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Minor Moves: Patton, Monell, Sands, Elmore

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • Free agent lefty Troy Patton has received an 80-game suspension for a positive amphetamine test, the league announced today. The 29-year-old lefty only threw 14 MLB innings this year after two full seasons with the Orioles, but had been solid in eight appearances with the Padres after a mid-season trade and surely would have found at least a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite.
  • Backstop Johnny Monell is headed to the Mets, he announced on Twitter. He’ll get a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp in the spring, per a tweet from Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. The 28-year-old has only nine big league plate appearances, but has a combined .261/.343/.450 slash line over 724 Triple-A plate appearances.
  • Previously designated for assignment, outfielder Jerry Sands has been outrighted by the Rays, according to the MLB.com transactions page. The 27-year-old has seen only a smattering of MLB time since a partial-season stint with the Dodgers back in 2011. At Triple-A this year, he slashed .268/.352/.474 with nine long balls over 219 plate appearances.
  • The Reds have re-signed infielder Jake Elmore, with the news also coming via MLB.com. He had been outrighted after being acquired by Cincinnati in the middle of the 2014 season.

Rays Designate Jerry Sands, Vince Belnome For Assignment

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The Rays have designated outfielder Jerry Sands and infielder Vince Belnome for assignment, according to a team press release.  Sands and Matt Moore were activated off the 60-day DL, and Belhome’s DFA creates a spot for Moore on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster.

Sands was claimed off waivers from the Pirates last offseason.  He only appeared in 12 games with the Rays due to wrist surgery in July.  Sands, 27, has a .689 OPS over 273 Major League PA with the Rays and Dodgers since 2011.

Belnome was a 28th-round draft pick of the Padres in 2009 and he made his Major League debut with the Rays in 2014, making 14 plate appearances over four games.  He has primarily played first base during his career, though he has also seen lots of time at second and third.  The 26-year-old Belnome has a strong .289/.402/.459 slash line over 2613 career PA in the minors.

According to the MLB Trade Rumors DFA Tracker, Sands and Belnome join John Axford and Jeanmar Gomez in ’DFA Limbo.’

40-Man Roster Moves: Fernandez, Beckham

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Here’s the recap of some notable players who saw their roster status changed over the weekend…

  • The Marlins moved Jose Fernandez to the 60-day disabled list, opening up roster space for newly-acquired reliever Bryan Morris.  Fernandez, of course, will be sidelined for roughly the next year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
  • The Rays moved infielder Tim Beckham to the 60-day DL and filled his 40-man roster spot by purchasing the contract of outfielder Jerry Sands from Triple-A.  Sands will help fill in for Wil Myers, who went on the 15-day DL yesterday.  Beckham, the first overall pick of the 2008 draft, tore his right ACL during the offseason.
  • The Diamondbacks moved left-hander Matt Reynolds to the 60-day DL in order to create a 40-man roster spot for outfielder David Peralta, who had his contract purchased from Double-A.  (A.J. Pollock was placed on the 15-day DL in a corresponding move.)  Reynolds posted an impressive 1.98 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 4.60 K/BB rate in 27 1/3 IP out of the Arizona bullpen last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery in September.

Minor Moves: Sands, Mills, Fontenot, Patterson

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

  • Scout.com's Kiley McDaniel reports that Jerry Sands has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Durham by the Rays (Twitter link). The 26-year-old Sands was designated for assignment earlier in the week when the club claimed Pedro Figueroa.
  • The Brewers and lefty Brad Mills have agreed to a minor league contract, according to MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo (on Twitter). Mills, 29 in March, posted a 3.87 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 97 2/3 innings for Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers' organization in 2013. He requested his release midseason to sign with Nippon Professional Baseball's Orix Buffaloes. Mills has a 7.76 ERA in 53 1/3 career big league innings.
  • Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports that the Nationals have signed Mike Fontenot to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training (Twitter link). Last year marked the first season since 2006 in which Fontenot didn't appear at the Major League level. He spent the duration of the campaign with the Rays' Triple-A affiliate, batting .264/.335/.379 in 120 games.
  • The White Sox have signed infielder/outfielder Eric Patterson to a minor league contract, tweets Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. The 30-year-old began last season with the Atlantic League's York Revolution, batting .275/.342/.527 with 13 homers in 294 plate appearances. That production led to him getting picked up by the Brewers, but he slashed just .204/.291/.235 in 111 plate appearances at Double-A Huntsville. Patterson has not appeared in the Majors since 2011.

Rays Claim Pedro Figueroa, Designate Jerry Sands

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The Rays have claimed Pedro Figueroa off of unconditional release waivers, according to Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).  To make room on the roster, the club has designated outfielder Jerry Sands for assignment.

Figueroa, 28, has 24 big league appearances to his credit over the last two years with the Athletics.  He spent the bulk of last year at Triple-A Sacramento, posting a 4.10 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in 45 relief appearances and one start.

Sands, 26, was claimed off waivers from the Pirates just before Christmas and didn't get a chance to go house hunting in Tampa Bay.  Sands batted just .207/.311/.329 with seven home runs in 106 games (397 PAs) at the Triple-A level in 2013.  Once a favorite in the Dodgers' farm system, he became one of the players in the Adrian Gonzalez/Carl Crawford/Josh Beckett blockbuster of August 2012.  The Red Sox included him in another notable trade last offseason – the deal that sent Mark Melancon to Pittsburgh and Joel Hanrahan to Boston.  In his minor league career, Sands is a .276/.366/.526 hitter with 128 homers in 2433 plate appearances. 

Rays Claim Jerry Sands

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The Rays have claimed first baseman Jerry Sands off waivers from the Pirates, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune (on Twitter). Sands was designated for assignment 10 days ago, along with right-hander Ryan Reid, in order to clear room on the Bucs' 40-man roster for Clint Barmes and Edinson Volquez. Reid was claimed by the Mets earlier this afternoon.

Sands, who turned 26 at the end of the season, batted just .207/.311/.329 with seven home runs in 106 games (397 PAs) at the Triple-A level this season. Formerly with the Dodgers, Sands was one of the players in the Adrian Gonzalez/Carl Crawford/Josh Beckett blockbuster of August 2012. The Red Sox included him in another notable trade last offseason, as he was one of the pieces acquired by Pittsburgh in the ill-fated (for Boston) trade that sent Mark Melancon to Pittsburgh and Joel Hanrahan to Boston.

In his minor league career, Sands is a .276/.366/.526 hitter with 128 homers in 2433 plate appearances. He'll provide the Rays with some depth at first base, though GM Andrew Friedman hopes to have that position solidified for the next three seasons now that he's inked James Loney to a $21MM pact.

Pirates Designate Ryan Reid, Jerry Sands

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The Pirates have announced that they've designated pitcher Ryan Reid and outfielder Jerry Sands for assignment. The two moves make room on their 40-man roster for pitcher Edinson Volquez and shortstop Clint Barmes.

Reid came up through the Rays system before signing with the Pirates as a minor-league free agent prior to the 2013 season. He pitched well in both Triple-A and in a brief stint in the big leagues, posting a 2.73 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 59 1/3 innings the minors, but the Bucs did not make him a September callup. The Pirates acquired Sands from the Red Sox in the Joel Hanrahan / Mark Melancon deal, but he never appeared in the big leagues for the Bucs and posted a disappointing .207/.311/.329 season for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Red Sox Acquire Joel Hanrahan In Six-Player Trade

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On the heels of back-to-back All-Star appearances, the Pirates have traded away their closer one year before he hits free agency. Pittsburgh has dealt Joel Hanrahan and infielder Brock Holt to the Red Sox in exchange for reliever Mark Melancon, first baseman/outfielder Jerry Sands, infielder Ivan De Jesus Jr., and right-hander Stolmy Pimentel. Both teams have announced the trade.

Uspw_6394936Hanrahan, 31, pitched to a 2.72 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 59 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh last season. Despite having a reputation as a strong closer, some rival evaluators have been concerned about his conditioning and recent proclivity for walks. Hanrahan's walk rate climbed from 2.1 BB/9 in 2011 to 5.4 BB/9 in 2012. Matt Swartz projects the right-hander to earn $6.9MM through arbitration this winter after pulling down $4.1MM in 2012. Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal notes he will not net the Red Sox a compensation draft pick if he signs elsewhere based on the assumption Hanrahan will accept a pricey qualifying offer (Twitter links).

Melancon, 27, pitched to a 6.20 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 45 relief innings with the Red Sox after being acquired from the Astros last winter. He spent some time in Triple-A as well, then returned to the big league club at midseason. Melancon struck out 40 and walked just ten in his final 43 innings of the season. The former Houston closer will step into Pittsburgh's bullpen to provide depth behind the recently re-signing Jason Grilli, who will take over as closer.

Both Sands and De Jesus came to the Red Sox in their summer blockbuster trade with the Dodgers. The 25-year-old Sands owns a Triple-A batting line of .288/.362/.552 with 55 home runs in 940 plate appearances across the past two years. He also has 70 big league games to his credit, most of which came in 2011. De Jesus, 25, has 80 big league plate appearances under his belt and is a .303/.355/.416 hitter in 1,294 career Triple-A plate appearances. The Red Sox had recently removed him from their 40-man roster.

Pimentel, 22, was rated as the sixth best prospect in the Red Sox's organization in 2010 by Baseball America but was bumped down to No. 23 the following year. The 6-foot-3 right-hander boasts a strong changeup but has failed to impress at the Double-A level. In 37 starts for Double-A Portland, the youngster has posted a 5.96 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. Alex Speier of WEEI.com notes that Pimentel was targeted by the Pirates in 2008 as part of the three-way deal with the Dodgers and Red Sox that resulted in Manny Ramirez going to LA and Jason Bay coming to Boston, but the Sox refused to include him.

Holt, 24, was rated as the 27th best prospect in the Pirates' farm system in 2010 by Baseball America, but he has not been featured by the publication in their annual Prospect Handbook since. He hit .292/.329/.354 in 72 big league plate appearances this season, his MLB debut. Holt has hit .317/.381/.427 throughout his minor league career, including a .344/.406/.453 showing between Double-A and Triple-A this past season. He's played the middle infield exclusively as a professional, spending most of his time at short rather than second.

Andrew Bailey, Boston's incumbent closer, pitched to a 7.04 ERA in 15 1/3 innings in 2012 while missing most of the year with injuries. The additions of Hanrahan and Koji Uehara give the Red Sox some late-inning bullpen depth along with Junichi Tazawa and possibly Daniel Bard if he can bounceback from a disastrous season. The Pirates will pair Melancon and Grilli with Jared Hughes and Tony Watson, though they could also seek additional relief help on the free agent market.

ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes first reported that the two sides were nearing an agreement while ESPN's Jim Bowden reported the agreement (on Twitter). Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, John Tomase of the Boston Herald, MLB.com's Evan Drellich, MLB.com's Peter Gammons, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports all added details on Twitter. Mike Axisa contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Red Sox Closing In On Deal For Joel Hanrahan

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3:00pm: The deal is not complete, but it is in the final stages, a Pirates source tells Bowden (on Twitter).

2:44pm: Outfielder Jerry Sands is in the trade, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

1:01pm: Jose Iglesias is not currently in the talks, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

12:24pm: The Red Sox are moving closer to a trade for Joel Hanrahan, reports ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. One source cautioned there is "still work to be done," however. It's unclear what the Pirates would receive for their closer, though Edes hears they want a "significant return."

Hanrahan, 31, pitched to a 2.72 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 59 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh last season. He earned $4.1MM and projects to earn $6.9MM through arbitration next year. Hanrahan is scheduled to become a free agent after 2013.

Andrew Bailey, Boston's incumbent closer, pitched to a 7.04 ERA in 15 1/3 innings in 2012 while missing most of the year with injuries. WEEI.com's Rob Bradford reports they have not discussed free agent Rafael Soriano despite having a protected first round pick. The Dodgers were among the teams with interest in Hanrahan in recent weeks.

Red Sox Receive De La Rosa, Sands From Dodgers

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The Red Sox announced that they have received right-hander Rubby De La Rosa and outfielder Jerry Sands to complete their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers from earlier this summer.  In a related move, the club has designated catcher Guillermo Quiroz for assignment.

De La Rosa and Sands were already known to be the players to be named later in the August 25th swap, but the two sides had to wait until the end of the major league season to make that end of the deal official.  The other two prospects in the trade, pitcher Allen Webster and infielder Ivan De Jesus, already joined Boston. 

De La Rosa, 23, was sidelined for the bulk of the 2012 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.  The right-hander had a strong debut season in 2011, posting a 3.71 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in ten starts and three relief appearances.  De La Rosa and Webster were considered to be the top pitchers in the Los Angeles farm system after two-sport standout Zach Lee.

Sands, 25, posted a .244/.325/.376 slash line with four homers in 251 plate appearances for the Dodgers over the last two seasons.  He also owns a Triple-A batting line of .288/.362/.552 with 55 home runs in 940 plate appearances during that stretch.

Quiroz, 30, has seen time for the Blue Jays, Mariners (twice) , Rangers, Orioles, and Red Sox across eight big league seasons.  He spent most of the year with Seattle's Triple-A affiliate, where he hit .278/.362/.483 with 15 homers in 89 games.

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