available, and it seems that the organization is serious about pursuing a major strike. One such pitcher, of course, is White Sox lefty Chris Sale, who has also reportedly been asked about by the Braves’ division rivals to the north. Adding a starting pitcher isn’t exactly a priority for the Nationals, at least from the perspective of need, but Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post argues that the team ought to push hard for Sale. By Svrluga’s reckoning, the team has the prospect arsenal needed to get something done; after another postseason disappointment, he says, adding another ace could get the team over the hump.

Braves A Serious Pursuer For Jason Castro

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Jason Castro has been the most frequently discussed free-agent catcher to this point, and multiple reports today have continued to shine a light on his market. Earlier today, ESPN’s Buster Olney again linked Castro to the Twins and added that there’s an expectation that Castro will get “at least” a three-year deal in free agency. Olney followed up that report with a tweet indicating that the Braves are among the “most serious bidders” for Castro’s services. That’s not the first time that Castro has been tied to Atlanta, but Olney’s report carries more conviction than previous links between the two sides.

SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reports (Twitter links) that five teams have joined the incumbent Astros in the mix for Castro right now, which seems to reflect the lay of the land. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan reported last week that Castro had offers from three AL clubs, and the Twins have been reported to be interested but haven’t made an offer, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports (Twitter link). Adding them and the Braves into the mix makes five clubs, though the identities of the other interested AL clubs remains unknown.

Braves Showing Interest In Sale, Archer, Gray

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Though the Braves already added R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon this winter, it seems they aren’t quite done shopping for starters. They have joined the division-rival Nationals, and probably a sizable portion of the rest of baseball, in reaching out to the White Sox about lefty Chris Sale, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. Atlanta is among the organizations “trying hardest” to pry Sale loose from Chicago, per the report, with some around the league believing that he could change hands this winter. Of course, yesterday’s report regarding the Nats also suggested that the South Siders have yet to engage in serious chatter as of yet, and the Braves are looking at a variety of options, so it’s a bit soon to dwell heavily on the Sale/Braves connection. Atlanta has also inquired with the Rays on Chris Archer and the Athletics on Sonny Gray, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman notes.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/14/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • Outfielder Shane Robinson and righty Cory Rasmus cleared outright waivers and were sent to Triple-A by the Angels, the club announced. The 32-year-old Robinson, a seven-year MLB veteran, struggled badly last year in his time in the majors but displayed his typical high-OBP bat in the upper minors. The 29-year-old Rasmus, meanwhile, worked to a 5.84 ERA in 24 2/3 frames with the Halos, posting 17 strikeouts against 16 walks.
  • The Braves have agreed to a minor league deal with utilityman Colin Walsh, according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (via Twitter). Walsh, 27, struggled in limited major league action last year with the Brewers after being selected in the Rule 5 draft. Though he displayed his trademark plate discipline, taking 15 walks in 63 plate appearances, he also racked up 22 strikeouts and managed only four base knocks. Upon returning to the Athletics after losing his major league roster spot in Milwaukee, Walsh put up a .259/.384/.388 batting line in 245 plate appearances at Triple-A.
  • Matt Duffy has signed on with Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines, Cotillo also reports on Twitter. Not to be confused with the other infielder of the same name — who was traded this summer from the Giants to the Rays — the 27-year-old saw brief MLB action in each of the last two years with the Astros and played most recently for the Rangers. Duffy had impressed at Triple-A in 2015, but struggled to a .229/.297/.387 slash in 444 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors in the 2016 campaign.
  • Right-hander Casey Lawrence will return to the Blue Jays on a minor league deal that includes a Spring Training invite, the club announced. Lawrence, who just turned 29, has spent his entire professional career with the Toronto organization but has yet to crack the big leagues. Working as a starter last year, splitting 162 frames about evenly between Double-A and Triple-A, he pitched to a 4.17 ERA with 6.0 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9.

Braves Re-Sign Braeden Schlehuber to Minor League Deal

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  • The Braves have re-signed catcher Braeden Schlehuber to a minor league deal. The 28-year-old has been a member of the Atlanta organization since it selected him in the fourth round of the 2010 draft, but he hasn’t gotten past the Triple-A level. Schlehuber collected 116 plate appearances with Triple-A Gwinnett in 2016 and hit .236/.254/.300.

Cafardo: Braves A Possibility For Jose Bautista

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  • Free agent outfielder/designated hitter Jose Bautista “loves” both Boston and Fenway Park, making the Red Sox a potential fit for the longtime Blue Jay, per Cafardo. Further, Bautista has fans in Red Sox manager John Farrell and third base coach Brian Butterfield, both of whom were previously in Toronto. If the 36-year-old doesn’t end up rejoining them in Boston, the Rangers, Astros, Orioles, Cardinals, Giants and Braves are also possibilities (the DH-less National League doesn’t seem ideal, though). First things first, Bautista will have to reject Toronto’s qualifying offer by Monday – which seems like a formality.

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