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David Freitas

Mariners Claim David Freitas From Braves

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The Mariners have claimed catcher David Freitas off waivers from the Braves, as per a team press release.  Right-hander Rob Whalen has also been reinstated to Seattle’s 40-man roster, thus filling every available spot on the 40-man.

Freitas was originally a 15th-round pick for the Nationals in the 2010 draft, and he has since been part of two notable trades (from Washington to Oakland for Kurt Suzuki in August 2012 and then from the A’s to the Orioles as a PTBNL in the Jim Johnson deal in December 2013) and also been selected by the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft.  No matter the organization, Freitas has hit well in his pro career, with a .272/.358/.414 slash line over 2665 career minor league plate appearances.  Freitas made his big league debut this past season, appearing in six games for Atlanta.

With Carlos Ruiz hitting free agency, the Mariners could see Freitas as a candidate for the backup catcher’s job; Mike Marjama is currently the top choice on the depth chart behind starter Mike Zunino.  At the very least, Freitas gives the M’s additional catching and first base depth in the minors.

Whalen also came to Seattle from Atlanta, coming to the Mariners along with Max Povse in exchange for Alex Jackson and Tyler Pike last December.  Whalen appeared in just two games at the MLB level for Seattle in a season marked by several shuttles to and from Triple-A Tacoma, where he made just 10 starts.  His year began with a month-long DL stint due to a sore shoulder and Whalen didn’t appear in another game after being placed on the team’s restricted list in early July due to undisclosed personal issues.  In addition to 32 big league innings with the Mariners and Braves, Whalen has a 2.99 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 2.59 K/BB rate over 413 career innings in the minors.

Braves Designate Enrique Burgos

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The Braves have designated right-hander Enrique Burgos for assignment, per a club announcement (h/t David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on Twitter). His roster spot will go to catcher David Freitas, whose contract was purchased.

Atlanta found itself in need of another backstop due to an injury to Tyler Flowers. He is headed to the 10-day DL with a wrist contusion, according to the club.

Burgos, 26, was acquired from the Diamondbacks in May. But he has failed to rein in his walk problems and hasn’t cracked the bigs with his new organization. Over 35 1/3 Triple-A innings between the two clubs, Burgos carries a 5.60 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 6.6 BB/9.

Despite his inability to limit the free passes, Burgos has an intriguing arm. He averaged over 96 mph with his fastball during his time in the majors with Arizona, striking out 10.8 batters per nine over 68 1/3 total MLB innings.

Minor MLB Transactions: 11/12/16

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league:

  • The Braves have signed catcher/first baseman David Freitas to a minor league contract, according to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter link). Freitas spent last season with the Cubs, his fourth organization since Washington chose him in the 15th round of the 2010 draft. The 27-year-old hasn’t yet cracked the majors, but he has hit a solid .273/.361/.421 across seven seasons in the minors.
  • The Mariners have re-signed righty Ryan Cook to a minor league deal, writes MLB.com’s Greg Johns. Cook signed a one-year, $1.1MM deal with the M’s last offseason but never actually pitched for them, sitting out the season due to injury. He had Tommy John surgery last month and will miss the 2017 season as well. Cook has pitched parts of five seasons in the big leagues, pitching the majority of his innings with the Athletics, and has a career 3.43 ERA, 9.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.
  • The Dodgers have signed lefty Patrick Schuster to a minor league deal, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy tweets. The 26-year-old struggled in 8 2/3 innings with the Athletics and Phillies in 2016, although he pitched well at the Triple-A level, where he had a 1.21 ERA, 9.3 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 and dominated fellow southpaws over 46 2/3 frames. The Phillies outrighted him at the end of the season.
  • The Padres have signed 31-year-old 1B/OF Jamie Romak to a minor league deal, Eddy tweets. Romak played sparingly for the Yokohama Bay Stars in Japan in 2016 and produced just a .113 batting average over 85 plate appearances, but he had been a reliable minor league slugger before that. He has 200 minor league home runs to his name, including 27 in a .284/.363/.549 season with Reno in 2015.

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