Minor Transactions: Sierra, Outman, Carpenter
Let’s round up a few notable transactions that won’t impact major league rosters:
- Cuban shortstop Anibal Sierra has agreed to a $3.5MM bonus with the Astros that will become official on July 2nd, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com reports. The total outlay will be closer to $7MM when accounting for the penalty on the amount that goes above and beyond Houston’s $2.197MM international pool, though of course that number could change if the club acquires additional spending slots. Adding the glove-first 22-year-old would appear to set the club up for yet more additions, as his signing alone would require the team to take on a two-year ban on international signings of over $300K.
- Former big league relievers Josh Outman, Josh Zeid, Eric Fornataro, and Nick Greenwood have signed deals with the Atlantic League’s New Britain Bees, according to team press release (h/t to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation, on Twitter). Outman, 31, has had some productive years as a lefty specialist but never got a shot in the majors last year while dealing with shoulder troubles. Zeid, a 29-year-old righty who has seen sporadic MLB action with the Astros, posted a 4.46 ERA in 70 2/3 frames for the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate in 2015. Fornataro, a 28-year-old right-hander, has received only minimal major league time. He worked to a 5.37 ERA last year at Triple-A in the Nationals organization. As for Greenwood, 28, he did enough to earn 36 major league frames with the Cardinals in 2014, but ended with a 4.75 ERA and only managed a 5.79 earned run mark last season while functioning mostly as a Triple-A starter.
- Veteran righty David Carpenter has signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish, the club announced. He had shoulder issues in 2015 and only managed 24 1/3 innings with the Yankees and Naionals. The 30-year-old has some impressive MLB work under his belt, but his strikeout rate plummeted last year after sitting at better than one per inning. He was released by both the Rays and Braves this spring.
Nationals Designate Eric Fornataro For Assignment
The Nationals announced that they have designated right-hander Eric Fornataro for assignment in order to clear room on the 40-man roster for Casey Janssen, whose one-year deal is now official.
The Nats claimed the 27-year-old Fornataro off waivers from the Cardinals in December following a season in which the former sixth-round pick made his Major League debut. Fornataro appeared in eight games for St. Louis, allowing five earned runs on 11 hits and a walk with three strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings of work. He worked primarily off a sinker that averaged 92.7 mph in the big leagues, registering an impressive 51.4 percent ground-ball rate in his brief big league sample.
Fornataro was markedly better in the minor leagues, where he notched a 2.57 ERA over 56 innings of relief. He averaged 5.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 at Triple-A this season and was equally effective against both right- and left-handed hitters.
Nationals Claim Eric Fornataro From Cardinals
The Nationals announced that they’ve claimed 26-year-old right-handed reliever Eric Fornataro off waivers from the Cardinals.
Fornataro, a sixth-round draft pick by the Redbirds in 2008, made his Major League debut this season, allowing five earned runs on 11 hits and a walk with three strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings. His average fastball checked in at a solid 92.8 mph in that time, and he registered a 51.4 percent ground-ball rate in that small sample as well.
The rest of Fornataro’s season was spent at Triple-A Memphis, where in 56 innings he posted a 2.57 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9, though it’s worth noting that at least part of his success was due to a likely unsustainable .254 BABIP.
Baseball America once ranked Fornataro 21st among Cardinals farmhands, writing prior to the 2013 season that his velocity jumped up into the 96-98 mph range and touched 99 on occasion following a move to the bullpen. BA praised his curve more than his splitter, adding that he tends to get grounders in bulk when he’s throwing well.