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Royals Sign Bobby Parnell, Three Others

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The Royals have signed righty reliever Bobby Parnell to what is presumably a minor league deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Parnell is an ACES client.

The 32-year-old Parnell once served as a prominent reliever and then a closer for the Mets, but he has struggled to get his career back on track after having Tommy John surgery early in the 2014 season. He signed a minor league deal with the Tigers prior to the 2016 season and posted middling numbers in Triple-A. He did make it to the Majors, only to struggle in six outings before being released. His fastball velocity, however, did increase to an average of 94 MPH, one mile per hour higher than in 2015 with the Mets and a bit closer to the high-90s velocity he had in his prime.

Also among the Royals signings (again, presumably of the minor league variety) not already previously noted in this space are lefty Jonathan Sanchez, infielder Brooks Conrad and outfielder Ruben Sosa. The 34-year-old Sanchez did not pitch competitively in 2016 after being released by the Reds in Spring Training. He was a longtime cog in the Giants’ rotation and 786 1/3 big-league innings, a no-hitter, and a 2010 championship ring to his name. He has not appeared in the big leagues since struggling in five outings with the Pirates in 2013, however, and he’s frequently struggled with control issues, with a 5.0 career BB/9. He briefly played for the Royals in 2012.

Conrad, 36, played for the independent Sugar Land Skeeters in 2016 and hit sparingly. His last significant minor league action came in 2015 with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas, where he batted a modest .194/.280/.319. In parts of six seasons in the big leagues, he’s hit .200/.271/.389 in about one full season’s worth of at-bats while playing mostly second and third.

The 5-foot-7, 26-year-old Sosa spent several years in the Astros and Angels systems and never established himself as a top prospect, but he likely caught the Royals’ attention with a strong showing in the Mexican League in 2016. In 314 plate appearances with Laguna, he batted .371/.458/.517 with 22 stolen bases, impressive numbers even in a hitter-friendly context.

Minor Moves: Snyder, Dykstra, Redmond, Roberts

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Here are Sunday’s minor moves from around MLB:

  • The Orioles will sign corner intfielder Brandon Snyder to a minor-league deal, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. Snyder, 28, had agreed to a deal with the independent Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in March. He hit .206/.284/.444 in 141 plate appearances with the Red Sox’ Triple-A Pawtucket affiliate in 2014. He last appeared in the big leagues with the Red Sox in 2013 and had previously had cups of coffee with the Orioles and Rangers. The Orioles made him the 13th overall pick in the draft ten years ago.
  • The Rays have outrighted Allan Dykstra, according to MLB.com’s transactions page. Dykstra playing first base for much of April, but he became superfluous when James Loney returned from the disabled list. The 27-year-old Dykstra hit .280/.426/.504 for the Mets’ hitter-friendly Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas last season, drawing 84 walks in 439 plate appearances.
  • The Blue Jays outrighted right-hander Todd Redmond to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. Redmond, who was designated for assignment April 16, struggled to start 2015 allowing eight runs (all earned) in a pair of relief appearanes (covering 4 1/13 innings) with five walks and four strikeouts.
  • The A’s have signed infielder Ryan Roberts to a minor league deal and have assigned him to Triple-A Nashville, tweets the Sounds’ play-by-play announcer Jeff Hem. Roberts, who was in camp with the Royals before being released in March, made a cameo appearance with Boston in 2014 and batted just .105/.227/.105 in 22 trips to the plate during eight games. Over his nine-year career, the 34-year-old has slashed a much more acceptable .243/.320/.388 for the Red Sox, Rays, Diamondbacks, Rangers, and Blue Jays.
  • The Marlins have outrighted left-hander Grant Dayton to Triple-A, per the club’s transactions page. The 27-year-old was designated for assignment Friday to create room on the 40-man roster for catcher Jhonatan Solano, whose contract was purchased when the Marlins placed Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the paternity list.
  • The Mets signed free agent second baseman Brooks Conrad to a minor league contract, according to the International League transactions page.  Conrad signed a minor league deal with the Padres in January of last year after spending some time in Japan and joined their major league team later in 2014.  He spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A, slashing .278/.349/.529 with 18 homers in 337 plate appearances. In a limited sample size of 34 major league appearances in 2014, however, he couldn’t produce the same results, and he was released in August.
  • Per MLBTR’s DFA Tracker, Eric Surkamp (White Sox), Grant Balfour (Rays), Eury De La Rosa (A’s), Steve Tolleson (Blue Jays), Xavier Cedeno (Dodgers), and Logan Verrett (Rangers) are still in DFA limbo.

Padres Release Brooks Conrad, Hector Ambriz

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THURSDAY: The Padres have released Conrad, according to the team’s transactions page.

Additionally, the Pacific Coast League’s transactions page reveals that the Padres have released right-hander Hector Ambriz. After spending 55 2/3 innings in the Astros’ bullpen from 2012-13, the 30-year-old Ambriz saw just two innings with the Friars this year. Much of his season was spent at Triple-A El Paso, where he posted a solid 3.93 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 55 frames. He had signed a minor league deal with the Padres back in Spring Training.

TUESDAY: The Padres announced that they have designated Brooks Conrad for assignment.  In related moves, left-hander Frank Garces will be called up from Double-A San Antonio and right-hander Jesse Hahn is on his way back to San Antonio.

Conrad signed a minor league deal with the Padres in January after spending some time in Japan.  The infielder has spent the bulk of the year in Triple-A, slashing .278/.349/.529 with 18 homers in 337 plate appearances.  In a limited sample size of 34 major league appearances in 2014, he hasn’t been able to produce the same results.  For his career, Conrad owns a .200/.271/.660 line across parts of six big league campaigns.

Minor Moves: Brandon Wood, Eric Farris, Conrad

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We'll keep track of today's notable minor moves here …

  • Rounding out a trio of infield depth signings, the Padres have inked Brandon Wood to a minor league deal with no Spring Training invite, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter). The 28-year-old last saw MLB action in 2011. Playing in the Royals and Orioles systems at the Triple-A level last year, Wood .226/.262/.329 line in 252 plate appearances. 
  • The Twins have re-signed infielder Eric Farris to a minor league deal without an invite to Spring Training, Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDIsh.com tweeted yesterday. Farris, who will turn 28 before the start of the year, has seen very limited MLB action in his career. He registered a .249/.303/.313 line in 452 plate appearances last year across the Double-A and Triple-A levels.
  • The Padres have signed infielder Brooks Conrad to a minor league deal that does not include a Spring Training invite, reports FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (via Twitter). Conrad signed on with the Hanshin Tigers after a tough 2012 MLB campaign, but things failed to pan out in Japan for the soon-to-be 34-year-old. In just 69 plate appearances for Hanshin, Conrad posted a .175/.319/.281 triple-slash. 
  • You can keep track of any players currently in DFA limbo via MLBTR's DFA Tracker. Three players are still awaiting a final disposition: Santos Rodriguez (White Sox),Rafael Ortega (Rangers), and Adys Portillo (Padres).

Minor Moves: Conrad, Obispo

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Tonight's minor signings can all be found right here…

  • Brooks Conrad has signed a contract with the Hanshin Tigers, according to a Sponichi report (Japanese link). Conrad hit just .131/.181/.306 in 105 plate appearances between the Brewers and Rays this season.
  • The Braves have signed Wirfin Obispo to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 28-year-old right-hander pitched to a 3.00 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 96 innings between the Reds' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.

Minor Moves: Slaten, Ohlendorf, Conrad

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves in this post..

  • Pirates left-hander Doug Slaten, Padres right-hander Ross Ohlendorf, and Rays third baseman Brooks Conrad are free agents after recent outright assignments, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter).  Slaten appeared in ten major league games for Pittsburgh while posting a 2.11 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 40 relief appearances in Triple-A.  Ohlendorf had a 7.77 ERA with 39 strikeouts and 24 walks in nine starts and four relief appearances for the Padres over the summer.  Conrad saw time in 49 games for the Rays and Brewers in 2012.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Conrad, Kelly, Gwynn

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The latest outright assignments…

Rays Designate Brooks Conrad For Assignment

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The Rays designated infielder Brooks Conrad to create 40-man roster space for Evan Longoria, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (on Twitter). Longoria injured his hamstring on April 30th and has been on the disabled list ever since.

The Rays claimed Conrad off of waivers from Milwaukee on June 21st and manager Joe Maddon has played the 32-year-old at second and third since acquiring him. In 105 total plate appearances this year, Conrad has a .133/.181/.306 batting line. However, he has a career line of .207/.278/.400 in five MLB seasons.

Rays Claim Brooks Conrad

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The Rays claimed Brooks Conrad off of waivers from Milwaukee, the Brewers announced. The Brewers, who removed Conrad from their 40-man roster two days, ago, announced that they're recalling right-hander Mike McClendon.

Conrad, 32, has appeared in 25 games for the Brewers this year, playing all four infield positions. He has just three hits and three walks in 44 plate appearances, however. His career numbers — a .212/.287/.406 line in five seasons with the A's, Braves and Brewers — are much better. Conrad joins a Rays infield mix that includes Elliot Johnson, Carlos Pena, Will Rhymes, Sean Rodriguez, Drew Sutton and the injured Jeff Keppinger and Evan Longoria.

Brewers Designate Brooks Conrad For Assignment

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The Brewers designated infielder Brooks Conrad for assignment, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The move creates roster space for Tyler Thornburg, who's being called on to start tonight's game against the Blue Jays.

Conrad, 32, has appeared in 25 games for the Brewers this year, playing all four infield positions. He has just three hits and three walks in 44 plate appearances, however. His career numbers — a .212/.287/.406 line in five seasons with the A's, Braves and Brewers — are much better.

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