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Brent Lillibridge

Rangers Sign Lillibridge, Wilson, Kouzmanoff

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The Rangers announced that they've signed Kevin Kouzmanoff, Brent Lillibridge, Armando Rodriguez and Josh Wilson to minor league deals with invites to Spring Training.

Lillibridge, 30, batted .119/.133/.136 in 61 plate appearances between the Cubs and Yankees last season. The utility man showed promise with the White Sox in his age-27 season back in 2011, batting .258/.340/.505 with 13 homers in 216 plate appearances. Over the course of his career, however, he's a .205/.267/.332 hitter.

Wilson, 32, batted .200/.262/.300 in 65 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks in 2013. He's a career .225/.278/.317 hitter in 1077 plate appearances between the D-Backs, Mariners, Rays, Padres, Nationals, Marlins and Brewers. 

Kouzmanoff, 32, spent four seasons as the everyday third baseman for the Padres and A's, slashing .259/.303/.426 with 75 homers. He spent 2013 in the Marlins organization, batting .294/.344/.440 at Triple-A.

Rodriguez, 25, split the 2013 season between Double-A and Triple-A with the Mets, posting a combined 4.81 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in 63 2/3 innings.

The Rangers also announced that they inked righty Doug Mathis to a minor league pact, though Mathis' deal doesn't contain an invite to Spring Training. Mathis posted a 4.84 ERA in 87 1/3 innings for the Rangers from 2008-10 and split last season between the Triple-A affiliates for the Marlins and Pirates.

Minor Moves: Moore, Lillibridge, Martinez

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Today's minor moves from around the league…

  • Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star tweets that the Royals have requested release waivers on catcher Adam Moore. A one-time top prospect in the Mariners system, Moore has appeared in just 11 games since the 2011 season. In 271 Major League plate appearances, the now-29-year-old Moore has batted .200/.237/.310. He's been significantly better at the Triple-A level, where he owns a career slash line of .273/.333/.427 in 887 plate appearances. Moore's release will allow the Royals to select the contract of left-hander Francisley Bueno.
  • The Yankees outrighted Brent Lillibridge to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, according to Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal (Twitter link). Lillibridge was designated for assignment on Monday after batting .171/.194/.200 in 37 plate appearances for the Yankees.
  • The Indians announced (via Twitter) that they have released right-hander Fabio Martinez from Class-A Carolina. The 23-year-old was on the 40-man roster for the club at one point last season but has seen his command decline rapidly. In his last 57 1/3 minor league innings, Martinez has walked 75 batters en route to an ERA north of 10.00. He does miss plenty of bats, however, as he's whiffed 67 hitters in those 57 1/3 frames. Martinez was originally signed by the Angels out of the Dominican Republic.
  • Five players are currently in DFA limbo: Laynce Nix of the Phillies, Josh Sullivan of the Rockies, Mark Reynolds of the Indians, Travis Blackley of the Astros and Guillermo Quiroz of the Giants.

Yankees Designate Brent Lillibridge For Assignment

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The Yankees have designated infielder Brent Lillibridge for assignment, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter). David Adams was recalled to take his roster spot, adds McCullough.

Lillibridge, 29, batted .171/.194/.200 in 37 plate appearances for the Yankees this season after going just 1-for-24 in nine games for the Cubs. He's appeared with the Red Sox, White Sox, Indians, Cubs and Yankees all since the beginning of the 2012 season, batting just .177/.224/.241 in 270 plate appearances. The former fourth-round pick has played at least 30 games at every position other than pitcher and catcher in parts of six Major League seasons.

Yankees Acquire Brent Lillibridge

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The Cubs announced that they have traded Brent Lillibridge to the Yankees for a player to be named later or cash considerations.  The light-hitting infielder/outfielder has spent the bulk of the year with Chicago's Triple-A affiliate. 

The 29-year-old saw just nine games of action on the Cubs' varsity squad this season versus 48 games in Triple-A Iowa where he hit .281/.331/.425 with five homers.  Across six big league seasons, Lillibridge owns a .207/.271/.339 slash line with five different clubs.

Minor Moves: Lillibridge, Lewis, Hamren, Weglarz

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Here are Friday's minor moves from around the league…

  • Brent Lillibridge has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Iowa by the Cubs, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter).
  • The Cubs have also released right-hander Jensen Lewis, according to Muskat (Twitter link). The 28-year-old Lewis hasn't appeared in the Majors since 2010. He has a 3.68 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 198 Major League innings — all coming with the Indians.
  • The Braves have signed right-hander Erik Hamren and first baseman Nick Weglarz to minor league deals, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Hamren, 26, threw 12 1/3 innings for the Padres in 2011 and posted a 4.38 ERA. Weglarz at one point ranked 58th on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list, but his stock has fallen since that 2009 list. He has a career .252/.375/.439 batting line in the minors.

Cubs Claim Ransom; Designate Takahashi, Lillibridge

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The Cubs claimed infielder Cody Ransom off waivers from the Padres, GM Jed Hoyer told reporters including MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.  The team also purchased the contract of Kevin Gregg.  Sunday's waiver claim, Kameron Loe, is also joining the Cubs' bullpen, while reliever Hisanori Takahashi and infielder Brent Lillibridge were designated for assignment.  Second baseman Darwin Barney has been reinstated from the DL, as expected.

Ransom had been designated for assignment by the Padres on Friday.  The 37-year-old had the most exposure of his big league career last year, racking up a .220/.312/.411 line in 282 plate appearances for the Brewers and Diamondbacks.  If Ransom somehow sticks on the Cubs' roster, he'll be arbitration eligible after the season.

Takahashi, 38, was scored upon in two of his three appearances for the Cubs this year.  The lefty posted a 5.54 ERA, 9.3 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 1.43 HR/9, and 37.1% groundball rate in 50 1/3 innings for the Angels and Pirates in 2012.  The Cubs' bullpen is already being retooled, with a 5.82 ERA in the early going.

Lillibridge, 29, had one hit in 24 plate appearances for the Cubs this year.  He played second and third base.  Lillibridge hit .195/.250/.274 in 209 plate appearances for the White Sox, Red Sox, and Indians last year.  He was part of a "numbers crunch," Hoyer told reporters including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.  With the recent additions of Ransom, Gregg, and Loe, the Cubs' 40-man roster remains full.

Quick Hits: 42, Ortiz, Quentin, Cubs

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Tomorrow is the 66th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball. Every player, coach, and umpire will honor Robinson by wearing his iconic jersey number 42 and it is a significant ritual appreciated by today's generation of players. "It's definitely one of those things you take a lot of pride in, putting on that jersey," said Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (as quoted by MLB.com's Tom Singer). "What (Robinson) went through, stepping up and being that guy to take that important step…it's something we need to always remember." This weekend, the nation remembered the Hall of Famer by making the biopic 42 the domestic box office champion with $27.3MM in ticket sales. This is the first time a baseball movie has ever grossed more than $20MM in its opening weekend and is also an opening weekend record for any baseball-themed movie when adjusted for inflation, according to Forbes. Here's the latest news and notes from America's Pastime:

  • David Ortiz was scratched from his Triple-A rehab start today due to illness and it could become a very expensive setback, reports Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Ortiz's 2014 salary will be cut by $2MM (from $15MM to $13MM), if he spends more than 20 days on the disabled list and day 20 is next Sunday. His next rehab start could come tomorrow.    
  • Carlos Quentin announced he has withdrawn his appeal and will start serving his eight-game suspension today (first reported by the USA Today's Bob Nightengale on Twitter). "I’ve had time to have dialogue with Major League Baseball and a chance for the players association to protect me and my rights as a player,” Quentin told reporters including Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “When that time passed, I’ve prepared to serve my suspension." Quentin will miss the Padres' three-game series against the Dodgers, which begins tomorrow in Los Angeles.
  • The Cubs could designate Brent Lillibridge or Alberto Gonzalez for assignment when Darwin Barney is activated from the disabled list on Tuesday, speculates the Daily Herald's Bruce Miles.

NL Notes: Chapman, Stewart, Rockies, Braves

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St. Patrick's Day is as much of a baseball holiday as Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, or Labor Day thanks to former Reds GM Dick Wagner. Tom Singer of MLB.com chronicles how the baseball tradition of wearing the green came about 35 years ago. Elsewhere from the Reds and the rest of the National League:

  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty expects a decision in the next few days on whether Aroldis Chapman will pitch out of the bullpen or be moved into the starting rotatation, reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Chapman stated publicly he wants to close, which didn't sit well with Jocketty. "We don’t let every player tell us how they want to be used," the GM told MLB.com.
  • Ian Stewart's lingering left quad injury could affect his chances at making the roster and how the Cubs build their bench, writes MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Brent Lillibridge, Luis Valbuena, Edwin Maysonet, and Alberto Gonzalez are competing to fill that void while manager Dale Sveum mentioned Steve Clevenger could be an interesting option and added the team is watching all the waiver wires. 
  • The Rockies are giving serious consideration to making Nolan Arenado their starting third baseman with one club official telling Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com "it’s a tough call." If Arenado receives the nod, Rosenthal believes incumbent third baseman Chris Nelson could be used to acquire a veteran starting pitcher.
  • Within the same piece, sources tell Rosenthal the Rockies want to move Ramon Hernandez and are willing to assume some of his $3.2MM salary to facilitate a trade.
  • Don't expect the Braves to have any interest in the recently released Matt Diaz because there isn't a need right now, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • The Marlins have returned Rule 5 selection Braulio Lara to the Rays, reports Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. The left-hander appeared in four games for the Marlins this spring throwing four innings allowing two earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

Cubs Sign Brent Lillibridge, Darnell McDonald

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The Cubs signed infielder Brent Lillibridge and outfielder Darnell McDonald to minor league contracts, the team announced.

Lillibridge, a CAA Sports client, appeared in 102 games for the White Sox, Red Sox and Indians in 2012. The 29-year-old posted a .195/.250/.274 batting line in 209 total plate appearances while appearing at every position except pitcher and catcher.

McDonald, a 34-year-old client of McNamara Baseball Group, played for the Yankees and Red Sox in 2012. He appeared in 42 total games, posting a .205/.297/.352 batting line in 103 plate appearances and playing all three outfield positions.

Twins Notes: Myers, Harden, Alvarez, Diaz, Gomez

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Here's the latest on the Twins, courtesy of 1500 ESPN's Darren Wolfson…

  • The Twins had numerous discussions with Brett Myers before the right-hander signed with the Indians, but they never made him an offer.
  • Rich Harden's minor league contract with Minnesota includes a July 31st opt-out date according to Wolfson. The right-hander can elect free agency if he's not added to the big league roster by then.
  • The Twins will have a scout on hand to watch outfielder Dariel Alvarez and infielder Aledmys Diaz tomorrow. The two Cuban defectors are hosting a workout for teams.
  • The club has had "brief talks" with free agent outfielders Ryan Sweeney and Scott Podsednik after trading both Ben Revere and Denard Span this offseason.
  • The Twins have talked about Brent Lillibridge and Yuniesky Betancourt, but they're likely to sign elsewhere. Minnesota also has interest in Brandon Inge.
  • The Indians have reached out to several teams about Jeanmar Gomez, including the Twins. Gomez was designated for assignment earlier this week and Cleveland has ten days to trade, release, or waive him.
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