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Twins Claim Sam Fuld, Designate Darin Mastroianni

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The Twins have claimed outfielder Sam Fuld off waivers, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Fuld was designated for assignment by the Athletics on April 12th.

Fuld, 32, appeared in just seven games for the A’s, hitting .200/.273/.433 in 33 plate appearances. He has a career .233/.312/.334 line in 841 career plate appearances, most of them with the Rays and Cubs. He signed a minor league deal with Oakland in February and made the team out of Spring Training when fellow defensively-savvy outfielder Craig Gentry was injured. Fuld became expendable with a healthy Gentry, who returned to the A’s lineup last week, and Coco Crisp, but he’ll be joining a Twins squad which badly needs outfield depth.

“He can steal a base. He’s a good defender. Puts together pretty good at-bats,” Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said of Fuld (as quoted by Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press). “He’s not a power guy. He is a gamer, a guy who comes to play everyday. Hopefully he can add a little life to the offense and (Twins manager Ron Gardenhire) can use him in different spots in the outfield as well.”

To make room for Fuld on the 40-man and 25-man roster, the Twins announced they have designated outfielder Darin Mastroianni for assignment. Mastroianni has gone 0-for-11 with five strikeouts in seven games since having his contract selected from Rochester on April 10th. The Twins now have 10 days to either trade, release, or outright the 28-year-old, who can opt for free agency instead of accepting a minor league assignment since he has been outrighted previously (per a Berardino tweet). Berardino notes this move may not have been necessary had Jason Bartlett’s retirement been finalized one day sooner with the Easter weekend also working against the Twins.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Yankees Designate Matt Daley For Assignment

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The Yankees have designated right-hander Matt Daley, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). In related moves, New York activated Mark Teixeira, recalled right-handers Preston Claiborne and Bryan Mitchell, placed right-hander Ivan Nova on the 15-day disabled list with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and sent infielder Scott Sizemore to Triple-A.

Daley, 31, pitched for the Bombers yesterday and allowed six runs (four earned) as a part of their 16-1 blowout loss to Tampa Bay. Daley has spent the bulk of his career at the Triple-A level, pitching to a 3.90 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 124 career appearances. For his big league career, Daley has a 4.72 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 across 100 outings.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Tigers Release Alex Gonzalez

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The Tigers announced via Twitter this morning they have released shortstop Alex Gonzalez. The move opened up a spot for utility infielder Danny Worth, who was called up from Triple-A Toledo.

The Tigers acquired Gonzalez in late March in exchange for utility player Steve Lombardozzi, who was shipped to the Orioles less than four months after arriving in Detroit as part of the Doug Fister deal. With Lombardozzi in Baltimore, the Fister deal amounted to Detroit receiving left-handers Ian Krol and Robbie Ray plus a few weeks of Gonzalez. The Tigers had hoped the 37-year-old would serve as a capable replacement for shortstop Jose Iglesias, but his spotty defense and lack of range left much to be desired.

"We thought we'd take a little chance on it," Tigers President/CEO/General Manager Dave Dombrowski told reporters, including MLB.com's Jason Beck. "We thought it was something worth taking the gamble. As we had a chance to watch him, had a chance to get a feel, we just didn't see it getting better, so we thought, with the emphasis on defense for us at shortstop, we thought it was important to get someone who had a little bit more range."

Jon Morosi of FOX Sports notes (via Twitter) the Tigers will pay Gonzalez $1.1MM for only nine games. In that small sample size of 32 at-bats, Gonzalez slashed .167/.219/.233. For his career, Gonzalez owns a .245/.290/.395 line across 16 big league seasons.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

Boras: Drew/Morales “Damaged” By Comments In ESPN Story

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Scott Boras, the agent for unsigned free agents Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales, claims his clients have been "damaged" by comments from the anonymous executives quoted in a recent ESPN story, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Boras' remarks come two days after the MLBPA requested the Commissioner's Office to investigate those comments made to ESPN's Buster Olney, which appeared in a column he penned Wednesday.

"It's a clear violation of the CBA," Boras told Heyman. "As many as five executives continue to use ESPN as a conduit to violate the collective bargaining agreement. Kendrys Morales and Stephen Drew were damaged by these comments." 

Boras also warns, "The integrity of the game is challenged when players of this stature have yet to have a negotiation due to the system," adding there needs to be a "remedy" for the pair, which could take the form of monetary damages or relief from a future qualifying offer. Boras points out not only does the CBA disallow negative comments from MLB team officials, which could depress player markets, but also provides for the possibility of monetary damages in such circumstances. Boras says the issue is about the "conduct" of the executives, not the timing suggesting a grievance procedure needs to be implemented where all concerned parties are placed under oath.

MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred disagrees with Boras' assertion the market for Drew and Morales has been damaged by the comments. "It is ludicrous, absurd, that one [Internet] report somehow alters the market for players who have been out there for months," Manfred told Heyman.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:

Minor Moves: West, Maier, Ledezma

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Here are Sunday's minor moves from around MLB:

  • The Brewers have released left-hander Will West, per Baseball America's Matt Eddy. West received a 100-game suspension in January after being suspended for 50 games last August. The 21-year-old has now failed three tests for recreational drug use plus another for a performance enhancing drug (amphetamine), according to Eddy. When on the field during his three-year tenure in the Brewers' organization, West had a 5.98 ERA, 8.2 K/9, and 3.2 BB/9 in 105 1/3 innings covering 29 games, including 20 starts. 
  • Also from Eddy, the Cubs have released outfielder Mitch Maier. Maier, drafted by the Royals with the 30th overall pick of the 2003 amateur draft, spent 2013 with the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate and posted a .310/.431/.451 line, though he only received 137 plate appearances due to a wrist injury. The 31-year-old, who signed a minor league deal with the Cubs last December, hasn't appeared in a MLB game since 2012, but has slashed .248/.327/.344 during his six-year career, all with the Royals. Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com tweets Maier is recovering from surgery and will be ready to play in three months.
  • The Tigers have released left-hander Wil Ledezma, reports James Schmehl of the Detroit Free Press. Ledezma, who inked a minor league contract with the Tigers in March, last saw MLB action in 2011 with the Blue Jays, but made 26 relief appearances (covering 30 2/3 innings) for NPB's Chiba Lotte Marines in 2013 good for a 3.23 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 3.8 BB/9. Over the course of his nine-year MLB career with the Tigers, Braves, Padres, Diamondbacks, Nationals, Pirates, and Blue Jays, the 33-year-old has a mark of 5.40 ERA, 6.4 K/9, and 4.5 BB/9 over 192 games (including 45 starts) and 396 1/3 innings.
  • With the Dodgers' designation of Mike Baxter for assignment earlier today, there are now eight players in DFA limbo, per MLBTR's DFA Tracker: Baxter, Vin Mazzaro (Pirates), Eduardo Nunez (Yankees), Jeremy Jeffress (Blue Jays), Hector Noesi (Mariners), Pedro Ciriaco (Royals), and Frank Herrmann and Preston Guilmet (Indians), 

Dodgers Designate Mike Baxter For Assignment

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The Dodgers have announced they have designated outfielder Mike Baxter for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for left-hander Colt Hynes, who was acquired earlier today from the Indians. Baxter played four games, including one start in left field, for the Dodgers this season and was hitless with one walk in eight plate appearances before being optioned Friday to Triple-A Albuquerque. 

Baxter was arbitration eligible for the first time this past offseason as a Super Two, but avoided a hearing after agreeing to a one-year deal worth $700K. The Dodgers claimed the 29-year-old off waivers from the Mets in October after he batted only .189/.303/.250 in 155 plate appearances. Baxter, however, is just a season-plus removed from a 2012 slash of .263/.365/.413 with three home runs in 211 plate appearances.  

Dodgers Acquire Colt Hynes

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The Dodgers have announced they have acquired left-hander Colt Hynes from the Indians in exchange for minor league right-hander Duke von Schamann. Hynes, who was designated for assignment by the Indians last Sunday, was added to the Dodgers' 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets von Schamann will report to the Indians' Double-A affiliate.

Hynes made his MLB debut last season with the Padres, but allowed 17 runs in 17 innings of work (22 games) with a 13-to-9 K/BB ratio. The 28-year-old was dominant in the minors, however, posting a 1.52 ERA with a remarkable 58-to-2 K/BB ratio in 47 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. The Indians acquired Hynes last Halloween after the former 2007 31st-round selection of the Padres was designated for assignment by San Diego.

Von Schamann, taken in the 15th-round by the Dodgers in the 2012 amateur draft, has a career mark of 3.93 ERA, 6.2 K/9, and 2.2 BB/9 in 43 games, including 37 starts, across four levels of the Dodgers' minor league system topping out at Double-A.

Both Hynes and von Schamann pitched collegiately for Texas Tech.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

  • Zach Links spoke with high-level MLB executives about the much-debated qualifying offer. Unsurprisingly, their take is that while the system favors clubs, players and agents are responsible for anticipating demand appropriately before deciding whether to accept or decline the QO. One AL executive told Zach that if changes are to be made, the union will "have to give something substantial back. Now, whether that's something like an extra year of arbitration, I'm just not sure. I don't think the owners would just give it back to the players, it's something that [the owners] bargained and negotiated for." 
  • The 2013-2014 Offseason In Review series continued with Charlie Wilmoth's examination of the the Rangers, Mark Polishuk's recap of the Orioles and Red Sox, and Jeff Todd's analysis of the Nationals. 
  • Tim Dierkes was the first to report the Royals claimed Rule 5 selection Patrick Schuster off waivers from the Padres.
  • Tim was the first to learn right-hander Jason Bulger, the 22nd overall pick in the 2001 amateur draft, has ended his comeback from shoulder surgery and will retire after seven MLB seasons.

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