2018 Minor League Transaction Thread

[Mass Haas]

On Tuesday, Wisconsin LHP Wilfred Salaman was transferred to Helena, and RHP Dylan File was activated from the Timber Rattlers' 7-day DL, where he had been since May 27th.

[And That]

Some DL moves to get injured players off of the short season rosters:

 

P Drake Owenby to Carolina 7-day DL

P Brendan Murphy to Carolina 7-day DL

P Caden Lemons to Wisconsin 7-day DL

C Moises Perez to Wisconsin 7-day DL

[And That]

From the Brewers' PD Twitter account, confirmation of two UDFA signings, and news of four more:

 

Already reported above:

INF Connor McVey from U of Cincinnati

RHP Renny Tolentino from LSU-Shreveport

 

New:

RHP Peter Strzelecki from University of South Florida

RHP Tyler Tungate from Faulkner

RHP Tate Budnick from U of Portland

RHP Mitch McIntyre from Tabor College

 

All assigned to the AZL roster for the time being.

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers have added three more Latin players to their DSL roster, though all three have been placed on the restricted list as they wait to be activated:

 

RHP Deybi Arias, born 5/27/01;

OF Starling Javier, born 12/17/00; and,

RHP Wellington Nunez, born 10/17/99.

 

We'll link to their milb.com pages once they're up.

 

Nunez is listed at 6'2", 171, and is a Dominican native. The 18-year-old should make his debut any day now, as he's been assigned to the DSL Brewers.

 

No formal word yet on the others in terms of assignment or activation.

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers have reportedly signed 16-year-old Chinese RHP Jolon Lun (also listed as Jolon Zhao). The young man from Beijing got his start at the MLB Development Center in China.

 

The infamous Rob Friedman @PitchingNinja account recently tweeted about Lun, after being given a heads-up from this exciting Instagram post linked in the tweet.

 

Be sure to read all the replies to that tweet.

 

Zhao was with his Alexandria (VA) Aces of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League at the time of his signing, playing with college kids a few years older.

 

The team's bullpen has a Twitter account and is having some fun with the news tonight via this tweet (that's not the definitive source of the news ).

 

One of the very few online references to Zhao is this inclusion of his on a Unites States Amateur Baseball League page, listed at 5'9", 165, but hey, that's at age 16.

 

Brief 2016 video in this tweet.

 

There's this from January 2017.

 

Looks like the team got Zhao to join Twitter this month as well.

 

Game story from June 8th: "From there the bullpen took over, most notably when 16 year old phenom Jolon Lun struck out three batters for all three outs in the seventh. It was the first appearance from the young gun, and marked the youngest player to ever appear in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League."

 

We should have additional confirmations in the coming day or two.

[JDBrewCrew]

Now that is a nice find. Both by you and the Brewers. Tops out at 95!

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers have reportedly signed 16-year-old Chinese RHP Jolon Lun (also listed as Jolon Zhao). The young man from Beijing got his start at the MLB Development Center in China.

 

The infamous Rob Friedman @PitchingNinja account recently tweeted about Lun, after being given a heads-up from this exciting Instagram post linked in the tweet.

 

Be sure to read all the replies to that tweet.

 

Zhao was with his Alexandria (VA) Aces of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League at the time of his signing, playing with college kids a few years older.

 

The team's bullpen has a Twitter account and is having some fun with the news tonight via this tweet (that's not the definitive source of the news ).

 

One of the very few online references to Zhao is this inclusion of his on a Unites States Amateur Baseball League page, listed at 5'9", 165, but hey, that's at age 16.

 

Brief 2016 video in this tweet.

 

There's this from January 2017.

 

Looks like the team got Zhao to join Twitter this month as well.

 

Game story from June 8th: "From there the bullpen took over, most notably when 16 year old phenom Jolon Lun struck out three batters for all three outs in the seventh. It was the first appearance from the young gun, and marked the youngest player to ever appear in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League."

 

We should have additional confirmations in the coming day or two.

 

(h/t baseball rosters)

 

Here are confirmations:

 

TWEET from the Manager of the Alexandria Aces

 

INSTAGRAM from Lun's training facility in Virginia

[JDBrewCrew]

Mass,

 

Would this signing be for the 2017 July 2nd signing period or 2018? Which bonus pool would his money go to?

 

Thanks.

[And That]

It should be for this period because he's already signed. I'm trying to track down bonus information.

 

This is sort of shades of Ernesto Martinez' signing towards the end of the 2016-2017 period last year. Guessing as in that case, the Brewers used whatever remaining money they had to sign Lun.

[And That]

Brewers 60-day DL assignments on the Helena roster, which is essentially for guys that most likely won’t play this year:

 

RHP Harold Chirino

LHP Jake Drossner

RHP Cody Martin

RHP Daniel Missaki

LHP Christian Trent

RHP Nash Walters

[NolanBratt]

Brewers signing RHP Yostin Villalobos, most likely for the next signing period. Here he is with Brewers scout Reinaldo Hidalgo.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkAtZA-j3tk/?taken-by=joseodelpete

[LouisEly]

Brewers 60-day DL assignments on the Helena roster, which is essentially for guys that most likely won’t play this year:

 

RHP Harold Chirino

LHP Jake Drossner

RHP Cody Martin

RHP Daniel Missaki

LHP Christian Trent

RHP Nash Walters

I thought Missaki was throwing again and close to coming back? Did he have a setback?

 

[Mass Haas]

RHP Tyler Spurlin suspended for amphetamines. Out of sight, out of mind for most fans, but he was a Fall Leaguer in 2016.

[Eye Black]

From MLB Trade Rumors...

 

The Yankees announced today that they have acquired international bonus pool availability from the Brewers. The swap will send minor-league righty Chad Whitmer to Milwaukee for an undisclosed amount of spending capacity.

[cesser000]

Brewers 60-day DL assignments on the Helena roster, which is essentially for guys that most likely won’t play this year:

 

RHP Harold Chirino

LHP Jake Drossner

RHP Cody Martin

RHP Daniel Missaki

LHP Christian Trent

RHP Nash Walters

I thought Missaki was throwing again and close to coming back? Did he have a setback?

 

 

I'm curious about this as well. I've been interested in Missaki since the day he was acquired in the Lind trade, but the longer he remains inactive, the less hope I have that we'll ever see him pitch.

[And That]

McCalvey confirmed that Lun was signed using '17-'18 pool money.

 

Which makes sense because...

[And That]

Yankees Acquire International Pool Space From Brewers

Guessing whatever they didn't use on Lun went to the Yankees.

 

The Brewers get RHP Chad Whitmer, a 10th round pick out of Southern Illinois U (go Salukis!) last year by the Yankees, for some international pool money.

 

Whitmer pitched in the GCL in 2017, which is the east coast version of the AZL. He posted a gaudy 22:2 K:BB ratio and got a lot of ground balls, though he also yielded a .312 opponent batting average. My guess is he gets assigned to Helena.

[And That]

I thought Missaki was throwing again and close to coming back? Did he have a setback?

Apparently. Extended spring training injury reports are basically non-existant so we usually get a few bad surprises this time of the year.

[Mass Haas]

RHP Tyler Spurlin suspended for amphetamines. Out of sight, out of mind for most fans, but he was a Fall Leaguer in 2016.

 

Adam McCalvy learned that Spurlin underwent Tommy John surgery in March (tweet).

[And That]

Brewers signing RHP Yostin Villalobos, most likely for the next signing period. Here he is with Brewers scout Reinaldo Hidalgo.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkAtZA-j3tk/?taken-by=joseodelpete

In addition to Villalobos, the Brewers have inked two RHPs named Ortiz:

 

Robert Ortiz, born 7/23/01

 

and to be super confusing:

Luis Ortiz, born 1/27/99

 

All three have assigned to the DSL club and are on the restricted list awaiting activation.

 

We'll work on a middle name for this Luis Ortiz.

[AKCheesehead]

The Brewers have reportedly signed 16-year-old Chinese RHP Jolon Lun (also listed as Jolon Zhao). The young man from Beijing got his start at the MLB Development Center in China.

 

In case any missed it, McCalvy threw a shoutout to BF.net for breaking the story.

[Mass Haas]

MLB Trade Rumors details the Wendell Rijo move to the Yankees.

[WV Brew]

Roster Update: Bettinger to Carolina; Diaz placed on DL

The Brewers transferred RHP Alec Bettinger to the Mudcats from Low-A Wisconsin today

[And That]

INF Darren Seferina activated off of Biloxi's 7-day DL to backfill the roster spot vacated by Rijo's trade.

[JosephC]

Yankees Acquire International Pool Space From Brewers

Guessing whatever they didn't use on Lun went to the Yankees.

 

The Brewers get RHP Chad Whitmer, a 10th round pick out of Southern Illinois U (go Salukis!) last year by the Yankees, for some international pool money.

 

Whitmer pitched in the GCL in 2017, which is the east coast version of the AZL. He posted a gaudy 22:2 K:BB ratio and got a lot of ground balls, though he also yielded a .312 opponent batting average. My guess is he gets assigned to Helena.

 

According to YES Network, the international pool money is for the period that starts on July 2.

 

http://web.yesnetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20180615&content_id=281386168&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb

 

Whitmer was a $7500 college senior pick/signing. It will be interesting to see how this player progresses. Can't say I'm too crazy about trading away pool money this early in the process. But on the other hand, I tend to really like 22:2 strikeout to walk ratios. Have to keep in mind that, as a college senior, he was probably matching up against a lot of hitters that were significantly younger.