Category Archives: Transactions

Phillies Sign Lino Martinez for $325,000

International Signings, Transactions

Hat tip to Ben Badler of Baseball America, who has been all over the international market.  Per BA…

[A] 6-foot lefthander from Venezuela[,] Martinez, 16, throws 86-88 mph with good feel for a changeup. Martinez’s breaking ball is a work in progress, but he has some athleticism and a good delivery.

Have to say I agree with andyb: it’d be great to see the organization make a couple of signings in this price range, as they’ve had some success there over the years.  Domingo Santana was signed for $300,000, and he’s already got 3 HRs in 5 games for the GCL Phillies, so he’s certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Feel free to use this thread to discuss the international market.  And as James said below, enjoy your holiday weekend!

Rotation Update

Transactions

Some curious goings on in Allentown and Atlanta….JA Happ is now starting Thursday, pushing the Phillies need for a starter back to Friday.  This places Rodrigo Lopez in the mix for the start on Friday for the Phils.  Lopez , while not on the 40 man roster, has a good deal of major league expereience, and had an excellent outing in his last appearance yielding just a run in seven innings.  One of the intriguing aspects of Lopez for the Phils is his control, having given up just 13 walks in 71.1 innings.  He is 3-0 with an 0.64 ERA in his last 3 starts.  The Phillies reacquired veteran minor league starter Brian Mazone, who will be joining the Lehigh Valley rotation when they make a roster move over the next couple of days.  With talent such as Savery/Drabek progressing in Reading, the organizaation has made a decision to bring in a starter from another organization rather than move up someone from Reading.  Phillies GM Ruben Amaro was in Allentown last night, meeting with the Lehigh Valley brass.

Roster Shuffling

Transactions

Pitcher Yohan Flande was called up to Reading, with Tyler Cloyd taking Flande’s spot in the Clearwater rotation after a promotion from Lakewood. 

With Justin DeFratus moving into the Lakewood rotation, reliever Jared Simon was sent from Clearwater to Lakewood to take DeFratus’s bullpen spot.

Roster Note

Transactions

Relief Pitcher Tyler Walker, who has over four years of major league experience, has been recalled by the Phils for todays game against Boston.  Walker has pitched very well in Lehigh Valley, going 2-1, with a 1.40 ERA in his 15 appearances.  Opponents are hitting just .125 against him this year, and he has 3 saves.  Walker’s control has been excellent walking just 3 and striking  out 20, in 19.1 innings pitched.  It is my belief, for what it is worth, that Walker is the one  that can give the Phillies what they need from Lehigh Valley.  He will provide some consistency, has closed in the majors (he had 23 saves in ’05) in the past and can pitch multiple innings if needed.  Sergio Escalona was sent back down to Lehigh Valley after pitching multiple innings for the Phils last night.

Injury Update

Transactions

–Todd Zolecki of MLB.com is reporting that Jason Donald will undergo surgery on Monday to repair a torn meniscus.  He is expected to miss 3-4 weeks.

—Lou Marson was placed on the DL on Friday with a right ankle contusion after taking a foul ball off his ankle Thursday night. He should be back after missing the 7 day minor league minimum.

2009 Minor League Workout Groups: 3/24 Update

Spring Training 2009, Transactions

UPDATED:  3/24/09

Here is a look at the current workout groups for the Phillies minor league teams.  Keep in mind that there will be MANY changes before the season actually gets underway.  Players are still going to get sent down from the Phillies ST roster to the minors.  That will create a ripple effect of players on this list moving down.  Also (and unfortunately) many of these players will be cut before the season starts and may not end up on any roster despite where they are listed now.  There was a small first round of cuts this week with 11 guys getting their walking papers.

This is updated weekly (on Tuesdays this year), so I will try to get the new groups up ASAP again next week. .

Continue reading 2009 Minor League Workout Groups: 3/24 Update →

Phillies trade Jason Jaramillo

Transactions

A catcher for catcher swap, Jason Jaramillo is gone, Ronny Paulino is in. Gotta say, this is a win for the Phillies. Pirates fans looking for info on Jaramillo should start here and here.

A note on Paulino. For his big league career, he’s thrown out 73 baserunners and allowed 165 SB. Defensive stats for catchers are really kind of hard to judge, but 31% CS is respectable. For comparison’s sake, Ruiz has 49 CS and 133 SB allowed, or 27%.

Update #2: If you have season tix at Lehigh Valley, you’ll get a full season of Lou Marson in 2009. I expect lots of pictures submitted. Thanks.

Minor League Free Agents

Transactions

Some on this site get excited about the draft….yawn. Some get excited about prosepects….overrated. The true minor league fans get excited about the journeymen! Each year Baseball America releases a list of the minor league free agents and this year is no different. The complete list can be found here, but the Phillies minor league free agents are listed below:

Philadelphia Phillies (30)
RHP: Jason Anderson (AAA), Matt Childers (AAA), Steve Green (AAA), Travis Minix (AAA), Justin Pope (AA), Scott Vander Weg (Hi A)
LHP: Brian Mazone (AAA), Stephen Randolph (AAA), Matt Smith (Hi A), R.J. Swindle (AAA)
C: Anderson Alvarez (VSL), Kevin Nelson (AA), John Suomi (AAA), Scott Thomas (AA)
1B: John Urick (Hi A)
2B: Carlos Leon (Hi A), Steve Smith (AAA)
3B: Mike Cervenak (AAA), Brian Finegan (Hi A), Orlando Guevara (AA), Joey Hammond (AA), Brennan King (AAA), Anthony Mansolino (Hi A)
SS: Mike Rouse (AAA)
OF: Jake Blalock (AA), T.J. Bohn (AAA), Jesus Granado (VSL), Jon Knott (AAA), Mike Spidale (AA), Brandon Watson (AAA)

In addition, BA mentioned JD Durbin (RHP), Chris Snelling (OF), and Travis Blackley (LHP) have also filed for free agency.

Also, the Phils thought so highly of Jason MacKintosh (LHP), Kevin Mahar (OF), and Rich Thompson (OF) that they resigned them before they could reach the open market.

Anyone the Phils need to resign? Any guys out there who should fill out the IronPigs roster in 09?

Cardenas placed on DL

Transactions

Per Baseball America’s weekly transactions update yesterday, Cardenas has been placed on the 7 day DL. Hopefully Jeff can give us an update, but it was probably a precautionary move more than anything.